Demon Slayer: Starting with the Kingdom

In the distant Warring States period, the reason why the Warring States Pillars were able to drive the legendary Demon King to the brink of defeat was because they had mastered the Beginning Breathing Technique and so on...

This idea is completely wrong.

As the one who understands the Breath of the Sun best in the world, Mitsuha can tell everyone with absolute certainty.

In its application of slaying demons, Sun Breathing is indeed superior to other breathing techniques.

But this power is limited.

It falls far short of what those demon slayers fantasize about: that learning Sun Breathing will instantly boost their strength, allowing them to punch demon kings and kick Upper Moon demons...

Such unrealistic things only happen in dreams.

The truly powerful being was never the Breath of the Sun.

It was her brother, Yoriichi.

Chapter 132 What is truly powerful is never the Breath of the Sun.

During the Warring States period, the reason why Lord Muzan was driven to a dead end was simply because he was facing Yoriichi's older brother.

As long as it's Yoriichi's brother, even if he doesn't use the Breath of the Sun, even if he only uses the Breath of Water, which has the weakest attack power, he can still cut Muzan into pieces!

Conversely, even if all the Sengoku Pillars, except for Yoriichi's brother, mastered the Breath of the Sun, and then ganged up on Muzan together...

They all met the same fate: being whipped to pieces by Lord Muzan.

The breath of the sun is far from having the power to "change the world".

Therefore, Mitsuha herself doesn't actually mind the Demon Slayer Corps regaining control of it.

Because it is essentially meaningless.

Putting aside the fact that Sun Breathing is really difficult to learn, there are very few people in this world who can master it.

Secondly, even if someone were to learn it, for Mitsuha now, it would be a matter of crushing them with a single thought.

You endured hardships, training relentlessly from dawn till dusk, tempering your physical body to its limits, and repeatedly experiencing life and death before finally mastering all the essence and mysteries of the Sun Breathing sword technique.

Just as you have gone through countless hardships and challenged powerful enemies, and finally stood before the mighty Upper Moon One, ready to use the strongest breathing technique in the world that you have mastered over the years to engage in a fierce life-or-death battle with her.

You suddenly realize that her combat power stat is 10,000.

And above your head is a poor ten...

What makes you even more desperate is that you don't even have a chance to see her make a move; you only see a flower suddenly appear in her hand...

Then, you die.

Your incredibly powerful physique, honed to its absolute limit, your rich combat experience and skills, and the so-called strongest Sun Breathing technique that you've tried your best to master...

All that you were so proud of, you didn't even have a chance to use it before you died...

Yes, that's it.

You risked everything just to get to the powerful Upper Moon One, so that she would glance at you, and then kill you with a single thought.

All your past efforts can only achieve this much, nothing more.

By the way, don't think this is unfair.

Even if it's purely a matter of talent, you can't beat her.

For Mitsuha Tsugikuni, that unparalleled swordsmanship could only be considered her "weakest link".

This is the terrifying aspect of Mitsuha Tsugikuni, the "Demon of Cause and Effect".

Her strength has long transcended the level of a pure "battle of strength" and entered the higher realm of "mastering the rules".

No matter how strong you are, I can just use my hands to create rules that will kill you on the spot.

All the same...

So, in Mitsuha's opinion, since things are already like this, why not take out all these old things and play with them to add some fun to her boring ghost life?

When the evil and ruthless "Upper Moon One" gets tired, he occasionally becomes a righteous and kind "demon hunter" to personally experience the bonds and friendships that demon hunters often talk about.

Isn't that interesting?

The point of being a ghost is to live happily, right?

"Are you OK?"

"N-nothing! Thank you!"

"It's good that you're alright. Get up quickly and take care of yourself."

Fujikasane, Mitsuha's figure darted swiftly through various parts of the mountain.

With remarkable efficiency, she swiftly cleared away the evil spirits that had accumulated in the Tengxi Mountain over the years.

The selection process, which was originally scheduled to take seven days in the mountains, was completed in just one night, during which she vanquished all the evil spirits in the mountains.

Most of that time was spent traveling around.

Otherwise, even if all these little devils, who had been trapped in the mountains and starving for almost a year, were tied together, it would only take her a breath to catch them.

Throughout the entire process, the only thing that Mitsuha could remember was the Hand Demon hidden in the deepest part of the room.

Unlike the other evil spirits in the mountains, this hand ghost's aura was significantly stronger.

Mitsuha speculated that before encountering her, this hand demon had likely been secretly hiding in Mount Fujikasane for at least twenty years.

Even if it only devours one person per year over twenty years, that's still more than twenty people.

For these aspiring swordsmen who were participating in the final selection for the first time, this level of demon was clearly beyond the limit.

This evil spirit is something they are not capable of dealing with at this stage.

How could the Demon Slayer Corps have such a huge flaw in the selection process they themselves set up?

Mitsuha was deeply shocked.

Dear God, thankfully I was there this time, and I successfully eliminated it.

Otherwise, who knows how many more of your pieces this devil will kill in the future...

Write down my credit, and I'll use it to pay off the next time I kill a Demon Hunter, understand?

Thanks to Mitsuha's dedicated efforts, none of the twenty-one prospective swordsmen who came to participate in the selection died.

The group met up at the mountaintop on the very next day.

"What are you looking at?"

Of these, Mitsuha was the first to arrive.

Last night, after killing all the evil spirits in the mountains, she immediately came to the highest point of this Vine Mountain, sat alone on that big rock, and stared intently at the direction of the sunrise in the east.

It was dawn, the sky was turning white, and the blazing sun was about to rise from below the horizon.

"I'm looking at the sun."

Faced with the questioning voice beside her, Mitsuha simply replied without turning her head, her gaze still fixed on the direction of the sunrise.

Why do we look at the sun?

The voice asked again.

"I'm watching how it rises."

Is that special?

"It's special to me because it's been a long time since I've really looked at it properly..."

The voice beside me stopped asking questions.

Mitsuha didn't say anything more; she just stared with wide eyes.

Until the fiery red flame on the horizon fully rose, completely dispelling the darkness of the night sky, until the intense light illuminated her human face.

A smile finally appeared on her face.

"She's still as beautiful as ever..."

She let out a sigh, and only then did Mitsuha turn her gaze away and look at the person beside her.

"Ah, the owl swordsman..."

What came into view was a boy with red and yellow hair and a unique hairstyle that resembled an owl.

The boy had a resolute face, and you could tell at a glance that he had a warm and cheerful personality.

"Owl Swordsman?"

Suddenly given a nickname by Mitsuha, Rengoku Makijuro was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"That nickname is quite fitting! Hello! My name is Rengoku Makijuro, the Flame Breathing swordsman! Can you tell me your name?"

"Tsuigo Miyake, a swordsman of the Sun Breathing Technique, a descendant of the swordsman of the first breathing method."

They will also be your comrades-in-arms in the future.

With a bright smile on her face, Mitsuha raised her hand and gently grasped the outstretched hand of Makijuro.

Even the chosen ones need companions, don't they?

(Rengoku Makijuro is the same alcoholic and decadent father of the Flame Pillar in the original work who believes in the inevitability of human defeat.)

(Also, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, who appeared earlier, is also the lord of the Demon Slayer Corps in the original work~)

Chapter 133 Mitsuha Tsugikuni, having you is truly a great fortune for our Demon Slayer Corps!

"Oh! So you're the descendant of the swordsman who practiced the Initial Breathing Technique that Father mentioned before?!"

As a member of the Rengoku family, who have followed the Ubuyashiki clan for generations, Rengoku Makijuro naturally knows more about the Demon Slayer Corps than the average swordsman.

Not to mention, his father is the current Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"You really are as amazing as Father said! Thank you for saving everyone!"

Rengoku Makijuro bowed deeply to Mitsuha in gratitude.

Not far behind the two, the prospective swordsmen who had been saved by Mitsuha also bowed.

Perhaps because of the formidable strength that Mitsuha had previously displayed, these people were somewhat hesitant to approach her directly and speak to her.

"You're welcome."

Turning back to them with a bright smile, Mitsuha replied nonchalantly:

"Saving lives and protecting our comrades is our duty as demon hunters, isn't it?"

"Yes! That's very well said!"

"But..."

Looking at the group of prospective swordsmen behind her, Mitsuha suddenly changed the subject:

"Although you have all been fortunate enough to survive, I suggest that you apply to leave the Demon Slayer Corps as soon as possible after this selection process is over."

"Mitsuha, what do you mean by that?"

Before the prospective swordsmen could say anything, Rengoku Makijuro, standing next to Mitsuha, quickly spoke up to question them.

"Because they don't have the talent to be demon hunters, do they?"

To this, Mitsuha explained very directly:

"If I hadn't been here, most of them would have died in this selection."

Makijuro, if they can't even defeat such weak demons, what's the point if they manage to pass the selection with my help and become official demon slayers?

Should we go and deliver food to an even more powerful demon?

Without a doubt, when they encounter even more powerful evil spirits in the future, they will be killed without any suspense.

Rather than that, wouldn't it be better to let them leave? That way, we might at least have a way out, wouldn't we?

Mitsuha's words were very true.

On the path of slaying demons, the weak without talent are not even cannon fodder; they are merely food prepared for evil spirits.

She herself particularly enjoys eating it.