No, one was his sun... the other was an eternal fire that paled not in the slightest compared to the sun, using its own Spiritual Pressure as a foundation to illuminate half the night sky!
*Whoosh!*
A windless breeze stirred.
The Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, once led by Ubuyashiki Kagaya, had now had their Aura Nodes opened by Roy. Having all converted to the [Sun], they looked up at the sky in unison. A layer of Nen film quietly coated their pupils as they immediately activated [Gyo]!
They saw it... they saw it... One was Lord Eiichiro... The other was an old man with a scarred, ferocious face and a weathered expression. His long beard trailed down, almost matching the white haori draped over his shoulders. Underneath, he wore a Shihakusho as black as ink. His aged eyes narrowed, making it impossible to read the spirit and emotions hidden within...
Kyojuro Rengoku, Gyomei Himejima, Giyu Tomioka, and the others wore solemn expressions. Upon noticing the sword held level in the old man's hand, its tip pointing directly at Roy, their hearts suddenly trembled. Even though they were dozens of kilometers away from the high heavens, it felt as if they had been pierced by the natural sharpness exuding from the blade's tip. Their intuition screamed, making them feel like they had thorns in their backs!
"So strong!"
"Who is this person?!"
"Giyu, do you know him?"
At Mount Sagiri, Urokodaki Sakonji rolled off his bed and scrambled up. He flashed over, joining Sabito, Makomo, and the others as they gathered around Giyu Tomioka. They stared in horror at the high heavens, where the two figures stood far apart, one having just drawn his sword.
The former Water Hashira had practiced the sword his entire life, yet this was the first time he had ever seen someone capable of banishing the night and changing the sky itself through sheer sword intent and oppressive aura alone!
"I don't know him." Giyu Tomioka's cold eyes were locked tightly onto Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. In that instant, he couldn't help but grip the Nichirin Sword at his waist. The four large characters for [Destroy Demons] engraved where the hilt met the blade seemed so pale at this moment... and so powerless!
*'If,'*
*'If the other party is a demon,'*
*'If,'*
*'If the other party wants to harm this world,'*
*'Without Eiichiro's help, could we really stand against him?'*
The haori woven with red, yellow, and white gently swayed in the wind. Giyu Tomioka bit his lip. Suddenly, his shoulder grew warm as Urokodaki Sakonji reached up and gently patted him.
The old man seemed to sense his turmoil and said gently, "Don't overthink it. The other party harbors no hostility. Besides,"
Urokodaki Sakonji looked proudly at Roy, who was silently facing Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and slightly raised his chin. "Believe in Eiichiro. He always brings miracles to everyone, doesn't he?"
"That's right... Senior Giyu, that guy Eiichiro is no ordinary person!"
"He's an absolute freak who can't be judged by common sense!"
"Shoo... shoo... shoo! Watch your mouth," a few small wooden puppets slid past, carrying a hint of drunkenness.
Now that they had bodies, Fukuda found it increasingly easy to manhandle Shinsuke... He raised a foot and kicked Shinsuke to the ground, seizing the opportunity to grab his back. *Smack, smack!* He delivered a few loud slaps to his face and scolded, "Nonsense! Carelessly discussing a god will get you struck by lightning!"
A god... Yes... Eiichiro had already become a god!
He had become the Sun God, praised and devoutly worshipped by the uncles and aunties in the market!
The wooden puppet possessed by Sabito still wore a small fox mask on its face. He gently patted the small wooden sword hanging at his waist, looking up at the sky with infinite emotion and reminiscence. Beside him, Makomo silently clenched her fists, uncharacteristically quiet.
"Eiichiro," the young girl murmured softly. Her amber eyes shifted, ultimately locking entirely onto Roy.
Under the watchful eyes of the masses, Roy tightened his grip on [Solar Eclipse]. He instantly erupted with a powerful [Ren] to resist the impact of Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's Spiritual Pressure. Squinting at the old man, he said, "Thank you for your mercy, Captain-Commander."
The boy's fiery red hair danced wildly in the air. Smiling, he asked, "May I ask, what fraction of your strength are you using?"
The strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years couldn't possibly be limited to just this level!
In the original story, if it weren't for his overwhelming strength overshadowing Ichigo Kurosaki, Roy wouldn't have believed for a second that someone of this man's caliber could have his Bankai so easily stolen, rendering him unable to unleash his full power and dying unjustly by Yhwach's sword!
*Whoosh!* The clash between Spiritual Pressure and [Ren] churned up a storm of energy that swept across the night sky...
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's graying beard swayed with the wind. As he narrowed his eyes, he felt the [Scorching True Intent] pouring out from Roy's [Ren]. In the next glance, it was as if he saw his younger self, unlocking his Zanpakuto for the first time, calling out the true name of Ryujin Jakka, and being left dumbfounded by the beauty of those brilliant, blazing flames...
Suppressing his voice...
"What fraction?" Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni gently stroked Ryujin Jakka with two fingers and said calmly, "Did you hear it?"
*Schwing!* A sword cry even sharper than that of [Solar Eclipse] pierced straight into the heavens!
Ryujin Jakka was drawn with a resounding clang. As the sword light spilled forth, it seemed to be angry, as if blaming Roy for the slight in his words. The moment the blade's tip pointed at Roy's brow, a strange rhythm rippled outward with a hum...
This rhythm was profoundly mysterious—formless, colorless, and odorless. Like water waves, it rippled and spread outward. Following that, another sword cry faintly echoed from the ground below.
That belonged to... Giyu Tomioka's Nichirin Sword, a blade that had slain an untold number of demons!
"Giyu, your sword!" The trembling Nichirin Sword abruptly caught everyone's attention. Before Giyu Tomioka could reach out and firmly hold it down, Sabito's sword, Makomo's sword...
Kyojuro Rengoku's... Gyomei Himejima's... Obanai Iguro's... Even the carving knife Urokodaki Sakonji kept in his robes for making masks began to tremble endlessly at the exact same time. It was as if... they had received the summons of the King of Swords!
In particular... the fire-attribute swords belonging to those who focused on Flame Breathing, led by Kyojuro Rengoku, reacted the most violently. They nearly flew out of their owners' hands, threatening to drag Kyojuro Rengoku straight up into the high heavens toward Ryujin Jakka, which was held level in Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's hand!
"Brother!" At the Rengoku household, Senjuro, who had been forced awake by the inversion of day and night, had just slipped on his wooden clogs. Grabbing the sword he used for his daily Flame Breathing practice, he hurried over in a panic. Suddenly, his body went light. Upon hearing the sword cry emitted by Ryujin Jakka, his suddenly frenzied sword dragged him up into the sky!
Lacking talent and courage, he refused to let go of the sword, screaming in terror. Fortunately... Shinjuro Rengoku, who had kicked his drinking habit and pulled himself together, arrived right on his heels. With a flying leap into the air, he grabbed Senjuro by the scruff of the neck and hauled him back down...
Only after his father helped him hold the sword down was the boy freed, panting heavily in lingering fear!
"Idiot, why didn't you let go?"
"Brother said that Lord Eiichiro once said a sword is a swordsman's life, so I couldn't let go!"
His father's fury and his younger brother's stubbornness played out right beside him... Kyojuro Rengoku's golden hair, tipped with red, swayed in the wind. The Aura Nodes in his palms opened, instantly releasing Nen to form [Ten], firmly locking down his own sword. In silence, he looked up, locking his gaze onto... the culprit trying to snatch away his beloved blade.
For the first time in his life, he felt it... Swords had emotions too! Just like humans... they possessed the rhythm of life!
"Father, Senjuro, watch closely. Don't even blink," the young man draped in a white haori said. His flame-like eyes stared fixedly at the sky. Taking a deep breath, he added, "My intuition tells me... this is a duel of swords the likes of which we may never see again in our lifetimes!"
That's right... "It is the sword calling, not the man..." In an inconspicuous temple in the western suburbs of Kyoto, a towering, burly monk sat on the stone steps. His massive frame nearly filled the entire temple gate. Tears streamed from his eyes like a fountain as he faced the firmament and silently prayed, "Praise the Sun!"
The iron chain beneath him rattled violently. He was using brute force to suppress it—the weapon connected to an axe on one end and a flail on the other... His Nichirin Sword, which in the past had only ever answered to him, Gyomei Himejima.
Yet, today, his old partner... had developed a rebellious heart!
Gyomei Himejima didn't blame it. If anything, he could only blame the fact that... his Nichirin Sword, much like himself, lacked experience. It had never seen... a blade and a man as formidable as Ryujin Jakka and Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!
A person could not imagine people or objects beyond their own comprehension, and naturally, they wouldn't understand the true terror of those entities that transcended their understanding!
At this moment, with that sword cry from Ryujin Jakka... the concept that "a sword is a swordsman's life" was completely materialized!
At Mount Sagiri, Urokodaki Sakonji gripped his carving knife and looked around... He saw Sabito, Makomo, Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others quickly calm down after their initial exclamations. Following Giyu Tomioka's example, they forcefully gripped their swords, suppressing them with martial might to force them to calm down!
Raising his eyes again, he looked at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who was stroking his gray beard opposite Roy. His emotions were like crashing waves, rising and falling, unable to find peace!
"Truly incredible."
"The sword intent precedes the strike," Urokodaki Sakonji murmured softly, his gaze profound as he watched Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. "To what level has a figure like you comprehended the way of the sword?"
Curiosity... Shock... The emotions ran rampant!
In this world, countless swords were flying and going berserk, alarming the entire realm. Suddenly... looking around...
It seemed that only the boy standing tall in the high sky, facing Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni from afar, and the flame-wreathed sword in his hand remained completely unaffected. In fact... it was almost too quiet!
"Are you not afraid?"
"Should I be?"
"Your sword refuses to submit?"
"Should it?"
"It shouldn't..." As Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's aged eyes opened and closed, he looked calmly at the boy. A flash of deep appreciation flickered in the depths of his gaze before he suddenly spoke in a resonant voice, "Have you seen enough?"
*Fwoosh!* Two suns rose within Roy's pupils, igniting and radiating boundless divine light that locked onto Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. Roy smiled faintly, maintaining his [Eye of Truth] without pause as he replied, "Should I have... seen enough?"
Slowly, a status panel emerged, feeding information back into his brain through the [Eye of Truth]...
Roy took a deep breath. With another glance, he narrowed his eyes at Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. Shifting from a one-handed grip to a two-handed one, he tightly grasped [Solar Eclipse], as if only this could bring him a shred of confidence and comfort.
"Come!"
A deep shout suddenly erupted from the boy's mouth, detonating across the horizon!
Roy's believers, including Ubuyashiki Kagaya, Giyu Tomioka, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Gyomei Himejima, faintly felt as though a sun was slowly rising from the tips of their hearts. As their blood surged, they felt it was... deafeningly profound!
Not to mention... the ordinary masses—men, women, young, and old—scattered everywhere, staring blankly up at the sky. A flush of red suddenly crept up their cheeks. As their internal organs vibrated, they felt an indescribable sense of boiling excitement and exhilaration!
*'Courage?'*
*'It's the courage possessed by humanity!'*
With his Spiritual Pressure blanketing the surroundings, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni noticed the trace of blood-pumping courage exhibited by the Hashira, the masses, and all thinking living creatures. He fell silent... Suddenly, he recalled a sentence once spoken to him by that child of the Shiba clan, the one who willingly discarded his identity as a Soul Reaper just to save a human woman...
"Humans absolutely cannot be underestimated, Captain-Commander."
"They possess the courage to step into the unknown, and for that, they are willing to sacrifice themselves... one after another!"
"Even if they become wandering souls, or fall and become [Void]s, they... will not hesitate!"
When Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni snapped back to reality, he stared blankly at Roy, and believed it.
The boy's heart had never wavered. The boy's fighting spirit, like the sword in his hand, had never diminished. The boy's unyielding nature—knowing full well he was outmatched, yet truly daring to draw his sword and fight back—that was courage.
"Indeed, the foolishness of humans, much like their courage, commands a whole new level of respect..."
*Boom!* The Spiritual Pressure and [Ren] collided once more, exploding with Nen as dazzling as fireworks. Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni slowly raised his hand and uttered a faint, "Good."
He raised Ryujin Jakka high and brought it down heavily... A simple vertical slash, aimed straight at Roy's brow!
The wind stopped, the clouds stilled. In that instant, the world lost its original colors. There was only a pitch-black vertical line, rushing forward neither fast nor slow, leaving Roy with nowhere to hide and no way to evade. It was both fast and slow, slow yet fast... a chaotic blur that could not be distinguished...
"Didn't you want to know what fraction of my strength I used?"
"See for yourself."
*Slash!* The black vertical line swept past a flying bird, and the bird was severed. It swept past the clouds, and the clouds were severed. It swept past the wind, the moonlight, and a green leaf inadvertently caught in the breeze... All were cleanly split in two.
It didn't even spare the gazes cast toward the high sky. It lightly brushed past and sliced through them, detonating a continuous wave of agonizing cries!
"Ah... my eyes!"
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much..."
Men, women, young, and old—as if rehearsed beforehand—all clutched their eyes the moment they noticed that thin black line. Among them...
Were even the Hashira... who had activated [Gyo] in advance, protecting their pupils with Nen!
*'What is the meaning of this?'* "Is this old man saying that I don't even have the qualifications to watch the battle?"
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