"Ah… damn it!" Genya, whose body had been severed at the waist, fell to the ground, a numb pain constantly emanating from his wound, cold sweat streaming down his face.
Enduring the pain, he contorted his face and reattached his separated lower body. Feeling a fine itch spreading from the wound, Genya let out a soft sigh of relief.
It's okay, it can still be reattached!
He's not dead yet!
Watching the Water Hashira and Mist Hashira intensely fighting Upper Rank One not far away, Genya slammed his fist against the ground in frustration.
Why was he still unable to make a difference?
His gaze fell on the half-broken blade on the ground nearby—it was the Upper Rank's sword… If he ate it… could he become stronger?
Genya swallowed hard, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple.
His inner struggle lasted only a moment before Genya made up his mind.
What he would become, he didn't know yet… He only knew that if he didn't act now, he would only be filled with regret!
With one hand pressing on his still not fully reattached lower body, he laboriously crawled forward with the other, dragging his entire body closer to the broken blade.
Picking up the broken blade, without hesitation, Genya forcibly swallowed the broken sword. The sharp edge cut through his mouth and throat. He struggled to suppress the urge to vomit, finally swallowing the blade.
"Thump!" Covering his violently beating chest, Genya let out a difficult groan, his forehead painfully pressed against the ground.
"Boom!"
Water Breathing!
Mist Breathing!
Gentle water and swirling mist intertwined. At this moment, Giyuu and Muichiro were both at their limits, but they gritted their teeth, unwilling to give up.
Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Droplet Ripple, Chaos!
His leg muscles tensed, increasing his speed to its maximum!
His footsteps were as light and swift as a dragonfly skimming the water, minimizing both the landing time and area of his feet. Flowing water rushed at Kokushibou from all directions!
His left hand was almost numb… Giyuu's head barely dodged the sharp nichirin blade, his eye corner cut, blood staining his vision, everything blurry before him.
If the opponent released another wide-range attack, his Dead Calm would absolutely not be able to defend against it!
"!"
The nichirin blade slashed directly at his waist and abdomen. Giyuu reacted in time, blocking it with his nichirin blade at his side. He was forcefully sent flying, his back hitting someone. Giyuu looked and saw it was—Sanemi Shinazugawa!
"Get out!" Sanemi pushed Giyuu away, tossing a healing potion to him.
"You go heal over there, you're in the way!"
Giyuu caught the potion, responding blankly.
"I have this."
"If you have it, why aren't you using it?!" Sanemi roared.
"Saving it for you all."
"ꐦ!" Sanemi's eye twitched, his chest heaving violently. He simply ignored Giyu Tomioka.
His eyes, practically spitting fire, glared at Kokushibou. He glanced at his younger brother kneeling nearby, and secretly let out a sigh of relief. When Genya was cut in half, for that instant, his mind went blank, only a ringing sound remained in his head.
Fortunately, Genya was still alive… Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Solitary Moon, Incessant!
Mist Breathing, Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist!
"Huff… huff… cough…" Muichiro's crimson nichirin blade was almost impossible to maintain. His body had clearly reached its limit, relying almost entirely on his tenacious willpower to keep moving.
Staring at the wounds he had inflicted on Kokushibou, he clenched his nichirin blade hilt in frustration.
Why were his attacks always so easily seen through by the opponent?
If Uzui's poison wasn't still effective in him, he might not even have had a chance to harm him.
What exactly could his eyes see?
…"Cough… cough cough…"
Uzui Tengen struggled to his feet, breathing with difficulty. Each breath was accompanied by unimaginable pain.
Under the enhancement of his Score, he could find the opponent's blind spots, but every time he attacked Upper Rank One's blind spots, the opponent seemed to know in advance and blocked it.
His dark pink eyes stared fixedly at Kokushibou. Uzui Tengen wondered… [What exactly could his three pairs of eyes see?]
Frowning, Uzui Tengen tried hard to comprehend, to glimpse everything in Kokushibou's eyes.
"…?"
Suddenly, Uzui Tengen's eyes widened slightly, and blood flowed uncontrollably from his slightly parted lips.
This is?
For a fleeting moment, Uzui Tengen saw through Kokushibou's body, clearly seeing his internal organs, even the direction of blood flow and the trajectory of muscle movements.
Everything was as if transparent… Gradually, Uzui Tengen's eyes lit up little by little.
This is it!
This transparent world!
Uzui Tengen grinned, the pain in his lungs no longer mattered.
Flashy… It's too flashy!
Combined with the Score… there's a chance to win!
Opening the cork and drinking the last half bottle of healing potion, feeling the continuous surge of power within him, Uzui Tengen took a deep breath.
Now, it's time for the final decision!
"Whoosh!"
Uzui Tengen instantly vanished from his spot!
…Wind Breathing, Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!
Sanemi Shinazugawa leaped high, pouring all his strength into his nichirin blade. He flew over Kokushibou's head, launching a slash, a furious gale like a passing typhoon.
"Die! Bastard!"
Moon Breathing, Tenth Form: Piercing Slash, Lozenge Moon!
Sanemi Shinazugawa, wounded by the attack, didn't care. Or rather, it was good that he was bleeding!
The scent of his Marechi blood made even Kokushibou unable to remain calm. He pressed his lips tightly together, not wanting to display the unsightly behavior of an ordinary demon, and still steadily blocked Muichiro and Sanemi's attacks.
Mist Breathing, Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds!
Muichiro, moving at high speed, had every one of his attacks detected by Kokushibou. No matter the angle, the opponent seemed to have divine sight.
Was it really what his eyes could see?
Eyes… [Speed that surpasses the limits you can capture, as if time has stopped.]
Yoizumi-ge's words from that day echoed repeatedly in his mind.
Speed, limit, stop.
Could he… do it?
Like Yoizumi-nii, surpass the limit!
He can do it… believe in himself!
Because… he's a genius!
"Hm?" Kokushibou's eyes followed Muichiro's figure, and gradually, he realized… he couldn't make out the opponent's movements anymore?!
His speed was too fast for him to capture!
Was this still a human?
"Where are you looking?!" Sanemi Shinazugawa roared, a fierce attack slashing towards Kokushibou's neck. The wind blade from his nichirin blade even cut his neck.
Kokushibou swung his nichirin blade at Sanemi's arm. A figure instantly appeared before his eyes; Uzui Tengen reappeared.
Those two nichirin blades… are aiming for my left side…!
Blood splattered.
Crimson demon blood splattered onto Kokushibou's face. His right arm was severed.
"Hmph… A flashy re-entrance!" Uzui Tengen said with a grin, elegantly flicking the blood off his nichirin blades.
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