DS Chapter 89: Swordsmanship with His ?!
At last, Ren found it.
Squinting through the swirling dust, he spotted his broken Nichirin Blade clamped firmly between Sanemi's toes.
It was the very blade that had shattered moments earlier.
Ren couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
He had always known Sanemi possessed terrifying combat instincts, but even he hadn't anticipated something like this.
The blade itself wasn't the problem.
The three metal rings attached to its guard were still intact.
More importantly...
They were still laced with poison.
Poison carried by the wind...
The mere thought sent a chill down Ren's spine.
There was no time to hesitate.
He immediately abandoned the broken blade and threw himself backward.
Whoosh!
Sanemi moved with effortless precision.
Using both Nichirin Blades in perfect harmony with the movements of his body, he seamlessly transitioned into another technique.
Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!
His upward slash unleashed a roaring tornado that burst toward the sky.
Had Ren reacted even an instant later, he would have been swallowed by the attack.
And if those poisoned wind blades had reached him...
The battle would have ended then and there.
Fortunately, abandoning the broken sword had bought him just enough time to escape.
Once again, the battle returned to a deadlock.
---
The spectators collectively gasped.
"My God... this is unbelievable!"
"I thought Wind Hashira-sama was finished, then he revealed another trump card! Just when I thought he'd reached his limit, he pulled out another technique!"
"He can fight with a Nichirin Blade between his toes?! Is that even humanly possible?!"
"Another sword technique? Is there anything Wind Hashira-sama can't do?"
"Ren still hasn't surrendered?"
"He doesn't even have a broken blade anymore!"
Everyone watching—the three youngsters, the Hashira, and even Kagaya and Amane Ubuyashiki—looked at Ren with concern.
Although he had avoided the attack...
He was now completely unarmed.
How was he supposed to continue fighting?
And yet...
Not a single person believed he would give up.
After everything they had witnessed, they couldn't help believing that Ren would somehow perform another miracle.
Every move he had made had shattered their expectations.
Now they eagerly waited to see what he would do next.
---
At the center of the arena, Sanemi had already suppressed most of the paralytic poison through Total Concentration Breathing.
Although traces of numbness still lingered throughout his body, his legs had regained enough strength to support him.
Ren could only marvel at the Wind Hashira's monstrous constitution.
Once again, the balance of the battle shifted.
This time, Sanemi fought far more cautiously.
Rather than closing the distance, he remained where he was, relentlessly bombarding Ren with long-range Wind Breathing techniques.
His hidden trump card—wielding a Nichirin Blade with his toes—had already been exposed.
If Ren managed to get close again...
Even Sanemi wasn't confident of victory.
He had to admit it.
He had underestimated Ren.
Completely.
From the second half of the battle onward, he no longer viewed him as a promising junior.
He viewed him as a true equal.
Ren's strength had surpassed every expectation.
He had mastered multiple Breathing Styles.
He possessed bizarre techniques like the Phantom Hand.
None of it resembled anything Sanemi had ever encountered.
Because of that...
He refused to give Ren another opportunity to approach.
The seriousness with which he fought now rivaled the battles he had once waged against the Lower Rank demons.
---
Meanwhile...
Ren continuously activated Total Concentration: Hundred Refinements, using it to suppress his injuries and restore his body.
At the same time, he relied on the Carefree Movement Technique to weave through Sanemi's relentless barrage.
Just as Ren had expected...
Sanemi gave him no openings whatsoever.
Three consecutive times, the Wind Hashira unleashed Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale—Sudden Gusts.
Ren's advance was completely shut down.
He couldn't even reach the broken Nichirin Blade lying on the ground.
Both men had reached the end of their endurance.
From this point onward...
Victory would belong to the one who could outlast the other.
The spectators instinctively held their breath.
No one dared speak.
No one wanted to risk distracting either fighter, fearing that even the smallest sound might alter the outcome.
To everyone watching...
The battle appeared perfectly balanced.
But Ren knew the truth.
It wasn't balanced at all.
Each of them excelled in different areas.
And the current situation favored Sanemi.
If Ren was an assassin...
Then Sanemi was a seasoned warrior.
His stamina couldn't compare.
His endurance was lacking.
If this battle continued at its current pace...
Defeat was inevitable.
What should I do?
Ren lowered his head.
He needed an answer.
Think...
Come on, Ren... think.
Slowly, he closed his eyes.
His thoughts drifted back to the unfinished meditation training at the Butterfly Mansion.
---
You begin to meditate.
Your stamina is nearly depleted.
Every technique at your disposal has already been revealed.
You've reached the end of your options.
You recall the meditation lesson at the Butterfly Mansion.
No...
A slash tore across Ren's shoulder.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The crowd gasped in horror.
Yet Ren never left his enlightened state.
His face grew pale.
He took another slow, steady breath.
Then he sank even deeper into his thoughts.
Your attention shifts.
You begin recalling everything that happened during your meditation at the Butterfly Mansion.
You remember Sanemi disrupting your concentration.
The howling wind irritated you endlessly...
Yet the patients around you remained completely unaffected.
Ren frowned.
No...
That's still not it.
Go back further.
His memories continued rewinding.
Further...
Further still...
Even the events from a minute earlier replayed with startling clarity.
His concentration sharpened to an unprecedented level.
Then—
Something clicked.
A sudden flash of understanding washed over him.
Skill Acquired: Hyper Memory.
Hyper Memory can synchronize with Bullet Domain for greater analytical precision.
Hyper Memory activated.
---
The tension left Ren's brow.
The memories within his mind became crystal clear.
It felt as though he had truly returned to that moment inside the Butterfly Mansion.
Shinobu sat quietly in meditation.
The patients remained perfectly still.
Sanemi unleashed Wind Breathing through the movements of his own body.
That's it.
Ren locked onto the memory.
His mind accelerated.
Within his consciousness...
Time itself began flowing backward.
The fierce wind that had sent the patients' clothing fluttering gradually died away.
Kyojuro Rengoku, who had been instructing everyone, slowly closed his mouth as every word he had spoken rewound into silence.
Sanemi's widened eyes gradually relaxed.
His body slowly retraced every movement used to generate those violent gusts.
Every motion.
Every shift of weight.
Every rotation of his joints.
Every contraction and release of his muscles.
Ren dissected the entire sequence...
Frame by frame.
In that instant—
He completely grasped the secret behind Sanemi's body-based Wind Breathing.
The young swordsman suddenly raised his head.
His eyes shone with a brilliance unlike ever before.
Power gathered throughout every joint in his body.
Then—
Ren moved.
His body perfectly mirrored the Sanemi preserved within his memories.
Every movement.
Every breath.
Every transition flowed together seamlessly.
He drew in a deep breath.
Total Concentration!
At the very last instant, however...
Ren subtly altered the trajectory of his joints.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
The gale exploded into existence.
Two violent currents, rushing in opposite directions, collided head-on.
The arena descended into utter chaos.
The instant the opposing winds weakened each other...
Ren activated the Carefree Movement Technique.
His figure shot through the collapsing storm like an arrow released from its bow.