"Hey! Hey! Upper Rank Demon over there! Your attacks aren't flashy at all, you bastard!"
A shout brimming with arrogance and confidence tore through the night sky.
With several flashy leaps and nimble twists, Tengen Uzui landed precisely on the edge of a rooftop not far from the battlefield.
He carried his two enormous Nichirin Blades on his back, his forehead protector glittering in the moonlight, his signature smile, filled with festival fervor, playing on his lips.
As the Sound Hashira and a ninja, he had rushed over as fast as he could.
He could hardly wait to turn this battle in Yoshiwara into the flashiest festival of all, one belonging to him, Tengen Uzui, alone!
He would use the most dazzling Sound Breathing to sever the Upper Rank Demon's head and make everyone cheer for his strength!
But when his gaze truly fixed on the center of the battlefield, that arrogant, confident smile froze on his face, little by little.
What did he see?
Obi filled the air, flashing with a deadly cold gleam as they lashed, sliced, and stabbed furiously at a single target from every direction, like a raging storm.
And that target...
It was an enormous suit of rib-cage armor formed from pure purple energy, radiating an aura both ominous and sacred.
The newly appointed Thunder Hashira, Uesugi Sasuke, stood calmly at the center of that rib-cage armor, without so much as moving.
The countless obi, powerful enough to tear through steel and destroy buildings with ease, could only throw off a helpless shower of sparks the instant they struck the purple skeleton before an irresistible force violently repelled them.
That was not hardness.
It was an incomprehensible defense called "absolute."
"You've... got to be kidding..."
Tengen Uzui's lips moved unconsciously, producing a few dry syllables