The Flame Pillar looked at the Upper Rank Two Demon, anticipation in his eyes.
The demon had remained silent until now. At last, he chuckled. "You've all come. Thank you very much."
He said little, but his arrogance was unmistakable.
Thank you? Was he thanking the Pillars for coming to him to be killed?
Hearing that, Tetsu no Sosuke felt each generation of the Twelve Demon Moons was more arrogant than the last.
But arrogance like that had to be backed by something. The moment the Upper Rank Two Demon moved, Tetsu no Sosuke's expression turned grave.
Fast!
Incredibly fast!
In a flash, before anyone could blink, the demon's claws reached Kyojuro Rengoku's neck.
Whoosh!
Flames burst up around Kyojuro Rengoku. He stood like a lion amid the fire. The instant the demon's claws touched the flames, he retreated, half his hand charred black.
Frowning, he sliced off the half-cooked hand with his other one.
Within a breath, the hand grew back.
He stared at the Flame Pillar in astonishment. "What was that?"
Most people would not have explained, but Kyojuro Rengoku did, most likely for Tetsu no Sosuke's benefit. "It's a strange harmony between the stone and yourself. Stones breathe, too. Connect your breathing to theirs, and you can join their power with your own. Even without drawing your Nichirin Blade, that power is yours to use!"
The Difficult Problem
Stones breathe, too?
Tetsu no Sosuke paused. That had never occurred to him...
Kyojuro Rengoku really is something else.
He always managed to discover things Tetsu no Sosuke had missed. Earlier, he had named his weapon and triggered another effect of the Blood Forging Method.
Tetsu no Sosuke still had not managed to do that himself.
He figured it was probably because Kyojuro Rengoku did not have a girlfriend.