Chapter 6: Ice Breathing

Flowing Dance is a technique that uses unique footwork to mimic the flow of water, moving left and right to quickly close the distance with the enemy. It can both confuse the enemy's vision and launch an attack simultaneously, making it a versatile move. However, its attack strength is slightly weaker compared to other techniques.

Facing Aoi Kanzaki's fierce attack, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Hatsune's mouth. Though Aoi's footwork was exquisite, to him, it was nothing special.

Hatsune lowered his body, adopting a sword-drawing stance, taking a deep breath. When the distance between them was less than a meter, he suddenly drew his sword and charged at Aoi.

His movements were natural and smooth, not inferior to the experienced Demon Slayer Corps member Aoi Kanzaki.

Aoi's face showed a brief flash of surprise but quickly regained composure. Even if Hatsune had practiced swordsmanship, she didn't believe he could surpass her, especially without systematic training.

Aoi thrust her sword directly at Hatsune's throat.

The weakness of demons lies in their necks. To kill a demon, one must sever their neck with a specially crafted Nichirin Sword to kill them completely. Therefore, during daily training, both sword techniques and instinctual reactions of Demon Slayer Corps members are aimed at the enemy's neck.

"Fancy moves, Cold Tide."

Hatsune's technique was simply called "Cold Tide." No one knew what these two words represented or what kind of technique it was because no one had seen it before.

As Aoi's blade approached Hatsune's throat, she didn't believe a guy who didn't even know about breathing techniques could avoid such a close-range attack.

Hmph, arrogant guy, I'll show you the true power of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Aoi originally thought she could end the battle with one strike, but the result was somewhat unexpected. The moment Hatsune drew his sword and uttered "Cold Tide," she suddenly felt her movements slow down. More precisely, the surrounding temperature had suddenly dropped.

Breathing techniques use unique breathing methods to promote blood flow, accelerate body temperature rise, stimulate potential, enhance perception, and increase speed and strength. However, the sudden drop in temperature caused a large amount of cold air to be inhaled into the lungs, making the chest cavity uncomfortable. The low-activity cold air spread slowly and couldn't fully merge with the blood. The excess air had nowhere to go and could only be expelled through coughing.

The oxygen that merged with the blood didn't promote blood flow but instead slowed it down. Combined with the internal and external cold air, Aoi's body temperature further dropped, resulting in slower movements.

Hatsune sidestepped Aoi's attack, moved to her side, and swung his sword at her back.

Aoi was horrified, but at that moment, she had inhaled too much cold air, causing discomfort in her lungs. What kind of sword technique is this? Is it really a breathing technique? Is this breathing technique meant to kill demons or to deal with the Demon Slayer Corps? It's practically the bane of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool."

Aoi twisted her body forcefully, using her body's rotation to deflect Hatsune's wooden sword and quickly creating distance between them before he could launch a second attack.

Hatsune didn't pursue Aoi relentlessly.

Aoi stood a short distance away, clutching her chest and coughing incessantly. She had underestimated the boy before her, committing the grave mistake of underestimating the enemy. If not for her rich combat experience, she might have been defeated by the boy just now.

But there was one thing she didn't understand. Both of them were using breathing techniques, so why wasn't the boy affected by the cold air?

The Butterfly Mansion trio had been cheering for Aoi earlier but were now confused, seeing her clutching her chest and coughing non-stop. They didn't know what had happened. They thought it was just a coincidence since the boy hadn't done anything strange. However, his ability to dodge Aoi's swift strike surprised them.

"Go, Sister Aoi!"

"Sister Aoi, teach this rude guy a lesson."

"Sister Aoi, don't show any mercy to this guy."

Only Shinobu Kocho had some insight. When Hatsune shouted "Cold Tide," she noticed a sudden formation of white mist around them. Aoi inhaled a large amount of cold, moist air, causing discomfort in her lungs and leading to coughing.

Hatsune's breathing technique was indeed unique. It lowered the surrounding temperature, slowing the enemy's attack speed and enhancing his own perception.

As for why he wasn't affected, it was likely due to his constitution and living environment. Near the Snowy Mountains, where it was perpetually covered in snow and the temperature stayed below zero, his lungs and blood cells had undergone unique changes to adapt to such an environment. Even when inhaling cold, moist air, his body remained unaffected.

Additionally, his perception was exceptionally keen. Humans receive external information through the five senses. Demon Slayer Corps members undergo special training to enhance their perception beyond that of ordinary people. For example, Tanjiro has a keen sense of smell, Zenitsu has a sharp sense of hearing, but Hatsune's method of perception was different from everyone else's. He perceived enemies through temperature.

The move "Cold Tide" wasn't meant to attack but to create a low-temperature environment around him. Once someone intruded, he could immediately detect it. Any movement by the intruder or their attack would cause a change in the airflow and temperature.

"Go, Hatsune! Go, Aoi! Both of you, keep it up!"

Shinobu cheered happily, picking a grape from the fruit plate and popping it into Kanao's mouth.

"Kanao, who do you think will win?"

Kanao first looked at her, then at the two people in the yard, and shook her head.

"You don't know? So you think Hatsune might win?"

Kanao smiled but said nothing.

"Then Hatsune is quite impressive."

The Butterfly Mansion trio, hearing their conversation, exchanged glances. Since even Miss Shinobu and Miss Kanao thought the boy was strong, maybe he really had some skills.

"Sister Aoi, you absolutely can't lose to this rude guy."

"Go, Sister Aoi!"

At this moment, Aoi had no time to listen to their shouts. After coughing for a while, she finally caught her breath, took a long breath, and reevaluated Hatsune, her gaze no longer contemptuous.

If this guy had pressed his advantage just now, she might have already been defeated. From this point alone, he didn't seem to have a bad heart.

Breathing techniques rely on breathing to enhance physical abilities. Now, this breathing technique had become both a winning strategy and a stumbling block. She had never encountered such a situation before and didn't know how to proceed.

"Is this really a breathing technique?"

"I told you, I don't know what you mean by breathing techniques. If what you call breathing techniques are unique breathing methods combined with sword techniques, then I suppose it is. Are we still fighting or not?"

"Of course we're fighting. Don't think you can beat me just because you know this strange breathing technique. I'm a legitimate Demon Slayer Corps member. If I can't even beat an amateur like you, I might as well go home and do embroidery."

Despite her words, Aoi was unsure how to deal with Hatsune. The only certainty was that close combat was not an option because the breathing technique couldn't be used.

After thinking it over, Aoi decided to breathe from a distance and then use flexible footwork to attack up close. Afterward, she would use the footwork to create distance and breathe again. This way, she could counter the cold air around his body.

"You sure talk a lot."

Hatsune launched the first attack.