"Don't be angry, Miss Shinobu! Even if you can't learn the Crimson Red Blade, there are other ways to increase your strength!"
Seeing that Kocho Shinobu was on the verge of getting angry, Ren quickly spoke up to comfort her, afraid of upsetting her.
After all, if he got injured in the future, he would need Shinobu to treat him. As the old saying goes, offend anyone but the doctor.
In reality, there were two ways to activate the Crimson Red Blade.
The first was utilizing immense grip strength, while the second was through the collision of weapons. This clash would raise the temperature of the Nichirin Blade, triggering the solar energy contained within the blade to manifest, thereby transforming the Nichirin Blade into a Crimson Red Blade.
It was just that Shinobu was too petite and her weight too light. If he were to clash his Heavy Nichirin Sword against hers, Ren was genuinely afraid he might accidentally send her flying!
"Sigh, forget it. Maybe I really am not suited to be a swordsman."
Shinobu shook her head helplessly. She wasn't truly angry, just somewhat disappointed.
She had known for a long time that her physical strength was weak and that she couldn't easily sever the heads of demons like the others. Yet even so, relying on her transcendent mastery of poison, she had still become the Insect Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
'Since I can't learn the Crimson Red Blade, I'll just put more effort into my poisons.'
Thinking this, the disappointment in Shinobu's heart vanished instantly. She quickly adjusted her mood and looked up at the deep, ferocious sword marks on the rock wall, which looked as if they had been torn by the claws of an evil dragon. Her heart skipped a beat.
In terms of attack power alone, Ren had already reached the level of a Hashira, perhaps even rivaling the strongest of the nine Hashira, the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei!
'Does Ren already possess strength comparable to Mr. Himejima?'
Shinobu was startled by her own thought. Her beautiful eyes suddenly turned sharp, and her right hand gripped the hilt of her sword. She wanted to test Ren's strength.
She smiled sweetly and said, "Speaking of which, Brother Ren, do you dare to have a real spar with Big Sister?"
"First, Miss Shinobu, I believe I'm a few months older than you. Second, are you sure you want to spar with me? I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt you."
Although he said that, Ren's body very honestly gripped his Heavy Nichirin Sword. He also wanted to find a powerful opponent to test his strength against; with any luck, he might even comprehend a brand-new combat technique.
And within the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu was naturally the strongest!
It was just that sparring with a girl, especially the girl he liked most when watching the anime, made Ren feel a bit awkward.
"Oh? Do you want me to call you Big Brother Ren? That's not impossible, you know, but the condition is that you must have the strength to defeat me first..."
Shinobu chuckled lightly, but the smile on her face was exceptionally cold, and her right hand slowly drew the Nichirin Blade hanging at her waist.
Her Nichirin Blade was unique. The ink-green handle featured a clover-shaped guard, while the blade itself was slender and long, only half the width of a standard Nichirin Blade, and only the very tip of the blade had a cutting edge.
In this way, the sword was like a syringe; only the small section at the tip had killing power, while the other parts could only be used for blocking.
Using such a weapon against an enemy was undoubtedly a huge disadvantage!
However, on both sides of the blade, four large characters were engraved: "Evil Demon Destruction". This was an inscription only members of Hashira rank were permitted to have, and it was the symbol of a Hashira!
With these characters, even if Shinobu used a weapon that wasn't powerful in the traditional sense, it still proved her strength.
"A friendly reminder: my Nichirin Blade is coated with deadly poison!"
"Although I won't use lethal poison on you, the blade is coated with numbing and hallucinogenic toxins. So, Ren, you must be very careful when sparring with me in a moment!"
"If you get cut by my sword, you're going to suffer quite a bit!"
"Using poison? Interesting!"
Ren chuckled softly. He had known for a long time that Shinobu was a master of poison, so he wasn't surprised. He consciously tightened his grip on the Heavy Nichirin Sword, then lunged forward like an arrow, swinging his sword at Shinobu with the speed of a gale.
To avoid injuring Shinobu, Ren only used one hand. Yet even so, the power of this strike was terrifying, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper waving through the air.
Seeing Ren coming with such ferocity, Shinobu was also startled. She hadn't expected Ren's speed to be so fast; she had thought he only possessed great strength.
But her reaction speed was not slow either. Her footwork was as fast as a blurring shadow as she rapidly retreated backward, maintaining distance from Ren.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Locust - Explosive Step!"
Shinobu's Breathing Style was known as Insect Breathing. After activating the Breathing Style, her entire person became as light and agile as an insect, allowing her to attack using the hunting skills of various insects.
The move she just used was a technique developed by observing the leap of a locust. It granted immense jumping power and explosive force in a short time, allowing for forward thrusting attacks or retreating to keep distance from an enemy.
Facing the Heavy Nichirin Sword that Ren slashed towards her face, Shinobu didn't dare to take it head-on. she hurriedly retreated to dodge, easily evading the fierce strike.
But even though she had dodged, the sword energy erupting from the high-speed swing of the heavy sword turned into a strong wind that buffeted her face, making it difficult for her to open her eyes for a moment.
This left Shinobu with lingering fear. She knew exactly what it meant to be unable to open one's eyes in a real battle.
Fortunately, Ren did not press the attack, seemingly not wanting to end this hard-won spar so quickly.
"My, my! What a fierce strike! I am a girl, you know. Ren, don't you plan on going easy on me?"
Shinobu spoke with feigned calmness, though inside she was panicking quite a bit.
She knew that if she were hit by Ren's heavy sword, her condition would definitely not be good.
"Heh, playing house won't make us stronger! Miss Shinobu should be well aware of that."
"That is true. Then let us have a real fight!"
Shinobu took a deep breath, then drew her sword with a sharp aura. Like a bee stinging, she thrust violently toward Ren's face.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Fang - True Thrust!"
'A technique that mimics a bee's sting?'
Relying on his superhuman dynamic vision, Ren discerned the principle behind Shinobu's move at a glance. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a smile.
'However, this move is useless against me. No matter which angle you thrust from, I can swing my sword to defend in time.'
Watching Shinobu thrust her sword toward his face, Ren immediately positioned his heavy sword in front of him to defend, and at that moment, Shinobu's attack arrived.
Shinobu's Nichirin Blade collided with his heavy sword, bursting forth with a crisp echo, but Ren didn't move an inch. Shinobu's strength was not enough to make him retreat.
On the contrary, Shinobu was shaken by the power on the heavy sword until the web of her hand hurt, and even her sword-swinging arm went numb. But she was not discouraged; instead, her offensive became even more rapid.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Mantis - Phantom Flying Sickle!"
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