"As long as you can make me take even half a step back, or touch the edge of my clothes—you win."
The courtyard fell silent.
Four against one.
And all they had to do was force him back to claim victory?
What arrogance.
"Very well! Since Rin-dono says so, we won't hold back!"
Rengoku shouted, his muscles tightening as waves of scorching heat from Flame Breathing surged around him.
"Tanjiro! Agatsuma! Inosuke! Form up!"
"Yes!"
Tanjiro and the others immediately steadied their breathing, recognizing the rarity of this opportunity. They moved into position, surrounding Rin in a semicircle.
"I'll go first! Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Rengoku Kyojuro took the lead, surging forward like a blazing meteor. His wooden sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle as it struck straight toward Rin's face.
The speed was so great it seemed to leave a trail of heat in its wake.
Facing a full-powered strike from a Hashira, Rin remained completely calm.
Instead of retreating, he stepped forward to meet it, flicking his wrist with the slightest motion.
Smack!
The tip of his wooden sword struck precisely at the weakest point of Rengoku's swing.
Using minimal force to redirect overwhelming power.
Rengoku felt a strange spiraling force travel through his blade, his powerful strike instantly thrown off course, his guard opening wide.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
The moment Rengoku's attack was deflected, Tanjiro and Zenitsu struck from both flanks.
Flowing currents and lightning-fast movement converged, sealing off Rin's path of escape.
"The coordination is decent, but there are too many openings."
Rin shifted his body slightly, slipping through the narrow gap between their attacks at an almost impossible angle.
His wooden sword traced a faint afterimage in the air.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull impacts rang out at nearly the same instant.
Tanjiro and Zenitsu felt their wrists go numb as their wooden swords were knocked from their hands.
Before they could react, the hilt of Rin's sword had already tapped lightly against their foreheads.
"Out."
In less than two seconds, both of them had been cleanly disarmed.
"And me! Beast Breathing, Third Fang: Devour!"
Using the cover of a tree, Inosuke leapt down from above like a hunting beast, his dual blades slashing toward Rin's neck.
Rin didn't even look up. He lifted his wooden sword, catching it at the crossing point of Inosuke's blades, his arm giving a slight tremor.
"Go work on your core strength."
A surge of force burst out.
Inosuke was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree branch once again.
Only Rengoku Kyojuro remained standing in the field.
The Flame Hashira was breathing heavily, sweat covering his forehead, yet the fire in his eyes burned even brighter.
"Too strong… No wasted movement. Pure technique."
Rengoku took a deep breath. His heart pounded like a drum, blood surging through his veins.
"But I, Rengoku Kyojuro, will not fall here!"
He tightened his grip on the hilt, pouring all his strength, his breathing, and even his will into a single strike.
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
Boom!
A blazing aura erupted across the courtyard.
Rengoku surged forward like a roaring inferno, his momentum unstoppable as he charged straight at Rin.
This strike surpassed his usual limits in both speed and power.
Rin watched the "flame" rushing toward him, a flicker of approval passing through his eyes.
This was the spirit a Hashira should have.
He did not evade. Instead, he raised his wooden sword horizontally, taking a defensive stance.
Bang!
The two wooden swords collided head-on.
A powerful shockwave spread outward, sending fallen leaves spiraling into the air.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, both wooden swords shattered under the immense impact.
Rin's feet… did not move even half a step.
Across from him, Rengoku stood panting, nearly at his limit.
A faint smile appeared on Rin's lips.
Because on the left side of Rengoku's forehead and cheek, a bright crimson mark—like flickering flames—had begun to emerge.
Though it faded quickly due to exhaustion, it was unmistakable proof of having crossed his limits.
"Congratulations, Rengoku."
Rin tossed aside the broken hilt in his hand.
"You've touched the threshold."
Clang.
The two halves of the broken wooden sword dropped onto the sand with a dull thud.
Rengoku Kyojuro knelt on one knee, his chest heaving violently like a bellows pushed to its limit.
The flame-like crimson mark on the left side of his forehead and cheek slowly faded as his stamina drained away, disappearing beneath his skin.
Though it had only appeared for an instant, the power and speed he unleashed in that moment had completely surpassed the limits of human capability.
"Rengoku-san!"
Tanjiro was the first to react, rushing forward to steady the swaying Flame Hashira.
"Are you alright? What was that mark just now?"
Zenitsu and Inosuke quickly gathered as well, their faces filled with shock. They hadn't even been able to clearly see Rengoku's final strike.
"Umu… I am fine, Kamado boy."
Rengoku stood with Tanjiro's support, casually wiping the sweat from his brow.
He looked down at his slightly trembling hands, his eyes blazing brighter than ever before.
"So this is what it feels like to break past one's limits… Rin-dono, thank you for your guidance!"
He turned toward Rin with a hearty laugh.
Rin brushed the dust from his hands, his expression calm.
"Don't celebrate too soon. What you just touched is known in the Demon Slayer Corps as the Demon Slayer Mark."
"The conditions to awaken it are a body temperature exceeding thirty-nine degrees and a heart rate over two hundred. It grants power capable of rivaling the Twelve Kizuki… but the cost is just as severe."
His gaze swept across everyone present as he spoke the cruel truth.
"The Demon Slayer Mark is essentially an overdraft of your life force. With the exception of that one anomaly from centuries ago who was born with it, anyone who manifests the mark will not live past the age of twenty-five."
The courtyard fell silent.
Tanjiro's pupils shrank.
Not live past twenty-five?
Rengoku was already twenty. If he continued to use this power…
"Is that so? Trading lifespan for the power to slay demons."
To everyone's surprise, Rengoku showed not the slightest fear.
Instead, he straightened his back, his smile as radiant as ever.
"If it allows me to defeat Muzan and protect the innocent, then this life of mine is something I, Rengoku Kyojuro, can offer without hesitation!"
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