Chapter 146: An Unexpected Situation
"Sound Breathing, First Form: Roar."
"Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes."
"Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance."
[...]
Ren replayed everything in his mind, rapidly reproducing every technique Uzui Tengen had used the previous night.
He could even recall every single movement Tengen had made without the slightest deviation.
Before long, he had learned every movement of Sound Breathing.
Sound Breathing, First Form: Roar.
For this technique, Uzui Tengen drew his dual blades and slashed downward, creating a deafening explosion.
During the Red-Light District Arc, Tengen had used this technique to blast apart Daki's obi shop.
However, Tengen combined the technique with explosives when using it. Therefore, if Ren wanted to use it, he would also have to spend time learning how to make bombs.
Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes.
This technique involved Uzui Tengen swinging his dual blades and creating a massive area of explosions, damaging a wide area directly in front of him.
During his final battle against Upper Rank Six, Gyutaro, he had used this technique as a desperate gamble that laid the foundation for victory.
Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance.
This was an offensive technique in which Uzui Tengen charged forward while rapidly spinning his dual blades. Every spinning attack was accompanied by a spectacular explosion.
It was probably Uzui Tengen's most flamboyant technique.
Now, all of these techniques belonged to Ren.
It had to be admitted.
Uzui Tengen really was a genius.
Sound Breathing was a derivative breathing style of Thunder Breathing. To use Sound Breathing effectively, the user first needed exceptionally sharp hearing.
For example, Zenitsu Agatsuma's superhuman hearing was a natural advantage when using Thunder Breathing.
Ren possessed enhanced hearing as well, making it convenient for him to use Thunder Breathing.
But Uzui Tengen didn't have that particular advantage.
Instead, he had his own method.
He utilized his innate advantages as a shinobi, combining bombs, shuriken, and other ninja techniques to create his unique Musical Score ability!
Moreover, Ren had discovered yesterday that a Mark had awakened around Uzui Tengen's eyes!
Musical Score plus the Mark—
If Gyutaro hadn't been enraged by what had happened to his sister at the end, Uzui Tengen might really have killed him!
Yesterday, Ren had carefully studied Tengen's Musical Score ability.
He summarized it in simple terms.
When Uzui Tengen fought an enemy, he memorized all of the enemy's attack movements, habits, and preparatory motions as sounds.
Once he had memorized everything, the Sound Hashira would enter a state similar to precognition, using sound to determine his opponent's next move.
This was different from Ren's previous Bullet Domain.
Ren's Bullet Domain enhanced his perception, creating the effect of slowing down the world around him.
Uzui Tengen, however, relied on the various minute sounds produced by his opponent to determine the movements that preceded an attack.
This opened an entirely new path for Ren.
Ren didn't hesitate and entered a state of learning once again.
"Transparent World activated!"
"...You've achieved enlightenment!"
"Transparent World deactivated!"
"Whew—"
After spending two seconds on it, Ren slowly opened his eyes and sighed inwardly.
"So this is the Musical Score... It really is rather difficult to learn. Fortunately, I've already mastered it."
During those brief two seconds, Ren had already rehearsed the process hundreds of times in his mind before beginning his study.
He couldn't help wondering how many brain cells he had just sacrificed.
Ren sighed.
It had only taken him two seconds this time.
It seemed his technique had deteriorated a little!
If Uzui Tengen saw the dissatisfaction on his face, the Sound Hashira would probably commit seppuku.
He had spent years painstakingly mastering Musical Score, while Ren had learned it after seeing it just once.
Was that fair?!
However...
Ren felt that Sound Breathing wasn't particularly suited to him at the moment.
If he got the opportunity, he still intended to learn Zenitsu Agatsuma's Thunder Breathing.
Of the five basic breathing styles, Ren currently possessed only Wind Breathing and Flame Breathing.
He had yet to come into contact with Water Breathing, Thunder Breathing, or Stone Breathing.
The Dragon Breathing he had created was actually derived primarily from Wind Breathing and Flame Breathing.
But Ren believed that if he could learn the remaining three breathing styles, his own breathing technique would improve significantly.
Perhaps he could even develop an entirely new breathing style!
An idea suddenly occurred to Ren.
Based on the various breathing styles he had encountered so far, he could divide breathing techniques into three categories.
Elements, animals, and paramecia.
Like Ren's own Dragon Breathing, it was an animal-type breathing style.
Its advantage lay in its versatility, allowing various elemental combinations to be used in attacks.
Sound Breathing and Flower Breathing, on the other hand, were more like paramecia-type breathing styles.
Their greatest highlights were actually their respective unique abilities.
For example, Uzui Tengen's Musical Score was an ability Tengen had created by combining his own talents with his breathing style.
Finally, there were the elemental breathing styles used by the various Hashira.
These breathing styles were the most common.
Their upper limits were relatively high, but their methods of attack were quite unique.
The next moment, Ren suddenly lowered his head.
The sounds around him instantly changed.
Previously, Ren could use his enhanced hearing to hear people talking from far away, along with subtle details that ordinary people couldn't perceive.
But Ren wasn't like Zenitsu, who could determine a person's personality through sound.
Nor was he like Uzui Tengen, who could determine an enemy's movements through sound.
But now, he could.
The tiny bones inside Ren's ears began vibrating continuously.
He could clearly perceive the driver's heartbeat, the sounds of his muscles contracting and relaxing, and even the friction of his joints.
Ren spent several minutes memorizing all of these sounds produced by the human body.
The next moment, he began using those subtle changes in sound to determine the driver's movements.
"Left."
Ren suddenly spoke.
The driver immediately turned the steering wheel to the left.
"Correct."
Then the driver's steering wheel turned to the right.