Rengoku's broken figure skidded hundreds of meters before he came to a stop from where he had begun.
He hadn't stopped because of his own, though.
Shinobu's black-donning figure had slammed into him.
Weary, the Hashiras looked to their fronts, the Demon Slayer Marks pulsing on them on their last breaths.
In front of the Insect Hashira, perched on a tree, was Gyokko, now transformed.
He looked more human-fish than before, resembling a merman.
With a fish-like tail, and covered in thin scales that were stronger than diamonds, Gyokko brandished his claws murderously at Shinobu.
"Only a few have witnessed my true form!" he shouted from afar. "How do I look, eh? Tell me! Why aren't you saying something?!!"
Shinobu huffed and puffed, and suddenly her heart skipped a beat, sensing the presence walking out of the forest.
In front of Rengoku, another demon walked out.
With two curved horns, and in golden armor, this demon was a short and muscular young boy.
He also had a series of five connected drums that were inexplicably floating behind his back.
In his left hand, he carried a bone-like, S-shaped dagger.
In his right hand, he held the tiny Hantengu.
"To attack a weaker opponent, a helpless being, just how cruel are you?" the demon asked, scowling.
He was the manifestation of Hantengu's hatred — Zohakuten!
Rengoku used the sword in his hands to prop himself up.
He saw the tiny Hantengu getting surrounded by wooden branches, securing him from attacks. He also listened to the words spoken by demons.
And, for the first time, Rengoku snapped.
"Oi…" The Flame Hashira said, blood dripping from his mouth.
He pointed the sword toward the demon, the blade shaking like a leaf.
"Oi… Don't give me that crap!"
Zohakuten's eyes suddenly went red in spite.
Blood Demon Art —
In quick succession, he banged the five drums behind him using the bone dagger.
— Countless Striking Trees!
Roar-rrrrrr-rrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
Five gigantic dragons of wood exploded out of the earth and lunged toward the Flame Hashira.
On the other side, Gyokko had already gone mad after getting no response from Shinobu.
Blood Demon Art —
With pure rage, he blasted himself toward her, slithering like a snake.
— Killer Fish Scales.
Shinobu and Rengoku's backs pressed against each other.
The Insect Hashira had released her Bankai later than Rengoku. Much later, in fact. However, this was the drawback of her Bankai.
She could release an enormous amount of physical strength in a very short time, catching all opponents off guard.
As a consequence, it tired her out even faster.
Kai had theorized that Shinobu's Bankai was like releasing at least Six Inner Gates from Naruto Random World.
On the other hand, Rengoku's entire Bankai was centered around Stamina and Power.
If it hadn't been the case, he would have not aimed to take on two Upper Ranks by himself.
At this moment, the Demons were still strong, stronger than ever, while the Hashiras were battling against their Bankai, their spirituality on the brink of running out.
It was then Gyokko arrived, grinning and growling like a mad dog.
It was then the five wooden dragons roared their way toward Rengoku.
It was then the sound of repulsors entered the ears, melting with growls and roars.
It was then golden, blue, and pink-colored petals fell from the sky.
"Elegant Breathing Style: First Form —"
Gyokko's body shone ominous red as he slashed at Shinobu and Rengoku from unseen angles.
No matter where he struck, though, a petal appeared there, countering the blow.
Tink-Tank sounds deafened the ears, the last petal sending Gyokko flying.
" — Petal Dance Reverie!"
Boom!
…
Moraine the Elegant's eyes had gone pure silver, letting out a purple, demonic glow.
But that wasn't the most striking thing about her anymore.
It was the armor and the sword on her.
The Rescue Armor, Mark 49, had undergone a tremendous transformation, heavily modified by Rintaro Okabe.
It didn't even look like an Iron Man Armor anymore.
The entire backpack, containing Airbrakes, Thrusters, and the six units of Autonomous Energy Displacers were repurposed to assist the new Breathing Style.
Now, attached to Moraine's waist, they looked like a futuristic frock.
Even the Claymore had micro-thrusters embedded within it.
Then there was the Breathing Style itself.
Unlike Kai, who had been adamant about creating his own Breathing Style from the start, Moraine had taken a more traditional route.
The Elegant Breathing Style was a derivative of the Flower Breathing Style from the Demon Slayer Random World.
And because Moraine was in Verse Fusion, she had fused her Elegance Ability, which was her Inheritance from the Claymore Random World, with her movement abilities, giving birth to the Elegant Breathing Style.
The creation of Breathing Style had also pushed to the limits of Elegance' Inheritance, turning her eye color silver, which was the norm in Claymore Random World.
And as if that wasn't enough, two enormous seven-colored wings sprouted on her back.
Grim Butterfly Wings!
The Wings fluttered once.
Howls echoed around her as the Yokai broke apart and fueled the mini-Arc Reactor of her armor.
With the completion of her Main Mission of becoming a Demon Slayer, as assigned by Kai, Moraine had finally become a —
— Top-level 9th-floor Contestant!
Bounty — 450,000,000 Berries!!!
…
Gyokko eyed the new arrival and his demon eyes stirred.
This was… art. This was pure art. This was the most beautiful art he had ever seen.
But how could something be more artistic than him?! How?! No, he must destroy her! He must!!
Gyokko let out a shout and raised his hand to activate the Blood Demon Art once again.
Suddenly, the turquoise-scaled hand fell off, blood showering on his face.
When?!
…
From the other side, the huge dragons came roaring at Rengoku.
Moraine hissed, a flowery breath escaping her mouth.
The Frock Petals at her waist glowed blue, blinding the sights. The Grim Butterfly Wings on her back flapped once more.
And, like a flowery, azure comet, she boomed out of sight.
Elegant Breathing Style: Second Form —
The two dragons at the front came slithering toward her.
Moraine's giant Claymore felt like becoming two.
She danced between the two dragons, giant petals becoming mirrors around her, replicating her strikes.
The absurdly, sturdy dragons cut apart like butter.
— Mirror Blossom Waltz!
It wasn't the end, though.
Hisss!
Elegant Breathing Style: Third Form —
The third dragon came for her from above, its momentum unmatched.
Suddenly, three of the Frock Petals left the armor and appeared over Moraine's head.
A bright, blue beam hissed toward the dragon, deflecting its charge and incinerating a hole right through it.
Moraine's figure launched like a missile, the displacers rejoining the Frock Petals.
And then she countered with a blooming slash, petals beheading the dragon in one strike.
— Fluttering Silk Bloom!
Moraine hung in the air like a fairy.
The two giant dragons came up like bloodhounds.
The silver eyes narrowed at them and the armor's repulsors burst blue.
Elegant Breathing Style: Fourth Form —
A blur shook the space as she came falling, spinning round and round, her Claymore stretched out like a blue stalk holding a crimson flower.
The mini-thrusters of Claymore fired then, pushing the spinning speed to beyond.
Then, as if time had stopped, the slash and the dragons met.
With a resounding boom, the dragon split apart, becoming dust.
— Crimson Lily Descent!!
**************
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