Aside from the gender-specific areas, one of the most densely packed regions of nerves in the human body is the face. Kyojuro's punch had squarely shattered the demon's nose. Intense, stinging pain and muscle spasms exploded across the center of the opponent's face along with a burst of blood. It was like a massive flower of blood blooming in an instant.
Wracked with pain, the demon reflexively jerked its head back, causing the Blood Demon Art it had been struggling to maintain to collapse. Iguro seized this opening. His blade flashed like a silver serpent darting forward, precisely severing the demon's arms. Kyojuro, having turned back around, had already transitioned into his next sword form.
First Form: Unknowing Fire.
A straight line of flame pierced through the opponent's legs. The demon immediately toppled and crashed to the ground.
Damn brats! I'll make you feel my pain right now, right now!
It still tried to activate its Blood Demon Art. Unexpectedly, Kyojuro took the hilt of his Nichirin Sword and slammed it directly into the demon's broken nose. Another wave of brain-numbing pain followed. The Blood Demon Art could no longer function properly.
"Big Brother Natsunishi! We've pinned it down!" Kyojuro shouted loudly while relentlessly landing punches, kicks, and hilt-strikes on the demon's face.
Iguro: "..."
Why did this fighting style look a bit familiar? The bruise on his forehead that hadn't quite faded seemed to throb with phantom pain.
"Kyojuro, that's enough. This demon... has already passed out," Iguro reminded him in a low voice.
But the owl-like boy showed no intention of letting up. He continued to pummel the demon with heavy thuds. "Big Brother said it! Demons not only feel no pain, they are also incredibly cunning! To prevent it from using its Blood Demon Art to escape, we must maintain constant suppression!"
As he answered, he delivered another heavy blow to the demon's face; the creature couldn't even manage a muffled groan.
No... pain? Iguro looked at the demon that had clearly passed out from the pain, then at Kyojuro, who was still fully channeling his Breathing Technique. For a moment, he was speechless.
At that moment, Natsunishi reached the two of them. "You did well this time. Better than I imagined."
Iguro averted his gaze slightly. "It was mainly Kyojuro's punch that broke the stalemate."
Kyojuro said enthusiastically, "We almost lost just now, Big Brother Natsunishi!"
Natsunishi looked at the demon lying on the ground, its face already unrecognizable. Although its body was constantly self-repairing, its consciousness clearly wasn't returning anytime soon. Natsunishi raised his right hand, and Flame Breathing began to circulate faintly within his body. A breath far more condensed and scorching than Kyojuro's wrapped around his fist like a tongue of fire. Power rose from the soles of his feet, surged along his waist and back into his shoulders, and finally concentrated entirely into the fist-tip covered by his vambrace.
Like a falling star hitting the earth.
Hell Burial Hand-Blade.
Boom!
A dull, thunderous roar erupted from the ground. The wooden bridge surface and the demon's head shattered and splattered simultaneously under this extreme, violent impact. In the crater, only scattered bits of flesh and blood remained to testify to what the demon was now missing.
Though it was a "sword technique" he had made up on the spot, under the immense strength bolstered by the Breathing Technique, this strike displayed a destructive power that far exceeded ordinary understanding. It left the nearby Iguro Obanai utterly stunned.
Iguro: (°—°)?
He crushed a demon's head... with his bare hands?
Although he was used to Natsunishi performing the final decapitation, wasn't this a bit too violent this time? Perhaps seeing the boy's shock, Natsunishi patiently explained a few things.
"Crushing a demon's head with your bare hands isn't as hard as you think. Just treat it like smashing open a ripe watermelon. Compared to this, your Water Breathing users have to slice through a two-meter boulder with a katana while ensuring the blade isn't damaged—now that is truly difficult, isn't it?"
Iguro: "What 'slicing a boulder'?"
How come he didn't know Water Breathing had such a phase? Weren't they supposed to contemplate sword intent by the lake and bitterly practice forms and styles? Besides, the part about splitting a giant rock sounded more like the training for Stone Breathing.
Seeing the bewildered expression on the teenager's face, Natsunishi understood. It seemed Urokodaki's training method was unique. Natsunishi stood straight as the headless demon corpse began to slowly turn to ash and dissipate. If a Nichirin Sword decapitation could destroy a demon, then crushing its head with gauntlets made of Nichirin material could naturally achieve the same goal.
"Big Brother Natsunishi! How can I learn your moves!" The owl-like boy accepted this quite naturally. In fact, he was very interested in the technique Natsunishi just used to mobilize his entire body's strength.
Natsunishi: "There's no need to force yourself into my path. Once you've mastered Flame Breathing, you can achieve the same level."
In Natsunishi's view, regardless of the sect, as long as one understood and utilized their own body sufficiently, they could unify their inner strength and perform feats far beyond ordinary people. Naturally, one's movements would become free and unrestrained, faithfully expressing their own power-generation techniques.
"Then... can Water Breathing do it too?" Iguro couldn't help but ask. He didn't doubt that wide-open, explosive styles could do it. But what about flowing water? If he practiced Water Breathing, could someone with weaker wrist strength like himself achieve such formidable power one day?
Natsunishi pondered for a moment before saying, "Water Breathing emphasizes change, the softness within the hard. Once you reach a certain level, you can naturally do it. However, if you focus too much on change, it's easy to turn into something flimsy and superficial."
Though they hadn't spent much time together, Natsunishi could see some of this boy's tendencies. His version of Water Breathing, compared to the "standard version," leaned more toward the "skill" and "unpredictability" of the forms. This wasn't a problem in itself. But if he focused too much on that and neglected or ignored the physical enhancement provided by the Breathing Technique, it would be a case of losing the forest for the trees.
Sensing that he was being given advice, Iguro couldn't help but ask, "How do I avoid being 'flimsy'?"
Natsunishi demonstrated a few stances. Without exception, his lower body was rock-solid, and the muscles throughout his body were coordinated as a single unit. "Naturally, you must start from the waist, achieving the unity of waist and horse."
He suddenly drew his sword. It was an Iai-jutsu. Even without running any Breathing Technique, the chilling flash of the blade still made Obanai's eyes sting.
The act of demon-slaying was essentially destroying the demon's body with an object capable of inhibiting regeneration. Whether it was sunlight, a Nichirin Sword, or wisteria poison, all could do the job. Conversely, a swordsman's Breathing Technique wasn't an absolute necessity. Theoretically, as long as one's stats were high enough and they had a suitable weapon, they could slay a demon even without knowing any swordsmanship or Breathing Techniques.
"Did you see it clearly?" Natsunishi asked as he sheathed his blade.
Iguro: "The silver blade is very beautiful."
Rengoku: "Big Brother's Iai is amazing!"
Natsunishi: "..."
I was asking about the power-generation technique.
"Um—before you gentlemen continue your discussion, could you please help me with a small favor—" a weak, timid voice interjected.
The young girl approached fearfully, pointing at the still-bleeding wound on her neck, her face pale. "I feel like I'm about to die. Can you please save me first—"
Her neck had been caught by the demon earlier, resulting in a decent-sized wound. Although the bleeding wasn't heavy, it was quite visually frightening. Under Nobuko's pleading gaze, the duo looked toward Natsunishi. Natsunishi, naturally, did not refuse.
"You won't die from this." Despite his words, he nimbly took out his portable medical kit and began treating the girl. His technique was incredibly skilled. To Nobuko, he was the most impressive person she had ever seen.
A bold thought continued to rise in her mind—could this man be the rumored "Divine Doctor"? That's right! The rumors of the Divine Doctor had spread along with the news of Special Task Division 9. She understood now; the Divine Doctor was a master under the Metropolitan Police Department!
Sayo... is saved!
Just as Natsunishi finished the final bandage, he felt his sleeve tighten. Looking down, he saw the young girl gripping his sleeve tightly. "Lord Divine Doctor, please, I beg you, please save my friend."
Her eyes were filled with misery, pleading, and a bit of desperation.
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