He gripped the wooden sword with both hands and raised it to his right shoulder.
The Ninth Form of Flame Breathing, forged within that world which reflects all things.
The Transparent World alone is not enough.
Unlike me, who has just entered this realm, he reached it a step ahead. A trick like the one I used before will not work twice.
To break through Young Michikatsu's Moon Breathing, Tenth Form: Moonlit Opening—a technique that holds all flow within his palm—this move is my only option.
To charge as fiercely as the scorching fires of hell, and carve out the opponent alongside a thunderous roar.
With every fiber of my being! A strike of total devotion, entwining even my very life!
I must collide head-on and tear everything asunder!
Set your heart ablaze.
Amidst the violent thumping of my heart, a haze of Battle Spirit spread throughout my entire body.
Go beyond the limit.
The Battle Spirit coursing through me began to burn more fiercely, using my physical body as tinder.
I am a senior member of this Corps!
"Flame Hashira, Rengoku Tenjuro!"
Flame Breathing, Esoteric Art!
The Flame Breathing consists of eight flames.
And now, going one step further, a fiercely blazing ninth flame.
"Absurd!? A new form?"
"....."
Before Lord Shimotsuki's exclamation of doubt could even finish, the flame-like Battle Spirit turned into a haze, billowing across the training grounds.
However, this Ninth Form of Flame Breathing has a flaw.
While it is an incredibly fast technique, much like the Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, it is a move that only shows its true power through a linear breakthrough.
Because I have staked everything on this charge, and because I believe this will be my final strike in terms of physical stamina, I cannot use it repeatedly.
Thus, if the opponent simply evades it, there is no answer.
Of course, since it carves out a massive area entirely, evading it is difficult—but for Young Michikatsu, who has reached the state of the Transparent World, one can never be sure.
However, as if to make such worries meaningless.
The next action Young Michikatsu took amidst the burning Battle Spirit was neither evasion, nor defense, nor the Moon Breathing, Seventh Form: Kyoka Suigetsu.
"Surely, Rengoku... you haven't forgotten. That I, too, possess a final... no, an Esoteric Art."
He took his stance as if to crush my Esoteric Art head-on.
Even though you could evade, you choose to break through from the front!
I thank you! Young Michikatsu!
Hrrrrrrgh—!!!!
The Ninth Form. Its power is a slash that carves through all.
The Esoteric Art and ultimate secret technique of Flame Breathing.
I haven't decided on a name yet... What should it be...
Yes, for a man, there is only one name for a final secret art!
This is my Esoteric Art! Created in my own name, with every fiber of my being!
Witness this! Young Michikatsu!
Ninth Form: Rengoku—!!!!
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With a monstrous Battle Spirit like a surging pillar of fire, Rengoku kicked off the ground and rushed toward me.
The flames that erupted from the fire pillar—strong enough to make the earth tremble—transformed into something else and accelerated further.
■■■■■■■—!!!!!!
It was a single, massive fire dragon.
It is the same as my Moon Breathing, Ninth Form: Getsuga Shinsou or the Echoing Hashira Minase's Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, in the sense that it is a dashing technique where the entire body is thrown forward, but the sensation is different.
This does not prioritize speed.
It is a dashing technique where everything is concentrated solely on carving through the enemy with total power.
It is worthy of being called an Esoteric Art.
Sword energy in the shape of a burning fire dragon swirled around Tenjuro's entire body, opening its maw with fierce momentum. Spirals of residual embers coiled around the great dragon as it took flight.
The unmistakable King of Flames.
However. I have slain dragons many times over.
My apologies, but one is not enough.
Yes, you would need to bring at least eight more to even the score.
"Bear this in mind. No matter how strong a resolve you hold in that body, mere sentiment cannot defeat the strong."
I gripped the wooden sword with both hands, stomped my foot firmly, and took my stance.
Hooooooh.
Among the forms of Moon Breathing I use, this is the strongest technique in terms of pure slashing power.
The one and only Esoteric Art I trust, which cut through the secret technique of Upper Rank Zero and allowed me to hold my ground in a single exchange against Yoriichi, even with a wooden sword.
The strength required to shatter Yoriichi's wooden sword must surely resemble a blade struck down with all one's might.
To retreat is to fall. To fear is to die.
Sever him.
Moon Breathing
Eighth Form: Tensa Zangetsu · Getsuga Tensho
■■■■■—!!!!
Ssssssssp—!!!!!
Aside from Sun Breathing, these two styles stand at the pinnacle of offensive nature—and these are the ultimate secret techniques known as their Esoteric Arts.
The two sword spirits, swung by two swordsmen who have reached the Transparent World, collided as if to carve out the very world itself.
K-BOOOOOM—!!!!!!
Though only wooden swords clashed, a massive shockwave radiated outward, blowing up clouds of sand and dust.
As the sandstorm gradually subsided, two shadows were revealed: one standing, and one kneeling on a single knee.
The owner of the standing shadow was...
"Splendid, your fangs. They certainly... reached me."
Naturally, it was me.
"I... thank you... Young Michikatsu..."
The owner of the kneeling shadow was Rengoku, who managed to utter a single painful word before collapsing.
It seemed the accumulated damage and fatigue had finally pushed his body to its limit.
Still, I was surprised. To think he would actually reach the Transparent World in such a short time.
Did that nonsense philosophy I blurted out without any certainty actually help?
Could it be...?
I turned my gaze to Shimotsuki, who was standing beside us with a dazed expression.
"Shimotsuki, do you want to spar once more? If you play your cards right, I think you might reach the Transparent World too."
Faced with the sudden request for a rematch, being the battle-maniac he is, he naturally nodded.
I thrashed Shimotsuki just as I had Rengoku, and once again, he was beaten into a pulp.
Perhaps because he hadn't fully recovered from the previous spar, he didn't last long—but when I asked him later, he said that just before losing consciousness, he briefly saw the inside of my body. It seemed that while he hadn't fully arrived, he had reached the Transparent World temporarily.
Was the Transparent World really this easy to achieve?
At this point, I can't tell if these Hashira are just total geniuses, or if I'm an incredible teacher.
By the way.
"Why aren't these guys getting up?"
@@@
"What a mess. A total mess, Moon Hashira Tsugikuni. To think you turned two Hashira into critical patients in a single spar."
"Well, they reached the Transparent World, so isn't that a 'Lucky Vicky' situation in a way?"
"Huh?!"
I reflexively turned my head away from the sharp gaze of the military doctor with the pompadour hair.
I feel wronged. They were the ones who asked me to hit them.
But seriously, why on earth is there a pompadour hairstyle in the Sengoku period?
In conclusion, I had become a complete bastard who caused a massive loss in combat power during my vacation by beating down two of the Demon Slayer Corps' greatest assets.
The Master gave me an 'okay' sign saying it was fine, but is it really fine, Master?
Fortunately, since both Rengoku and Shimotsuki had manifested their Marks, their recovery rates were vastly enhanced; they would likely be ready for the front lines in about two days.
Regardless, standing there made my conscience prickle, so I left the infirmary immediately.
What I learned from thrashing them was that the difficulty of acquiring the Transparent World seems to drop significantly if one understands the theory or clearly knows what kind of state it is.
Unlike me, who barely reached it while knowing nothing, Rengoku and Shimotsuki reached it immediately after being pummeled by me, someone who had already arrived there.
However, while Rengoku reached it instantly, Shimotsuki didn't fully master it—suggesting that even if the difficulty drops, it remains obscenely high, requiring immense talent to reach.
Wait a minute.
'Before an attack, the lungs move greatly; you just need to look closely at the direction of the bones, the contraction of muscles, and the flow of blood.'
Suddenly, words Yoriichi told me when I was seven resurfaced from deep within my memory.
I had clearly known about the Transparent World since I was seven years old.
Furthermore, Yoriichi, who was always by my side, was a monster who had reached the Transparent World from the moment of his birth.
I had such a perfect teaching tool right next to me, so why did it take me ten years to reach the Transparent World...?
Are these guys really the geniuses? Am I actually just an ordinary man after all?