Gyomei's Crushing Defeat

In the eyes of the onlookers, Gyomei's strike was blindingly fast.

Yet, when faced with Kujo Tachibana at this moment, it appeared somewhat lacking.

The spiked flail and giant axe glided slowly through the air, and the expressions of awe on the faces of the spectators began to "freeze" as they watched the two lethal weapons.

Sensing the subtle shifts in his surroundings, Kujo Tachibana realized he had grown a little stronger...

Not in his physical body, but in his spirit and senses!

Perceiving everything around him, a sense of irritation suddenly welled up in Kujo Tachibana, and he couldn't help but mutter in his heart:

"Too slow, too slow..."

The slowness Kujo referred to was not merely Gyomei's strike, but everything in his vicinity.

As Kujo Tachibana's senses and spirit surged once more, he realized something.

Ordinary people and he had truly become beings of two different dimensions.

It was as if you were watching two movies simultaneously: one at normal speed, and the other at quadruple speed—yet Kujo, a character from the quadruple-speed film, had manifested within the normal-speed one!

"It's fortunate that this sensory state can be controlled. If I couldn't turn it off and it remained active twenty-four hours a day, I'd probably go insane before long," Kujo Tachibana speculated internally.

He looked up at the two "lethal weapons" still gliding slowly through the air, unable to close the distance, and sighed before actively stepping forward to meet them.

"Thunder Breathing - Second Form - Rice Spirit Modified!"

"BOOM..."

"BOOM..."

"BOOM..."

"BOOM..."

The golden Nichirin Sword slashed at high speed, the blade shearing through the air and unleashing a series of roars like thunder!

"Here... here... here..." Kujo Tachibana's blade followed the directions he perceived, hacking away incessantly.

From the perspective of the onlookers, it appeared as though the flail and axe were about to strike Kujo Tachibana, causing the timid among them to cover their eyes in fear.

Then, their vision blurred, and when they looked again!

Accompanied by the thunderous roar of lightning, the Nichirin Sword in Kujo Tachibana's hand danced like a phantom.

And Gyomei's two "lethal weapons," under the continuous strikes of Kujo Tachibana's blade, were like two wild beasts that had been tamed!

They hovered eerily in the air before Kujo Tachibana!

No matter how hard Gyomei, who was controlling the chains from afar, pulled on them, he could not break this strange equilibrium.

The gasps of the onlookers rose in an endless chorus.

"Nani!!"

"Am I seeing things? I must be seeing things..."

"Wow, how amazing! How did Rumble Hashira do that!!"

"Look at Rumble Hashira's opponent! He's been repelled by the chains of his own weapons!"

At this moment, everyone understood: Gyomei was no match for Kujo Tachibana.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the gap between the two was immense!

Watching this scene, Kuwajima Jigoro couldn't help but widen his eyes, exclaiming in his heart:

"Good grief! You kid from the Kujo Clan! Just how much have you been holding back from this old man..."

"This modified Thunder Breathing sword technique! This reaction time and control!"

Before Kuwajima Jigoro could finish his thoughts, Ubuyashiki Kagaya asked with equal curiosity:

"Kuwajima-san, how is Tachibana doing this?"

"Why are Gyomei's weapons frozen in front of Tachibana, unable to move? And why can't he regain control?"

Kuwajima Jigoro explained with a solemn expression:

"What truly astonishing swordsmanship!"

"Oyakata-sama, it is not that Gyomei does not want to control his Nichirin Sword; it is that he no longer can!"

"Every time Tachibana swings his blade, the force he uses to strike Gyomei's weapons perfectly cancels out the downward momentum of those weapons—not a fraction more, not a fraction less!"

"Furthermore, during such high-speed strikes, he must not only maintain the state of these two weapons but also continuously swing his blade to negate the additional force Gyomei exerts by pulling the chains."

"I have lived for over forty years, and this is the first time I have witnessed such breathtaking skill!"

Ubuyashiki Kagaya was stunned; although he lacked the talent of a swordsman, he understood the gist of it.

In short, Kujo Tachibana is very strong!

Yes, that is exactly it!

"Then, do you believe there is anyone within the Demon Slayer Corps who could be a match for Tachibana?" Ubuyashiki Kagaya could not help but ask, his curiosity piqued.

Kuwajima Jigoro shook his head decisively and said:

"Not to mention the current generation of Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, there is no one who can be this boy's opponent!"

"Even if you look back one or two hundred years, there might not even be one!"

Ubuyashiki Kagaya frowned, then turned to ask with pleasant surprise:

"Mr. Kuwajima, do you mean to say..."

Before Ubuyashiki Kagaya could finish, Kuwajima Jigoro nodded and said:

"Tachibana's strength, I estimate... has already reached the level of the first generation of breathing style swordsmen!"

"Where his limits lie, I do not know either."

"However, I have a premonition that perhaps the war between humans and demons will end in the hands of this young man!"

Kuwajima Jigoro's words were like a heavy hammer, continuously pounding against Ubuyashiki Kagaya's fragile heart!

"Thump, thump..."

"Thump, thump..."

"Thump, thump..."

Gyomei felt his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Is this exhaustion?

He then turned to Kujo Tachibana with a calm expression and shouted:

"Rumble Hashira, it is my loss."

(Hurry and stop, you monster! Quickly put away your supernatural powers!)

"Amitabha."

Though he appeared calm, Gyomei's heart was already cold...

As expected, apart from having a bit more strength, I am just a mediocre person...

Rumble Hashira is truly as strong as a monster!

I couldn't even take a single move...

I am completely no match for him!

With someone like this in the Demon Slayer Corps, it is truly reassuring.

"Amitabha."

At this moment, Gyomei had already accepted his own "mediocrity" in his heart.

Kujo Tachibana finally realized that he might have gone a bit too far...

He hurriedly stopped the Nichirin Sword that had been dancing into a blur.

Gyomei won't be discouraged by me, will he? Kujo Tachibana scratched his head, unable to help but think to himself.

"Thud."

"Thud."

Two sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground finally reached everyone's ears.

"Look! Rumble Hashira's sword! It has turned red!" A member of the Kakushi pointed at Kujo Tachibana's Nichirin Sword and said in surprise.

Hearing this, Kujo Tachibana immediately cast his gaze toward the Nichirin Sword in his hand.

The sword, which had been black and white just a moment ago, now looked as if it had just been pulled from a forge, not only radiating scorching heat from the blade!

Even the color had turned bright red!

Kujo Tachibana knew that this must have been caused by his full-power outburst just now, where the high-speed movement of the blade against the air created intense friction, resulting in the high temperature.

That was what caused the blade to take on this appearance.

Could this also be considered a way to activate a Red Blade?

After thinking about it, Kujo Tachibana could not be certain; he would have to find a demon to experiment on next time!

After the blade's temperature dropped, Kujo Tachibana finally sheathed his Nichirin Sword.