" Technique Development!"
Akaza gave a low shout, his legs slightly bent as he firmly planted himself in a horse stance.
The left hand is clenched into a fist and placed at the waist, ready to strike, while the right hand is slowly opened and pushed forward with the palm facing forward.
" Destructive Death - Compass Needle!"
As the words fell, the Akaza lit up.
A shimmering blue light emanated from the snowflakes beneath our feet, illuminating the surrounding dim snowfield with a serene yet mysterious glow.
Destructive Death: Compass Needle is the core of Akaza's Blood Demon Art.
It can sense an opponent's Fighting Spirit like a compass, allowing Akaza to discover the enemy's location and movements more quickly in battle.
It's like a precision instrument that detects light sources, while the Fighting Spirit emitted by others is like the light source itself.
The stronger you are, the stronger the light source you emit, and the faster the Destructive Death Compass Needle can react.
In contrast, the weaker the strength, the weaker the light emitted, and the more difficult it is for the Destructive Death Compass Needle to react.
That sounds like a drawback.
However, this is not considered a drawback for Akaza.
His status Upper Rank Three means that he doesn't even need to use Blood Demon Art to deal with ordinary people.
His honed physique and skills alone are enough to overwhelm the vast majority of people.
Aside from being ineffective against those who have mastered the Transparent World and can conceal their outward-emitting Fighting Spirit.
Destructive Death: Compass Needle is essentially a low-budget version of Transparent World.
Seeing that Akaza had already begun his ritual, Teiichi his right foot, bent his knee slightly, and lowered his center of gravity.
Compared to Doma, Teiichi believes Akaza is much easier to fight.
This is not only because Akaza is Upper Moon Upper Rank Three and is weaker than Doma, who is Upper Rank Two.
Furthermore, unlike Doma's Blood Demon Art, which are almost entirely ranged, Akaza's Blood Demon Art are almost entirely melee-based.
For Demon Slayer, who are also primarily limited to melee combat, Akaza would undoubtedly be a much easier opponent.
" First Form!"
Teiichi whispered, his calf muscles tensing up like springs.
Dust Whirlwind - Slash!
Before he could finish speaking, with a loud "bang," Teiichi's figure had already vanished from the spot.
As Teiichi disappeared before his eyes, Akaza's pupils contracted involuntarily.
Wow, so fast!
Although Akaza had already judged from the enemy's Fighting Spirit that the enemy was no ordinary person, when the battle actually began, he realized that he had underestimated the enemy in front of him.
The Destructive Death Compass Needle immediately activated at full power, and blue light gathered around Akaza, forming a dense sensory network in an attempt to detect the impending attack.
In an instant, Akaza sensed a dazzling Fighting Spirit appearing from his side and rear.
Akaza felt a chill run down his spine, quickly adjusted his posture, and pushed off with both feet, turning his entire body like an arrow released from a bow.
" Destructive Death - Disorder!"
Akaza roared, clenching his fist, blue Fighting Spirit swirling around it, and his fist slammed towards the incoming blade like a meteor.
"Clang!"
A sound like metal clashing rang out on the battlefield.
Despite being unarmed, Akaza deftly blocked the incoming Nichirin Blade with his fists.
The attack was blocked, Teiichi remained calm; he would be surprised if it were that easy.
He raised his Nichirin Blade, then swiftly swung it down again.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Azure Wind Blade and blue fist radiance flashed and clashed incessantly in the forest.
With her hands still moving, Akaza felt her arms trembling slightly and widened her eyes in surprise.
How could that be?
How is that possible?
How is that possible?!
Humans, it's one thing to hone their skills to perfection.
Why?
Why is Ueya physically stronger than his ghost self?
Swish!
The sudden, accelerated strike abruptly pulled Akaza back to reality from his brief daze.
The cold glint of the blade Flash before Akaza's eyes, and it was only a blink of an eye before it severed Akaza's neck.
There was absolutely no time left for Akaza to figure out how to handle the situation.
However, the body, honed by countless trials, had already reacted automatically.
Accompanied by a "crack" sound of bone breaking.
Akaza twisted his body forcefully, managing to dodge the fatal blow aimed at his neck.
However.
This wasn't entirely without cost.
An arm was severed by the sharp edge of the Nichirin Blade, blood splattering everywhere and staining the surrounding snow red.
Akaza reacted quickly, gritted his teeth, and focused the radiance onto his remaining hand.
" Destructive Death - Annihilation Style!"
A deep voice came from Akaza's mouth.
Whoosh!
The fist, glowing with a dazzling blue light, slammed down towards Teiichi.
Teiichi's gaze sharpened slightly as he twirled the Nichirin Blade in his hand.
" Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
As the Nichirin Blade swiftly sliced through the air, a massive Wind Blade rapidly formed, colliding head-on with the fist's light.
boom!
The shockwave from the explosion sent surrounding trees flying and snow and soil flying into the air with tremendous force.
Then it fell to the ground with a soft rustling sound.
The center of the battlefield.
With a violent explosion, Teiichi involuntarily jumped backward.
On the other hand, Akaza broke his own spine by forcibly twisting it.
Unable to move easily.
He was blown away by the aftershocks of the explosion.
Injuries that could cause serious harm or even death to humans.
But to ghosts, it seems insignificant.
During its flight, the damage caused by the explosion was largely repaired by the body's automatic regeneration ability.
After landing, it paused briefly.
The broken spine was also put back in place.
Akaza slowly rose from the ground.
The severed arm grew back rapidly as he stood up.
I swung my newly grown arm a couple of times to get used to it.
Then he looked up.
He stared intently at the Demon Slayer in the distance.
On the other end.
Teiichi stood firmly in place.
The battle that had just occurred flashed through my mind.
It was alright, much easier than I expected.
Four years ago, I wasn't much worse than Doma, let alone now.
I looked up at Akaza in the distance.
Let's see if we can just chop him up tonight...
The two gazed at each other from afar, separated by the snow curtain lifted by the explosion.
The world around them became unusually quiet at that moment, with only the occasional sound of wind in the distance and the heavy breathing of each other.
The heavier soil and snow that were kicked up by the explosion had already settled to the ground under the force of gravity.
At this moment, some light snowflakes still lingered in the air, slowly drifting down.
The two stood silently in place.
As the last snowflake gently and gracefully landed on the ground.
The two people, who had been still, suddenly started moving.