Yushiguro was in dire straits!
When Horitake yanked the Chidori Sharp Spear from his face, the twisting lightning ravaged a third of his head!
Fortunately for Yushiguro, the remaining two-thirds preserved his neck and brain—his critical vitals.
Had those been destroyed, he'd be done for!
Even so, his state was utterly wretched.
Horitake's lightning disrupted demonic tissue, preventing regeneration. Yushiguro's lower face was a gaping, blood-soaked void, with dangling vessels and tissue.
The agony left him unable to speak, reduced to bestial howls.
His condition was both pitiful and terrifying!
When Yushiguro turned, his sole remaining eye on his forehead glaring through the bloody cavity, Yushiro shuddered in fear!
That eye burned with unmistakable malice and killing intent.
Driven mad, Yushiguro gave up on escape. His speed couldn't outmatch Horitake's—not now, not ever! Roaring, he charged. "Raaagh!" (Translation: Barrage of Scales!)
This was his hit-and-run tactic, using his slick scales to dart around Horitake as a blurry afterimage, striking opportunistically!
Such dizzying movement could overwhelm an unprepared foe, but…
"Spirit Vision… Activate!"
Horitake's vision sharpened. Time seemed to slow, and Yushiguro's rapid movements became crystal clear.
Spirit Vision was practically a cheat code—detecting souls, curses, partial x-ray vision, illusion-piercing, and now dynamic tracking. It was like a watered-down Sharingan and Byakugan combined!
With Spirit Vision, Yushiguro's every move was exposed.
Here he comes! In less than a tenth of a second, Yushiguro would appear on Horitake's right, clawing for his neck to tear off his head.
Dream on!
Seizing the moment, Horitake swung Weiguang, crackling with lightning, to his right!
"Argh!"
Yushiguro screamed. Before he could strike, the blade carved a deep gash from his left shoulder to his right ribs!
No doubt—this wound wouldn't heal either.
How?! How did he predict my path?!
Yushiguro's mind reeled as he staggered back.
Blood gushed from the gaping void of his lower face, worsened by Horitake's latest strike.
With no lower face, blood poured directly from his throat, making the cavity ooze grotesquely.
Yushiguro knew his situation was dire. It was do or die.
At this life-or-death moment, he unleashed his trump card.
"ROAR!" (Translation: Ten Thousand Gliding Venomfish!)
His ultimate killing move!
Yushiguro summoned ten venomfish-patterned pots, releasing ten thousand razor-toothed fish!
These piranha-like creatures could strip flesh from bone, and when killed, they sprayed toxic bodily fluids that seeped through skin.
A vicious, lethal technique—his desperate gambit!
Horitake looked up at the swarming, oppressive mass of venomfish, unfazed.
Yushiro, behind him, was terrified. If this hit, all three of them would be reduced to bones!
He wanted to shield Tamayo and flee, but it was too late.
Horitake remained calm. He feared quantity-based attacks least of all.
Point strikes wouldn't cut it against this swarm. Only a massive counterattack could wipe out all ten thousand fish!
Purple lightning surged around him, crackling loudly, illuminating the courtyard in violet brilliance!
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Thunder Tiger Annihilation!"
Horitake swung forward fiercely!
As he did, torrents of purple lightning coalesced into two towering thunder tigers, each the size of a small house. Roaring, they charged the swarm of venomfish!
By size, the two radiant thunder tigers were dwarfed by the ten thousand fish.
By quality, the concentrated lightning far outclassed them!
The clash was cataclysmic. Amid booming thunder, the tigers obliterated nearly all the venomfish, charring them to ash!
A few stragglers escaped, but they were negligible.
But the fish weren't done.
As the tigers destroyed them, the venomfish sprayed torrents of toxic fluid, poisoning the surroundings.
Horitake, Tamayo, and Yushiro were in the toxic cloud's range.
Unhurried, Horitake deployed his defensive technique. "Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Chidori Current!"
He expanded the electric net, shielding them in a wide barrier.
As expected, the toxic spray hit the Chidori Current, sizzling and evaporating into焦ed vapor.
Yushiguro's ultimate move fizzled out.
Horitake hadn't forgotten the culprit.
Yushiguro, dragging his battered body, tried to flee.
Could he escape?
Even at his peak, his speed couldn't match Horitake's—let alone now.
As Upper Rank Five, he deserved a grand send-off. Horitake decided to end it with a bang!
BOOM! Purple lightning roared around him, surging skyward, towering above the three-story estate.
Without Tamayo's illusion barrier, this spectacle would've alarmed all of Asakusa!
Horitake leveled Weiguang. "Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Raikiri!"
The skyward lightning converged, condensing into a blazing purple blade. Horitake flashed forward, slashing at the staggering Yushiguro!
Yushiguro saw it coming.
But with his ravaged body, he couldn't dodge or block!
The Raikiri's violet blade sliced through his neck like a thunderbolt.
[Author's Note]
I'm not entirely satisfied with these battle chapters. The spectacle feels lacking. The fight with Daki and Gyutaro razed an entire red-light district, but this one with Yushiguro is confined to Tamayo's courtyard. It doesn't do justice to his Upper Rank Five status. But there's no choice—Tokyo is Japan's political and economic heart. Thanks to Tamayo's illusion barrier, I have a narrative excuse to contain the chaos. If this fight caused widespread destruction, the Japanese government would surely react. The Demon Slayer Corps is an unrecognized organization—Horitake causing mass casualties would brand them a terrorist group. So, I had to write it this way. My apologies, dear readers.
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