At that moment, the tension on the field reached its peak. The crowd below erupted.
"What did I just see? Is this kid named Su Chen really that strong?!" "Oh my god! For a second, I thought I saw the shadow of the Flame Hashira himself!" "I guess I underestimated Su Chen. His technique doesn't look any weaker than the Wind Hashira's!" "But... aren't they both rushing this? Isn't it too early to use such powerful Breathing Styles?" "Early? A fight between masters is often decided in a few moves. What do you think this is? You, a Mizunoto, taking all night to kill one weak demon?"
Everyone reacted differently, but most were amazed by Su Chen's fiery blade.
It was the same where Tanjiro's group was watching. Inosuke yelled, "Yes, yes, yes! Go, Master Su! Fight like that! I never liked that Scarface anyway! So what if he's a Hashira? He'll still get trampled by my master! Hehehehe!" Zenitsu sighed. "Is he really your master? You know what, forget it. Whatever makes you happy, Inosuke." Tanjiro watched with wide eyes. "Mr. Su Chen is incredible! He can fight evenly with a Hashira. And they said Mr. Su Chen is even younger than Nezuko... His talent is just unbelievable!" From inside her wooden box, Nezuko nodded in agreement when she heard her brother's voice: "Mm-hmm~!"
In the area where the Hashira were gathered, they all had different reactions.
Tengen, the Sound Hashira: "What a flamboyant move! Maybe Shinazugawa will actually trip up here!" Muichiro, the Mist Hashira: "How strange. I've never seen Su Chen's Breathing Style. Could it be a derivative style, like my Mist Breathing?" Mitsuri, the Love Hashira: "A serious Mr. Su Chen really makes my heart flutter~!" Obanai, the Serpent Hashira: "Come on, is Shinazugawa going to lose? Don't just be a stepping stone for Su Chen! It's making my heart seize up!" Gyomei, the Stone Hashira: "Namu Amida Butsu." Giyu, the Water Hashira: "..."
In the mansion's attic, Lady Amane spoke. "It seems your intuition, Kagaya, is always correct. Su Chen's performance was beyond even my expectations. However, his Nichirin Sword is broken now. What will he do?" Kagaya Ubuyashiki chuckled softly. "Haha, it's alright, Amane. Later, just ask the head of the Swordsmith Village to forge another Nichirin Sword for Su Chen. This child's true strength probably hasn't been fully shown yet."
Back below the stage, someone in the front row suddenly shrieked, "Look! It's over! A winner has been decided!" Everyone's eyes locked onto the stage. As the smoke and dust dispersed, the first thing everyone saw was a giant wooden pit in the stage. Since the stage built by the Kakushi members was mostly wood, its defense was low. After just a few moves, it was completely ruined. The once-flat stage was now a "Roman arena," with a large pit in the middle surrounded by wreckage. With the two fighters still standing inside, it really did look like two beasts in a duel.
At that moment, the clouds in the sky parted, and the morning sun turned into a blazing noon sun. Harsh sunlight pierced through the haze, shining down on the smoke and dust rising from the two fighters. It was only then that everyone finally saw the situation clearly.
"Oh my god! Su Chen's sword broke!" "Sigh... what a pity. I really thought Su Chen was going to win. How can he fight now?"
Su Chen's appearance immediately captured everyone's attention. The young man in the middle of the arena was holding a broken blade. The cut was neat; it had been sliced clean off. Su Chen was panting. He looked a bit disheveled, and his powerful aura was gone. His white clothes were covered in dust, and there were even specks of blood on his chest.
This sight instantly made Hashibira Inosuke panic. "Master! What's wrong? Are you hurt?!" With a "wild boar rush," Inosuke tried to charge onto the stage, his face full of impatience. However, he was immediately held back by Zenitsu and Tanjiro. Zenitsu, with an exaggerated, terrified expression, tried to calm him down. "Stop it, Inosuke! Mr. Su Chen's sword broke, it's not like he broke! Why are you rushing up there? If you go up there and accidentally anger that Wind Hashira uncle, we'll all die! Aaaaaah!" Zenitsu let out his signature shriek, but Inosuke didn't listen. He struggled wildly. "I don't care! I'm going to save my master!" "Stop it, Inosuke," Tanjiro said, pulling on Inosuke's leg with a headache. He knew that if Inosuke went up there, he would only cause more trouble for Mr. Su Chen.
Just as the three of them were wrestling, another gasp came from the front row. "Look! Is that the Wind Hashira? He's so heavily injured!" When Shinazugawa's figure became clear, everyone was truly surprised. Although Shinazugawa's Nichirin Sword wasn't broken, his entire body was covered in large burns and cuts. He was covered in a layer of blood. The Wind Hashira took one of Su Chen's ultimate moves and ended up looking like this? This didn't look like Su Chen had lost at all.
Seeing "Scarface" so battered, Inosuke finally calmed down. "Hehehehe! I knew it! How could anything happen to Master Su? Turns out I underestimated him!" Zenitsu and Tanjiro also had wide eyes. They never expected the legendary Wind Hashira to be in such a sorry state. This was huge news for the Demon Slayer Corps.
Compared to the reactions of the three young Slayers, the Hashira had different thoughts. Su Chen's performance had exceeded all their expectations. At this moment, Iguro Obanai's thoughts were completely different from the others. He narrowed his eyes, pondering. Su Chen was actually able to push Shinazugawa this far?
It must be said, Su Chen now has the qualifications to be a Hashira. His sword broke, which means he failed this test. But being able to injure Shinazugawa to this extent is enough to be proud of. Still, he couldn't defeat him. As long as Shinazugawa doesn't fall, he hasn't lost. Iguro secretly glanced in Kanroji Mitsuri's direction again. Of course. Her big eyes are still full of twinkling stars... Obanai's inner thought was simple: Su Chen, you die!
On the stage, the two fighters were both panting heavily. Su Chen held his broken Nichirin Sword, his heart complex. He knew that Shinazugawa's injuries were worse than his own. He also knew his opponent's energy was more depleted. But Shinazugawa was a veteran Hashira. Their physical conditioning was not on the same level. Setting aside the energy issue, there was the injury itself. With his medical knowledge from the Butterfly Mansion, Su Chen could tell at a glance that Shinazugawa's injuries had already stopped bleeding. Not only that, but his condition seemed... inexplicably good. Su Chen frowned. He remembered Shinazugawa's unique nature. He fights best when he's cornered. Because of his rare blood type, Shinazugawa's injuries wouldn't slow him down. On the contrary, the damage would only make him more dangerous in the battle to come.
Perhaps the real fight... Had only just begun.