"Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash." A thick expanse of white mist suddenly spread throughout the courtyard, completely obscuring everyone's vision.
Muichiro's petite figure seemed to blend into the mist as he silently advanced toward Rin's chest from the front.
Front and back, a perfect pincer attack.
However, attempting sneak attacks and vision concealment against someone like Rin, who possessed the Sharingan, was simply asking for humiliation.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan emitted a cold red glow within the mist.
Obanai Iguro's proud and bizarre movement technique was full of openings under the Sharingan's perception.
Rin did not even turn his head. His right leg shot backward fiercely, carrying a burst of air that tore through the atmosphere.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Obanai Iguro was struck squarely in the chest by Rin's kick, along with his blade. He was sent flying instantly, only stopping after crashing through a large tree.
At the same moment he kicked the Serpent Hashira away, the lightning-patterned Kusanagi Sword in Rin's hand performed a dazzling flourish in front of him.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
A series of rapid metallic clashes rang out within the thick mist.
Muichiro's high-speed consecutive slashes, hidden within the mist and originally thought to be impossible to detect, were all parried by Rin with his Kusanagi Sword.
With every collision, Muichiro's hands were jolted numb. He was eventually forced out of the thick mist, staring at Rin with a face full of astonishment.
"How is this possible? He completely saw through my movements? No, he could even predict where my blade would land in advance?" Muichiro's usually blank expression finally broke.
"Anyone else?"
Rin casually swung his sword, and the violent gust from the blade instantly dispersed the surrounding thick mist.
Holding the black sword crackling with lightning, he stood proudly in the center of the courtyard. His scarlet eyes swept across the surrounding Hashira, who were either shocked or paralyzed, his tone filled with undisguised mockery.
"This is the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest combat power? If this is all you've got, then I suggest you disband as soon as possible. With these soft so-called 'sword forms,' you're just fodder for the Twelve Kizuki."
He spoke these words to shock them and gain more points as well as showing them that they shouldn't start something without having the consequences. These words caused little physical harm, but they were extremely insulting.
"Namu Amida Butsu..."
At that moment, an extremely low voice that seemed to resonate deep within one's chest sounded.
Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, who had been standing at the edge shedding tears, pressed his hands together and slowly stepped forward.
"What pitiful arrogance. Since that is the case, I can only use this remnant of a body to show you reality."
Boom!
Gyomei suddenly opened his completely blind white eyes, and the muscles across his entire body instantly swelled to a terrifying degree.
He grabbed the chain connecting his giant flail and broadaxe, swinging them wildly above his head.
As the acknowledged strongest Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, the terrifying wind pressure generated by Gyomei simply spinning his weapons caused the surrounding pebbles to shatter and scatter.
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
With a thunderous roar, the giant iron ball and broadaxe, each weighing hundreds of kilograms and carrying devastating kinetic force, smashed toward Rin from both sides at the same time.
Even an Upper Rank demon would not dare to face this kind of pure mass suppression head-on.
"Finally, someone with a bit of strength."
Facing this terrifying pincer attack capable of crushing a person into pulp, the fighting spirit in Rin's eyes completely ignited.
Instead of retreating, he advanced.
The Chakra within his body surged to life, not only pouring frantically into the Kusanagi Sword in his right hand but also spreading to every cell in his body.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Current!"
Zzzzzz! Boom!
It was no longer just lightning clinging to the blade. An enormous, blindingly bright web of high-voltage lightning burst outward from Rin as its center.
Clang!
Holding his sword with one hand, Rin slashed fiercely against the giant iron ball whistling toward him.
The deafening metallic explosion forced everyone present to cover their ears in pain.
To everyone's disbelief, the massive iron ball, forged from top-grade tamahagane and nearly indestructible, was actually forced back by Rin's single strike.
The ground beneath Rin's feet, unable to withstand the terrifying recoil, instantly collapsed into a crater five meters in diameter.
"He can take Gyomei's frontal attack head-on with one hand?!" Tomioka Giyu, who had originally intended to help Rin, froze with his hand still resting on his sword hilt.
Is he even human? This is a monster in human skin.
"Since you've all made your moves, it's only polite for me to return the favor."
Within the crater, Rin slowly straightened his body, his Kusanagi Sword pointing diagonally toward the ground.
The three tomoe in his eyes gradually stopped spinning, and a wicked smile curled across his lips.
"A friendly tip. This next move is a bit numbing."
The moment his voice fell, Rin's free left hand quickly formed a one-handed seal.
Boar. Monkey. Ram.
The stray electrical currents already lingering in the courtyard air suddenly went completely berserk.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Eisō!"
Boom!
Hundreds of purple lightning bolts, each as thick as a bucket, erupted from Rin as the center, like divine punishment descending from the Thunder God, raging wildly across the ground in every direction.
This was no longer swordsmanship. This was a true map-level, large-scale destructive strike.
"Not good! Get back!" Sanemi and Tengen Uzui turned pale as they desperately tried to retreat.
But how could a human body move faster than lightning?
Even the fastest-reacting Stone Hashira and Flame Hashira only had time to raise their Nichirin Blades across their chests.
The crackling, violent lightning instantly engulfed the entire courtyard.
"Aaaagh!"
Accompanied by several pained groans, the blinding lightning gradually faded.
The vast Ubuyashiki courtyard had now been completely turned into scorched earth.
And those high and mighty Hashira, hailed as the strongest combatants of the Demon Slayer Corps...
Wind Hashira Sanemi was down on one knee, smoke rising from his body, his Nichirin Blade stabbed into the ground just to keep himself from collapsing.
Tengen's white hair stood on end from the electricity, and he twitched like a piece of charcoal.
The Serpent Hashira and Mist Hashira were also in a state of severe muscle paralysis, unable to move even a single finger.
Even the strongest among them, the Stone Hashira, was leaning on his knees and gasping for breath, his muscles spasming uncontrollably.
A complete defeat.
They had been taken down instantly by a single move, with no room for resistance.
A breeze passed through, dispersing the sharp smell of ozone lingering in the air.
Rin's breathing had not even changed in the slightest.
He calmly sheathed the Kusanagi Sword into its black scabbard with a crisp click.
"I told you. Fighting you one by one is a waste of time."
Rin walked to the edge of the porch, took his haori back from the completely stunned Kocho Shinobu, and casually draped it over his shoulders.
He looked down at the Hashira kneeling across the ground, his dark eyes returning to their usual calm.
"Now, I don't think anyone has any objections to me slaughtering Fujikasane Mountain alone, right?"
Dead silence.
No one spoke, and no one could speak.
But in the eyes of every Hashira present, beyond shock and unwillingness, there was also deep awe toward an absolute powerhouse.
Standing to the side, Kocho Shinobu looked at the handsome young man clad in a black haori, who seemed like a thunder god descending to trample all the Hashira beneath his feet, and felt her heart beating more violently than ever before.
"This arrogant idiot... he really took them all down by himself..."
Kocho Shinobu's cheeks burned inexplicably hot, her eyes filled with admiration. The rationalizations she had made to herself earlier reached their peak at this moment.
[Ding! Detected that the host has crushed the Demon Slayer Corps' highest combat power, the 'Nine Hashira,' with absolute strength!]
[Completely subverting the pride and perception of the Hashira, reshaping the combat power system!]
[Key character 'Kocho Shinobu' is extremely admiring, favorability through the roof!]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Dimension Points: 5000 points!]
Hearing the extremely generous reward notification in his mind, Rin stretched contentedly.
"Let's go, Shinobu. The fight's over. Let's head back and eat."