There is a small note, which is that after publishing yesterday's chapter, I was surprised that the artificial intelligence changed the names of the Hashira when translating into English, so I am sorry and I have republished the chapter, and I hope there are no additional errors.
_________________________________________
Third point of view
The hall was silent.
A thick, charged silence, broken only by the voice of Ouboyashi, the leader of the Hashira, speaking to his men in a low, deep tone, as if each word came out from the depths of the earth.
The Hashira were arranged in a half-circle, their eyes following Ouboyashi attentively.
But they did not hear the door open.
No one noticed that someone was approaching them in the hall... no running, no whispering, only calm, slow, confident steps.
Akaza entered.
Wearing a simple white robe, without symbols, without armor, without anything that indicated danger... except his presence alone.
There was no killing intent in his eyes, nor marks of demons on his skin.
But he walked as if the place belonged to him.
He approached slowly.
Step by step, until he was directly behind Ouboyashi, an arm's length away, without sound, without warning.
Then... he said it.
In a very cheerful tone:
"Hello."
In an instant, the silence shattered.
Ouboyashi froze in place.
All the Hashira turned at the same time, their eyes widened, and their facial expressions ranged between shock, anger, and astonishment.
"Who are you?!"
Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, gasped quickly and drew her sword.
Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira, said: "Protect our leader!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, shouted fiercely, his muscles tensed as if preparing to pounce.
Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira, raised his hands and began moving at high speed.
But Ouboyashi... did not turn yet.
He remained standing, his eyes staring forward, and his face void of expression.
Then he said calmly:
"Who are you?"
A short laugh came from Akaza's mouth, but it was not provocative... rather sarcastic.
The hall calmed... or rather stopped moving.
But it was not a natural calm.
Akaza stood in the heart of the storm, surrounded by the Hashira's stares that turned into spears.
Then... suddenly, before anyone could say a word,
He moved.
He quickly extended his right hand and lunged lightly like an excited child...
And grabbed Ouboyashi's hand!
"Ahhh!" said Akaza while shaking Ouboyashi's hand strongly, with a bright smile filling his face:
"Yeah, finally! Finally I meet you face to face! Man, you're truly a legend! I swear I'm one of your biggest fans!"
Ouboyashi did not move.
His hand was still in Akaza's, shaking from excessive enthusiasm, while the rest of his body remained frozen... as if his brain refused to believe what he was seeing.
The sound of the touch felt like a slap on the face of majesty.
Sanemi said angrily: "Are you mocking us?"
But Akaza did not turn.
He kept shaking Ouboyashi's hand as if signing an eternal friendship contract before pulling his hand back and speaking.
Finally, Akaza withdrew his hands and said while looking at the rest of the Hashira as if he had just noticed their presence:
"Oh! Sorry! I didn't see you there! I swear it wasn't intentional! You're great too, each in your own way, of course."
The atmosphere filled with a deadly aura from the Hashira.
Suddenly a voice shouted:
"You bastard!"
Sanemi, the Wind Hashira, charged, his whole body like a raging hurricane.
He did not wait for an order. He didn't ask for permission. He didn't care about any law.
In his eyes, that creature before him — even if he appeared as a weak human with no visible aura — was nothing but a direct threat to the leader of the Hashira.
The perfectly crafted sword rose high, and the air around it turned to chaos: violent whirlpools, white streaks, the sound of tearing winds as they struck...
"I will tear you to pieces!"
And in less than a second... he arrived.
But Akaza did not move.
He did not raise his hand.
He showed no worry.
He just... turned his head and smiled:
"Oh, looks like we're getting excited."
At the moment Sanemi screamed, the hall turned into a battlefield.
No time for questions. No room for words.
The Hashira continued watching. They all agreed that this person had crossed all boundaries, and even though they didn't allow the Wind Hashira to kill him, at least he should feel some pain.
The sound of violent tearing pierced the air.
The attack was sudden, direct,
The Wind Hashira's sword launched like a projectile from hell, followed by a stream of spiraling winds forming rotating air blades… like thousands of hidden knives.
But...
Akaza bent sideways.
With crazy, precisely calculated movements.
The first strike passed over his shoulder, and the air behind him tore like the scream of a tortured soul.
"Damn!" Sanemi muttered, instantly changing the direction of his next strike.
A strike from above, then from the side, then a full spin in the air to deliver a wind-enhanced punch directly toward Akaza's head.
But Akaza... was disappearing.
Sanemi couldn't understand how someone with no visible aura could dodge his strikes.
"It must be luck," thought the Wind Hashira.
Unlike him, Akaza didn't launch any attack but was just dodging,
Simply, easily, as if he were dancing.
The strikes passed beside him, around him, and beneath his feet, one after another, while his steps slid across the wooden floor silently, without resistance.
"Stop playing around!" Sanemi screamed as he attacked again, his sword suddenly increasing in speed and beginning to emit a wailing sound:
"Damn."
The wind exploded in seven intertwined directions, each forming a large wave of deadly wind made of pure air.
The Hashira looked on, ready to intervene at any moment, but...
Akaza...
Smiled.
Stood firm.
And lifted his right foot.
Then tapped the floor lightly.
"Tock."
At that moment, everything seemed to slow down.
Akaza took a step forward.
And bent to the right.
Then lightly spun and jumped, letting the winds pass beside him, and hit the back wall with full force, destroying a large part of it.
Dust piled up.
The other Hashira stood in shock.
"Is he... predicting the attacks?" whispered Tengen Uzui, stepping back cautiously.
"No. He's... enjoying it," said Rengoku, his eyes still fixed on Akaza.
Amidst the dust, Akaza's silhouette appeared as he emerged from the smoke... clapping.
Yes. Clapping.
"Yaaaah, amazing! I swear this technique is fantastic! A spinning strike? From wind? A real genius!"
Akaza's voice wasn't sarcastic.
But genuine.
True admiration.
But this... was new fuel for Sanemi.
"Enough!" he screamed with all his might, his eyes turning into glowing embers.
In a moment of intense focus, Sanemi raised his sword and shouted loudly:
"Fourth Form: Scorching Leap!"
At lightning speed, he jumped high, like a human hurricane, heading straight toward Akaza, his hands gripping his sword, ready for a killing blow.
The other Hashira moved instantly.
Mitsuri extended her sword, Tengen moved fast, and Sanemi whispered:
"This is his end."
But before Sanemi's strike could reach Akaza, something unexpected happened.
In a fleeting moment, Akaza extended his hand, grabbed Sanemi's sword from the middle, holding it with a strength that allowed no movement.
His grip was as solid as rock, and a mysterious cold spread into the veins of the sword itself.
Sanemi was surprised, his face full of rage and astonishment, tried to move the sword, but it was like fighting a
frozen boulder.
A dark aura gathered around Akaza.
A deadly light emanated from his eyes before his features hardened.
"Don't you think the time for jokes is over?"
_______________________
One extra chapter at 100 energy Stones
Wind Hashira picture in the comments