(Extra chapter)
"Just a little bit off, what a pity!"
A gentle voice came from the rain; this newly promoted lower rank six seemed to have calmed down.
It was no longer as impatient and furious as before.
It seemed to be expressing regret, but in reality, it was striking at Kiyokawa Izumi's confidence.
That strike just now had indeed frightened it.
This Demon Slayer was very special; no wonder he possessed such beautiful eyes—I want them! I want those blood-red eyes!
At the thought of eyes, it began to lose control of its emotions.
The pursuit of eyes was an obsession carved into its bones, while the craving for human flesh came from instinct; the two did not conflict.
It looked at Kiyokawa Izumi's eyes with a greedy gaze.
"Whew—"
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Kiyokawa Izumi suppressed all the stray thoughts in his heart and muttered to himself.
"Is it because of the eyes? You have eyes all over your body, so for you, there are no blind spots."
"The Breathing Technique I created lacks explosive power, and my speed is far inferior to those people. Even if my swordsmanship is decent and I try my best to hide my presence, I still can't escape your sight."
"Sometimes, I really envy Thunder Breathing and Flame Breathing!"
Kiyokawa Izumi's chest expanded rapidly as he inhaled an excessive amount of air into his lungs. A clear sense of discomfort came over him, but he did not stop the action of inhaling.
It was as if he wanted to burst his lungs open.
Scalding blood boiled and roared within his vessels, transporting the excess oxygen to every part of his body.
Tense muscles suddenly exerted force. At this moment, the breathing was clearly excessive and overloaded.
'Third Form: Soundless Three Stage · Instant Approach!'
The elegant and magnificent dash of Kochou Shinobu, as well as the grand final Profound Truth used by Rengoku Kyojuro, seemed to flash through his mind.
Gripping the nichirin blade tightly with both hands, the veins beneath his skin bulged hideously. There were no techniques to speak of; it was a straight dash at the limit of his explosive power.
While restraining his Aura, he achieved a Breakthrough at maximum speed.
More than a dozen eyes emerged on the Demon's skin, closely watching Kiyokawa Izumi's figure as he charged in a straight line.
Such a simplistic attack method was useless against it.
With so many eyes, it had no blind spots.
More than a dozen White round worms emerged from the ground; it had clearly seen through Kiyokawa Izumi's movements.
'Spinning Heel!'
Kiyokawa Izumi's heels suddenly exerted force. Along with the shifting movement, he performed the overloaded breathing once again.
His entire chest felt like it was about to explode.
If the previous one was a long-distance dash, then this was a short-distance dash.
In his battle with Kochou Shinobu, he had already nearly finished deconstructing and analyzing her movements.
Now was the time to use them.
It wasn't an imitation, but an integration into his own Breathing Technique.
If speed was lacking, then inhale again to build up power!
Use the breath to stimulate the body.
His rotating heels suddenly exploded with power. Kiyokawa Izumi, who was moving straight ahead, suddenly vanished from the Demon's sight, as if merging into the night.
The round worms split from the main body couldn't even find where the target was.
The eyeballs exposed on the outside spun frantically.
Just as he was seen behind, the next second he shifted to the side.
Unable to locate him!
Pupil Woman seemed to have forgotten that being able to see didn't mean being able to react.
This one should be glad that it only encountered Kiyokawa Izumi!
The strength of any Hashira was far superior to its own.
Those ranked at the top could even kill it instantly with ease.
'Finale!'
Kiyokawa Izumi breathed again. Blood seemed to well up in his throat, but he gritted his teeth and swallowed it.
The three stages of breathing were all for building up power for this.
The tendons in his hands were like bowstrings stretched to their limit. Hidden in the darkness, the nichirin blade silently sliced through the curtain of rain, its tip sinking into the Demon's flesh.
All the strength in his body seemed to be gathered in this one strike. A swing as heavy as Sumeru, yet concentrated into a single point, fell straight down.
The fragile neck was sliced open like tofu. The eyeballs that had just emerged were caught in the residual force and instantly burst.
Pupil Woman's head slid backward. She looked at Kiyokawa Izumi in disbelief... How was this possible?
Whether it was speed or power, why was there such a massive improvement?
"Pfft!"
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Kiyokawa Izumi felt as if the world were spinning and his chest were about to burst.
Alveoli might have ruptured, and blood vessels might have burst.
His body collapsed uncontrollably to his knees, and breathing became exceptionally difficult.
There wasn't much to say about this move of his; it was divided into three stages of power accumulation, followed by a final explosion!
What he hadn't expected was that the price would be so unbearable—how could there be no side effects when speed and power were so significantly improved?
Not only that, but this move also had a clear weakness.
It couldn't be interrupted in the middle!
It had to be executed continuously from start to finish.
Once interrupted, the rhythm of the battle would be affected, and the enemy might even seize the opportunity.
"Thank you..."
A gentle voice seemed to come from beside his ear.
The young girl in the bright kimono bowed deeply to the kneeling Kiyokawa Izumi.
"I just wanted to take a look at this world, but I've unknowingly harmed so many people... I'll probably go to Hell, won't I?"
"Swordsman Sir, you must not die!"
The rain poured down, and Pupil Woman's body vanished like ashes.
We've already reached 100 energy stones! I'm so happy! That's why there's an extra chapter! Another extra chapter at 200 energy stones!