"W-what did you say?" Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira, asked incredulously, his flamboyant headpiece gently swaying with his movements.
"I said," Mr. Allen repeated calmly, "all nine of you come at once. It'll save time."
Sanemi Shinazugawa immediately drew his nichirin blade, pointing its tip directly at Mr. Allen: "Arrogant fool! I can handle you by myself!"
The Wind Hashira's roar broke the brief silence, and the other Hashira-ranked swordsmen also showed expressions of anger or disbelief.
"How utterly brazen!" Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, said coldly, the white snake coiled around his neck flicking its tongue.
"Oh my, this is truly..." Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, blushed, both surprised and a little flustered.
Giyu Tomioka, the Water Hashira, stood silently to the side, watching Mr. Allen with a complex gaze. As the only one who had personally witnessed Mr. Allen's strength, he understood the weight of this proposal better than the other Hashira.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki coughed softly, and the courtyard fell silent again. He turned to Mr. Allen, his voice still gentle: "Mr. Allen, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course," Mr. Allen replied calmly.
"And I suggest you all go all out, otherwise you might lose very badly."
These words completely ignited the fury of the Hashira-ranked swordsmen. Even the gentlest of them, Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, frowned.
"Master! Please allow us to teach this arrogant fellow a lesson!" Sanemi Shinazugawa knelt on one knee, requesting.
Kagaya Ubuyashiki pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Since that is the case, then let us proceed as Mr. Allen wishes. However, remember to stop before serious injury; this is merely a spar."
The nine Hashira-ranked swordsmen responded in unison: "Yes!"
A clear space was quickly made in the center of the courtyard. Mr. Allen stood in the middle, surrounded in a fan shape by the nine Hashira-ranked swordsmen.
A tense atmosphere filled the air, and even the Kasugai Crows wisely flew to higher branches to observe the battle.
"Begin," Kagaya Ubuyashiki announced softly.
Almost at the same instant, the nine Hashira-ranked swordsmen launched their attacks simultaneously. Sanemi Shinazugawa's Wind Breathing, Shinobu Kocho's Insect Breathing, Uzui Tengen's Sound Breathing... various dazzling sword techniques intertwined, assailing Mr. Allen in the center.
However, Mr. Allen's figure moved through the sword light like a ghost. His movements seemed slow, yet he always managed to evade attacks by mere millimeters.
Even more astonishing was that he did not use any weapons throughout the entire process, parrying or neutralizing the Hashira's offensives with only his bare hands.
"How is this possible?" Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes widened. His proud Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter, was blocked by Mr. Allen with a single hand.
The violent wind blade spun in Mr. Allen's palm, yet it could not harm him in the slightest.
Mr. Allen's five fingers closed, and the wind blade shattered: "Your attack is too scattered."
Shinobu Kocho's poisoned blade was about to pierce Mr. Allen's back, but he deftly turned, avoiding it, and even flicked her blade with his index finger.
With a crisp 'ding,' Shinobu Kocho felt a tremendous force that numbed her wrist, and her nichirin blade nearly slipped from her grasp.
"Such powerful strength!" Shinobu Kocho thought, startled.
"Insect Hashira, poison is ineffective against me," Mr. Allen's voice was eerily calm.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!" Giyu Tomioka's slashes were continuous like a tide.
Mr. Allen did not move his feet, avoiding all attacks with only slight movements of his upper body.
"Too slow, Giyu, not agile enough." Mr. Allen suddenly reached out, and to Giyu Tomioka's astonished gaze, precisely pinched his blade.
Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira's, meteor hammer whistled towards him. Mr. Allen lightly leaped, tapping his toe on the hammerhead, using the momentum to flip behind Gyomei Himejima.
"Good strength, but too clumsy," Mr. Allen commented.
The nine Hashira's offensives grew increasingly fierce. Sword light flashed in the courtyard, and the unique essences of each breathing style intertwined into a dazzling tapestry.
However, Mr. Allen remained at ease. His movements were simple and efficient, each action perfectly timed to interrupt the Hashira's attacks.
The expressions of the nine Hashira gradually changed from shock to solemnity. They realized that this seemingly ordinary young man possessed unfathomable strength.
"Everyone, this man is too flamboyant, let's all attack together!" Uzui Tengen, the Sound Hashira, shouted loudly.
The nine Hashira quickly adjusted their positions, forming a perfect encirclement.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's wind, Kyojuro Rengoku's flame, Shinobu Kocho's poison, Giyu Tomioka's water... nine breathing styles erupted simultaneously, attacks coming from all directions.
Mr. Allen finally became somewhat serious. He bent his knees slightly, his entire body tensed, and at the instant the attacks were about to strike, in a flash—
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, the flagstone beneath Mr. Allen's feet shattered. His figure suddenly vanished from his original spot, leaving behind an afterimage. All of the nine Hashira's attacks missed, nearly hitting each other instead.
"He's up there!" Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira, was the first to notice the anomaly.
Everyone looked up to see Mr. Allen floating in mid-air, looking at them with a hint of amusement.
The nine Hashira-ranked swordsmen looked up at Mr. Allen, who was suspended in the air, their faces filled with disbelief.
Sanemi Shinazugawa's hand, gripping his blade, trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"What is this? How is this possible?" he gritted his teeth, his voice filled with unconcealed shock.
Shinobu Kocho's sweet smile had long vanished, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. She gripped her nichirin blade tightly, her knuckles white: "How can a human fly?"
Giyu Tomioka silently watched Mr. Allen in the air, his gaze complex. Although he had witnessed Mr. Allen's strength before, the ability displayed now still exceeded his imagination.
"A flamboyant technique!" Uzui Tengen whistled, but his eyes no longer held the previous disdain, only deep admiration.
"It seems we'll have to get serious."
Gyomei Himejima clasped his hands together, murmuring, "Amitabha, this benefactor's power has already surpassed common sense."
Mitsuri Kanroji's cheeks were flushed, both nervous and excited: "So amazing! Truly amazing!"
Mr. Allen slowly descended to the center of the courtyard, his robes fluttering. He looked around at the nine Hashira-ranked swordsmen and calmly said, "Do you wish to continue?"
Sanemi Shinazugawa roared, "Don't look down on us!"
He violently swung his blade: "Wind Breathing, Seventh Form: Gale, Sudden Gusts!"
A violent wind blade swept towards Mr. Allen.
At the same time, the other eight Hashira also attacked simultaneously: Kyojuro Rengoku's Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku! Shinobu Kocho's Insect Breathing, Dance of the Bee: Sting! The ultimate techniques of nine breathing styles erupted simultaneously, and the entire courtyard was engulfed in dazzling sword light.
"Ah, young people truly have vigor."
Mr. Allen sighed, then simply raised his right hand. An invisible force spread out from him as its center. The nine Hashira's attacks came to an abrupt halt three meters away from him, as if they had struck an invisible wall.
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