Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

Afterwards, the selection process was announced to begin. The mountain gates were opened, allowing the swordsmen to enter the mountain, where they then waited in the camp for another seven days.

Seven days later, the mountain gates are opened, and those who emerge unharmed and alive are declared official demon hunters.

Finally, let each of them choose a piece of scarlet ore to forge their own Nichirin Blade, and equip each of them with a Kasugai Crow for communication.

Everything is that simple.

So why would such a simple matter require the descendants of past lords to personally oversee it?

Aside from some necessary rituals, the main purpose of this is to allow these future lords to understand their future swordsmen earlier.

So that when he becomes the lord in the future, he won't still have no understanding of the swordsmen under his command.

In addition, if any talented individuals emerged from the pool of prospective swordsmen that year, they could be discovered and nurtured earlier...

There was such a special person in this year's swordsman selection.

Tengishi Mountain, campsite halfway up the mountain.

Young Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat in a chair, his gaze passing over the many prospective swordsmen standing in twos and threes in the camp, and landing on one of them standing behind them.

That was a young girl.

The girl had clearly come alone. She had no companions and no intention of talking to anyone. She simply held her Nichirin Blade, leaned against a wisteria tree, and closed her eyes in deep thought.

Judging from her appearance, she is probably around fifteen years old. She has a beautiful and refined appearance, with her long, dark red hair tied up high. She exudes a calm aura, giving people a sense that strangers should not approach her.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki knew the girl's identity.

A month ago, former Mr. Urokodaki Sakonji encountered a vicious demon committing a crime in a small town while he was out.

After slaying the demon, Urokodaki Sakonji conveniently saved a homeless girl who was almost killed by the demon.

Then, something amazing happened.

This seemingly ordinary girl was able to recognize the Water Breathing sword technique used by Urokodaki Sakonji at a glance!

Unbelievable, what on earth is going on?

After further questioning, Urokodaki Sakonji learned that the girl's family had a special "sword manual" passed down from their ancestors.

This "sword manual" contains detailed records of seven different schools of swordsmanship named after the elements of sun, moon, fire, water, wind, thunder, and rock.

Each sword technique contains a different number of sword moves, and is accompanied by corresponding breathing techniques.

Fearing that future generations might not understand, the compilers even included illustrations and detailed annotations for each sword move.

However, although it is called a sword manual, according to the girl, none of her ancestors, including her parents, could comprehend the strange sword techniques recorded in it.

Even if someone could barely manage to use it, they wouldn't be able to unleash much power.

But the girl was an exception.

The moment the girl received the sword manual from her deceased parents, she was captivated by the sword techniques recorded within.

These bizarre sword techniques, which were difficult for their ancestors to master, were incredibly simple in the eyes of the young girl.

Among these, the sword technique named "Sun" was particularly easy for the girl to practice; it flowed effortlessly from her, as if it had been created specifically for her...

The girl's account was so fantastical that if it were heard by others, they would probably just think it was some kind of fabricated little story.

However, Urokodaki Sakonji, a demon slayer, instantly realized that the sword techniques recorded in the sword manual the girl mentioned were likely the various breathing techniques circulating within the Demon Slayer Corps!

At Urokodaki Sakonji's request, the wandering girl finally took out the sword manual she had on her person and allowed him to read it carefully.

The final facts confirmed Urokodaki Sakonji's earlier speculation.

The five sword techniques on the sword manual—Flame, Water, Wind, Thunder, and Rock—correspond to the five basic breathing techniques within the Demon Slayer Corps.

Strangely, some of the sword techniques described here are slightly incomplete compared to the current breathing techniques.

For example, the Water Sword Technique recorded in the sword manual has several fewer sword moves than the Water Breathing Technique of today.

Furthermore, the Breath of Mist and the Breath of Flower, which have also been widely circulated within the Demon Slayer Corps, are not recorded in this sword manual.

What's even stranger is that the "Sun and Moon" sword techniques, which are highly recommended in the sword manual, are not even known within the Demon Slayer Corps...

Deep down, I had a feeling that I might have accidentally discovered something extraordinary.

That very night, Urokodaki Sakonji returned to the Demon Slayer Corps' base with the girl and the sword manual, and visited Ubuyashiki Kagaya's father, who was the current lord of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Shortly thereafter, the lord hastily summoned all the current pillars to his residence for a meeting.

After a night of detailed discussion and analysis, everyone finally came to a conclusion—

This sword manual is very likely a complete guide to breathing techniques written by a legendary swordsman who actually practiced the original breathing techniques during the Warring States period, as described in the Demon Slayer Corps legends!

Only in this way can we explain why, although this sword manual clearly records the five basic breathing techniques in detail, it omits the later-developed Breathing Techniques of Mist and Flower.

Because it was something that was completed hundreds of years ago, and these two breathing methods had not yet appeared during the Warring States period, it was naturally impossible for it to be recorded.

So what is the Sun and Moon Breathing Technique, which is recorded in sword manuals but not circulated within the Demon Slayer Corps?

The answer is ready to come out.

Chapter 129 The Demon Slayer Corps' "Chosen One" - Mitsuha Tsugikuni!

Beginning Breathing Technique!

Yes, that must be it!

The Sun and Moon Breathing Technique recorded in this sword manual must be the original breathing technique that has been lost within the Demon Slayer Corps for a long time!

Upon reaching this conclusion, Lord Ubuyashiki was so excited that his hands were trembling!

Who would have thought that the legendary Breathing Technique, which had been lost for so many years and once drove the Demon King to the brink of despair, would return to the Demon Slayer Corps in such an incredibly accidental way?!

Even more, it comes with a descendant of the original Breathing Technique swordsman as a bonus!

Indeed, after the origin of the sword manual was determined, the girl's true identity was revealed—

She must be the legendary descendant of the swordsman who started the Breathing Technique and was lost among the common people!

What's even more surprising is that this girl also has an extremely high talent for breathing techniques, especially the Breath of the Sun, which she uses with great ease!

Happiness came so suddenly that it almost knocked everyone unconscious.

At that moment, everyone was absolutely certain that with the arrival of this girl, the situation in which demon hunters had been suppressed by demons for the past few hundred years was about to come to an end!

This descendant of the swordsman who first mastered the Breathing Technique, this chosen one, will surely lead the Demon Slayer Corps to once again recreate the legend of the Demon Slayers in the Warring States period!

It's even quite possible that they could completely annihilate the legendary Demon King Muzan!

And so, at everyone's request, the lone girl finally agreed to stay with the Demon Slayer Corps and become a demon slayer.

And her name is—

"Knight Doma, did you know that the gods in the sky don't actually have 'eyes'?"

In the dead of night in a small town, walking with Doma on the dark, deserted streets, Mitsuha suddenly spoke.

"What does Your Excellency mean by this?"

Upon hearing this, Doma looked over in confusion.

"This means that the gods do not observe the world through 'eyes'; they 'look' at the world only through the lines of cause and effect."

As she fiddled with the black datura flower in her hand, Mitsuha slowly explained:

“I noticed this a long time ago, which is why the gods are always so powerless when faced with us evil spirits.”

Why can't we interfere with, see, or predict our behavior?

Because we are free from causal relationships, we are beings not created by God, and are completely beyond His control.

Therefore, in the eyes of the gods, evil spirits are actually 'transparent'.

Only when we truly appear before a human being, and cause their causal threads to react accordingly, can the gods briefly 'see' our existence.

"Oh, I understand!"

Blinking, Douma suddenly realized and quickly said:

"Does Your Excellency mean that because the gods cannot directly 'see' us, no matter how loudly we plot here, he cannot hear our plans?"

"That's right, even He doesn't know that the two of us have arrived in this town."

After all, no one can see us right now, can they?

As she spoke, Mitsuha glanced briefly at the couple who were engrossed in their affair in the courtyard next door.

Indeed, if the couple had simply turned their heads slightly, they would have seen Mitsuha and Doma walking past the street outside the window.

Unfortunately, the couple was so engrossed in their work that they had no energy left to pay attention to their surroundings.

Therefore, they failed to notice the presence of Mitsuha and Doma.

As for things that the person themselves is completely unaware of, the causal threads on their body naturally cannot be recorded.

This, in turn, means that even the gods who observe the world through the lines of cause and effect would be unable to perceive the existence of Mitsuha and Doma at this moment.

Gods are not omniscient or omnipotent; as long as they know the rules and limitations, they can still be fooled.

"But I never imagined I'd actually come back here again..."

Strolling along the deserted streets, Mitsuha murmured to herself, her eyes scanning her surroundings repeatedly.

"Has the Holy Maiden been to this place before?"

"It's not just that I've been here; all my human life was spent in this town."

This place holds all my memories from my human past, though the vast majority of them are sad...

"See that castle tower over there? That's where I lived when I was human."

"If you are so sad, why did you return here, Saintess?"

"There's no particular reason, I just think it might be easier to find the protagonist we're looking for here."

Mitsuha patiently explained to Doma his question.

"Hundreds of years ago, when the Tokugawa Shogunate was established, Tsugukuni, who had chosen the wrong side, was purged along with the Toyotomi regime."

Some of the tribesmen fled the town they had ruled for generations, changed their names, and disappeared without a trace.

However, some of them, with the help of the townspeople at the time, changed their surnames and drifted away to other places, and still live in this small town today…

"So, Your Excellency means that you want to find a descendant with the same bloodline as you to play the lead role in our performance?"

"Correction is about having descendants who inherit the bloodline of the nation, after all, we all have the same bloodline as the Son of God flowing in our veins."

The same bloodline creates the same legend—doesn't that align with the world's common understanding...? Oh dear.

As the two were talking, they happened to pass by a slum in the town.

In this filthy and stinking environment, Mitsuha immediately spotted the girl wrapped in a straw mat lying by the roadside.

The girl was dressed in rags, with an unnatural blush on her cheeks, and her thin, frail body trembled uncontrollably even in her sleep.

Anyone could see that the girl was sick.

The girl herself must be aware of this.

But what good is knowing?

As a homeless child, she had nowhere to go and no money for medical treatment. In this freezing night, she might not even survive the night.

And this is indeed the case.

On the causal path of the girl, Mitsuha has already seen her end.

A few hours later, the poor girl would freeze to death on this cold night.

"It's her."

(Isn't the title of this chapter great, meow~)

Chapter 130 Everything is ready, the protagonist is about to take his place.

Under the clear sky, Mitsuha saw at a glance that the girl shared the same bloodline as herself. With a smile, she stepped forward and gently dropped the datura flower in her hand.

"Poor little thing, let me give you a wonderful dream."

The black flowers fell on the girl and silently merged into her body.