A massive cloud of thick fog surged forth, sweeping across the battlefield with a gust of sharp wind. A single flash of steel pierced through the mist, and in an instant, the skinks on either side were cleaved apart.
Taking advantage of the opening, Muichirou darted in like a ghost and quickly pulled Kanroji Mitsuri back to safety.
"Tokitou! You're here!"
Tanjirou's eyes welled with tears of relief as he saw his comrade rejoin the fray.
Muichirou nodded silently, his attention fixed on the demonic figure standing across from them—Zohakuten, the terrifying fusion of Hantengu's emotions.
"He beats those drums to summon the skinks," Muichirou stated calmly. "They can use the same elemental attacks as the previous four clones—lightning, wind, soundwaves, and shockwaves."
Tanjirou and Mitsuri both listened intently.
"But he's not the real body," Tanjirou added. "The actual Hantengu is that tiny, hunchbacked old man hiding inside the wooden orb behind him. If we want to win, we must take him out."
Memories of his fight against Gyutaro surged in Tanjirou's mind, reminding him that Upper Moons often required striking at their true core to kill them. Mitsuri and Muichirou nodded in understanding, their expressions hardening.
"In that case, our top priority is reaching that wooden orb," Muichirou concluded. "I'll attack from the front to keep Zohakuten distracted. Mitsuri-san, assist me in dealing with him directly. Tanjirou, you and Genya focus on targeting the real body."
"And me!" a familiar voice growled.
Genya emerged from the rubble, bloodied but standing tall. His regenerative powers, enhanced from absorbing demon flesh, had taken time—but he was back on his feet.
"Great timing," Tanjirou said. "Come with me—we're going after the real one!"
With the strategy decided, the four combatants split. Muichirou gave Mitsuri a look of confidence, then pushed off the ground with incredible speed, darting toward the enemy like a streak of light.
Zohakuten beat his drums again, summoning a swarm of skinks to block the attack.
Three of them lunged toward Muichirou—two glowing with built-up elemental power, and the third swooping down with jaws agape.
"Mist Breathing – Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist!"
Muichirou's sword blurred, slicing forward with precision. His blade met all three skinks head-on, halting their advance and carving deep cracks into their thick skulls.
The head is harder than the body... I need to go for the neck.
As Muichirou blocked another incoming strike, the force launched him skyward.
"Mist Breathing – Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze!"
A dense fog rolled in, concealing his presence. The whirling mist swallowed the battlefield, and even the gusts of wind from the skinks couldn't dispel it.
Outside the fog, two of the skinks prepared to unleash massive wind blasts, but before they could strike—
Slash!
A pink blur flashed behind them.
"Love Breathing – Second Form: Love Pangs!"
Mitsuri's soft, ribbon-like blade sliced through both skinks from behind. Their wooden forms shattered into splinters with barely a sound.
Zohakuten, surrounded by the confusion, struggled to see through the fog and track his enemies. The battlefield was chaos—flashes of green and pink light danced through the mist, and monstrous skinks roared blindly.
When the fog finally lifted, the stone dragons were all reduced to rubble.
Meanwhile, Tanjirou and Genya had already broken away and charged toward the wooden orb.
"Thunder Breathing – First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!"
Tanjirou accelerated to full speed, racing forward in a straight line through the brief lull in enemy attacks. Every muscle in his body strained as he darted forward like a bolt of lightning.
"Disgusting!" Zohakuten snarled. "You pests…!"
With a deafening roar, he beat his drums again and again, and this time more than a dozen skinks exploded from the ground behind him.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth. It doesn't matter. I trust everyone. Just a little further… I have to reach him!
"Mist Breathing – Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds!"
Muichirou conjured another thick fog, clouding Zohakuten's sight. But Tanjirou, whose senses had been trained through countless battles, didn't lose his way in the mist.
Flashes of pink steel streaked through the fog as Mitsuri continued to dismantle the horde. One by one, the skinks were felled, their bodies breaking apart with every graceful strike.
But just beyond the mist, the remaining skinks finished charging.
Boom!
Shockwaves and gales erupted across the battlefield. The air trembled violently. Jagged trenches split the ground, sending debris flying in all directions. The thick fog was swept away instantly, revealing the four warriors within.
Lightning surged in every direction.
The situation was dire.
Muichirou and Mitsuri could dodge. They were quick enough. But Tanjirou, who had been running just behind them, was exposed. He wouldn't make it in time.
Both Pillars hesitated only for a second—then made their decision.
They did not dodge.
The resolve of those who stand against the Upper Moons is always laced with one truth: they are prepared to die.
"TOKITOU! MITSURI-SAN! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!"
Tanjirou shouted.
Without a moment's delay, the two jumped sideways, trusting him completely.
CRACK—!!!
Lightning tore across the battlefield.
"Sun Breathing – Eighth Form: Solar Halo Dance!"
Tanjirou inhaled deeply, filling his lungs until they burned. His breath shifted from the fierce, fire-like rhythm of the Hinokami Kagura to the peaceful flow of the Yang Style—a breathing method passed down to him from James.
His sword moved in circular patterns, layers of radiant sword aura overlapping to form a blinding white orb of energy that spun rapidly.
A cyclone formed, with the energy sphere at its center. Every shockwave that neared him was deflected and repelled. Skinks caught in the radius were instantly shredded and swept into the swirling storm.
The tornado continued to grow until it reached Zohakuten's feet. His expression twisted in frustration and alarm.
Before he could react, two streaks of color shot toward the wooden orb from opposite directions.
Muichirou on the left.
Mitsuri on the right.
"Mist Breathing – Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash!"
"Love Breathing – First Form: First Love's Fragrance!"
Their blades crashed into the orb.
BOOM!!!
The wooden shell shattered into splinters, and the battlefield was swallowed in a plume of smoke.
When the dust settled, there was—nothing inside.
"He's tiny!" Tanjirou shouted. "He's running!"
Indeed, the real Hantengu, the small, grotesque figure, was fleeing across the open plain, scurrying like a rat in full view.
"Don't let him escape!"
Zohakuten, now panicked, turned toward Mitsuri and Muichirou and opened his mouth wide. A devastating lightning blast was forming—stronger than any seen before.
But just before it was released, the energy collapsed inward and dissipated.
Tanjirou was already in front of him.
If Zohakuten turned to fire at Tanjirou, he risked being decapitated instantly—and that delay could be fatal for Hantengu.
He ground his teeth in rage, beat his drums again, and summoned more skinks to block the path.
But Tanjirou didn't flinch.
He closed his eyes for a moment, aligned his blade—
The path between him and Zohakuten was a perfectly straight line.
His sword trembled, and he lowered it to his waist.
His eyes opened.
His pupils burned red.
"Sun Breathing – Tenth Form: Radiant Slash."
In one breath, he vanished.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)