Zongman: Capturing the goddess from Demon Slayer

After half an hour of flight, Akira and Tanjiro finally arrived at Mount Kumotori in Okutama.

Tanjiro's old home.

Looking at the dilapidated house, ravaged by wind and snow due to lack of maintenance and repairs, Tanjiro's heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Tanjiro walked around the house, circling it again and again.

He wanted to push the door open and enter, but after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately didn't go in.

Nezuko, in the box on Akira's back, seemed to sense that she had returned home and became restless.

She swayed back and forth in the box.

"Akira-nii, let's go see that Blue Spider Lily."

Tanjiro led the way, with Akira carrying the box on his back, following behind.

Walking and stopping, after ten minutes, the two arrived at a small mound.

"Akira-nii, it's here."

Tanjiro looked up at the sky; the sun still needed three or four hours to reach directly overhead.

"There are still about three or four hours before those blue flowers will bloom."

"Akira-nii, let's wait here for a while."

Akira put down the wooden box on his back, sat in a shaded spot, and played with Nezuko inside the box.

Tanjiro, on the other hand, wandered around.

He came to an open space, the same space where Tanjiro's father used to perform the Hinokami Kagura dance.

Every New Year's Day, Tanjuro Kamado would dress in special clothing, wear a special mask, and in this open space, from the morning of that day, he would perform the Hinokami Kagura until the morning of the next day.

A whole day and night, without rest.

Tanjiro looked at this open space, followed the figure of his father, Tanjuro Kamado, took out his Nichirin Blade, and began to perform the Hinokami Kagura.

Waltz, Clear Blue Sky, Raging Sun Mirror, Fake Rainbow, Fire Wheel, Scorching Crimson Mirror, Solar Halo, Burning Sun, Sunset Turn, Shining Ray, Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance, Flame Dance.

The twelve forms of Sun Breathing were unleashed with Tanjiro's dance.

When the twelfth form, Flame Dance, ended, Tanjiro was already covered in sweat and struggling to breathe.

In Tanjiro's eyes, his father, Tanjuro Kamado, was still dancing the Hinokami Kagura.

Tirelessly, repeating it over and over again.

From beginning to end, the movements had no differences whatsoever.

"Father, why can you dance for so long?"

"Aren't you tired?"

Little Tanjiro looked at his father's frail body and asked in confusion.

He didn't understand why his father, who was always sickly, could perform the Hinokami Kagura without any fatigue.

Tanjuro rubbed little Tanjiro's head and said kindly, "Tanjiro, if the breathing technique is correct, you can keep dancing forever."

"The correct breathing technique?"

Tanjiro looked at the scene before him and seemed to understand everything.

Akira-nii had told him that his family's Hinokami Kagura was Sun Breathing and had thirteen forms.

At the time, he hadn't figured out the Hinokami Kagura, so he didn't know how many forms it had.

It wasn't until he had completely mastered the Hinokami Kagura that he realized it seemed to only have twelve forms.

So, what about the thirteenth form?

Recalling his father's words, Tanjiro finally realized.

Using the Hinokami Kagura continuously from the first form to the twelfth form, completing a full cycle, is the thirteenth form of Sun Breathing!

Tanjiro straightened his body and began to dance again, following his father's figure.

First Form · Waltz, Second Form · Clear Blue Sky, Third Form · Raging Sun Mirror... Twelfth Form · Flame Dance!

This time, Tanjiro didn't stop, but continued to dance the Hinokami Kagura from the beginning.

First Form · Waltz...

Time passed by, second by second.

Soon it was noon, and Akira closed the wooden box.

He looked at the small mound in front of him.

Clusters of blue buds were quietly awakening, as if brewing a magnificent bloom in the stillness.

Akira held his breath and focused his gaze, his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan tightly locked onto the blue buds that were about to bloom.

As time passed, the tightly closed buds slowly cracked open, and slender, graceful blue petals gently poked out.

These petals gradually unfurled, then bent backward in an elegant posture, outlining admirable and beautiful arcs.

And deep within the core of the buds, slender but powerful blue stamens also stretched out eagerly, exploring outwards, until they reached a perfect length, then gently curved back, forming a distinct and harmonious contrast with the petals.

The petals curved outwards, and the stamens curved inwards.

The two intertwined in opposing arcs, forming a beautiful natural picture that was both contrasting and unified.

Having observed the entire blooming process of the Blue Spider Lily, Akira had already seen its effect through his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Just as Muzan Kibutsuji had guessed.

That is, after a demon eats it, they can indeed become immune to sunlight and become the legendary perfect being.

But the demon's nature would still be retained.

When the Blue Spider Lily is eaten by humans, something very terrifying will happen.

That is...

Food poisoning!

Mild cases would cause vomiting for a short time, while severe cases would cause vomiting for a long time.

Originally, Akira wanted to taste what the Blue Spider Lily, which even Muzan Kibutsuji had never eaten, tasted like.

But now... maybe he should pass.

He would pick a few to take back for Yushiro.

He picked ten Blue Spider Lilies, four each for Tamayo and Shinobu Kocho.

After all, he had already promised Shinobu Kocho to bring back the Blue Spider Lily for her to study.

He would give the remaining two to Yushiro so that he could become a perfect being and be able to walk in the sunlight.

Tsk tsk, he really was a good person.

After storing the ten Blue Spider Lilies, Akira carried the box and walked towards Tanjiro's location.

At this time, Tanjiro, who had been dancing the Hinokami Kagura for more than three hours, was also on the verge of exhaustion.

"Tanjiro, let's go, stop dancing."

Hearing Akira's call, Tanjiro finally stopped.

He staggered a few steps, barely managing to steady himself.

Akira walked forward and used healing ninjutsu to relieve Tanjiro's body fatigue.

A few minutes later, Tanjiro, who had regained some strength, thanked Akira:

"Thank you, Akira-nii."

"Don't thank me, I'll take you back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters."

After taking Tanjiro back to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, Akira flew towards the Butterfly Mansion with Nezuko on his back, amidst Tanjiro's reluctant gaze.

It was noon, and the girls in the Butterfly Mansion were having lunch in the dining room.

Among them, Kanao, who had the best talent and the most sensitive perception of aura, directly looked up at the direction from which Akira was flying.

The girls were puzzled.

"Kanao?"

"Akira-nii is back!" Kanao said with a smile, then went directly to the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion.

Hearing this, the girls also followed Kanao's footsteps and waited in the courtyard.

On the edge of the blue sky and white clouds, a small black dot flew towards them.

Mitsuri and Shinobu Kocho also sensed Akira's aura.

Seeing that the people of the Butterfly Mansion were already in the courtyard to welcome him, Akira also increased his speed.

In just one minute, he landed in the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion.