Everyday Life: Kanae Kocho vs. Giyu Tomioka!
Time flies, and half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, the psychological resilience of the Butterfly Mansion's Kakushi Division support personnel underwent an epic-level enhancement.
From the initial shock and utter disbelief when seeing Shinobu Kocho emerge from her room, clutching her back;
By now, everyone has gotten used to it:
Every morning as the sun rises, Water Hashira Pillar calmly walks out the door, with the gentle and virtuous Flower Hashira Pillar on his left and the proud and smug Shinobu Kocho on his right.
But,
Although the allure of the brothel was irresistible, Giyu Tomioka did not become the kind of incompetent ruler who lamented, "The nights are too short for the sun to rise, and the king will neglect his morning court."
Quite the opposite!
Because the final battle could break out at any time.
Giyu set strict requirements for his two wives' ability to protect themselves!
"Clang--!"
On the training ground,
The clang of metal against metal resounded through the heavens!
A white shockwave emanated from the two of them, instantly shattering the Wisteria that had fallen around the training ground into countless flying fragments!
"Breathe--!"
Kanae Kocho is draped in a white and green butterfly kimono, her long black hair flying wildly in the wind.
A solemn expression graced her stunningly beautiful face.
Give it your all! No reservations!
Every strike Kanae wielded was infused with the pinnacle of her lifelong training; the air was instantly torn apart wherever the blade passed, each move aimed directly at Giyu Tomioka's vitals!
As for why Kanae dared to chop at her own husband's neck, wasn't she afraid of ending up a widow?
Haha, if anyone dared to ask such a question, Kanae would definitely give them a gentle, big eye roll!
What kind of international joke is this?!
Having shared a bed with this man for over half a year, no one in the entire Demon Slayer Corps knew her husband's abnormal body better than Kanae Kocho!
That's not the kind of body a carbon-based life form should have!
Let alone the Nichirin Blade in her hand, even if Mr. Himejima went all out, he probably wouldn't be able to break through his abnormal protective aura!
"Oh dear, Mr. Giyu, watch out! I won't hold back at all in this next combo!"
Kanae's clear and melodious shout echoed through the training ground.
She lightly touched the bluestone ground with her toes, like a colorful butterfly dancing gracefully, and the pale pink Nichirin Blade in her hand instantly left dozens of dazzling afterimages!
"Flower Breathing - Fourth Form - Crimson Hanagoromo!!"
"Shuashua--!"
Three enormous, arc-shaped pink blades, like blooming camellias, carried an unparalleled, spinning cutting force, sealing off Giyu's space in a triangular formation!
The first move hasn't aged him; the next killing blow is about to be unleashed!
Kanae twisted her waist forcefully in mid-air, her lungs roaring, her wrists trembling:
"Flower Breathing - Fifth Form - Peonies of Futility!!"
"Hiss--!"
In an instant, the training ground seemed to transform into a sea of pink flowers!
Nine consecutive, magnificent slashes, like a shower of falling petals, descended upon Giyu Tomioka in the center of the arena!
Each slash of the blade was powerful enough to instantly slice a Lower Rank demon into mincemeat!
And under the parasols at the edge of the training ground.
Shinobu Kocho, dressed in a light purple loungewear outfit, sat cross-legged in a wicker chair, holding a glass of plum juice with ice in her hand, looking like she was enjoying the spectacle.
"Oh dear~ Sister's really irritable today!"
"He slashed so fiercely, anyone who didn't know better would think Mr. Giyu owed money and hadn't paid it back!"
"Is he taking out all his resentment from losing to me in rock-paper-scissors last night and not getting to rob Mr. Giyu on this knife?"
In mid-air, Kanae blushed when she heard her younger sister's teasing, and almost threw out her back!
"Shinobu up, Shinobu! Stop making sarcastic remarks. If you're so capable, come down here and try taking a couple of moves from Giyu!"
Kanae gritted her teeth and retorted, but the speed at which she wielded her sword increased by another three points!
However!
Faced with this despairing storm of flowers.
Standing at the eye of the storm, Giyu Tomioka didn't even lift his eyelids!
He drew his sword with one hand, stood still, his eyes calm and unwavering, facing the barrage of sword flashes head-on!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!--!"
Sparks flew everywhere!
A blinding line of fire formed in mid-air!
Giyu's Nichirin Blade, under his single-handed control, transformed into a ghostly blue phantom whose trajectory was impossible to discern!
Provoke, deflect, parry, block, deflect!
No matter how tricky the angle at which Kanae's blade strikes, Giyu always manages to block it with the smallest possible movement and perfect precision!
Immediately afterwards!
Giyu Tomioka's eyes narrowed, and he switched from defense to offense!
"Too slow, Kanae."
As Giyu's voice rang out, he took half a step forward!
"Boom--!"
With just a simple, unremarkable step, the bluestone slab beneath Giyu's feet instantly cracked into several fissures!
The next second,
Giyu swung his sword in an instant!!
That was... an incredibly fast slash!
"Shuashua--!"
Hundreds upon hundreds of deep blue sword shadows clashed in the sky above the training ground, like a cascading silver river, pressing down on Kanae!
"Huh--?!"
Kanae's pupils contracted!
"Clang clang--!"
She could only desperately squeeze every last bit of oxygen from her lungs, gripping the Nichirin Blade with both hands, and retreat step by step under Giyu's relentless, storm-like pressure!
One step! Ten steps! Thirty steps!
With each parry, the heavy force from Giyu's sword made Kanae's hands go numb and her arms feel weak!
"Mr. Giyu!!"
Kanae had almost retreated to the edge of the training ground's fence. She braced herself against Giyu's heavy slash, her knees slightly bent from the pressure, and, her face flushed red, she protested breathlessly:
That's so unfair!
"We agreed it was just to give you some pointers, but the speed at which you're swinging your sword is way too fast!"
"When you encounter demons on the battlefield, they won't give you time to catch your breath."
Giyu Tomioka remained calm and composed.
He pressed down with one hand, the deep blue blade pressed tightly against Kanae's sword.
"Your breathing is completely disordered, Kanae."
"How many times have I told you, when your opponent's speed exceeds the limits of your vision, don't rely solely on your naked eyes to observe their movements!"
Close your habitually closed eyes! Feel the compression of the air, listen to the sound of my muscles contracting, and see through the flow of blood within me!
The moment the words fell!
Giyu flicked his wrist, directly knocking away the Nichirin Blade that Kanae had placed in front of her. Then, the deep blue tip of the blade transformed into a straight Azure Flash, aiming straight for Kanae's brow!
This thrust exceeded the limits of human reaction!
The sense of crisis, hanging by a thread, instantly made the hairs on Kanae's body stand on end!
"Buzz--!"
In that instant, a faint glimmer seemed to flash in the depths of Kanae's eyes, and she instinctively veered slightly to the right!
"Laugh!"
The tip of the knife grazed a strand of hair near her ear before coming to a steady stop beside her fair neck!