In the Demon Slayer Corps, it is explicitly forbidden for members to attack each other without cause.
But Asuka was not a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, and Sanemi Shinazugawa was hardly a Pillar who strictly followed that rule.
The force transmitted through the scabbard was so overwhelming that it nearly sent the wooden sword flying from Asuka's hands.
He clenched his teeth as the veins on his arms bulged, pouring every ounce of strength he had into resisting that inhuman power.
"Hiss..." A suppressed intake of breath escaped from Asuka's nose and mouth as he activated Total Concentration Breathing taught to him by Tetsushin Arisaki, trying to use the physical enhancement brought by the Breathing Technique to suppress the white-haired man in front of him.
"Heh..."
Sanemi Shinazugawa let out a snort and casually flicked his wrist.
Buzz—
A surge of blue-green airflow abruptly surged through the scabbard!
Asuka felt his arm go numb. His grip on the heavy wooden sword faltered, and even his balance wavered as he staggered backward.
Almost instantly, the tip of Shinazugawa's scabbard stabbed straight toward Asuka's shoulder!
Thud!
Asuka was struck solidly, his body slammed down by the vicious force and thrown hard onto the cold dirt.
Sanemi Shinazugawa strolled forward at an unhurried pace. His tall figure blocked out the sunlight, his shadow engulfing Asuka completely.
"What's wrong? Is this all Hayama's training produced? If that had been a demon, you'd already be dead!"
The cutting words carried the cruelest truth. In real combat, no one waits patiently for you to assume a stance. Everything happens in a flash.
But Asuka did not lie there quietly, waiting for Shinazugawa's harsh laughter to echo on.
In the instant he hit the ground, he instinctively activated Wind Breathing. The faint blue-green airflow gathered and coiled around his wrist. Using the momentum of his fall, he braced against the ground and sprang up, charging straight at Shinazugawa!
Thud!!
Asuka slammed heavily into Shinazugawa's chin, knocking the Wind Pillar flat onto his back!
Without giving him time to react, Asuka tightened his grip on the wooden sword and brought it down fiercely toward Shinazugawa's falling body!
"This kid..."
From the shade of the trees in the distance, Tetsushin Arisaki watched the scene, his heart stirred.
Wrapping Wind Breathing around the body and adding cutting force to physical strikes was a technique only mastered Wind Breathing users would touch upon.
It wasn't that Tetsushin Arisaki was hiding anything from Asuka. Asuka was still refining his Wind Breathing sword techniques, and he had yet to teach him this concept.
And yet...
Just from seeing Sanemi Shinazugawa use a Wind Breathing-infused scabbard strike in combat, he immediately grasped this method of application?
"You little brat!" Sanemi Shinazugawa's chin throbbed with pain, surprise flashing in his eyes.
He didn't draw his blade. Relying solely on fists and kicks wrapped in Wind Breathing, he charged forward to meet him!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Shinazugawa twisted his body in midair with exaggerated rotation, dodging Asuka's full-powered downward strike and engaging him in close combat!
Dull impacts echoed across the field. At first, Shinazugawa deliberately held back, intending only to test Asuka's strength. But Asuka fought like a desperate street brawler, every move ruthless and cunning, all aimed at Shinazugawa's chest and abdomen.
Forced to respond, Shinazugawa gradually increased his strength, and the situation began shifting against Asuka.
Finally, under a particularly tricky slash, Shinazugawa reluctantly swung his scabbard again, blocking the attack as the blade vibrated.
"Hey! Kid! Are you serious?"
"....."
Seeing Asuka remain silent, Shinazugawa grew impatient, deciding to end this farce once and for all.
Clang—!!
In the blink of an eye, the Nichirin Blade with its green jagged pattern was drawn. The four characters engraved on the blade, Slay All Evil Demons, began to glow with an ominous light.
"Let me see what you learned from that old man! Wind Breathing, First Form—"
Not good! Tetsushin Arisaki's expression changed as he rushed forward to stop Shinazugawa's madness.
That brat—still as reckless and hot-headed as ever! Two foul tempers colliding head-on!
Asuka also felt the sudden shift in the white-haired man's presence. Clearly, a terrifying attack was being prepared.
The spiritual pressure around him trembled violently, roaring at him to get out of the way!
But for reasons unknown, Asuka made a move so shocking that even the rushing Tetsushin Arisaki was stunned.
He threw away the wooden sword, untied the cloth strapped across his chest, and at the moment Shinazugawa's thrusting wind blade began to gather, he yanked a long blade free midair with a sharp clang!
"Piercing Fang! (Gatotsu)"
A violent gray-black vortex erupted from the battered blade Asuka swung, howling with tearing wind!
Clang—!! Boom!!
Gray blade light and blue wind pressure collided violently!
The deafening clash rang out like thunder on flat ground as the raging airflow exploded outward from the two of them!
Dust, grass, and pebbles were swept high into the air, forming a murky vortex several meters wide and startling countless birds from the forest.
The ground shook violently. Cracks spread like spiderwebs, and even the disciples on Hayama's front mountain felt the disturbance!
Rip! Rip!
Shinazugawa's sturdy uniform sleeve tore open as thin streaks of blood appeared across his bronze arm muscles!
Asuka wasn't faring much better. The rampaging wind blades from their collision tore relentlessly at both their clothing and flesh. Asuka's injuries were deeper and far more numerous.
Boom!!
With a final explosive roar, the vortex from their clashing blades detonated completely!
Sanemi Shinazugawa staggered a few steps but remained standing. Asuka was sent flying, slamming hard into a thick tree trunk, shaking loose a shower of leaves.
Despite overpowering the kid, Shinazugawa felt no satisfaction.
He frowned slightly, lowering his gaze to his wounds.
Setting aside the fact that he'd been injured by a trainee... at least the old man had a good eye in choosing a successor.
But what was wrong with these wounds?
It wasn't just cutting pain. It felt like countless tiny teeth gnawing and tearing at the flesh, a strange burning sensation spreading through the injuries.
Along with the pain, he sensed his blood flow being obstructed by something invisible, as if it were being... devoured?
He raised his arm and saw faint gray-black energy fluctuations clinging around the wounds, barely visible to the naked eye—nothing like a Breathing Technique's airflow.
"What the hell is this?" Shinazugawa's voice sank, all mockery gone, his expression turning grave.
"Blood Demon Art?"
He didn't understand, but unease stirred in his heart. Gripping his Nichirin Blade, he stepped cautiously toward Asuka.
Before he could go further, Tetsushin Arisaki leapt past him, landing steadily in front.
"That's enough, Sanemi!"
"...Teacher Tetsushin. Good day to you."