The moment his voice fell, Shinichi's figure had already vanished from his original position!
The turbid, ferocious eyes of the demonized Jigoro narrowed abruptly.
Instinctively, he raised his Nichirin Blade wreathed in dark purple lightning horizontally in front of him.
CLANG!!
The deafening clash of metal erupted like a thunderclap!
The green Nichirin Blade collided fiercely with the dark purple Nichirin Blade, the resulting shockwave instantly sending surrounding debris and dust flying in all directions!
Shinichi's figure appeared less than two meters in front of the demonized Jigoro, his Nichirin Blade pressing hard against the blade of his opponent.
The green blade aura carrying the power of life clashed intensely with the dark purple demonic lightning, the friction between the blades producing sizzling sounds and sparks!
"So fast!" Tanjiro's eyes widened.
He hadn't even seen how Shinichi moved before he charged in front of the demonized Jigoro.
However, this battle was far from easy.
The demonized Jigoro's strength was equally astonishing!
The short stature twisted violently, displaying a terrifying explosive power completely inconsistent with his age, forcibly shaking off Shinichi's blade.
Simultaneously, the Nichirin Blade in his hand transformed into a dark purple lightning bolt, thrusting straight at Shinichi's throat.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
The dark purple lightning seemed to materialize out of thin air, flashing directly before Shinichi!
Shinichi's eyes narrowed sharply.
His keen perception and instinctive combat experience allowed him to anticipate the trajectory of this strike, but anticipation was one thing—his body's speed couldn't keep up in that instant.
He could only lean sideways at the last moment while bringing his Nichirin Blade back to block.
Ssshh!
The blade grazed past Shinichi's left shoulder, drawing a spray of blood.
The dark purple lightning wreaked havoc on the wound, bringing waves of numbness.
"Incredible speed!" Shinichi thought with shock.
He had long heard that Thunder Breathing was renowned for its speed, but only when facing the Thunder Breathing executed by the former Thunder Hashira did he truly understand how fast it could be.
It wasn't just movement speed—the speed of the blade strikes, the speed of changing techniques, and the speed of reaction all reached a level unattainable by ordinary people.
All the Thunder Breathing swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps combined probably couldn't match this old man.
The demonized Jigoro showed no pause after his failed strike.
His short figure circled Shinichi like a phantom, the dark purple lightning in his hand leaping and flickering, transforming into countless deadly bolts.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
Five dark purple lightning blade arcs slashed toward Shinichi simultaneously from different angles!
"Forest Breathing, Fourth Form: Dandelion Dance!"
Not daring to be negligent, Shinichi's body leaped nimbly, like dandelion seeds scattering in the wind.
While evading the attacks, his Nichirin Blade swiftly struck out, deflecting the five lightning blade arcs one by one.
However, each collision with the demonized Jigoro still sent numbing shocks through Shinichi's arms, the dark purple lightning spreading along the blade to numb and erode his body!
"This won't do. My speed can't keep up with his Thunder Breathing. If this continues, I'll only be stuck in passive defense." Shinichi quickly assessed.
"I must find an opportunity to counterattack!"
Taking a deep breath, Shinichi subtly altered his breathing technique.
During Hashira training, he had sparred numerous times with Tomioka Giyuu and Sabito, learning much from their Water Breathing styles.
Water excelled at overcoming hardness with softness.
Thus, Shinichi ceased confronting the thunderous onslaught head-on, instead flowing like water—yielding to redirect force while elevating his perception to its limits, seeking gaps within the lightning strikes.
The demonized Jigoro seemed to notice Shinichi's shift, a flicker of approval crossing his turbid eyes, yet his attacks remained relentless.
He accelerated abruptly, his short frame transforming into a streak of dark purple light, assaulting Shinichi in a frenzied whirlwind!
Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
The rapid clashing of Nichirin Blades merged into a continuous cacophony.
Green and dark-purple blade lights wildly intertwined, collided, and vanished amid the ruins.
Each impact erupted in shockwaves, carving countless chaotic gashes into the already ravaged ground.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were forced to retreat repeatedly, utterly unable to intervene.
The combatants moved so swiftly they were mere blurs—indistinguishable as Shinichi or the demonized Jigoro!
"Shinichi-senpai!" Tanjiro gripped his Nichirin Blade, eyes filled with concern.
"I think he'll win!" Inosuke, unusually subdued, sensed the man's strength through primal intuition.
Zenitsu remained silent, tears streaming soundlessly as he stared fixedly at the battle.
While the trio focused entirely on the fight...
A figure quietly retreated backward.
It was Kaigaku.
Seizing the distraction of Shinichi's clash with the demonized Jigoro, he inched toward the periphery of the combat zone.
His face contorted with a complex mix of fear, relief, and... resentment?
But just as he reached the edge, poised to turn and flee—
A hand abruptly seized his arm!
"Where do you think you're going?" Zenitsu's voice cut through the air behind Kaigaku.
Kaigaku stiffened, slowly turning to meet Zenitsu's blood-streaked face, eyes blazing with fury and sorrow locked onto him.
"Zenitsu... you..." Kaigaku's expression shifted erratically.
He tried to wrench free but found Zenitsu's grip vise-like on his shoulder. "Let go of me, you worthless trash!"
"I won't." Zenitsu's voice trembled, yet his hold didn't falter.
"Kaigaku, earlier... why did you kneel before Master? Why say you'd willingly become a demon?"
Kaigaku's face froze.
"Do you have any idea..." Zenitsu's eyes reddened, tears mingling with blood as they fell. "I've always... always looked up to you. You're my senior, the true successor of Thunder Breathing, the one I strived to emulate. Even though you always belittled me, called me trash... I still felt honored to be your junior.
But what you did just now... How could you..." Zenitsu's voice choked with sobs.
"How could you kneel and beg for mercy from our master who became a demon?! How could you offer to abandon your humanity?! How... how could you?!"
Kaigaku's face shifted from ashen pale to livid purple.
He stared at his junior, who was usually timid as a mouse and prone to tears, now seeing for the first time such intense emotions in his eyes—not fear, not grievance, but disappointment, fury, and even... contempt!
An uncontrollable rage surged from the depths of Kaigaku's heart.
How dare he? How dare this worthless fool look at him with such eyes?!
"How could I do this?" Kaigaku suddenly laughed, a twisted and maniacal laugh.
"Hahahaha! Zenitsu, Zenitsu, you really are a fool! Why shouldn't I do this?! Do you think this is the first time?! And do you think I care how you see me?!"
Suddenly! Kaigaku delivered a fierce kick to Zenitsu's chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Cough, cough!" Zenitsu spat out a mouthful of blood and looked up at Kaigaku, whose expression had completely contorted.
All bonds of brotherhood between them shattered in an instant!
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