Encircling the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters!

The intertwined branches of the trees stretched out their trembling leaves in abundance, weaving a slightly uneven archway and a cluster of emerald clouds, floating under the exceptionally clear blue sky that had just been washed by the rain.

A natural fragrance of Kitsuchi mixed with herbs permeated every corner of the air.

Suddenly.

Two blurry figures sped past a puddle on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, they leaped onto the thick trunk of a large tree, only then could their appearances be clearly seen.

These are two robust men, both around 1.8 meters tall, each wearing the same type of red and black kimono, but in different colors.

Their indifferent gazes and agile movements gave them an air of extremely capable elite.

"Headquarters, this is Belloc, we have arrived at the target location."

That's right, he was one of the CP7 members who accompanied Charlotte Linlin on her tour of the Kabane World, and he's also a Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit user in the Swallow Form.

His partner was Plan, also a member of CP7, a Zoan Bug-Bug Fruit with the Devil Fruit User.

It was precisely because both of them possessed the ability to fly that it was estimated they could arrive here in three days.

"Stay put, await orders from the other three groups, and await further instructions from Captain Laskey of CP9!"

Simultaneously, emotionless instructions rang from the hidden earpieces in both of their right ears, but fortunately, they were already used to it.

"Yes!"

On the other side, inside the Ubuyashiki Estate.

"Next pillar, please step forward."

Laskey's meaningful gaze shifted from Tengen Uzui to the remaining Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.

After several days of sparring, coupled with his Observation Haki perception of auras, he has gained a relatively clear understanding of the strength of the Pillars in the Demon Slayer Corps.

Interestingly, he felt that among the Pillars he had fought, the strongest was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had a terrible attitude, while the weakest was the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho.

Beneath the Wind Hashira, the Serpent Hashira and Water Hashira were similar, except the former's sword techniques were more offensive, while the latter's were more defensive, especially the 'Eleventh Form: Nagi'.

However, no matter how he switched between various Breathing Technique and sword moves, he was unable to break through the defense that resembled a domain.

At last.

Through a long period of observation and experience, he once again achieved a "copy" using "Life Return" and "Observation Haki".

Relying on her superior overall strength, she broke through her opponent's "Eleventh Form: Nagi" at extremely close range with a stronger "Eleventh Form: Nagi".

No way.

These Breathing Technique can be seen as a basic version of 'Life Return'.

Let's see the effects of Breathing Technique.

First, by focusing on the rhythm of breathing, you can strengthen your cardiopulmonary function, thereby allowing your blood to absorb a large amount of oxygen, which will instantly boost your physical abilities.

The so-called 'Total Concentration: Constant' that these pillars master is to turn this amplified state into the norm, making the rhythm of the Breathing Technique completely their instinct.

Second, stop the bleeding by concentrating on ligating the injured blood vessel.

The effect of 'Life Return' is to infuse consciousness into the body and outside the body, so that one can have complete control over any part of the body, including hair, muscles, blood vessels, blood, and even the internal organs.

In addition, it also has various functions related to vitality, such as rapidly digesting food nutrients, accelerating wound healing, and speeding up physical recovery.

Let's get back to the original topic.

Below the Serpent Hashira and Water Hashira are the Love Hashira and Mist Hashira, who are typical examples of people with talent but who haven't fully converted it into combat power.

The former might be a personality issue, while the latter is probably because he's too young, only fourteen years old.

A genius is a genius, but he's just a genius.

At the same time, as Laskey was lost in thought, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku and Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima a glance, both seeing a fiery fighting spirit in each other's eyes.

"I'll go first."

"I can't wait any longer!"

Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku was the first to step forward. He was a forthright man with long, fiery orange-red hair and pupils, and a cheerful smile on his face.

He was wearing the Demon Slayer Corps' black uniform underneath a white haori, the flame pattern at the end of which signified that only the Flame Hashira could possess it.

He carried a Nichirin Blade with a crimson hilt and white handle, adorned with flames, and a gray scabbard, which gave him an imposing presence, as if a fiery lion was roaring towards the sky behind him.

His voice was much louder than most people's, which seemed to be a habit of his.

"Please go ahead, Amitabha."

Stone Hashira · Gyomei Himejima had no objection, and solemnly agreed with his hands clasped together. However, a tear glistened in his blind, lifeless Byakugan, as if he was about to cry, which looked very strange.

"Well then, Mr. Mitsui Hayato, nice to meet you!"

Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku stepped to a distance of about six or seven meters from Laskey and then bowed respectfully to him.

He regarded the latter as a senior master who had instructed him in Swordsmanship.

"Good."

Laskey nodded calmly.

A moment of silence fell over the room, until a leaf, under everyone's gaze, drifted to the ground.

With an imperceptible speed, Kyojuro Rengoku drew his Nichirin Blade and charged forward, bathed in a raging Blaze.

"First Form: Unknowing Fire!"

This is a striking sword move that can be seen in almost all Swordsmanship that accompany Breathing Technique.

The key is to strike the opponent in a straight line at top speed. If a person or ghost cannot react in time, their neck will be slit or their head will be severed in an instant.

However, the Flame Hashira didn't expect such a simple move to have any effect.

After all, even the Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho's fastest thrust was easily blocked by this 'Mr. Mitsui', so he was just using this First Form to quickly close the distance between them.

When he appeared in front of Laskey in the blink of an eye, traversing six or seven meters of space, he unleashed a continuous and fierce attack with his Nichirin Blade, which was covered in crimson patterns.

"Third Form: Qi Blazing Universe!"

"Second Form: Rising Flame!"

This is a combination sword technique where a downward slash is followed by a downward slash, and visually, it presents the effect of Agni attacking from both above and below.

Laskey could even hear the booming sound of the flames exploding in the wind; it was incredibly lifelike.

"Third Form: Clear Breeze Wind Tree"

With Laskey centered on himself, he instantly unleashed three ring-shaped green Wind Blade, easily blocking all the Agni.

He still felt that the Wind Breathing sword technique was the most comfortable and natural for him, but he always felt that something was missing. He thought that it would be great if there was a faster and more swift Breathing Technique.

Just as an Agni and a Tornado inside the manor were almost intertwined into a fiery Tatsumaki as the battle intensified, two dark figures silently appeared on two large trees outside the manor wall.

"Is this the elemental effect produced by the Breathing Technique? To the naked eye, it looks exactly like the real thing."

"Tsk tsk tsk, this CP9 captain seems to be having a lot of fun~"

The newcomers were, of course, CP7's Belloc and Plan, who were the first to arrive. The two watched the battle unfolding in the distance with great interest, occasionally whispering amongst themselves.

"However, these people called Pillars are indeed quite strong, comparable to our average members."

Belloc chuckled excitedly, "Especially that big guy, his aura is clearly stronger than the others. If we need to make a move, I'll take care of him!"

"Whatever you want~"

Just then, more CIPHER POL squads were rushing in from other directions at full speed.