Starting in The Boys to Become the Ultimate Lifeform.

149. Chapter 149: As Expected, They're Cutest When They're Small

The next second, a scratch appeared on his neck, as the expressionless Giyu Tomioka withdrew his sword.

Xia Shang smiled, extended his right arm, and pressed it on his head. The scratch on his neck slowly faded until it completely disappeared.

"He didn't sever his head! My attack only scratched his skin, how is this possible? Is my strength so far below Muzan's?" Giyu Tomioka's right arm holding the sword trembled slightly, as if what he had just struck was not a human body, but an indestructible steel plate.

"That amazing breathing style, can you teach it to me?" Xia Shang lowered his right arm, looking at Giyu Tomioka with a curious gaze.

"You want to learn Water Breathing?"

Giyu Tomioka, who was waiting for Muzan's counter-attack, rarely showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. The usually stern man slightly furrowed his brow. "You are not Muzan, who exactly are you?"

Given Muzan's arrogance, he would never deign to learn a breathing style created by humans. The truth is, Muzan's talent in this area is extremely poor, and after trying a few times, he gave up on it.

But this guy in front of me actually asked me to teach him a breathing style. It looks like he's never encountered a breathing style before. Who exactly is this guy? He doesn't have the aura of a demon on him, and there are no upper rank or lower rank markings in his eyes.

Is he a human? But how could a human withstand my slash? Even with so many questions in his heart, he didn't show it on Giyu Tomioka's face. After a few seconds, he finally spoke, "I won't teach you. Leave."

"Muzan? I was just looking for him. Do you know where he is? Also..."

Xia Shang's gaze instantly turned exceptionally cold. His figure disappeared again. The snowflakes drifting down from the sky were slowed down dozens of times in his eyes. The only thing Tanjiro and the others could see were the footprints slowly appearing on the snow.

"This isn't a request, it's a notification." Xia Shang grabbed Giyu Tomioka's neck and lifted him up.

As Xia Shang's five fingers gradually exerted strength, soon, Giyu Tomioka's breathing became extremely difficult. But he still didn't compromise. "I will not teach a breathing style to someone with ill intentions. Such a person is no different from a demon."

"You can talk. This is the first time I've heard someone call me 'ill-intentioned'."

Seeing that Giyu Tomioka was a tough nut to crack, continuing like this would just be a waste of time. So Xia Shang released his right arm and walked towards Tanjiro.

Giyu Tomioka, freed from the restraint, half-knelt on the snow, breathing heavily. Letting the cold air rush into his lungs, causing intense pain, he didn't slow his breathing. Only now did he confirm that the man in front of him was not Muzan. If it were Muzan, he would definitely not spare a member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

"What do you want?" Seeing that Xia Shang's target was Nezuko, Tanjiro immediately spread his arms, blocking in front of Nezuko.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm just very curious about her ability to grow and shrink."

Since Xia Shang didn't fuse Stormfront's ability immediately, the analyze function was still usable. This time his target was Nezuko.

"Please, spare Nezuko. She is innocent. Please don't take her away from me. She's the only family I have left." Facing an irresistible enemy, the painful and powerless Tanjiro knelt on the snow and pressed his palms to the ground, bowing his head to Xia Shang, his body bent almost ninety degrees.

This is the most respectful bow in Japanese seated etiquette, usually only used for pleading.

"Please, I beg you." Tanjiro's voice carried a sob, and hot tears dripped from the corners of his eyes.

Tanjiro's weak display made Giyu Tomioka grit his teeth in anger. He couldn't help but roar, "Don't let others hold power over your life and death! Don't tragically beg others! If doing that was useful, your family wouldn't have been killed..."

Under Giyu Tomioka's angry roar, Tanjiro, who was kneeling on the ground, slowly straightened his back.

At the same time, Giyu Tomioka prayed internally for Tanjiro not to fall into despair, not to keep crying. He wanted to see even more, Tanjiro transform the unforgiving, powerful, and pure anger in his heart into an indomitable fighting spirit, because he understood that in this world of despair, only by possessing strength could one protect what they wanted to protect. "Let go of my sister!"

Giyu Tomioka's words clearly had a great effect.

Tanjiro realized that mere weakness could not protect his family. He needed strength, he needed the courage to resist!

He grabbed the axe by his side and threw it whistling towards Xia Shang.

Unfortunately, the strength gap between him and Xia Shang was not something that could be bridged by mere so-called anger. The moment the axe blade struck Xia Shang's shoulder, it was actually bounced away, finally landing on the snow, motionless.

"I already said not to misunderstand, I'm actually a good person. If that guy hadn't attacked me first, I wouldn't have counter-attacked." Xia Shang squatted in front of the shrunken Nezuko and reached out to pinch her chubby face.

[Ability not analyzed]

Situations like this were not the first time Xia Shang had encountered them. Clearly, Nezuko's demonization was not yet complete, and he couldn't analyze an ability from her.

"Alright, state your conditions. I only want the breathing style you possess."

Xia Shang held Nezuko in his arms, lowered his head, and softly murmured, "As expected, they're cutest when they're small."

"Mmm mmm." Facing Xia Shang's finger extended towards her mouth, Nezuko instinctively wanted to bite down.

Seeing this, Giyu Tomioka reminded him in a deep voice, "There might still be some of Muzan's blood remaining on her. If she bites you and creates a wound, you might get infected."

"It's fine. If she likes to bite things, let her bite. Anyway, she can't bite through." The corner of Xia Shang's mouth unconsciously curved upward.

"Can you give Nezuko back to me?"

Xia Shang completely ignored Tanjiro's plea.

"Ah ah ah." Nezuko sensing Tanjiro's approach, began to struggle in Xia Shang's arms. She extended her arm, white and tender like a lotus root, seemingly wanting to grab Tanjiro.

"Want to come with me? I can help you get revenge." Xia Shang said with a smile.

"For safety's sake, it's better to seal her mouth."

Giyu Tomioka took out a piece of bamboo tube and put it into Nezuko's mouth.

"My finger had the same effect, it was just a bit unhygienic." Xia Shang reluctantly withdrew his finger.

"You know Muzan?" Xia Shang's actions made Giyu Tomioka realize that the other party might be very fond of children. People like this cannot be purely evil; they are more likely to have a morally ambiguous personality.

In fact, he wasn't wrong. At this moment, Xia Shang's mindset was very similar to Homelander's. He wanted to be a bit freer, without any restraint.

"I know him, but he doesn't necessarily know me, and he probably wouldn't want to know me."

(End of Chapter)