Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, Training Grounds.
Chinatsu and Kyojuro stood on opposite sides of the training ground, looking at each other. At this moment, their Nichirin Blades were drawn from their sheaths, one a clear blue Nichirin Blade and the other a fiery red Nichirin Blade exposed to the air.
Looking at the clear blue Nichirin Blade in Chika's hand, Kyojuro couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "What a fine blade!"
Nichirin Blades were originally colorless, but they would change color when held by someone who had mastered the Breathing Technique. There were also differences between these colors, and in Kyojuro's eyes, Chinatsu's clear blue Nichirin Blade was also a symbol of strength.
Chika breathed rhythmically, her gaze fixed intently on Kyojuro. She wanted to first use Water Breathing to see how many of Kyojuro's attacks she could withstand under Water Breathing.
Mitsuri stood at the edge of the training field. After leisurely observing the state of both sides, she raised one arm high, took a deep breath, puffed out her cheeks as much as possible, and then shouted.
"start!"
As Miri's voice fell, both of them widened their eyes, took a step, and quickly rushed towards each other.
Bang!!!
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the training ground, and even those in the residential area some distance away could faintly hear the clash between the two Nichirin swords.
Neither of them used sword techniques in this exchange; it was a pure clash. Water droplets splashed out from Chika's side, while Kyojuro's side was engulfed in flames.
The Nichirin swords are colliding.
The sword energies were also clashing.
Kyojuro's wrist trembled slightly in surprise at Chinatsu's strength. At that moment, Mitsuri, who was outside the arena, opened her mouth and shouted, "Master Rengoku, you'd better be careful! Chinatsu's strength is no weaker than mine!"
Kyojuro nodded slightly upon hearing this; he had completely grasped the meaning.
The two stared at each other in silence, their Nichirin Blades clashing several more times, producing countless metallic clanging sounds, slightly softer than the previous one.
The Flame Breathing technique, which was originally an offensive technique, has now turned into a defensive one, blocking all of Chinatsu's attacks.
It wasn't that Chinatsu had suppressed Kyojuro; rather, Kyojuro demonstrated his solid swordsmanship, managing to withstand Chinatsu's full-force attack even outside of his strongest defensive area.
Kyojuro Rengoku is really... strong!
However, Chika already knew this; if he weren't strong, he wouldn't be standing here competing with him.
Water Breathing is the balanced school of basic breathing techniques. The balanced school can be described as "all-around" when strong, and "mediocre" when weak.
Breath of Thunder is the fastest.
Breath of the Wind is the most ferocious attack.
The Breath of Flames is the most powerful attack.
The Breath of Rock is the most domineering of all.
Although Urokodaki believed that Chinatsu's talent in Water Breathing could even surpass that of Giyu Tomioka, that was in the future. At present, Chinatsu's mastery of Water Breathing was far from reaching the level of creating the strongest defensive sword technique like Giyu Tomioka.
Chinatsu launched a series of sword techniques at Kyojuro, but all of them were steadily blocked by him.
Chinatsu leaped back a step, panting, while Kyojuro, opposite her, looked down at his Nichirin Blade and his trembling wrist, then looked up and smiled as he gave his assessment.
"Chika, your strength is really strong, and your swordsmanship is also very skillful. It's not just about using brute force. I can't give you any advice on how to improve your Water Breathing technique. You can ask Tomioka. Don't be fooled by his stern face. If you ask him, he will definitely teach you seriously. I believe your strength will definitely improve significantly in the near future. You have that potential!"
Chinatsu readily accepted Kyojuro's evaluation, but she still felt it was a bit too early to give her opinion.
Chinatsu lowered her head to stabilize her breathing rate, and at the same time, Kyojuro noticed that Chinatsu's "Total Concentration Breathing - Normal" which she had been maintaining was turned off.
Was it because he was exhausted that he couldn't hold on any longer?
No way, they've only exchanged a few moves.
Kyojuro was somewhat puzzled, and the next moment, the clear blue Nichirin Blade in Chika's hand faded, turning into a colorless Nichirin Blade that looked as if it had just been forged.
Faded...faded?
Kyojuro and Mitsuri, who was not far away, were both shocked, but what happened in the "next moment" after the "next moment" surprised them even more.
The clear blue Nichirin Blade turned into a colorless blade, and after a few seconds, black gradually emerged from the hilt until it engulfed the entire blade.
"A black blade?!"
Mitsuri covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. She had never heard of a Nichirin Blade changing color and then fading back to its original color.
Chika held the black Nichirin Blade in one hand, and her breathing pattern changed accordingly. The black Nichirin Blade even ignited a flame that was similar to, yet different from, Flame Breathing.
Kyojuro's face showed "doubt, surprise, shock, bewilderment...", but as Chika opened her eyes and unleashed a fighting spirit on a completely different level than before, Kyojuro felt more joy and excitement!
Kyojuro gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade with both hands, his pupils reflecting the raging flames burning from Chinatsu's Nichirin Blade opposite him.
He didn't immediately ask what breathing technique Chika was using; at that moment, he only wanted to focus entirely on fighting the powerful opponent before him.
After Chika switched her breathing technique from Water Breathing to Hinokami Kagura, it was as if she had transformed into a Super Saiyan, with all her stats experiencing a leap in improvement.
The second phase... begins!
Chika gripped her Nichirin Blade, which was engulfed in flames, in both hands and uttered a soft sentence.
"Kagura of the Fire God...Phantom Sun Rainbow".
Chinatsu suddenly vanished from Kyojuro's sight. Even though Kyojuro was quite confident in his dynamic vision, he couldn't immediately tell where Chinatsu had gone.
Left? Right? Above? Behind?
After confirming that there was no trace of Chinatsu in the previous directions, Kyojuro suddenly turned around. But the instant Kyojuro turned around and looked behind him, Chinatsu... appeared!
It wasn't to the left, nor to the right, nor above his head, and certainly not in front of him as Kyojuro was now facing after turning around.
After Kyojuro turned around, the area that was originally in front of him was now behind him, and Chinatsu appeared with bloodshot eyes.
She gripped her burning Nichirin Blade tightly with both hands and slashed down at Kyojuro from above.
"Hinokami Kagura, Form 10: Radiant Grace!"
The flames on the Nichirin Blade surged and erupted, rolling and surging towards Kyojuro as if they were alive.
Bang!!!
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