While the clash between users of Forest Breathing, Shinichi and Shunichi, erupted, a fated bloody battle was also taking place in another part of the Infinity Castle.
Boom!!!
A loud noise like a landslide exploded in the open platform space.
Gyomei Himejima's tall body suffered a heavy blow, flying backward uncontrollably.
He smashed fiercely through three layers of wooden walls before finally embedding into the fourth to barely come to a stop.
Rubble and wood chips buried half his body.
"Cough...!" Himejima groaned, a distinct metallic sweetness rising in his throat.
Several glaring sword wounds were visible on his bare arms, blood flowing down his arms onto his Nichirin Flail and Axe.
Himejima raised his head, his expression grave on a face as resolute as rock.
Although they had exchanged blows before, clashing with Kokushibo's swordsmanship again put him under immense pressure.
If not for the terrifying defensive power and force-dispersing techniques of Stone Breathing, that last slash would have been enough to sever his arm!
"Himejima-san!" Seeing Himejima knocked back by Kokushibo, Yuichiro Tokito shouted anxiously, attempting to rush in Himejima's direction.
"I'm fine, Yuichiro!" Himejima struggled to break free from the wall.
His voice, though hoarse, remained steady.
"Hold your position! This guy's speed and strength are both incredibly high!"
Before his voice faded, that nightmare-like figure appeared in the center of the battlefield once again: Upper Rank One—Kokushibo.
He merely let that slender, distorted blade forged of flesh hang loosely.
His six chilling scarlet eyes slowly scanned the entire area, showing neither triumph nor urgency.
It was as if heavily injuring the Stone Pillar just now was a trivial matter; the very existence of Upper Rank One was a despair-inducing oppression.
"My evaluation remains the same. Among the Stone Breathing swordsmen I have killed, you are the strongest. But," Kokushibo's voice was as still as an ancient well, like ice frozen for ten thousand years, "that is all. The human body has its limits."
As he spoke, Kokushibo's gaze finally landed on the Tokito brothers, who were guarding against him on the left and right.
In that instant, Yuichiro felt a freezing chill shoot from his spine straight to the top of his head, as if he were being thoroughly seen through by a ferocious beast.
Kokushibo's six eyes lingered on Yuichiro and Muichiro for a moment, focusing especially on their eyes, the contours of their faces, and... a certain mysterious, special connection.
"Hm?" Kokushibo let out an extremely faint nasal sound of confusion, simultaneously taking a step forward.
With just one step, the air seemed to freeze.
Massive pressure squeezed in from all directions, making Yuichiro and Muichiro's breathing turn heavy.
"You two..." Kokushibo's voice carried a subtle, indescribable fluctuation for the first time—like confusion, or perhaps some memory being triggered.
"...What is your surname?"
Yuichiro gritted his teeth; he was in no mood to chat with a demon. "What does our surname have to do with you? Demon!"
"Tokito," Muichiro spoke calmly, his cool, youthful voice exceptionally clear in the oppressive space.
"Our surname is Tokito."
"Tokito..." Kokushibo repeated in a low voice.
The pupils of his six scarlet eyes contracted slightly, but immediately returned to normal.
However, the look he gave the brothers changed subtly. It was no longer the look of eyeing prey for slaughter, but now held a trace of... scrutiny.
"I see..." Kokushibo slowly raised the distorted blade in his hand. "So the bloodline... was lost to the outside and the surname changed..."
These strange words rang in the ears of the Tokito brothers.
Bloodline? What bloodline?
Gyomei Himejima heard this as well.
His clouded, blind eyes "looked" toward the Tokito brothers.
Recalling conversations he once had with the Master, the surname Tokito seemed to belong to the descendants of a very remarkable swordsman from centuries ago.
However, before they could think deeply, Kokushibo's attack descended again!
And this time, his target was clear—not the strongest of the three, Gyomei Himejima, but... the Tokito brothers!
"Moon Breathing · First Form · Dark Moon, Evening Palace."
A massive gray-purple crescent-shaped sword slash, its edges lined with tiny crescent blades, silently tore through the air, instantly crossing tens of meters to slash at Yuichiro and Muichiro!
"Watch out!" Himejima shouted a warning, simultaneously spinning the Nichirin Flail in his hand with great force and throwing it violently!
"Stone Breathing -Fifth Form Arcs of Justice!"
Just as Himejima shouted, the Tokito brothers moved.
Becoming Hashira-level swordsmen at the age of fifteen relied not on luck; their strength was not as immature as their age!
With just an exchange of glances, the brothers, connected by heart and mind, took action.
"Maple Breathing · Fourth Form · Autumn Fire Dyeing Dance!"
Yuichiro poured his strength into the maple-red Nichirin Sword in his hand.
A riotous flurry of maple-red slashes rose like dancing autumn leaves; while dazzling and colorful, they possessed enough power to block all of Kokushibo's crescent sword chi!
At the same time!
"Mist Breathing-Seventh Form Obscuring Clouds!"
Muichiro's figure instantly became ethereal and indistinct.
A pale blue mist seemed to appear in a trance, and in the next second, his swift figure, wrapped in a condensed line of azure blade light, slashed toward Kokushibo!
On the left was the Stone Hashira's whistling Nichirin Flail; on the right was the Mist Hashira's fatal blade light.
It seemed unavoidable, but... that would only be true for an ordinary person!
"Moon Breathing · Fifth Form · Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"
Vortex-like blade winds swirling around his own body emerged around Kokushibo, forcefully repelling the approaching Gyomei Himejima and Muichiro Tokito.
"Moon Breathing · Sixth Form · Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant!"
The distorted blade in Kokushibo's hand simultaneously concentrated a rapid barrage of cross-slashes on the retreating Muichiro.
Several blade beams wrapped in crescents forced Muichiro to constantly swing his sword in defense.
"Moon Breathing · Second Form · Pearl Flower Moongazing!"
With a spinning turn, Kokushibo swung out two more blade lights.
"Maple Breathing · Second Form · Light Dance Slash!"
Yuichiro raised his sword in time.
With a Light Dance Slash, he blocked Kokushibo's attack, though the web of his thumb went numb from the shock.
Kokushibo turned his wrist, the distorted blade performing a graceful flourish. His six scarlet eyes looked coldly at Yuichiro and Muichiro.
He did not continue attacking; instead, it seemed he was... observing, or confirming something.
"Too weak," he said indifferently, his voice betraying neither disappointment nor anything else. "You have inherited my bloodline, yet is this the extent of your skill...? Or is it because... you are too young?"
"What? Your bloodline? Who are you?"
Hearing Kokushibo's words, Yuichiro felt struck by lightning.
Did he hear that right? What was this Upper Rank One saying? His bloodline?
Muichiro also looked up, unprecedented anger burning in his cool eyes. "What kind of joke is this? How could we possibly be related to a demon like you!"
"Oh? You don't believe it? And it has stirred up your fighting spirit instead?" Kokushibo seemed to gain a sliver of interest.
"Then, let me see how much power that thin bloodline within you can erupt with under the threat of death."
He raised his sword again.
This time, the flesh on the blade body seemed to come alive, twisting as even more grotesque branches emerged.
In an instant, the temperature of the entire Infinity Castle seemed to drop several degrees.
"Moon Breathing · Seventh Form · Mirror of Misfortune - Moonlit."
Before the blade light even emerged, a terrifying killing intent had already locked onto the Tokito brothers!
The power of this move was far beyond anything before!
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