The power and coverage of this move were even more terrifying than Sun Breathing.
This was not a slash that a human could execute.
Did he integrate a Blood Demon Art into his swordsmanship?
Mizuki looked at the blade in Kokushibou's hand, which had, at some unknown point, transformed into a strange demon blade with several small blades extending horizontally from the main body, resembling tree branches.
Although Kokushibou did not show anger at this moment, his expression was utterly cold.
His appearance, conversely, made Mizuki chuckle. She tilted her head, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
"Are you angry?"
"I know, Michikatsu..."
"Since childhood, you've always been jealous of Yori..."
"Shut up!" A hint of fury surfaced on Kokushibou's somber face, and the blade in his hand rose uncontrollably.
"Moon Breathing, Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune - Moon Reflection!"
Several massive purple shockwaves shot towards Mizuki along the ground, interspersed with smaller shockwaves in the gaps, nearly covering the entire attack range.
"Snow Breathing, Sixth Form: Snow Drifts Ten Thousand Miles."
A snowy white sword wave cut through one shockwave, and Mizuki tilted her body, avoiding the other sharp edges at a subtle angle.
I cannot fight this head-on.
This was Mizuki's first impression after confronting Moon Breathing directly.
Although she had always mocked Michikatsu, it was undeniable.
The Moon Breathing Sword Form Michikatsu created after becoming a demon was likely a combination with a Blood Demon Art, making it a Sword Form that humans could no longer learn.
Judging solely by its power, it even far surpassed the Sun Breathing used by Yoriichi.
Of course, this didn't mean he had surpassed Yoriichi; it simply meant that, enhanced by the Blood Demon Art, he could unleash moves that humans could not.
Michikatsu slightly narrowed his eyes. Had Mizuki already mastered the technique of the Transparent World?
Given that both sides possessed the Transparent World, the competition fundamentally boiled down to hard conditions.
Namely, speed and strength.
Setting aside the inherent differences between men and women, just considering the physical enhancements gained after becoming a demon, he far surpassed humans in both strength and speed.
"Mizuki, I will ask you one last time." Kokushibou looked up. "Will you become a demon?"
His answer was a streak of extreme white speed.
Mizuki's figure blurred, and the snowy white blade drew a thin line of snow across the air.
"Snow Breathing, Seventh Form: Snow - A Fissure of Light."
This move was a Sword Form she created by merging Snow Breathing and Thunder Breathing, making it the fastest charging form among the Snow Breathing Sword Forms.
However, because of this, the application of the Breathing Technique was more demanding, placing higher requirements on the lungs.
The normal use of the Breathing Technique was beneficial to the body, a skill that could nourish it.
But the Total Concentration Breathing used during combat, and the subsequent Constant Concentration, although effectively improving the physical fitness of the swordsmen, also caused genuine wear and tear on the body.
Cold sweat poured from Mizuki's forehead. She suppressed the pain in her lungs, gripping her blade ever tighter.
So fast!
Faster than Thunder Breathing!
Kokushibou's eyes narrowed slightly. He felt a faint stinging sensation on his neck, as if being pricked by a needle tip.
It was this move!
It was this move just now that allowed Mizuki to instantly sever his arm.
That streak of snow gathered into a single point in Kokushibou's eyes, actually making him feel the urge to dodge.
Mizuki's sword move indeed surprised Kokushibou for a moment, but the existing gap between them had not been erased.
Kokushibou adopted a stance, raised his sword to block, and with his muscles tensed, he forcibly intercepted the attack.
Clang!
A sharp, ringing sound.
The two blades collided.
The long sword in Kokushibou's hand showed signs of breaking, cracking in several places.
Kokushibou was not surprised. The cry of emptiness was formed from his flesh and blood, and the nichirin blade was a blade specifically for slaying demons. It was normal for it not to hold up against a swordsman of considerable strength.
Fine cold sweat beaded on Mizuki's forehead, and her lips began to turn white.
Under Kokushibou's Transparent World vision, Mizuki was already at the end of her rope.
The fractured lines on the cry of emptiness quickly regenerated amidst a surge of flesh and blood. Kokushibou deflected the nichirin blade and delivered a slash.
Mizuki ducked low to evade, circling behind Kokushibou.
A death struggle.
Kokushibou hadn't been using his full strength. He turned slowly and deliberately, only to see Mizuki exhaling a crimson aura, and her blade appeared to be wreathed in scarlet flames.
Sun Breathing?
Was she planning a final desperate struggle?
Kokushibou knew very well that Mizuki could not perfectly utilize Sun Breathing.
As for knowledge of Sun Breathing, if he claimed second place, only Muzan would dare claim first.
This raised stance, is the Sixth... hmm?
Just as Kokushibou was about to raise his sword to neutralize the move, his pupils suddenly contracted.
It wasn't Sun Breathing!
Mizuki's crimson breath was mixed with snowy white colors.
Red and white flames burned brightly on the snowy white blade.
"Snow Breathing, Ninth Form: Snow of the Blazing Sun!"
Mizuki clenched her jaw, forcing herself to concentrate, just hold on a little longer... my body.
The nichirin blade in her hand traced a brilliant arc of red and white flames in mid-air.
Not good!
The raised stance of this move was almost identical to the Sun Breathing Sixth Form. His deep understanding of Sun Breathing led Kokushibou to be prejudiced and misjudge Mizuki's attack.
By the time Kokushibou reacted, the scorching blade was already closing in on his neck.
From this angle, avoiding it was impossible!
In his haste, Kokushibou could only raise his sword to his side, bracing the long blade firmly with both hands in a cross shape.
Cling!
Whoosh!!!
The fiercely burning flames sliced through Kokushibou's long sword. Veins bulged on his hands, and the muscles in his arms tensed as he tried to slow the blade's speed.
It's fine!
Mizuki was already at her limit; her strength couldn't last. As long as he concentrated on maintaining the regeneration of the flesh and blood in his arms, she would collapse first!
But just as he tried to mobilize his energy to speed up arm regeneration, he noticed that the regeneration was being slowed again... No, not slowed, it was practically blocked.
Kokushibou suddenly realized something and looked in astonishment at the blade in Mizuki's hand, which had turned crimson.
scarlet blade!
With this kind of physical condition?!
The awakening of the Transparent World could still be described as innate talent, and the Demon Slayer Mark could be achieved by surpassing the limits of life and death.
But the scarlet blade, if grip strength was insufficient, if one couldn't master it, then one simply couldn't master it.
Even he only mastered the scarlet blade after awakening the Demon Slayer Mark.
Although this technique had long been discarded after he became a demon, it was undeniable.
The scarlet blade was absolutely not an ability that could be mastered through talent!
It was a necessity imposed by strict physical requirements!
What Kokushibou failed to understand was that the strong will of humans possessed the ability to turn the impossible into the possible.
Even a dying body could instantly burst forth with strength beyond its limits.
Kokushibou's arms were sliced away bit by bit, and a scorching pain radiated from his neck.
Kokushibou looked at Mizuki, his eyes filled with rage and panic.
Why!
Why, whether it was Yoriichi or Mizuki... He abandoned his wife and child, even discarded his human identity, so why was it still... Mizuki was unable to answer the confusion in Michikatsu's eyes. Every cell in her body was taut, and her spirit was like a hair supporting a thousand pounds—any dispersal of thought would cause it to shatter.
That small, weak figure momentarily overlapped with another figure... No!
He couldn't die yet!
He hadn't surpassed Yoriichi!
Kokushibou could only watch helplessly as his neck was slowly sliced away, the anxiety of awaiting defeat making him wish he were dead.
Just as two-thirds of Kokushibou's neck had been sliced through, and he was about to be decapitated.
Mizuki, whose spirit was stretched taut like a thread, suddenly changed expression. The Breathing Technique, operating under immense strain in her lungs, caused the thread sustaining her mental strength to snap.
"Ugh~" Mizuki instantly lost all strength, collapsing to her knees, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood, as if she were expelling her internal organs along with it.