In everyone's eyes, Gyomei's strike had been incredibly fast.
But against Kujo Tachibana now, it seemed almost laughably slow.
The iron hammer and giant axe, both attached to chains, glided slowly through the air. The expressions of awe on the faces of the onlookers gradually began to "freeze."
As he sensed the world around him slowing down, Kujo Tachibana realized he seemed to have grown a little stronger again...
Not physically, but mentally and in his senses!
As he took in everything around him, a wave of irritation welled up in Kujo Tachibana, and he couldn't help murmuring to himself:
"Too slow, too slow..."
When Tachibana said slow, he wasn't referring only to Gyomei's strike, but to everything around him.
As Tachibana's senses and mind sharpened once more, he realized something.
Ordinary people and he himself seemed to have become beings from entirely different dimensions.
It was like watching two movies at once: one played at normal speed, while the other played at four times the speed. Yet Tachibana, a character in the four-times-speed movie, had appeared in the one playing at normal speed!
"At least I can control these heightened senses. If I couldn't turn them off and had to keep them up twenty-four hours a day, I'd probably go mad before long." Kujo Tachibana speculated.
He looked up at the two "weapons," still gliding slowly through the air and taking forever to reach him, and sighed. Then he stepped forward to meet them.
"Thunder Breathing—Second Form: Rice Spirit Modified!"
"Boom..."
"Boom..."
"Boom..."
"Boom..."
His golden Nichirin Sword slashed at high speed. Its blade scraped through the air, unleashing a series of roars like thunderclaps!
"Here... here... here..." Kujo Tachibana's blade quickly followed the directions he sensed, striking again and again.
This was how it looked to the onlookers. When they saw the hammer and giant axe about to hit Kujo Tachibana, the more timid among them couldn't help covering their eyes.
Then their vision blurred. When they looked again—
Amid the thunderous roar of lightning, the Nichirin Sword in Kujo Tachibana's hand danced like a phantom.
Under the continuous strikes of Tachibana's blade, Gyomei's two "weapons" seemed like a pair of tamed beasts!
They hung unnaturally motionless in the air before Kujo Tachibana!
No matter how hard Gyomei pulled on the chains from afar, he still couldn't break the strange equilibrium.
The onlookers erupted in cries of astonishment.
"What?!"
"Am I seeing things? I must be seeing things..."
"Wow, that's amazing! How did the Rumble Hashira do that?!"
"Look at the Rumble Hashira's opponent! He was sent flying by the chains on his own weapons!"
By now, everyone understood that Gyomei was no match for Kujo Tachibana.
No, they weren't even close!
Kuwajima Jigoro stared wide-eyed at the sight before him and exclaimed inwardly:
"Good grief! You brat from the Kujo Clan! How much were you holding back against me...?"
"That improved Thunder Breathing sword technique! Those reflexes and that control!"
Before Kuwajima Jigoro could finish marveling, Ubuyashiki Kagaya beside him asked curiously:
"Mr. Jigoro, how is Tachibana doing that?"
"Why are Gyomei's weapons suspended motionless in front of Tachibana? Why can't he control them?"
Kuwajima Jigoro replied gravely:
"What astonishing swordsmanship!"
"Master, it's not that Gyomei doesn't want to control his Nichirin Sword. He simply can't anymore!"
"Every time Tachibana strikes Gyomei's weapons, the force of his blow perfectly cancels out the downward force on both weapons—not a bit more, not a bit less!"
"And while swinging his blade at such high speed, he not only has to keep both weapons in that position, but also constantly strike to cancel out the extra force Gyomei applies by pulling on the chains."
"In my more than forty years of life, this is the first time I've ever seen such astonishing skill!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was stunned. Although he didn't have the talent to be a swordsman, he more or less understood.
In short, Kujo Tachibana was strong!
Yes, that was it!
"Then do you think there's anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps who could beat Tachibana?" Ubuyashiki Kagaya couldn't help asking again, curiosity getting the better of him.
Kuwajima Jigoro shook his head without hesitation.
"Not a single swordsman in the current generation of the Demon Slayer Corps could match that boy!"
"Go back a century or two, and there might not be anyone either!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya furrowed his brow, then asked excitedly:
"Mr. Jigoro, do you mean..."
Before Ubuyashiki Kagaya could finish, Kuwajima Jigoro nodded and said:
"I'd estimate Tachibana's strength has already reached the level of the swordsmen who first practiced Breathing Styles!"
"I don't know where his limits lie."
"But I have a feeling that the battle between humans and demons may come to an end at the hands of this boy!"
Kuwajima Jigoro's words fell like a heavy hammer, pounding again and again against Ubuyashiki Kagaya's fragile heart!
"Thump..."
"Thump..."
"Thump..."
Gyomei felt his hands trembling faintly, no longer under his control.
Had he run out of strength?
He composed himself, then calmly called out to Kujo Tachibana:
"Rumble Hashira, I concede."
(Please stop, my friend! Quickly put away your divine powers!)
"Amitabha."
Though Gyomei seemed calm, inside he was already utterly crushed...
"As expected. Aside from being a little stronger, I'm just a mediocrity..."
"The Rumble Hashira is truly a monster!"
"I couldn't even withstand a single move..."
"I'm completely outmatched!"
"It's reassuring to know the Demon Slayer Corps has someone like him."
"Amitabha."
At last, Gyomei accepted deep down that he was "ordinary."
Kujo Tachibana finally realized he might have gone a little too far...
He hurriedly stopped swinging the Nichirin Sword, which had been dancing like a phantom in his hand.
"Did I discourage Gyomei?" Kujo Tachibana scratched his head, unable to help wondering.
"Thud."
"Thud."
Only then did the sound of two heavy objects hitting the ground reach everyone's ears.
"Look! The Rumble Hashira's sword has turned red!" one of the Kakushi members exclaimed, pointing at Kujo Tachibana's Nichirin Sword.
At that, Kujo Tachibana immediately looked down at the sword in his hand.
The Nichirin Sword, which had been black and white when he first picked it up, now looked as though it had just been taken from a furnace. Not only was scorching heat radiating from the blade—
Its color had turned bright red!
Kujo Tachibana knew it was probably because he'd just unleashed his full strength, swinging the blade at extreme speed and making it stir the air, creating intense friction and heat.
That was what had made the blade look like this.
Could that count as another way to activate the Red Blade?
Kujo Tachibana wasn't sure. He'd find a demon to test it on next time!
Once the blade had cooled down, Kujo Tachibana slid his Nichirin Sword back into its scabbard.
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