Yoriichi Tsugikuni

"Ah... found it! This should be the place, right?"

"It's really well hidden!"

"Is this an illusion-type Blood Demon Art? It makes people subconsciously overlook this place..."

Kujo Tachibana stopped in front of a courtyard wall and muttered to himself.

The next second, Kujo Tachibana walked straight into the wall in front of him.

The wall was like air, offering no resistance at all.

With half his body already inside the wall, Kujo Tachibana suddenly turned toward the southwest and murmured:

"Kibutsuji Muzan, just you wait!"

"It won't be long before your new father comes looking for you."

That's right. While searching for Tamayo in Asakusa, Kujo Tachibana had also stumbled upon Muzan's trail.

It was a rotten, foul stench that had seeped from the depths of his soul over a thousand years.

Kujo Tachibana was sure that, aside from Muzan, no other demon could have left it.

It was just that Kujo Tachibana wasn't confident he could beat Muzan one-on-one right now.

Besides, that guy was extremely good at running away and had several powerful allies. If Kujo Tachibana went after him now, he'd only be delivering himself on a platter!

If Nakime brought him into the Infinity Castle, he wouldn't even have anywhere to run!

Kujo Tachibana wasn't like certain Hashira in the anime.

The moment they heard news of Muzan, they got excited like mad dogs...

"Ahem..."

Give him a few more years, and Kujo Tachibana believed he could treat Muzan like a minor enemy to farm, just like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Still, it had to be said: Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest man in this world, was genuinely on a whole other level from everyone else!

He was born with the Transparent World!

He was born with a permanent Demon Slayer Mark!

He was born with a Breathing Style!

(The other five basic Breathing Styles were adapted by Yoriichi Tsugikuni from his own breathing technique. In other words, he was born with a way of breathing unlike ordinary people! He came with Sun Breathing built in!)

He didn't even have to do anything; his body grew stronger every moment!

At present, the only area where Kujo Tachibana might be stronger than Yoriichi Tsugikuni was his senses—or, more accurately, his mental strength.

After all, he had the sixth sense of Sword Heart Clarity, and the Transparent World on top of that. He should have the edge over Yoriichi Tsugikuni in that regard.

As for the Demon Slayer Mark, Kujo Tachibana already knew how to awaken it. He just didn't want to.

Awakening the mark could greatly enhance one's combat ability, and patterns appeared on the user's body to signify that it had been activated.

The marks differed from one swordsman to another.

To awaken the mark, one's body temperature had to reach thirty-nine degrees, and one's heart rate had to exceed two hundred beats per minute, with a massive release of adrenaline!

At that point, the body grew so hot it felt as if it were burning. Whether a person could survive after entering this dangerously overheated state was the dividing line that determined whether the mark would appear.

Whenever someone with a mark appeared, the people around them would awaken their own marks as if in Resonance.

The mark was an ability that borrowed against one's lifespan, and those who awakened it never lived past twenty-five.

Only Yoriichi Tsugikuni, born with a special constitution, had lived beyond twenty-five.

But if someone over twenty-five awakened the mark, they would still soon meet their end.

As Kujo Tachibana understood it, the mark was like a lock on the human body, at the genetic level!

This Gene Lock could seal away a person's life force and control their strength. Once opened, it couldn't be closed again!

Their life force would keep draining away...

After all, Kujo Tachibana wasn't Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He hadn't been born with a mark. If he awakened one, he wouldn't live past twenty-five!

Given Tachibana's physical condition, if nothing unexpected happened, he could probably live into his eighties or nineties, if not past a hundred.

Trading away his life force for the power of the mark was far too costly!

Kujo Tachibana wouldn't awaken it unless he had no other choice!

Now, as for Breathing Styles.

Thunder Breathing was a step weaker than Sun Breathing.

Still, Kujo Tachibana was quite comfortable using Thunder Breathing for now.

He felt that even if he learned Sun Breathing, his body might not be suited to it. If he forced himself to use a Breathing Style that didn't match his physical attributes, its power would be hard-pressed to match his current Thunder Breathing, let alone Yoriichi Tsugikuni's.

Sun Breathing was, in truth, a Breathing Style unique to that man.

Other people could only grow stronger using the Breathing Styles that already existed. They could never surpass Yoriichi Tsugikuni that way!

Just like Tanjiro's Sun Breathing in the story: compared to Yoriichi Tsugikuni's, its power was like the difference between heaven and earth...

After all, when it came down to it, every existing Breathing Style was based on the way that man had breathed since birth!

If Kujo Tachibana wanted to surpass Yoriichi Tsugikuni through a Breathing Style, he had only one option: create one of his own!

After entering the courtyard wall, Kujo Tachibana made no effort to hide his footsteps.

He slowly approached the elegant Western-style house in front of him.

Inside, Tamayo and Yushiro were conducting medical experiments.

Hearing the footsteps, the two demons stopped what they were doing and exchanged a glance!

"Lady Tamayo! It's daytime outside, so it shouldn't be a demon. Could a human have wandered in by accident?"

Tamayo frowned and shook her head.

"The footsteps are even, and he controls his strength well. This person isn't ordinary. He's probably here to find us."

"Yushiro, go open the door and let him in!"

Yushiro looked hesitant.

"But..."

Tamayo gazed at Yushiro gently and smiled.

"He shouldn't mean us any harm."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to hear his footsteps."

Kujo Tachibana arrived outside the door and said softly:

"Beautiful lady, you're right. I mean you no harm."

"Hmm!!" Hearing this, several veins popped on Yushiro's forehead!

"This detestable human!"

"How dare he show Lady Tamayo such disrespect!"

Yushiro immediately cast aside his other concerns and stormed to the front door.

He cautiously opened it a crack.

Standing behind the door, silhouetted against the light, he urged:

"You detestable human!"

"Get in here, now!"

Inside, Tamayo immediately scolded Yushiro:

"Yushiro! Don't be rude to our guest!"

Yushiro changed expressions in an instant! He put on an obedient look and replied, facing Tamayo:

"Of course, Lady Tamayo!"

Kujo Tachibana scratched his head. This kid really had no manners.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with him, so he squeezed through the crack in the door Yushiro had opened.

Looking at the handsome young man before him—tall, dressed in a sky-blue haori, with two swords at his waist—Yushiro had to admit he was a little jealous...

He didn't want this young man anywhere near Lady Tamayo!