The Demon Slayer Corps held its Final Selection on Mt. Fujikasane. Between the mountainside and the foot of the mountain, the forest was crawling with man-eating demons captured by the Corps' official members!
The test for joining the Demon Slayer Corps was to survive in those demon-infested woods!
For seven days!
Most of these demons weren't very strong, but there were always a few unusually gifted ones.
They had endured round after round of selections, and in the end, the more young swordsmen they devoured on Mt. Fujikasane, the stronger they became...
Until they transformed into powerful beings that new recruits had no chance of handling!
Like the Hand Demon!
Of course, Kujo Tachibana figured that over the past several hundred years, the Hand Demon couldn't have been the only one.
How many young swordsmen, how many sword prodigies, had died here for nothing?
Who could guarantee that these swordsmen, ordinary as they were now, wouldn't one day grow into Hashira-level members?
These boys shouldn't have to die here!
Kujo Tachibana felt that, compared with ordinary civilians, these boys deserved to live even more!
It might have been harsh, but that was the truth.
Rather than sending the Hashira out on demon-slaying missions to protect the public,
Kujo Tachibana believed they should come here instead, giving these boys another choice—and a chance to survive!
Watching the group of boys charge fearlessly toward the foot of the mountain,
Kujo Tachibana sighed softly, then made a firm promise in his heart:
"Brave boys! I won't let a single one of you die for nothing on Mt. Fujikasane!"
"That's my promise, Kujo Tachibana's!"
Tachibana dared to make that promise because his strength gave him the confidence to keep it.
Following the young swordsmen, Tachibana slipped into the mountain unnoticed.
Over the past year, the prodigious swordsman Kujo Tachibana hadn't been standing still.
By now, his body had gradually adapted to the breathing state of Total Concentration Thunder Breathing.
His physical abilities had soared compared with before!
And that physical growth had brought a comprehensive boost to all six of Tachibana's senses.
At this point, the range of Tachibana's Sword Heart Clarity had expanded to three hundred meters!
It was comparable to "mid-level, early-stage Observation Haki"!
Not only that, he had also developed Thunder Breathing from its original six forms to nine!
"Thunder Breathing: First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!"
He channeled the power of Thunder Breathing into his legs, then unleashed it all at once. Like thunder tearing through the air, he closed in on his opponent at incredible speed and drew his blade in a lightning-fast strike that even demons couldn't see. One blow was enough to sever a demon's head!
It demanded immense explosive power from the legs. It was Thunder Breathing's most basic technique, yet also its hardest to master.
"Thunder Breathing: Second Form—Rice Spirit Modified!"
The instant he activated Thunder Breathing, he unleashed a series of lightning-fast slashes in the shape of bolts!
The number of slashes was up to him, and he could also use them to block his opponent's attacks.
"Thunder Breathing: Third Form—Gathering Mosquitoes Thunder Modified!"
He distributed the energy from Thunder Breathing throughout his limbs, boosting his agility and speed. At the same time, his movements left behind wave-shaped streaks of lightning.
"Thunder Breathing: Fourth Form—Distant Thunder Modified!"
This was originally a close-range technique. The user released lightning from a Nichirin Sword, then charged at the enemy.
After using it, Kujo Tachibana had felt that something about it didn't make sense. Too much of the energy produced by Thunder Breathing went to waste.
So Tachibana had developed the technique into a ranged attack that released the lightning directly from the Nichirin Sword.
It couldn't kill demons, but it could leave them paralyzed and immobilized for a while!
You could say it was a ranged crowd-control technique.
"Thunder Breathing: Fifth Form—Heat Lightning Modified!"
This form released lightning charged with intense heat, which coated the Nichirin Sword to increase its damage against demons. It also had a paralyzing effect.
It worked even better when combined with a Red Blade!
"Thunder Breathing: Sixth Form—Thunderclap Roar Modified!"
He unleashed all his power with himself at the center, sweeping his sword in every direction in a storm of lightning-shaped slashes!
It was an enhanced version of the Second Form, Rice Spirit Modified!
You could also say it was Kujo Tachibana's most powerful area-damage technique at the moment!
"Thunder Breathing: Seventh Form—Electromagnetic Induction!"
This was a special method of using Thunder Breathing that Tachibana had created himself. It had nothing to do with the sword and had no offensive power.
Instead, it was a way of enhancing his senses, developed from modern electromagnetism.
When Kujo Tachibana first came up with the technique, he had wanted to move closer to being like Magneto, using electricity to manipulate changes in magnetic fields.
Unfortunately, the electrical energy produced by Thunder Breathing in this world was still far too weak.
Kujo Tachibana estimated that only the level of Awakening reached by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in the world of One Piece could provide enough electrical energy to control magnetic fields.
Although Tachibana's idea hadn't worked out, he had accidentally discovered that when he used Thunder Breathing to try to affect the magnetic field around him,
his sensitivity to electromagnetic activity became exceptionally sharp within a radius of about a thousand meters!
Every living thing had its own unique electromagnetic signature, and demons were no exception.
In other words, as long as a demon appeared within a thousand meters of Tachibana, he could find it by tracking its electromagnetic signature!
"Thunder Breathing: Eighth Form—Flying Thunder God!!"
Brothers, don't get the wrong idea!
This wasn't the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God!
It was just a technique Tachibana had created to pay tribute to his predecessors.
It was also a technique only a Two-Sword Style swordsman could use. Simply put,
he channeled the lightning energy from Thunder Breathing into a long sword, then drove the blade—one that could continuously release electricity and paralyze its enemies—
into a demon's body. This kept the demon electrocuted, paralyzed, and immobilized until the sword's electrical charge ran out.
Kujo Tachibana had once used this technique against a Lower Moon demon, and it had worked pretty well.
At the very least, Kyogai, Lower Moon Six, had been unable to move under its effects.
He didn't turn to ash until the sun came up.
"Thunder Breathing: Ninth Form—Thunder-Drawing Blade!"
This form was still only an idea Kujo Tachibana was working on. He hadn't used it yet.
Why?
Because the conditions for using this form were extremely strict!
And even if he succeeded, it would still be a case of hurting the enemy at the cost of a thousand while suffering eight hundred himself.
To pull off this form, it was best to choose a mountaintop or the highest point in the surrounding area.
A thunderstorm was ideal!
That was because this form couldn't be performed through human strength alone. It required the power of nature.
The principle was to use Tachibana's own lightning energy as a conduit through his Nichirin Sword, drawing down a bolt of heavenly lightning!
Then, wielding the bolt's furious energy, he would cleave apart everything before him!
Of course, it could fail. He might be unable to draw down the lightning, or his own body might fail to withstand it and get struck dead!
Kujo Tachibana figured that if he really pulled it off, even Muzan would have to hide for decades after taking that blow!
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