"Kyojuro, merely mastering sword techniques is not enough."
Just as Rengoku was puzzled, Ruka sitting on the corridor edge suddenly spoke.
But it was not to him standing here, but to the young him in the courtyard.
"At the end of martial dao exists a supreme realm. It is very difficult to enter—countless people cannot touch its edge their entire lives.
But once you can step into it, you can stand at the peak of martial dao, obtaining strength far surpassing all other martial artists in this world."
On Ruka's thigh lay a fiery red haori.
Rengoku suddenly remembered.
Yes, this day was precisely the day his mother gave him that haori...
"Mother, what is this supreme realm? How do I master it?"
In the courtyard, the young Kyojuro spoke.
"Transparent World—this is the name Miss Mitsuba gave it when she was alive.
In the Demon Slayer Corps back then, she was the only one who had stepped into this realm."
"Transparent World?"
"Miss Mitsuba said it was a transparent world that could see through everything.
She once told your father how to enter this world."
A trace of memory flashing in her eyes, Ruka slightly lowered her head, slowly speaking:
"Temper your martial arts, thoroughly integrate breathing and techniques into yourself, wielding them as easily as your own arms.
Then restrain your own battle aura, focus your heart and gather your qi, eliminate stray thoughts, maximally open your five senses to feel every muscle, every blood vessel in your body following breathing and movements.
After this, you can gradually feel the 'transparency of the world'—first your own body, then your opponent's body...
Finally, you will be able to 'see'."
Ruka's words were profoundly abstruse, leaving the young Kyojuro completely confused.
"Kyojuro, you must firmly remember these, absolutely must not forget."
Slowly standing up, Ruka walked before the young Kyojuro, gently draping that fiery red haori in her hands over his body.
"Your father could never touch this realm, but Mother believes you can do it.
You will eventually become a powerful Demon Slayer, completing the unfinished business of all your seniors."
[Transparent World...]
Looking at his mother in this memory before him, Rengoku's vision grew hazy.
Yes, how could... how could he have forgotten something so important?
Transparent World—the legendary peak realm of martial dao, a transparent world that could see through everything... how could he have forgotten it?
The method to defeat Akaza—his mother had clearly told him over a decade ago, hadn't she?
He hadn't used his full strength yet. He could still... go one step further!
Thoroughly integrate martial arts...
Restrain his own battle aura...
Focus his heart and calm his qi, open his five senses...
Feel every slightest change within his own body...
The memory space began to collapse. Rengoku slowly closed his eyes.
"Kyojuro?!"
Consciousness gradually returning to his body amid violent falling, intense pain came from his chest and abdomen, urgent shouts of companions by his ear.
But Rengoku did not respond.
He merely lightly closed his eyes, maximally opening his five senses.
Hearing grew sharper, perception grew clearer.
Gradually, Rengoku began to hear the sound of his own blood dripping.
Night wind blew past his ears, creating whooshing sounds. The heartbeats of companions beside him thundered like drums!
[Not enough, not enough...]
Blood flowed with splashing sounds, breathing sounds were so obvious, then...
Tap, tap.
Footsteps?
So steady, so powerful, each step treading so firmly... whose footsteps were these?
It was Akaza!
The instant he realized this, Rengoku abruptly opened his eyes.
His gaze landing on Akaza's back figure opposite, his vision at this moment finally penetrated that strong body, completely seeing through the blood vessels and muscles within!
He saw it!
He truly stepped into that world!
"Kyojuro?"
His own battle aura completely restrained at this moment, gripping the Nichirin Blade in his hand, under the shocked gazes of companions beside him, Rengoku once again, stood up from the ground!
Not far away, Mitsuba noticed this scene at the first instant.
[This child, he actually...]
Expression showing some surprise, looking at Akaza who still had no awareness of the changes behind him, after brief hesitation, Mitsuba still chose silence.
[For Hakuji, this is perhaps also an opportunity...]
"Upper Rank Three!!"
Under Mitsuba's observation, Rengoku once again raised the Nichirin Blade in his hand, roaring loudly at Akaza's back:
"Receive one more move from me!"
As the words finished, he used all his remaining strength, launching his final charge toward Akaza!
"What?!"
He still wasn't dead?!
Shocked by Rengoku's sudden roar, Akaza abruptly turned his head to look.
When he saw that Rengoku was indeed charging toward him, an extremely shocked expression appeared on Akaza's face.
What was happening?
Compass Needle had already lost perception of the battle aura on his body, how was he still alive?!
Wait, could it be... Transparent World?
This guy, he actually stepped into that realm at this dying moment?!
[How is this possible...]
Shocked to the extreme by this result, to the point where Akaza even forgot to make any response to Rengoku's final strike!
[How is this possible...]
How did he do it?
Pfft!
Blade light flashed past, fresh blood splattered. Rengoku's Nichirin Blade, without suspense, severed Akaza's neck, cutting off his head that still carried shock!
[How is this... possible...]
It was Rengoku who won!
He defeated Upper Rank Three, he severed its neck!
This suddenly reversed scene deeply shocked everyone present.
The air was deathly silent.
Tanjiro, Kanae, Sabito, Sanemi... they were all frozen in place at this moment, disbelievingly watching this scene before them.
Watching Akaza's headless body still standing in place, watching its head falling toward the ground, watching Rengoku's back figure slowly collapsing after swinging this final blade.
Abruptly, Kanae recovered her senses. She hurriedly turned to look at Mitsuba not far away.
Yet she discovered that Mitsuba showed no shock whatsoever at this.
Her expression was still so calm, the corner of her mouth still carrying that trace of smile, as if everything was within her grasp.
Not right...
The battle, still hadn't ended!