Even Muzan might not be able to take a direct Chidori head-on.
Inside Asuramaru, Alex silently admired the new ability he had drawn.
This wave of upgrades was magnificent.
Still, personal strength alone was not enough. A single powerful sword could change a battle, but if only Alex grew stronger while Tanjiro lagged behind, their foundation would remain unstable. True strength ant raising the entire side with him.
For now, the priority was clear.
Tanjiro had to grow stronger.
And among all possible paths, the Hinokami Kagura had to be developed as soon as possible.
Ti passed quietly.
The next morning, when the first faint light of dawn brushed across the earth, Tanjiro had already begun his training.
In the courtyard of the wisteria mansion, he maintained his Total Concentration Breathing while carrying a massive boulder on his back, running laps around the yard.
The sight made Zenitsu and Inosuke's scalps prickle.
Zenitsu sat on the porch, eyes wide and expression stiff.
"This is bad," he muttered. "Tanjiro is pushing himself way too hard."
Then he rembered Tanjiro's strength and fell silent.
Actually, considering how powerful Tanjiro had beco, perhaps this level of training was only natural.
Zenitsu also wanted to beco stronger.
He truly did.
But asking him to discipline himself like this?
Your humble servant humbly declines.
As for Inosuke, his reaction was even simpler.
He gave up thinking.
In the courtyard, Tanjiro continued forcing himself to maintain Total Concentration Breathing as he trained. It only took a short while before he had to stop, shoulders heaving as he gasped for air.
His entire body trembled.
"Just keeping Total Concentration Breathing going a little longer makes my lungs feel like they're going to burst," Tanjiro said through clenched teeth. "Even my ears hurt."
Inside the sword, Alex could only guide him patiently.
"Pain is normal. Breathe deeper. Let the air flow all the way down to your fingertips. Focus harder and keep your concentration from scattering."
"Right!"
Tanjiro endured the pain and continued training.
The day slipped by.
By evening, Alex began trying to guide him toward Sun Breathing.
Unfortunately, no matter how Alex explained it, the results were minimal.
Tanjiro could not grasp the key point. After several failed attempts, he lowered his head, ashad.
"I'm sorry, Asuramaru. I'm too dull. I keep failing to understand it."
Alex was helpless too.
Teaching from mory was one thing. Actually making soone understand a Breathing Style was another matter entirely. This was not a technique that could be learned just because soone described it well.
"Leave Sun Breathing aside for now," Alex said at last. "Focus on your current Breathing Style. Starting tonight, even while sleeping, you must maintain Total Concentration Breathing. I'll supervise you."
Tanjiro's eyes brightened with gratitude.
"Then I'll be counting on you, Asuramaru!"
Night fell.
After a long day of training, Tanjiro quickly sank into deep sleep.
Not long after, his Total Concentration Breathing unconsciously faltered.
Alex did not hesitate.
Black mist seeped from the sword, condensed into a hand, and slapped Tanjiro sharply across the face.
Smack!
Simple.
Crude.
Effective.
Tanjiro shot upright, looking around in a daze.
"What happened?"
Beside him, Zenitsu and Inosuke were still sleeping like logs. Neither showed any sign of waking.
Alex's voice rang in his mind.
"Your breathing faltered. Get up, adjust it, and sleep properly."
"Ah… thank you for reminding ."
Tanjiro sat there, still half-asleep and a little stunned.
He had just been slapped awake by his own sword, and sohow, he still had to say thank you.
Was there any justice left in the world?
Helpless, he corrected his breathing and tried to fall asleep again.
Before long, it faltered once more.
Alex condensed another hand.
Smack!
Tanjiro sat up again, this ti looking both wronged and helpless.
"I'm sorry. My breathing slipped again. I'm troubling you, Asuramaru."
"Since you are my Sword Master, this much is only natural."
Alex answered as though it were perfectly reasonable.
Nearby, Zenitsu's eyes were shut tight.
But he was awake.
Very awake.
He did not dare make a sound.
No one would believe him even if he told them.
He had woken up in the middle of the night and seen a sword slap Tanjiro across the face.
Even worse, Tanjiro had thanked it afterward.
This was too terrifying.
That night, Alex barely rested. Supervising Tanjiro's breathing was one thing, but even slapping him awake over and over consud Demon Power.
He also had to spend additional Demon Power healing Tanjiro's face.
Otherwise, by morning, Tanjiro's cheeks would have swollen larger than Inosuke's boar mask.
The next morning, Tanjiro got up with dark circles beneath his eyes.
The first thing he did was continue practicing his Breathing Style.
From sunrise to sunset, he honed himself without pause.
His body began to change little by little.
This was different from the direct strengthening caused by Feedback. That kind of power surged in all at once. This was slower, steadier, the kind of improvent earned through sweat and pain.
The most obvious change was his endurance.
His stamina rose at a frightening rate.
Zenitsu and Inosuke still sat on the porch watching him train, with no obvious desire to join in.
During training, Alex deliberately reminded him, "A person is not limited to mastering only one Breathing Style. Different styles can complent each other. With enough understanding, they can even be fused."
Tanjiro paused slightly.
Alex continued, "Zenitsu's Thunder Breathing is worth learning. You can ask him."
"I understand."
Tanjiro thought about it for a mont, then set down the boulder and jogged to the porch.
He bowed slightly to Zenitsu.
"Zenitsu, could you teach Thunder Breathing?"
"Huh?"
Zenitsu froze.
His expression stiffened.
For a long ti, he said nothing.
It was not that he refused to teach.
The problem was that he only knew one form.
Just one.
After staring at Tanjiro's earnest face for a while, Zenitsu finally relented.
"Well… it's not impossible. But let say this first. I only know Thunder Breathing's First Form. I can't teach you anything else."
"Really? Thank you so much, Zenitsu!"
Tanjiro did not mind at all. He stepped forward with a bright smile and thanked him sincerely.
Inosuke imdiately shoved himself into the conversation.
"Why don't you learn Beast Breathing from ?! My Beast Breathing is the strongest!"
Tanjiro smiled awkwardly and chose to speak with Zenitsu first.
Zenitsu sat on the porch, thinking back to his own training and the old man who had raised him.
"When using Thunder Breathing," Zenitsu said, unusually serious, "you have to focus your awareness into your feet. Things like body type or muscle size aren't what matter most. You have to truly understand how force travels through your legs."
He scratched his cheek, then added, "That's what Gramps always told ."
Tanjiro listened carefully.
He did not fully understand it yet, but he morized every word.
Learning a Breathing Style was never sothing that could be done overnight. It had taken him years just to learn and master Water Breathing.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
By then, Tanjiro could maintain Total Concentration Breathing for far longer than before. His basic physical strength rose with it, and his movents beca steadier, sharper, and more controlled.
Perhaps influenced by his persistence, even Zenitsu and Inosuke, despite their reluctance, occasionally joined the training.
For a few days, peace settled over the wisteria mansion.
But Alex knew very well that Muzan would not let the matter end here.
Sowhere nearby, demons were likely searching for them day and night.
This calm would not last.
The storm was coming.
And this was rely the final quiet before it broke.
Just as Alex expected, after the sun set on the fifth day—
Night fell.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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