Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
That blue shimmering light didn't appear out of thin air. It was like a drop of ink, silently spreading across the pure white canvas called "Despair," expanding from a single point into a calm lake surface.
And that figure stood in the middle of the lake.
The Split-Blade Demon raised its massive blade high, concentrating all its power into this devastating, mountain-splitting strike. Its crimson pupils, dilated with excitement, were fixed on the pitiful prey below, about to be crushed.
However, just as his blade was about to touch his opponent, that man appeared.
He stood there quietly, positioned between his fatal blow and the user of the Wind Breathing, as if he had been in that position from the very beginning.
For a fleeting second, Split-Blade Demon's mind went blank.
Who is he?
When did he appear?
Why... why didn't I notice at all?!
Immediately afterwards, a chilling fear shot straight to the top of my head!
At that moment, all the muscles in his body tensed uncontrollably, and every hair on his body stood on end from extreme trembling!
He saw the man's face clearly.
A face so cold and devoid of emotion, and a pair of ice-blue eyes as deep and unfathomable as an ancient, icy pool.
Those eyes, though calmly fixed on him, made Split-Blade Demon feel as if he had been seen through from the inside out, from his flesh and blood to his soul.
All his offensive intentions, all his evasive maneuvers, all his pride in his strength and speed, became a ridiculous joke in the face of those eyes.
It's... it's a pillar!!
The thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!
As a demon who has lived for over a hundred years and is only one step away from the Twelve Kizuki, he possesses absolute pride.
He has slaughtered countless Demon Slayer Corps, and even some lower-ranking A-Rank swordsmen have been his prey.
He firmly believed that if he had just a little more time, and if he could kill one of the Pillars, he could gain that person's favor and truly enter the realm of the Upper Rank.
But now, with the real Pillar standing before him, he realized just how terribly wrong he had been.
That's not strength.
That was an absolute crushing defeat on a level of life itself!!
Just as a human looks down at an ant at his feet, there is an insurmountable chasm between him and the man in front of him!
Escape!
We must escape!!
Now! Immediately! Right now!!
This thought overwhelmed all his pride and arrogance, becoming his only instinct at that moment!
The Split-Blade Demon's reaction was incredibly fast.
He didn't even think about how his attack would be neutralized. Instead, he forcefully twisted his wrist in mid-air and hurled the massive blade, carrying immense force, at the completely terrified Murata!
A feint to the east while attacking in the west! A siege of Wei to relieve Zhao!
This is the most effective escape technique he honed through countless life-or-death battles!
At the same time, using the reaction force generated by the throw, his massive body twisted in mid-air, like a cannonball, and he fled frantically in the opposite direction from Giyu Tomioka!
He could even imagine that the pillar would inevitably try to block the giant blade in order to save his weaker companion, and that brief opening would be his only chance to escape!
He will survive!
Then become stronger!
One day... one day he will return and repay the humiliation he suffered today a hundredfold!!
It's over.
When that green figure was blasted into the air by a tremendous force, Murata's heart sank to the bottom.
As the gray-blue demon god raised his giant blade, preparing to deliver a fatal blow, his brain completely shut down.
He could only stare blankly as the leader who had been protecting everyone was about to be crushed into mincemeat by that terrifying blow.
He wanted to shout, to rush forward, but his body felt like it was filled with lead; he couldn't even move a finger.
However, at that critical moment...
A blue figure appeared.
His entrance was simply indescribable. He appeared so abruptly, yet so harmoniously, in the center of the most desperate scene.
Time, in Murata's senses, was stretched out infinitely.
He saw that the demonic figure's arrogant smile freeze the moment it saw the blue figure, replaced by a fear he had never seen before, a fear that came from the depths of its soul.
He saw the demon change the direction of the giant blade. The door-sized weapon, gleaming with a cold light, drew a shrill arc in the air, spinning and whistling as it flew towards him!
"Ah..."
Murata stared wide-eyed at the rapidly enlarging shadow of death in his field of vision.
So... after all this, am I still going to die today?
He wanted to laugh, but found he didn't even have the strength to twitch the corners of his mouth.
His incredibly good luck, in the end... eventually ran out.
He resignedly closed his eyes, awaiting the excruciating pain of his body being torn apart.
However, the expected pain did not come.
Instead, there was a crisp sound, like the soft tinkling of jade stones colliding.
Murata trembled as he slowly opened his eyes a crack.
Then, he witnessed a scene he would never forget, a scene that was almost miraculous.
Giyu Tomioka had somehow appeared in front of him.
He simply stood there calmly, extended his left hand, and effortlessly caught the massive, rapidly spinning cleaver—a cleaver powerful enough to cleave a carriage in two!
Murata's mouth opened to its widest extent without him even realizing it.
His brain completely shut down because of the scene before him that defied all the laws of physics.
Then, something even more incredible happened.
Giyu Tomioka tightened his grip on the blade slightly.
"Click... click..."
A crisp, spiderweb-like cracking sound rang out.
The massive, incredibly heavy cleaver, forged from a thousand-times-refined steel, began to show countless fine cracks from the point where his five fingers touched it!
The next second!!
"Bang!!"
A muffled thud!
The entire giant blade exploded in his palm! It turned into hundreds and thousands of metal fragments of varying sizes, scattering like celestial flowers all over the ground with a clanging sound!
Throughout the entire ordeal, Giyu Tomioka's expression remained completely unchanged.
It was as if what he had just crushed wasn't a piece of hard steel, but just a fragile cookie.
Murata was completely dumbfounded. o_O
At the same time, he heard a soft sound, like a thread being rustled by the wind.
He instinctively turned his head to look at the demon that was frantically fleeing.
He saw that the demon's enormous body, propelled by inertia, was still struggling to run forward.
But at some point, a thin, faintly fluorescent blue thread appeared around its neck.
That thread was so fine, so faint, that it was almost imperceptible in the moonlight.
The silk thread flashed gently.
Then...
The Split-Blade Demon's enormous head, filled with terror and bewilderment, slid smoothly and silently off its neck.
The head tumbled in the air, while the headless body, propelled by inertia, staggered forward for more than ten meters before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Pain.
My whole body aches.
The leading boy felt his consciousness being swallowed by boundless darkness. He used his last bit of strength to keep himself from passing out.
He heard his companions' exclamations and the whooshing sound of the giant blade cutting through the air.
He knew it was all over.
However, just as he was about to give up, a refreshing, mountain spring-like scent roused him from his daze.
He struggled to open his eyes and saw the headless corpse crashing to the ground.
Are we... saved?
Who...?
He turned his neck with difficulty, his gaze passing over his stunned companions, and finally settling on the man wielding Nichirin Blade and wearing a strangely colored haori.
Water Hashira... Giyu Tomioka!
It really is him!
He really... came!
An explosive surge of ecstasy and excitement instantly overwhelmed the excruciating pain in my body!
Masachika felt a surge of heat rush to his head. He wanted to stand up and, like a true swordsman, express his highest respect to the hero who had saved everyone!
But as soon as he moved slightly, a heart-wrenching pain shot through his chest, causing him to cough violently again.
Just then, he saw Giyu Tomioka turn around and walk towards him.
He walked past the shaken team members, came straight to himself, and then squatted down.
Those icy blue eyes quietly examined the wounds on his body, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
"Can you still move?"
Giyu Tomioka's voice, like the man himself, is cool and concise.
The boy opened his mouth, as if to say it was okay, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he burst into another fit of coughing.
Giyu Tomioka asked no further questions.
He took out a small medicine bottle and a clean roll of bandage from his pocket, and then, surprisingly, he began to treat the wound himself.
The cool ointment, with a hint of herbal fragrance, was applied to the wound and immediately suppressed the burning pain.
Next, bandages were wrapped tightly around her chest, one loop at a time. The movements were practiced and professional, even more efficient than those of the Butterfly Mansion's support staff.
The boy froze completely.
He could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Giyu Tomioka.
He could feel the other person's slightly cool fingertips, and the occasional touch of them on his skin.
His face flushed bright red instantly!
Oh my god!!
Lord Water Hashira... the legendary powerful, aloof, and unapproachable Lord Water Hashira is actually... actually bandaging my wounds himself?!
Am I... am I dreaming?!
Oh... I can't accept this! I'm so dirty! Covered in blood and mud!
The boy waved his hands repeatedly, his voice stammering:
"No... no, thank you! Lord Giyu! I... I can do it myself!!"
However, Giyu Tomioka merely glanced at him indifferently, but his hands did not stop moving at all. Instead, he pressed him back with an irrefutable force.
"Don't move."
These two short words carry an irresistible authority.
The boy immediately froze, his body stiff as he was at the mercy of the other man, his face flushed crimson.
The bandaging was completed quickly.
Giyu Tomioka tied the last knot, stood up, and looked down at him.
"Name, Rank."
"Yes!!"
The boy instinctively straightened his back and answered loudly.
"Demon Slayer Corps Rank D Swordsman! Wind Breathing User! Masachika Kumeno!"
After saying that, he seemed to remember something, and his face showed an expression of utmost reverence and fervor as he added:
"Lord Giyu! I... I'm your fan!!"
This sudden confession made the atmosphere around them somewhat awkward.
Even Giyu Tomioka seemed to be taken aback for a moment.
He looked at the boy in front of him, whose face was visibly excited, and in his icy blue eyes, a trace of confusion flashed through his eyes that even he himself was unaware of.
After a moment, he looked away, his tone still indifferent.
"That demon definitely has the strength of Lower Rank. We're only able to hold out this long thanks to you."
Boom--!
Masachika felt as if his brain had been struck by a bolt of lightning of happiness!
I was praised by my idol?!
He actually... praised me?!
Masachika's face flushed red again. He waved his hands frantically and said incoherently:
"Oh... not at all! Giyu, you flatter me! To be honest, I was almost killed in one move by him!"
"To be honest, it's... it's a disgrace to the Demon Slayer Corps!"
To receive a single word of approval from his idol, he felt that even if he died right now, it would be worth it!