"I thought you'd be angrier. After all, that slimy fellow said you were like a beast out of control back then," Maito remarked, his golden eyes glinting with amusement as he studied Shinichi.
"It seems you've gained quite a bit during your disappearance. Your aura feels more... human now."
Shing!
The bluish-green Nichirin Blade slid free, its gleaming tip pointed directly at Maito.
Wreathed in dense vitality, Shinichi coldly met Maito's gaze.
"I once thought we could be friends. I once believed you were like Lady Tamayo. But now... I just want to slice your head into a thousand pieces!"
Maito tilted his head and chuckled, "Confidence and arrogance are two different things. Confidence is the nature of the strong, while arrogance is the joke of the weak. Shinichi, let me see whether you're confident or arrogant now—Blood Art·Armor Form·Blood Armor!"
Boom!!
Crimson blood erupted violently from Maito's body, solidifying along his frame and instantly forming an intricately patterned, blood-soaked battle armor that reeked of overwhelming carnage!
Whoosh!!
The bangs over Shinichi's forehead were blown back by the sheer force of the oppressive aura.
In Shinichi's vision, Maito's presence surged rapidly, soon reaching an unimaginable height—he had grown even stronger!
"Where is Tamayo?" Shinichi's steps didn't falter despite the overwhelming pressure Maito exuded.
His eyes didn't even blink in the face of such power.
He merely asked his final question calmly.
The handwriting left in Tamayo's dilapidated laboratory in Tokyo's Asakusa district had been Maito's.
"If you want this woman, come to Maruyama Abandoned Prison in Fukuhara Prefecture within a month. Bring as many as you want—Upper Four, Maito."
Moreover, at the Moriki Conglomerate estate, Shinichi had learned from his disciple Yuichiro that Maito was the one who had harmed Shinobu.
Old grudges and new hatred converged—Shinichi was now a volcano on the verge of eruption!
"Defeat me, and I'll tell you anyone's location—even Muzan...sama." Maito's expression twisted unnaturally when he uttered Muzan's name, as if it pained him, but Shinichi, consumed by fury, didn't notice it.
Swish! Slash!
A figure vanished on the spot.
By the time Shinichi reappeared, his Nichirin Blade was less than twenty centimeters from Maito's neck.
"Hah! Good move!" Maito roared excitedly, and in the next instant, he actually reached out and caught Shinichi's blade barehanded!
Crack!
Black claws clashed against the Nichirin Blade, sending sparks flying.
But Shinichi didn't retreat.
Instead, he spun his entire body along the blade's momentum—slash, slash!
The sound of flesh being torn apart was unmistakable as several of Maito's fingers were severed.
Yet, this only fueled Maito's battle lust further.
Boom!
Maito stomped the ground, using the recoil to wrench free from Shinichi's blade.
At the same time, his other, relatively intact arm clenched into a fist, delivering a vicious punch straight toward Shinichi's chest.
Whoosh! Slash—Boom!!
A dull collision echoed as two fists collided head-on.
The tremendous force sent both combatants stumbling back several steps.
But before either could blink, they clashed again in the next instant.
"Blood Art·Blade Form·Soul Cleaver!"
Slash!
Maito's palms split open, blood gushing forth and instantly solidifying into two crimson longswords.
"Forest Breathing·Seventh Form·Soaring Wood Dragon·Slash!"
Roar!!
An illusory green dragon roared menacingly, its massive body writhing as it charged straight at Maito, who now wielded twin blood blades.
Maito swiftly swung his twin blades, sending dozens of crimson, bloodthirsty arc-shaped slashes to meet the emerald green dragon head-on.
For a moment, it felt as though the world had changed colors in the darkness.
The sound of shattered bricks and stones intertwined with the gruesome noises of flesh and bone being torn apart.
Gripping his sword with both hands, Shinichi poured his entire focus into the battle, even as the sky darkened with ominous rain clouds—a sure sign of an impending downpour!
"Forest Breathing First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
"Forest Breathing Fifth Form: Soaring Bamboo Slash!"
...
"Blood Martial Arts: Sword Style—Starburst Thrust!"
"Blood Martial Arts: Shield Style—Black Tortoise!"
...
The clash between these two powerhouses left no room for interference.
The shockwaves from their battle shattered bricks and stones within hundreds of meters around them.
Green slashes and crimson attacks occasionally spilled outward, severing towering trees hundreds of meters away.
Soon, the dark clouds completely obscured the moon, and raindrops the size of beans began to fall, quickly forming a curtain of rain.
The icy downpour washed over the broken, rubble-strewn ground, mixing with splattered mud and faint traces of dark red blood.
Shinichi and Maito's figures darted, clashed, and separated at high speed amidst the rain and ruins.
Each collision erupted with muffled booms and blinding flashes of light.
Shinichi tightly gripped his emerald green Nichirin Blade, its glow undimmed even in the rain.
Every slash tore through the air with a piercing shriek.
His movements were more precise and efficient than ever, wasting not an ounce of energy.
The ceaseless flow of vitality within him kept his steps unwavering as he navigated effortlessly through the debris, his blade never straying from Maito's vital points.
Maito too, moved with unnatural agility.
His body, clad in sinister crimson armor, gleamed ominously in the rain.
His twin blood-red longswords whirled like a tempest—blocking, slashing, thrusting—each strike carrying enough force to shatter mountains.
The blood armor provided formidable defense; Shinichi's blade often left only shallow gashes, sending sparks and blood mist flying but failing to penetrate deeply.
Clang!
Shinichi crossed his blade to block a devastating downward slash from Maito, the sheer force driving his feet into the rain-soaked, muddy ground.
Maito grinned savagely, seizing the moment to thrust his other blood-red sword toward Shinichi's ribs!
Shinichi twisted his body at the last instant, narrowly avoiding the blade as it grazed his uniform, the wind pressure slicing through the fabric and leaving a shallow cut on his skin.
At the same time, Shinichi kicked off the ground, darting backward like an arrow loosed from a bow to create distance.
"Blood Martial Arts: Spear Style—Piercing Rainbow!" Maito pursued, his right-hand blade elongating and morphing into a thick, crimson spear that shot forward with an ear-piercing shriek, like a venomous dragon lunging from its lair—aimed straight for Shinichi's chest!
The speed was terrifying!
Shinichi's eyes narrowed.
Instead of retreating, he charged forward!
Dropping his stance slightly mid-sprint, he channeled Forest Breathing to its limits, his Nichirin Blade sweeping upward in a condensed arc of emerald light.
"Forest Breathing Third Form: Modified—Thorn Entanglement!"
Rather than clashing head-on with the spear, the emerald light split apart just before impact, transforming into several ethereal yet tenacious vines that coiled around the crimson spear like living tendrils.
In an instant, they impeded and diverted the spear's momentum!
Maito laughed wildly. "Your blade is faster and heavier than before. Seems your time away wasn't wasted."
Shinichi countered with a Wood Dragon Slash, an illusory dragon enveloped in his rage.
"More than enough to sever your neck!"