Creating a "Star Breathing" might have been a joke, but after Yuko mastered the Five Main Breathing, she kept searching for the breathing style that would fit her best.
The creators of the Five Main Breathing each developed their own breathing style based on their swordsmanship, under Yoriichi's guidance.
In other words, it wasn't that they invented a sword form to match a breathing style — they crafted a breathing style to match a particular sword form.
This is the opposite of later generations, who developed new sword forms from existing breathing techniques. The originators did things entirely the other way around.
So Yuko had long since been pondering sword-form design.
Her inspiration for a breathing style came from the two she handled best: Water Breathing and Wind Breathing.
A sword form created from those water-and-wind breaths fit almost perfectly with Snow Breathing, inheriting the advantages of both.
"Snow Breathing, First Form: Whirling Blizzard!"
At Yuko's cool, clear voice, the surrounding blizzard intensified by several degrees.
A massive white dragon of wind and snow surged up and swept the demon high into the air.
The cutting, frigid wind slid across the demon like a blade; in the blink of an eye countless fine wounds ripped across its body.
Before it could react, the killing, chill voice rang out again.
"Snow Breathing, Second Form: Snow — a Flurry Across the Sky."
Snowflakes filled the vision, masking sight. A swordswoman bearing a snow-white blade, a strange mark on her cheek, sprang from the flakes and loomed larger and larger in the demon's eyes.
Marks? What is that?
Before it had a chance to think, the world spun. When the view steadied, Yuko was balanced on her toes, suspended upside-down in its sight.
The demon's pupils trembled violently—had it been decapitated?!!!
Sss—
Yuko never showed mercy to such demons; she drove a sword straight through its skull. The body and head quickly began to dissolve together.
The weather that had once impaired breathing had become her ally. Cold air coursed through her lungs; her mind felt as if it were turning transparent—an unprecedented clarity.
"Hah—"
Yuko kept gasping. The heaviness in her body relentlessly ate at her will.
If not for the icy air chilling her lungs, she might already have fainted.
With the last of her will, she dragged her battered body back to the temple and pushed open the broken main hall door.
The blizzard rushed in with her. The girls who had been captured by the demon were curled up in a corner of the main hall, staring at the doorway in panic.
Yuko exhaled in relief. Darkness crept at the edges of her vision, and she collapsed to the floor.
The girls, seeing who it was, hurried over.
But at the gentlest touch, someone cried out, "So hot! Her body is burning."
A girl of about fourteen or fifteen with a decisive air quickly helped Yuko sit up.
"Close the main door, quickly. Help her into the corner."
Everyone hurried to support Yuko and move her to the wall.
"She looks like she killed that monster."
"What do we do? We can't go down the mountain in this weather. She's burning up—if this goes on she could die."
One girl sat against the wall, pulling Yuko into her lap, and called to the others, "All of you, come closer."
They understood immediately and clustered together, surrounding Yuko.
"Koshina, you come close too."
Koshina joined; Yuko found herself in the middle of the circle.
…
So warm.
Falling into sleep, Yuko felt as if she lay on a warm, soft bed—the same comforting warmth as a winter morning tucked under the covers.
After an unknown time, her eyelashes fluttered; groggy, she opened her eyes.
In her arms lay that young child; the dried bloodstains on the child's clothing had already congealed, and she slept soundly.
"Are you awake?" a gentle voice asked behind her. Yuko turned instinctively and realized she was indeed surrounded.
They were using their bodies to warm her.
Protected by a group of people, Yuko felt both touched and awkward. She moved slightly and pain lanced through her.
A side effect from the Sun Breathing?
Yuko was fairly adaptable to other breathing styles; even if she forced a different breath mid-form, it usually wouldn't cause a problem.
Her little movement roused the other girls.
"You're all right?"
"Thank you for saving us."
They showered her with gratitude.
The woman holding Yuko from behind reached out and gently touched her forehead.
"You had a very high fever—fortunately it's finally breaking."
A fever?
She had indeed felt her body burning earlier. That was likely the brain's response to extreme cold: it misfired and redirected blood and heat to the brain. People who freeze to death often undress for the same reason.
"Cough, cough—" Yuko coughed twice involuntarily.
She still felt slightly unwell.
Yuko handed the girl in her arms back to them and glanced at the weather outside.
Night had passed; the sky had cleared.
"Let's go. I'll take you home." Yuko pushed herself up. Though still a little weak, she could move.
At the word "home," the girls finally relaxed and cried into their sleeves.
Ordinary people would naturally be terrified by such hideous monsters.
After introducing herself and calming them, Yuko led them down the mountain.
At the village at the foot of the mountain, the woodcutter was still sitting at the gate with his chopping knife, as if he'd been there all night.
When he saw figures descend from the mountain, his body trembled and joy washed over his face; he hurried out to meet them.
He walked faster and faster—then slower and slower—
The joy on his face turned into confusion.
The man suddenly lunged forward, grabbed one girl's shoulders, his face almost pleading: "Zhi—Zhi is she—where is Zhi?"
Yuko paused, eyelids drooping.
The girl whose shoulders were gripped opened and closed her lips: "Zhi… Zhi was eaten by the demon."
The man seemed to have all his strength drained; he collapsed to the ground with a numb expression, as if his soul had been ripped away.
Yuko closed her eyes briefly and turned to leave.
Even if the virus—no, even if the demon—was destroyed, past pain doesn't vanish.
The Demon-Slaying Corps could slay demons but couldn't soothe grief.
The girl who had been holding the child had told Yuko her name during their earlier conversation—Namiko.
Noticing Yuko's departure, Namiko ran after her.
"Um—"
Yuko paused.
"Miss Yuko, thank you for saving everyone."
Yuko waved without looking back and disappeared into the town.
…
Only when she drank from a stream did Yuko finally see herself clearly.
A peculiar red mark arced from her cheek down to her neck; its winding shape added a certain exoticiveness to her already striking features.
In her past life she might have been quite popular, but by the standards of this era, it was plainly a disfigurement.
If she had awakened the marking earlier, perhaps she would have received fewer marriage proposals.
"A marking?" she murmured as she lightly touched her cheek.
She had learned from short videos about demon-slaying that this was one of the "three."
Only by possessing the three—marking, sun breathing, and the nichirin blade —could one be qualified to confront the Upper Moons and Muzan.
Yoriichi had been born with both the marking and the transparent world, and even created the sun breathing. The red blade thus far was only usable by Yoriichi himself.
Although he had explained the red blade's technique, no one else among the Demon-Slaying Corps could wield it.
The red blade's principle is to, through immense grip strength, trigger the sun's energy within the Nichirin blade, making the blade glow red.
It effectively suppresses a demon's regeneration and increases lethality against them.
Currently only Yoriichi possesses that tremendous grip strength.
Aside from Yoriichi, nobody in the Corps had mastered any of the three.
So theoretically, she—having awakened the marking—could be the second person after Yoriichi to possess it.
Even ahead of Michikatsu.
Recalling the memories that flashed through her mind, Yuko did feel an improvement in her body's capabilities.
After all, Snow Breathing alone wouldn't have allowed her such an immediate recovery.
If she'd awakened the marking, could she also master the red blade?
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+30 Chapters
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