DS Chapter 91: Breaking the Deadlock!
Once again, his consciousness returned to that battle with Inosuke.
You begin fighting Inosuke, carefully observing his attack patterns.
Battle complete.
You have grasped his fighting habits and begin imitating the combat style of a four-legged beast.
You battle wild animals, studying their instincts.
You fight countless ferocious beasts, learning from each one's hunting style.
You...
The scenes replayed inside Ren's mind over and over again.
Ten thousand times.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
You have mastered the fighting styles of countless beasts.
Combining your new understanding, you have learned Beast Breathing.
You refine Beast Breathing and merge it with Wind Breathing, creating an entirely new Breathing Style...
"Think like a beast."
"Breathe."
"Cast aside the restraints of the human body. Awaken your primal instincts. Fight. Kill. Breathe."
Ren let out a thunderous roar.
"Total Concentration!!"
He suddenly sprang into the air.
To everyone's astonishment, his body twisted into an incredibly strange posture.
---
Below the stage—
Inosuke's eyes widened.
"That stance...?!"
Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and even Nezuko, who had poked her head from the wooden box, stared in confusion.
"What is that?"
"Mhm~?"
Inosuke shouted excitedly,
"I HAVE NO IDEA!"
"But the Great Inosuke says it's awesome!"
---
At the Hashira viewing area—
Even the veteran Hashira wore expressions of surprise.
Muichiro stared blankly at the figure suspended in midair.
"...How strange."
"Is that... another new Breathing Style?"
Tengen's eyes lit up.
"What an unbelievably flamboyant technique!"
Mitsuri clasped her hands together.
"Go, Ren-sama!"
Obanai shouted from the sidelines.
"Don't lose, Shinazugawa!"
Gyomei folded his hands.
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
For the first time in a long while...
Giyu slowly lifted his gaze.
---
Back in the arena—
Ren's technique had reached completion.
The Demon Slayer Mark on his neck changed once again.
The cloud-shaped pattern rapidly spread, its curling lines connecting until they formed the outline of a living creature.
The Mark had become...
A dragon.
A confident smile appeared on Ren's face.
His limbs twisted with explosive speed as he declared the name of his newly created technique.
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Soaring Dragon Ascends the Heavens!"
This was the Breathing Style Ren had created by combining the instincts of countless beasts with everything he had learned from Flame, Wind, Insect, Bee, and Beast Breathing.
A Breathing Style that fused speed...
Power...
Ferocity...
Wind...
And blazing heat.
Dragon Breathing.
The instant the First Form was unleashed, Ren's body vanished into an afterimage.
He shot straight toward Sanemi.
He was so fast that the spectators could barely follow his movements.
Yet Sanemi, strengthened by the awakened Demon Slayer Mark, reacted immediately.
The moment Ren called out his technique...
He raised his blade.
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
Dragon Breathing, First Form—
Against Wind Breathing, Fifth Form.
Everyone widened their eyes.
No one wanted to miss even a single instant.
Whoosh!
Ren flashed past Sanemi's right side.
A thin line of blood appeared across Sanemi's ear.
Now that Ren had fully integrated his Breathing Style into his body's movements, every motion had become a weapon.
As Ren swept past him...
Sanemi immediately realized something.
I've been tricked.
Ren landed lightly.
But instead of following up with another attack...
He sprinted in the exact opposite direction.
From beginning to end...
His objective had never changed.
To defeat Sanemi...
He first had to reclaim his broken blade.
By the time Sanemi understood Ren's true intention...
The young swordsman had already retrieved the shattered Nichirin Blade.
Whoosh!
Two violent gusts collided once more.
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Soaring Dragon Ascends the Heavens!"
Using the broken blade, Ren launched his third charge.
The fractured sword pointed straight toward Sanemi's kidney.
Sanemi's expression darkened.
"...You're ridiculously persistent."
For the first time in the battle, he genuinely wanted to curse.
What had begun as an evenly matched duel...
Had somehow turned into an all-out battle over the safety of his kidneys.
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
Dragon Breathing was simply too fast.
Sanemi didn't have enough time to prepare one of his stronger techniques.
Fortunately, decades of combat experience took over.
The instant he made his decision, he instinctively chose the fastest-opening technique in his arsenal.
The wind blade collided with Ren's broken sword.
The shattered fragment was knocked flying.
But Ren never reached for it.
Instead...
Using the remaining momentum from Soaring Dragon Ascends the Heavens, he continued charging directly at Sanemi.
Sanemi's eyes widened.
This brat...
His combat instincts have become terrifying.
Based on Ren's previous actions, Sanemi had predicted that he would stop to recover his weapon.
Instead...
Ren had deliberately exploited that expectation.
He had created an opening through misinformation.
Sanemi instinctively drew two sharp breaths.
Just how much has this kid learned during this battle...?
What is he charging at me for now?
But there was no longer any time to think.
In less than the blink of an eye...
Ren had already reached him.
Then—
Ren opened his hand.
Resting in his palm were the three golden blade rings.
They glittered beneath the sunlight.
"Bee Breathing, Ninth Form: Last Stand Assault—Breakthrough!"
With every last ounce of strength remaining in his body...
Ren drove all three poisoned rings directly into Sanemi's kidney.
At almost the same moment—
Unable to redirect his sword in time, Sanemi slammed the hilt of his Nichirin Blade into the back of Ren's neck with tremendous force.
Boom!
The two collapsed simultaneously.
Silence engulfed the arena.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The oppressive quiet lingered for what felt like an eternity.
"...Is it over?"
Someone finally whispered.
"It's hard to tell."
"They both look unconscious."
"I'm not saying anything."
"What if shouting wakes one of them up and makes them the winner?"
Then—
"Look!"
"Ren's standing!"
In an instant, every eye turned toward the ruined arena.
Amid the shattered remains of the stage, a young man dressed in bloodstained white robes slowly rose to his feet.
His body swayed weakly.
But the determination in his eyes remained unshaken.
Ren's vision blurred.
Sanemi's final strike to the back of his neck had forcibly interrupted Bullet Domain.
His Demon Slayer Mark had already faded.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion flooded every muscle in his body.
He had reached his absolute limit.
At this point...
Anyone could defeat him.
Standing alone beneath the warm sunlight, Ren slowly drew a deep breath.
Inside his body, Total Concentration: Hundred Refinements worked frantically to repair the damage.
Without Hundred Refinements constantly strengthening and restoring his body...
He would never have survived such an intense battle.
Ren had only just let out a quiet sigh of relief—
When a cry suddenly rang out from the audience.
"My God!"
"Wind Hashira-sama is standing too!"