"Splendid! Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
Rengoku Kyojuro lowered his body and pressed down on his blade, his muscles suddenly tensing and then exploding with power. His nichirin blade lunged upward from below, as if carrying surging, burning flames, a rolling heatwave rushing toward the face.
But this was only an illusion.
Such a swift and powerful strike instantly sliced through the air, slashing towards Kiyokawa Izumi.
Kiyokawa Izumi lowered his center of gravity and hastily made a blocking motion. A force like a volcanic eruption poured out, nearly sending him flying.
Even his nichirin blade almost slipped from his grip!
He was seen stumbling back six or seven steps before barely managing to steady himself.
Sometimes, he really wasn't intentionally badmouthing Kochou Shinobu.
The difference in strength was simply too great!
Big Brother's arm strength could be ranked in the top three among all the Hashira.
Kiyokawa Izumi couldn't withstand it at all.
What made him even more despairing was that even with such strength, Rengoku Kyojuro was still suppressed and beaten quite miserably when facing upper rank three.
Slightly adjusting his numbed arm, Kiyokawa Izumi did not give up—he was truly unwilling to stop without seeing the ultimate Profound Truth!
The man before him was like the sun; his conviction and determination infected others.
Becoming the Flame Hashira wasn't to cheer up his father, but simply because of responsibility.
'Dark Breathing, Total Concentration!'
Kiyokawa Izumi's body lowered slightly. He sheathed his nichirin blade and resumed a drawing stance, seemingly building up momentum.
At this point, both Big Brother and Kochou Shinobu could see that Kiyokawa Izumi's Moves were incomplete.
His self-created Breathing Technique likely only had one Move.
His constant challenging was only to perfect his Breathing Technique and its corresponding Moves.
'Second Form: Flash of Interspace - Multi-Recital!'
Kiyokawa Izumi's figure suddenly vanished from sight.
The blade was drawn silently; the strike left no trace.
The dark silver blade seemed to become ethereal under the sunlight; only afterimages could be seen, its true location invisible.
"Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Rengoku Kyojuro sensed something was wrong; it wasn't just a simple deceptive afterimage.
He spun his body and flicked his wrist, the nichirin blade churning the air to form a vortex, as if invisible flames were spreading around him.
This Move was mostly used to counter area-of-effect attacks.
Yet he used this Move to neutralize Kiyokawa Izumi's second form.
A tiny scratch appeared on the fluttering haori, and the Corps uniform on Kiyokawa Izumi's chest was also torn.
"I see! A very fine Move!"
Rengoku Kyojuro said, nodding thoughtfully.
The afterimages were all real attacks; it was only because the speed was too fast that it created a visual deception, as if attacks were coming from multiple directions simultaneously.
"Your Fourth Form is still more powerful."
Kiyokawa Izumi panted slightly, shaking his head.
With just that one Move, he had neutralized all the attacks from multiple directions.
At this moment, he was truly at his wit's end.
He still wasn't fast enough to be like Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who could slice Muzan into thousands of pieces with a single swing.
His current limit was only a Quadruple Recital.
"I admit defeat! But before I do, would I have the honor of witnessing the ultimate Profound Truth of Flame Breathing?"
Kiyokawa Izumi didn't struggle; at his current level, he indeed couldn't win.
So he decisively admitted defeat.
But in his unwillingness, he wanted to see the ultimate Profound Truth of Flame Breathing!
"No problem!"
Rengoku Kyojuro laughed heartily, "But this Move won't be so easy to withstand!"
The pressure in his words was obvious.
He wasn't trying to deceive him; Kiyokawa Izumi also knew this Move wouldn't be easy to take, and he likely couldn't.
But how could he be satisfied without trying?
He might even be able to use the pressure to comprehend a defensive skill of his own.
Besides that, he wanted to use these eyes to memorize the ultimate Profound Truth of Flame Breathing!
Standing ready, Kiyokawa Izumi gripped his nichirin blade tightly with both hands.
Seemingly sensing his determination, the expression on Rengoku Kyojuro's face also turned serious. He took a stance, the veins on his hands gripping the nichirin blade bulging prominently.
In that instant, it felt as if an astonishing Aura was pressing down on him, like rocks splitting and a volcano erupting.
The sheer pressure almost made it impossible for him to steady his breathing.
A flawless, perfect stance.
A massive amount of air was inhaled into his lungs, his whole body's muscles tensing and then exploding in an instant.
"Profound Truth, Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
As the words fell, Rengoku Kyojuro leaned forward and kicked off the ground. Lunging forward, he seemed to transform into a fiercely roaring fire dragon. The surrounding air was swept up and torn apart, with continuous booming sounds.
As Kiyokawa Izumi used his Sharingan to break down and analyze the Move, a few beads of sweat even slid down his forehead.
He could understand this Move, but he seemingly couldn't block it!
He didn't retreat, nor was he frozen in place by fear.
The movements of his hands were faster than his brain's reaction.
At this moment, there was only drawing the blade.
Giving it his all, he would try to see if he could block this Move.
'First Form: Night Crows Shadow!'
He recalled the giant boulder he encountered on the back mountain of Mount Sagiri.
Slicing the stone as if it were nothing, yet slicing through everything!
A dreamlike stream of light vanished in a flash. The silently thrust nichirin blade seemed to want to sever the head of the roaring fire dragon, only to be ruthlessly swallowed by the surging flames.
The smile had vanished from Kochou Shinobu's face as she watched from the side. Her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her nichirin blade, clearly hesitating whether to intervene.
She also seemed to be stunned by the ultimate Profound Truth of Flame Breathing.
Her soft mouth opened slightly, and she couldn't help but feel some regret—she shouldn't have agreed to let them spar here; it was simply reckless!
In a matter of moments, Kiyokawa Izumi's figure flew back like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the nearby wall.
He didn't block it!
What was a bit unfortunate was that he also failed to use such pressure to comprehend a defensive Sword Technique of his own.
'Is this the ultimate Profound Truth? Truly soul-stirring!'
Sitting up, he looked over to see that the sharp blade was already covered in dents—he would have to ask the Swordsmith to forge a new one.