"Haa... haa... haa..."
Heavy, ragged gasps filled the air—the sound of lungs pushed to their absolute breaking point, a mournful protest from a body pushed too far.
Izumi Kiyowa felt his vision go dark. His legs gave way, and he collapsed into a half-kneel on the ground. His lungs burned as if pierced by a thousand needles; with every breath, he felt the metallic taste of blood bubbling up in his throat.
His body was racked with an agonizing soreness. Every muscle fiber spasmed and twitched uncontrollably. His wrists throbbed with such intensity that he could barely keep his grip on his Nichirin Blade. The series of over-limit maneuvers he had just performed had completely drained every drop of vitality from his frame.
He lifted a trembling hand, his mind a whirlwind of emotion. Only Kiyowa knew just how terrified he had been while facing Akaza. That suffocating pressure—the feeling that a single moment of laxity would mean instant death—had chilled him to the bone.
But now was not the time to relax. He forced himself to try and stand, but before he could, a hearty, boisterous voice rang out. Suddenly, he felt himself being hoisted into the air.
"Umu! Kiyowa! The spirit you showed in that battle has completely surpassed my own! I am proud of you from the bottom of my heart! But your body has reached its limit; your legs are already bleeding through your uniform!"
"I shall carry you back. First, we must treat the Roaring Hashira's wounds, and then I will arrange for your immediate departure! That demon is not dead. At the latest, he will return tomorrow night. I must stay here to stand guard against him."
Hearing Rengoku Mujuro's words, Kiyowa wanted to argue, to tell him to reconsider, but he lacked the strength even to speak.
In the next moment, before Kiyowa could process what was happening, he felt a soft weight press against his back. Rengoku had grabbed the Roaring Hashira's wrists and hoisted her up as well, layering her right on top of Kiyowa.
Just like that, Rengoku Mujuro sprinted toward Gyutaro's wooden shack, carrying both of them stacked on his back. He knew there were other demons in Yoshiwara, but he had no other choice. Both the Roaring Hashira and Kiyowa had effectively lost their ability to fight. He was the only one left with any strength; he had to get them to safety—or at least, keep them alive until dawn.
Once the sun rose, the Master would send reinforcements, and they would survive!
Ume's house was filled with Wisteria flowers. Kiyowa had been buying them in bulk over the past few days, and the current stockpile was enough to make even the Twelve Kizuki hesitate. The weight of two people was nothing to Rengoku; he gritted his teeth and maintained a full-speed sprint the entire way.
Because he was pressed so tightly against the Roaring Hashira, Kiyowa could feel the sheer severity of her injuries. The hole in her abdomen was still weeping blood, and her body temperature was dropping at a visible rate.
Compared to demons, the human body was simply too fragile. Kiyowa realized that at this rate, she wouldn't last until dawn.
He bit his tongue hard. The sharp spike of pain and the copper tang of blood in his mouth forced his fading consciousness back to alertness.
Sun Breathing was unlike any other style. As the progenitor of all Breathing Styles, it was the most comprehensive. Conversely, Thunder Breathing was the only style that lacked any form of defensive or utility techniques; it focused solely on absolute, explosive offense.
It was for this reason that successive Roaring Hashira were often the most likely to die in the line of duty. When other Hashira were injured, they could use their breathing to perform a degree of internal repair or stabilization. But not a Thunder Breather. Thunder Breathing functioned by over-stimulating the body; using it while severely injured was like pouring gasoline on a fire. The accelerated blood flow would only cause wounds to hemorrhage faster.
Looking at the Roaring Hashira's increasingly pallid face, Kiyowa let out a long, shaky breath. He no longer cared about social propriety or the closeness of their bodies. He pressed his ear against her chest, focusing intently on her heart rate and respiratory rhythm.
He needed to reverse-engineer a variation of Thunder Breathing—on the spot—that was tailored to her constitution and possessed restorative, hemostatic effects.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to teach her Sun Breathing, but the difficulty of Sun Breathing was simply too high, and it required a very specific physical aptitude. In the original history, no one besides Yoriichi Tsugikuni truly mastered it; even the Hinokami Kagura was merely a ritualistic imitation of its forms. To Yoriichi, it wasn't a "technique"—it was simply how he breathed naturally. It was a gift granted only to that divine being who walked the earth.
But Kiyowa was different. He possessed the Sun Breathing that was identical to Yoriichi's. With that foundation, he could deduce the essence of every derivative breathing style and modify them instantaneously.
As Kiyowa pressed closer, Nan Niyi regained a flicker of consciousness. Feeling the boy leaning against her chest, she felt a surge of confusion and a prickle of embarrassment. Just as she moved to push him away, Kiyowa's voice reached her:
"Don't move! Don't think about anything else! Use your Thunder Breathing and follow my lead. I'm going to fix the lack of recovery techniques in your style. Watch my breathing pattern closely!"
His voice was laced with urgent desperation, devoid of any lingering playfulness or impropriety. Hearing this, the Roaring Hashira immediately forced herself to focus.
She remembered now—this boy was the one who had refined her sword techniques in the blink of an eye earlier. That near-miraculous display of skill had left an indelible mark on her soul. If he had done that, then maybe...
But to say he could teach her an improved Thunder Breathing? One with healing properties? No one had achieved such a feat in hundreds of years! How could a boy like him...
Still, Nan Niyi had no other options. She surrendered to his rhythm, syncing her breath with his.
An instant later, as she felt the shift within her body, her entire worldview was overturned.
He had actually done it! And in such a short amount of time!
Such terrifying talent... is this really something a human can achieve?
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Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(103 Chapter- Ongoing)
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