Chapter 24: Shinobu Kocho
[Seiji's POV]
Total concentration breathing or constant breathing.
It was when the user of a breathing style constantly used thier technique to enhance thier body at every moment. Be it night when they are sleeping, or day when they are eating.
They practised a constant purposeful breathing pattern which allowed them to stay superhuman. They heal better and they become stronger as well.
There were few even amongst the demon slayer who could use this advanced technique. It required a powerful set of lungs which could only be achieved through hard training.
I remember even Tanjiro, the main character, struggling with it in the beginning.
But believe it or not, I never had trouble with constant breathing. In fact, I have been doing that since the beginning with my incomplete breathing.
This was mainly because even though I never learned a breathing style, I trained my lungs from a young age since I knew how important they would be later on.
Most of the time, I used my own breathing style 'Steroid Breathing' as it enhanced all aspects of my body. Although it may not have forms, 'Steroid Breathing' was the best when it came to constant breathing.
But in the case of speed and travelling, the 'Thunder Breathing Constant' proved to be superior. My senses and aspects other than speed were not improved but it made up for it with the sheer increase in speed.
So with the help of thunder breathing, travelling proved to be much quicker and easier. That meant I was completing my missions even faster than before.
While I trained for two weeks with Master Jigoro, I did not slack on my mission either and often used the demons as a dummy practice.
This was why, right now - after nine days had passed since Jigoro left - I was already on my last mission to become a Hashira.
"I have killed a total of 49 demons." I said with a smile, "After completing this mission, I will finally be promoted to the rank of Hashira."
"In total, it has been 47 days since I passed the final selection, which is roughly a month and a half. With that, I have broken Gyomei and Muichiro's record of becoming a Hashira in two months."
To be honest I was a little excited.
I mean, who didn't love pushing ranks?
The sun was slowly setting in the western horizon, its bright yellow light had turned into a warmer orange. The people finished up thier work to get back home before dark while demons waited impatiently for the hunt to start.
But as the demons hunt in the night, so do I.
...
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The mission I got this time was pretty straightforward. The mission was to slay a demon living in the Iya Valley. Many lower-ranked demon slayers had died trying to slay the demon which was why they were giving the mission to someone they considered as strong as a Hashira.
The demon was apparently bold enough to remain in the valley even after three attempts at slaying him. Which told me that the demon was pretty confident in his strength.
I should expect a strong one.
This would be fun.
After a few hours of travelling, I reached the Iya Valley. It was a very narrow valley located in the middle of two mountains.
The valley had thick vegetation and the Iya river ran through the mountains, providing a fresh water source for the plants and animals.
However, due to its steep gorges and dangerous landscapes, the valley was isolated. Which puzzled me quite a bit, why would a demon live here? There were no nearby humans on which it could feed.
I stood at the top of a mountain and I looked down upon the land. It was dark but my eyes easily pierced through the darkness as I searched for my prey like a hawk.
But before I could locate my demon, my eyes caught something else - or should I say someone else.
'Is that?' I asked myself while narrowing my eyes.
Then I lept off the mountain to fall into the valley. Raven pecked at my head in anger before she flew off my head.
The wind rushed past my body as I descended into the valley. When I neared the ground, I used the tall trees to decrease my momentum and landed gracefully on the ground.
I landed close to her.
"Little girl, why are you here?" I asked the girl who caught my eye.
"It's dangerous," I said plainly while observing her.
I was finally able to confirm my suspicion now that she was so close. She had dark black hair that faded to lavender at the end. Her eyes were hazy purple with no pupils, which made her eyes look like that of an insect.
She wore a white and purple haori and she tied her hair into a bun while two strands framed her face. She had a small body but with her youthful face, it made sense.
"Huh? Who are you calling a little kid, you look the same age as me." she said and turned to face me.
I paused abruptly.
Damn.
She's pretty.
I stared.
I think I stared too much.
"What the fuck are you looking at creep? Your eyes are creepy as hell!"
It's amazing how personality can drag down one's beauty. That wasn't a very nice thing to say but understandable I guess.
For the record, I did not use X-ray vision. She had nothing worth peeking at yet as she was just a small girl.
But she had potential.
Pause.
"I am a demon slayer and I am on a mission to kill the demon living here. But who are you?" I asked the girl.
She seemed taken aback by my words, "A demon slayer?"
She did not see a sword strapped on my waist so I had to show her my odachi which was sheathed on my back. Then I showed her my uniform under the haori.
"I see." she said, "Well, my name is Shinobu Kocho. I am a Tsuguko of the Flower Hashira and a medical expert. I was sent here in case you get injured. The valley is quite isolated so the master wanted me to come here and give you medical help immediately if you need it."
Wow. Talk about prodigal privilege.
I assumed the higher-ups did not want to see a young talent like me die so they sent her here to make sure I survived in case I suffered an injury in my mission. Since many lower-rank demon slayers have died, there was a chance of the demon being strong.
And this mission was particularly dangerous because even if the injury I suffered after the fight was not fatal, it could have led to death since there was no nearby help.
"I understand," I said.
"If that is all, I will immediately get to hunting the demon," I said and disappeared.
I see him.
The demon.
I ran towards the place where I saw movement and smelled the scent of a demon. I pulled out my sword and my heart roared in my chest, preparing for a fight.
..
..
[IMAGE of Shinobu]
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Author : Look who finally decided to make an appearance!!
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