When it comes to describing the specific sensation of awakening the Slayer Mark, one could only use the words of Mitsuri Kanroji.
That is, a body that has been shriveled to its absolute limit suddenly becomes weightless!
However, for Izumi Kiyokazu—perhaps because his Breathing Style was somewhat unique—the awakening of the Mark brought more than just physical lightness. Everything before his eyes had fallen into a state of slow motion.
To be precise, it felt as if he had entered "bullet time."
Watching the undulating whirlpool of lunar blades sweeping toward him, Kiyokazu didn't even have to think. His body gave the answer before his brain could process it.
"Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Shining Thrust!"
The visual impact of this move was entirely different from when Tanjiro used it. Or rather, the Sun Breathing Tanjiro had learned was not complete.
What Tanjiro's ancestor had seen from Yoriichi Tsugikuni was merely the "form" of Sun Breathing. Although the ancestor's talent was remarkably high—a charcoal burner who could memorize the entirety of Sun Breathing after seeing it only once—he had never learned the actual Breathing Style. Thus, his version lacked the accompanying essence and rhythm.
For example, when Tanjiro used "Shining Thrust," it manifested as a one-time, high-speed burst of movement, similar to the thrusting effect of Thunder Breathing's "Thunderclap and Flash."
In truth, within the complete version of Sun Breathing held by Kiyokazu, "Shining Thrust" was more of a displacement method that carried a piercing attack along with it. Consequently, in its perfected form, "Shining Thrust" was meant to be used as a high-frequency, long-term means of maneuvering.
The reason Tanjiro performed it the way he did was that he lacked the foundational Sun Breathing technique. He could only achieve a short-term "overclocking" burst by mimicking the similar principles of Thunder Breathing.
But this was exactly where Sun Breathing proved its "broken" nature!
It encompassed the strengths of every Breathing Style. This allowed Kiyokazu to possess the explosive thrust of Thunder Breathing while maintaining the enduring fluidity of Water Breathing.
In an instant, Kiyokazu's figure seemed to vanish from the spot. The light on his Nichirin Sword was no longer a bursting flame; instead, it condensed into a single point. It flickered in the dark night, trailing a magnificent arc of color as it surged forward.
As he watched the Sun Breathing unfolding from Kiyokazu's hands, Kokushibo's six eyes ignited in an instant!
It's just like that. Still just like that. It hasn't changed!
Yoriichi, he truly is no different from you!
Shining Thrust... since the day you died, I have never seen this move again.
It truly brings back memories...
During these hundreds of years as a demon, throughout every sleepless night, Kokushibo had replayed this in his mind, obsessing over how to break this technique.
He had maintained this habit from his time as a human until he became a demon. Even after Yoriichi was long dead, he had never let it slip.
Before meeting this youth, he had asked himself: Even if the simulated battles are perfect, even if I have truly researched a way to break it, will I ever have the chance to use it now that you are gone?
Just as he was about to give up, this boy appeared!
Yoriichi, the obsession of all these years has finally found its meaning in this boy. All my counters and solutions finally have a purpose!
Looking at the lunging Kiyokazu, Kokushibo knew that even with pure physical strength and no technique at all, he could stop this strike.
But doing so would be meaningless. He wanted to defeat Sun Breathing fairly and squarely through swordsmanship!
He wanted to prove that Yoriichi Tsugikuni wasn't the only "special" one. Yoriichi had simply been blessed by the heavens and the gods in terms of his physical vessel. But in terms of sword skill—in this craft that Kokushibo had honed for hundreds of years—Yoriichi was not his superior!
A flash of almost fanatical devotion crossed his eyes.
Kokushibo did not meet the strike head-on. Instead, he shifted his sword at an incredible angle, switching hands from the side and rear. Like a specter under the moonlight, he delivered a horizontal slash. Driven by the powerful pull of his muscles, his blade, Kyokusekaiko, produced a tiny lunar blade that precisely struck Kiyokazu's sword guard, completely dismantling the momentum of the attack.
And he wasn't done yet!
Simultaneously, Kokushibo slammed his arm against the right side of his own blade. With a crisp thrumming sound, the sword accelerated violently, hacking downward diagonally. This was the optimal solution Kokushibo had spent three years perfecting.
For every single form of Sun Breathing, he possessed an answer he had contemplated for centuries!
Watching that single sword strike seal off almost all his paths of retreat, Kiyokazu's heart sank. The technique was exquisite to the point of perfection. He truly had no clue how to break it in such a short time. Under these circumstances, there was no time for hesitation.
He grit his teeth, preparing to trade an injury for a hit. However, Kokushibo suddenly exerted force with his arm, pulling back the blade that should have pierced Kiyokazu.
"Do not misunderstand. It is not that I feel mercy toward you. It is simply that with your broken body, you cannot perform the full range of Sun Breathing's techniques. That would be quite boring."
Kokushibo spoke words that could likely only convince himself.
Muzan, hearing these words through Kokushibo's body, began to tremble with rage once again.
He truly could not understand why Kokushibo—the man who could personally hack Yoriichi Tsugikuni's corpse to pieces back then—would have such massive personal baggage regarding this "reincarnation" of Yoriichi!
You even cut down the original!
This one is nothing more than a substitute!
Why won't you just cut him down?!
"Kokushibo!"
Another roar echoed through the link, but Kokushibo ignored it.
Inside the Infinity Castle, the demons heard Muzan's echoing, furious howl and could only prostrate themselves on the floor, shivering.
Meanwhile, Kokushibo continued to neutralize Kiyokazu's attacks, using the most concise language to point out the flaws in his forms. Every parry and every dodge was accompanied by the insights gained from centuries of sleepless nights.
By the time Kokushibo had dodged his fourth move and offered a lengthy critique, Kiyokazu realized Kokushibo's current state of mind.
The guidance Kokushibo could never achieve from Yoriichi was now being realized through him.
Kiyokazu could see it—the growing smile on the corners of Kokushibo's mouth and the increasingly light, rhythmic tone of his voice.
It was as if the emotions suppressed for hundreds of years were finally finding salvation in this moment.
"Deepen your breath by another three inches. While the blade exerts force, the flow must transition from the wrist to the balance of the ankles."
"The wrist is too stiff. You do not possess his physical constitution; when using..."
"If it were him, he certainly wouldn't..."
After twenty consecutive exchanges, Kokushibo looked at Kiyokazu, who had reached his limit. A flash of morbid satisfaction shimmered in his eyes.
"You pass."
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Demon Slayer: Starting by Snatching Daki(194 Chapter- Ongoing)
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