Those sharp, old eyes, with a predatory gaze, cast their sight straight down at the surface of the earth...
The green Nen aura acted like an agile "healing spring," tracking down and surging toward every injury on Roy's body.
'It is not [Kaido].'
[Kaido] was not that fast, nor was it that flexible. Ultimately, it still required the practitioner's will to chant an incantation beforehand.
The boy's ability to heal autonomously without the need for an incantation clearly possessed greater utility and operability than [Kaido]... The healing effects were also plainly evident!
Three breaths later.
On the ground.
Beside the human-shaped crater Roy had smashed into, the boy stood alone. His back was straight, his sunken chest had leveled out, and he reached out to pinch a thread of Nen, converting it into Water Style and splashing it over his body... The dust on his skin was washed away, leaving him as clean as before. His radiant appearance returned, and even [Solar Eclipse], which had nearly flown out of his grasp, followed suit... turning red, igniting, and fiercely erupting with scorching flames!
"Again!"
With a sudden, deep shout.
Roy lowered his center of gravity, his feet spreading into a bow stance. He held [Solar Eclipse] in a reverse grip by his waist, where it abruptly fell silent.
When he drew the blade again, Roy looked up at the sky, locking his eyes dead onto Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, and suddenly slashed upward!
The flames extinguished in a flash, replaced by a spiraling, ascending magnetic force. It brushed past Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's nose, rapidly soaring high into the sky. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the atmosphere, swept past the moon, and headed straight into the dark, desolate void of outer space, picking out an extraterrestrial meteorite dozens of kilometers in diameter!
A faint humming sound slowly transmitted from beyond the heavens...
Sensing this peculiar rhythm, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni raised his gray eyebrows, his gaze following the magnetic force into the night sky.
With a rumble, a small black dot from outer space reflected in his eyes, causing the old man to narrow his gaze. He flourished his sword, then turned his head, glancing down at Roy from the corner of his eye.
"That is not a blade of fire."
[Gravity Blade · Rising Dragon]!
The sword technique from his past battle with his father, Silva, in the garden finally saw the light of day once more.
On the surface.
Roy maintained his sword-drawing posture and slowly said, "Of course."
"This is a blade of the sun."
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's gray beard twitched. His sharp, old eyes, weathered by time and frost, invisibly rippled with intense light. He tightened his grip on Ryujin Jakka. "The sun... Have you truly decided on your candidate?"
Memories fluttered like windblown flowers as the black dot from outer space gradually grew larger...
Recalling his youth, he had fantasized more than once that one day, if he could unlock his Zanpakuto with the concept of "Yang," it would possess not only scorching fire but also radiant light, surging magnetic storms, and fierce solar flares...
Perhaps, the present him might have been somewhat different, or even... completely the opposite...
The rumbling drew closer.
The meteorite breached the atmosphere, catching fire from the air friction. Trailing a long tail of flames, it finally transformed into a bright star on the horizon, captured by pairs of shocked, horrified, and disbelieving eyes!
"What is that?"
"Why is it so bright?"
"Could it be... another sun?"
"Strange... Why are so many bizarre things happening tonight?!"
Exclamations of shock, voices of hesitation, and the sounds of sharp intakes of breath rose and fell in succession. They converged into a terrifying portrait of bewilderment and panic, slowly unfolding with the Demon Slayer world as its canvas...
Mount Sagiri.
Giyu Tomioka pressed his hand against his Nichirin Sword, feeling his blade showing signs of flying away once more due to that strange [Magnetism] from earlier... The current Water Hashira, clad in his red, yellow, and white haori, stood in silence. He looked up at the extraterrestrial meteorite turning into a star, rumbling as it smashed toward Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni... His cold pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks.
For the second time in his life, a profound sense of powerlessness welled up within him.
The first time was the day he personally witnessed his older sister, Tsutako, being killed and devoured by a demon to protect him.
"The sword is moving again!"
The meteorite closed in once more, its roar exploding like thunder... The flames burning upon it, infused with Roy's Nen, had all been converted into [Magnetism]. It hazily emitted spiraling purple ripples of magnetic force into the surroundings.
It caused all refined iron to slip from control, breaking free from their masters' grasp and flying in unison toward Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!
Among them were chefs' kitchen knives, tailors' needles, butchers' boning knives, and blacksmiths' hammers, tongs, and shears... Piece by piece, amidst the cries of the people, they transformed into several torrents of steel from all directions, surging toward Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni!
Sabito, Makomo, and the other fellow disciples, along with their teacher Urokodaki Sakonji, forcefully suppressed their swords or carving knives just as they had done moments ago. At this moment, they could clearly feel it.
Although in terms of area of effect, Roy's [Gravity Blade] might not compare to a casual vertical slash honed over two thousand years by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, but... in terms of [Attraction Force], relying on the [Magnetism] bestowed by the [Sun]...
The swordsmen, led by Hashira like Giyu Tomioka, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Sanemi Shinazugawa, clearly found it much more strenuous to suppress their blades.
"Namu Amida Butsu. Silence!" In the eastern suburbs of Kyoto, beside an ancient temple.
Iron chains rattled violently. The flail and axe could not hold back and flew up into the distance, heading toward the sky, only to be yanked back halfway by a massive force and suppressed once more... On the moss-covered stone steps of the temple gates, Gyomei Himejima's right arm muscles bulged, revealing half of his robust chest. He silently chanted a Buddhist prayer.
Then he looked up at the sky.
Tears streamed down his face.
He could faintly catch a familiar scent from this strange force pulling at the Nichirin Swords.
"Praise the sun. Is that you, Lord Eiichiro?"
The exceptionally powerful monk clearly noticed the difference between the two pulling forces.
If Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's pull was a manifestation of the sword intent he had honed over two thousand years, then... Roy's pull was [Magnetism] in the purely physical sense!
One was idealistic, the other materialistic, yet they remarkably presented almost identical manifestations!
"What is the name of this strike?" A leisurely voice emerged from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's mouth.
The old man, draped in a white haori over a pitch-black Shihakusho, stood with his back to the bright moon. With the rumbling meteorite descending above his head, he held his sword horizontally, glanced at Roy, and asked.
Roy's long, fiery red hair swayed in the wind. Also holding his sword horizontally, he looked up at the growing meteorite. Carrying unmatched heat and magnetism, just casting its shadow was enough to envelop the entire moonlight of the area. He smiled and said, "Rising Dragon... Gravity Blade · Rising Dragon!"
Drawing the blade toward the sky, like a dragon entering the abyss... Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni gave a rare nod. "A good name. Very fitting."
Following that, he did not even cast a single glance at it.
He merely gave his wrist a gentle twist.
The Ryujin Jakka in his hand subsequently... let out another sharp sword cry!
With his back turned, he lightly slashed upward!
With a tearing sound, the pitch-black, thin line reappeared... However, compared to the previous vertical slash, it was both slower and faster. Before one could even blink, as if it had teleported... it abruptly appeared in front of the meteorite from behind Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Then.
One split into two, two into four, four into eight, eight into sixteen... In an instant, it transformed into countless flashes of sword light that pierced into the meteorite.
Crack! Visible to the naked eye.
The meteorite, nearly dozens of kilometers in diameter and not much smaller than an asteroid, suddenly halted!
Next, its exterior abruptly cracked, spreading countless fissures. From within, one could faintly glimpse the continuous flashes of sword light. Darting back and forth, in a flash—
It sliced the meteorite to dust!
The meteorite crumbled.
In an instant, it was dismembered into countless tiny fragments of rock that rained down, forming a rare and dazzling meteor shower!
"This... A miracle... Is it a god? It must be... The gods above have come to save us!"
The sudden meteorite was shattered by the sudden sword light.
The remaining torrent of steel rushing toward Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni lost its main target, the meteorite, and immediately fell apart...
The chefs, butchers, and blacksmiths who had lost their kitchen knives, shears, and boning knives... stepped outside and fell to their knees...
At Mount Sagiri, Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Makomo, Urokodaki Sakonji, and the others quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Noticing that their swords were no longer trembling and had returned to calm.
The group looked at each other in dismay. For a moment, they actually did not know what to say.
[Prompt: Because your numerous believers mistakenly regarded Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's strike as "you" revealing a divine technique to save the world... "Faith Power" +0.0005 +0.007 +0.0007...]
On the surface.
Beside that human-shaped crater.
Roy held his sword horizontally with a strange expression. In the next second, seizing the opening where Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's old force was spent and his new force had yet to be born, his body instantly transformed into light. With another glance, he abruptly drilled out from the moonlight, already closing in right in front of the old man, thrusting his sword in a sharp, direct stab—
This bizarre movement technique.
The suddenly elongating longsword.
At that moment, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's gaze sharpened, and a single term immediately came to mind—[Shunpo]!
[Zanjutsu]: [Kendo], referring solely to all sword techniques using a Zanpakuto.
[Fist]: [Hakuda], referring solely to unarmed fighting techniques, such as the [Ikkotsu] and [Sokotsu] created by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni himself.
[Movement]: [Footwork], such as [Shunpo], used to rapidly approach the opponent through high-speed movement.
[Demon]: [Kido], spells that release spiritual pressure through rapid incantations, generally divided into three categories: offensive Hado, binding Bakudo, and healing Kaido.
Well-known examples included... [Hado 4]—Byakurai, [Hado 31]—Shakkaho... [Bakudo 73]... [Tozansho]... and the [Kaido] of Retsu Unohana. All of these were—
Light... Light at close quarters... Along with the sword light... bloomed in the old man's eyes in an instant...
If he were not certain that Roy possessed the aura of a human.
If he were not certain that he had indeed investigated him.
If he were not certain that the boy lacked even the slightest sickening scent of a holy Quincy.
In this split second.
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni almost believed—
That Roy was the reincarnation of the progenitor of the Quincies who should have died, the son of the Soul King, the omniscient and omnipotent Yhwach, mysteriously resurrected and attached to a human!
"It is a pity your spiritual pressure is not strong enough."
"The time since your soul's birth is too short."
"Otherwise."
"This strike might have allowed you to touch the corner of my clothes!"
Clang! The [Divine Spear] that pierced through the void abruptly crashed into Ryujin Jakka. Its trajectory had been captured in advance by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, who struck later but arrived first, blocking it at the perfect moment!
The old man narrowed his eyes and locked gazes with the boy.
His beard twitched.
With a backhand motion, he forced Roy back, then executed a horizontal slash, aiming for his waist and abdomen... The pitch-black thin line reappeared... The webbing between Roy's thumb and forefinger tore open and then healed. Instead of retreating, he advanced, forcefully halting his momentum mid-way.
He kicked against the void with both feet.
His body merged into the moonlight once more as he held his sword to block the thin line!
A crisp clang rang out!
It echoed through this unusual midnight, beginning to compose... the prelude to battle!
One strike.
Two strikes.
Three strikes.
Two streams of light clashed and collided.
Flickering on and off.
Like two dim stars suddenly meeting dark clouds, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, sometimes extinguished, making them unpredictable, and also making...
The people kneeling below, the people watching the battle, stare blankly with their mouths wide open, their throats making hoarse sounds, unable to utter a single word!
"Amane, take Kiriya and the others back inside." At the Ubuyashiki clan estate.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya patted his wife Amane's small hand, telling her to lead the young ones, Kanata, Kuina, and Kiriya, back into the house. In the courtyard, only he and Kyojuro Rengoku remained, narrowing their eyes at the sky, facing each other in silence.
As the sword light wove together, illuminating half the sky.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya was completely lost in the fog, unable to see anything clearly, but he was unwilling to miss this battle. After a moment, he suddenly asked Kyojuro Rengoku, "Kyojuro, what level of skill do you think is required to witness this battle?"
Witness?
"Does Oyakata-sama mean... to see it?"
"Yes," Ubuyashiki Kagaya smiled freely. "I know it is impossible for me to ever catch up in this lifetime. It is purely out of curiosity. I want to know... the answer."
With a hum, more Nen aura attached to his eyes.
Kyojuro Rengoku stood holding his sword, maintaining [Gyo] without letting it disperse. He looked up at the sky, only hazily able to see two streams of sword light exchanging blows endlessly. He remained silent for a long while before slowly shaking his head. "I apologize, Oyakata-sama. I cannot give you an answer. But,"
Kyojuro Rengoku, his yellow hair tipped with red, turned his head to glance at Ubuyashiki Kagaya and said, "My intuition tells me that Lord Eiichiro is a hundred times stronger than me!"
"So, I think, perhaps... if I became fifty times stronger, I might be able to keep up with their figures."
Ubuyashiki Kagaya fell silent...
The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps crossed his hands and tucked them into his sleeves, smiling with emotion. "That really is quite an exaggeration..."
With another glance, he looked up at the sky.
Under the bright moon.
After a bout of fighting.
The two "stars" separated at the touch, suddenly halting their movements...
A gust of wind blew past.
With a tearing sound, a spurt of blood abruptly sprayed from Roy's chest.
The young man was bathed in blood. In just the blink of an eye, he had exchanged dozens of strikes with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni.
Now, relying on [Rebirth from a Drop of Blood] to barely maintain a breath of life, he leaned on his sword, panting heavily as he asked Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, "Why did you stop?"
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni was completely unharmed, not even a corner of his clothes had been torn. He frowned in silence, merely staring intently at Roy. After a long while, he said, "You... are not right!"
Roy suddenly smiled.
Amidst his hearty laughter.
He cast a glance at his panel.
That is to say.
One strike!