"Love Breath."
"Insect Breathing."
"Flower Breathing."
Following Lucien's calm instruction, Mitsuri, Shinobu Kocho, and Kanao unleashed their respective sword styles. Their blades sliced into the sky, dispersing the thick clouds on both sides. As the skies began to clear, Wang Xu's movement visibly slowed, his speed restrained as if something invisible dragged him down.
"It worked," Tanjiro breathed, looking over his shoulder. The enemy was suspended in the air, no longer pursuing them.
"Phew… that was terrifying," Zenitsu whimpered, tears and snot streaming freely as he finally relaxed.
"Keep cutting away the clouds at the sides. We only need to hold on until dawn," Lucien said. He lifted his gaze toward the sky, watching the faint glow of early light approach.
"Understood."
Mitsuri nodded firmly, following Lucien's guidance with unwavering trust.
About twenty minutes later, Lucien's breathing became unsteady. Without warning, everyone's bodies suddenly dropped from the sky. Their terrified cries echoed as they plummeted downward.
"Boom..."
At the last moment, Lucien's feet ignited with a burst of force, slowing their descent. They struck the ground with enough impact to jolt them, but it wasn't enough to injure them.
"I really thought I was going to die," Zenitsu sniffled, covered in dust.
"Nezuko…"
Tanjiro was pale, clutching Nezuko tightly. She had already fallen into a deep sleep.
"Are you alright?"
Lucien sat heavily on the ground, completely drained. Sweat soaked through his clothes as exhaustion washed over him.
Mitsuri gently wiped the sweat from his forehead using her sleeve, her expression filled with concern.
"It's almost dawn. We should be safe," Lucien managed between heavy breaths.
"Let's return to Butterfly Estate. This must be reported to Oyakata-sama immediately," Shinobu Kocho said, glancing toward the Kasugai Crow soaring in the distance.
The group began their journey back. Mitsuri, noticing Lucien's inability to keep walking, knelt in front of him and urged him onto her back. Lucien didn't refuse, letting her carry him with surprising gentleness.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Nezuko were less fortunate. Shinobu Kocho and Kanao each lifted one onto their backs and followed Mitsuri.
As the first sunlight stretched across the horizon, they finally reached Butterfly Estate.
Inside the treatment rooms, Shinobu prepared nutrient solutions and medical equipment. Lucien lay on his bed, quickly falling into a deep sleep. Rest was the only way his body could recover from the overwhelming strain.
Once everything was prepared, Shinobu and Mitsuri departed for Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters to report the situation, leaving Kanao and the four Butterfly Estate attendants to care for the injured.
---
Two to three hours earlier, on Mt. Natagumo.
A strikingly beautiful woman stood in a massive crater. Six hairpins adorned her head, floral tattoos marked her face, and the kanji for Upper Moon and Six shone in her eyes. Her attire was revealing, consisting of an open-chest top, floral briefs, and tall plum-patterned stockings.
With a cold snort, she brushed her long black hair aside in irritation.
She had arrived too late.
There was no sign of Lower Moon Five, Rui.
The woman was Daki, Upper Moon Six, sent by Muzan Kibutsuji to retrieve Rui. What most people didn't know was that Daki was merely half of Upper Moon Six. Her older brother, hidden within her body, was the true holder of the position.
Finding nothing, her mood darkened even more. Dawn approached quickly, forcing her to retreat.
---
Back at Headquarters, Mitsuri and Shinobu stood before Oyakata-sama. The other Hashira were absent.
"I see," Oyakata-sama murmured after hearing their account. His gentle smile faded, replaced with grave seriousness.
"And Lucien truly said that the demon was more terrifying than Kibutsuji Muzan?"
"Yes," Mitsuri replied.
Shinobu nodded as well, her tone firm. She no longer held any doubt that Lucien possessed the strength of a Hashira. Whatever uncertainty she once carried had been erased completely.
"What are your thoughts?" Oyakata-sama asked the two women.
"His Blood Demon Art is extraordinary," Shinobu explained. "He can create clones identical to himself, and when they are near his original body, their strength matches his perfectly."
"So it is possible he could create a third or fourth clone?"
"Yes."
Oyakata-sama closed his eyes briefly. The implications were overwhelming.
---
Meanwhile, in a secluded mountain range, Wang Xu stood deep within the shadows, staring at the sunlight pouring down outside.
After absorbing Nezuko's blood, his instincts told him he could slowly begin adapting to sunlight. But he knew the process would bring unimaginable pain.
Trusting his sharpened intuition, he extended his left hand into the light.
"Hmph!"
The moment sunlight touched his skin, it peeled away like melting wax. Flesh sizzled and dripped from his bones. Veins bulged on his forehead as he gritted his teeth, enduring agony that felt like thousands of blades carving into him repeatedly.
For two agonizing hours, the torture continued.
Finally, with only scorched bone remaining, he pulled his ruined arm back into the shadows. His breathing was ragged. The bloody bone slowly began to regenerate, cell by cell.
It would take four to five days for the arm to fully regrow.
And exposing his entire body would require at least one or two months.
He had considered speeding the process up by stepping into the light fully, but his intuition screamed danger, warning him that slow adaptation was the only safe path.
As long as he conquered the sun, he would become untouchable.
And after that, devouring Kibutsuji Muzan, Tanjiro, and the others would only further his power. Lucien, too, held potential worth consuming.
The sun burned above the mountains, and time moved forward relentlessly.
---
Lucien awoke around one or two in the afternoon. Opening his amethyst-colored eyes, he saw Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Nezuko lying unconscious in nearby beds.
A cold calculation flickered through his gaze.
Should he eliminate them now?
If Wang Xu hadn't appeared, he would have waited. But now, uncertainty gnawed at him. Wang Xu had clearly targeted him, and Lucien knew he might not escape their next encounter.
Killing Tanjiro and the others could grant him powerful rewards.
But doing so would prevent Nezuko from adapting to the sun, destroying one of his crucial paths toward immortality.
He hesitated.
The room was silent except for the steady breathing of the unconscious group.
After a long minute, Lucien's expression hardened. When had he become so indecisive? Opportunities for immortality would appear again. There would always be another world.
A kukri materialized in his hand. Lucien walked toward Tanjiro's bed with emotionless steps.
Tanjiro twitched in his sleep, sensing danger with his refined instincts. His eyes snapped open.
But before he could react, Lucien clamped a hand over his mouth and brought the kukri across his throat.
The blade slid cleanly. Tanjiro's head fell, his eyes wide with shock and terror.
He had always trusted his nose. He could read emotions, sense demons, and even smell openings in battle. When he first met Lucien, he caught a faint scent of danger. But Lucien had saved them all, so he dismissed the feeling.
He never imagined that…
_____
Send support on patreon
Patreon.com/Zphyr