Riezel's plan wasn't entirely baseless.
Initially, Total Concentration Breathing already had the effect of enhancing physical ability, but it only strengthened the heart and lungs, as well as accelerating blood flow, thereby indirectly boosting the body's performance and physical prowess.
Akasha Continent's breathing technique, on the other hand, was merely a support for swordsmanship by stimulating and activating magical energy within the body, allowing it to grow in all aspects by absorbing the magical energy.
If this principle could be integrated into Total Concentration Breathing, it would expand the strengthening range of Total Concentration Breathing to the entire body, which was not an impossible feat.
If this feat were to succeed, it would allow the magical energy to merge with the accelerated blood flow, enhancing its intensity and effect, and would undoubtedly provide him with more enhancement and stronger power when using the breathing style.
Undoubtedly, this was a process of mutual acceptance, integration, and harmony. As long as the two were cleverly combined, Riezel's plan was not just empty talk.
For this reason, Riezel chose Sun Breathing as the foundation.
Sun Breathing could produce various breathing styles because it was the origin and foundation of all breathing styles, proofing its immense versatility.
Using Sun Breathing as the foundation, merging the breathing principles of two worlds, and the swordsmanship of two worlds, the success rate would greatly increase.
On top of that, Riezel also had five fundamental breathing styles as a reference.
Each of these fundamental breathing styles had its own characteristics—some greatly enhance speed, while others greatly improve flexibility. By drawing inspiration from them, he may be able to expand the strengthening range of breathing style to every part of his body.
Coupled with his mastery of Breaking Steel Sword Style and incomplete Holy Dragon Sword Style, merging all the breathing of the two worlds into Sun Breathing would elevate the power of Sun Breathing to an unprecedented degree.
It was entirely feasible.
Becoming a sun was not just talk, as it was indeed Riezel's goal.
Drawing inspiration from the Holy Dragon Sword Style, which could hone one's body into that of a dragon, if he could make the new version of Sun Breathing also have the effect of honing one's body, then his body might undergo unprecedented changes.
By then, if practicing Holy Dragon Sword Style was to transform a human into a dragon, wouldn't practicing Sun Breathing be transforming a human into a sun?
Of course, all of that was currently just Riezel's wishful thinking and theory. Whether it could be achieved, he didn't know.
However, by integrating the breathing of two worlds into the Sun Breathing, Riezel was still somewhat confident with his theory.
Once this plan came to fruition, his gains in this world would be well worth it.
Just imagine, after transformation, not only could Sun Breathing strengthen every cell in his body, but it could even utilize his abundant magical energy, turning it into actual strength to reinforce his body.
How powerful would he be then?
Certainly not weaker than when using 'Ariel', right?
More importantly, Total Concentration Breathing had another advanced state.
In that state, even as he drifted into sleep, he could maintain full focus, and regulate his breathing, keeping his body in a constant state of strengthening—a state known as 'Total Concentration - Constant'.
Swordsmen who could proficiently master Total Concentration - Constant were among the top swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps, and mastering it was also the minimum requirement to reach the strength of a Hashira.
If Riezel's plan succeeded, then he could completely develop a new form of Total Concentration - Constant for the new Sun Breathing. In that case, he would be as if constantly using Sun Breathing and practicing swordsmanship at all times.
What did this mean?
It meant that Riezel would become stronger each second, even in his dreams, without actively practicing!
In this way, even if he couldn't hunt down large numbers of monsters inside the dungeon like in the world of Danmachi and constantly training himself, his status would still skyrocket!
Perhaps this wouldn't allow him to gain high-rank excelia for leveling up, but it could help him reach his current level's upper limit at the fastest speed, that was, SSS-rank in all basic abilities.
'Can I really succeed?'
Imagining was delightful, and Riezel also believed that his plan had no problems, but whether he could succeed in integrating the breathing principles of the two worlds with his current Sun Breathing to create a completely new Sun Breathing, he naturally didn't know.
'Well, I still have to give it a try.'
Various principles from the five fundamental breathing styles, Sun Breathing, Breaking Steel Sword Style, and Holy Dragon Sword Style began to emerge in his mind.
Soon, Riezel closed his eyes.
"Huuu... Haaa..."
Gradually, he started to regulate his breathing.
===
To Riezel, the process of fusion was honestly very painful.
Riezel had to constantly adjust his breathing, continuously trying various breathing techniques, borrowing from them, blending them, and even changing them, which had a significant impact on his body.
Sometimes, the completely disordered breathing made him feel like his lungs were about to explode, his trachea burning as if on fire, exceptionally painful.
During this process, there were often symptoms such as ringing in the ears, sore throat, chest tightness, blood vessels popping up all over the body, muscles tearing, and so on.
He had to admit that it felt a bit like enduring torture.
However, Riezel gritted his teeth and persisted, even disregarding the awful state of his own body.
In any case, with the top-class healing magic 'Dia Fratel' in hand, as long as his limbs weren't blown off and his heart and brain didn't explode, he could restore himself.
Hence, with the belief that 'as long as I am not dying, then I'll keep pushing myself to death', Riezel endured the pain and persisted.
He knew that whether Sun Breathing could successfully evolve according to his own plan had a huge impact on his future and strength.
At this point, if Riezel didn't persist, then Riezel wouldn't be Riezel.
'Isn't this also a kind of challenge?'
Riezel always liked challenges, otherwise, he wouldn't have pushed himself so hard before, constantly challenging the limits of his human body, or seeking all sorts of thrills and excitement in his previous life.
If enduring a bit of torment and pain could lead to success, then for him, it was definitely worth it.
And so, Riezel kept trying, kept persisting, combining various understandings and ideas about breathing styles in his mind. Eventually, he smoothly forgot about time, even forgot to eat and sleep, standing in the courtyard day and night.
"Huuu... Haaa..."
In the courtyard, the sound of breathing with various variations, changes in tone, and fluctuations continued.
During this time, Kyoujurou glanced over here, and the three main characters also came to take a look, but they didn't dare to disturb Riezel, letting him continue his practice.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed, and Riezel still maintained his posture in the courtyard, not moving a step from beginning to end.
On this day, Tanjirou finally couldn't help but speak up.
"Mr. Rengoku, are you really not going to stop Mr. Tsugikuni?"
Tanjirou stood at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at Riezel's back as he spoke to Kyoujurou, who was standing beside him, deeply worried.
"He hasn't eaten or drunk anything for days... If this continues, his health will deteriorate."
"Umu, it's indeed a serious problem..." Kyoujurou responded, staring intently at Riezel. "However, we can't stop someone from advancing toward a higher domain."
"Advancing towards a higher domain? But even so, he still needs to eat and rest..." Tanjirou retorted. "Can't he eat well, rest, and then continue later?"
Tanjirou himself was a hardworking person.
In order to practice Water Breathing and become a Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps, he spent two consecutive years practicing in the mountains, his hands worn out countless times, and his body sustaining numerous injuries.
He knew the hardships involved all too well.
Moreover, after the events with the Lower Five, Tanjirou also underwent the practice of Total Concentration Breathing under the Insect Hashira, which was equally agonizing.
Yet, he persevered through it all.
Therefore, Tanjirou understood very well that the more effort one put in, the more rewards one could reap. Yet, even he wouldn't go to the extent of not eating, drinking, or sleeping to the point of neglecting basic needs for days.
It was too worrisome and Tanjirou couldn't help but speak up about it.
"I understand your concerns, Young Kamado. I'm worried too..." Kyoujurou nodded, patting Tanjirou's shoulder. "But take a good look at that young man's back. Do you really think you can rush up and stop him?"
Tanjirou instantly fell silent.
Riezel's back looked so desolate, so lonely, yet for some reason, anyone gazing at his figure could sense an unwavering determination, a refusal to compromise.
Tanjirou's sense of smell was keen.
He could smell how hard and painful Riezel's current situation was just from his body odor, otherwise, why would the scent of sweat and even blood emanate from him?
Riezel was definitely undergoing a practice that others couldn't comprehend and was extremely difficult.
"From his breathing rhythm, you can tell he's attempting something." Kyoujurou said with a serious expression. "It's a dangerous attempt. Just listening to his breath makes me uneasy. However, he's still persisting. I believe whatever he's attempting now must be important to him."
For this reason, Kyoujurou couldn't intervene.
"Have faith in him, Young Kamado." Kyoujurou suddenly smiled. "Young Tsugikuni is an incredible young man. I already felt that the first time I met him on the Mugen Train. Master must have seen something in him too, which is why he decided to help him without hesitation. Let's just trust him and wait here for his success."
Kyoujurou's words made Tanjirou turn his gaze toward Riezel.
After being silent for a while, Tanjirou slapped his own cheeks, his eyes full of determination.
"I need to work hard too!"
Tanjirou quickly turned and left to continue his training.
Kyoujurou, who watched it all, sighed.
"They're truly two fine youths... A pity they couldn't be taken in as my Tsuguko... No, maybe not Young Tsugikuni, but Young Kamado might be worth a try?"
Kyoujurou suddenly stroked his chin, remembering something.
Meanwhile, Riezel, unaware of all this, continued his relentless efforts without a moment's pause.
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Riezel's relentless efforts turned out to be longer than he had imagined, and more nerve-wracking than anyone else had anticipated.
After persisting in the courtyard for seven days, he finally collapsed for the first time.
It was Kyoujurou, who frequently came to check on him, who first noticed Riezel lying in the courtyard and hastily brought him back to the room, calling for a doctor.
Of course, the doctor called by Kyoujurou was none other than the Insect Hashira, Kochou Shinobu.
Aside from being a swordsman, Shinobu was also a proficient pharmacist. She also ran a treatment facility within the Demon Slayer Corps known as the 'Butterfly Mansion', which housed nursing personnel without talent in swordsmanship, specializing in providing treatment and rehabilitation for members injured on missions.
In the past, Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had suffered severe injuries after fighting the Lower Five and were sent to the Butterfly Mansion. With Shinobu's assistance and care, they not only recovered one after another but also mastered Total Concentration Breathing, greatly enhancing their strength.
Therefore, when Riezel had an incident, the first person Kyoujurou contacted was Shinobu, who managed the Butterfly Mansion.
Upon seeing Riezel, Shinobu's face immediately displayed a troubled expression.
"I really want to ask... what exactly has he done?"
Shinobu spoke in a tone that held no glimmer of hope.
"With such a pale complexion and lips almost devoid of color, it's clear he's extremely weakened. Plus, with his muscles and body twitching unconsciously, it's likely he's enduring inhuman pain, possibly even with internal organs rupturing, especially his lungs. I even suspect they might be damaged; otherwise, how could his breathing be like this?"
In her own words, this was already a severe condition where even immediate death wouldn't be surprising.
"Take him to the Butterfly Mansion. With his condition, it's basically impossible for him to recover without lying in bed for two to three months."
With that statement, Shinobu instructed Kyoujurou to send Riezel to the Butterfly Mansion immediately.
However, just when Kyoujurou thought Riezel would indeed need about two to three months to recover and was considering whether to visit him before going on a mission, he was shocked to find out the next day that Riezel had returned as if nothing had happened.
Upon his return, Riezel immediately rushed back to the courtyard and entered that strange breathing state once again.
At that moment, Shinobu followed Riezel and chased him all the way to the residence of the Rengoku family. When she saw Riezel enter the courtyard and fall into that strange breathing state, she remained silent for a long time.
"Monster..."
After muttering like that with a peculiar expression, Shinobu left.
And so, Riezel continued his arduous practice and efforts.
However, different from last time, this time, he persisted for ten days.
Ten days later, he was once again collapsed and sent to the Butterfly Mansion.
However, just like the last time, the next day, Riezel returned as if nothing happened again, prompting Shinobu, who was still following him, to say something to Kyoujurou.
"I can dissect him, can't I? I'm getting interested in his body! Maybe there is an impostor (demon) among us."
Shinobu's serious tone almost left Kyoujurou dumbfounded on the spot.
Despite all the chaos he caused, Riezel remained indifferent to it all, continuing with his own experiments.
With that, time flew by swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
During this period, Kyoujurou had gone on several missions. Even the three main characters no longer stay at the residence of the Rengoku family and doing missions from the Demon Slayer Corps instead.
Sometimes they went out demon hunting, sometimes they came back to practice, sometimes they separated, and sometimes they set off together. From initially worrying about Riezel, they gradually grew accustomed to his bizarreness and unreasonableness.
Even at the Butterfly Mansion, under the direction of Shinobu, a bed was often prepared specially for Riezel. Strangely, this bed only got used for a day at a time, and the next day, the patient lying on it was nowhere, leaving directly.
At the same time, what was happening with Riezel was slowly entering the view of the Master of the Demon Slayer Corps and every Hashira.
Consequently, aside from Kagaya, who found it inconvenient to go out, every Hashira had secretly visited the residence of the Rengoku family over the past three months to observe Riezel for a while.
Some Hashira just took a glance and then left, like Giyuu and Muichirou.
However, some Hashira had been observing Riezel all along, such as Sanemi, Obanai, Gyoumei, Mitsuri, and Tengen.
Some observed for a whole day, and some even observed for several days before silently leaving.
As for Kyoujurou and Shinobu, they had become the Hashira who interacted with Riezel the most.
It goes without saying for Kyoujurou, as Riezel was in his home and their relationship was the closest. It could be said that Kyoujurou was the only one who had watched Riezel persist all the way through from beginning to end.
Shinobu, on the other hand, became curious about Riezel because of his occasional collapses and demonstrations of his inhuman recovery, so she started interacting with him and sometimes even personally cared for him.
Even Kagaya would often pay attention to Riezel's situation through Shinobu's reports, causing this family head to often show a meaningful expression.
And thus, three months later, on this day, Riezel's practice finally welcomed a change.
===
"Huuu... Haaa..."
It was a rather prolonged inhale, but swiftly completed within a short time.
Standing in the courtyard, Riezel remained in that familiar spot, as if he had stood there for several decades like a hermit, facing away from the entrance with his chest gently rising and falling.
At this moment, Kyoujurou and Shinobu stood at the entrance of the courtyard, observing Riezel's back.
Their gazes towards Riezel were akin to those directed at a divine being.
"What an extraordinary breath..." Shinobu whispered, her voice low. "How does he manage it?"
After three months, Riezel's breathing had undergone significant changes, no longer chaotic as before, nor disorderly as it initially began, it had become peculiar, almost wondrous, evoking an inexplicable sensation.
At least in Shinobu's eyes, Riezel's breathing before her at this moment seemed less like a human and more like a transcendent being, surpassing human comprehension.
To the untrained ear, the sound of his breath might seem insignificant, but to the Hashira who had honed their breathing styles to perfection, it resonated like the roar of a great dragon, the exhale of a bright sun, or even the breath of a god.
If Zenitsu were here, he would surely hear the thunderous breath hidden within the air, unmistakably not human.
Presently, Riezel was engaged in such breathwork, surpassing anything in rhythm and intensity compared to before.
"Hmm, I've never seen such breathing before..." Kyoujurou muttered with his arms folded. "Young Tsugikuni, have you created a new breathing style?"
Creating a new breathing style wasn't uncommon among the Hashira.
Breathing styles like Love Breathing, Serpent Breathing, Insect Breathing, Sound Breathing, Mist Breathing, and others were derived from the five fundamental breathing styles.
Current Hashira like the Love Hashira, Serpent Hashira, Insect Hashira, Sound Hashira, and Mist Hashira found the existing breathing styles not entirely suitable for them, so they innovated and modified the fundamental breathing styles to create their own derived breathing styles.
Throughout history, it wasn't rare for the Hashira to create their own breathing style.
Considering this, it seemed quite normal for Riezel, the great swordsman who slew the Upper Three, to have the ability to create a new breathing style.
However—
"I don't think his practice is as simple as that..." Shinobu sighed and paused for a moment before continuing. "Generally, when creating a breathing style, could one be forced to such extent, even several times to the brink of death?"
Upon hearing her reasoning, Kyoujurou remained silent.
"It's definitely not just a matter of creating a new breathing style, there must be some things we don't understand that have taken shape in that guy..." Shinobu stared fixedly at Riezel's back.
"Umu..." Kyoujurou agreed wholeheartedly, nodding heavily. "Young Tsugikuni remains an incredible youth. If my Tsuguko were here and saw the results of his hard work so far, he would surely feel greatly inspired!"
Surprisingly, the Tsuguko in his mouth was none other than Tanjirou.
Yes, Tanjirou eventually became Kyoujurou's Tsuguko, meaning he had accepted Kyoujurou as his mentor.
Moreover, thanks to this relationship, Tanjirou now always returned directly to Kyoujurou's place after completing missions, as if considering it his own home.
"Kamado, huh?" Shinobu muttered, remembering the kind-hearted boy.
She and Tanjirou were also old acquaintances, so upon hearing Kyoujurou's words, she smiled knowingly.
"That's a shame. I was considering whether to take him as my Tsuguko. After all, he seems to get along quite well with Kanao."
"Well, that's unfortunate!" Kyoujurou apologized, though there was no hint of regret in his face or voice, he exuded an air of openness and honesty.
Shinobu could only shake her head and smile wryly.
However, just as she was about to say something else, an anomaly suddenly occurred.
*BOOM!*
*Rumble—*
A rumbling sound erupted in the courtyard.
It was the sound of the air distorting.
It was the sound of the earth trembling.
A terrifying heat surged from the courtyard, as if capable of evaporating everything, causing the surrounding space to distort.
"What's happening?!"
"What?!"
Kyoujurou and Shinobu were both shocked, almost reflexively leaping back a considerable distance, lowering their bodies, and assuming a stance ready to draw their swords.
It was an instinctive reaction of their bodies.
Clearly, to have such a reaction meant that these two had sensed danger. Moreover, it was not just any danger, but a remarkably powerful one.
However, in the next moment, they found that the source of the danger was not from any enemy, but from the one they had been observing all along.
*Psssttt—*
At this moment, Riezel's body standing in the courtyard emitted an extremely fearful heat, making the ground beneath his feet sizzle and emit the smell of scorching as if it were being roasted by fire.
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