Tanjirou, who had left and now returned, brought with him an even more formidable power. The ferocious expression on his face was clearly visible to the naked eye, as if he were putting every ounce of strength into his effort.
This caused the thought to rise in Mizuki's mind once again that she must have accidentally offended him somewhere.
Mizuki was surprised by everyone's condition, and before she could react, Uzui Tengen shouted loudly as he jumped out from behind Tanjirou.
"Heh!" With his limbs slightly bent, he pulled his body in, and his wrists suddenly slammed the two broad Nichirin Blades down from above.
Mizuki reacted extremely quickly, taking half a step back as a deafening roar erupted before her eyes.
"Boom!!!"
Uzui Tengen's figure plummeted in front of her. The unique nature of his Nichirin Blade caused it to let out a massive boom when it struck the ground, nearly deafening Mizuki with the blast.
A high cloud of dust and smoke surged up, completely enveloping the three of them.
This was different from Tokito Muichiro's special Breathing Technique, which used high-speed movement to achieve the effect of deceiving the opponent.
The perspective effect of the Transparent World only works on the human body, and this kind of dust and smoke cannot be seen through with Transparent Vision.
A glint of blade light flashed through the hazy dust as a black-gold blade swirled through the smoke, slashing horizontally toward her.
This guy is just a diversion.
The real killing move is Tanjirou behind him.
Mizuki was not misled by him. With a slight furrow of her brow, she nonchalantly parried the blade and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying.
His massive nearly two-meter-tall frame flew backward, stirring up the surrounding dust.
Within the smoke, Mizuki clearly saw Tanjirou searching for an opportunity.
This child did not approach her directly; instead, he was waiting...
Waiting?
The sound of something breaking through the air rang out unexpectedly by her ear, and Mizuki hurriedly turned to look.
"Cough..." Uzui Amane's eyes lit up. Seizing this great opportunity while flying backward, she threw the bombs from her waist, which exploded with a crackling sound all around Mizuki.
An instant before the bombs exploded, Mizuki saw a peculiar blade whistling through the dust behind her.
It was Kanroji Mitsuri's whip-like Nichirin Blade, which, like a snake hiding in a dark corner, had found the perfect moment to strike.
Boom!!!
Before Mizuki could take another look, her vision was obscured once again by the explosion of Uzui Tengen's bombs.
But she had already seen the trajectory of the Nichirin Blade. With a casual swing behind her, a blood-colored Sword Qi strike swirled through the dust.
Just as the pink blade was about to collide with the slash, it suddenly made an eerie turn, actually managing to avoid the attack and stabbing straight at her like a dragon raising its head.
Truly a bit annoying.
Mizuki clicked her tongue and raised her blade to deflect that strange Nichirin Blade.
The moment they made contact, Mizuki couldn't help but let out a soft sound of surprise.
The strength seemed quite a bit greater than she had imagined.
Logically speaking, under the influence of the cold air, her strength should have been weakened.
Did she manifest the Demon Slayer Mark just now?
The winding and twisting Nichirin Blade suddenly retracted. Mizuki looked in that direction and saw Kanroji Mitsuri's nervous expression.
There was no Demon Slayer Mark on her face...
Did she just erupt with potential?
Mizuki took a hurried glance before turning back to face Tanjirou.
As expected, in the next moment...
Orange flames cut through the dust, exploding directly before her eyes.
"Sun Breathing, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance!!"
A vertical flame cross slash appeared before her eyes.
A very beautiful strike, in terms of both timing and swordsmanship.
But...
His stamina must be depleted, right?
Mizuki gazed at the boy before her, whose face showed his struggle.
Using the Breathing Technique so continuously under those conditions, even if he reached her through sheer willpower, he was likely at his limit.
The Breathing Technique was never meant to prolong life, especially the improvement in cultivation precision after achieving Constant Concentration.
It allows the user to master their body more perfectly, even to the point of controlling the flow of muscles and Bloodline.
But...
This is all built on the premise of an increased burden on the body.
The Demon Slayer Mark is proof of the Breathing Technique reaching a certain limit, greatly accelerating the consumption of one's life.
Tanjirou's attack could not be called soft or powerless, but in Mizuki's eyes, it didn't pose much of a threat.
She admitted she was shocked to see this group of people moving despite the erosion of the cold air.
But after that shock passed, their stamina had not been restored, and they were only enduring the erosion of the cold through sheer willpower.
The strength of these people had decreased.
The cross slash wrapped in orange flames approached, and Mizuki raised her blade.
Against such a weak slash, as long as...
Whoosh...
The flames that were originally burning with a brilliant orange hue suddenly went out.
Mizuki was momentarily stunned.
Tanjirou's body forcibly twisted in mid-air, avoiding a direct clash with her Nichirin Blade as the two blades brushed past each other in parallel.
Tanjirou's figure hung upside down in mid-air, and as his arm swung, the pitch-black Nichirin Blade in his hand ignited with raging flames once more.
"Sun Breathing, Ninth Form: Setting Sun Transformation."
With one above and one below, Mizuki looked up to see Tanjirou's determined eyes, which seemed as if they could see through anything.
Is that so?
Did he see it?
That world...
The previous movement as well...
Tanjirou's movements gave Mizuki no small amount of surprise, but they couldn't be considered fast.
She could still react to this kind of speed.
Mizuki was just about to step back.
Rustle, rustle...
A strange sound suddenly rang out behind her again.
What now?
Before Mizuki could turn around, she felt a sudden sharp pain in her feet, followed by an instant of weakness in her legs.
Not good!
The moment her figure faltered, Mizuki sensed trouble; it was already too late to counterattack.
A bright flame was reflected in Mizuki's eyes, and that flame was only a blink away from her neck.
She was going to be beheaded.
Mizuki's eyelids lowered slightly as her racing heart calmed down, and she even subconsciously lowered the Nichirin Blade in her hand.
Very beautiful.
...
Watching from the side, Kochou Shinobu suddenly stood up, took two quick steps forward, and then stopped.
Even if her head were cut off, Mizuki would not die...
Mizuki certainly wouldn't want her to interfere...
No...
Mizuki must be feeling proud of that child right now...
...
...
The expected pain did not arrive. Tanjirou's eyes held an incomparable determination, and then he suddenly pulled back his strength, losing his balance and falling from mid-air.
Mizuki was right in front of him and instinctively reached out to catch him, holding Tanjirou up to prevent him from falling to the ground.
Mizuki first glanced back to see Iguro Obanai expressionlessly retracting his Nichirin Blade.
So that was it...
Mitsuri's attack was also just a feint; the real assault was the snake hidden in the darkness.
Severing the tendons in her feet at the exact moment Tanjirou's attack arrived.
No matter how fast her flesh regenerated, that moment of imbalance was unavoidable.
It was... a quite beautiful coordinated attack.
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