In that instant, when it felt as though the Demon's strike would surely claim my life, time slowed. Everything was laid bare.
It was a small fragment of the vision I had first glimpsed during my spar with Yoriichi, the moment the Mark first manifested upon me.
A world of heightened senses where everything is rendered transparent.
I had finally reached it—that realm I once dismissed as mere deception when Yoriichi described it.
The expansion and contraction of the bow-wielding Demon's lungs, the flow of blood through his vessels, the minute twitching of his fibers—all were visible. I could see the exact direction and trajectory of every shot before it was even fired. The Demon's movements, which I previously had to rely on instinct to track, now appeared agonizingly sluggish.
With this clarity, I evaded the strike using Moon Breathing, Seventh Form: Kyoka Suigetsu, and successfully transitioned into a counter-ambush.
However, perhaps because I had only just breached the threshold of this domain, my execution was not yet perfect. Unlike Yoriichi, I could not entirely erase my presence, and thus, my surprise attempt to claim his head fell short.
I had predicted his evasive maneuver and struck where he would be, yet the wretch still managed to twist away.
"Something has changed... This will not be simple. To think the finishing move I unleashed served as the catalyst for your growth?"
"I would prefer you say I have 'subjugated' it," I replied. "A realm that you, for all your power, could never reach."
"Today might very well be my final day," the Demon mused.
As he spoke, two additional arms sprouted from his back, and another bow appeared in his grasp.
"A second phase?"
"I was mistaken from the beginning. I am not the defender here; I am the challenger... Moon Hashira, Tsugikuni Michikatsu. The name bestowed upon me by Master Muzan is Ryomen, Upper Rank Zero. Before I was a Demon, I was a warrior, and from this moment forth..."
Blood Demon Art: Rain of a Thousand Flowers
"I shall treat you as a wall that must be overcome."
A deluge of arrows began to fall, filling the very sky.
"A Demon who has devoured hundreds of innocents has no right to play the part of a warrior."
"I shall not deny it."
Moon Breathing.
Second Form: Pearl Flower Moons.
I unleashed a wide-range sweep to deflect the dozens of arrows raining down.
Because the area was so vast and the projectiles so numerous, it was difficult to cover everything perfectly. However, Minase—bolstered by the physical strength and regeneration she had gained after becoming a Demon—was managing to hold her own, and as for Amano...
I caught sight of a faint, crimson, cloud-shaped mark manifesting on her cheek.
'The Mark.'
Finally, the Mark had appeared on Amano as well. Unlike her struggle just moments ago, she was now deflecting the Demon's attacks with newfound precision.
"I see. Once that mark appears, the accuracy of one's techniques and physical capabilities rise to a level beyond comparison... I take it that mark, so similar to a Demon's crest, is why your movements are so unnaturally swift?"
"Do you truly have the leisure to analyze us?"
Moon Breathing.
Thunder Breathing.
Ninth Form: Moonset: God-Slaying Spear.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
BOOM—!!!!
Two streaks of motion exceeding the speed of sound tore toward the Demon.
Blood Demon Art: Coupled Bow.
SH-SH-SH-SH-SH—!!!!
The Demon used his four arms to aim two bows simultaneously in response.
"Too slow."
SHLICE—!!!
Though he attempted to block, he couldn't stop the full momentum, allowing a blade to carve into his neck.
"As long as my head remains attached, I shall not perish."
Blood Demon Art: Eight-Headed Thunder-Decimating Bow.
RUMBLE—!!!!!!
It was the technique that had nearly killed me before. Eight branching thunder-dragons bared their maws. This time, instead of concentrating the eight strikes into a single point, he scattered them to ravage the entire surrounding area. Since focusing the attack was useless if I could simply evade, he was opting for a wide-area strike.
Mist Breathing.
Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist.
Amano swung her blade in a sweeping arc, enshrouding the area in mist as she cut through the onslaught.
Thunder Breathing.
Third Form: Thunder Swarm.
Minase rotated her body, unleashing a wave of attacks that struck like a mounting storm.
Moon Breathing.
Second Form: Pearl Flower Moons.
I swung my sword in a wide arc to intercept the coming destruction. The dragons, their maws wide and hungry, were sent crashing into the earth.
In the moment before the dragons struck the ground—
Moon Breathing.
Ninth Form: Moonset: God-Slaying Spear.
Thunder Breathing.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
WHOOSH—BOOM—!!!!!
Minase and I lunged forward, refusing to let the opening pass.
Blood Demon Art: Strong Bow.
The Demon aimed a loaded bow toward me, countering with a powerful point-blank shot.
SHLICE—!!!!
Minase's attack landed cleanly. Knowing he couldn't avoid both, he chose to tank Minase's blow—which was marginally weaker than mine—to stay alive. A deep gash was carved near his neck, and although the frost of my style suppressed his regeneration, he moved to carve out the frozen flesh instantly.
Mist Breathing.
Fifth Form: Sea of Cloud and Mist.
Amano followed up immediately. Waves of mist surged forward, seeking the Demon's throat.
However.
Sever!
In a desperate move, he sliced his own neck just before the blade reached it, avoiding the lethal strike through self-mutilation.
"If eight dragons are not enough, I shall simply increase the number."
Blood Demon Art: Rain of a Thousand Flowers.
Two of his four arms aimed a bow toward the heavens.
Blood Demon Art: Eight-Headed Thunder-Decimating Bow.
ROAR—!!!!!
The other two arms aimed directly forward, unleashing the thunder-dragons once more. Arrows filled the sky while the roaring beasts ground everything in their path to dust, twisting the very space of the forest. If he couldn't hit us with accuracy, he intended to win through sheer volume.
"The Kakushi are going to have a hard time cleaning this up."
I decided to increase my numbers as well.
Extracting the characteristics of Water Hashira Sakata Gin's Water Breathing Third Form: Flowing Dance, Fourth Form: Striking Tide, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, and Tenth Form: Constant Flux, I synthesized them to move with greater fluidity.
I sharpened my focus through the Transparent World and Uzui's Score technique.
I added the searing edge of Yoriichi's Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun to refine the sharpness of the strike.
I rearranged it all through the framework of Moon Breathing, grasping the entirety of the flow within my palms.
"The entertainment ends here."
Moon Breathing.
Tenth Form: Moonlit Opening.
A crimson domain of swordsmanship began to expand, encroaching upon the surroundings. The dragons and arrows that rushed into this domain were shredded by an invisible lattice of slashes before they could even land.
"!!!!!"
Maintaining my breathing without a single break—
Moon Breathing.
Ninth Form: Moonset: God-Slaying Spear.
I lunged at the Demon with a speed that defied the sound barrier.
Blood Demon Art: Coupled Bow.
The Demon unleashed barrage after barrage to keep me at bay, but it was in vain.
Every projectile was severed and fell to the earth. The effects of the Tenth Form: Moonlit Opening were still active. By reading the flow, nothing could touch my body, and just like the Tenth Form: Constant Flux, my momentum and power increased with every rotation.
However.
Blood Demon Art: Strong Bow.
He fired his other bow toward the ground, using the resulting shockwave to launch himself into the air to evade.
「Open.」
The grand armor enveloping his body merged into one of his bows, while the remaining bow transformed into a singular, colossal arrow aimed directly at me.
"With all my strength, I shall shoot you down from the sky, O Moon."
Blood Demon Art · Final Form: Submerged Moon-Fall Bow.
BOOM—!!!!!!
The ultimate arrow, carrying every ounce of his strength, was unleashed. It warped the very air as it approached in a straight line, designed to pulverize everything in its wake.
"Don't use such strong words... it only makes you look weak."
Evasion was impossible. I would strike it down with everything I had.
Moon Breathing.
Eighth Form: Piercing Heaven Moon-Slasher—Moon-Fang Sky-Piercer.
An extreme slash honed to cut through all of creation met a catastrophic strike meant to crush all of existence. The collision created a gargantuan shockwave.
The winner of this paradoxical clash was me.
"!!!!!!!"
SNAP—!!!
Though half of my Nichirin Blade snapped from the sheer pressure, the arrow was split clean through. Without slowing down, I targeted the throat of the Demon as he descended from the air.
SHRRRRRACK—!!!!!!
His neck was cut deep, but because half the blade was missing, it didn't pass all the way through.
But.
Mist Breathing.
Fourth Form: Advection Slash.
Amano's mist followed immediately.
"Not... enough...! With this... you cannot...!"
The Demon contorted his entire body, sacrificing his arms to protect his dangling head.
Yet...
CRACKLE—!!!
Thunder Breathing.
First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Godspeed.
"!!!!!!"
He could not avoid the final one.
SHLICE—!!!
With the sound of something being parted, the Demon's head was finally severed and fell to the ground.
"You are slow... even in your fall."
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