"Truly... incredible..."
Time rewound to slightly earlier. Inside Michikatsu's dojo within the Infinity Castle, Tanjuro had also arrived here.
Looking at the man before him who resembled a consumptive ghost, Michikatsu couldn't help but let out an exclamation of admiration.
"The Supreme Realm... For hundreds of years, this is the first time I've seen a human reach such a level."
There was no fighting spirit leaking from Tanjuro's body. Michikatsu, who had also stepped into this realm, naturally understood what this meant.
"Are you... Tsugikuni Mitsuba?"
At the same time, Tanjuro was also sizing up Michikatsu.
Looking at this demon before him whose makeup and attire were quite similar to warriors of the Warring States period, doubt showed in his eyes.
Tanjuro had indeed heard before that among the Twelve Kizuki, two had entered the Transparent World—Upper Rank One and Three.
The kanji for "Upper Rank One" was indeed carved in this demon's eyes, but he was not that Tsugikuni Mitsuba among the demons.
According to intelligence, Tsugikuni Mitsuba usually appeared in female form, but the one before him was a male demon.
Or could it be that this was actually Tsugikuni Mitsuba's true form?
"Compared to this unworthy older brother of mine, over the past several hundred years, Mitsuba has indeed been more active."
As if understanding the doubt in Tanjuro's heart, Michikatsu replied in a deep voice:
"Tsugikuni Michikatsu. That is my name."
[I see... There are actually two Upper Rank Ones...]
This was indeed unexpected intelligence.
The Demon Slayer Corps had previously speculated that Tsugikuni Mitsuba should have an older brother also ranked among the Upper Ranks.
They never imagined that this demon, rarely seen by the Demon Slayer Corps, was also an Upper Rank One?
And he was also a powerhouse who had entered the Transparent World?
This was a formidable enemy.
From Michikatsu's imposing aura that needed no anger to inspire awe, as if Mount Tai were pressing down upon him, Tanjuro could sense that this demon before him was completely incomparable to the two Upper Ranks he had slain before.
He was far, far stronger than them.
Without any further conversation, his eyes fixed tightly on Michikatsu before him, Tanjuro slowly drew the Nichirin Blade from his waist.
"An excellent mentality."
Similarly placing his hand on the hilt at his waist, upon seeing this, Michikatsu couldn't help but let out another exclamation of admiration.
"Among the many Demon Slayers I've faced in the past, never has there been one who could immediately adjust their emotions and draw their blade to fight when facing me. You are the first.
May I know your name?"
"Kamado Tanjuro."
"Kamado... ah... Is that boy who is said to have mastered Sun Breathing your son?"
His gaze falling upon Tanjuro's pitch-black Nichirin Blade, Michikatsu let out his third exclamation of admiration tonight.
"Like father, like son. Both of you father and son are so outstanding, truly enviable.
If my descendants still lived, I wonder if they could also be this outstanding..."
As he spoke, a trace of melancholy flashed in Michikatsu's eyes, but it immediately vanished.
"The past cannot be revisited. For now, let us focus on the battle."
Saying this, he finally drew the katana from his waist.
It was a katana severely rusted, its blade densely covered in eyes.
"Going all out is respect for the strong."
As Michikatsu drew his blade, the blade of this katana gradually lengthened. The originally smooth curved blade also extended several additional blades outward, ultimately transforming into an extremely bizarre, irregular blade.
"Take this."
Moon Breathing: Eighth Form—Moon-Dragon Tailing!
As his words fell, Michikatsu lightly swung this irregular blade in his hand. A massive moon slash covering nearly half the dojo, accompanied by countless crescent moons of varying sizes, swept toward Tanjuro before him!
[It's Moon Breathing... Strange, why have I never seen this form of Moon Breathing in the Demon Slayer Corps' records?]
His attention raised to the absolute limit, facing Michikatsu's sweeping slash, Tanjuro leaped upward from his position to evade.
[Could it be something he created over these past several hundred years?]
The moon slash swept past, cutting all the stone pillars along its path clean in half like plowing a field. Those crescent moons spreading wildly in all directions sliced through the stone tiles, leaving trenches upon the floor.
[A light swing possesses such power. To have evolved a Breathing Style to this degree is truly incredible...]
Moon Breathing: Ninth Form—Descending Moon: Multiple Faces!
Just as Tanjuro leaped into the air, Michikatsu on the ground swung the blade in his hand at him once more.
Similarly, it was still just a light raise of his hand. Several consecutive, densely interweaving moon slash attacks hurtled toward Tanjuro in mid-air!
"Ungh!"
Although Tanjuro twisted his body with all his might to evade, the moment he landed, he was still cut on his arms and waist by several of the miniature crescent moons.
This left him quite astonished.
Because he was certain that with his reaction just now, he should have been able to completely dodge those slashes.
[It's the crescent moons.]
Immediately, Tanjuro detected the reason.
Every moon slash Michikatsu unleashed was accompanied by densely packed miniature crescent moons constantly changing in size. They grew larger or smaller at every moment, spreading randomly in all directions.
This change followed no pattern whatsoever, making it completely impossible to predict. One could only rely on instinct to evade.
[An extremely troublesome enemy.]
Tanjuro's expression was unprecedentedly serious. This demon who created Moon Breathing had undoubtedly researched this Breathing Style to its pinnacle.
[I cannot trade blows with him. I must find a way to close the distance and perform a swift assault to behead him.]
Moon Breathing: Seventh Form—Mirror of Misfortune: Moonlit Reflection!
At this moment, Michikatsu swung his blade once more, unleashing five gigantic claw-like moon slashes in a fan shape toward the front.
Between each moon slash, those dense crescent moons interwove and changed, together weaving into a massive net covering up, down, left, and right, rushing toward Tanjuro!
[There's nowhere left to evade...]
Fully aware that this technique could no longer be avoided, Tanjuro finally unleashed his own technique.
Sun Breathing: Sixth Form—Burning Bones, Summer Sun!
Moving his feet, his wrist flipping rapidly, the blade brought forth flames, forming several flame tornado-like defensive barriers before him.
Standing between the gaps of two gigantic moon slashes, Tanjuro forcibly used these flame slashes to block those dense miniature crescent moons.
Moon Breathing: Tenth Form—Drilling Slashes: Full Moon!
The instant Tanjuro was blocking this assault, Michikatsu swung his blade once more, consecutively cleaving out three wheel-like spinning and charging full moon slashes!
These full moon slashes followed almost immediately after those five crescent moon slashes.
Tanjuro had just finished blocking the latter's assault when the former was already rushing toward him.