"Weak humans have nothing to do with me!
I am a demon that feels no pain and suffers no loss. Even if I was once human, if I had the choice, I would still choose to be a demon!"
Daki looked at Tanjirou, clenching her right fist and smashing the roof tiles in front of her.
"I understand…"
Tanjirou's voice was calm now, seemingly devoid of his previous anger.
He understood that even if they were once human, they had now become demons, losing their human memories and their human nature.
Due to their different experiences, there was a fundamental difference in their perceptions, making communication impossible.
Tanjirou stopped trying to negotiate with Daki, raising his nichirin blade and charging towards her.
Blood Demon Art: Eight-Layered Obi Slash!
Seeing Tanjirou charging at her, Daki, having learned from previous encounters, no longer dared to be careless. Eight obis emerged from behind her and simultaneously slashed towards Tanjirou.
The eight obis crossed downwards, completely sealing off all of Tanjirou's escape routes.
"My body, which I separated to dominate the entire Entertainment District, will greatly increase in speed once it reunites.
Even if you were evenly matched with me before, you are no match for me now!"
Daki thought to herself.
In her vision, the eight obis had already crossed and slashed down towards Tanjirou as she intended, about to touch his head.
Just as Daki thought Tanjirou would be shredded by her obis, a swirling flame slash was released from in front of Tanjirou and gradually spread outwards.
Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!
The black nichirin blade slashed through the surrounding obis with ease, and the flames on the blade scorched the severed ends of the obis.
"It hurts!"
Daki momentarily closed her eyes in pain; these obis were, after all, part of her body.
The places that were cut felt as if they were being scorched by flames, and surprisingly, they couldn't regenerate smoothly?
Daki was utterly shocked, but Tanjirou gave her no time to recover. The flaming nichirin blade danced, cutting through the obis until he reached Daki, then he slashed down.
This time, the nichirin blade successfully struck Daki's neck, but it couldn't sever it. Her neck transformed into a flexible obi the moment Tanjirou struck it, dispersing some of the force, which prevented Tanjirou's attack from smoothly cutting off her neck.
"How could you… possibly cut off my neck?!"
Daki roared in anger, then clenched her right fist and attacked Tanjirou.
Humans do not have the regenerative abilities of demons, so trading blows with them is extremely unwise.
Tanjirou knew this well and did not continue to clash head-on, instead back-flipping to dodge the attack.
"You can't escape, you ugly brat!" After forcing Tanjirou back, the enraged Daki grew even more obis from behind her, attacking Tanjirou again.
The obis multiplied; there were now a total of thirteen…
Tanjirou clearly saw Daki's attacks.
Trying to evade might affect more people…
In an instant, Tanjirou made his decision. He stood his ground, not retreating a single step, nor dodging. His nichirin blade continuously swung, altering the trajectory of the obis.
Unbeknownst to her, all thirteen obis had been gathered into one spot by him.
The nichirin blade stabbed downwards, pinning all thirteen obis to the rooftop, while his right foot also stepped on the obis.
"Do you think this can stop me? I'll just throw you off right now!"
Seeing Tanjirou dare to stand on her obis, Daki laughed and shouted loudly at Tanjirou.
Then, she controlled the thirteen obis to forcefully jolt, and a curved bulge appeared on the overlapping obis, rushing rapidly towards Tanjirou. The force contained within was enough to send Tanjirou flying.
…
"I've slightly modified Sun Breathing based on your physical condition. This should suit your body better, making it much simpler to use, and its power remains unchanged.
Additionally, I've researched a method to enhance the intensity of one's breathing. This should be quite useful for swordsmen like you who have just mastered Total Concentration Breathing, Constant, allowing you to achieve strength beyond your usual level for a short period.
However, this method will cause considerable damage to your body, potentially even harming all your organs. Simply put, it will shorten your lifespan, so it's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary."
…
Chiba Yo's previous teachings resurfaced in his mind. Tanjirou gently exhaled, his blood-red eyes filled with determination.
"Thank you, Yo…"
Slaying demons, protecting humans—now is an absolutely necessary situation…
Compressing his internal organs, making space for his lungs to inhale more air…
Tanjirou's entire body muscles were moving under his control. His lungs expanded to their limit at this moment, continuously compressing the space of his other internal organs.
Just as the curved bulge on the obi had just reached Tanjirou's feet, he suddenly leaped high into the air. Using the force of the obi, his figure at that moment even obscured the moon.
"What?!"
Daki's triumphant smile froze on her face as she looked up at Tanjirou in disbelief.
However, she was only shocked for an instant; the next moment, she reacted.
"In the air, you're just a sitting duck! Die!" Daki shouted at Tanjirou, and then the thirteen obis attacked Tanjirou in the air.
Looking at the obis rushing towards him, Tanjirou, with nowhere to dodge in the air, showed no panic whatsoever.
"Even if I can't unleash the true power of Sun Breathing, at least let me slay this demon before me…"
Looking down at Daki, Tanjirou gripped his nichirin blade tightly. Tiny flames emerged from the blade, then connected to form a fiery aura wrapped around the blade.
Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Halo Dragon, Head Dance!
"Roar—!!"
The flames transformed into a lifelike fiery dragon head. The giant dragon roared, and a heart-shaking sound echoed beneath the night sky.
Tanjirou held his nichirin blade, with the fiery dragon head condensed on its tip. A long fiery path behind him, like the body of a fire dragon, was somewhat similar to the Rengoku move Kyoujurou had once performed.
Boom!
The dragon head collided with Daki's obis, instantly burning and dissolving them. Not a single one of the thirteen obis could touch Tanjirou at this moment.
The massive fiery dragon head crashed down from the sky towards Daki. The moon was already obscured by Tanjirou's figure, and the dazzling scene at this moment looked as if the sun itself were falling.
"Impossible!"
Daki roared hysterically in her heart, but at that moment, the fire dragon striking down from the sky had already collided with her neck.
"How could I… be defeated by such an ugly monster…"
"Clang! Roar—!!!"
The black nichirin blade cut into Daki's neck, and the fiery dragon head on the blade's tip roared again. The veins on Tanjirou's arm bulged, and the nichirin blade completely sliced through Daki's neck.
Decapitated…
As Daki finished her thought, her head flew high into the air…