Akaza's right arm was a twisted, molten ss. The [Sage Art - Rakshasa's Palm] had inflicted a horrific injury. But at this mont, he seed to feel no pain at all. His back was burning under the sunlight, but his eyes still blazed with a scorching fighting spirit.
I want to fight!
I want to fight the strong!
I want to fight this mighty enemy to the death!
This singular will allowed Akaza to completely forget his agony, his spirit pushing beyond its limits. He raised his left arm, and seeing Kaito's spear-like hand-blade coming at him, he threw a punch.
Kaito's focus was absolute, his face also alight with the heat of battle. In that instant, Akaza had captured all of his attention, eclipsing Naki, eclipsing Kokushibo, even eclipsing Muzan.
[Sage Art - Devil Lance]!
Squelch!
Kaito's pupils contracted. Before Akaza's left fist could even fully extend, his head exploded. A storm of fleshy tentacles erupted from behind him, shattering his upper body and lunging straight for Kaito.
Behind this brutal attack was the twisted, snarling face of Muzan Kibutsuji.
"DIE WITH HIM!"
Having cast aside all reason and intellect, Muzan Kibutsuji had once again reverted to the "scum of the earth" who would do anything to survive. The subordinate who had shielded him from an attack one mont was being used as a shield by him the next, in an attack ant to kill both his subordinate and his enemy in one fell swoop.
Kaito's stance changed. He stomped his left foot to his right, his body twisting to change direction. At the sa ti, his spear-like hand, which was radiating waves of Hamon, swung horizontally as he spun.
SLICE!
Muzan cried out in pain. His tentacles, harder than steel, had been instantly severed by Kaito's hand. It's the power of the sun! This man wields the power of the sun!
As Kaito twisted away, one of the sharp tentacles still raked across his face, carving a bloody gash along his cheekbone.
SHIING!
At the sa ti, the sound of a singing blade ca from behind him.
[Moon Breathing, Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail]!
The air shrieked as the sword cut through it, a sound like the wail of a vengeful spirit.
Kaito's waist bent as if it were broken. His entire body fell backward, and he planted his hands on the ground, looking up just in ti to see a sword-light like a dark moon sweep over him.
BOOM!
The wooden floor was cleanly sliced in two.
CRASH!
As the floor gave way, Kaito instantly realized: This house has a basent!
Muzan, who had been on the verge of despair, was suddenly filled with hope once more.
The mont Kaito landed in the basent, he pushed off with his hands, his body springing up like a coil. The black sword-light had already struck the spot where he had just been standing.
Kokushibo was bathed in his own blood. The upper half of his body had been burned beyond recognition by the sun, and of the six eyes on his face, only three remained intact. But the hand of this strongest of the Upper Ranks, the one that held the sword, did not waver in the slightest.
He took a step forward, and his sword stance flowed into a new attack.
[Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathso Moon - Chains]!
Kokushibo twisted his body dramatically, his sword strike resolute. He unleashed a massive arc of sword light that tore through the air, followed by a storm of smaller, crescent-moon-shaped blades that shot out in all directions.
Kaito's body was now slightly swollen. His strength, speed, and pain tolerance were all greatly enhanced. He let out a roar, stomped his foot forward, and as the ground trembled, his figure shot away from Kokushibo.
SLICE!
The sword light bit deep into the ground. Kokushibo didn't let the montum of his first strike fade. He naturally spun with the motion of the great slash, and his second slash instantly followed. This form was, by its nature, a two-part attack. His three eyes were locked on Kaito, who was now running up the wall.
The man's intense fighting spirit, the very movent of his muscles—it was all laid bare before him.
[The Transparent World]!
It was a state of being that only the most supre masters of the Breathing Styles in this world could achieve. When a user's endlessly practiced movents and their breathing style rged into one, they could feel the flow of every blood vessel in their own body, allowing them to exert the maximum amount of power with the most minimal of movents. Once a user overca the painful stage of being overwheld by this flood of internal information, their control would surpass the extre, allowing them to strip away all superfluous parts of their movents. By redefining their actions through the control of their own blood flow, breathing, and lungs, they beca faster, more precise, and stronger.
Eventually, the user would see a completely transparent world. The enemy's breathing, blood flow, and muscle movents would all be perfectly perceived. Any action could be predicted by the contraction of muscles and blood vessels, allowing the user to directly strike their opponent's weakest point. This was the [Transparent World].
Kokushibo's body paused for a fraction of a second, "holding" the montum of his sword for half a breath. It was a difference of milliseconds, but it was enough to make Kaito's wall-jump attack miss its timing. It now looked as if Kaito were throwing himself directly onto the blade of Kyokokukamikiri.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump!
Kaito's heart suddenly began to race. He could feel the icy chill of death right upon him.
CREAK!
With a terrifying sound of tearing muscle, Kaito's abdominal muscles violently contracted. He abruptly flipped over in mid-air, his forward charge transforming into a downward, axe-kick-like blow.
Even for a master swordsman like Kokushibo, who had opened the Transparent World, his pupils contracted in shock. He had unleashed his slash, but his opponent had flipped in mid-air, dodging a blow that should have been impossible to avoid.
BAM!
Kokushibo raised his arm to block. The kick landed with terrifying force. He was instantly forced down to one knee, and the ground beneath him shattered. Kaito, in turn, used the force of his downward kick to launch himself back into the air. As he flew upwards, he was once again exposed to the sunlight.
[You have killed Upper Rank Three, Akaza. You have gained 1500 Dinsional Points.]
[Your damage contribution to Akaza was less than 50%. This kill is not considered a solo kill.]
Kaito froze for a second. As he landed, he noticed that Akaza's body, which had fallen into the basent, was now completely burned away. My damage was less than half… so my Sage Art wasn't the cause of death.
Kaito looked into the darkness, at Muzan Kibutsuji, who was swatting at his own body, the parts that had been burned by the sun already regenerating.
Heh. So that bastard is the one who killed Akaza.
Kaito frowned. He loved to fight. He loved the slaughter. But this… this was one thing he hated.
Tsk. Truly irredeemable.
At this point, the remaining Upper Ranks in the basent were in various states. Hantengu's main, elderly body had been slow to react and had been incinerated by the sun. But his true body, the tiny [Fear] demon, was likely still hiding in the shadows. Douma's flas had been extinguished, and he was even beginning to use his ice-based Blood Demon Art. Naki's biwa, which was part of her body like Kokushibo's sword, was also rapidly regenerating. It seed that, aside from Akaza, all the demons were on track to escape.
Muzan Kibutsuji looked up at Kaito, who stood on the ground above, bathed in sunlight. A cold, mocking smile spread across his face. "To be able to kill one of my Upper Ranks, you are indee—"
"SHUT UP!"
A deafening roar suddenly cut him off. Kaito's mouth stretched into a terrifying grin. He pulled the pin on a high-explosive grenade, took a deep breath, and a massive amount of air, like a white mist, was sucked into his lungs. The rhythm of his breathing changed abnormally, and the ripples within his body surged, flowing out from him in visible waves.
Click.
Kaito opened his hand and let the grenade fall.
BOOM!
A massive explosion engulfed Naki. In the cloud of high-temperature smoke, Kaito leaped down once more.
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