The First Use of Sun Breathing and Gyo

That smile felt both familiar and strange to Roy.

He had never seen Silva smile at the Zoldyck estate.

It was as though a smile simply didn't belong on the face of a cold-blooded killer.

Roy had never even seen Silva sneer or grin viciously.

Sometimes, he even wondered if Illumi's perpetual poker face was the result of Silva's influence.

After all, the old folks in the family had said more than once—

"A killer must never let emotions cloud his judgment."

"Happiness, anger, resentment, sorrow—whatever you feel, never let it show. Only by staying absolutely calm can you carry out your mission more effectively and keep yourself out of danger."

Perhaps Silva and Zeno had decided that Roy had limited talent as a killer because they saw that he couldn't do this.

They weren't wrong. Roy firmly believed that before being a killer, he should first be a living, breathing person. A profession came second. He didn't want to become a machine that had its priorities backward, had lost all feeling, and knew only how to kill. That was also why he had never liked Illumi.

Illumi was just too "mechanical"...

The family's training had robbed him of the happiness a child should have had. He should have been like Nezuko, Takeo, and Shigeru here, running up to Roy and chattering excitedly about their joys, complaining about their troubles, or tattling on someone.

Instead, he spent all day wearing a lifeless, fish-eyed stare and carrying out tedious training like a machine.

A flood of thoughts flashed through Roy's mind... He came to his senses just as little Shigeru wrapped his arms around his thigh.

The boy looked up at him eagerly and said in a childish voice, "Big brother... candy..."

Roy smiled and hurriedly pulled a small cloth pouch from his clothes, tossing him a piece of candy... That set off a commotion.

Nezuko wanted some, and so did Takeo... Roy was surrounded on all sides, too busy to keep up.

He stroked Nezuko's head, patted Takeo's back, then reminded Shigeru not to eat too quickly or he might choke. His silhouette, cast by the oil lamp, fell into Tanjiro's eyes behind them, finally bringing back a sense of familiarity.

That's right. This was the Eiichiro he knew. As for the one in the forest just now... that had been a demon god who'd devoured his soul!

"Big brother, I want some too..."

Tanjiro rubbed his face and joined in with a smile. At least he was sensible enough to help Roy take the basket off his back first, which eased some of the burden on him.

Roy nodded to him. After satisfying the little ones' appetites, he went over to Tanjuro.

"Is this for me?" Tanjuro stared at the piece of candy Roy held out to him, momentarily dazed. When he came to his senses, his eyes grew moist... He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten candy. It was so long ago that all he could vaguely recall was that his father—Tanjiro's grandfather—had still been alive.

How time had flown... And now, when he looked back, his children were old enough to bring him candy...

Tanjuro gazed at Roy tenderly and shook his head. "Father doesn't like candy. You eat it."

Roy didn't withdraw his hand. "Father has one, Grandma has one, Mother has one, and everyone else has one."

Seeing that he couldn't sway the boy, Tanjuro smiled and unwrapped the candy, putting it in his mouth. As he savored it, he motioned for Roy to help him put on the ceremonial robes for the Fire God.

Dancing for the Fire God and praying for peace was a tradition passed down through generations of the Kamado family.

Others might not know the truth behind this Fire God Dance or the earrings with the sun and mountains drawn on them that Tanjuro wore. But Roy had read the original story and knew exactly what they were—

Sun Breathing and the Sun Earrings worn by Tsugikuni Yoriichi!

"Ever since the time of our ancestor Sumiyoshi Kamado, our family has required the eldest son to learn Hinokami Kagura. And now..."

"It's your turn, Eiichiro."

With Roy's help, Tanjuro quickly finished putting on the ceremonial robes. The moment he tied the last cord on the post, the usually gentle man rose to his feet, his whole presence transformed...

The red-and-white robes fluttered in the wind, and the enormous mask bearing the character for "flame" seemed to come alive...

He beckoned to Roy. "Come."

Roy could barely contain his excitement. He realized that the chance to change his body was finally here!

Hinokami Kagura was Sun Breathing! Sun Breathing was the powerful breathing style Tsugikuni Yoriichi had created by visualizing the sun, allowing its practitioners to absorb the Sun Power and change their bodies. It was also the source of all other breathing styles, including Moon Breathing, Stone Breathing, Wind Breathing, and Water Breathing.

Its guiding principle could be summed up in one sentence: sunlight was the source of all growth, and so it was also the fertile ground from which every breathing style sprang.

Of course, great power meant it was difficult to learn.

After creating Sun Breathing, Yoriichi hadn't kept it to himself. Instead, he had spread it throughout the Demon Slayer Corps, even teaching it to his own older brother, who was now Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.

But unfortunately, neither Kokushibo nor the other swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps could learn Sun Breathing. They simply couldn't bear the weight of the sun.

So, from the Warring States period to the present day, only Tanjiro had truly mastered it and used it in battle. That showed just how difficult it was.

Roy tugged at Tanjiro. "You too."

Before Tanjiro could even recover from his confusion, Roy had already stepped into the courtyard and gone to Tanjuro's side, activating Gyo!

Unlike the Four Major Principles of Nen—Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu...

Gyo was simply an application of Nen. All he had to do was focus his aura on his eyes.

Roy had received careful instruction from Gotoh, and with the added advantage of the Zoldyck bloodline, mastering it was easy...

A layer of milky-white energy covered his eyes as he watched Tanjuro's movements without blinking.

Using the aura flowing through Tanjuro's body, Roy studied the dance as if he were analyzing an animation, imprinting it in his mind frame by frame.

First came Hinokami Kagura—Waltz, then Hinokami Kagura—Clear Blue Sky, followed by Burning Sun Red Mirror, Fake Sun Rainbow, Fire Wheel, Bone-Burning Sun, and Sun Flower Thrust...

Tanjuro danced like a fire spirit amid the drifting snow. Roy followed beside him, learning each movement with careful precision, while the clumsy Tanjiro danced nearby...

They went through it once, twice, then three times...

Tanjiro gradually grew breathless and couldn't keep up...

He braced his hands on his knees and panted heavily, his eyes fixed on Tanjuro and Roy. The little boy was filled with big questions.

Why did his usually frail father have so much stamina today?

Why had his big brother started out just as awkward and clumsy as him, yet now seemed able to keep up with Father's steps?