The savage winds of his punches tore the earth apart.
Uesugi Sasuke retreated repeatedly beneath the relentless barrage. The ground cracked inch by inch beneath his feet, and rubble and snow dust whipped up by the shock waves obscured his vision. He had to perform several backflips in succession, using his most refined technique to dissipate that unreasonable force.
When he steadied himself again and his scarlet Sharingan pierced the drifting dust, his pupils contracted slightly.
The battlefield had been divided.
Between him and Kyojuro Rengoku lay a death zone formed by countless afterimages of whipping punches. And Kyojuro stood alone, directly facing Akaza, whose killing intent had already reached its boiling point.
"Hahahaha!"
A sick, ecstatic smile spread across Akaza's face.
It worked.
He had finally separated that troublesome red-eyed brat from the fight. That stifling feeling of having everything seen through in advance was gone. Now, control of the battlefield was back in his hands.
Akaza's gaze locked firmly onto the Flame Hashira before him.
That Fighting Spirit, as scorching and immense as the sun, was so delectable to him, so captivating. This was the battle he craved. This was the supreme martial prowess he pursued.
"Kyojuro!" Akaza's voice brimmed with undisguised admiration and killing intent. "You've honed your Fighting Spirit to its utmost limit! Let me show my respect with my strongest technique!"
He crouched slightly. The muscles throughout his body visibly swelled and contracted, compressing his strength to its limit. The snowflake-shaped Compass Needle formation beneath his feet blazed with light, and a pure aura born for destruction shot into the sky.
He would finish this worthy opponent completely in a single instant.
Kyojuro Rengoku's chest heaved violently. The earlier Disorder had left several wounds of varying depths across his body, and blood stained his white