Sanemi Shinazugawa crossed his arms and looked down at Sol Mirek.
"Not just anyone can learn Wind Breathing. First, you need to understand the essence of wind."
"The essence of wind is simply air in motion," Sol replied calmly, cutting him off.
"Wind speed, direction, pressure differences, I understand all of that. Let's skip the lecture and go straight to the demonstration."
A vein bulged on Sanemi Shinazugawa's forehead.
"You…!"
He forced himself to calm down. Since he could not overpower this strange but ridiculously strong man, the least he could do was make things difficult for him.
Sanemi suddenly drew his Nichirin blade.
"Watch carefully. Wind Breathing, First Form, Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
His body blurred into an afterimage. The blade swung with explosive force, releasing violent wind blades that tore across the training ground. Deep furrows ripped through the soil while fierce gusts kicked dust into the air.
After finishing the strike, Sanemi sheathed his blade. Sweat formed along his forehead. He had put everything into that move. Losing face in front of this guy was not an option.
He glanced at Sol with a provocative look.
"Well? Can you do it?"
"This is the basic technique of Wind Breathing. After watching once, there is no way you could…"
His words stopped abruptly.
Sol stood where he was, eyes half closed. His breathing rose and fell in a steady rhythm. As he inhaled and exhaled, the surrounding air began to distort.
A violent current gathered around him, stronger than the one Sanemi had just produced.
Slowly, Sol raised his right hand, fingers pressed together like a blade. He took a deep breath, and the air around him suddenly felt thick and heavy.
"Wind Breathing, First Form, Dust Whirlwind Cutter."
His hand swept through the air.
A wind blade shot forward with a sharp whistle. It was cleaner, sharper, and far more concentrated than Sanemi's. The attack flew straight across the field and split the stone wall at the edge of the training ground in half.
The wall cracked apart instantly.
Chunks of stone exploded outward as dust filled the air.
Sanemi Shinazugawa froze in place, mouth slightly open. The scars on his face twisted with pure disbelief. His eyes moved from the shattered wall back to Sol.
Was he dreaming?
What the hell just happened?
"You… you only watched once," Sanemi said, his voice trembling.
Sol lowered his hand as the airflow around him slowly faded.
"Wind Breathing is pretty interesting. It focuses more on explosive force compared to Water Breathing."
Sanemi clenched his fists unconsciously, nails digging into his palms.
It had taken him years to master that technique.
The man standing in front of him had reproduced it perfectly after watching once. Worse, it was stronger.
"I already understand the essence of wind," Sol said casually.
"Now I just need to learn how the forms apply that principle. Go on."
Sanemi gritted his teeth.
Tomorrow, even if his body hurt so badly he could not get out of bed, he would not let himself lose face here.
He tightened his grip on the blade and swung again.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form, Claws Purifying Wind!"
Several claw shaped wind blades crossed through the air and smashed into the targets at the far end of the training ground.
Sol watched carefully.
Every movement. Every breath. Every contraction of muscle.
"So that's the trick."
He raised his hand again.
"Wind Breathing, Second Form, Claws Purifying Wind."
Wind blades erupted forward.
They perfectly mirrored Sanemi's attack, but they were sharper, faster, and more numerous.
Sanemi's face went pale. He staggered back a step.
"You… what kind of monster are you?"
Sol ignored the shock completely.
"Next form?"
For the next hour, Sanemi demonstrated every Wind Breathing form he knew.
Each time, Sol watched once.
Each time, he replicated the technique immediately.
And every time, the result was slightly stronger, slightly cleaner, and slightly more refined.
By the time Sanemi finished the final form, his hands were trembling.
The normally hot tempered Wind Hashira stared at Sol with an expression that was difficult to describe.
Shock.
Frustration.
Admiration.
Finally, Sanemi let out a tired laugh.
Why was he even trying to compete with a monster?
He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions.
"These are all the forms of Wind Breathing. I cannot teach you anything else."
His voice had grown slightly hoarse.
"You have really never learned Wind Breathing before?" he asked.
"No."
Sol opened his fingers and the last trace of airflow dispersed.
"But the principle is simple. Once you understand wind itself, the rest is just technique."
Sanemi was silent for a moment.
Then suddenly, he dropped to one knee.
"Please teach me how to become stronger."
He bowed his head.
He needed power, for the Master, and for the coming battle against Muzan. If there was even a small chance to grow stronger, he would take it.
Sol blinked, slightly surprised. Then he reached out and pulled Sanemi back to his feet.
"Relax. Your foundation is already solid. What you lack is a breakthrough in understanding."
Sanemi looked at him eagerly.
"What kind of understanding?"
"Wind Breathing focuses on ferocity and speed," Sol explained. "But you are too obsessed with the forms themselves."
"Real wind is not restrained."
Sanemi frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Instead of answering, Sol lifted his hand.
"Watch."
He waved his palm lightly.
A small wind blade shot forward.
Halfway through the air, it suddenly split apart into dozens of smaller blades that scattered outward like falling petals. Each one struck a separate target at the edge of the training ground with perfect accuracy.
Sanemi's eyes widened.
"This is…"
"I just figured it out," Sol said casually.
"Wind can rage like a hurricane or move softly like a spring breeze. It depends on how you understand it. Honestly, Wind Breathing is not as complicated as you think."
Sanemi's eyes lit up with excitement. He completely ignored the second half of that statement.
"I get it! I was too focused on the destructive power of wind and ignored its flexibility!"
Sol nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Go practice, Sanemi. I am sure you will break through soon."
Sanemi paused for a moment.
Somehow their relationship felt a little strange now, but he had already accepted the fact that Sol understood Wind Breathing better than he did.
"Thank you, Mr. Mirek."
He bowed deeply.
Sanemi was about to head toward the other end of the training ground when he suddenly stopped, remembering something.
"Mr. Mirek, how are you creating wind blades without a Nichirin blade?"
His eyes locked onto Sol.
"Do you have some special technique that lets you use your body instead of a sword?"
Sol smiled and raised his palm.
"It's simple."
"A blade is just a medium for energy. Your body can be a medium too."
He lightly flexed his fingers.
"Just treat your palm like a blade."
Sanemi stood there silently, staring at him in stunned disbelief.
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