Tanjuro's face and voice seed to be right there... He would always look at him so gently, like a quiet orchid blooming in the spring.
That small ho would still need its father to protect it. As for this bigger ho outside... Roy tightened his grip on his sword and swept it horizontally. "Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" He stirred the river water, forming a dancing torrent that rushed towards Giyu Tomioka.
The ntion of "father" made Giyu think of his sister. His sister had also always looked at him with a gentleness like water. He reached out, catching a single drop. Then, he pushed off, bursting from the waterfall, and t Roy's attack with a "Striking Tide" of his own!
Everyone has sothing different to protect. Won manage the ho and care for the old and young; n bear the burden of earning a living to support their families; the Demon Slayer Corps hunts demons to protect the innocent. Everyone is desperately trying to live.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of steel on steel, like pearls large and small scattering on a jade plate, was incessant. The flash of blades consud everything around them, severing trees, parting the lake, shattering green stones. Shinsuke, Fukuda, Shimizu, and Watanabe watched in shock, their eyes wide, but they still found it difficult to keep up with the rhythm. It beca harder and harder to follow.
"So fast! It's one thing for Giyu-senpai, he's a Hashira, but what's the deal with Eiichiro?" A solo training session against a log had none of the visual impact of a high-speed battle between experts.
When Shinsuke and Fukuda first heard Giyu was coming, they had hoped he would knock Roy down a peg, teach him so humility before he left the mountain, so he wouldn't suffer a major loss later. Now, they looked at each other. The two were fighting back and forth... it was hard to say who was teaching whom!
"The crucial part is... Eiichiro isn't even using a Breathing Style." Makomo struggled to track Roy's figure. From the powerful, steady rise and fall of his chest—so much less frantic than Giyu's—the boy was fighting purely with his own monstrous physique!
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance... Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought... Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin... Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow..."
Technique t technique. The battle raged, reaching a white-hot intensity. Giyu Tomioka's breathing visibly began to grow heavy.
Sabito, the strongest of all the disciples, had also mastered a Breathing Style in life. Although he couldn't maintain 'Total Concentration: Constant' like Giyu, his eyes were much sharper than Makomo's or Shinsuke's. So when he noticed Giyu starting to pant, his gaze hardened, his feelings a complex mix: affirmation of Giyu's strength, shock that Roy could keep up without losing ground, and an overwhelming sense of pride.
"They're both amazing," he thought. He opened his mouth to stop them. The "test" had gone far enough; there was no need to continue. But, as a swordsman himself, he couldn't say the words. He understood what it ant for a swordsman to et their match. The rising excitent in both of them, the accelerating pace of their strikes, made it obvious.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
"ROAR!"
The blades guided the water, the water ford dragons. Roy and Giyu Tomioka, as if by telepathy, struck at the sa instant. Each commanded a water dragon that roared as it slashed towards the other!
SCREEE! A shriek loud enough to pierce eardrums tore through the air.
Roy and Giyu Tomioka separated on impact, each landing on the top of a birch tree on opposite sides of the river.
BOOM! The waterfall, split by their clashing force, exploded! Water sprayed everywhere, falling like a sudden downpour, soaking the landscape.
Hah... Giyu Tomioka let out a long breath, looking across at the boy. Roy's breathing was steady, his heart rate calm. He looked composed, at ease... his condition was far better than Giyu's.
By all rights, the "test" was over. To be able to battle a Hashira to this extent... Giyu could almost imagine the Master's expression when he heard the news. He would probably just smile gently, as always, but Giyu knew his feelings would be anything but calm.
Splash... The waterfall returned to its normal flow. Giyu Tomioka took a deep breath, resettled his stance, and locked his eyes on Roy. "Eiichiro," he said gravely, "for your age... I, Giyu Tomioka, hereby na you the strongest!"
"You flatter , senpai." Roy held his sword, tip pointing down, and looked at Giyu with genuine admiration. His senior brother's heart was nothing like his cold exterior. In the original story, he and Sakonji Urokodaki were the ones who had vouched for Tanjiro at the Hashira eting, saving Nezuko. Even if this tiline was different, Roy, grateful for that kindness, would not disrespect him.
Giyu Tomioka shook his head. "I never joke." His eyes burned with intensity. He gripped his Nichirin Blade with both hands, his own tip pointing down. "I have one more form. Would you like to see it?"
"The Eleventh Form?"
"Yes."
"Hey, hey! Don't just decide things on your own!" Shinsuke, Fukuda, and the others were dumbfounded. They had trained Water Breathing under Sakonji for years. Weren't there only ten forms? Since when was there an 'Eleventh Form'?
"It must be a form Giyu created himself," Sabito said, looking at Giyu with no small amount of emotion. The little crybaby from back then had finally grown to a height he could no longer hope to reach. "If he uses the Eleventh Form, I doubt even Master would know how to counter it."
Makomo anxiously tried to defend Sakonji. "Master is old! It's normal he can't match Giyu-senpai! After all... he is the active Water Hashira!"
Sabito smiled and said no more, turning his gaze to Roy.
The boy's expression was calm. He had wanted to see it for a long ti—'Lull', the very technique that had, in the Spider Mountain arc, instantly beheaded Lower Moon Five Rui. Just how brilliant would it be?
He broke into a grin. "If senpai is offering to show , of course I want to see it. And..." Roy leaned on his training blade, letting the tip rest by his foot, his eyes narrowed. "This junior disciple also has a form he'd like senpai to critique."
Hmm?
Shinsuke slapped Fukuda. "Did I hear that right?"
Slap! Slap! Fukuda hit him back twice. "You heard him."
They stared at Roy in suspicion, unable to tell if Eiichiro was just bluffing to ss with Giyu-senpai's concentration or if he was serious. They just stared, dumbfounded.
Makomo's mouth ford a small "o". She poked Sabito. The fox-masked boy was clearly stunned as well. He froze for a mont before exchanging a bewildered look with Makomo.
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