Tomioka.
Let me see~
"Your Transparent World!"
The words had barely left his mouth!
The eyes of the Gyomei Himejima, which were always filled with tears, suddenly opened wide!
Although those eyes had long since lost their light, everyone present clearly felt, in that instant, as if they were being stared at by a terrifying, man-eating beast that had awakened from the ancient wilderness!
"Splash!"
The thick, black chain connecting the meteor hammer and the hand axe, thicker than an adult's arm, emitted a chilling shriek in his hand, like a viper spitting its tongue!
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
Without the slightest hesitation, without the slightest test!
It was a killing move from the very first strike!!
With a body as strong as a mountain, Gyomei Himejima took a sudden step with an astonishing speed completely disproportionate to his size!
The meteor hammer and hand axe in his hands transformed into two black lightning bolts, one on the left and one on the right, swirling around each other and tearing through the air with a sharp shriek, as they fiercely attacked the lone figure in the arena!
Those two heavy weapons seemed to come alive in his hands, their trajectories changing unpredictably, blocking all of Giyu Tomioka's possible escape routes!
Faced with this deadly blow that could shatter a small mountain in the blink of an eye, Giyu Tomioka's face remained completely expressionless.
An uncontrollable memory of a night a year ago popped into his mind.
At that time, he learned about the Demon Slayer Mark and the secrets of the Transparent World from Miss Tamayo.
After reporting this information, which was enough to overturn the entire Demon Slayer Corps' understanding, to his Oyakata-sama, he revealed without reservation the method to open the Transparent World to the Demon Slayer Corps' most promising expert in this field— Gyomei Himejima.
During that year, Gyomei Himejima devoted almost all his energy to understanding the Transparent World.
His will, which was already as hard as stone, became purer and stronger day by day through almost self-torturous tempering.
Giyu Tomioka could clearly sense that at this Gyomei Himejima was only a thin veil away from that final barrier.
But this single sheet of paper acted like an insurmountable chasm, firmly keeping him outside the door.
'Not enough...'
Giyu Tomioka's thoughts flashed through his mind, and he had already considered many things.
'His will and body have both reached a critical point.'
What he lacks is not methods, nor talent, but external pressure—something that can push him to the brink, something that can show him the true terror of life and death!
Thinking of this, a resolute glint flashed deep within Giyu Tomioka's icy blue eyes.
'Since that's the case...'
"Then, I will be your whetstone, Mr. Himejima!"
"Buzz-!"
The next second!
At that moment, everyone felt that Giyu Tomioka's presence was completely different!
His world transformed into a black-and-white silhouette composed of countless lines and color blocks, so clear that the essence of everything could be seen through.
Every muscle contraction, every flow of blood, every heartbeat...
What seemed like a flawless attack trajectory of Gyomei Himejima suddenly became full of loopholes in his eyes!
Transparent World, now open!
At the same moment, a terrifying aura filled with ominousness, domineering power, and boundless arrogance suddenly erupted from him!
"What... what is that?!"
As Tengen Uzui struggled to get up from the ground, the moment he sensed that aura, the hairs on his entire body stood on end!
He felt as if he were being locked onto by a blood-red, demonic moon hanging high in the sky, radiating endless chill!
"Clang!"
Before his horrified eyes, Giyu Tomioka drew his sword.
Accompanied by a clear, resonant blade cry that seemed capable of cleaving through space itself, a massive, crescent-shaped, purplish-blue, earth-shattering slash, flashing with countless tiny moon blades, suddenly materialized!
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace!"
Faced with Gyomei Himejima's attempt to strangle him, Giyu Tomioka surprisingly chose...
A head-on clash!
"Boom-!"
The purplish-blue crescent-shaped slash collided violently with the two bolts of black lightning generated by the meteor hammer and hand axe in mid-air!
At that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent!
A visible, extremely violent energy storm swept outwards from the point of impact!
The earth is wailing!
The hard, rocky ground was ravaged by the scattered sword energy and strong winds, leaving behind terrifying, bottomless ravines!
The surrounding trees were instantly annihilated and completely shredded into countless wood chips the moment they encountered that energy storm!
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
In this earth-shattering collision, even the mountain-like physique of Gyomei Himejima was unable to control himself and staggered back three steps!
With each step he took, he left a deep footprint in the hard ground!
Looking at Giyu Tomioka, he stood still the entire time, without moving an inch!
The difference in quality is immediately apparent!
"Cough...!"
Gyomei Himejima felt a deadly force coming through the chains, causing his blood to surge and his throat to taste sweetness, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood!
For the first time, his usually compassionate face revealed an expression mixed with pain and shock!
'What... Breathing Style is this?!'
'This ominous and domineering force...'
'I've never seen any record of this in any of the Demon Slayer Corps books!'
'Could it be... that he created this himself?!?!'
He didn't have time to think!
Because Giyu Tomioka's second strike has arrived!
"Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains!"
Giyu Tomioka's figure transformed into a purplish-blue ghostly shadow, and his Nichirin Blade unleashed two massive, intersecting arc-shaped slashes in mid-air!
Those two slashes, like two crescent moons stacked together, filled with an aura of destruction, brought with them countless tiny, storm-like swirling moon blades, descending upon Gyomei Himejima!
Wow, so fast!
What a huge attack range!
In the heart of Gyomei Himejima, alarm bells rang loudly!
He had no time to think; he could only rely on his honed fighting instincts to wield the chains in his hands into an impenetrable black iron curtain!
"Stone Breathing - Fourth Form - Volcanic Rock, Rapid Conquest!"
"Jingle bells, jingle bells!"
In an instant, countless crescent blades collided violently with the rapidly spinning chains, meteor hammers, and hand axes!
The dense, storm-like metallic clanging was so loud it almost shattered eardrums!
Sparks flew everywhere!
The wind howled!
The aftershocks of their fight alone were enough to make Sabito, Shinjuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, who were not far away, feel suffocated!
They could only retreat in disarray, their faces filled with horror as they watched the absurd battle—a fight between gods—that was completely beyond their comprehension!
"Is this... the real difference between the pillars...?"
Tengen Uzui muttered to himself, utterly lost and dejected.
His speed, which he was so proud of, seemed as slow as a snail compared to those two.
His pride and joy were as weak as an infant's compared to those two.
His pride and joy in his extravagance seemed utterly ridiculous in comparison to those two.
Faced with absolute power, all skills seem so pale and powerless.
The battle on the field has reached a fever pitch!
"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon-Sickle Vortex!"
"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form: Everlasting Night, Lonely Moon, Unending!"
Giyu Tomioka's figure kept flashing by Gyomei Himejima's side!
The Nichirin Blade in his hand transformed into countless purple-blue crescent-shaped slashes filled with an ominous aura, sweeping wildly from all directions at all sorts of tricky and bizarre angles!
Each of those strikes was enough to easily split a house in two!
And the countless tiny, sharp crescent blades that emerge along with the slash are like maggots clinging to bones, penetrating everywhere and making them impossible to defend against!
"Stone Breathing - Third Form - Stone Skin!"
"Stone Breathing, Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice!"
He also Gyomei Himejima all his power!
He brought the defensive and offensive aspects of the Stone Breathing to their fullest potential!
The meteor hammer and hand axe in his hands, when wielded by him, sometimes transformed into an indestructible wall, blocking all attacks;
At times, it transforms into an indestructible hammer, carrying the force to shatter mountains and split the earth, smashing fiercely towards that ghostly figure!
However, it didn't work!
Compared to Giyu Tomioka, who had Transparent World, all his attacks seemed so clumsy and ridiculous!
Giyu Tomioka always manages to anticipate and dodge all of his attacks with minimal cost and in the easiest way!
On the contrary, Gyomei Himejima himself, under the wide-ranging and relentless onslaught of the Moon Breathing, gradually found himself stretched thin and in grave danger!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Thin, crescent-shaped blades pierced through his impenetrable defense, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds on his body!
Blood instantly stained his simple monk's robe!
'No...'
'Completely... unable to keep up with his speed!'
'If this continues... I'll die!'
An unprecedented shadow of death completely enveloped Gyomei Himejima!
He could clearly feel his strength rapidly draining away!
My movements are getting slower and slower!
My own consciousness, even due to excessive blood loss, began to become somewhat blurred!
But at this very moment!
Right at this critical juncture, where life and death are at stake!
The heart of Gyomei Himejima, which had become somewhat chaotic due to intense pain and exhaustion, was instead clear and serene like never before!
He saw it!
He saw Giyu Tomioka's clear, crystal-clear body!
He saw the surging blood in the other person's body, the violently beating heart, and every muscle that was exerting its strength!
He, too, saw his own body!
"Transparent World... so this is what it's like..."
A sudden realization dawned on him.
That thin membrane that had troubled him for a whole year seemed, at this moment, easily pierced...
However!
Just as he was about to take that crucial, final step!
An indescribable pressure, powerful enough to make even gods and Buddhas tremble, descended from the sky!
Giyu Tomioka's figure appeared above his head!
He raised his Nichirin Blade high, and countless purple-blue crescent-shaped slashes gathered and compressed wildly on its blade!
"Moon Breathing - Sixteenth Form - Moonbow - Lone Moon!"
The next second!
Countless massive, destructive slashes, like a torrential downpour of moonlight, crashed down upon the already heavily injured figure who could not dodge!
'It's over...'
Under that devastating torrential rain of moonlight, the spiritual light that Gyomei Himejima had just touched upon the threshold of the Transparent World was completely shattered by the killing intent that was enough to freeze the soul!
In his heart, only endless, cold, and despair remained.
However, just moments before those terrifying strikes, enough to tear him to shreds, were about to land on him.
All the oppressive force, all the murderous intent, all the moonlight...
It was all like an illusion; in the blink of an eye, it vanished like smoke.
Giyu Tomioka's figure landed silently in front of him.
He slowly sheathed his sword.
"That's enough, Mr. Himejima."
His voice was as cold and indifferent as ever.
"If you keep fighting, you'll die."
"Splash-"
The meteor hammer and hand axe in Gyomei Himejima's hands could no longer be held and fell limply to the ground.
He felt as if all his strength had been drained away; his legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees on the ground soaked with blood and sweat.
"I... lost..."
His voice was hoarse and dry, filled with endless bitterness and resentment.
In the end, I still couldn't... take that step...
Giyu Tomioka didn't say anything more.
He turned around, glanced at his three colleagues in the distance who were completely dumbfounded, and then, in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from everyone's sight as a pale blue afterimage.
"Quick! Get Mr. Himejima to the medical department!!"
Only after his figure completely disappeared did Shinjuro Rengoku let out a heart-wrenching roar, as if he had just woken up.
A spectacular Hashira Training has finally come to an end.