Early the next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who had tossed and turned all night, hurried over to the courtyard where Kujo Tachibana lived.
After finally perfecting his Breathing Style the night before, Kujo Tachibana had at last been able to relax—and for once, he'd slept in.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Unfortunately, the hurried pounding on the gate jolted Kujo Tachibana awake. What a terrible way to ruin a good dream...
But when he opened the gate and saw Ubuyashiki Kagaya standing there with dark circles under his eyes, his mood instantly improved.
At least he'd gotten a whole night's sleep, unlike someone else, right?
Stepping aside to let him into the courtyard, Kujo Tachibana couldn't resist teasing him.
"Master, you fool!"
"If you use it all up now, you won't have any left later!"
"You're still young, so you have to learn some restraint!"
At those words, the veins on Ubuyashiki Kagaya's forehead bulged. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the bastard!
He'd done it on purpose!
That bastard had definitely done it on purpose!
Who sent someone such an important message in the middle of the night?
He'd obviously wanted to make sure Kagaya didn't get a good night's sleep!
What a rotten, worm-hearted bastard...
Ignoring Kujo Tachibana's attempts to get under his skin, Ubuyashiki Kagaya got straight to the point.
"What did you mean by what you said last night?"
"What did I say?" Kujo Tachibana feigned confusion.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't stay another second. He turned and headed for the gate.
Seeing this, Kujo Tachibana simply laughed, picked up the Nichirin Sword lying nearby, and hurried over to sling an arm around Ubuyashiki Kagaya's shoulders.
He said earnestly,
"Kagaya, come on!"
"I'll show you something."
"The greatest power in the world!"
Ubuyashiki Kagaya stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at Kujo Tachibana.
"If you dare lie to me again, I'll kick you out of the Demon Slayer Corps!"
"And you won't get a single coin of retirement pay!"
Kujo Tachibana's expression changed instantly. He hurriedly pleaded,
"Master! Please, anything but that!"
"Come on, let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Kujo Tachibana slung an arm around Ubuyashiki Kagaya's shoulders. The two of them transformed into a streak of blue-and-yellow lightning and vanished from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters in the blink of an eye.
"Huh?!"
"Where's the Master?!"
"How does a whole grown man just disappear?!"
The swordsmen guarding Ubuyashiki Kagaya from the shadows outside Kujo Tachibana's courtyard instantly fell into chaos.
In less than a minute, Kujo Tachibana had taken Ubuyashiki Kagaya to the woods beyond headquarters.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya couldn't hide his shock.
Before this, when Kujo Tachibana wasn't injured, Kagaya had known he was strong, but he'd never had a clear sense of just how strong.
He'd often heard people talk about how incredibly fast Kujo Tachibana was. Now, at last, he'd seen it for himself!
"So this is the Thunderclap Sword Saint, renowned throughout Japan!"
Kujo Tachibana said smugly, "Well? You know how amazing I am now, don't you? Hahahaha..."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya's eyes shone as he hurriedly asked,
"Tachibana, have you recovered your strength?"
Kujo Tachibana shook his head, his expression earnest.
"Kagaya, have you misunderstood something about me?"
"I haven't recovered my strength. I've surpassed the peak this world once knew!"
"The me now could beat ten of the me from before!"
Even if Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared right now, Kujo Tachibana could give him the hairstyle of a Buddha statue—bumps all over his head!
Of course, that was only Kujo Tachibana's personal opinion. There was no way to compare himself with someone who was already dead.
Still, he was confident he wouldn't lose.
A short while later, Kujo Tachibana brought Ubuyashiki Kagaya to a waterfall.
It wasn't particularly large. It dropped about seventeen or eighteen meters and was roughly five or six meters wide.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya looked at Kujo Tachibana in confusion.
"What are you planning to do? Are you going to cut the waterfall in half?"
Kujo Tachibana smiled and shook his head without answering.
With a soft "shing," Kujo Tachibana drew the Nichirin Sword from his waist.
The Nichirin Sword, Soul Suppressor, had seen the light of day again. It rang out with a long, joyful hum.
Kujo Tachibana raised the Nichirin Sword toward the sun and carefully examined the many fine scratches on the blade.
The damage had been left behind during his battle with Kokushibo. He hadn't taken it to the Swordsmith Village for repairs because, at the time, he'd no longer had any use for it. He'd kept it by his side only as a memento.
But now, everything had changed. Just when all hope had seemed lost, a new path had opened!
The Nichirin Sword, Soul Suppressor, seemed to sense its master's feelings. The blade trembled incessantly...
Kujo Tachibana gently stroked the blade. His touch was tender, and as his hand moved, the trembling blade gradually stilled.
Watching from the side, Ubuyashiki Kagaya broke out in goosebumps.
This guy!
Kagaya had never seen any normal person look at their sword with such a "perverted" expression.
Kujo Tachibana wasn't looking at a sword. He looked more like he was gazing at a beautiful woman with no clothes on...
Unable to take it any longer, Ubuyashiki Kagaya shouted,
"Have you had enough? Keep dawdling and it'll be dark!"
Interrupted, Kujo Tachibana didn't seem to mind. He smiled faintly, then turned to face the waterfall before him, fed by mountain springs.
"Kagaya, get behind me and back up another ten meters!"
Kujo Tachibana didn't look like he was joking, so Ubuyashiki Kagaya didn't argue. He obediently retreated more than ten meters.
Once Ubuyashiki Kagaya was far enough away, Kujo Tachibana opened every pore on his body. The air seemed to turn into countless invisible whirlwinds, rushing frantically into him...
Even Ubuyashiki Kagaya, more than ten meters away, could clearly feel the air around him grow a little thinner in an instant.
A muffled rumble of thunder suddenly sounded from within Kujo Tachibana's body!
Before any lightning appeared, Kujo Tachibana brought every muscle, tendon, and bone in his body into play, along with the power granted by Thunder Breathing 2.0—a power that surpassed this world's peak!
From low to high, he swung his sword in a backhanded slash!
A massive, transparent slash erupted toward the waterfall before him. Rising from its base, it swept up the water along its path and engulfed the entire waterfall, surging steadily upstream!
Then came a tremendous BOOM...
Water poured down from the sky, drenching Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who stood frozen in place, until he was soaked to the skin...
So that was why you told me to back up ten meters—you were marking the spot, weren't you?
Before you continue