"Ah, ah! I've already eaten fifteen Hashira! That makes one of you number sixteen!"
"—Blood-Spattered Scythe!!"
Dozens of sticky, blood-red blades of varying shapes burst forth, slashing toward them!
Before Tomioka Giyuu could even move, Uzui Tengen dashed forward without hesitation.
Though Giyuu had said he would hold back for guerrilla strikes, he knew he couldn't stay idle for long.
"Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang out as Uzui swung his dual Nichirin Cleavers in rapid arcs, detonating the explosive beads to block Gyutaro's incoming barrage.
Behind him, Giyuu crouched slightly, body coiled like a spring, waiting for Gyutaro to expose a weakness.
Each swing of his sword brought the poison further through his system. He didn't know how long he could endure. Resistance? Maybe. But that didn't matter. He wasn't going to stop.
But then—
Dozens of deadly pink sashes came raining down from above.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
A slash of pure blue cleaved the air. The sashes never even hit the ground—Giyuu cut them clean mid-fall.
"Tch. Tanjiro!" Giyuu snapped, turning toward the rooftop. "Hold Daki down—don't let her unleash a barrage of techniques again!"
Tanjiro responded not with words, but with action.
"Inosuke! Zenitsu!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Sun Red Mirror!"
Even without the call, Inosuke and Zenitsu had already moved. They had heard Giyuu's order loud and clear.
Zenitsu struck first.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Sixfold!"
BOOM—!
Thunder roared as Zenitsu vanished in a streak of light.
Hearing it, Giyuu nodded. That sound meant things were under control—for now. Watching Zenitsu sleep and fight had become strangely reassuring.
Huff—hiss—
He adjusted his breathing again, still unable to find an opening. Uzui and Gyutaro's styles clashed in chaotic bursts—both were close-range fighters, giving little room for interception.
"Damn it… if this keeps up, Tengen's going to get hurt worse. He's already bleeding…"
Just then, Uzui pulled something out from his belt—small bombs—and hurled them at Gyutaro.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The shockwaves forced Gyutaro backward.
"Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent!"
Giyuu launched himself forward like a river torrent. But just as he closed in, Gyutaro's sickles spun violently through the air.
Giyuu's pupils shrank.
Before he could pull back—
"Don't stop, Tomioka!" Uzui bellowed as he intercepted the sickles.
With Uzui clearing the path, Giyuu pressed on, bursting through the smoke.
But Gyutaro surged forward instead of retreating.
"Blood Demon Art: Rebound!"
Their weapons clashed—and Giyuu's blade was flung back. He stumbled, barely regaining his footing before the spinning sickle came at him again.
Instinct kicked in.
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust!"
CLANG—!
He deflected the blade and flowed into another move.
"Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
His blade curved like a current, but Gyutaro caught his sickles instantly.
In a single breath, Gyutaro spun his dual weapons to intercept every slash.
Suddenly, Gyutaro feinted—raising a sickle high. Giyuu moved to block—
But it was a trick. Gyutaro dropped low, drove a hand into the dirt, and used his momentum to kick Giyuu right in his wounded side.
BANG!
But Giyuu caught the leg, sword reversed in his grip.
"You're not the only one who's learned."
He planted his feet, gripped his blade with both hands, and slashed upward.
The strike severed Gyutaro's legs. Spinning, Giyuu brought the blade toward the demon's neck—
Gyutaro raised his left arm just in time, blocking the cut, and countered with his remaining sickle!
"Don't even think about it!!"
Uzui's blades extended to their full length in an instant—and cleaved Gyutaro's arm clean off.
"Heh… Nice one, you flashy bastards—"
FWIP!
Belts fell from above—again, dozens of them.
Giyuu gritted his teeth and prepared to yank Uzui out of the way—when a bolt of lightning split the sky.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Godspeed!"
ZzzzzzZT—!!
In a flash, Zenitsu tore through every belt mid-air. Not a single one touched the ground.
Giyuu glanced toward the rooftop.
Inosuke and Tanjiro were pressing Daki hard now. They were close—very close.
Giyuu didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, slamming his foot into the ground and twisting—
THUNK!
His blade sank deep into Gyutaro's shoulder.
But then—
CLACK!
Gyutaro's teeth bit down on the blade.
"What?!"
At the same time, a spinning circular slash shot from Gyutaro's severed arm!
Giyuu's heart sank. He couldn't pull his sword free in time.
Uzui was no better off—his attack had been deflected too.
"Water Breathing—"
In desperation, Giyuu grabbed Uzui by the collar, pulled him back two steps, and raised his sword.
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
The world stilled.
The two spiraling blood blades slowed—and shattered against the sheer stillness of Giyuu's counter.
It wasn't perfect. Wounds appeared across his chest and arms—same with Uzui. Shallow, but the poison…
That was the real threat.
Gyutaro lunged again—but suddenly, kunai rained from above.
Giyuu reflexively muttered:
"Hinatsuru… Rain of Needle Blossoms?"
He realized quickly it wasn't her—but the technique was familiar.
"Blood Demon Art: Rebound!"
Gyutaro spun his sickles to block every kunai.
DING DING DING DING—!!
But before he could recover—
Uzui was there.
Blades flashing, target set.
Gyutaro aimed straight for Uzui's head with a precise jab—
Yet Uzui ducked low. His target were the legs.
CHOP—!!
He severed Gyutaro's legs in a clean motion.
Thunk!
A single poisoned kunai flew from the shadows and stabbed Gyutaro's neck.
His eyes widened in disbelief.