'Kokushibo?'
Taka silently drew Tonan.
According to the information from Hakuji, among the currently existing Upper Moon demons, the only one truly requiring caution was Upper Rank One, Kokushibo.
'He's not an ordinary demon. He is the elder brother of your Demon Slayer Corps' strongest swordsman, Tsugikuni Yoriichi.' When Hakuji said this, Taka was somewhat surprised.
But now, judging from the aura of a man and his sword becoming one emanating from the opponent, these words were true.
Kokushibo slowly stood up. His movements were elegant and slow, carrying an indescribable dignity.
He turned around. On his stern face were arranged six golden eyes.
"This rhythm of breathing...." Kokushibo's six eyes locked onto Taka simultaneously. His voice carried the mustiness of centuries. "The aura on you reminds me of some... not-so-pleasant matters."
"You mean Sun Breathing? Tsugikuni Michikatsu?"
Being retorted by Taka, Kokushibo did not show overly intense emotional fluctuations. He still observed Taka very calmly.
'Didn't Hakuji say this guy was very petty and susceptible to taunting?' Taka frowned.
"A strange sword... a strange power. You are not using pure Breathing Style. What exactly is that chaotic power inside you?"
"Want to know?"
Taka slowly lowered his stance. Beneath his somewhat disheveled black hair, his gaze gradually turned as cold as iron.
"You can try it yourself."
"Ridiculous... What an arrogant junior."
Kokushibo coldly drew the long sword named Kyokokukamusari.
As the blade was withdrawn, countless bloodshot eyeballs spun wildly on the blade. An eerie moonlight flowed along the edge.
In the silent dojo of the Infinity Castle, the corners of their garments fluttered without wind.
It was the killing intent surging between them.
Clang—!!
Neither held back from the start. Each unleashed fast and vicious slashes.
Blades crossed, long swords hummed. The sound of metal striking metal rang through the void.
It should be said that Kokushibo truly lived up to his reputation as a swordsman trained over centuries. Every move was crafty and eerie. He was indeed not on the level one could reach by training with the other Hashira.
The swordsmanship of the Demon Slayer Corps had long been thoroughly studied by him-
To the point that even when Taka used five sword forms, rotating and alternating unpredictably, he could always immediately find a way to counter.
"A human who can achieve mastery in Breathing Style and use sword forms to your level, I have only seen one."
Kokushibo unleashed a high-speed horizontal slash, exceeding the limits of the naked eye, carrying countless tiny crescent blade auras, aiming straight for Taka's throat!
[Moon Breathing: Dark Moon, Evening Palace]
Taka twisted and spun. Tonan tore through the air, replying with a howling, barking Reiatsu Slash!
Boom!!
The violent Reiatsu Storm and the crescent blade auras exploded in the center of the dojo. The surrounding wooden pillars instantly turned to dust.
It was a clash sufficient to make the entire Infinity Castle tremble.
But Kokushibo had no intention of stopping there. The long sword covered in eyeballs in his hand exerted force once more—
[Moon Breathing: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant]
Dense crescent slashes surged out like a tidal wave.
This large-scale attack with no blind spots should have instantly shredded the opponent. But Taka's performance made Kokushibo's century-dead eyes contract slightly.
He nimbly wove through the gaps between the crescent slashes. His movements extremely defied common sense....
If one had to describe it, it was like walking in mid-air.
Whenever a crescent slash was about to touch him, this kid, somehow finding leverage, would kick off the air and dodge just like that?
"How is this possible? Are you human?"
"Definitely more human than you." Taka kept Hakuji's advice in mind, constantly trying to provoke Kokushibo with words, and charged at him again.
The battle continued. The entire dojo had been leveled by their sword aura.
Wounds of varying depths began to appear on Taka's body. But astonishingly, his momentum not only did not weaken, it grew even stronger.
"That sword of yours is your Blood Demon Art, isn't it?"
Taka viciously slashed down. Tonan actually bit halfway into the opponent's blade!
An uneasy feeling came from his hand. Kokushibo quickly exerted force to repel Taka. His gaze grew even more gloomy and cold.
This feeling was not good.
Kyokokukamusari was a demon blade forged from Kokushibo's own blood and bones. Even if severed, it could regenerate instantly.
This was originally a killing tool that allowed Kokushibo to unleash his sword forms without worrying about blade damage when fighting Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmen. But now, it had become the biggest problem.
With every clash of blades, Kokushibo would feel a chill.
He had already heard from Muzan-sama about the black-haired swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps who could unleash the power to devour demons. This sword must be the one.
Every time Tonan cut through Kokushibo's blade, it would greedily devour the other's demonic power.
Even though Kokushibo was very careful not to receive any sword wounds, his body still uncontrollably lost power.
Moreover, the trouble did not end there.
Taka's breathing rhythm was increasingly unsettling him.
As the battle continued, his originally somewhat rough breathing flow, forced by the high-intensity combat, began to grow more proficient and profound....
Now, Taka's self-created Sun Breathing already carried the oppressive majesty of a blazing sun. This made the familiar feeling in Kokushibo's heart grow stronger.
Kokushibo's six eyes widened simultaneously. Due to excessive shock, his originally calm voice wavered for the first time.
"This is that man's.... How can you reach that realm?"
Taka's figure vanished. Answering him was only the oncoming, blazing black-red flames.
No, not vanish.
It was because his speed had reached its utmost, leaving a twisted line of fire in space.
Kokushibo immediately raised his long sword to block.
Clang—!!!
It had been centuries since he last felt such an overwhelmingly powerful slash!
The domineering force traveled down his sword hilt, causing his bones to emit cracking sounds of shattering!
Boom—!!
The dojo floor was completely torn up. Flames mixed with Reiatsu shot into the sky, dispelling the gloom of the Infinity Castle.
In that light, Taka and Kokushibo passed each other.
Kokushibo froze in place.
The Kyokokukamusari in his hand, that demonic blade covered in eyeballs, was now completely severed!
And on his chest, a bone-deep wound with burning marks slanted across his entire torso.
The golden flames adhering to this wound were madly devouring his cells, making his once-prized regeneration speed extremely slow.
"A Crimson Blade.... No, you didn't even make your Nichirin Blade burn? How did you do this?"
Kokushibo slowly turned around. His six eyes fixedly stared at Taka, emitting a question he could not understand.
His tone was filled with envy, but even more so with an almost twisted excitement.
"It seems... I finally have a chance to test my full power in this form...."
Just as Taka severely wounded Kokushibo, good news also came from other corners of the Infinity Castle.
In the deep corridor, the Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro, nimbly weaved through the attacks of Uonuma Usui, like an elusive wisp of smoke.
"Damn it! Why can you so easily dodge my attacks!" Usui, covered in wounds, madly thrust his short spear everywhere.
This place was originally a home field specially created for him by Nakime, able to isolate the vision of those human swordsmen, naturally advantageous to him.
Moreover, after becoming a Kizuki, he could merge his body into the shadows, constantly appearing in unexpected places. Coordinating with the dim home field should have made him invincible.
But his sneaky fighting style of ambushing from advantageous terrain, or counterattacking defensively, was completely helpless against the agile Muichiro.
"Sorry, you, what was your name again?"
Muichiro's voice was as cold as ice.
"Mist Breathing: Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash."
In that instant, the originally narrow corridor suddenly erupted with dense white fog, so thick one could not see their hand in front of their face.
Although Usui was a blind demon, having become a Kizuki, he also possessed extremely powerful spatial perception.
But now, he only felt his mind's eye fall into chaos, unable to see anything clearly.
He madly swung his short spear, trying to disperse the fog.
However, within this fog, a phantom-like figure silently passed by.
Pffft—!
The fog dispersed.
Muichiro already stood behind this former member of the Ten Swords, slowly sheathing his sword.
"How... is this possible...."
Usui felt his throat gurgle like a pool of blood, struggling as he knelt on the ground.
Muichiro didn't even glance back at the ashes behind him. He just touched his slightly swollen cheek, now covered in cloud-like patterns, and muttered to himself:
"That direction... there's a very uncomfortable aura. Is Taka fighting there?"