Chapter 14 – Gyōmei, Overwhelmed
To the watching crowd, Gyōmei's opening strike looked fast—intimidating even.
But to Tachibana Kyūjō, standing still in the middle of the clearing, it was anything but.
The massive spiked flail and axe connected by thick iron chains flew through the air toward him. Yet in Kyūjō's eyes, they moved slowly. Excruciatingly slowly.
Almost as if time itself had decided to take a break.
The awed faces in the audience froze, mouths half-open, eyes widened in disbelief. What they thought would be a titanic clash now seemed uncertain.
In that instant, Kyūjō felt something stir deep inside him.
He had become stronger—again.
Not physically. This wasn't about muscle or endurance. It was something deeper.
His spirit. His senses.
It was as if the entire world around him had fallen into a sluggish trance, moving several beats behind the rhythm his body now followed.
And then, a whisper echoed in the corners of his mind.
"Too slow... it's all too slow..."
He wasn't just referring to Gyōmei's attack. No—he meant everything around him.
In this new state of hyper-awareness, Kyūjō had crossed a threshold. The world no longer moved on the same plane as him. He felt like a character from a high-speed action reel suddenly dropped into a slow-motion drama.
Thankfully, he thought, I can still control this ability. If I had to live in this perception for twenty-four hours a day, I think I'd lose my mind.
The flail and axe were still falling toward him—albeit sluggishly in his mind's eye.
He exhaled, then stepped forward without hesitation.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit—Modified."
A golden gleam burst from his blade.
The air cracked open.
His Nichirin Blade cut through the atmosphere with a sharp shriek, tracing arcs of golden light across the sky. The world erupted into a rhythm of thunder, a relentless drumbeat of lightning-quick strikes.
"Here... here... and here!"
Each swing of his blade precisely targeted a focal point—where the force, weight, and motion of Gyōmei's weapon converged.
Kyūjō didn't rely on sight anymore. He fought with a heightened instinct, with an awareness that transcended the five senses.
To the onlookers, it looked like Gyōmei's strike was about to crash down upon Kyūjō—some even shut their eyes, unable to watch what they thought would be a devastating blow.
And then—
A single flash of gold split the sky.
In the same instant, everything changed.
Kyūjō's figure blurred through the air, reappearing an arm's length away from where he stood—his blade humming with condensed energy.
Gyōmei's twin weapons—tools of destruction crafted for war—froze mid-air, halted inches away from Kyūjō's body.
No matter how hard Gyōmei pulled the chain, no matter how much strength he poured into it, his weapons didn't budge.
It was as if they had been... tamed.
Gasps erupted all around them.
"Wha—?!"
"Am I hallucinating?!"
"H-He stopped it... like it was nothing..."
"Look! The weapons... they're swinging back toward Gyōmei!"
— — —
Only then did everyone understand.
This wasn't a fight.
This was a lesson.
Gyōmei Himejima, one of the most formidable warriors of the new generation… was no match for Tachibana Kyūjō.
Not even close.
Kuwajima Jigorō stood silently by the edge of the field, his eyes wide with disbelief.
This child… just how much power has he been hiding all this time?
A modified Thunder Breathing form… that speed, that control, that balance… This is beyond human technique…
Before Jigorō could finish that thought, Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice gently broke in.
"Jigorō-dono… can you explain what just happened?"
"Why did Gyōmei's weapons stop like that…? Why couldn't he move them anymore?"
Jigorō took a deep breath, his voice heavy with awe.
"It's… an incredible sword technique."
"Oyakata-sama, Gyōmei didn't choose to stop. He couldn't move."
"Each of Kyūjō's strikes landed with perfect timing and force. He hit the joints and trajectories of the weapon's arc with such precision, he completely canceled out their momentum."
"And it wasn't just once—he kept adjusting every motion in real-time to neutralize the force of Gyōmei's pull."
"In all my years of swordsmanship… I've never seen anyone do something like this."
Kagaya fell silent. He wasn't a warrior himself, but even he could feel it—Kyūjō's strength wasn't normal.
He turned to Jigorō again.
"Then… is there anyone in the Demon Slayer Corps who could match him?"
Jigorō shook his head without hesitation.
"Not in this generation."
"Even if we look back a century or two... I'm not sure we'd find someone like him."
Kagaya looked stunned, but Jigorō continued calmly.
"I suspect… his power has already reached the realm of the first-generation swordsmen—the ones who created the Breathing Styles."
"His limits… even I can't guess them."
"But I have a feeling… the war between humanity and demons might finally end with this boy."
The weight of Jigorō's words settled deep in Kagaya's chest, echoing like a bell struck in his soul.
— — —
Back on the field, Gyōmei stood frozen.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but from sheer exhaustion.
He took a deep breath and bowed his head.
"Hashira of Thunder… I admit defeat."
"Namu Amida Butsu."
But behind his composed exterior, his heart was reeling.
So this is the gap between us...
He's not just strong. He's something else entirely…
I couldn't even land a single hit…
But if someone like him is on our side… maybe there's still hope.
Namu Amida Butsu…
At the same time, Kyūjō rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly realizing he might have gone too far.
...Crap. I might've hurt his pride a little.
Just then—
Two heavy thuds echoed as Gyōmei's weapons crashed into the ground. The chains rattled, finally released from Kyūjō's technique.
"L-Look! Hashira of Thunder's blade—it changed color!"
One of the Kakushi gasped, pointing in awe.
Kyūjō glanced down at his sword.
Where once the blade shimmered in cold hues of silver and black, it now radiated an intense heat, glowing a fiery crimson.
It looked like it had just come out of a blazing forge.
So this is...
Kyūjō understood.
It must've been the extreme friction with the air—the intense speed and energy flowing through the blade that caused the change.
Is this… another way to awaken the Crimson Blade?
He couldn't be sure. Not yet.
I'll have to test it in real combat... against a real demon.
After confirming the temperature had cooled, Kyūjō finally sheathed his Nichirin Blade.
The duel was over.
But a new threshold had been crossed.
And not a single soul in that clearing would ever forget the sight of the young swordsman who stood tall beneath the sky, rewriting everything they thought they knew—about swordsmanship, about power, about the future.
— — —
✨ Special thanks to my newest Patreon supporters!
Your support keeps this series alive and growing!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
$10 – Joseph Sepulveda, Big Brizzz
€10.50 – Just Some Guy With A Mustage
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
📚 Want to read more chapters or get early access?
Join my Patreon here:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 20+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ Get 1-2 new chapters every day exclusively on Patreon
> Already caught up with the latest chapter on WebNovel?
Continue the journey early for just:
$5/month
Join now and dive deeper into the story—weeks ahead of public release!
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — —