DS Chapter 85: Flame Breathing, Ninth Form
If Ren's defense faltered by even the slightest margin, Sanemi's swordsmanship would tear straight through him.
The spectators instinctively held their breath.
At the younger Demon Slayers' viewing area—
"Damn it!" Inosuke shouted. "That scar-faced man is insanely strong! Master, hurry up and beat him!"
Zenitsu snapped back, "He's not even officially your master yet! And Wind Hashira-sama is the one forcing Ren-sensei onto the defensive! Why are you panicking?!"
Tanjiro clenched his fists.
"Ren-sensei, you can do it! If nothing else works... use a headbutt! Shinazugawa-san definitely won't see it coming!"
Zenitsu nearly screamed.
"Tanjiro, stop solving everything with headbutts! Not everyone fights with their forehead!"
Inside the wooden box—
"Mhm! Mhm!"
---
At the Hashira viewing area—
Tengen folded his arms with an excited grin.
"How will Ren stop such a flamboyant attack? I can't wait to see!"
Muichiro tilted his head.
"That's strange... Ren hasn't even raised his Nichirin Blade."
"Has he given up?"
Mitsuri clasped her hands together anxiously.
"Ahhh! Ren-sama, be careful! Hurry and dodge!"
Obanai's eyes gleamed maliciously.
"Go, Shinazugawa."
"Kill Ren."
Gyomei quietly chanted,
"Namu Amida Butsu."
Meanwhile, Giyu absentmindedly muttered,
"I'm hungry..."
"I want to go home and eat simmered salmon with daikon."
---
Inside the Ubuyashiki Estate—
Amane turned toward her husband.
"Kagaya... do you think Ren can withstand this attack?"
"He can."
She blinked.
"Why?"
Kagaya smiled gently before lightly patting the back of her hand.
"My intuition."
---
At the center of the arena—
Everyone assumed Ren's only option was to block.
Instead...
Something completely unexpected happened.
His Nichirin Blade traced an elegant arc through the air.
His footwork became light and fluid.
With a graceful turn of his body—
He slipped past the first incoming wind blade.
Sanemi's eyes widened slightly.
Even after unleashing ranged slashes...
The brat could still evade them so effortlessly.
Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale—Sudden Gusts represented the widest area Sanemi could cover with a single technique.
If even this couldn't corner Ren...
Then he'd have to change tactics.
Watching carefully, Sanemi noticed something.
Ren always moved with the smallest motions possible.
Every dodge was precise.
Every step was economical.
It accomplished two things.
First...
By conserving movement, he could carefully observe the trajectory of every wind blade, allowing him to avoid the attacks that followed.
Second...
He was conserving stamina.
That way, if Sanemi suddenly closed the distance, he'd still have enough strength left to respond.
It sounded simple.
In reality...
It was nearly impossible.
The first required absurd concentration and reaction speed.
A single mistake would result in being shredded by the countless wind blades.
The second was even more outrageous.
You're fighting me...
The Wind Hashira...
And you're still trying to conserve stamina?
Who the hell do you think I am?
A savage grin spread across Sanemi's face.
"Fine."
"Let's see how long you can keep that up."
Once again, he swung his Nichirin Blade.
Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale—Sudden Gusts!
The instant the technique was unleashed, another storm of wind blades swept across the arena.
This time...
The attacks overlapped.
The number of slicing gusts doubled almost instantly.
Sanemi never took his eyes off Ren.
The moment his opponent revealed even the slightest opening—
He would immediately use Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter to close the distance and finish the fight with a single decisive strike.
Yet...
Ren still revealed no weakness.
Sanemi frowned.
No matter how he attacked, Ren twisted and weaved through every strike with a bizarre movement technique unlike anything he'd ever seen.
He simply couldn't hit him.
One Gale—Sudden Gusts wasn't enough.
Two overlapping storms weren't enough either.
"Good."
"Very good."
"Then let's try something else!"
Without hesitation, Sanemi unleashed the Seventh Form yet again.
Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale—Sudden Gusts!
Another slash.
Another storm.
Although repeatedly using the technique drained his stamina far faster than Ren's evasive movements...
Sanemi didn't care.
Who was he?
The Wind Hashira.
If anyone could afford such a battle of endurance, it was him.
This time, he poured even more power into the attack.
The wind blades multiplied.
Their coverage expanded.
The arena became a prison of slicing gales with virtually no blind spots.
Logically...
Ren had no choice but to block.
And the moment he did—
Sanemi would close the distance and aim straight for his kidney.
Yet Ren still refused to defend.
His body bent into an almost impossible angle.
With only a few elegant, seemingly effortless movements, he slipped through the countless wind blades once again.
Sanemi's pupils contracted.
After years of battle...
This was the first time he'd ever encountered someone like this.
How is he dodging all of them?
What kind of movement technique is this?
Why have I never seen anything like it before?
His brow furrowed deeply.
His mind raced.
If long-range attacks won't work...
Then I'll fight him up close.
Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!
Sanemi's body became a blur.
Using the First Form's explosive burst of speed, he instantly closed the distance between them.
A diagonal slash cut through the air.
Ren twisted his body and narrowly avoided it.
His eyes narrowed.
His grip around the hilt tightened.
Good.
Come closer.
If Sanemi had continued bombarding him with long-range attacks, Ren would have remained on the defensive.
But now...
The Wind Hashira had willingly entered his range.
As long as his next strike landed...
Ren was confident he could seize victory.
In truth...
From the very beginning of the match...
He had been laying the groundwork for this very moment.
The instant Sanemi charged—
Ren's breathing changed.
His muscles tensed.
His aura erupted.
Flame Breathing...
Ninth Form...
Secret Art!
Boom!
Before the technique was even fully released, an overwhelming wave of scorching heat exploded from Ren's body.
Sanemi's eyebrows twitched.
He immediately understood Ren's intention.
This brat...
He's really staking everything on this one attack.
A wild grin spread across Sanemi's face.
He welcomed exactly this kind of battle.
If Ren was prepared to unleash his own ultimate technique...
Then Sanemi would answer with one of his own.
Without hesitation, his sword stance changed.
Wind Breathing, Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!
Leaping high into the air, Sanemi unleashed a violent cyclone from above.
Compared to Gale—Sudden Gusts, this technique sacrificed range for overwhelming speed, precision, and destructive power.
At the same time...
Ren completed the final charge of his technique.
All of his strength gathered into his sword.
Scalding steam surged behind him, reminiscent of Kyojuro Rengoku's blazing aura.
Yet the two were fundamentally different.
Kyojuro's overwhelming presence had been forged through years of unwavering resolve and battle spirit.
Ren's aura, on the other hand, relied on a sudden, explosive increase in temperature that forced torrents of superheated steam from his body.
Raising his blazing Nichirin Blade, Ren declared,
"Ultimate Art..."
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form—"
"Rengoku!"
Whoosh!
His blade swept forward like a weapon forged in the depths of hell itself.
Layer upon layer of roaring flames erupted from the slash, surging toward Sanemi.
At that very instant—
The Ninth Forms of wind and flame collided.
Steel clashed.
Fire roared.
Tempest and inferno crashed into one another before violently rebounding.
The fierce winds intertwined with the scorching sea of flames.
The true showdown between Katsuragi Ren and the Wind Hashira had finally begun.