A New Water Breathing Form

Sabito and Giyu stood there holding their drawn Nichirin Swords, both staring blankly at Kujo Tachibana as they asked:

"Mr. Tachibana, what are you doing here?"

"How did you end up here?"

Kujo Tachibana smiled broadly at the pair who had just arrived and said:

"Well, about that..."

"I'll explain later!"

"Your opponent right now is him!"

With that, Kujo Tachibana pointed toward Hand Demon.

The misshapen demon was enormous, with arms growing all over its body.

Sabito and Giyu exchanged glances, both wearing solemn expressions.

Seeing their faces, Kujo Tachibana paused, then continued:

"It looks like your Master Urokodaki captured this demon."

"And it just told me that over the past few years, it's eaten several boys wearing fox masks on Mt. Fujikasane."

"Apparently, they all used Water Breathing, too!"

Hand Demon, oblivious to the consequences, scratched its head. In an instant, strips of flesh came away beneath its own fingernails.

Hand Demon wondered to itself:

Did I say that?? Did I really say that??

I don't remember saying that. But if I didn't, how does this guy know about it?

Hand Demon was now overcome with deep self-doubt.

Kujo Tachibana paid no attention to its reaction and continued:

"You know this is where the Demon Slayer Corps holds its Final Selection. I can't interfere."

"So you'll have to fight it yourselves!"

"Don't die, okay?"

As soon as Kujo Tachibana finished speaking, his figure vanished from the sight of the two boys and the demon without warning!

"Water Breathing—First Form: Surface Slash!" ×2

Furious, Sabito and Giyu both swung their Nichirin Swords at Hand Demon, who was still in a daze.

They attacked from either side, aiming for its neck!

"Thwack!"

"Thwack!"

Giyu's Nichirin Sword cut off the two arms on the left side of Hand Demon's neck, but a third arm grabbed the blade!

Sabito's strike, however, severed every arm on the right side of Hand Demon's neck!

Sabito's Nichirin Sword drove deep, until Hand Demon's spine blocked it.

The blade struck bone with a sharp "clang"!

Unfortunately, Hand Demon's arms had absorbed most of the force, and Sabito failed to behead it.

The terror of nearly being beheaded instantly snapped Hand Demon out of its daze.

When it saw the fox masks on the boys' foreheads, its fury only grew.

It sent nearly a hundred arms sprouting rapidly from its body!

In an instant, it flung the two boys away.

After landing, Sabito and Giyu had both taken dozens of heavy blows. Dazed and reeling, they collapsed to the ground.

Then the countless arms rapidly intertwined until they became two enormous, elongated limbs!

From a distance, Hand Demon controlled the two giant arms and slammed them down toward the spot where the boys had fallen! It roared:

"Urokodaki!! Urokodaki!!"

"And you two brats!"

"You're all going to die!"

At the last possible moment, Sabito shoved Giyu away, then used the recoil to roll backward with his sword in hand.

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

After two dull thuds, Hand Demon's attack had left two enormous craters in the packed forest floor!

"Whoa! It can do that? I don't remember that from the anime!"

"Can those two even take it?"

Hidden nearby in a tree, Kujo Tachibana rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

Seeing the craters in the ground, Sabito and Giyu broke into a cold sweat.

"Giyu! I'll hold off those two arms! You go cut off its head!" Sabito stood in front of Giyu with his Nichirin Sword, his expression resolute.

Giyu stepped up beside Sabito, shook his head, and said expressionlessly:

"I'll hold off the arms. You cut off its head!"

Unfortunately, before they could even decide who would do what, Hand Demon attacked again!

The two hurriedly raised their swords to block. Like tiny insects challenging a tree, they charged at the enormous arms before them!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The next moment, they were sent flying dozens of meters like cannonballs.

When Giyu landed, he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood. His legs gave way, and he passed out.

Sabito was in no better shape. Though he had used a Water Breathing form to deflect much of the force, the impact had injured both his hands, and his sword strikes were now far weaker than before!

Kujo Tachibana couldn't hold back any longer. From the tree, he called down to Sabito, offering advice:

"Sabito, stay completely focused during a fight. Don't let yourself get distracted!"

"And don't act rashly. Get your breathing under control!"

"You're weaker than it is, so think about the nature of Water Breathing! Don't try to overpower it head-on!"

"Stone may be hard, but water can wear it away!"

"And this demon isn't actually as strong as you think!"

"It's not attacking any faster than you are!"

"Besides, attacks in this form aren't very flexible, and they take time to build up power."

"You should be able to dodge them with your speed. If you let it hit you, you've failed!"

Sabito gripped his Nichirin Sword with both hands. Without looking for Kujo Tachibana, he kept his gaze fixed on Hand Demon and nodded to show he understood.

The next moment, Hand Demon attacked again!

"Inhale..."

"Water Breathing—Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

For the next fifteen minutes, Sabito made no attempt to counterattack.

He relied solely on the burst of speed from Water Breathing's Flowing Dance, dodging Hand Demon's attacks with the slippery agility of an eel.

Unable to land a hit, Hand Demon grew increasingly irritable. The gaps between its two long arms grew wider and wider!

A glint flashed in Sabito's eyes!

His chance had come!

The demon had gotten used to his current rhythm of dodging!

"Water Breathing—Ninth Form: Water Splash!"

In an instant, Sabito seemed to become rushing water!

Defying gravity, he ran along Hand Demon's long arm, spinning and leaping back and forth as he dodged the attacks of its other arm.

At last, he followed the length of the arm and reached Hand Demon!

"Water Breathing—Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"

(Like a dragon, the user spins and undulates. The more rotations, the stronger the slash.)

Harnessing the force of dozens of rotations, Sabito's Nichirin Sword became a sky-blue water dragon. It roared as it struck Hand Demon's neck!

In that moment!

Hand Demon seemed to see Urokodaki.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Kujo Tachibana jumped down from the tree, applauding as he looked at Sabito with admiration and praised him:

"You've got a good grasp of Water Breathing. You even managed to combine the Ninth and Tenth Forms!"

"Take some time to refine it, and it could become a new Water Breathing form!"

Sabito smiled faintly, then promptly collapsed to the ground...

Kujo Tachibana stared blankly at the exhausted Sabito and the unconscious Giyu, then slapped a hand to his forehead!

What a miscalculation! He should've gone himself. Now he had to look after these two brats!