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Late at night, Alex returned to his room and immediately noticed someone sitting by the bed.
Before he could say a word, a soft, delicate body threw itself into his arms.
A faint, intoxicating fragrance rushed straight into his nose, and his body reacted instantly.
"Shinobu? Is that you?" Alex asked.
He had drunk far too much earlier, so his throat felt dry, his voice hoarse and low.
"Mhm."The slender figure in his arms nodded.
"Have you made up your mind?" Alex asked again.
Kocho Shinobu nodded once more.
That was the last straw.
Alex scooped her up without hesitation and carried her straight into the bathroom.
He knew exactly what this was about.
She was thanking him. For reviving Kocho Kanae. For training the Demon Slayer Corps and making the Hashira stronger. For curing Ubuyashiki Kagaya's illness.
Alex wasn't the kind of person who demanded repayment for favors.
But when the food was already at his lips, there was no way he wasn't going to eat it.
He couldn't help it. He was just an ordinary man at heart.
The next morning, when Shinobu woke up, Alex was already gone.
She sat up and noticed a note on the bedside table.
Shinobu, I've already left your era. I used the Authority "Fairy Corridor" to travel to the Warring States period.I'm going to find the founder of Breathing Techniques, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and bring him back. I want Kibutsuji Muzan to experience the terror of being dominated by Sun Breathing once again.I'll be back in a few days. Don't worry.
After reading it, Shinobu couldn't help pouting.
"So he runs off right after getting what he wanted. Heartless jerk. And dragging Yoriichi along just to scare Muzan? Please. You just want to recruit him into your faction."
She got dressed, then her gaze landed on the faint red stain on the bedsheets.
Her cheeks flushed crimson.
Carefully, she folded the sheets and put them away before leaving the room.
At the same time, in the Warring States era of Japan.
Outside a small mountain village, a spatial rift suddenly opened in midair.
Alex stepped out.
It was afternoon, but dark clouds covered the sky, blotting out the sun.
After surveying his surroundings, he headed toward the village.
The moment he arrived, he saw a battle in progress.
A group of demons were surrounding a single Demon Slayer.
At first glance, Alex almost thought he was looking at a grown-up Kamado Tanjiro.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Long black hair tied into a high ponytail, the tips tinged dark red. A crimson haori draped over his shoulders. A handsome face marked by a flame-like birthmark. Hanafuda earrings hanging from his ears.
"Well, damn," Alex said with a grin. "I run into the main character the moment I arrive."
There was no mistake.
The man being besieged was none other than Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the creator of Breathing Techniques.
Surrounded by demons, Yoriichi remained calm and unhurried.
It was as if he could see straight through their movements, effortlessly dodging every attack.
Each time his blade swung, a demon fell.
His speed surpassed human limits.
Alex estimated that Yoriichi's combat strength was already on par with a Level 5 adventurer from Orario.
In just a few minutes, over a dozen demons were reduced to three.
Those remaining were terrified out of their minds.
Seeing how overwhelmingly powerful Yoriichi was, they gave up fighting and fled in different directions.
Yoriichi couldn't chase them all.
He threw his Nichirin blade, pinning one demon instantly, then pursued a second.
The third demon escaped his attention entirely.
Unfortunately for it, the demon ran straight into Alex at the village entrance.
Assuming Alex was just an ordinary human, the demon grinned cruelly.
"Blame your bad luck, kid."
It raised its claws to tear him apart.
Alex responded with a strange smile.
A blazing light erupted from his body as he transformed into a miniature sun.
The demon screamed in sheer terror.
A human turning into the sun?
Was this a god?
A sun god?
Before it could process the thought, it was completely annihilated.
Alex had activated the Authority "Solar Sovereignty."
He withdrew the solar radiance and immediately used another Authority.
"Lord of the Sky."
The rain stopped.
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky with a blazing sun hanging high above.
Sunlight poured down across the land.
The sudden change instantly reduced countless rain-hunting demons to ash.
Including the one Yoriichi had been chasing.
Yoriichi stopped, lifting his gaze toward the sun before turning to look at Alex at the village entrance.
His instincts told him the sudden shift in weather had everything to do with that man.
He had even caught a glimpse, out of the corner of his eye, of Alex becoming a living sun.
Without hesitation, Yoriichi approached him.
As a practitioner of Sun Breathing, he could feel it clearly.
Alex felt like a living sun incarnate.
Now he was certain.
The weather change was no coincidence.
Yoriichi bowed politely.
"Thank you, sir. Was it you who turned the rain into clear skies?"
"Yes," Alex replied with a nod.
"Are you… a god?" Yoriichi asked, eyes wide with astonishment.
"Not yet," Alex said honestly. "But I can wield the authority of gods."
"That's incredible," Yoriichi murmured.
The power to command the sun was the ultimate weapon against demons.
Imagine fighting at night and suddenly the sun rises.
Or worse, raising the sun inside Kibutsuji Muzan's Infinity Castle.
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Seeing Yoriichi too stunned to speak, Alex continued.
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi, right? I came here specifically for you."
"You know me?" Yoriichi asked, confused. "Why are you looking for me?"
Instead of answering, Alex asked, "Are you still part of the Demon Slayer Corps?"
Yoriichi's expression dimmed instantly.
Alex understood at once.
He had arrived at the right point in time.
"..."
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