Fighting Daki in her invincible state was no easy task.
Her obi ribbons were incredibly tough, not something that could be cut easily. They were fast, powerful, and relentless.
As the battle dragged on, Daki became increasingly furious.
This Aoyama Ren was unbelievably troublesome. Even now, she still hadn't managed to defeat him.
And that brat—
That annoying brat kept getting in the way.
Daki's furious gaze fell on Tanjiro.
Tanjiro was breathing heavily.
During the battle just now, he realized something important—
Water Breathing couldn't deal effective damage to this demon.
And…
Aoyama -senpai didn't seem to be using Water Breathing at all.
Only now did Tanjiro realize this.
In their previous battles, he had never truly analyzed Aoyama 's techniques.
Tanjiro's pupils suddenly widened.
A thought flashed through his mind.
His damaged blade…
Maybe it was time to try the technique his father had once taught him.
He had asked Shinobu, Rengoku, and Aoyama about it before.
The first two didn't understand it.
Aoyama had only told him to wait for the right moment.
But now—
He had no choice but to try.
"AHHHHH!"
Hearing the shout behind him, Aoyama Ren instinctively turned around.
"What—?!"
Daki was slightly startled.
Something about that brat suddenly felt… different.
"Hinokami Kagura — Burning Sun Mirror!"
Tanjiro charged forward.
His blade spun through Daki's ribbons, cutting them apart one after another.
Aoyama immediately noticed the change.
Tanjiro's swordsmanship had transformed.
It was sharper than before.
This was Sun Breathing.
But Aoyama couldn't help feeling worried.
Tanjiro still couldn't fully control it.
However, Tanjiro had already changed his breathing style.
There was no stopping him now.
Whatever happened afterward—
Aoyama would deal with it when the time came.
Daki watched her ribbons being cut apart by the brat.
And suddenly—
A fragment of memory appeared in her mind.
The figure of a swordsman who once pushed Muzan Kibutsuji to the brink of death—
Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the Sun Breathing user.
What was happening?
Daki felt a flicker of shock.
"Hinokami Kagura — Flame Dance!"
Tanjiro's blade lunged toward Daki's nose.
Just a little closer—
And he would have cut her.
Unfortunately, Daki was extremely fast.
Tanjiro's attack missed.
"Heh."
"Nothing special."
"A brat is still just a brat."
Daki sneered.
But Tanjiro didn't give up.
Flame Dance was a two-strike technique.
He still had one more chance.
Daki's ribbons deflected Tanjiro's attack while launching a counterattack.
Tanjiro flipped into the air.
As he began to descend—
He saw it.
The Thread of Opening.
A gap.
An opportunity.
Aoyama also saw the thread connecting Tanjiro's blade.
"Hinokami Kagura — Fire Wheel!"
Tanjiro swung his sword down at Daki.
But Daki glanced sideways with mocking eyes.
Aoyama immediately realized—
Tanjiro had already missed the chance to kill her.
Once your speed dropped—
Even the strongest technique became useless.
Just as expected—
The thread of opening in Tanjiro's vision suddenly disappeared.
At the same moment—
One of Daki's ribbons slammed into him.
Tanjiro was sent flying through the air.
Before he could crash to the ground, Aoyama Ren rushed forward and caught him.
He prevented Tanjiro from suffering further injury.
"Aoyama -senpai… cough…"
Tanjiro coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Aoyama frowned deeply.
"Didn't I tell you before?"
"You can't fully control it yet."
"Heh."
"You little brat."
"You thought you could hurt me?"
"How ridiculous."
Daki tilted her head and mocked Tanjiro.
Aoyama gently released Tanjiro and slowly stood up.
His head lowered slightly.
His expression was hidden in shadow.
But his voice turned ice-cold.
"You really are…"
"Disgusting."
Daki froze for a moment.
That pressure—
It was coming from Aoyama .
She swallowed nervously, her eyes locked on him.
Tanjiro struggled to stand and rejoin the fight.
But Aoyama stopped him immediately.
He knew that after using Hinokami Kagura, Tanjiro's muscles had already stiffened.
Fighting was impossible.
Standing up alone would be difficult.
Then—
Aoyama activated it.
The Transparent World.
All this time, the system had been strengthening his body.
When it reached a certain threshold—
It awakened this ability automatically.
The Transparent World.
Unnecessary senses were shut down.
His perception sharpened.
His movement speed became terrifyingly fast.
"Total Concentration Breathing!"
"Light Breathing!"
"First Form — Flash!"
In less than the blink of an eye—
Aoyama had already appeared in front of Daki.
His Nichirin blade flashed coldly.
The strike cut through Daki's obi and slammed into the arm she raised to block.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from the severed arm.
Realizing the danger, Daki immediately leapt onto the rooftop.
But the moment she landed—
Aoyama arrived almost simultaneously.
He kicked her straight off the roof.
Daki crashed heavily onto the ground.
Her eyes widened with fear as she looked up at the figure on the rooftop.
He…
He could predict her movements?!
Aoyama stared down coldly.
With the Transparent World active—
His speed had increased drastically.
More importantly—
He could predict his opponent's attacks and intentions.
Tanjiro watched in stunned silence.
Everything had happened too fast.
He hadn't even seen what Aoyama did.
All he saw was Daki lying on the ground.
Daki realized something terrifying.
She might not be able to defeat Aoyama anymore.
Her gaze shifted to Tanjiro in the distance, who could barely move.
If she couldn't beat Aoyama —
Then she would kill the brat and Nezuko first.
Daki shot forward at high speed.
"Blood Demon Art — Eightfold Obi Slash!"
Eight ribbons burst from her body.
They hardened to a level that even Nichirin blades struggled to cut.
They surged toward Tanjiro from all directions—
Leaving no blind spots.
The ribbons sliced through nearby walls effortlessly.
Their destructive power was terrifying.
Tanjiro's pupils shrank.
The ribbons were closing in.
But his body hadn't recovered yet.
His fingers barely moved as he reached toward his sword.
Then—
A figure descended from the sky.
"Total Concentration!"
"Light Breathing!"
"Fifth Form — Light Sever!"
Aoyama Ren dropped from above and slashed toward the eight ribbons attacking Tanjiro.
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
The eight ribbons collided with the strike—
And were cleanly cut in half.
Dust rose into the air.
For a moment—
Everything fell silent.
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