Chapter 797: One Year Later
Chapter 797: One Year Later
Makomo had officially joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
As a direct promotion to the rank of Hashira, she also earned her unique breathing style title, known to all as the 'Sword Hashira'. This title did not refer to a breathing style but instead denoted her singular focus on the path of swordsmanship.
The swordsmanship techniques Feng Ye taught Makomo were not tailored to her, as his own realm had long since reached a level where all sword styles converged into one. Thus, he imparted the most fundamental principles of the sword, pointing directly to the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Feng Ye placed no restrictions on Makomo sharing her swordsmanship with others, and this was the very reason she began to pass on her knowledge. Before he left, Feng Ye had told her that she could pursue her path of the sword in any way she chose, and he would no longer guide or limit her.
Naturally, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps were the first to learn the swordsmanship techniques from Makomo.
As pillars of their organization, each of them was incredibly gifted in this world. Their innate talent for swordsmanship was no less than Makomo's, and coupled with their already advanced swordsmanship realm, they lacked only direction. Thus, by merely witnessing the realms of higher-level swordsmanship that Makomo demonstrated, they benefited immensely and began their own journeys towards even greater mastery.
However,
As the Demon Slayers experienced this collective improvement, the demons also launched their largest-scale operations in many years! Their actions spanned the globe, and reports of demon disturbances poured in from almost every region.
All the demons were acting in accordance with the will of their king, Muzan Kibutsuji, seeking out and eliminating swordsmen of the breathing styles.
Strictly speaking, in this world, the only person who truly practiced a breathing style was Makomo, so most of the demons' searches ended in vain. Nonetheless, their actions inevitably left a trail of bloodshed and death, with countless tragedies unfolding across the lands.
As a result, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps had little time to cultivate, even with glimpses of higher realms within their reach. The Hashira, in particular, remained busy traveling the world to eradicate the demon scourge, despite their eagerness to delve deeper into the higher levels of swordsmanship.
In a secluded building tucked away in a corner of the city,
The room was completely sealed off, bearing traces of seals created by Blood Demon Art.
Bottles and jars of various shapes and sizes filled the room, containing an assortment of medicinal herbs and liquids of peculiar colors.
Tamaziyi stared intently at a potion she was concocting, her expression solemn and focused.
"Hmm... The proportions seem correct, and it should induce regression in demons, but the effect is somewhat lacking. This level of potency is still far from sufficient to deal with Muzan."
Knock, knock!
Just as Tamaziyi was deep in her research, there came a knock on the door.
Yuichiro entered, still bearing faint traces of blood on his body.
"Lady Tamaziyi."
Yuichiro approached her.
Tamaziyi glanced at him and asked, "Do you have any findings to report?"
"Yes... According to our investigations, the demons that have recently become active seem to be acting under orders from their higher-ups. They have been instructed to search for and kill humans associated with the breathing styles of swordsmanship."
"Breathing styles of swordsmanship? What are those?"
Tamaziyi looked at him quizzically.
Yuichiro replied with a puzzled expression, "I'm not sure either. The lower-level demons don't seem to know much, and their instructions are rather vague. I made some inquiries but didn't turn up anything useful."
Tamaziyi's eyes flickered, and she said, "Such frequent and large-scale actions could only have come from direct orders by Muzan. It's clear that he considers this matter a high priority, which means that the breathing styles of swordsmanship already pose a threat to him and have made him feel endangered..."
She paused for a moment, deep in thought, before finally shaking her head.
"Never mind. We are not suited to interact with humans. Let them continue to distract Muzan's attention. The less he bothers to cause trouble for us, the better... Yuichiro, reduce the frequency of your outings from now on, and only go out to gather herbs once a week."
"Yes."
Yuichiro bowed his head in acknowledgment.
Tamaziyi lowered her gaze to the potion bottle in her hand, her mind drifting to the figure of Feng Ye.
...
Roof
Feng Ye sat on the very edge of the roof.
Neither Suzu nor Yusiro were aware of his presence, and the seals and barriers created by Yuichiro's Blood Demon Art were utterly ineffective, failing to serve any purpose.
His eyes reflected a miniaturized version of the world, displaying the actions of demons across the globe and presenting him with a view of the clashes between the demons and the Demon Slayer Corps in every region.
Humans were being devoured by demons.
Demons were being slain by the corps' hashira.
Merely introducing Makomo to the world had caused a massive change, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of water and creating ripples that spread far and wide.
Yet, none of this stirred any emotion in Feng Ye's eyes.
To this day, even the clash and war between two worlds might not be enough to evoke a response from him. To catch his attention, the event would have to rise to the level of the starry realm.
The only reason he sat here and watched was that, in his distant memory, he still had some vague attachment to this world.
"A little... faster," Feng Ye murmured as he overlooked the world.
Then, he gently waved his right hand.
Whoosh!
The entire world, like a slideshow, began to accelerate before his eyes, with day and night alternating rapidly.
No one in the world noticed or was affected in any way. Only Feng Ye had accelerated time, traveling through it alone.
...
A year had passed since Makomo joined the Demon Slayer Corps.
In that time, the overall strength of the corps had greatly improved, especially that of the hashira, whose abilities had almost reached a whole new level! However, this increase in power did not reduce the number of casualties; instead, the death toll for this year was the highest it had been in decades.
Under Muzan's orders, the demons were extremely active, and while the Demon Slayer Corps hunted them down, Muzan continued to create new demons to prey on human swordsmen.
The two forces were locked in a tug-of-war.
The largest-scale battle during this year involved five hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps and six of the Twelve Kizuki!
Among them were three Lower Rank demons, and three Upper Rank demons! In this battle, the three Lower Rank demons were all slain, and on the corps' side, one hashira was killed and four were severely injured!
It was the most brutal and largest-scale battle in decades, and it made the corps aware of the terror and strength of the Upper Rank demons!
If it weren't for the fact that they had all climbed to a new level in swordsmanship through Makomo's guidance, their strength greatly enhanced, those five hashira might have been annihilated by the three Upper Rank demons!
The demons still held the upper hand.
Makomo had also been practicing her breathing technique over this year and had finally found the one most suited to her: the 'Breath of Water'.
Due to her already high realm, she picked up the breathing technique quickly, and in just a short year, she completed the 'Total Concentration: Constant' stage of her training. In terms of breathing technique, she had reached a 'semi-hashira' level, and her physical prowess had also improved significantly.
This was why, in that battle, she was able to hold off the newly promoted Upper Moon Two, Daki, all by herself.
But she could only just barely hold her off.
Daki had overcome her neck weakness and absorbed more of Muzan's blood, gaining an even greater boost in power than Makomo, who had only been practicing her breathing technique for a year. The battle between the two was a close call.
The fight raged on until dawn, when Daki and the others finally retreated.
(End of Chapter)
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