Crossover Anime: Edit everything, join the chat group

She stood up with some doubt, walked into the courtyard, and grasped her Nichirin Blade.

She adjusted her breathing rhythm according to that new theory.

In an instant, a strange feeling occurred.

In the past, every time she used full concentration breathing, she could feel a burning pain in her lungs and her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as if it were squeezing her life out of her body.

But this time, the air she inhaled seemed no longer to be just simple oxygen, but a warm, life-giving energy. This energy flowed through her body along the new circuit model, and instead of causing any loss, it soothed her exhausted internal organs and muscles, which had been working overtime for years, like a warm current.

"Butterfly Dance - Teasing".

She instinctively used her most frequently used move. Her body leaped up as lightly as a butterfly, and the blade in her hand completed several exquisite thrusts at a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

In the past, after completing this set of movements, she would inevitably feel a slight exhaustion and a disorder in her breathing.

but now……

She landed lightly, feeling not only no fatigue but even more stamina than before! The warm energy circulating within her body was continuously repairing the tiny tears in her muscles and replenishing her depleted energy.

This...this is...

Shinobu Kocho stared blankly at her hands, feeling an unprecedented, vibrant sensation within her body.

This is no longer "swordsmanship".

This is "health preservation"!

It is the complete opposite of the Demon Slayer Corps' self-destructive "Sword Principle of Seeking Death" over the past hundreds of years... a path to "life"!

[Butterfly Dance: ...!]

She wanted to say something in the group chat, but found herself too excited to type a single word. All the shock, all the gratitude, all the upheaval of her understanding ultimately transformed into the most primal, soul-deep tremor.

Shinobu Kocho Gets Stronger at 16

The Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, the courtyard of the Butterfly Mansion.

The wisteria blossoms swayed in the gentle breeze, releasing a delicate fragrance. Kurihana, carrying a bowl of freshly brewed medicine, walked lightly down the corridor.

Her usually ethereal eyes now held a hint of concern for her master.

Recently, Shinobu Kocho has been working tirelessly for several days straight to develop a poison that can kill Upper Moon demons, which worries Shinobu greatly.

However, when she walked to the center of the courtyard, she saw a scene that puzzled her.

Her master, Shinobu Kocho, stood quietly in front of the huge training log, motionless.

She held the slender Nichirin Blade in her hand, but her gaze was not focused on the wooden stake in front of her. Instead, she looked up at the distant sky, as if she were staring at something that ordinary people could not see.

What surprised Kanao even more was that her master's face, which was usually wrapped in strength and gentleness, was now covered with tears.

Those weren't tears of sadness, but rather... tears mixed with excitement, shock, and ecstasy.

Her shoulders were trembling slightly, and she was completely immersed in an intense emotion that others could not understand.

"Master?"

Kanao called softly, slowly walking forward and placing the bowl of medicine in her hand on the stone bench beside her. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Upon hearing her disciple's voice, Shinobu Kocho seemed to awaken from a distant world.

She turned around abruptly, and in her beautiful purple eyes, a light that Kanao had never seen before shone with an almost fanatical gleam.

"Kanae!"

Shinobu's voice was hoarse and trembling uncontrollably as she rushed forward and tightly grasped Kanao's arm. "I saw it... I saw hope!"

"hope?"

Kanao was stunned. She could feel her master gripping her hand tightly, and the excitement felt so real.

"Yes! The hope of defeating Muzan! The hope of ending this cursed era!"

Shinobu spoke rapidly, as if she wanted to pour out all the surging emotions in her heart, "Kanao, all along... the path that the Demon Slayer Corps has followed for hundreds of years, perhaps it was wrong from the very beginning! We have been using our lives to fill a bottomless abyss, but now, someone... someone has shown us a brand new path to 'life'!"

Seeing her master's incoherent and agitated state, Kanao felt a deeper worry welling up inside her. She reached out her other hand and gently placed it on Shinobu's forehead.

"Master, are you... too tired? Your forehead is a little hot. You must have a fever, that's why you're talking nonsense." In her opinion, her master must have been overworked for days in developing new poisons, and was in a daze, which is why he said such unrealistic things.

"I don't have a fever!" Shinobu Kocho sensed her disciple's worry, which made her even more anxious. She puffed out her cheeks angrily, like a butterfly trying to prove its power. "I'm telling the truth! Kanao, you don't understand! I'm... incredibly strong now! Completely different from before!"

She was eager to prove to her closest disciple that what she said was true, and that eagerness even made her speak without thinking.

Just then, a magnificent yet somewhat mocking voice came from the entrance of the courtyard.

"Oh? You've become very strong?"

The master and apprentice looked up at the sound and saw the Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, Tengen Uzui, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, scrutinizing Shinobu Kocho with a critical gaze. His signature ornate headdress glittered in the sunlight, and a playful smile played on his lips.

"I think I just heard someone say they've become 'extremely strong.' Really? Butterfly, I don't remember you being the type who excels at head-on combat. Could it be that you've developed some fancy poison that can instantly kill an Upper Moon demon?"

Uzui Tengen's words were half-joking, half-provoking. He had a good relationship with Kocho Shinobu, but he was also well aware of her fighting style. The Insect Pillar's strength lay in her unparalleled knowledge of toxicology and lightning-fast thrusting speed, but in terms of pure strength and destructive power, she was not outstanding among the Pillars.

"Mr. Uzui!" Being questioned in public, Shinobu Kocho's eagerness was instantly ignited, transforming into a fighting spirit of not giving up. She turned around, looking directly at her colleague who was known for his elegance and strength, and said, word by word, "When I say strong, I don't mean poison."

"Oh?" Uzui Tengen raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.

"I'm talking about my sword." Shinobu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unprecedented confidence.

"Hahahaha!" Yuzui Tengen burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Your sword? Butterfly, are you kidding me? Although your thrust is fast, to say it's strong..."

"Then how about we have a grand spar?" His laughter abruptly stopped, a serious glint in his eyes. "I haven't had any missions lately, and my body's practically rusted. Let me personally experience just how powerful your so-called 'strength' really is."

17 Shaking Pillars

Kanao's heart tightened, and she was about to speak to stop her, but Shinobu Kocho stopped her.

"it is good."

Butterfly calmly uttered a single word.

She knew that any explanation in words would be pale and powerless at this moment.

The only way to make these pillars, who are used to fighting with their lives, understand that power of "upgrading" is to show it to them in the way they are most familiar with—fighting.

She needs a victory, an undisputed, overwhelming victory, to tell them that times have changed.

Ten minutes later, at the Demon Slayer Corps' training ground.

Most of the off-duty team members and a few pillars who happened to be at headquarters rushed over upon hearing the news. They gathered around the field, watching the two facing off in the middle of the field with curiosity.

"Have you heard? The Insect Pillar is going to spar with the Sound Pillar!"

"Really? The difference in strength is just too huge!"

"That's right, Miss Butterfly is very powerful, but Mr. Uzui is one of the top fighters in terms of direct combat strength..."

The whispers were filled with skepticism towards Shinobu Kocho.

Uzui Tengen drew his two enormous Nichirin Blades, linked by chains, twirled them in the air in a flourish, slung them over his shoulder, and smiled confidently: "Butterfly, are you ready? I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl."

Shinobu Kocho did not answer. She simply stood still, assuming a basic sword-wielding stance. Her breathing was steady and long, her entire being seemingly integrated with its surroundings, showing no outward signs of fighting spirit, yet like a fully drawn bow, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment.

Yuzui Tengen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Something is wrong.

The Shinobu Kocho in front of him gave him a completely different feeling than before.

"Sound Breathing - First Form - Boom!"

Without further hesitation, he launched the first attack! His figure instantly transformed into a blur, and his massive twin blades, accompanied by a deafening roar as they tore through the air, slashed down at Shinobu Kocho! He held nothing back, immediately unleashing one of his most prized moves, both a test and a declaration.

Faced with this devastating attack, Shinobu Butterfly moved.

Her movements were not fast, in fact, they were slow. To everyone else, she simply slid to the side lightly, her Nichirin Blade pointing upwards at an incredible angle.

"Ding--!"

A crisp, clear sound, like the tinkling of wind chimes.

Yuzui Tengen's powerful slash was precisely struck by the slender tip of the blade at the center of the chain connecting the two blades—the only weakest point.

The immense force instantly lost its balance. Yuzui Tengen felt an extremely skillful technique of deflecting the force from the sword, causing his strike, which was powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, to slide uncontrollably to the side as if hitting cotton, carving two deep trenches in the ground.

He was terrified. Before he could even steady himself, a cold touch was already pressed against his throat.

It was the tip of Shinobu Kocho's blade.

She had somehow appeared beside him like a ghost, her knife steady as a rock, stopping precisely just millimeters from his throat.

So fast! So fast that he didn't even see it clearly!

But it wasn't just about speed. It was a kind of... incomprehensible "prophetic" feeling, as if he had foreseen all his moves and was already standing at the finish line waiting for him.

The entire training ground was completely silent.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

one move?

Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, known for his strength and speed, was defeated by Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, who was generally considered to be bad at head-on combat... in one move?

“I…” Yu Sui Tianyuan froze on the spot, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

He could sense that if the other's knife moved forward even a fraction of an inch, his life would be ended instantly.

Shinobu Kocho slowly sheathed her sword and looked at him calmly.

"Shall we continue, Mr. Uzui?"

Uzui Tengen dejectedly put down his twin swords. He looked at Shinobu Kocho in front of him, his eyes filled with shock, confusion, and intense bewilderment.

"This... what kind of power is this?"

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, "This isn't your 'Insect Breathing'... No, it's not any breathing technique I know. Your body... shows no signs of exhaustion, on the contrary... your breath is even longer than before the battle?"

He staggered back two steps, and for the first time, this magnificent god of rituals wavered in the face of the power he was so proud of.

"Where...did you obtain this power?"

……

Meanwhile, at Shuchiin Academy, in the student council room.

Gu Chuan had just finished dealing with his daily affairs and was about to relax when he keenly noticed a gaze that was slightly hesitant and troubled.

He looked up and met the gaze of the student council secretary, Fujiwara Chika, with her large, watery eyes filled with conflicted emotions.

This usually energetic and seemingly eccentric girl was now acting like a hamster that had done something wrong, hiding by the door, peeking out half her head and secretly watching him, looking troubled and wanting to ask for help but not daring to speak.

Gu Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

In his "observational" view, Fujiwara Chika's entry clearly displays the tags "[Status: Extremely Distress]" and "[Intention: Seeking Help (High Difficulty, Conceptual Level)]".

Oh?

What kind of request for help could make Secretary Fujiwara feel that was "highly difficult"?

For the first time, Gu Chuan felt a genuine interest in this peaceful, everyday world.

18. Chaotic Curiosity

The commotion at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters training grounds, and the wavering worldview of the Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, did not reach the Shuchiin Academy where Gu Chuan was located.

At this moment, he was enjoying the rare tranquility after the storm.

During the "Cross-Dimensional Film Screening," Shinobu Kocho's display of strength sparked a heated discussion about the nature of power.

Rin Tohsaka and Esdeath, two girls from the mystical side, begin to confront seemingly primitive martial arts techniques that purely affect the body for the first time, and attempt to analyze their mysteries using their respective theories.

Gu Chuan, on the other hand, had already shifted his attention away from the group chat and returned it to the peaceful everyday world before him.

He keenly sensed a gaze.

A complex gaze filled with entanglement, distress, anticipation, and a hint of fear.

He looked up and met the big, watery eyes of the student council secretary, Fujiwara Chika.

This pink-haired girl, who was usually full of energy and always jumping around, single-handedly disrupting the entire student council's order, was now like a hamster that had done something wrong, cautiously hiding at the door of the student council room, peeking out half her head and secretly watching him.

Her troubled expression, wanting to ask for help but not daring to speak, was a stark contrast to her resounding reputation as the "cancer of the earth."