Chapter 58 Crushing
Himejima Gyomei dragged the chains, his broadsword whistling as it came down.
However, before the broadsword had even gone halfway, Aoki's hand was already near his neck.
At the critical moment, a pink longsword thrust out from below.
Clang!
Aoki's hand was blocked, but he felt no disappointment.
"Just as I expected!"
Himejima Gyomei was strong, the undisputed strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
Although he was blind, his other senses, including intuition, were extremely sharp, even forming a "Heart's Eye" that could see through superficial illusions and penetrate the essence of things.
Combined with the sound emitted by his specially made weapon, he could accurately grasp the surrounding space and the movements of his enemies, completely unaffected by his visual impairment.
"What a pity, he just happened to run into me,"
Aoki muttered.
"Spatial teleportation" allowed him to skip all the intermediate processes and appear directly beside Himejima Gyomei from afar.
The lack of sight would be magnified infinitely.
And no matter how superb his skills, the weight of his weapon limited Himejima Gyomei's attack speed.
Combined, for him, Himejima Gyomei, the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps, became the least threatening and easiest to deal with.
If "Transparent World" was Akaza's nemesis, then "Space Travel" was undoubtedly Himejima Gyomei's nemesis.
Whoosh! The broad axe swept across, but didn't even touch the hem of Aoki's clothes.
Kocho Kanae suddenly turned around.
"Kanae-san's moves are so gentle!"
Aomura-san's voice rang in her ears, and at the same time, she felt a sharp pain in her chest and was sent flying.
At that moment, Tomioka Giyuu, Shinazugawa Sanemi, and Uzui Tengen arrived simultaneously, surrounding Aoki.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form, Shizuku Ripple Strike!"
"Wind Breathing, Sixth Form, Black Wind and Smoke!"
"Sound Breathing, First Form, Boom!"
Boom!
Aoki's figure vanished, and all three longswords missed their mark.
With his increased intelligence, his control over "spatial travel" became increasingly adept. Not only was his distance control more precise, but his "cooldown time" was also reduced by nearly half.
"It's that ability again!"
The three Pillars' expressions were somewhat grim.
They had already sensed trouble from Kanae's description, but after experiencing it firsthand, they found it to be more than ten times more troublesome than expected!
The light outlined Aoki's figure as he landed lightly, looking at the five people opposite him.
Kanae and Himejima Gyomei stood back to back, while Shinazugawa Sanemi, Tomioka Giyuu, and Uzui Tengen each guarded a section of the area.
"Are you waiting for me to attack first?" Aoki said.
The five Pillars' faces darkened.
"First Form, Dust Whirlwind, Slash."
Shinazugawa Sanemi slashed with his longsword, and a spiraling wind blade suddenly formed.
Uzui Tengen and Tomioka Giyuu also launched their attacks simultaneously.
Kanae and Himejima Gyomei stood guard, ready to capture Aoki's "flash" at any moment.
The Pillars weren't particularly adept at teamwork.
They were usually extremely busy, each responsible for their own area, leaving them no time to practice coordination.
However, they all possessed exceptionally high combat skills.
Even without prior experience working together, they could quickly grasp the essentials.
They even devised a way to counter "space travel."
In essence, it involved two groups alternating attacks, with each group keeping watch on each other.
This was the formation they were currently using.
"The idea is good, but have you forgotten something?"
Aoki's expression was calm, his transparent world clearly reflecting the muscle movements of the three, showing his complete understanding of their techniques and actions.
Then, he moved.
Bang! Bang!
Bang! Shinazugawa Sanemi, Tomioka Giyuu, and Uzui Tengen were all sent flying backward, blood trickling from their mouths, their faces paling.
Aoki also had several wounds, but they healed completely in the blink of an eye. His gaze swept over the three.
Just three basic Pillars, did he need to dodge?
Shinazugawa Sanemi and the other two, as well as Kocho Kanae and Himejima Gyomei, who hadn't directly participated in the attack, all froze.
They had considered all sorts of possibilities, but they hadn't considered the possibility that even three Pillars working together couldn't win.
One-on-one wouldn't work, two-on-one, three-on-one wouldn't work, five-on-one wouldn't work.
How could they possibly fight?
Aoki didn't care what they thought. With a flash, he suddenly appeared above Uzui Tengen, who hadn't even landed yet.
Uzui Tengen
's expression changed drastically, and he drew his sword without hesitation. But Aoki was faster. His first punch knocked away Uzui Tengen's weapon, and his second punch slammed into his chest.
Thud!
Uzui Tengen crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up another mouthful of blood.
Aoki used the recoil to propel himself slightly into the air before disappearing again.
"Wind Breathing, Fifth Form, Cold Autumn Mountain Wind!"
Shinazugawa Sanemi, seeing Uzui Tengen attacked, swung his longsword through the air.
"Too bad, still useless!"
In the transparent world, all his movements were clear; Aoki appeared directly to the side, out of the sword's reach.
Thud!
Shinazugawa Sanemi flew sideways, feeling as if his waist was broken.
"Uzui! Shinazugawa!"
At this moment, Himejima Gyomei and Kocho Kanae's attacks arrived.
Actually, they had reacted when the three were struck.
But Aoki's movements were too fast; in the blink of an eye, Uzui Tengen and Shinazugawa Sanemi were struck again.
"Breath of Rock, Fifth Form, Kawara Gyobu!"
"Breath of Flower, Fourth Form, Red Flower Robe!"
To their anger and helplessness, Aoki's figure vanished again.
"Mr. Giyuu, watch out!" Kocho Kanae shouted without even looking.
However,
her warning came too late.
The moment she uttered the first word, Tomioka Giyuu saw the figure suddenly appear before him.
Bang bang bang!
Longswords were drawn, and the two clashed quickly.
Aoki was unharmed, but Tomioka Giyuu was hit several times, his face growing paler.
Just then, the chains rattled, and a gust of wind rushed in from the back of his neck.
Aoki released the swaying Tomioka Giyuu, turned around, and grabbed.
Clang!
His hand precisely avoided the broadsword and caught the chain.
Himejima Gyomei's movements froze, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Aoki pulled sharply.
The chain tightened, and Himejima Gyomei uncontrollably took a step forward.
Now, even the most physically gifted human would pale in comparison to him in absolute strength.
Kanae Butterfly appeared beside him: "Flower Breathing, Fifth Form, Fruitless Peony."
Her long sword thrust towards Aoki from all directions, its pink blade shimmering like a peony.
Aoki appeared out of thin air above Himejima Gyomei.
Himejima Gyomei was a beat too slow; by the time he reacted, it was too late.
Boom!
He was struck on the head with a heavy punch, his massive body crashing to the ground, blood streaming from his seven orifices.
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(End of Chapter)