The nichirin blade, which had been colliding at high speed, gradually turned a dazzling red. Yoizumi's movements were relentless, and Muichiro's heavy breathing slowly reached his ears.
He was about to collapse.
Yoizumi thought.
The blood circulation in his body was obstructed, and Yoizumi had already reduced the power of this move; otherwise, Muichiro's human body would not be able to withstand it.
Each swing was undoubtedly painful, like the ache of broken bones.
His numb hands had lost all sensation, drained of color, and were deathly pale.
He couldn't breathe… The more he gasped, the less the suffocating feeling diminished. His stiff body couldn't keep up with Yoizumi's sword speed, and Muichiro was steadily pushed back, finally being knocked to the ground by Yoizumi.
His body heaved violently, his hands propped on the ground, staring at the nichirin blade that was within reach. His face, numb from the cold, managed to force out a smile.
"I… lost."
"As expected, Yoizumi-nii… is amazing."
Putting away his nichirin blade, Yoizumi extended his hand to Muichiro on the ground.
Muichiro paused, then slowly raised his hand and grasped it. The warmth he had felt in the Swordsmith Village once again flowed into his body through their clasped hands.
The cold within his body was dispelled, and the frozen blood cells began to flow again throughout his body.
"Indeed… so warm…" A flicker of light passed through Muichiro's eyes.
"Muichiro is still young. Perhaps one day, I won't be able to defeat you," Yoizumi said slowly, his expression calm, yet his words were encouraging.
"Then Yoizumi-nii, you'd better watch out!"
Muichiro tilted his head and chuckled softly.
Yoizumi then raised his nichirin blade again; it had now completely turned red.
Seeing Yoizumi staring blankly at the nichirin blade, Muichiro also picked up his nichirin blade to examine it, something he had noticed during the battle.
It had turned red, a situation that had never occurred before.
Sanemi Shinazugawa and Iguro Obanai, who had been watching the battle from the side, also walked up to the two.
"An unprecedented situation."
Iguro Obanai's heterochromatic eyes flashed with confusion, and Kaburamaru, coiled around his neck, nodded in agreement.
Sanemi Shinazugawa scratched his white hair; he also couldn't figure it out.
Yoizumi's hand touched the blade, stimulated by its scorching temperature. His fingertips rubbed against it, feeling a pain similar to being burned by the sun.
"Huh? Yoizumi-nii? What are you doing?"
"Hey! You!"
Muichiro and Sanemi Shinazugawa exclaimed simultaneously.
Because… Yoizumi had directly used the nichirin blade to cut a nearly 20-centimeter wound on his arm, and crimson blood "splattered" onto the ground.
As a demon, Yoizumi's wound did not heal quickly!
Indeed… this red blade restrains a demon's regeneration!
The wound cut by the nichirin blade healed extremely slowly. Did the high temperature of this blade destroy cells, thereby affecting regenerative ability?… "Yoizumi-nii's wound isn't healing…" Muichiro said in surprise.
"It's not that it's not healing; it's that the healing speed has slowed down."
Iguro Obanai pointed at Yoizumi's wound, his face serious, clearly having realized the importance of this situation.
If they could use such a blade to fight, one capable of suppressing a demon's regenerative ability, their Demon Slayer Corps' chances of defeating Kibutsuji Muzan would increase even further.
"Hey, Tokito, how did you do that?!" Sanemi asked impatiently, his eyes showing clear excitement.
This was about suppressing a demon's regeneration!
What Sanemi Shinazugawa hated most about demons was their damned regenerative ability, which was endless.
Frowning, Muichiro lowered his gaze, pondering the details of his battle. He only remembered that he could no longer feel his hands and could only rely on instinct to grip the nichirin blade's hilt tightly.
Yoizumi let the blood flow from his arm. The Mark, and this red blade, all converged with the Yoriichi Type Zero doll he had seen in the Swordsmith Village, and the man who instilled fear in Kibutsuji Muzan, appearing in his mind.
As the man who nearly killed him.
Yoizumi thought that perhaps only by mastering these could he truly… send Kibutsuji Muzan to hell!
"Grip strength," Yoizumi suddenly said.
"During the battle, Muichiro used immense grip strength, causing the blade to gradually turn red, and then the extremely fast collisions between the nichirin blades created such a sword."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hey! Yoizumi, let's have a fight!"
"No, with me!" No sooner had Sanemi Shinazugawa finished speaking, and before Yoizumi could respond, Iguro Obanai answered first.
"Iguro!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa reached out and tugged at Iguro Obanai, his eyes clearly asking… what do you mean by that?
"You've all fought him, so it's my turn."
Iguro Obanai glanced at him sideways, stating calmly.
"For now, you should prioritize activating your Mark. It's very difficult to achieve this without the Mark."
"Well… I had already guessed that."
He sighed helplessly, but Obanai thought, how easy was it to activate the Mark? A heart rate of up to 200, a body temperature of 39 degrees Celsius.
It was undoubtedly walking through the gates of hell; what were the chances of survival?
No one knew.
"Tch…" His fists clenched until they were white, drained of all color, and his knuckles "clicked." Sanemi, uncharacteristically, didn't get angry, merely frowning in unwillingness.
"Muichiro, are you alright?"
After receiving Muichiro's affirmation, Yoizumi felt it was necessary to go find Ubuyashiki; he might know something.
"I have an urgent matter, I'll take my leave first."
Instantly, Yoizumi vanished from everyone's sight.
"If Yoizumi-nii were to use his Blood Demon Art, I'm afraid I would have lost even more miserably."
After a while, Muichiro sighed, staring at the spot where Yoizumi had disappeared.
"Hmph! How arrogant, just showing up and leaving as he pleases." Sanemi Shinazugawa pursed his lips, drew his nichirin blade, and a fierce look appeared in his eyes.
"Iguro! Tokito! Both of you, come at me!"
It's just a Mark, isn't it!
I'll definitely activate it for you to see!
The most arrogant person here is you, isn't it?
Muichiro walked silently to face him. His body, restored to optimal condition by Yoizumi's treatment, his expression sharpened. He still needed to become stronger!
"Very well."
Iguro Obanai's uniquely winding nichirin blade was drawn from its specialized sheath.
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