Chapter 72: Hakuji
The rain seemed to evaporate instantly, as if by some invisible force.
A strange dry zone was formed within a ten-meter radius, centered on Ryuji and Akaza.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"
Akaza's wild laughter echoed through the mountain forest, and within those golden pupils, an unprecedentedly fiery Battle Intent burned.
He could clearly feel every inch of his flesh and every single cell trembling with excitement due to this unprecedented pressure!
"Come! Ryuji! Let me see just how far your overbearing fighting spirit can reach!"
Before his voice even faded, the Snowflake Compass array beneath his feet suddenly burst with brilliant light!
"Destructive Death: Disorder!"
Akaza's figure instantly transformed into a blurred afterimage, his twin fists trailing countless azure streaks of light. Like a torrential storm, they hammered toward Ryuji from all directions at various inconceivable angles!
Every single punch contained a terrifying power capable of shattering mountains!
"Oh? Can't wait already?"
A faint smile played on Ryuji's face. Facing this dense barrage of attacks that would make any Hashira's scalp tingle, he didn't even blink.
He even had the leisure to conduct a live teaching session for the three kids behind him while parrying.
"Look closely, Kyojuro. His power is concentrated at the moment of the punch. Your Flame Breathing should focus more on explosive power rather than continuous burning."
Ryuji glanced at Rengoku Kyojuro. In a few years, Rengoku Kyojuro would have died under Akaza's fists.
However, such a thing would no longer happen, because Akaza had to die here today.
"Flame is endless and unceasing, which is fine, but focusing too much on continuous burning is wrong. You must make good use of the flame's aggressiveness!"
Rengoku Kyojuro nodded thoughtfully. Although he couldn't quite see Akaza's movements clearly, he could understand his teacher's words.
Teacher is truly too strong, being able to handle a powerful enemy like Upper Rank Three with such ease!
I must work even harder!
Seeing Rengoku Kyojuro lost in thought, Ryuji nodded and looked at Akaza's golden eyes, which were now bloodshot.
He smiled and said, "Sorry for the trouble, my teaching material."
"Good, you can actually afford to be distracted... It seems you've improved quite a bit!"
Akaza's punches grew heavier by several degrees, as if he wished he could shred Ryuji with his gaze alone.
Ryuji ignored Akaza, merely trying his best to slow down the punches so the three kids could see more clearly.
Akaza's combat techniques were excellent; there was no harm in learning more.
"Muichiro, pay attention to his footwork. If you can learn this footwork and combine it with your Mist Breathing, you will become even stronger."
Ryuji caught Akaza's fists with both hands as he spoke to Tokito Muichiro, then glanced at Iguro Obanai.
"Obanai, do you see the trickiness of the punch's path? The goal is also to head straight for the vitals. Think about it carefully."
Akaza directly tore off both his arms, twisted his body, and raised his leg to kick: "You bastard, fight me properly!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two exchanged several more moves before pulling apart.
To the side, the three kids, who had long since retreated to a safe distance, were all thinking seriously.
It gave off the feeling that this wasn't a life-and-death struggle, but rather a martial arts Grandmaster instructing his Disciples.
And it was the kind of course performed for newly entered Disciples.
It was simply ridiculous.
One must know that the opponent was a demon, Upper Rank Three of the Twelve Kizuki, one of the most powerful demons in existence!
And yet, he was being toyed with by their teacher like this?
It was simply a miracle.
"Iguro, did you see Teacher's movements clearly? Your eyesight is the best among the three of us..."
Rengoku Kyojuro asked Iguro Obanai.
"No..."
Iguro Obanai shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on the two who had clashed again. "I can't see clearly. My eyes are full of afterimages, and this rain interferes with my vision too much."
Kaburamaru on his neck also flicked its tongue.
Tokito Muichiro, on the other hand, let out a yawn and wiped a handful of rain from his face. "So, why are we watching in the rain?"
Rengoku Kyojuro: "..."
Iguro Obanai: "..."
They were stumped by this question. Right, if they couldn't see clearly, why were they standing in the rain?
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out.
Ryuji stretched his wrists, looked at the water-filled crater beneath his feet, and tilted his head at Akaza. "Aren't you tired yet? Is this all you've got? It's only been a few minutes..."
Akaza exhaled a breath of turbid air and stepped down, activating the snowflake-like incantation.
"Tired?"
He assumed a Destructive Death stance and said softly, "I won't be tired until I've beaten you to death. I will tear your three beloved Disciples to pieces, bit by bit, right in front of you!"
His eyes widened:
"I'll make you feel endless pain!"
Ryuji nodded. "If you can do it, then come!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two began to clash again, meeting head-on with every move, punch, and kick.
They fought for an unknown amount of time.
The three kids watching from the side were starting to feel sleepy.
"How much longer will they fight? The rain has let up a lot..."
Tokito Muichiro yawned; he was quite young and prone to sleepiness.
Rengoku Kyojuro smiled and said, "It should be soon. If they keep fighting like this until the weather clears, Upper Rank Three will be slain!"
Iguro Obanai just nodded without speaking; he was a bit tired.
Among the three kids, he had the worst physical stamina. Not to mention Rengoku's explosive power, his endurance was also top-tier.
Tokito was even more of a freak.
Despite being the youngest, his strength might even be slightly better than Rengoku's... that illusory mist was truly troublesome.
One after another... an unknown amount of time passed again.
"Whoa, look, they're slowing down! No, it's Akaza who's slowing down!"
Rengoku Kyojuro excitedly poked Tokito, whose eyes were barely open, and Iguro, who was sitting on the muddy ground, and whispered:
"The victory is about to be decided!"
In the semi-circular crater.
The speed of Akaza's punches had slowed significantly. He stared with bloodshot eyes.
Why! Why!
The excitement on his face was no longer there, replaced gradually by an unbelievable horror.
He could feel that his strength, reinforced by Lord Muzan, was more powerful than ever before!
Yet in front of Ryuji, it was like child's play.
He was being used as a teaching tool!
He was being used as a whetstone to temper himself!
Even... up until now, he hadn't been able to force out Ryuji's full strength!
This contempt, this humiliation, this look and posture of disdain made him even angrier than being directly crushed!
And why, even now, could he not see any fatigue in Ryuji?
How could one person fight for so long under such high-intensity combat? Is he really human?
Akaza became extremely frustrated, and more and more injuries appeared on his body.
The rain stopped at some point, the air became dry, and rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on the ground.
After the storm comes the clear sky.
The demon instinct within Akaza made him subconsciously want to retreat and find a shadow to hide in.
"Are you going to run again? Like last time, acting like a coward? I suppose human swordsmen fighting in the darkness of night, the environment where demons are most comfortable, seems like a foolish act to you..."
Ryuji's flat voice reached his ears clearly.
Akaza's body suddenly stiffened.
Coward? Comfortable environment?
That's right... he had fled last time. Faced with a weaker Ryuji, he had fled like a coward!
Grit.
His teeth made a grinding sound from the force.
His skin began to feel the burning pain, but Akaza forcefully suppressed his inner fear of the sunlight.
Step by step, he came to a stop.
He looked at Ryuji in the sunlight and said word by word, "I am not a coward!"
He, Akaza, was a powerhouse who pursued the peak of martial arts.
How could he be a coward!
How could he possibly be a coward!
How could mere sunlight block his heart that pursued the ultimate martial path?!
Within those golden pupils, a flame of resolve burned. "It's just sunlight, isn't it? I, who pursue the peak of martial arts, will never retreat again!"
Ryuji was somewhat surprised. He watched Akaza, who had truly stopped and was prepared to fight him while enduring the sunlight, and fell silent.
Ultimately, he was a pitiful person... The corners of his mouth curled up, and he squinted at the clearing sky, saying softly, "Do you want me to take advantage of you? I won't let you be killed by the sun. I will smash your head to pieces, punch by punch!"
The next moment.
Roar!!!
A dragon's roar suddenly resounded through the heavens and earth!
Under the horrified gazes of Akaza and the three kids, Ryuji's body began to change rapidly, elongating!
Azure Dragon scales erupted from beneath his skin, covering his entire body, and majestic dragon horns grew from his head, piercing the sky.
An Eastern Azure Dragon, which existed only in myths and legends, spiraled and soared into the sky!
"Teacher, he..."
Rengoku Kyojuro's mouth hung open as he babbled in disbelief.
Tokito Muichiro pinched Iguro Obanai. "It doesn't hurt. As expected, I'm dreaming..."
Iguro Obanai was also too shocked to feel the pain. Kaburamaru on his neck was shivering and didn't dare to move.
The three had completely lost their ability to think and could only stare blankly at the majestic and sacred dragon shadow in the sky.
The Azure Dragon was surrounded by Flame Clouds. With just a gentle sweep,
the sky-blotting Flame Clouds actually forced back the sunlight that was about to illuminate the earth!
The sky was once again shrouded in darkness.
Akaza just stood there dazed. His skin had begun to recover, the burning sensation vanished, and the feeling of weakness disappeared as well.
However, none of that mattered; he was no longer able to think.
His mind was a complete mess.
A dragon... he had only seen similar creatures in the Blood Demon Art of Upper Rank Four Hantengu, but compared to the true Divine Dragon before him, that was like the difference between a loach and a giant whale!
The Azure Dragon slowly descended and transformed back into human form.
Ryuji stood in the newly created shadow, looked at the dazed Akaza, and said softly:
"Letting the sun kill you would be too easy. This way, you can move during the day. Come, next is the second round!"
Akaza didn't move. He just stared quietly at Ryuji and slowly spoke:
"Why?"
His voice was hoarse and dry.
Ryuji shrugged, his tone as casual as if he were speaking of a trivial matter. "Didn't I say it just now? Letting the sun kill you is too easy for you. I'm very vengeful."
He looked at Akaza and smiled:
"Of course, if you don't believe that, we can use a more romantic explanation: I recognize you as an opponent and don't want you to die with regrets."
"This explanation might be more convincing to you..."
Akaza fell silent.
He lowered his head, his shoulders began to tremble slightly—at first a suppressed chuckle, then it evolved into a wild laughter that rang through the mountain forest.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
He laughed, yet tears rolled uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
For hundreds of years, it was the first time he had felt this way. How ridiculous... to actually feel this from a human!
Hahaha, the irony is absolute!
He slowly wiped the tears from his face and reassumed his Destructive Death stance. In those golden pupils, there was no longer a single stray thought, only pure Battle Intent.
"Ryuji, use your full strength! Let me see just how strong the ultimate martial path can be!"
"As you wish."
Ryuji's gaze also became more serious than ever before. He took a deep breath, and his Haki erupted without reservation!
His hair floated up under the impact of the Haki, then slowly fell back down.
Ryuji concentrated all his Haki into his right fist and leaped high. The red-black cross-shaped light was almost as blinding as the sun.
It made Akaza's eyes sting.
"Fist Bone: Meteor Impact!"
In mid-air, Ryuji turned into a streak of black lightning and threw a punch!
That punch was like a meteor, carrying a terrifying and unstoppable force that could crush everything as it crashed down!
Seeing this ultimate physical technique impact,
the most brilliant fighting spirit of his life ignited in Akaza's eyes.
This was the limit he pursued!
He abandoned all defense, focused all his strength into a single point, and met the falling meteor.
Boom!!!
There was no scream, no wail.
At the moment of contact, Akaza's head shattered instantly. However, his body remained standing, refusing to fall!
At the severed neck, flesh writhed frantically, actually re-wrapping in an instant to prevent the body's collapse!
"Hmm?"
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
"Is this... overcoming the weakness of decapitation? You're quite durable."
Before his voice even faded, Akaza's head had already regrown. He was about to speak again, but Ryuji gave him no chance.
"Since you don't want to die, then I'll just... hit you until you do!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ryuji's figure turned into countless afterimages, and a torrential storm of punches rained down on Akaza's body.
This time, he didn't hold back at all.
Every punch contained a trace of Conqueror's Haki, shattering Akaza's flesh and suppressing his regeneration.
Under this terrifying assault, Akaza's body was destroyed again and again, only to reassemble through sheer stubborn will.
But the speed of his recovery was visibly slowing down.
Finally, under Ryuji's last heavy punch, his proud and powerful body was completely beaten into a mist of blood, leaving only a head that still maintained an unyielding fighting spirit.
Ryuji walked up to the head and slowly squatted down.
He looked at those golden pupils that still burned with fighting spirit. Armament Haki coiled around his fingertip as he gently tapped Akaza's forehead, completely cutting off his final ability to recover.
"When you get to the other side, remember to treat Koyuki well, Hakuji."
His voice was very, very soft.
Akaza, or rather, Hakuji, was stunned.
Koyuki... this strange yet familiar name was like a key that instantly unlocked the door to memories he had sealed for hundreds of years.
That girl who had reached out her hand to him on a snowy night, smiling more warmly than the sun.
That fiancée who told him that no matter what he became, she would always stay by his side.
"Koyuki... Miss..."
Two lines of clear tears slid silently from his golden demon eyes.
"Akaza! Get back here! Akaza!!"
Kibutsuji Muzan's enraged roar echoed frantically within the Infinity Castle.
But Hakuji could no longer hear it.
He looked at the gentle smiling face that was becoming clear in his memory, and a smile appeared on his face—his first sincere smile in hundreds of years.
Amidst happy memories, Upper Rank Three completely dissipated.
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