"Aha! What a marvelous night this is, Tsugikuni-dono!"
Appearing with a flourish as she severed the Demon's left arm was the Echoing Hashira, Minase Hiyori.
"I can finally catch my breath thanks to you, Minase-dono. But..."
She looked different than usual. Her eyes were reversed—dark sclera—and the tips of her hair had turned white as snow. It was as if...
"Hollowification?"
"Hollowification...? What's that? Oh!"
Minase pointed to her own blackened eyes.
"I have a unique constitution. If I consume a portion of a Demon, I temporarily become a Demon myself~."
A Demon? Wait, you mean you ate a piece of that monster standing right there?
"I found a fragment of the Demon embedded in a tree and simply popped it in~."
"You have quite the iron stomach..."
"In the entire Demon Slayer Corps, I am the only one capable of this partial Demonification, you know? I haven't even shown this form to the Master yet! Regardless..."
"My, my, you truly surprise me! A swordsman who transforms into a Demon!"
The Demon stared at the transformed Minase with genuine admiration.
Unlike before, the slash on his left arm was failing to regenerate properly. It looked necrotic, as if afflicted by severe frostbite.
"When I become a Demon, I gain the power to manipulate cold~. I froze the wound directly to suppress its regeneration~."
She can even use Blood Demon Arts? This is more broken than the Slayer Mark. At this rate, she shouldn't be called the Echoing Hashira, but the Ice Hashira.
"However, that is rather annoying."
The Demon hacked off his own left arm, and in an instant, a fresh arm sprouted from the stump.
"My, how incredibly fast~?"
"He is no ordinary foe. He is the strongest Demon to appear yet," Amano Ruka cautioned, immediately beginning a briefing for Minase. "Minase-dono, even with your Demon-enhanced body, you will not emerge unscathed if you take one of his strikes head-on."
"Tsugikuni-dono will handle the front, so..."
"You want me to coordinate with Amano-dono and attack from the flanks~? I understand."
Minase and Amano both took up their stances.
"Are you finished talking?"
"Well, you're quite cool-headed for a Demon. Allowing us time to strategize like that."
"I do not know what you mean, but I shall take it as a compliment."
The Demon reached for his bowstring once more.
I cannot let him keep his distance. Those powerful single-shot Blood Demon Arts are a problem, but the rapid-fire volleys are even worse. Even if individual shots are 'weaker,' a direct hit is still fatal.
I have to close in as much as possible.
"Do you know the reach of my attacks?" I asked.
"I do not know," the Demon replied disinterestedly, preparing to fire.
"It is the length of ten Nichirin Blades."
"Hoh, that explains much. You managed to stick to me no matter how much distance I created."
"Then."
I shifted my stance.
"How far do you think this Breathing Style can extend?"
The Demon pulled the bowstring without replying.
"Thirteen ri."
"Ha, how amusing."
The Demon chuckled, clearly not believing me.
Minase-san was wearing her usual breezy smile, while Amano-san gave me a look that asked if I was really making jokes in a situation like this.
Naturally. Thirteen ri is nearly fifty kilometers. An impossible distance. If I were to ask myself if the form I was about to use actually possessed such a reach, the answer would be no.
It was a bluff, of course. In reality, it wouldn't extend anywhere near that far.
And yet.
It would feel as if it reached that far.
I could be certain of that.
"Here I come. No holding back this time."
I recalled the Breathing Style the Echoing Hashira Minase showed earlier—Thunder Breathing. Specifically, its most fundamental form.
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
And Yoriichi's Sun Breathing.
Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Sunflower Thrust.
I blend the essence of these two styles and rearrange them into my own Moon Breathing.
Hoooooooo...
Moon Breathing.
Ninth Form: Moon-Slay: God-Killing Spear.
!!!!!!!!!!
It happened in a fraction of an instant.
Neither Minase nor Amano could perceive it.
Even the Demon who was struck did not realize it until the tip of the blade touched him.
Surpassing the speed of sound, my Nichirin Blade lunged forward with terrifying velocity and pierced the Demon's throat.
The Demon's face twisted in shock. Before I could rotate the blade ninety degrees to take his head, he sliced through his own neck, threw himself back to create distance, and then reattached his head.
"Impossible! You covered that distance in such a short breath?"
"What's the matter? Can't keep up? I can go even faster than that, you know."
Blood Demon Art: Volley.
SH-KWAAAAAAAA——!!!!!
Determined not to let me close in again, the Demon unleashed a wide-range barrage.
I won't let you get away.
Moon Breathing.
Ninth Form: Moon-Slay: God-Killing Spear.
I closed the distance instantly.
"Urgh!"
This time, he barely twisted his body to avoid a direct hit to his throat, but he couldn't prevent a deep gash from opening near his neck.
"By the way, Demon. Haven't you forgotten something?"
!!!!!
Whoooo——
Shiii——
Two figures immediately closed in on the Demon's flanks.
Mist Breathing.
Thunder Breathing.
Mist Breathing, Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist.
Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit.
An onslaught from two Hashira-level fighters poured in from both sides.
"Tch!"
Especially if he were cut by Minase's blade; the frostbite would make regeneration difficult.
The Demon realized it was impossible to parry everything. He prioritized defending his vitals and countering Minase's strikes, swinging his bow like a staff.
Moon Breathing.
Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant.
I increased the frequency of my attacks to keep the Demon's mind in a whirlwind. Sensing my intent, the two attacking the flanks accelerated as well.
Mist Breathing.
Fifth Form: Sea of Cloud and Haze.
Thunder Breathing.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Eightfold.
A wave of mist delivered countless minor cuts while the god-speed iaido struck eight times in a single breath.
Blood Demon Art: Volley.
To counter this, the Demon unleashed an area-of-effect barrage. He specifically targeted Amano, who was the weakest of the three, hoping to create an opening.
However.
"I'm sorry, but I can hear it all. Your song is plain to my ears!"
Moon Breathing.
Second Form: Pearl-Flower Moongazing.
Uzui's score was already complete. Those repetitive patterns won't work anymore.
And yet.
"Apologies, but it seems I was one step ahead."
As we parried the continuous attacks, a massive arrow materialized in the Demon's bow.
"Oh, boy..."
Blood Demon Art: Eight-Headed Thunder-Decimating Bow.
An eight-headed thunder dragon roared as it lunged forward with wide-open maws.
@@@
Tsugikuni-dono?
It was a single moment. An infinitesimal flash.
It was already too late to react.
Tsugikuni-dono was swept away by the destruction wrought by the Demon.
Eight attacks, each seemingly more powerful than the concentrated strength of his previous arts. Having taken that head-on, even with a Slayer Mark, he couldn't possibly be alive.
Tsugikuni-dono... are you... are you dead...?
That's why...
That's why... I told you to just stay back and recover.
Why must it happen right in front of me?
No.
I know I must be prepared for someone to die. Even if I prayed that no one close to me would ever be lost again.
I hate this. I wish it were a dream.
But.
Even though I can't believe he's gone. Even though I want to wail. Even though I want to deny it.
I cannot stop my attack.
Because that attack left the Demon with a small, brief opening.
It is a single chance provided by Tsugikuni-dono, even if it lasted only for a moment.
Even if there is no tomorrow for me, I will cut this Demon's head off.
My body began to burn. Perhaps it was the excessive movement... or perhaps it was a desperate resolve, as if I were willing to die right here. My entire body felt as if it had been thrown into a pit of fire, and my heart beat so wildly I lost count of its rhythm.
As my face grew hot, I felt my physical capabilities and the precision of my Breathing surge.
I knew it instinctively. This was the Slayer Mark.
I finally stood on the same horizon as him. But he was gone.
Fine... I don't care if my life is cut short. He isn't here anymore anyway.
With everything I have, I will cut this bastard down.
Mist Breathing.
Thunder Breathing.
Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash.
Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flashing.
One was a swordsman whose physical prowess and precision had peaked through the awakening of the Slayer Mark. The other was a sword-demon standing on the same level as a Demon. Two extreme attacks rained down on the Demon from both sides.
However.
In that split second, the Demon chose to protect his own neck. Though his body was shredded by the twin onslaught, he did not falter; he fired a Blood Demon Art toward the ground, using the impact and the obscured vision to propel himself backward and create distance.
"That was truly close. To think I would experience such a chilling sensation twice in such a short span of time."
I failed to capitalize on the opening he made for me.
But it doesn't matter. Another opening will come eventually. When it does, I will simply end him.
So, don't tremble, Amano Ruka. Fulfill your duty.
In that moment.
The Demon suddenly jerked his neck. At almost the exact same time, something surged from directly behind him. The Demon threw himself back instantly, but his neck was already half-severed.
But I didn't care about that. What drew my gaze was the identity of the object that had cut halfway through his throat.
It was...
Ah...
"This is absurd..."
It was a purple Nichirin Blade.
"Truly, just how many times is a blade going to touch my neck today...?"
Really, truly...
"I see."
Please stop making my heart stop.
"Did I look like I had died to you?"