Kibutsuji Muzan smiled. A moment later, he vanished from where he stood.
Tetsu no Sosuke was already poised to strike!
In fact, the instant he saw his opponent, he had steeled himself for everything that might come.
So the moment Kibutsuji Muzan moved, he activated Extreme Flow Intent.
Blade light swept through the air. The figure before him suddenly flashed into view, and a hand was already in front of his face before he knew it.
Pushing off the ground, Tetsu no Sosuke shot backward. He released Shinobu Kocho's hand, gripped his blade with both hands, and slashed down in a sudden flash of steel.
Lightning Flash!
Kibutsuji Muzan seemed to consider such an attack beneath dodging, yet his body stopped short in an instant.
A gash appeared on his face, cutting into his flesh from the top of his head and running straight down. Blood seeped from the wound, but as though drawn by some strange power, none of it spilled onto the ground.
He reached up and touched the wound. He looked at the blood on his hand, then at the Nichirin Blade in Tetsu no Sosuke's hands. "Something like this should never have existed... just like you."
"You're the one... who shouldn't exist!!!"
Shinobu Kocho's furious shout rang out, and Tetsu no Sosuke's heart nearly skipped a beat. Attacking right now... reckless!!!
Yet her razor-sharp attack had already reached Kibutsuji Muzan. A moment later, however, he vanished from where he stood.
Shinobu Kocho's gaze went blank for an instant. Then agonizing pain struck her from behind.
The light in her eyes nearly faded. Only then did the sound of a fist striking her back reach Tetsu no Sosuke's ears.
Her petite figure flew straight toward Tetsu no Sosuke, as though she had been hit by a train.