Chapter 90: The Birth of the Five Elements
Once his mastery of all five basic Breathing Styles reached the required
threshold, the first reward was a massive, visible surge in his Power Level.
[Power Level: 240]
Even compared to Urokodaki's 274, he was now within striking distance. As for
"Old Fossil" Kazami, Matsuyama, or that battle-junkie Nikaido?
They can't even see my dust anymore! Wakakakakaka!
Ahem—okay, maybe I still need to give Lord Shinjuro's stats a little respect.
However, Natsuya felt that even if he stopped grinding right now and just relied
on natural "Character Growth" and physiological development, he would eventually
overtake them all. After all, the "Kokonoe Natsuya" character model was still a
teenager. Humans reached their physiological peak between eighteen and
twenty-five.
My 'Base Version' hasn't even hit the final patch yet. The 'Full Potential' me
will dwarf this current build.
Base stats aside, the second major harvest was the evolution of Total
Concentration.
He had assumed the previous manual buffs had hit the skill cap, but instead, the
skill underwent a "Rank-Up" into a high-tier passive. And it wasn't just the
standard Constant upgrade.
[True Total Concentration]
- Description: Not the strength of force, but the return to the Path. Like a
bird unaware of the air, or a fish oblivious to the flow of the river, the
user has merged with the world they carry.
- Effect: Massively reduces physical burden. Enhances concentration and neural
reflex speed. Significantly lowers the entry requirements for high-tier
realms such as [The Transparent World] and the [Selfless State].
Total Concentration had broken its limits.
Although Natsuya didn't fully understand what the skill description meant by
"The Transparent World" or the "Selfless State" yet, it was clearly a massive
positive modifier. If he combined this with Constant later...
Even someone who didn't understand game design could see this skill module was
becoming "Game-Breaking."
Against enemies with a much higher Power Level? He'd have to see. But against
anyone in his own tier?
I literally cannot see a way for me to lose.
Whether it was a demon or a fellow Slayer, True Total Concentration gave him a
damage and reflex multiplier that placed him at the top of the "Mizunoto to
Kinoe" bracket.
Beyond the stats and skills, the most intriguing addition was a new icon labeled
[Special Cinematic].
Natsuya looked around the dojo. Because his breakthrough was imminent, he had
skipped the group sparring session today, claiming he had an "Enlightenment" and
needed to meditate alone.
I hope this cutscene doesn't trigger a massive explosion or something.
He clicked play.
The next second, without warning, Natsuya's vision was consumed by a soft,
ethereal white light. His consciousness felt like it was being pulled out of his
body.
The world suddenly reshaped itself.
Some memories follow the lineage of blood and spirit, waking up only after
centuries. Others are transmitted through the perfection of a craft—fragments of
a legacy leaping through space and time to find a successor in the distant
future.
Natsuya felt as if he had fallen into a different era. It was like a mid-day
dream, or the "Flashback" sequence of someone at death's door. Senses like taste
and touch were hazy, but his "Gamer Intuition" told him this was no
hallucination.
The dojo was gone. In its place stood a primeval forest so dense it blotted out
the sun.
Natsuya tried to move his limbs. There was no response; it was as if he didn't
exist. He was watching a high-fidelity, 360-degree VR panorama of history.
Not far from him, a black-haired young man with a high ponytail was speaking
quietly with a man in a cyan robe. They were both blurred, their faces
indistinct. But judging by the Nichirin Swords at their waists, they were
ancient Demon Slayers.
The gear looks different, Natsuya noted. Definitely not the Taisho era.
There was no audio or subtitles, but Natsuya understood the scene perfectly: it
was a training session. The man with the ponytail was demonstrating a breathing
rhythm, slowly breaking down a series of sword forms.
The man in the cyan robe was clearly already a master swordsman—his skills
looked roughly on par with Shinjuro's. But every time he tried to replicate the
breathing rhythm, he would double over, gasping for air, his face turning
beet-red as if he were suffocating.
That Breathing Style... It's a type I've never seen, yet it feels strangely
familiar.
Natsuya recognized the man's sword forms instantly, though.
"First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter." "Third Form: Clean Storm Tree."
Wind Breathing.
The man used a few forms Natsuya didn't recognize, but the style and kinetic
flow were unmistakably of the Wind lineage.
Is this a record of someone's training? Or... Natsuya had a hunch.
Seeing that the master swordsman in cyan couldn't grasp the "Primal Breath," the
youth with the ponytail shifted his strategy. He stepped behind the man, his
fingers gently tapping the man's wrists, elbows, and shoulders—manually
adjusting the angles of force and the timing of the lungs.
Over and over again.
It was a montage of silent frames. Yet, through the static of time, Natsuya felt
like he could "hear" the unspoken lesson:
"Feel it. Understand it. Then walk your own path. Do not try to walk in my
footprints."
Days and nights bled into one another. Flashbacks flickered through the forest.
Finally, the cyan swordsman's breathing stabilized. His aura merged with the
mountain breeze.
Or rather, he became the wind.
His breathing was different from the ponytail youth's, but it still granted him
a massive physical overhaul.
[Wind Breathing] [First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter]
The blade no longer met resistance from the air; it cut through the atmosphere
as part of the gale—sharp and majestic.
This is... the Origin of Wind Breathing, Natsuya realized.
And that youth teaching him... he has to be the Progenitor of all Breathing
Styles.
With the birth of Wind, the scene shifted.
They were by a roaring waterfall. The same youth was now instructing a more
refined, elegant swordsman. This time, the lesson was to make the breath as
fluid and endless as a tide. He took a segment of that "Primal Breath" and
reshaped it.
The elegant swordsman mastered the rhythm, merging with the crashing falls and
the deep pools.
[Water Breathing] was born.
The world flipped again.
An ancient, rustic temple. The youth was teaching a tall, lean man in purple
robes who carried prayer beads and a massive blade.
Not a standard katana? Could it be...?
After an untold amount of time, the Primal Breath transformed in the man's chest
into a heavy, unshakeable aura.
[Stone Breathing].
The world inverted once more.
A rainy night. Thunder and lightning tore through the sky. The youth was
teaching a man in a yellow haori. Again, the man struggled with the original
rhythm. The youth offered a helpless, gentle smile and re-coded the kinetic
pathway for him.
Finally, as a bolt of lightning illuminated the night, the "Yellow Samurai"
became a bolt of static himself, tearing through the rain.
[Thunder Breathing].
The rain and the night faded, replaced by the warmth of a campfire. The youth
was guiding a swordsman who radiated intensity.
Looking at the man's hair—shaped like a Great Horned Owl—Natsuya recognized him
instantly. The Rengoku Ancestor.
The "Will of Fire" was forged from the original breath.
[Flame Breathing].
All five origins had now been displayed to Natsuya. Under the guidance of the
"Red" youth, the "Five-Colored Squad" had each found their own unique "Path."
Natsuya assumed the cinematic was over.
But after a brief fade-to-black, the screen lit up one last time.
A cold, moonlit night.
The "Red" youth stood alone under the moon. Opposite him was a man whose aura
was nearly identical to his own, dressed in deep purple.
One Red. One Purple.
They raised their swords and began to spar, move for move, perfectly in sync.
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you