Blasted back by the explosion, Yushiguro was pounced on by two thunderbeasts, pinned down and savaged!
Screaming in pain, Yushiguro roared, "Get off!"
With a swipe of each claw, he tore the electric hounds apart!
But he'd forgotten the lesson—these thunderbeasts exploded when destroyed.
As expected, the two beasts detonated! Yushiguro was engulfed in twin bursts of purple lightning, letting out a wretched scream!
An opening!
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Chidori!"
Purple lightning crackled along Weiguang's blade, shrieking like a thousand birds. Horitake leapt high, plunging toward the grounded Yushiguro with a thunderous slash!
Yushiguro's spine chilled. Scrambling to his feet, he raised his claws to block!
Boom! Horitake's Chidori-charged strike crashed down with devastating force!
The impact unleashed a wave of purple lightning, engulfing a dozen meters around them. Stones shattered, the ground quaked and split, as if an earthquake had struck!
Yushiguro, barely withstanding the blow, felt the ground beneath him crack and sink nearly half a meter.
Horitake's strike was terrifying.
Tamayo, watching, sensed the battle's intensity spiraling out of control. Her Blood Demon Art barrier was faltering—she had to reinforce it!
Slicing her fingers, blood dripped freely. Using it, she strengthened the illusion cloaking the estate.
Yushiro, seeing Tamayo's bloodied hands, winced in heartache but could do nothing.
Horitake, his Weiguang humming with Chidori, eyed Yushiguro's block. As expected of an Upper Rank—not going down easily.
With a twist of his wrist, he detonated the Chidori on his blade!
The erupting purple lightning, combined with Horitake's raw strength, sent Yushiguro flying, crashing through several trees and tumbling out of the collapsed courtyard wall.
Fury contorted Yushiguro's grotesque face.
His condition was dire.
A gash marred his right forearm from Horitake's initial strike. Bite marks and tears covered his waist, shoulders, and legs from the thunderbeasts. Scorch marks blackened his body from their explosions. His sharp claws, bloodied and charred, bore the brunt of the Chidori blast.
Horitake, by contrast, was unscathed save for dirtied clothes and minor scratches.
The upper hand was clear.
Tamayo, hand over her mouth, couldn't believe a Demon Slayer had pushed Upper Rank Five to this state.
Was Yushiguro too weak, or was Horitake too strong?
Perhaps both.
Yushiro, scratching his head, fixated on an odd detail. "Why only First and Second Forms? No others?"
Congratulations, Yushiro, you've hit a blind spot.
Horitake had long wanted to address this. Only two forms after all this time? Really?
Glancing at Yushiro, he said coolly, "Thunder Breathing has only two forms so far, but they've got over a dozen variations. That's plenty."
Purple lightning erupted around him, casting him as a thunder god!
Yushiguro's rage masked a flicker of fear.
After taking such a beating, he knew close combat with Horitake was suicide. He wasn't built for it—continuing would mean death!
He had to rely on his strongest Blood Demon Art: summoning!
Roaring with a twisted scowl, Yushiguro slammed down another pot (really just a jar).
"Octopus Pot Hell!"
Splorch!
A house-sized octopus squeezed out of the tiny pot, its eight massive tentacles lashing toward Horitake with overwhelming menace.
Horitake sneered. "I'm a fan of takoyaki. Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Chidori Current!"
A crackling electric net enveloped him, shrieking like a flock of birds.
The octopus lunged, but as it neared, the high voltage shocked it into convulsing spasms. Its tentacles writhed, scorched by the current.
Horitake observed as he shocked it. The octopus's tentacles were soft yet elastic—a nightmare for physical fighters reliant on brute force.
Too bad Horitake wielded lightning. This was child's play!
Cranking up the voltage, he fried the octopus to a crisp. The charred creature shriveled, its roasted scent oddly reminiscent of takoyaki.
Unnoticed, Yushiguro had leapt high, hovering above Horitake. He brandished another pot, flipping it toward him. "Blood Prison Jar!"
A torrent of blood-tinted water gushed out, instantly encasing Horitake in a massive, jar-shaped water barrier!
Horitake, eyes wide, held his breath, testing the prison with a kick and a punch.
The water walls were resilient—brute force wouldn't break them, and prolonged entrapment risked drowning.
Wait… wasn't this just a rip-off of Water Prison Jutsu?
Like its counterpart, it resisted physical attacks but was vulnerable to energy-based ones.
Purple lightning surged around Horitake, destabilizing the Blood Prison Jar.
But Yushiguro hadn't aimed to trap him. His real target was…
Landing swiftly, Yushiguro charged at Tamayo!
His plan was clear: if he couldn't beat Horitake, he'd grab Tamayo—either as a hostage or to flee with her.
Tamayo gasped as Yushiguro rushed her.
Yushiro, without hesitation, threw himself in front of her!
Horitake's eyes blazed with fury. You dare pull a feint on me?!
Lightning flared around him. With a thunderous BOOM, a piercing purple bolt shot skyward, illuminating the courtyard!
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Godspeed!"
Bursting through the Blood Prison Jar with ease, Horitake moved at blinding speed, intercepting Yushiguro before he could reach Tamayo!
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Chidori!"
Raikiri needed charging, but Chidori was quick and lethal. Weiguang glowed with purple light as Horitake thrust it at Yushiguro's back!
Yushiguro sensed the killing intent—a strike that could end him!
Abandoning Tamayo, he twisted desperately to dodge.
He wasn't fast enough. Horitake's blade sliced through, severing half his arm!
The bloodied limb flew skyward. Yushiguro's face twisted in agony as he clutched his stump, leaping onto the estate wall to flee!
Horitake wouldn't let him escape. He swung Weiguang fiercely!
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A condensed purple lightning spear shot forth, aimed at Yushiguro's head!
The blazing Chidori Sharp Spear pierced his right cheek, exiting the left, skewering his perverse face!
Horitake grinned savagely, twisting and yanking the spear free!
Pfft! Under the lightning's critical strike, Yushiguro's face—cheeks, jaw, palate, teeth—dissolved into a bloody mosaic!
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