Sanemi Shinazugawa stepped forward, his fiery spirit undeterred.
Even suspecting he was no match for Horitake, his brash pride demanded a challenge.
The other Pillars stayed silent, their eyes glinting with… anticipation.
They wanted to see the Heavenly Pillar's strength—the Corps' supposed strongest warrior—in action.
Sanemi playing the sacrificial bird?
They were all for it.
Horitake nodded inwardly.
Words were cheap; action spoke louder.
Showing his power was the only way to truly subdue these Pillars.
Sanemi's challenge was perfect timing—Horitake had been itching to put him in his place.
Oyakata, as if expecting this, glanced at Sanemi, then Horitake.
"Horitake, do you accept Sanemi's challenge?"
Horitake unhooked his blade, Vigor, from his waist, gripping it firmly.
"Couldn't ask for more."
Oyakata's lips twitched into a smile.
He nodded calmly.
"Very well. Sanemi, spar with Horitake.
Let everyone see the gap between you and him.
This spar…"
"Master."
Horitake interrupted, a rare breach of etiquette.
All eyes turned to him, startled.
His aura had shifted.
Gone was the easygoing Horitake.
Now, his presence was an enigma—impenetrable, like a storm cloud, heavy and rolling, brewing unseen power.
You couldn't predict when its lightning would strike with divine judgment.
The Pillars, caught off guard, couldn't gauge him.
With this suffocating aura, Horitake smiled at Oyakata.
"Master, I'm fine sparring with Sanemi, but there's a choice to make.
Option one: we're evenly matched.
No matter how fiercely he attacks, I won't harm him.
He'll exhaust himself, and I'll stand unscathed.
Option two: I go all out, crushing him with overwhelming force, leaving no room for resistance.
In short—one gives him face, the other doesn't.
Which do you prefer?"
The Pillars' foreheads twitched with exasperation.
Both are ruthless!
How could he say such cutting words so calmly?
Sanemi, predictably, exploded.
"You smug bastard! Underestimating me?
Go all out, you jerk!
I'll show you what I'm made of!"
"Oh? Sanemi, you're sure you want my full strength?"
"Damn right!"
As soon as Sanemi barked his answer, a chill ran through him.
A gut feeling whispered he'd chosen the wrong path.
Horitake's smile widened.
He slowly drew Vigor.
The blade slid free, and silence fell.
Its dazzling purple edge gleamed, radiating a chilling aura that demanded awe.
The Pillars gaped.
That's no ordinary blade!
With such a weapon, how much stronger was Horitake?
Sanemi was in trouble.
They didn't know Vigor wasn't the key—Horitake's true power came from within.
Feeling the blade's edge, Sanemi's bravado vanished.
His face tightened with caution as he drew his Nichirin Blade, bracing himself.
As Vigor fully emerged, Oyakata spoke from the veranda.
"Horitake, don't overdo it."
"Rest assured, Master, I won't harm a single flower or blade of grass."
Facing Sanemi, Horitake parted his lips, drawing a deep breath at a mystic rhythm.
"Heavenly Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Overlord's Armor!"
Crackle! Boom!
Thunder roared in Oyakata's courtyard, under broad daylight.
Vivid purple lightning surged from Horitake, coiling around him, enveloping his body in a radiant, otherworldly glow.
The Pillars stared, stunned.
Purple lightning?
Unheard of.
Mysterious.
Terrifying.
This was his self-created Heavenly Thunder Breathing?
With the Third Form, Horitake activated his Overlord's Armor.
Initially, he'd underestimated this technique, but experiments proved its worth.
This system-enhanced move, inspired by Sikong Zhen's ultimate, was a game-changer.
In Overlord's Armor, Horitake's speed, strength, and defense surged dramatically.
His combat power nearly doubled!
Bathed in crackling lightning, Horitake grinned at the sweating Sanemi.
With a leap, he soared twenty meters into the air, raising Vigor.
"Heavenly Thunder Breathing, Third Form: Thunderous Barrage!"
As the words fell, Vigor slashed downward.
Boom! Flash!
Purple lightning erupted, its brilliance illuminating the entire Demon Slayer headquarters.
Every soul in the compound looked up, seeing a figure wreathed in blinding purple light above Oyakata's estate.
Horitake struck.
His blade unleashed five massive, roaring purple thunderbolts, surging toward Sanemi below.
Yes—a long-range assault, powered by devastating heavenly lightning!
The Pillars paled at the sight of the five thunderbolts.
Oyakata, gazing at the purple-tinged sky, remained calm.
Sanemi, drenched in sweat, gripped his Nichirin Blade, feeling small against this celestial might.
But he refused to yield.
The gap can't be this wide!
Fueled by fear and fury, he unleashed his strongest move.
"Wind Breathing, Eighth Form: First Gale Slash!"
Pushing Wind Breathing to its limits, gales swirled around him.
With a roar, Sanemi slashed upward, his blade unleashing a torrent of spiraling wind blades, tearing toward the incoming thunderbolts.
Above, five radiant thunderbolts of divine might.
Below, a howling vortex of wind blades.
Which would prevail?
The spectacle told the tale—Horitake's lightning painted the sky purple, while Sanemi's winds merely swept the courtyard.
As expected, the clash was swift.
Sanemi's wind blades held for a heartbeat before shattering, scattered into chaotic gusts.
The five thunderbolts, undeterred, roared on, blazing purple, aimed straight for Sanemi.
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