The moment Suguru Geto and Riko stepped back, the Tombs of the Star Corridor seemed to fall into an absolute vacuum.
No sound of breathing, no heartbeat, even the air itself ceased to flow.
This was the most oppressive stillness before the storm.
The next second.
"BOOM!"
Without warning, both moved at once!
The bluestone floor beneath Yoru's feet instantly shattered into countless pieces.
His figure was too fast for the naked eye to track, leaving only a dark red afterimage in the air.
Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!
Accompanied by a piercing sonic boom.
A perfect arc of flame, like the rising sun, carrying incinerating heat and an overbearing force, swept straight toward Toji Fushiguro's face!
"So fast!"
Toji Fushiguro's pupils shrank.
His proud animalistic instincts screamed a frantic, piercing warning at that moment!
'Danger! Extreme danger!'
This strike was one he absolutely could not take with his bare body!
Without hesitation, Toji pulled a pitch-black katana from Ushibao's mouth — the Special Grade Cursed Tool, Soul Splitter Katana!
This divine weapon, capable of ignoring all hardness and slicing directly through the soul, cut a cold black light through the air.
"CLANG!"
Sparks flew everywhere!
The flames of the Dance clashed violently with the black light of the Soul Splitter Katana in mid-air.
Two forces of pure physical power met in a direct confrontation.
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward from the center of the two men, and the surrounding stone pillars were instantly covered in cracks.
"You can actually withstand the edge of the Soul Splitter Katana?"
Toji felt the massive force vibrating through the blade, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips.
He used the momentum to retreat, his figure flickering through the ruins like a ghost before suddenly swinging his hand back.
"If one strike isn't enough, then try this!"
Toji's speed surged again, the Soul Splitter Katana trailing dense black afterimages as he sought an opening in Yoru's defenses.
"Too slow."
Yoru's eyes were cold as the Shiranui traced a brilliant circle in the air.
Sun Breathing, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!
This vertical circular slash from bottom to top carried rising flames, sealing off all of Toji's paths of attack.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sounds of continuous collisions echoed incessantly.
Toji discovered that his opponent's sword techniques were not only incredibly powerful but also carried a pressure as scorching as the sun.
Even the Soul Splitter Katana could not easily break through those layers of fire.
"Third Form: Burning Sun!"
Yoru pressed forward instead of retreating, his two horizontal arcing slashes acting like burning mirrors. While parrying Toji's side assault, he simultaneously countered by slicing toward the man's throat.
"Tch!"
Toji's toes tapped the ground, his body twisting in a bizarre, unnatural way to barely evade the strike.
He was shocked deep down.
This man's swordsmanship was perfected to the extreme.
Every move and form flowed seamlessly into the next, as if this wasn't a battle at all, but a lethal performance of the Sun Breathing art.
"It's not over yet!"
The moment Toji landed, he launched himself forward again like a coiled spring.
Utilizing the superhuman explosive power of his Heavenly Restriction, he flickered across the walls, launching a diving assassination attempt from Yoru's blind spot.
"Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow!"
Yoru's figure suddenly blurred.
Toji's Soul Splitter Katana pierced through Yoru's chest without resistance, yet there was no sensation of hitting flesh.
An afterimage!
"Fifth Form: Fire Wheel!"
The real Yoru had already leapt into the air, his body spinning as he delivered a high-speed rotational slash fueled by centrifugal force.
"BOOM!"
Toji blocked with his sword, but the strike — heavy as a falling mountain — slammed him directly into the ground.
"It's still not over."
The moment Yoru landed, his stance changed again.
"Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Shiranui spun wildly in the air, releasing spiral-shaped flame slashes.
This attack not only cut on a physical level but also carried an intense burning sensation that targeted both soul and body.
Even with Toji's iron will, his movements lagged for a tenth of a second when faced with such heat.
"Seventh Form: Beneficent Radiance!"
Yoru seized that split-second opening.
All the high heat concentrated at the tip of the blade, turning into a fine red light that lunged precisely for Toji's heart!
"Damn it!"
Toji roared, forcing his body to twist and using the flat of the Soul Splitter Katana to barely block the killing thrust.
The violent force sent him flying back over a dozen meters once again.
"Eighth Form: Sunflower Thrust!"
Yoru was relentless, closing the distance once more.
The tip of his blade vibrated at high speed, creating a blurred double image like a heat haze.
Toji clearly saw the blade coming for his shoulder and instinctively tried to sidestep.
However.
"Squelch!"
The blade that should have missed appeared eerily at his chest, carving a charred wound deep enough to see bone!
This visual deception in the slash made Toji's expression turn to horror for the first time.
"Ninth Form: Setting Sun Transformation!"
Yoru flipped upside down in mid-air, striking from a completely unconventional angle toward Toji's lower body.
"Bang!"
Toji scrambled to dodge the blow, his originally neat black short-sleeved shirt now soaked with blood and charred marks.
He gasped for air, his eyes filled with madness and solemnity.
"Ten moves... ten completely different sword techniques."
Toji wiped the blood from his mouth and stared fixedly at Yoru, who had landed and stabilized himself.
"You... just what kind of monster are you?"
Yoru slowly raised the Shiranui, the Slayer Mark on his cheek burning even brighter.
"Haven't you seen the final move yet?"
"In that case..."
Yoru took a deep breath, his blood circulation reaching extreme speeds.
"Tenth Form: Beneficent Radiance!"
Yoru soared into the sky.
High above, the Shiranui in his hand erupted with an unprecedented, blinding red light, like a true sun hanging from the dome of the Tombs of the Star Corridor!
Accompanied by a downward spiral of flame slashes, Yoru crashed down with unstoppable divine power!
At that moment.
The entire Tombs of the Star Corridor was enveloped by this extreme light and heat!
"RUMBLE!"
The earth shook!
"Slow motion? Such arrogant talk."
Toji slowly stood up amidst the billowing dust and fire.
Though covered in blood and having a large chunk of flesh torn from his left shoulder by the spiral sword qi of the Beneficent Radiance, the disdain on his face had completely vanished.
It was replaced by a terrifying, predatory glint that only appeared when facing a truly life-threatening enemy.
"Since it's come to this..."
Toji reached for Ushibao wrapped around his neck.
His raspy voice echoed through the ruins, carrying a spine-chilling madness.
"Then let me show you... what true despair looks like."
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