Chapter 275: The Strongest in This Country!
Seeing that Kokushibo still intended to attack the boy with the mohawk, Liam swung his blade again to parry.
"Clang!"
Their weapons clashed, and Kokushibo's entire body was sent flying back over ten meters. Only after he landed and stabilized himself did the violent trembling of his blade finally stop.
"It has been a long time since I faced an opponent who required me to be serious. You are quite remarkable."
Kokushibo swung his sword again. This time, the slash formed a massive, crescent-shaped wave of sword qi, which contained countless smaller crescent blades within it. Of course, such an attack posed no threat to Liam. The Flame Breathing had a move designed specifically for defense.
Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation.
The flames on Liam's blade danced, and he swung his sword in a vortex pattern. A swirling wall of fire materialized in front of him, and the incoming moon-shaped attacks were all effortlessly negated. Liam then followed up with a simple downward slash. A sharp wave of sword qi, wreathed in high-temperature flames, shot toward Kokushibo.
Moon Breathing, Fifth Form: Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy.
Although Kokushibo did not swing his blade, a vortex of crescent slashes erupted from his position. His Moon Breathing was unique; in addition to the primary slashes from his sword, it also created irregular, smaller blades of various lengths and sizes. This made his attacks incredibly effective for clearing out lesser foes.
But against a true master, it clearly wasn't enough.
Liam's flame slash tore through Kokushibo's defense and struck his body, leaving a severe burn on him. The searing pain made Kokushibo's expression turn serious, and he continued to unleash his Moon Breathing.
Third Form: Loathsome Moon - Chains.
Two massive, swirling crescent slashes intertwined, surrounded by a storm of smaller blades, and rushed toward Liam with a sharp, air-tearing scream.
"Moonlight Slash!"
Liam swung his Nichirin Blade, unleashing the skill from his Sword Soul template. After undoing the suppressor on his arm, the Moonlight Slash he unleashed had clearly evolved.
Their attacks collided. Once again, Kokushibo's technique was shattered. Another wound appeared on his body. Of course, thanks to his physical constitution and regeneration, which far surpassed any other demon, the wounds were already healing. Only his torn clothes proved he had been hit.
Liam's figure flashed, closing the distance again. He switched his sword to his left hand and unleashed an Oni Slash. Dark purple Oni Power coated the Nichirin Blade as it flew toward Kokushibo, who raised his own blade horizontally to defend.
Their attacks met, and this time, Kokushibo was sent flying, the dark energy of the Oni Slash slamming into his body and causing him intense agony.
What level of attack is this?
Kokushibo was shocked. Aside from Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Muzan, he had not faced such a troublesome opponent in a very long time. And from this man, he felt something... a sensation akin to fighting Yoriichi.
Yoriichi had been the most talented swordsman in the world, the creator of the Sun Breathing. Even his own Moon Breathing was merely based on the Sun Breathing. It could be said that he had never, from beginning to end, escaped Yoriichi's shadow. Even now, he did not believe he had surpassed the man. Only time could defeat Yoriichi. Could it be that this man before him was even stronger?
These thoughts flashed through Kokushibo's mind in less than an instant.
Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant.
Liam instantly closed the distance. Facing the flurry of slashes, he met them with a single strike. Their attacks clashed again, and Kokushibo's body was wounded once more. Even after increasing the power of his Moon Breathing, he found he still couldn't defend against Liam's attacks.
The Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima, rushed over from the side. "Liam! I am here to assist you!"
To purge all man-eating demons from this world had always been his goal. Seeing that Liam could overwhelm Kokushibo filled him with joy. Since he couldn't kill him quickly, Gyomei knew he had to join the battle to prevent any further variables.
Joining the battle with him was the Wind Hashira, Sanemi.
Gyomei's weapon was a spiked flail and an axe, connected by a long chain. The spiked ball flew toward Kokushibo, who easily dodged it. The black chain then whipped around, attempting to bind him. This was a type of attack Kokushibo had never encountered. He tried to cut the chain with his sword but found he couldn't. He was forced to dodge, losing only a few strands of hair as the chain snapped past.
Kokushibo closed in on Gyomei, but before his blade could land, the chain wrapped around it and shattered his sword. The two then attacked simultaneously, Gyomei swinging his axe and flail, while Kokushibo, holding his broken blade, slashed back at high speed. After this exchange, a cut appeared on Gyomei's face. As for Kokushibo, the fleshy sword in his hand had already fully regenerated.
Sanemi charged Kokushibo, but his own strength was clearly inferior. He was sent flying, several new cuts opening on his body.
Liam moved toward Kokushibo. "Let's continue, Kokushibo!"
"That is my wish!"
Kokushibo sidestepped another of Gyomei's attacks, swung his blade, and appeared before Liam. He was just about to attack when an even faster blade flashed toward his head. In an instant, one of his ears was sliced off.
So fast!
Liam's Nichirin Blade then stabbed into Kokushibo's heart, and the power of an Oni Slash exploded within his chest. The blast sent Kokushibo flying backward, his heart and the surrounding flesh and bone completely annihilated by the dark purple energy.
"It seems I cannot defeat you without using my full strength, Liam!"
Kokushibo's sword turned crimson. The blade grew longer, and three smaller blades sprouted from the main one. The eyes on the sword, which had seemed like mere decorations, now looked... alive. No, they were alive. The eyes on the blade were moving.
"The world of three hundred years from now... will end by my hand."
The power of Kokushibo's attacks clearly rose by several levels. The strength and range of his slashes intensified as he unleashed several Moon Breathing forms in rapid succession.
Liam's blade once again ignited with high-temperature flames, and he countered with simple, ordinary attacks. His movements were no different than before, yet Kokushibo's attacks still failed to harm him. This began to affect Kokushibo's composure. What is going on?
Liam's figure weaved through the gaps in his attacks, closing the distance. His flaming sword struck Kokushibo's right arm, severing his sword hand at the wrist. The severed hand was instantly engulfed and incinerated by the flames, and the wound itself was cauterized by the intense heat, suppressing regeneration.
Seeing Liam's next attack coming, Kokushibo, in a moment of desperation, erupted with crescent-shaped blades from his entire body. This was not just to attack Liam, but to create breathing room for himself. The force of the attack propelled him backward, and as he flew through the air, he grew a new blade from his left hand and used it to sever his own burning right shoulder, allowing a new arm to grow from the fresh wound.
"Liam! Since you are this strong, then you must die by my hand!"
Fully restored, Kokushibo charged Liam again. "Sixteenth Form: Moonbow - Half Moon!"
It was a devastating downward slash, unleashing a waterfall of massive, curving sword qi that rained down on Liam's position.
Another new form?
Liam, who had already entered the Transparent World, carefully memorized every movement Kokushibo made. If he wanted to completely master Moon Breathing, the only way was to have Kokushibo himself demonstrate it. This was why Liam hadn't killed him in an instant.
At that moment, Liam noticed a change in Kokushibo's state. It seemed he, too, had entered the Transparent World. This state allowed one to predict an opponent's moves by observing their muscles and energy flow, and to unleash the most powerful attacks with minimal effort. It was a state of total focus, similar to the Selfless State.
Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe - Tenman Crescent Moon!
A storm of overlapping, vortex-like slashes rushed toward Liam, covering the area like a tidal wave. Of course, such a wide-ranging move still left gaps for a true master to dodge. Liam, in the Transparent World, easily avoided the attack.
"If you're fighting me, you might need to adjust your attack rhythm!" Liam taunted. He casually swung his blade. In the next instant, Kokushibo's right wrist was severed again.
Kokushibo's left palm immediately generated a new blade as Liam's sword swung toward his neck.
"Roar!"
Liam saw Kokushibo erupt with sword qi from his entire body—the Fifth Form, Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy. Even without wielding a sword, Kokushibo could still unleash sword qi from his whole being. This technique was somewhat similar to Liam's own Secret Sword Art.
Because of this move, Liam was forced to defend himself. Genya, who had been trying to get closer, had his right arm severed by the wide-ranging attack, his gun clattering to the ground. The other Hashira, who had also been approaching, were wounded again.
Liam glanced at them. He hadn't expected them to get so injured while he was focused on the fight. He sighed. For these Hashira, who lacked his particular set of skills, the Upper Moons were just too strong.
"This ends now!"
An even more ferocious flame exploded from Liam's blade. Facing the mountain of thorns and blades erupting from Kokushibo's body, he merely swung his sword to meet them. These crimson blades grew from every inch of Kokushibo, like a forest of vines bursting from the earth, a massive, dense mountain of blades threatening to swallow Liam whole.
Liam swung his blade, slicing through every one of them. His sword became a blur, and in a storm of sparks, the entire forest of blades was cut apart. Finally, Liam's blade severed Kokushibo's head.
Sealed memories flooded Kokushibo's mind. He thought of his past with Yoriichi Tsugikuni. He remembered his brother. His name was Michikatsu Tsugikuni. He remembered realizing that no one in the world could surpass him and his brother in the way of the sword. He feared that their techniques would be lost to time.
But Yoriichi had told him, "Brother, we are not indispensable. We are merely dust in the river of time. People with talent far surpassing our own may have already been born, and they will sooner or later reach the same heights as us. There is no need to worry. We just need to wait for our lives to naturally conclude."
Just like that, Kokushibo realized his head had left his body.
Liam stared at Kokushibo. His decapitated body was not disintegrating. Don't tell me this one is like Akaza? He must be completely destroyed to be killed?
With this thought, Liam swung his Nichirin Blade again, attacking the headless body. His high-temperature, flame-wreathed sword qi landed on the torso, inflicting massive wounds.
Kokushibo's head, lying on the ground, turned to ash, but the wound on his neck instantly began to grow a new head.
Then he looked at Liam, but in the reflection of Liam's eyes, he saw an unfamiliar figure. The new head Kokushibo had grown had completely transformed into that of a monstrous demon, with horns on its head and a mouth full of fangs.
Is that... me?
How did it come to this?
Kokushibo had never imagined he would become so hideous. He had only ever been devoted to the highest peak of swordsmanship.
Now, an image of Yoriichi filled his mind. Yoriichi was saying to him: "Brother, your dream is to become the strongest samurai in the country. I... want to be just like you, brother. So I will become the second strongest samurai in the country."
This was Kokushibo's true memory. With the recovery of this memory, his body, which had been fully regenerating, suddenly began to break down.