"Cough—cough!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa climbed back to his feet, coughing hard. He glared at Shuya with pure contempt. "Hah? Don't tell me you're seriously claiming your strength is on the same level as Yoriichi Tsugikuni from the Sengoku era?"
"No," Shuya answered. He shook his head, a confident smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'm stronger than Yoriichi."
Unless Yoriichi was secretly on the level of the Chimera Ant King, Shuya was certain of it. With perfect mastery of all six Nen types and the massive aura reserves he had gained from Saeko's endless zombie slaughter over the past year, he didn't see any way he could lose to a native swordsman from this world.
He gently signaled Nezuko, who was still hugging his arm, to let go. Then he walked alone to the center of the courtyard and slowly dropped into a low stance.
No one understood what the hell he was doing.
Except Saeko—and Gyomei.
Saeko knew because she was a Nen user. With Gyo active, she could clearly see the enormous aura surging around him.
Gyomei knew because he was blind. He didn't rely on sight. He perceived everything through his other senses, and his Breathing mastery was deeper than any of the other Hashira.
"Ah… What an overwhelmingly powerful presence…!!" Gyomei pressed his palms together in prayer, tears streaming down his face. "Namu Amida Butsu…"
He had no idea what Nen was, but the instant Shuya took that stance, the aura he sensed changed completely. In a single breath, the man went from an ordinary person to a terrifying titan.
He had never felt anything like it.
At that moment, Gyomei began to wonder if Shuya really did possess strength equal to—or greater than—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The other Hashira heard Gyomei's words and their expressions turned grave. They watched Shuya's every move.
Then Shuya did something even more incomprehensible.
He raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and lightly tapped the ground.
The moment his knuckles touched the earth—
A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
Invisible pressure exploded outward in every direction.
Anything the wave touched—rock, dirt, whatever—turned to dust and vanished into the sunlight.
Shuya had deliberately held back so the blast wouldn't hurt anyone, but the Hashira still had to shield their eyes with their hands just to keep watching.
A thunderous boom shook the entire courtyard.
When the dust and pressure finally settled, everyone saw it.
A perfectly circular crater more than two meters deep had formed with Shuya at its center. The walls were unnaturally smooth, as if the ground had been carved out by a giant scoop rather than brute force.
"Impossible!!" Sanemi shouted first, refusing to believe it.
No human could produce that kind of destructive power. He rubbed his eyes hard, convinced it had to be some kind of illusion or Blood Demon Art.
"Amazing!" Kyojuro Rengoku's fiery eyes widened. "Hahaha! Now that is a powerful strike! If it landed on Muzan, it would turn him into dust!"
Shuya stayed quiet. He simply swept his gaze across the Hashira.
Their reactions varied, but every single one was visibly shaken.
This wasn't an ordinary punch.
Shuya had used the advanced Nen technique called Ko (hard)—the ultimate combination of Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, and Gyo. He gathered every last bit of aura into his fist, condensed it to maximum density, then released it all in one strike.
Simple. Brutal. Extremely effective.
In the hands of an Enhancer, Ko produced terrifying power.
And this was still far from his full strength.
If he went all-out right now, Shuya was confident he could pulverize a small mountain.
"Master Ubuyashiki," he said, turning to the leader, "how does that punch look to you? Think Muzan could survive it?"
Ubuyashiki didn't answer right away.
Shuya had just used the classic "open-window theory."
You don't ask to open a window. You demand to tear the whole roof off. When they refuse, you "compromise" by asking for the window instead—and they agree.
The first question—whether Ubuyashiki was willing to pay any price to kill Muzan—had been the roof.
He had agreed.
Now the second question—whether he would fully support and cooperate with someone capable of defeating Muzan—was the window.
After already accepting the roof demand, how could he possibly refuse the window?
In short, Shuya had used both words and raw power to back the Master into a corner.