Chapter 65: Clash of the Hashira
Ryou stood at the center, gripping a wooden bokken in his hand. Across from him, three Hashira—Kyojuro, Tengen, and Gyomei—readied themselves for the upcoming fight.
Though this was a training session, Kanae could tell the air was thick with tension, as she watched from the sidelines.
The three Hashira knew very well of Ryou's immense strength and his mastery over his Breathing style. They weren't taking this lightly—they were serious.
This wasn't their first time facing Ryou, as they had been training together for the past week. However, unlike previous days when they fought him one-on-one, today they were fighting as a group, aiming to improve their cooperation.
"Let's begin. Attack me as if you're facing an Upper Moon demon or Muzan himself. Don't worry about injuring me; with your strength, you won't be able to," Ryou said calmly, his eyes scanning the three of them.
Kyojuro, always brimming with spirited enthusiasm, stepped forward, tightening his grip on his wooden sword. "I won't hold back, Ryou!"
"You shouldn't," Ryou chuckled.
Tengen spun his dual wooden blades effortlessly, a grin on his face. "This is going to be flashy!" But his eyes betrayed his seriousness as he knew Ryou's strength well.
Gyomei simply nodded, his grip firm on the wooden weapon resembling a spiked flail and axe. Despite his blindness, his heightened sense of hearing is at the level of Superhuman.
Kyojuro took the initiative, dashing forward with his First Form: Unknowing Fire. At a blinding speed he came at Ryou and unleashed a powerful downward strike, his form flawless bearing his entire strength.
'Bang!'
Ryou met Kyojuro's attack head-on, his wooden blade blocking the strike with ease. The clash of wood reverberated across the field as a gust of wind pushed everything aside from the impact.
Kyojuro pressed forward, but Ryou's blade remained unmoved. With slight force, Ryou pushed back, sending Kyojuro stumbling back.
At that exact moment, Tengen rushed in, his dual wooden blades whirled through the air with a sharp whoosh. 'Fifth Form: String Performance!' His blades slashed at high speed, almost invisible to the naked eye.
But, Ryou parried each attack with precision, his bokken seemingly in multiple places at once. Suddenly, Ryou closed the distance in a flash and delivered a swift kick, sending Tengen flying backward.
At the same time, he dodged his head to the side evading Gyomei's spiked flail that came at him from his blind spot, the force of the strike ruffling his hair.
Without giving him a moment to breathe, Kyojuro was back again with another passionate strike. Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun! His sword arced upward, aimed directly at Ryou's chest with blazing speed.
Ryou sidestepped casually and, with a swift back-kick, struck Tengen, who had silently sneaked behind him, ready to strike.
At the same time, Ryou's bokken came down with force, slamming into Kyojuro's wooden sword, shattering it, and sending him skidding across the ground.
Without wasting a single movement, his bokken turned into a blur and intercepted Gyomei's spiked flail, the force behind the strike forcing him to skid back.
"What strength, Gyomei-san! You have incredible physical power," Ryou praised, observing him through his transparent world.
"I'm fortunate—I was born with strength beyond that of ordinary people." Gyomei shook his head.
The three Hashira once again attacked Ryou coordinating with each other in perfect unison. The battlefield once again transformed into a storm of invisible slashes and shockwaves that tore through the training grounds.
Every swing of their wooden weapons left small craters in the ground, a testament to the immense power they wielded.
Ryou stood in the eye of the storm of sword attacks, calm and composed. His wooden bokken moved with effortless precision, deflecting every attack that came his way.
It was as if he could see their moves before they even made them. No matter how fast Kyojuro attacked, how unpredictable and swift Tengen's strikes were, or how strong Gyomei's blows dropped, Ryou countered them all with ease.
The fight went on for half an hour, and the three Hashira, despite their combined efforts, couldn't overwhelm Ryou. It wasn't that they weren't fighting well, but Ryou's strength and skill were simply on another level.
The three Hashira stood panting, sweat dripping from their foreheads. Ryou, on the other hand, remained calm, not a single bead of sweat on his brow.
"You've all improved greatly in one week, and your coordination is flawless," Ryou said with a simple nod.
"But we still couldn't land a hit on you," Gyomei admitted, then added, "Thank you for coming here and guiding us. I'm truly grateful."
"Your transparent world ability is too overpowered. You can predict our movements just by seeing our breathing. Why can't we awaken it? You said it would happen with a near-death battle, but we haven't awakened after being abused by you for a week!" Tengen complained.
"What we are doing is not a near-death battle. You know I won't kill you, so your mind knows nothing will happen." Ryou said.
"I agree. When I was fighting with you, I didn't feel the same intensity I experienced against that Upper Moon Demon," Kyojuro said.
"Indeed." Tengen nodded and said, "I heard Obanai, Sanemi, and Muichiro were training the same way we are. But since their location is far from us, we can't train together."
"If they continue improving their strength, it doesn't matter where they train," Kanae spoke in her usual gentle tone.
"Anyway, this is the last day. After today, I have other tasks to handle, so I won't have much free time to come here and train with you all." Ryou shook his head.
He was entrusted by Kagaya to investigate a certain location in Tokyo. It's a place where many people have gone missing. Not just ten or twenty—over a hundred people have disappeared without a trace.
Ubuyashiki thinks it might be connected to a castle-like structure that Sanemi and Obanai encountered during their mission a few days ago. Its sudden appearance and disappearance worries the Ubuyashiki.
"Well, it seems it's time for us to head out," Kyojuro said, glancing at the horizon. "We've got a batch of Corps members to train. Only if I leave now, I will reach by sunrise."
"Yeah, they need a lot of physical training. They are weak as hell. They won't last long against slightly stronger demons. Gotta make sure they can at least survive what's coming." Tengen said.
Kanae smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "As Hashira, it's our responsibility to guide them."
After that, Kyojuro and Tengen departed, while Ryou bid farewell to Kanae. "Take care, Kanae."
As Kanae's figure disappeared from view, Ryou turned to Gyomei. "Do you want to speak with me, Gyomei-san?" he asked.
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