(Extra chapter)
This strike was already the limit of Kiyokawa Izumi's current sword technique.
Under circumstances where his physical condition was unaffected, this was his peak performance.
It possessed the characteristic lightness of Water Breathing, as if it were nothing at all—yet it was also like a fleeting streak of light. Before one could observe it closely, it had already vanished.
A few strands of hair silently fell to the ground, and Kochou Shinobu, who was rapidly retreating, had a dangerous look in her eyes.
Sister Shinobu subconsciously touched the strands of hair that had fallen on her right side and quietly watched him.
The length of the hair hanging on both sides was no longer symmetrical.
The air was deathly silent. Kiyokawa Izumi, who had gotten a little too carried away, dared not speak a word.
It wasn't that he hadn't intended to hold back, nor was he aiming for Sister Shinobu's fair, slender neck.
But a Nichirin blade, once drawn, had to cut something, right?
It was quite reasonable that, without holding back, a few strands of beautiful hair were accidentally severed.
But he had clearly forgotten the competitive—and easily angered—personality of the person before him.
The smile on her face existed only because her sister liked such a smile; it didn't mean she truly shared Kochou Kanae's gentle personality.
Calling her competitive and easily angered wasn't entirely accurate, either.
That had been her personality in the past.
Now, she was probably constantly suppressing her deep-seated hatred for demons.
"Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi, do you know that for a girl, her hairstyle is also very important?"
Kochou Shinobu said faintly—but in her heart, she completed the other half of the sentence.
Still, that strike just now had truly been beautiful.
If it were at night, a demon might not even have had time to notice before its neck was severed by that silent blow.
Like a fleeting illusion—transient and elusive.
There was no need to voice words of praise.
She was, at this moment, genuinely a little angry.
"Um… how about we stop here?"
"No way!"
"Take a break, and we can continue this afternoon?"
"No!"
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon!"
Without giving Kiyokawa Izumi time to make excuses, Kochou Shinobu's figure flickered like an afterimage.
Her short-range thrust was astonishing—Kiyokawa Izumi was, in truth, still just a dilettante.
What he didn't know was that, according to official data, the woman before him was not the fastest among the Nine Hashira.
Moreover, he had only encountered this one Hashira so far.
Because Douma had praised her speed as extremely fast, he subconsciously believed she was the fastest of them all.
It wasn't a big problem—as long as he didn't foolishly challenge the Sound Hashira to a duel.
He saw the Nichirin blade spin out six light-blue arcs of light, the intersecting blade flashes resembling a dragonfly's compound eyes.
This was a six-hit thrust executed in a single instant.
I can see through it!
But I can't block it!
Kiyokawa Izumi's expression remained unchanged, but the hands gripping his Nichirin blade hesitated.
With the help of his special eyes, he could understand the principle behind this move, but he didn't know how to counter it.
From his existing repertoire, it was clear that he didn't lack offensive techniques—his First Form, Night Crow's Shadow, had indeed astonished Kochou Shinobu.
But he only had that one move.
Unlike Water Breathing, which balanced offense and defense, he possessed no defensive forms, nor any techniques for rapid evasion.
At this moment, there was no time to switch Breathing Techniques.
Even if he did—would Water Breathing really be able to block this move?
That was a huge question mark.
What should he do?
It seemed unsolvable.
"Don't hit my face!!"
Caught between squeezing out his remaining potential and giving up entirely, Kiyokawa Izumi chose to shout.
Embarrassing? Yes.
But who could blame him when he truly couldn't block it?
He didn't have techniques like Senior Brother Giyuu's Eleventh Form.
He hadn't seen it with these eyes.
He hadn't imitated it.
Naturally, he couldn't use it.
Fortunately, Kochou Shinobu stopped her force in time, merely knocking him down.
She then turned elegantly.
Half-pressing down on Kiyokawa Izumi, Sister Shinobu casually twirled her blade, the sharp tip stopping right beside his face.
"Don't hit my face—I'm guilty, I confess!"
Kiyokawa Izumi coughed twice and spoke without hesitation.
He was undoubtedly satisfied with the outcome of the battle.
The moment his peak strike had been unleashed, the result had already been decided—if he didn't win then, he lost.
But that wasn't important.
What mattered was that the gains were substantial.
Sister Shinobu's thrusts—and several of her moves—had all been recorded by him.
He might not be able to imitate them outright, but he could selectively learn from certain parts.
More importantly, he had discovered his own shortcomings.
For that reason alone, he was very satisfied with the result.
At this moment, he had no intention of playing dirty—no sudden reversal to pin her down using brute strength.
If he couldn't match her speed, could he really match her strength?
How much did she even weigh?
If he used his own weight and strength to restrain her, she probably wouldn't be able to break free.
"You give up?"
Kochou Shinobu toyed with her slender Nichirin blade, her tone faintly dangerous.
"What if I don't?"
"Ahem… well, you should be careful when twirling your blade. Please—be very careful."
Kiyokawa Izumi replied cautiously.
If someone was half-pressing you down while casually spinning a blade over your body, claiming you weren't worried would be a blatant lie.
"Mr. Kiyokawa Izumi, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
The hair on both sides of his head was no longer even.
Kiyokawa Izumi averted his gaze, feeling a twinge of guilt.
The sky is so blue—
-________
Okay, let's start again... a new bonus chapter at 400 energy stones.
I will also only edit about five or ten chapters per day, so please provide me with energy so I can continue.