Ume's Blood Demon Art allowed her to extend her silk ribbons to extremely distant locations, even granting them a certain degree of self-awareness—making them perfect for gathering intelligence.
It was through this ability that she had captured all three of Uzui Tengen's wives who were hiding in the movie studio.
But the cost was that every ribbon she sent out would weaken her own power.
Only by retrieving all these ribbons could she reclaim her complete, full strength!
"Now! All of you, DIE!"
Grinning, Ume swung her long whip once more, actively initiating attacks against the two before her.
Unlike before, this time both her speed and power were even greater!
And what made it even more troublesome was that after retrieving all her ribbons, every interval between her long whip swings now included auxiliary attacks from her hair transformed into silk ribbons—making up for gaps in her attack rhythm!
"Damn damn damn! Why is this she-demon so difficult to deal with?!"
Tanjiro and the others would often just barely block her long whip attack, not even having time to catch their breath before being forced to keep swinging their swords to defend against several incoming silk ribbons!
Two against one, and she was still gaining the upper hand?!
"I should be asking why you two are so hard to kill! Stop dawdling! Hurry up and die already!"
"Ghk!"
Under Ume's fierce and violent offensive, Tanjiro was the first to falter. Struck by a whip on his sword blade, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly split open, and he was forced several meters back before stopping!
"Tanjiro! Quickly adjust your breathing!"
"Huff... huff..."
Breathing rapidly, feeling the intense pain between his fingers, Tanjiro watched Uzui Tengen being pinned down by Ume to the point where even defending was difficult, his heart anxious.
For Uzui Tengen, Ume was a demon he had never encountered before.
This wasn't about her combat power, but rather her combat technique.
The demons he had faced in the past either relied on brute force charges or simply threw "turtle-fist" haymakers—completely lacking any technique whatsoever.
But this she-demon before him was different.
Her true strength was roughly on par with his, perhaps slightly stronger, but her combat technique, her understanding of battle was completely not below his... No, it should be said to be far above his!
This she-demon was undoubtedly a master! She truly understood how to fight people!
And then there was that flexible long whip of hers.
As if meticulously designed, this demon's offensive and defensive system had near-perfect integration with her Blood Demon Art.
Distance advantage, flexible attacks, superb technique, and the coordination of silk ribbons to make up for gaps...
The combination of all these ultimately allowed her to unleash terrifying power where one plus one was far greater than two!
Honestly, if this demon had been using a katana as well, they wouldn't have been fighting so desperately.
But she happened to use a long whip, and happened to have a Blood Demon Art that paired so perfectly with it...
Without overwhelming numerical advantage, the two of them simply couldn't break through her coordination of long whip and silk ribbons!
[No good, if we keep fighting like this, we'll both lose...]
[I have to find a way to break through her... Transparent World!]
Watching the fierce battle before him, this term suddenly flashed through Tanjiro's mind.
[Yes! Only by opening the Transparent World can there perhaps be a way!]
[But how exactly is the Transparent World opened?]
[Father said to empty the five senses and look inward... But I've been doing exactly that these past days, why haven't I felt anything at all?]
[What am I not doing right? Where exactly...]
[Tanjiro, calm your mind and spirit.]
In his mind, his father Tanjuro's voice suddenly rang out.
His steady voice instantly soothed the anxiety in Tanjiro's heart.
[Only by first sensing yourself can you sense your opponent. This is the necessary step to enter that transparent world.]
Recalling his father's previous teachings, Tanjiro subconsciously closed his eyes and quietly followed instructions.
First sense yourself, then sense the opponent...
[Calm your heart, and earnestly listen to the flow of blood in your body, listen to your heartbeat, listen to the sound of your breathing.]
Listen to the flow of blood, listen to the heartbeat...
Time suddenly became infinitely slow at this moment. As Tanjiro focused his perception on himself, the sounds of Uzui Tengen and Ume battling gradually disappeared from his world.
Gradually, he began to hear what seemed like the gurgling flow of a small stream—this was the sound of his blood surging through his vessels.
He heard drum-like thunder—this was his heartbeat.
He heard what seemed like wind whistling through mountain valleys—this was the sound of air currents scraping past his trachea when he breathed.
The entire world was empty, filled everywhere with sounds from within his body.
Then, starting from a certain point, this world quickly became lively again.
Noise began to increase—insect chirps and bird calls gradually arrived, breezes brushed past leaves, and the sounds of Uzui Tengen and Ume fighting once again reached Tanjiro's ears.
He opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze instantly piercing through the human and demon before him, seeing everything within their bodies at a glance!
He had done it!
This feeling... he had also entered that legendary supreme domain!
Just as Tanjiro was overjoyed by this, the transparency in his vision suddenly became somewhat flickering.
[It's still not stable... Looks like I'll need more practice to solidify it! For now, I must end this battle first!]
"Demon! Take another slash from me!"
Taking advantage of this moment while he could still maintain the Transparent World, Tanjiro roared and swung his sword forward again.
[Strange, this brat...]
Suddenly turning her head, no longer sensing any presence from Tanjiro, Ume frowned slightly.
This strange feeling suddenly made her somewhat uneasy.
Because she had encountered similar situations in more than one person before.
[Brother Michikatsu, Sister Mitsuba, and Akaza... Could this brat actually have...?!]
Suddenly realizing a certain possibility, shocked in her heart, Ume immediately activated all the silk ribbons behind her, swinging her long whip with full force to intercept Tanjiro!
"Sun Breathing · Eleventh Form · Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!"
Shouting this, having already seen through all of Ume's movements, Tanjiro once again used the most powerful sword form of Sun Breathing in the face of her interception.
The flame dragon appeared on his blade once more. Swinging his sword to cut through silk ribbons one after another before him, Tanjiro finally broke through Ume's defensive interception at extreme speed, and in her panicked expression, slashed at her neck!
"I win!"
Flames scattered, the blazing blade cut through Ume's neck without any obstruction!
Sheathing his sword and turning around, watching Ume's slowly falling head, Tanjiro shouted loudly.
He had won!
He had finally defeated an Upper Rank demon through his own strength!
...
(Obviously, Ume's famous scene is coming up, meow~)