"Go to hell, you little mouse!"
The giant golem's heavy fist, carrying the power to destroy everything, slammed into the spot where Obanai was standing.
"Boom!"
The ground collapsed, and debris flew everywhere.
A cruel glint of pleasure flashed in the giant golem's eyes.
However, the next second, he froze.
Because beneath his fist, there was no sensation of flesh being crushed, only empty rock.
Where are they?!
The giant golem's two crimson eyes scanned its surroundings.
"Here."
A voice devoid of any emotion suddenly came from above the giant golem's massive right arm!
The giant puppet turned its head to look.
The heterochromatic swordsman, who had been half-dead, had somehow appeared, like a ghost, and was now standing on his arm!
Having awakened to the Transparent World, Obanai's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation.
He stopped making any unnecessary feints and stopped engaging in pointless maneuvering and pulling.
In absolute perception, all the giant golem's movements appear as if in slow motion.
Following the giant golem's tilted arm, Obanai, with a light and graceful movement, began her charge towards the giant golem's head!
"Get off me! You damn flea!"
The giant puppet was terrified. He swung his left hand and slapped his right arm hard, as if swatting a mosquito.
Meanwhile, hundreds of sharp barbs protruded from the rock surface on his right arm, attempting to string Obanai like a candied hawthorn.
But it was too late.
In the Transparent World, these attacks were Obanai seen through the moment they were launched.
Obanai's figure was like a nimble snake weaving through raindrops; with just a few slight swaying movements, she dodged all those deadly barbs.
"Whoosh!"
Obanai went straight up the arm and onto the giant golem's broad shoulder!
His knees were slightly bent, and his aura was compressed to its maximum at that moment.
The Kaburamaru let out a silent growl as it pressed against his neck.
"Serpent Breathing - Ultimate Technique!"
"--!"
Obanai leaped into the air.
The wavy Nichirin Blade in his hand traced a pure white path in the colorless, Transparent World, a path that seemed capable of severing life and death.
The blade flashed, cutting smoothly into that fatal gap!
"No!!"
In that instant, the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet felt a deathly fear that penetrated to its very soul!
This insignificant human being actually saw through his weakness!
Driven by an intense will to survive, the Rock Demon went completely insane!
Lock it up!
The Rock Demon let out a hysterical howl.
The blood-patterned rock, which was already indestructible, instantly increased in density under this extreme compression, and its hardness even surpassed that of the legendary obsidian!
Just as Obanai's blade was about to sever the Rock Demon's cervical vertebrae by the last centimeter!
Two forces beyond their limits collided in that tiny fraction of a second!
"Click... click click..."
Obanai could see it clearly.
His Nichirin Blade, which had been with him for many years and had drunk the blood of countless demons, underwent severe twisting and deformation after cutting into the extremely dense rock layer.
"The knife's hardness can't withstand it."
Obanai's brain revealed the coldest truth.
The next second.
"Snap--!"
A crisp, yet devastating sound of metal snapping rang out!
Obanai's wavy Nichirin Blade was snapped in two from the middle!
Half of the blade flew out and embedded itself in the ruins in the distance.
In Obanai's hand, all that remained was a bare knife hilt.
A miraculous turnaround!
In the final moments before victory, the weapon broke down, shattering all hope!
"Ha ha!"
Having narrowly escaped death, the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet let out a wild laugh of triumph.
"Your knife is broken! Let's see how you kill me now!"
The giant golem's enormous left hand, accompanied by howling winds, slammed down like a five-fingered mountain towards Obanai, who was suspended in mid-air.
"That's it! Turn into mincemeat in this hopeless hell!"
The giant hand was now less than two meters away from him.
The Obanai suspended in mid-air.
His eyes, one gold and one green, showed no sign of panic or fear.
Instead, a faint hint of regret and a soft sigh appeared on his face.
"What a pity."
Obanai herself,
"I finally awakened the Transparent World, but because of the sword, I couldn't cut off your head with my own hands."
Faced with the overwhelming force of death, Obanai didn't even try to dodge.
Why not panic?
Because within the vast perceptual network encompassing a radius of one kilometer in the [Transparent World].
Obanai had already seen it clearly.
On that cliff face hundreds of meters high in the distance.
A familiar vortex, exuding a rich floral fragrance, was standing there.
Without a doubt, it was Shinobu Kocho!
Now that Shinobu Kocho is in place, will Giyu Tomioka not show up?
"Since you've been watching from the sidelines, you annoying guy."
A rare smile curved at the corners of Obanai's lips.
"Then, you're in charge of cleaning up this trash."
On a high cliff hundreds of meters away.
"Mr. Iguro's sword is broken! He's in danger!" Shinobu Kocho exclaimed in alarm.
And standing next to her Giyu Tomioka.
Those deep blue eyes gleamed with an all-knowing decisiveness.
"You've truly reached your limit. Having achieved this, you can already call yourself the strongest."
Giyu made his own assessment in his mind.
The next second.
No nonsense.
Use your thumb to push open the guard.
"Click!"
"Got it."
Giyu gave a low shout.
He hurled his arm forward with a sudden thrust!
"Boom--!"
This throw created a small sonic boom on the cliff face!
A deep blue shooting star tore through the dark night sky!
That blue flash of light, like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, fiercely ripped through the sky above the quarry!
"What is that?!"
Just as it was about to smash the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet Obanai, two crimson eyes suddenly bulged out.
He only felt an extreme sharpness that could freeze even his soul, flying in from beyond the sky!
"Pfft--!"
There was no hindrance whatsoever.
That deep blue meteor pierced straight through the giant golem's rocky left arm, which was about to strike Obanai!
It was cleanly and smoothly severed from the wrist with a single, clean cut!
The enormous rocky hand lost control, grazing the hem of Obanai's clothes before crashing heavily onto the ground below.
The deep blue Nichirin Blade, after severing the giant rock arm, continued its trajectory without slowing down, flying precisely to Obanai's side!
The hilt of the knife fit perfectly into his palm.
Obanai reached out and grasped the sword that belonged to the Water Hashira.
The moment I got it.
Obanai felt a refreshing chill, and a continuous, powerful force surged into his body through the hilt of the sword.
"What a fine knife."
No wonder you're always so arrogant.
Obanai snorted coldly.
He didn't hesitate at all.
Mid-air, gripping the deep blue Nichirin Blade, with the absolute vision of the Transparent World, he aimed at the fatal gap in the Rock Demon's neck.
It does not require the use of Serpent Breathing to activate it.
It was simply the lingering power of the blade itself, and its unparalleled sharpness.
With a swift motion, he swung his sword.
"Die."
"Whoosh--!"
A deep blue blade of light, as perfect as a crescent moon, suddenly flashed across the air above the quarry.
Faced with such extreme sharpness.
The defenses of the Desolate Prison Giant Puppet were as fragile as a sheet of paper.
"Click."
There was absolutely no room for resistance.
The giant golem's thick, rocky neck was effortlessly severed in two by the deep blue blade of light.
His body and head were separated.
"I... I was actually... attacked by a flying knife..."
The diamond-shaped head rolled down from mid-air.
The Rock Demon's two crimson eyes were filled with disbelief.
As the head hit the ground.
The Desolate Prison Giant Puppet, standing ten meters tall and exuding an endless sense of oppression, had lost all its Demon Aura support.
"Boom--"
Like a collapsing skyscraper, the headless stone figure crashed down, shattering into rubble and dust.
Amidst the billowing dust.
Obanai Iguro landed lightly on the ground.
He turned and planted the deep blue Nichirin Blade into the gravel beside him, then knelt on one knee.
Large wafts of white steam billowed from his mouth.
Although he was covered in injuries and looked utterly disheveled.
But his eyes, one gold and one green, shone with an unprecedented brightness under the moonlight.
This battle.
He slew Upper Rank Moon demon!!
He awakened to the Transparent World!!