Muichiro had already moved up to fill the gap at some point.
"Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Flowing Stream Slash!"
His slash flowed like a glide, aimed straight at Rokuya's lower body. The brothers' coordination was simply seamless: one controlled the field with smoke, while the other led the attack with agile mist sword techniques.
Clang!
Rokuya finally drew the Shura Blade. Its dark blue blade gleamed dangerously in the sunlight. Holding it in one hand, he swept it fiercely upward.
Clang-!
The crisp clash of metal rang across the training ground. Muichiro felt an overwhelming force surge through his blade. The webbing of his hand split open instantly, and the tremendous force sent him flying.
"Muichiro!" Yuichiro cried out, immediately abandoning his attack and turning to catch his younger brother.
"Don't turn your back on your enemy in battle!"
Rokuya's voice exploded like thunder beside Yuichiro's ear.
"Blade Tempest!"
Rokuya surged forward in a blur, swinging the Shura Blade horizontally. The air screamed beneath the slash.
Yuichiro blanched, instinctively turning and raising his sword to block.
"Smoke Breathing, Seventh Form: Sun-Obscuring Gloom Clouds!"
He whirled his Nichirin Blade furiously before him, creating an impenetrable defensive layer of smoke. This was already Smoke Breathing's strongest defensive technique.
Yet only when the Shura Blade touched that smoke barrier did Yuichiro truly understand what "despair-inducing strength" meant.
There were no dazzling bursts, no flashy effects. There was only physical destructive power in its purest extreme.
Boom!
The smoke barrier was instantly torn apart like paper. The tremendous impact slammed directly into Yuichiro's blade, sending him hurtling backward. He rolled over a dozen times across the ground before barely coming to a stop, throwing dust into the air.
Silence fell over the training ground.
Rokuya slowly returned the Shura Blade to its sheath, the