Breaking Free of the Cocoon, Transparent World!

In the center of the quarry.

The earth shook violently, as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Boom--!"

The Desolate Prison Giant Puppet, towering ten meters tall, let out a roar!

Those two giant rock fists, each the size of a car, slammed into the spot Obanai Iguro had just stood, accompanied by a sonic boom that tore through the air!

"Bang--!"

A cloud of gravel and dust billowed into the sky.

"Hiss--!"

The white snake, Kaburamaru, coiled around Obanai's neck, let out a painful scream. Its snow-white scales were already marked with bloody scratches from the flying pebbles.

And in a pile of rubble a dozen meters away.

Obanai Iguro rolled on the ground in a disheveled state, trying to dissipate the overwhelming shockwave.

"Cough..."

Obanai braced herself with one hand on the muddy ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"This is outrageous... This kind of power, this kind of defense... there's no way a demon of this level could possess it!"

Desperate situation!

This is the most suffocating and desperate situation Obanai has faced since joining the Demon Slayer Corps!

Faced with this utterly unreasonable giant puppet, Obanai's usual calm and sharp tongue finally began to show a crack.

"Defense... all I need to do is defend."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Obanai's one gold and one green eye.

"When that guy transformed just now, he caused such a huge commotion that the entire Nara Prefecture Town felt the earth shaking."

"That guy, Giyu Tomioka, must have heard it already!"

"With that guy's insane speed, he's definitely on his way!"

"If I can stall for another five minutes... no, just three minutes!"

This is the most instinctive psychological dependence that people have when faced with an insurmountable wall.

Although he always verbally mocked, envied, and even cursed Giyu Tomioka.

But undeniably, in his heart, and indeed in the hearts of the entire Demon Slayer Corps, Giyu Tomioka is the monster who will never fall and can end all nightmares!

As long as he's there, there's no ghost he can't kill!

"Just hold them off... just hold them off..."

Driven by this dependency, Obanai the knife inevitably loosened slightly.

His originally fierce counterattacks, like those of a venomous snake, have completely turned into passive evasion.

However, on the battlefield where life and death are at stake.

When a swordsman loses the resolve to wield his sword and slay his enemy, his fate is sealed.

"Haha! What's wrong? Where did that arrogant attitude go?!"

The Desolate Prison Giant Puppet let out a deafening, maniacal laugh.

"Is this all the human pillars can do—hide and run like bedbugs?"

"You wanted to cut off my head? Use the knife in your hand... Come on?!"

While mocking, the giant golem raised its right foot and stomped down on Obanai, who was trying to dodge.

"Boom!"

Although Obanai tried her best to perform a side roll, her passive attitude caused her movements to be slow.

He was still grazed by the edge of that giant foot!

"Bang!"

Obanai sent flying backwards, crashing heavily into a quarry cliff.

"Wow..."

Large spurts of blood gushed from under the bandages, and Obanai collapsed onto the rubble, barely able to stand up.

"Too weak! Too boring!"

The giant golem strode forward, the ground trembling violently with each step.

He looked down at Obanai from his superior position and made his final declaration:

"Since all you do is run away, then let your ridiculous pride and all turn into mincemeat in this quagmire!"

The massive rock fists were raised high in mid-air, about to crash down.

"Bed bugs..."

Obanai, who was about to dodge, suddenly stopped trembling.

A deep-seated sense of pride and resentment, belonging to the strong, suddenly exploded!

"What a joke!"

"I am the Pillar of Demon Slayers! A demon who crawled out of piles of corpses, burdened with the sins of my family!"

"When did I stoop so low as to beg others to save my life like a coward?!"

"Not to mention..."]

Obanai clenched her teeth tightly, blood seeping from her gums.

"What's more, the person I'm praying to is actually that man?!"

"If I were here today, I'd be saved by that bastard Giyu Tomioka like a dead dog."

"Then how can I ever face him again? How can I stand before him as an equal?!"

No way!

This must never be allowed to happen!

The weakness of relying on others was utterly shattered at this moment by Obanai's morbid pride!

Faith was rebuilt in the face of adversity.

"I must be here, and personally utterly destroy him!"

"I'll make that poker-faced Giyu Tomioka see clearly... I, Obanai Iguro, am also a top-tier fighter capable of standing alone!"

Obanai gripped the wavy Nichirin Blade once more with her blood-stained hands.

In the moment of life and death,

Obanai's mind suddenly fell into a strange state of emptiness.

He recalled that after a certain Nine Pillars meeting.

Everyone dispersed, but Obanai, having grown accustomed to Giyu Tomioka's arrogant "I'm different from you" attitude, couldn't help but step forward and launch into a sarcastic remark.

Meanwhile, Giyu Tomioka was eating a box of salmon and radish with a blank expression.

Giyu didn't even flinch at Obanai's sharp tongue.

He simply said something casually after swallowing a bite of radish:

"Iguro, your swordsmanship is tainted with too much emotion."

"Anger, jealousy, impatience... these superfluous emotions will dull your blade and blind you to appearances."

"The highest level of swordsmanship never requires anger or hatred."

"What you need to do is completely... calm your mind."

Calm down?

Absolute calm!

Memories flashed through my mind like lightning.

Obanai stared at the giant rock fist in front of her.

He slowly closed his heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one green.

"Turn off pain receptors."

"Strip away the emotion of anger."

"Abandon thoughts of fear."

"..."

One second.

Two seconds.

As the giant puppet's fist winds brushed against his face,

Obanai opened her eyes again!

Boom--!

In that instant!

The world as seen through Obanai's eyes has undergone a shocking and earth-shattering transformation!

The sound disappeared!

The giant golem's deafening roar, the howling wind, and even the rumbling of collapsing rocks all around...

Everything was paused in an instant!

The entire quarry was enveloped in a chilling, ethereal, and deathly silence.

Then, the color faded.

Vibrant blood, gray-brown rocks, pitch-black night sky... all colors have been completely stripped away, and the whole world has become a minimalist sketch with only three monotonous colors: black, white, and gray.

Obanai could only hear the beating of her own heart.

When he raised his head and looked again at the ten-meter-tall Desolate Prison Giant Puppet.

That enormous stone monster, which was originally indestructible and without any flaws.

In Obanai's eyes, it had completely turned into a semi-transparent anatomical diagram!

He could clearly see the beating heart hidden deep within the thick rocks.

I see you.

There was no trace of joy or sorrow on Obanai's face.

Yes, there is, but only absolute rationality.

Transparent World, awaken!