A few days ago, in the Swordsmith Village.
"Tanjiro, did you pass the Yoriichi Type Zero assessment?" Seiichi asked, smiling at Tanjiro's bruised and battered face.
"Seiichi, just go ahead and laugh!"
As Tanjiro applied healing medicine to his face, though it stung quite a bit, he could clearly feel his strength steadily improving. This sense of fulfillment gave him the courage to persevere. He needed much greater power to protect others!
"Tanjiro, are you interested in learning Sun Breathing?"
Seiichi's gaze was gentle as he casually spoke these words. Tanjiro was somewhat stunned by the unexpected offer.
"But I've already learned Hinokami Kagura and Water Breathing. Is there really any need to learn other Breathing Styles now?"
Tanjiro rubbed the back of his head, indicating he didn't understand why Seiichi had made such a suggestion.
"Theoretically speaking, Breathing Styles have compatibility issues. Different people are suited to different Breathing Styles, and of course, more isn't always better. But..."
Seiichi stroked his chin thoughtfully, looking at Tanjiro with obvious interest.
"Sun Breathing users are an exception to this rule."
Tanjiro's eyes looked completely bewildered by this explanation.
"Sun Breathing is the original Breathing Style, so it can be used in conjunction with other Breathing Styles, apart from the Nichirin Sword having to endure a bit more strain."
Indeed, this was something Seiichi had experienced himself. Whenever he used Sun Breathing for training, switching to other Breathing Styles was extremely smooth, without the awkwardness that came with switching between other Breathing Styles.
"I believe you've already experienced it yourself during combat. Besides, learning a few more techniques is very useful. What's more, my Sun Breathing techniques are all powerful finishing moves, extremely potent, suitable for use as trump cards."
"Give me an answer - are you learning or not?"
Tanjiro recalled the times he had simultaneously used Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura. His eyes gradually firmed with determination. He needed power to protect himself and Nezuko, and more importantly, he absolutely had to cut off Muzan Kibutsuji's head!
"I'll learn!"
Back to the Present Battlefield
I didn't expect to use it so soon after learning it. Good thing I didn't give up back then.
The mark on his forehead flickered incessantly as Tanjiro sheathed his blade, thinking to himself.
"Sun Breathing—Phantom Draw!"
What was that? Zohakuten only saw Tanjiro assume a drawing stance, bowing his body low, his blade drawn and returned silently.
Did nothing happen? No, Zohakuten felt a sharp, searing pain in his shoulder!
What? His golden eyes shifted downward. Between his right shoulder and collarbone, a vertical line had appeared at some point, extending from his shoulder down to his hip. At first, blood flowed out slowly, then gushed incessantly.
How could this be possible!
Zohakuten was directly cut in half! Blood gushed out ceaselessly, and his body could no longer maintain balance, falling headfirst to the ground. All the wooden dragons in the air turned to dust, and for a moment, the world fell completely silent.
Damn it! Such a massive injury would require even me some time to heal.
Kneeling, Tanjiro could no longer bear the fatigue in his muscles and collapsed to the ground. In his ears, he seemed to hear Seiichi's words to him again.
"This technique is extremely powerful, but at the same time, its side effects are also significant. The principle of Phantom Draw is to draw and swing the blade at super high speed, compressing the air to form an invisible blade aura, which can cause tremendous damage to distant enemies. However, there are a few points to note.
First, it requires a very high-quality blade. An ordinary Nichirin Sword might shatter and injure the user. Second, because of the extreme speed, the enemy you attack can only be in your direct line, otherwise, you won't hit them.
Third, it requires extremely high physical strength. Of course, I can use it freely, but for you, you might be exhausted after one use. Even with your recovery speed, it would take at least ten minutes before you can move.
Tanjiro, you've been through many battles, so I don't need to explain what it means to be unable to move for ten minutes on the battlefield. Therefore, you must use it with extreme caution, remember that."
"Mitsuri-san, Muichiro-san, the rest is up to you!"
At the same time, Muichiro Tokito and Mitsuri were in hot pursuit on the other side. They had also sensed the situation with Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro, well done!"
The distance was getting closer. Although the small figure was very fast, he was being pursued by two Hashira, both known for their incredible agility.
As far as his eyes could see, Muichiro took a deep breath, raised his blade, and prepared to use Mist Breathing. Suddenly! He abruptly stopped, a trickle of cold sweat running down his forehead.
Mitsuri, next to him, also stopped almost simultaneously, her breathing trembling slightly.
Hantengu climbed onto the shoulder of a tall figure. Golden eyes, pink hair, dark blue markings covered his entire muscular body, and his eyes were engraved with "Upper Moon Three."
How could this be!
Tanjiro, lying helplessly on the ground, felt as if he had fallen into an ice cavern.
How could he be here? I didn't smell him before. Could it be that he just arrived?
Akaza glanced at Hantengu on his shoulder, then his gaze fell upon Mitsuri and Muichiro, licking his lips with anticipation.
"It's a good thing Muzan-sama had foresight, otherwise you really would have killed this useless fellow. You two are quite strong, I like that very much."
Upper Moon Three, this was the person who killed Kyojuro Rengoku.
Gripping the handle of her blade tightly, Mitsuri adjusted her breathing and re-entered combat mode.
Muichiro's expression had never changed. The situation was now extremely grim. Tanjiro was incapacitated, and Upper Moon Four was rapidly recovering. If they couldn't resolve this quickly, they would face a situation of being besieged by two Upper Moons.
Akaza moved. His knees bent slightly, adopting a horse stance, and he raised both hands.
Blood Demon Art Deployment!
"Destructive Death—Compass Needle!"
Akaza wasted no words, directly deploying his Blood Demon Art. Kyojuro Rengoku had left a very deep impression on him before, so he had no intention of underestimating any Hashira, especially since there were two Hashira in front of him.
Using Blood Demon Art directly? Why?
Both faced him as if confronting a great enemy, tightly gripping their Nichirin Swords.
In an instant, Akaza vanished, reappearing next to Mitsuri. He threw a devastating punch!
Meeting him was Muichiro's blue blade from the side. The blade directly sank into Akaza's punching fist. With a sound of blade entering flesh, blood splattered. A large part of Akaza's arm vanished, but it regenerated almost instantly.
Such fast regeneration speed, much faster than Upper Moon Four! Is Upper Moon Three a watershed?
Assaulting Akaza were streaks of pink sword light. They enveloped Akaza and rapidly converged.
"Interesting!"
Akaza, with a smirk and uncontrolled laughter, raised his hand. He violently slammed it into the ground.
"Destructive Death—Air Type!"
The ground exploded, forming a massive crater. Mitsuri lost her footing, and her attack was nullified.
"Destructive Death—Leg Type: Flowing Flash!"
Mitsuri had just regained her balance when Akaza's figure appeared before her. One kick, two kicks, three kicks... countless kicks surrounded Mitsuri.
Mitsuri's flexible blade had weaker defensive capabilities. Even after deflecting several attacks, she was ultimately sent flying by a kick, crashing through a dozen large trees, her condition unknown.
Taking advantage of the moment Akaza had just finished his attack, a swirling mist appeared, and Muichiro burst out of the mist, his long blade striking horizontally at Akaza's neck. Akaza merely tilted his head, dodging the attack, and directly delivered a fierce punch to Muichiro's abdomen with his right hand!
Muichiro was sent flying backward, crashing into several craters, and landed next to Tanjiro, motionless.
Slowly walking toward the three fallen fighters, Akaza paused, then looked up toward the forest.
That place was precisely where Seiichi was fighting Gyokko.