Seizing the opportunity while Daki was distracted, Zenitsu leaped towards her, veins bulging in his legs, transforming into a flash of lightning. His nichirin blade instantly landed on Daki's neck.
However, Daki's reaction was not slow. Her neck transformed into a sash, using its toughness to prevent her neck from being severed, while countless sashes slashed towards Zenitsu.
"I'm going to tear you to shreds first!" Daki roared furiously at Zenitsu.
"Beast Breathing, Fifth Fang: Wild Rampage!"
At this moment, Inosuke's figure appeared, rushing between Daki's sashes, twisting his body and slashing in all directions, deflecting all the sashes attacking Zenitsu.
"Monitsu! Don't worry about these sashes, focus on cutting off that worm woman's neck!"
Inosuke shouted loudly to remind Zenitsu.
On the other side, Gyuutarou, who was being besieged by Tanjirou and Tengen, felt the breath of death. The Crimson Blade was gradually severing the blood blades around him, closing in on his body.
Just then, the blood scythe in his severed hand flew up, and at the same time, he released the blood scythe in his other hand. The two blood scythes, under his control, spun and plunged towards Tanjirou and Tengen's backs.
"All of you, die!"
Tanjirou noticed this situation, sweat beading on his forehead as he pondered how to handle it.
His strength was small, and even with the Crimson Blade boosted by Nezuko's Blood Demon Art, it was difficult to sever the blood blades around Gyuutarou. The next moment, he made his decision, turning to help Tengen block the two blood scythes.
Clang! Clang!
The two blood scythes were sent flying by Tanjirou, but due to Tanjirou's departure, Gyuutarou's pressure lessened. All the blood blades on his body converged on the part Tengen was slashing, and a blood scythe flew back into his hand, slashing towards Tengen's body.
Just a little more!
Although Tengen noticed Gyuutarou's attack, he did not defend or dodge, still slashing towards Gyuutarou's neck.
The blood scythe cut into Tengen's waist and continued to deepen. The wound on his chest also continuously bled, but Tengen still did not stop. The blood blades were almost completely severed by him, and he would soon be able to cut the demon's neck.
...
"Lord Tengen, if we can defeat the Upper Rank demon and survive, let's retire and live the rest of our lives as ordinary people.
The lives taken as a ninja will not be resurrected because of this... Indeed, we still need to find a way to properly conclude things, otherwise, we truly won't have the face to live in the sunlight.
Even if some of us don't make it to that time, don't hold a grudge, okay?"
...
Hinatsuru's previous words appeared in his mind, and scenes from the past flashed by. Living an ordinary life, he was indeed moved by this suggestion.
Mobilizing all his strength into his arms, the veins on Tengen's arms seemed like earthworms clinging to them.
"You... disappear flamboyantly!!!"
An eighth note quietly appeared on Tengen's left forehead. His strength increased once again at this moment. The blood blades were completely severed, and both blades simultaneously landed on Gyuutarou's neck.
How is this possible! His strength has increased again!
Gyuutarou was shocked, enveloped by the fear of death.
That's right, as long as my sister isn't beheaded, we won't die!
Thinking of this, Gyuutarou looked in Daki's direction. Zenitsu was flying through the air with Daki at divine speed. Had a part of Daki's neck-sash already torn? But Zenitsu's speed had also decreased.
"Ugly freak! You're about to give out, aren't you? I'm going to now..."
"Divine Speed... Double Strike!"
Just as Daki was about to gloat, Zenitsu's already decreasing speed suddenly accelerated again, instantly severing Daki's neck.
At the same time, Tengen's twin blades brushed past, and Gyuutarou's head also flew into the air.
The two heads met in mid-air, then simultaneously fell to the ground.
After beheading Gyuutarou, Tengen immediately endured the pain and pulled out the blood scythe from his waist. Nezuko rushed over and used her Blood Demon Art to cleanse the toxins from his body.
Afterward, Tengen felt that there wasn't a single part of his body that didn't ache, especially the wounds. However, having slain the demon, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
The blood scythe that attacked Tanjirou fell from the air. The tense Tanjirou relaxed, kneeling on the ground and breathing heavily.
Hinatsuru, seeing that the demon was eliminated, happily ran towards him.
However, Gyuutarou's body, lying on the ground, suddenly stirred.
Noticing this out of the corner of his eye, Tengen thought of a possibility.
"Run!"
Shouting with all his might, Tengen, disregarding his injured body, lifted Tanjirou and Nezuko nearby, then embraced Hinatsuru and desperately fled into the distance.
The next moment, Gyuutarou's fallen body suddenly exploded. Endless blood formed blood blades, spreading outwards in a spherical shape from the center. The ground was plowed open, and the houses along the way were shattered, dust and debris flying in the air, like a scene of doomsday...
...
Three days later (relative to the Entertainment District's time, it was more than three days for Chiba Yo), at the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters training ground.
After this period of instruction, Genya had already learned the Breathing Technique taught by Chiba Yo. Previously, he couldn't learn the Breathing Technique mainly due to physical fitness. Now that he had a Breathing Technique he could use with his physique, he learned it quite quickly.
However, he could only use this Breathing Technique to conceal his figure at the moment, unable to create illusions like Chiba Yo.
Standing on the training ground, Genya held his nichirin blade and took a deep breath, then slashed forward with the nichirin blade. A large amount of mist emerged from the blade, completely enveloping his body. Compared to Chiba Yo's mist range, his was much smaller, but it was still sufficient to hide his figure.
Using the Breathing Technique for the first time, Genya even trembled slightly from excitement.
After a while, the mist dissipated, and Genya's figure reappeared.
"Congratulations, you have learned this Breathing Technique. What you need to do next is long-term training and developing sword techniques. You can also refer to the illusions I performed with this Breathing Technique. I've already told you the specific principles."
Chiba Yo walked towards Genya, smiling as he congratulated him.
"Thank you, Yo, if it weren't for you, I might never have mastered a Breathing Technique in my life."
Genya sincerely thanked Chiba Yo.
"It's nothing, as friends and companions, we naturally help each other," Chiba Yo said, waving his hand.
"Oh, right, Yo, give this Breathing Technique a name. Otherwise, 'this Breathing Technique,' 'this Breathing Technique' sounds too strange," Genya said to Chiba Yo.
Chiba Yo thought for a moment and agreed. After a brief contemplation, he said to Genya, "How about Cloud Breathing? This Breathing Technique looks quite like clouds when performed."
Genya was somewhat surprised to hear this.
"I thought you would call it Mist Breathing."
"Calling it Mist Breathing would indeed be very fitting, but I think clouds and wind go very well together."
Chiba Yo looked at Genya and smiled.
Hearing this, Genya realized. The Breathing Technique Sanemi used was Wind Breathing, and wind and clouds are often used together, perfectly representing the two brothers.
Thinking of this, Genya liked this Breathing Technique even more.
Wind... Clouds... I will definitely be able to fight alongside my brother and help him in the future...