At that moment, everyone had gained the ability to use the Sun Breathing. Although only Tanjiro,Michikatsu, and Yōsuke actually knew the forms of the Sun Breathing style, all of their own techniques and sword forms were now empowered by the flames of the Sun Breathing.
"Everyone—let's go!"
With Yōsuke's command, everyone launched their assault on Yamata no Orochi.
One of the serpent heads dove toward the warriors on the ground, maw opening wide, as if intending to swallow them all in a single bite.
"Stone Breathing, Fifth Form: Wheel of Stone Judgment!"
Himejima Gyōmei leapt into the air and hurled his flail and axe with tremendous force at the serpent head.
The blow hammered the serpent head into the ground, creating a massive crater.
"Sun Breathing — Sixth Form: Solar Halo Dragon — Head Dance!"
Yōsuke and Michikatsu worked in perfect unison, both unleashing the Sun Breathing technique. Their blades spun like a pair of blazing dragons, striking the serpent head at high speed.
But the serpent's iron-hard scales protected it well. Even their combined assault failed to inflict substantial damage.
However, the flames of the Sun Breathing heated the serpent's scales until they glowed red-hot, eliciting a pained shriek from the serpent head.
Seeing this, everyone unleashed their strongest techniques, intent on severing the head. But the remaining heads of Yamata no Orochi began to move as well, launching a ferocious counterattack upon the group.
One of the serpent heads spewed a thick spray of violet poison at them.
"Water Breathing — Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
With the added power of Sun Breathing, Giyu Tomioka's ultimate technique expanded to cover the entire battlefield, blocking all of the poisonous liquid.
But the pressure of being attacked by eight serpent heads at once was overwhelming. Everyone's strikes seemed to do no more than polish the creature's scales.
Iguro Obanai, knowledgeable about serpents, called out to the others:
"Some special kinds of snakes have a 'reverse scale'. Blood from the main artery near the heart flows through that one scale before branching out to the rest of the body. That scale is their weakest point!"
Using Transparent World, everyone began searching the creature's body.
Michikatsu was the first to identify it.
"Under the neck of each serpent head, there's a palm-sized white scale shaped like a crescent moon. All of its blood flow passes through that scale. That must be its reverse scale!"
Yōsuke focused his gaze and located the crescent-shaped white scale on the serpent head nearest him.
"Sun Breathing — Ninth Form: Radiant Sunlight — Blessing of Glory!"
Yōsuke vaulted into the air and dove downward like a falling star, sword aimed straight at the reverse scale. His blade struck it with perfect precision and tremendous force.
The scale shattered. Yamata no Orochi howled in agony, and with flames like the blazing sun swirling around Yōsuke's blood-forged blade, he swung with all his strength—severing the serpent head completely.
Seeing Yōsuke's success, the others followed suit, unleashing their most aggressive techniques, all targeting the reverse scales.
However, their strength was a notch below his. Though they found the weak points, they were unable to break through the scales.
At that moment, on one of the serpent heads, the reverse scale had first been struck by Koinatsu's ice Blood Demon Art, then blasted by Rengoku Kyōjurō's Flame Breathing. The rapid alternation of hot and cold weakened the scale, allowing Hakuji to shatter it with a single punch.
With the reverse scale destroyed, Gyutaro severed the serpent head completely using his blood-sickle.
In just moments, Yamata no Orochi had lost two of its heads.
Enraged, Yamata no Orochi roared toward the heavens, wildly swinging its remaining heads in relentless strikes. The attacks were too chaotic and dense to target the reverse scales, forcing everyone to retreat temporarily.
Something even more shocking happened—the two severed serpent heads regenerated.
Yōsuke used the Sun Breathing to strike the newly formed reverse scale, but the regenerated scale was even tougher than before. Even with a full-power blow, he could not break it.
Now, the entire body of Yamata no Orochi felt as impenetrable as forged steel, without a single flaw.
While airborne, Yōsuke was struck by one of the serpent heads and smashed into the ground.
Shinobu Kanae helped him back to his feet. Everyone wore a grave expression—except for Uzui Tengen, whose face lit up with excitement.
"I've seen it!"
Everyone looked at him in confusion.
"Seen what?!"
"I saw a wound on its tail! And when I used Transparent World, I noticed something shaped like a blade embedded inside its tail. Do you all remember the legend of Yamata no Orochi?"
The legend was so famous that even children knew it.
Michikatsu immediately understood what Uzui meant.
"You're saying… the legendary sword—the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?"
Uzui nodded.
"According to legend, when Orochi rampaged across the land, it was slain by Susanoo. Inside its tail, he discovered an incredibly hard and sharp sword—that sword was Kusanagi.
If there really is a sword embedded in this Orochi's tail, it may very well be Kusanagi. Even if it's not, it must be a blade capable of harming this creature!"
The group quickly formed a plan—simple and direct. Yōsuke, the strongest among them, would retrieve the sword, while the others launched a diversionary offensive to cover him.
"Blood Demon Art — Hidden Eye!"
Yōsuke concealed his presence and began moving toward the creature's tail.
Meanwhile, everyone else launched a wild, merciless assault, giving Yamata no Orochi no chance to recover.
Reaching the tail, Yōsuke confirmed what Tengen had said—there was indeed a deep scar from an old blade, and the area was not covered by scales.
Raising his flaming blood blade high, Yōsuke rammed it into the scar. Yamata no Orochi instantly went berserk, violently thrashing its massive body.
Yōsuke gripped his blade tightly, refusing to be thrown off.
Gradually, he synchronized with the serpent's movements. Seizing the right moment, he withdrew his blood blade and thrust his hand into the wound, feeling around inside.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp edge slice into his palm. If he applied any more force, his entire hand might have been severed.
Following the blade with his fingers, he grasped the hilt—and pulled a straight sword from the wound in the tail.
The blade was roughly seventy to eighty centimeters long, with a shape resembling an iris leaf. Its center was thick, the hilt nearly twenty centimeters in diameter, segmented like the spine of a fish, its entire length a pale white.
It was almost exactly as the ancient texts described. There was no doubt—
The sword in Yōsuke's hand was the legendary divine blade:
Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.