Opposite the main hall.
Kokushibo, who was originally maintaining his elder 'Upper Rank One airs and preparing to teach this junior a lesson, suddenly shuddered when he sensed the terrifying aura rushing towards him, and his six golden eyes on his face contracted violently at the same time!
"This aura... it actually rose to almost my level in just three breaths?!"
He looked at the red-haired boy opposite him who had grown a pair of demonic horns and was holding a crimson Red Nichirin Blade.
In that instant, an irrepressible surge of fervor and excitement welled up in Kokushibo's swordsman's heart, which had been dormant for four hundred years!
Four hundred years ago, Michikatsu Tsugikuni abandoned his wife and children and gave up his human identity to become a demon in pursuit of the supreme way of the sword. However, even after his god-like younger brother Yoriichi Tsugikuni died in front of him, he was never able to truly defeat or surpass Yoriichi even once!
And today!
A successor who inherited Yoriichi's earrings and Yoriichi's Sun Breathing technique stood before his sword!
"Haha... haha!! Great! That's fantastic!!"
Kokushibo raised his head and let out a hearty laugh. His bones and muscles expanded instantly, the Demon Slayer Mark on his forehead glowed red, and the demonic sword "Kokyū Shinku" in his hand split into several ferocious side blades in an instant!
"Four hundred years ago, Yoriichi Tsugikuni died before my eyes with his flawless Sun Breathing, leaving me no chance to prove myself as someone who surpassed him!"
"But today! Facing you, the successor who inherited his mantle and power, I, Michikatsu Tsugikuni, will absolutely not suffer a second defeat!!"
"Come on, brat! Let me use this Moon Breathing, honed for four hundred years, to utterly sever you, this newly born sun, into the darkness of night!!"
Opposite him, gripping the Red Nichirin Blade ablaze with Heat Haze, he stomped his foot, and the voices of the boy and the demon overlapped, fearlessly responding head-on:
"Whether it's the Sun Breathing Yoriichi Tsugikuni, my name is Tanjiro Kamado!"
"To seek justice for those innocent people you have harmed, today, I will use this knife to sever your head!!"
"Total Concentration: Sun Breathing, First Form - Dance: Heat Haze Flash!!"
"Total Concentration: Moon Breathing - First Form - Dark Moon - Evening Palace!!"
"Boom--!"
Two loud shouts rang out simultaneously at both ends of the hall.
Tanjiro and Kokushibo vanished from their original positions in the same instant, transforming into two streaks of light, one red and one purple, which collided in the very center of the martial arts hall!
"Clang--!"
The first clash of swords!
The crimson Heat Haze blade energy collided head-on with dozens of rotating, slicing purple full-moon blade winds, and the violent shockwave instantly snapped the dragon-carved wooden pillars surrounding the main hall at waist height!
"Such immense force! Such domineering flames!!"
Kokushibo's six eyes blazed with golden light. To his astonishment, he discovered that the small, invincible blade winds he had unleashed were instantly ignited and consumed the moment they came into contact with the blood-red Heat Haze on Tanjiro's sword!
"Moon Breathing, Fifth Form - Moon-Sickle Vortex!!"
Kokushibo lowered his wrist, and without even swinging his sword, dozens of huge, layered vortex-shaped sword energies erupted from his body, mixed with countless irregular Full Moon Blades, attempting to shred Tanjiro was almost within reach, into pieces!
"Don't even think about pushing me away!!"
Tanjiro's eyes were bloodshot. Facing the close-range sword energy storm that could instantly kill an ordinary Pillar-level swordsman, he did not dodge or evade. Instead, he relied on the powerful physique brought by his demon transformation to charge straight into the storm!
"Sizzle! Sizzle!"
The sharp sword energy slashed several deep, bone-revealing gashes into Tanjiro's chest and arms, but the moment the wounds appeared, a torrent of demon blood flowed through them, and the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!
Injury for injury!
Tanjiro, braving a flurry of crimson blades, slashed his crimson Red Nichirin Blade through the air, creating a perfect ring of fire, before hurtling towards Kokushibo's neck.
"Sun Breathing - Sixth Form - Burning Bones, Summer Sun!!"
"Whoosh--!"
"You actually used your physical body to withstand my Moon Breathing in order to force an attack opportunity?!"
Kokushibo's pupils contracted, and he instantly retreated three zhang. At the same time, he swung his forked "Kokyū Shinku" from bottom to top, blocking the fire ring that was aimed at his neck!
Even so, the crimson Heat Haze erupting from the Red Nichirin Blade still grazed Kokushibo's cheek, instantly scorching his skin and a strand of black hair, sending up a plume of black smoke!
"Sizzle--"
Kokushibo touched the burning, throbbing burn on his left cheek, its healing process noticeably slowed. Looking at the increasingly fierce demon-horned boy opposite him, he showed no anger; instead, his smile grew even more unrestrained.
"A crimson flame capable of scorching the very essence of evil spirits and suppressing regeneration... coupled with this powerful demonic body that is impervious to pain! Excellent! Absolutely superb! This is truly worthy to be the whetstone for my Kokushibo swordsmanship, Kokushibo!!"
"Moon Breathing, Eighth Form - Moon-Dragon Ringtail!!"
"Sun Breathing - Eleventh Form - Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!!"
"Boom! Boom! Rumble--!"
A colossal purple crescent storm clashed once again with a roaring fire dragon intertwined with crimson gold and blood red within the Martial Arts Hall!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang--!"
The dragon's claws and the crescent moon's blade clashed and exploded in mid-air. Tanjiro gripped his sword with both hands, his feet shattering the burning wooden beams, and he charged forward at high speed along the dragon's spine, shouting loudly into Kokushibo's six cold eyes:
"Kokushibo! In your pursuit of the so-called pinnacle of swordsmanship, you betrayed humanity, becoming a man-eating demon who has lived for four hundred years. There is not a trace of protectiveness in your sword, only selfishness and obsession!"
"Shut up, brat! How can a mortal's lifespan of a mere few decades possibly comprehend the vastness of divine techniques?!"
With a Kokushibo swung his Kokyū Shinku horizontally.
"Moon Breathing - Ninth Form - Waning Moonswaths!!"
"Shuashua--!"
Six massive, intersecting purple crescent-shaped sword energies, each twenty meters long, descended upon Tanjiro!
Golden flames surged from Tanjiro's eyes!
"Sun Breathing - Fourth Form - Mirage Sun Rainbow!!"
"Sun Breathing, Third Form - Blazing Sun Red Mirror!!"
Tanjiro's figure blurred, leaving behind a Kokushibo. The Red Nichirin Blade in his hand drew two symmetrical arcs of blood-red fire, which accurately struck the side blade of the Kokyū Shinku!
"Clang--!"
Mars exploded like a torrential rain!
The crimson Heat Haze spread wildly along the blade of the Kokyū Shinku, causing the dozen or so eyeballs on the blade to simultaneously emit mournful cries, forcing Kokushibo to retreat half a step!
"You actually managed to see through the trajectory of my sword strikes, and even used your Heat Haze to burn my blade?"
Kokushibo's six eyes gleamed with a strange light, and his aura surged once more.
"Since the top ten types can't do anything to you, let's see if you can withstand this move!!"
"Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form - Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon!!"
"Boom--!"
Kokushibo gripped his sword with both hands and swung it with all his might. Dozens of enormous crescent-shaped blades of wind, layer upon layer, connected end to end, transformed into a full moon storm that covered the entire hall, engulfing the ground beneath his feet and the remaining pillars around him, and mercilessly crushing towards Tanjiro!
"Good timing!!"
Tanjiro did not back down. The demon horns on his head shone brightly red, and the blood-red Heat Haze was compressed back to the tip of his crimson Red Nichirin Blade. He transformed into a rising crimson-gold sun and charged head-on into the storm of crescent moons.
"Sun Breathing - Tenth Form - Fire Wheel - Heat Haze!!"
"Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form - Flame Dance!!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom--!"
The Heat Haze Fire Wheel exploded with a deafening roar at the center of the purple crescent-shaped storm!