Yae moved with the speed of a tempest. Arcs of brilliant blue electricity crackled across her skin as she utilized the Breath of Thunder, her silhouette flickering in and out of existence among the rows of peach trees. She circled Horitake like a hunting predator, waiting for even the slightest opening.
She had already made her decision: she would not strike until she was absolutely certain of her success.
However, after minutes of high-speed movement and observation, Yae was forced to realize a frustrating truth—there was no such thing as "certainty" here.
Her senior, Horitake, simply stood there. He didn't move, didn't assume a defensive stance, and didn't attempt to evade. To the untrained eye, he seemed riddled with openings, yet to Yae, he appeared as a seamless, perfect wall of defense.
I can't keep this up, she thought, her teeth gritted so hard they ached. If I stay on the defensive, I'm finished!
The pressure was suffocating.
No, I have to strike! Even if the odds are against me, I have to try!
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Yae's power surged. With the speed of a lightning strike, she lunged at Horitake's back. Without a word of warning, she unsheathed her blade in a blur of motion, unleashing a series of accelerated, electrified slashes aimed at every vital point of his body.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, Horitake vanished. Yae's blade sliced through nothing but empty air.
"What?! He's gone?!"
Panic flared in her chest, but she quickly corrected herself. No! He didn't just vanish. He's moving so fast my eyes can't track him! This is bad... he's behind me!
She felt a presence looming at her back. In the heat of battle, turning your back to the enemy was a death sentence. Desperate, Yae spun around, her blade already beginning its arc to intercept him.
But Horitake was faster—impossibly so. As if he were merely playing a game, he reached out his hand just as she turned and, with a casual, light motion, flicked her right on the forehead.
It looked like a gentle tap, but the impact sent a jolt through Yae's head that made her vision swim.
She stumbled back, dazed, shaking her head vigorously to clear the fog. Growling in frustration, she launched into her next technique with even more ferocity.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!"
Blue lightning erupted around her again. She unleashed five fierce, consecutive slashes, a web of steel and thunder meant to overwhelm Horitake's defenses.
Horitake remained calm. He reached out a hand and, with a graceful, sweeping motion, brushed aside the first strike. The electrified blade was diverted so effortlessly that it felt as though she had missed entirely.
He didn't stop there. He handled the subsequent four strikes with the same nonchalance. With every flick of his wrist, he neutralized her momentum, guiding her blade away as if he were shooing a fly.
To Yae, it felt like her sword was striking a bar of wet soap. Everything was slippery; she couldn't find purchase, couldn't land a blow, and couldn't deal even a scratch of damage.
Cold sweat began to bead on her brow.
Is this... is this really my senior's strength?
Is this the true face of the Demon Slayer Corps' most powerful combatant?
The rumors were not exaggerated. She realized now that she had been overconfident—perhaps even a bit arrogant—due to her recent progress. The gap between them was not a mere step; it was a chasm. Yae immediately reined in her pride, the last traces of her self-satisfaction vanishing.
Though her ego was bruised, her spirit wasn't broken. She still wanted to show Horitake what she was capable of.
Leaping back two paces, she lowered her center of gravity and held her sword in a wary guard.
"Senior, be careful. I haven't fully mastered these next two moves yet."
Horitake simply extended his hand, gesturing for her to continue. "It's fine. Give it everything you've got. If you manage to wound me, I lose. If you even force me to draw my sword, I'll count that as a loss too."
Hearing that, Yae threw caution to the wind. She pushed the Breath of Thunder to its limit.
"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
The blue electricity around her intensified, crackling with a high-pitched roar. She swung her blade with everything she had, projecting a bolt of searing, high-temperature lightning toward Horitake.
Horitake didn't even flinch. He raised his right fist and, with a sudden, explosive punch, smashed the bolt of lightning aside as if it were a physical object!
Yae's scalp went numb with dread. She knew the power of that move better than anyone; she had used it to blast apart several peach trees at once during practice. Yet here he was, shattering it with a bare fist.
Just how strong is he?!
She didn't let herself dwell on it. She immediately flowed into her final gambit.
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Blast!"
The blue light around her reached a crescendo. Lightning condensed and exploded outward as Yae swung her sword in a frantic, wide-reaching barrage. Countless arcs of electricity tore through the air, converging on Horitake from all directions like a net of jagged light.
It was clear she hadn't mastered the technique perfectly. The number of strikes was lower than it should have been, the density was uneven, and the individual bolts lacked true piercing power.
Still, for a practitioner of her level, the destructive force was formidable.
Horitake stood his ground. With a faint smile, he held his hand out like a blade—a "hand-sword"—and began to strike. He systematically shredded every incoming bolt of lightning, his hand moving so fast it became a blur of motion. No matter how many strikes she sent his way, he neutralized them all.
Every single attack was extinguished by his bare hand.
Unleashing such a powerful technique took a heavy toll on Yae's stamina. Finally, her momentum gave out, and the discharge of lightning ceased.
She stood there, gasping for air, her sword trembling slightly in her hand. As she looked at the perfectly unharmed Horitake, a bitter, self-deprecating smile touched her lips.
Why the bitterness? Why the self-mockery?
Because she realized that from the moment they started, Horitake hadn't moved a single inch. He was still standing in the exact same spot where the duel began.
Good heavens... just how deep is the well of his strength?
She hadn't forced him to draw his sword. She hadn't even forced him to use his "Heavenly Thunder Breathing." She hadn't even made him take a single step. Was the difference between them really this insurmountable?
For a moment, Yae began to doubt everything she knew about her own progress.
Watching from a distance, Jigoro felt a twinge of worry.
That brat better not go too far, the old man thought. Yae is a brilliant talent. He shouldn't crush her spirit or break her confidence like this!
Horitake had indeed delivered a heavy blow to Yae's pride, but she wouldn't have time to dwell on her existential crisis for long. It was Horitake's turn to go on the offensive.
Horitake extended his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together to form a "finger-sword." As he circulated a small portion of his Heavenly Thunder Breathing, a spark of brilliant, royal purple light shimmered at his fingertips.
Then, using his fingers as a blade, he lunged forward.
Yae's eyes widened. She barely managed to bring her sword up to parry.
Clang!
When Horitake's fingers struck the steel of Yae's katana, the sound that rang out across the grove was not the dull thud of flesh on metal, but the sharp, ringing resonance of two blades clashing.
Cold sweat poured down Yae's face.
She understood now. Even her senior's fingers possessed the lethality of a master-crafted sword.
I can't be careless! If those fingers touch me, it's over!
In a state of pure survival instinct, Yae swung her sword in a frantic defensive rhythm, her blade creating a wall of steel as she retreated, desperately trying to evade the relentless pursuit of Horitake's "sword-fingers."
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