"Is that Makomo? The demon slayer who only became an official member not long ago?"
Shinobu Kocho stood beside her sister, staring at the girl fighting Kokushibo ahead with utter disbelief. They had now confirmed that Kokushibo before them was the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki.
He was the twin brother of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest swordsman. Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the one who had created Sun Breathing. The breathing styles currently used by the Demon Slayer Corps had all branched off from Sun Breathing, but that did not mean those derivative breathing styles were stronger than Sun Breathing. Quite the opposite.
Sun Breathing was the legendary strongest breathing style, a Total Concentration Breathing capable of beheading Muzan Kibutsuji.
One could easily imagine the strength of that man's twin brother. What was more, he had become a demon and lived for centuries.
Shinobu Kocho, who had fought Upper Rank demons before, understood very well how powerful the Upper Ranks were. Especially Zohakuten, Hantengu's form—it had taken nearly ten Hashira-level swordsmen surrounding him to finally defeat him!
Then what about the leader of the Upper Ranks? He should have been far stronger than Hantengu, shouldn't he?
Yet Makomo was actually able to trade blows with him evenly.
At the entrance to the imperial palace, Kokushibo and Makomo had become so fast that swordsmen below Hashira level could not even see their figures. Even Hashira-level swordsmen... could not make out the speed at which they swung their blades.
If they replaced either Kokushibo or Makomo and faced an opponent like that... they discovered something terrifying. They would be cut in half with a single strike.
Besides the illusory speed of flashing blades, every one of Kokushibo's attacks carried countless crescent moon blades, making them impossible to guard against... and Makomo clearly could not