Hesitation made you weak.
Hesitation meant defeat.
No matter how powerful someone was, if they could not keep a calm mind, they would only squander that strength. Kokushibo, who was now on the verge of going berserk, was a perfect example. In this state, even his Transparent World was probably on the brink of deteriorating.
Kokushibo was a formidable opponent. Had Chinatsu faced him while he was calm, her plan could never have gone so smoothly.
Before the battle even began, Chinatsu had been using her words to provoke Kokushibo. Unlike his formidable strength, his heart was surprisingly fragile, all because of the thorn lodged within it-a thorn named Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Chinatsu kept prodding that thorn, leaving Kokushibo in a constant state of inner turmoil.
The first stage of that turmoil made his sword techniques easy to read.
The second stage made his reactions slow and stiff.
The third stage unsettled his mind and let his obsession consume him.
And precisely because he had lost his composure, he had completely overlooked a factor called "time."
Dawn was almost here...
Like a perpetual motion machine, Kokushibo unleashed countless crescent-shaped sword slashes in every direction. Chinatsu maintained the cycle of the thirteen forms, deflecting his slashes as she closed in on him, step by step.
When Chinatsu came within five steps of him, Kokushibo finally came to his senses. He abandoned his relentless, omnidirectional barrage, gripped Kokushibo's Flesh Katana with both hands, and brought it down vertically at her.
But Chinatsu chose not to slash. She thrust.
"Hinokami Kagura: Sunflower Thrust!"
The dark moon cut into Chinatsu, and the sun pierced Kokushibo's chest.
Blood sprayed everywhere. If this had been a manga, the artist would surely have added a chaotic mass of blood spatters. If it had been an anime, the screen