"No! Big brother!"
Senjuro, standing nearby, could not help speaking up.
"Absolutely not! Father said this is our family's Breathing Style. We can't teach it to outsiders."
At that moment, Senjuro also understood why his big brother kept praising Su Chen.
Because Su Chen really was terrifying!
He had stolen his big brother's signature techniques just by fighting him once!
If they showed him the final move too, wouldn't that mean Su Chen had stolen everything the Rengoku Family had, right down to their underwear?
Besides, as his big brother's younger brother, he had not learned it yet. How could they let Su Chen learn it first?
If Su Chen mastered it first, wouldn't that make him look stupid?
So absolutely not!
Senjuro tugged at Kyojuro's clothes, all but pleading like a spoiled child.
But Kyojuro remained unmoved.
He was weighing the pros and cons.
Senjuro had a point. Flame Breathing was a Breathing Style unique to the Rengoku Family, and Kyojuro really could not readily teach it directly to Su Chen.
But Su Chen was unwilling to become his designated successor.
That made things a little troublesome!
Still, Kyojuro was the Rengoku Family's current Flame Hashira, so the final decision remained in his hands.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Kyojuro's mind.
Why had Su Chen told him that he had just learned Flame Breathing?
Su Chen could have said nothing, then found an opportunity to secretly learn Ninth Form: Rengoku.
Yet Su Chen had spoken up.
That showed he respected his opinion.
In that instant, Kyojuro made his decision.
His hand reached for the Nichirin Blade at his waist.
Seeing this movement, how could Senjuro fail to understand what his big brother intended?
Though he did not quite understand why his big brother would do this, Senjuro still grabbed Kyojuro's hand tightly.
Su Chen and Kanao Tsuyuri stood quietly nearby.
This was the Rengoku Family's private affair. They could not interfere.
They could only wait silently for the outcome.
Kyojuro stroked his younger brother's head, then said earnestly:
"Senjuro, Flame Breathing was created to kill demons."
"As long as someone we acknowledge masters this Breathing Style and uses it to kill demons, that is the right thing."
"I am the Flame Hashira now, and I acknowledge Su Chen. That is why I am willing to teach him Flame Breathing."
"If Su Chen ever betrays the Demon Slayer Corps or becomes a demon, I, Kyojuro Rengoku, will commit seppuku in atonement!"
Kyojuro's words rang out with conviction.
Everyone present was moved.
Especially Su Chen.
He had not expected Kyojuro to regard this matter with such gravity.
An indescribable sense of responsibility suddenly settled heavily upon his heart.
Within the Demon Slayer Corps, the Rengoku Family's Breathing Style represented a legacy.
Never in history had anyone outside the family learned Flame Breathing.
But today, someone had.
Su Chen was the first outsider to learn Flame Breathing.
In other words, Senjuro, a member of the Rengoku Family, had witnessed history.
Hearing his big brother speak with such solemnity, Senjuro silently released Kyojuro's sleeve.
He was not a child who failed to understand what mattered.
Kyojuro's words just now had not merely been meant for him.
They had also been an oath.
They signified that Kyojuro Rengoku was now the guarantor of this matter.
If he continued to interfere, he would be showing contempt for a warrior's dignity!
So Senjuro could only put his own thoughts aside.
He gave Su Chen a resentful look.
Looks like I can't slack off in training anymore. I have to learn Flame Breathing quickly!
I'll try to master it before Su Chen!
Kyojuro drew his Nichirin Blade and silently put some distance between himself and the others.
His arm lowered as he gathered strength, and his Nichirin Blade sank into the ground.
He turned sideways toward the opponent ahead and gazed forward.
Bullet Time!
Su Chen immediately opened his eyes wide.
He noticed a colorless vapor rising from Kyojuro's body.
It poured from every part of Kyojuro's body, faintly swirling around him and somehow giving off an immense presence!
Is this Fighting Spirit?
Su Chen murmured inwardly. This was his first time seeing Fighting Spirit.
In Su Chen's eyes, the Fighting Spirit surrounding Kyojuro was now so dense it almost seemed ready to drip!
Boom!
The next moment, an unparalleled wave of heat erupted.
Even the surrounding air seemed to warp.
Kyojuro became a pillar of flame.
"Flame Breathing."
"Esoteric art!"
"Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
A long dragon of fire lit up the dusk.
A gleaming blade flashed through the air.
At this slash, Su Chen's pupils quaked.
[You observed Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!] [You were deeply shaken! In a flash of understanding, you integrated every form of Flame Breathing, instantly comprehending Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!] [You pondered.] [You absorbed it.] [You discovered Flame Breathing's strengths, but also discovered this Breathing Style's flaws!] [You made improvements and began running simulations in your mind.]
Su Chen's train of thought suddenly stalled for a moment.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
No!
This no longer concerns only me.
I, Su Chen, have to master this move!
Suddenly.
There was a click.
[You had an epiphany!] [Bullet Time upgraded. A flash of inspiration led you to comprehend a new skill: Bullet Domain.] [You discovered that Bullet Domain doubled your mental expenditure! At the same time, however, your powers of observation, learning, and reaction increased to three times their original levels!] [You activated Bullet Domain mode. Your observations became more detailed!] [You simulated Flame Breathing one hundred times in two seconds and discovered its flaws!] [You worked out remedies based on the Breathing Style's flaws! You discovered a way to increase Flame Breathing's temperature!] [You discovered how to correct Flame Breathing's flawed movements!] [You discovered that the current Nichirin Blade was not entirely suited to Flame Breathing. In one second, you completed improvements to a Nichirin Blade suited to Flame Breathing!] [You combined your ideas, and inspiration surged. You created a preliminary upgraded version of Flame Breathing: Blazing Breathing!] [...] [Your comprehension ended.]
Su Chen slowly closed his eyes.
He seemed to have spent a long time thinking, but only a few dozen seconds had actually passed.
Though Bullet Domain was better than Bullet Time at helping Su Chen enter a state of epiphany, its drain on his mind was terrifying.
In just a few dozen seconds, Su Chen was already dizzy, his vision swimming.
After taking a few seconds to recover.
Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Only then did he notice that the Flame Hashira's slash had cleanly cleaved through the mountain forest beside him.
Before you continue