DS Chapter 84: The Battle Begins! Wind Tiger vs. Flame Tiger!
Insect Breathing, Bee Sting Dance: True Flutter!
Clang!
Sparks flew as two Nichirin Blades collided.
At some point, Sanemi had already drawn his sword, holding it horizontally to intercept Ren's sudden thrust. Steel scraped against steel, producing a shower of bright sparks.
Without missing a beat, Ren abandoned the failed attack and shifted seamlessly into another form of Insect Breathing.
Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice!
As light as a butterfly, he darted across the battlefield with blinding speed, his figure becoming little more than an afterimage. His slender blade shot forward again and again, each thrust aimed at Sanemi's vital points.
That brat...
One second he's acting like a saint, and the next he's trying to stab my kidney!
And why does he keep using these dainty techniques?!
Sanemi felt utterly wronged.
Every time he saw Insect Breathing, he couldn't help but think of Shinobu Kocho.
And every time he did...
His kidney seemed to ache.
Now that Ren was using Shinobu's techniques against him, the irritation he'd been suppressing finally boiled over.
"Are you done fooling around?!"
The instant Ren withdrew his blade after a rapid series of thrusts, Sanemi seized the opening.
He inhaled deeply.
His muscles tensed, veins bulging across his body.
Not good!
Ren's expression changed as he immediately retreated.
But Sanemi was even faster than he expected.
Before Ren could widen the distance, Sanemi had already completed the opening stance of his technique.
Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!
This was the fastest-opening technique in Wind Breathing.
The moment Sanemi swung his Nichirin Blade, a roaring crescent of wind tore across the arena.
Insect Breathing, Centipede Dance: Hundred-Legged Zigzag!
One step...
A hundred afterimages.
Using Insect Breathing's incredible agility, Ren retreated gracefully before landing lightly on the ground.
Then his breathing changed.
A massive amount of oxygen flooded his lungs.
Total Concentration.
Without hesitation, he switched to a far more power-oriented Breathing Style.
Rafflesia Breathing, Sixth Form: Rafflesia Swirling Peach!
Leaping back into the air, Ren twisted his body at high speed before unleashing a spiraling horizontal slash.
The rotating blade met Sanemi's whirlwind head-on.
Boom!
Wind collided with flowers.
Faint pink petals seemed to drift through the air as the two attacks dispersed simultaneously.
The two figures separated once more beneath the swirling petals.
The probing phase was over.
The spectators erupted in surprise.
"Ren's speed isn't inferior to Wind Hashira-sama's!"
"I misjudged him... I never imagined he'd be this strong!"
"Look! Wind Hashira-sama's cheek was grazed!"
On the arena, Sanemi spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground before wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I let my guard down."
"But you've got some tricks, brat."
Ren smiled calmly.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
"The Demon Slayer Mark can only awaken when you're pushed to the brink of death."
"So..."
"Today is the perfect opportunity for you to awaken yours."
Sanemi froze.
Then the veins on his forehead bulged as a savage grin spread across his face.
"You brat..."
"I like you!"
Whoosh!
His figure vanished.
A violent gust swept across the arena as though a dragon had burst from the earth.
Moving at incredible speed, Sanemi twisted through the air while slashing with his blade.
Two razor-sharp wind blades shot toward Ren.
Ren's vision blurred.
In the blink of an eye, Sanemi had disappeared.
So fast...
That was his first thought.
Without activating his Bullet Domain, he simply couldn't keep up with the Wind Hashira's movements.
By the time his eyes registered Sanemi's position...
The attack was already upon him.
Ren no longer hesitated.
Bullet Domain—activated.
Carefree Movement Technique—activated.
Enhanced Hearing—fully activated.
Under the combined enhancement of his sharpened senses and movement technique, Sanemi's movements finally became visible.
Just as Kyojuro had done before, Sanemi gathered all his explosive power into his legs before launching himself forward in a simple dash.
It was nothing more than a straightforward charge.
Yet that single step shattered the stone beneath his feet as he shot toward Ren like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Total Concentration.
Ren pushed Total Concentration: Hundred Refinements to rapidly temper every cell in his body.
His speed surged instantly.
Whoosh!
Almost the moment the incoming wind blade brushed past his ear, Ren slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding Sanemi's strike.
But he didn't stop there.
The instant he evaded the attack, he gathered power once again.
He slowly exhaled.
Then drew in another deep breath.
His sword changed.
The blade vibrated violently.
Scorching heat gathered along its edge before blazing flames engulfed the steel.
Flame Breathing, Sixth Form: Flame Tiger!
Roar!
It sounded as though a ferocious tiger had roared through the mountains.
Ren's white robes billowed wildly.
Behind him, the silhouette of a massive flaming tiger seemed to emerge.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and unleashed a blazing slash.
The flaming blade tore through the air—
Straight toward Sanemi's kidney.
As though sensing the danger instinctively, the Wind Hashira abruptly twisted his body.
"Holy—!"
With an almost impossible contortion, he narrowly avoided the strike.
The movement was so practiced it was almost pitiful.
The reason was simple.
Ever since Shinobu had stabbed him in the kidney...
Sanemi had become extraordinarily protective of his lower back.
Ren's attack failed to land.
Instead, it only made Sanemi even more vigilant.
The two exchanged blows at breathtaking speed.
Although countless attacks flashed between them, only a few seconds had actually passed.
Suddenly, as Sanemi slipped past Ren's flaming slash, he gathered strength once more.
Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!
A whirlwind burst forth.
A piercing sonic boom echoed throughout the arena.
Using the rushing wind as momentum, Sanemi instantly cut off every possible escape route, leaving a trail of slicing wind in his wake.
But he wasn't finished.
Immediately afterward, he drew another deep breath.
His lungs expanded to their limit.
Thanks to his monstrous physique, the Wind Hashira was able to unleash another technique almost instantly.
Total Concentration.
Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale—Sudden Gusts!
The moment the technique was released, violent winds engulfed the battlefield.
This was Sanemi's widest-area attack.
Combined with his devastating wind blades, it became an overwhelming assault that left almost no room to evade.
Ren knew this technique well.
During the final battle inside the Infinity Castle, Sanemi had used this very form alongside Gyomei Himejima to completely seal off Kokushibo's escape.
But this time...
The target of Gale—Sudden Gusts wasn't Upper Rank One.
It was Katsuragi Ren.