Despite the excruciating pain from the cut in his left lung that nearly causes Shinno to faint with each breath he takes, he endures and continues to breathe forcefully.
Not breathing would only make the suffocation worse for him.
However... no matter how hard Shinno tries to breathe, he feels he cannot fill his lungs completely.
In fact, the more he tries to breathe, the less air he seems to be able to take in.
To feel a bit better, Shinno lowers his head, letting it hang down onto his chest.
This action forces Shinno to see the massive wound on his chest.
— Damn it... To think he... cracked my secret technique by observing my shadow...
Although he only saw it for a moment, Shinno is certain he saw correctly — when Aoto proactively charged at him intending to end the duel with the "secret technique," Aoto wasn't watching his physical movements, but rather observing the shadow he cast in the moonlight.
