DS Chapter 88: The Poison Takes Effect!
"The essence of Bee Breathing is simple—strike decisively and seize every opening."
"Not every poison has to be injected directly to be effective."
"Do you understand now, Shinazugawa?"
As he spoke, Ren silently raised the broken Nichirin Blade beneath the blazing sun.
The three golden rings attached to the broken blade glimmered brilliantly.
Bee Breathing, Fourth Form: Venom Seed!
---
At the Hashira viewing area—
Tengen Uzui, who was no stranger to poison, was the first to speak.
"So that's how it is."
"Ren was still holding back."
"I never expected him to hide his trump card so well."
The other Hashira immediately turned toward him.
Mitsuri Kanroji blinked in confusion.
"Uzui-sama, what do you mean?"
"Didn't Ren-sama already go all out?"
Before Tengen could answer, Obanai Iguro spoke first.
His tone was unusually calm.
"Ren's Insect Breathing was only a smokescreen."
"I'm guessing he possesses another Breathing Style we've never seen before."
He tilted his head thoughtfully.
"And..."
"This Breathing Style feels strangely familiar."
"I think I've heard of it somewhere."
Gyomei Himejima slowly folded his hands together.
"The young swordsman who rescued Shinobu that night..."
"He also slew several Lower Rank demons."
Tears streamed down his face.
"That child..."
"Must have been Ren."
"I never imagined that, without anyone noticing, he had already grown strong enough to become a Hashira."
Mitsuri gasped.
"Eh?!"
"Ren-sama?!"
"So he was the one who defeated those Lower Ranks that night?!"
She clasped her hands against her flushed cheeks, admiration filling her eyes.
"Ren-sama is amazing~!"
Obanai clicked his tongue.
"Tch."
Muichiro Tokito tilted his head.
"How strange..."
"How does Ren know so many Breathing Styles?"
"Counting this one..."
"That makes four."
"How is that possible?"
Giyu Tomioka answered simply,
"I don't know."
Tengen nodded thoughtfully.
"This is probably an evolved form of Insect Breathing."
"Just as expected of him."
"Insect Breathing itself branched off from Water Breathing."
"Yet Ren managed to further refine that derivative style into something better suited to himself."
He showed no hesitation in praising the young swordsman.
"I noticed it from the very beginning."
"He'd already begun poisoning Sanemi."
"That kid is clever."
"He knew Shinazugawa had developed resistance to Shinobu's poison, so instead of relying solely on toxins, he focused on swordsmanship."
"If I'm not mistaken..."
"The key lies in those metal rings attached to his blade."
"They're filled with a paralytic toxin."
"Every time Ren swings his sword, tiny amounts of poison disperse into the air."
"As long as Shinazugawa continues using Total Concentration Breathing and keeps inhaling..."
"The poison gradually accumulates until it finally takes effect."
Tengen crossed his arms.
"His talent rivals Tokito's."
"And his combat awareness rivals Shinazugawa's."
"That kid..."
"He's a monster."
"This time..."
"I'm afraid Shinazugawa is in real trouble."
Obanai merely shrugged.
"Who knows?"
"Shinazugawa isn't someone who only fights with his hands."
---
At the center of the arena—
Ren pushed his Bullet Domain to its absolute limit.
Throughout the earlier stages of the battle...
He had never entered a state of complete insight.
That meant he couldn't fully observe, analyze, and learn Sanemi's techniques while simultaneously responding to them.
Now...
Everything had changed.
Sanemi had been poisoned.
His movements should be slowing down.
This...
Was Ren's chance.
Every movement Sanemi made reflected clearly within Ren's perception.
Although the Wind Hashira appeared almost motionless...
Ren refused to rush in recklessly.
He carefully confirmed Sanemi's condition again...
And again...
And a third time.
Only after seeing Sanemi draw another breath did Ren finally seize the opportunity.
Gripping his broken Nichirin Blade, he burst forward.
Total Concentration!
Total Concentration: Hundred Refinements surged through every cell in his body.
His bleeding slowed.
His injuries rapidly stabilized.
But...
A broken Nichirin Blade also meant he could no longer unleash the overwhelming power of Flame Breathing.
That left him with only one choice.
Bee Breathing...
Eighth Form: Blood Demon Bee Fang!
The golden rings around the blade shimmered beneath the sunlight.
Ren exploded forward.
His target...
Was Sanemi's kidney.
"...!"
For the first time, genuine panic appeared on Sanemi's face.
Wind Breathing, Sixth Form: Black Wind Mist!
In a hurried counterattack, he slashed diagonally.
Dark winds burst from his Nichirin Blade, instantly obscuring Ren's vision.
Ren simply closed his eyes.
Then...
He listened.
His carefully trained hearing finally revealed its true worth.
Bullet Domain—activated.
You begin listening for your opponent.
The howling wind.
The cheers of the crowd.
The applause echoing around the arena.
Even Obanai's faint growl.
Every sound flooded into his ears, threatening to overwhelm his concentration.
He steadied his breathing.
Focused.
And began separating the sounds one by one.
The irrelevant noises disappeared.
His attention narrowed solely onto Sanemi.
The noise beyond the arena faded away.
He heard breathing.
The roar of the wind vanished.
He heard a heartbeat.
He heard flesh scraping across the stone floor.
Until...
Only Sanemi remained.
He sensed his opponent's tension.
His heartbeat had accelerated.
He seemed to be crawling across the ground.
After listening to the wind for several seconds, something clicked naturally within Ren.
Through repeated practice...
His hearing reached a new level.
Skill Acquired: Keen Hearing.
Without opening his eyes, Ren reconstructed Sanemi's outline through sound alone.
Another scraping noise.
He's searching for something...
It didn't matter.
He had already found him.
Ren's eyes snapped open.
The broken Nichirin Blade trembled eagerly in his hand.
Total Concentration!
Locking onto Sanemi's exact position, Ren fully unleashed Bee Breathing.
In an instant—
He appeared before him.
The broken blade flashed.
Clang!
Sanemi caught the blade with his teeth.
At the same time, he shoved the back of the blade away with his remaining free hand.
He had actually blocked the attack.
Yet...
Ren's eyes lit up.
Judging from the force behind the block...
Sanemi's movements had noticeably slowed.
Without hesitation, Ren withdrew his hand.
Like a phantom, it shot forward once more.
Smack!
The instant before his fingers reached Sanemi—
Ren abruptly pulled his hand back.
There was only one reason.
Sanemi's foot had lashed out.
His foot.
Damn it!
Ren had almost forgotten.
This monster could fight with every part of his body.
Fortunately, he'd reacted in time.
Otherwise...
If Sanemi had trapped his fingers between his toes...
The thought alone was revolting.
The next moment—
Because Ren's attack had failed to connect...
Sanemi found another opening.
His leg didn't retract.
Instead...
It continued sweeping forward.
Ren's pupils contracted.
This is...!
His body techniques...
Combined with Wind Breathing?
He's actually using Wind Breathing with his legs?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Ren's mind.
No...
I can dodge this attack.
But then another thought surfaced.
If I can see that...
Wouldn't Sanemi have expected me to?
Does he have another move waiting for me?
Every nerve in Ren's body tensed.
His instincts screamed.
A deadly threat...
Was approaching.