Ryomen Sukuna?
Rengoku could not help but recall the records he had once seen in ancient texts about the Demon god Sukuna.
"In the land of Hida there was a man named Sukuna. His body had two faces, each facing opposite directions, meeting at the top of his head with no neck. He had hands and feet on each side."
The two pairs of eyes on that face matched the description, though no sign of two pairs of hands and feet.
But for now, he did not intend to dwell on that. Whether Sukuna truly was the demon god or had taken that name for unknown reasons, the threat he posed was real.
Someone had to stop him. Otherwise, more people would only continue to die because of him!
Perhaps due to his injuries, or perhaps because of the pressure radiating from Sukuna, Rengoku felt his heartbeat accelerating.
Not only his heartbeat. His body heated up from the raging flames around him, and even his breath grew hot.
This was also a new experience for him. At this moment, he did not yet understand what it meant.
But Sukuna was clearly growing impatient. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Rengoku.
The Flame Hashira let go of all other thoughts and completely focused his attention on the battle, no longer thinking about how his opponent could possess such terrifying speed.
Sukuna had already moved in front of him, and only then did the ground where he had been standing seem to register the movement, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun."
Rengoku attacked directly. His Nichirin Blade blazed with roaring flames as he swung upward at Sukuna.
But unfortunately, he was unable to even complete the motion of lifting the blade.
He had barely raised it to chest level when Sukuna interrupted it midway with a single slash of his own.
But Rengoku responded calmly, shifting the deflected blade to the perfect height to cut across Sukuna's neck. He spun it mid-air and transitioned into another form.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Shiranui."
He watched his blade draw closer to his opponent's neck, his heartbeat accelerating without end.
Just a little more. If he could be just a bit faster, if he could cut off Sukuna's head before he could react, it would definitely be over!
His body seemed to answer his will. Power was squeezed out from within him. The speed and force of this slash far exceeded anything he had achieved before.
But then, in the next second, the world showed him its cruel side. Some things could not be accomplished through effort alone.
Just as the blazing blade was about to bite into Sukuna's neck, a screeching sound suddenly erupted—like sharp claws scraping across metal.
The Nichirin Blade in his hand would not move. It could not advance another fraction.
When he sought the reason, he was shocked by what he saw.
A mouth had appeared on Sukuna's neck!
That very mouth, with its solid teeth, had forcibly stopped the Shiranui.
He had put everything into this strike. Sukuna had stopped it with just his mouth?
Two pairs of eyes, two mouths. Could it actually be him!?
He understood now. The reason this slash had gone so smoothly was not because he was too fast for Sukuna to react, but because his opponent had no need for any extra movement. There was no way he could have landed that cut!
Sukuna then kicked him, sending him flying until he crashed into a tree not far behind and finally stopped.
Sukuna looked down at his opponent, a smile appearing on his face.
"Your name is Rengoku Kyojuro, right?"
"Compared to that first attack, your second attack was considerably faster."
"Now I'll take the initiative. Come on. Keep going. Show me more of that power!"
Rengoku coughed up a large mouthful of blood mixed with what looked like internal organ fragments, then slowly stood back up using his Nichirin Blade planted in the ground.
He could feel that two of his ribs had been broken by that kick.
He understood. Sukuna was still holding back. A different placement, a different type of attack, and he would already be dead.
But even facing this hopeless situation, he did not give up.
He recalled what his mother had said to him when he was young.
"Those born with greater talent must use their power for the sake of others in this world."
"Using the gifts of heaven to harm others or to line one's own pockets is unforgivable."
"Helping the weak is the duty of the strong. You must shoulder and fulfill that mission. Never forget it."
It was precisely because of his mother's teachings that he could not accept Sukuna's actions.
Even if Sukuna was not a demon, today one of the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest swordsmen—the Flame Hashira—would cut him down here!
"Oh?"
Sukuna could feel it. The brat in the distance was radiating an increasingly powerful aura.
To maintain such spirit even with a body that battered was truly no small feat by human standards.
Rengoku pushed Flame Breathing to its absolute limit, using his burning will to forcibly transcend his physical limits, pouring his entire soul and life into the next strike.
The pressure of his environment, his will, death, and that wildly pounding heart caused a mark to emerge on his cheek.
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
At his feet, it was as if real flames had ignited and engulfed him. When he charged at Sukuna, he moved like a blazing dragon.
Sukuna laughed.
"Heh. A fire dragon after a Water dragon?"
This time he did not immediately use Dismantle, that would have been too boring.
During his charge, Rengoku saw Sukuna move as well, swinging the Nichirin Blade in a way that was too familiar to him.
Even though Sukuna could not use Water Breathing and could not make the blade surge with waves, he still recognized it.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux.
-------------------------------
You can drop power stones to push this story forward.
If you feel more generous, leave a review(or do both)
If you don't want to forget this story exists, add it to your library to keep up with the updates.
Thank you for reading and your support so far!