Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.

Chapter 165: Simplified Sword Skills and [Severed Bonds]

There was nothing special about that legendary swordsman.

This was what Kokushibo felt after he used his sword skills, which he had honed to the extreme, against Fang Yi and observed the other party's "stupid" response strategy.

The enemy did not try to dodge, but stood there in a suicidal manner. After observing the crisscrossing sword energy of his [Breath of the Moon], he swung the sword in his hand without considering his own ability, and the speed of his sword was much slower than his own.

In Kokushibo's opinion, the swordsman's actions were not something a normal person would do. He was more like a fearless and stubborn rooster, who dived headfirst into the chopping board where the butcher was about to drop the knife with his raised hand, showing a sense of humor of someone who was eager to die.

So much so that after Kokushibo was hit by the enemy's strange bullet and was hit by the blood demon technique, and saw his brother from many years ago, he unexpectedly became a little shaken and lost. However, he recovered at the speed of light after being subjected to the enemy's ridiculous performance that was tantamount to seeking death.

Although his attack was not perfect, in Kokushibo's opinion, the Demon Slayer Corps' swordsman did not choose to dodge his attack, but took it head-on, which was tantamount to suicide.

It just lost interest in fighting these swordsmen, not because it felt it couldn't kill them, but because it found it boring.

After Guo Yuan's death, it never doubted its own strength.

These swordsmen were too weak. Only the swordsman with the meteor hammer was slightly capable, but that was only enough to be capable of being seen. They were not a threat to him. How could they possibly kill Muzan Kibutsuji?
Even though it was frozen in place by the blood magic, it still avoided the opponent's carefully prepared killing plan.

In the current world, except for this traitor of the Demon Slayer Corps, none of the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps have opened the [Markings], and the [Transparent World] that greatly increases perception has not been seen either.

Not to mention the sword technique [Breathing of the Sun] which no longer existed after he and Muzan Kibutsuji had wiped out all the successors and recorders.

How can a mere human body compete with myself who has honed my swordsmanship for four hundred years and my nearly immortal body after becoming a demon?

[As expected, the best swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps, after Kuniyoshi's death, in a world without [Breathing of the Sun], I am the strongest swordsman.]

[I have chosen the path of invincibility, so I will never lose again]

After Kokushibo used [Breath of the Moon], he wanted to see what was special about this swordsman compared to the others.

Therefore, it specifically opened the [Transparent World] that had not been opened before, preparing to carefully observe the swordsman's body.

I saw his lungs begin to contract, the muscle fibers in his hands driving the muscles to move, and the blood vessels begin to expand, as he just stood there holding the knife and swung it at himself.

There was only disappointment left in Kokushibo's heart.

"A legendary swordsman who killed several Upper Rank swordsmen is only this good? It seems there are indeed a lot of useless people among the Upper Ranks."

The swordsman's body is well-proportioned, having been honed through years of training and refinement. He is a leader among humans, but his body is undoubtedly still a human one.

Being human means having limits that are pathetic and pitiful, insignificant compared to those of ghosts. Only a few people can break through these limits, and the swordsman in front of him is just as mediocre.

During his time as a swordsman in the Demon Slayer Corps, Kokushibo was clearly aware of his own limitations as a human being.

Humans only have one pair of hands, and usually only have one weapon in each hand. Therefore, as humans and ghosts, there is a very obvious limit, that is, they can only use one slash at a time.

The knife in his hand was like a branched tree, extending into more than one blade, and the blade grew out of his newly recovered body.

As soon as he attacks, the air is filled with sword energy. In a one-on-one situation, if the swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps does not get close, he will be forced back by his own attack and have to dodge.

The moment the opponent stayed where he was, the battle was over.

Kokushibo watched as the blade energy of his [Moon Breathing] touched Fang Yi's body, and he was about to turn around and leave, while also giving his judgment on the enemy.

"It's just another body shattered by the sword energy.

“What a boring fight.

"Is this the current level of the Demon Slayer Corps' swordsmen?"

Then, its head fell off.
-
Before his head hit the ground, Kokushibo saw the sword skills that were difficult to understand even after he activated the [Transparent World] and could sense the opponent's heartbeat and the flow of every blood vessel.

The swordsman's sword was not sharp, and the hand holding the sword was not very strong. The sword in his hand was just an ordinary sword.

The sword skills he used were not as incredibly elegant and gorgeous as [Breathing of the Sun], nor were they as oppressive as his own [Breathing of the Moon·Form 14·Ferocious Transformation·Sky Full and Slender Moon] which could only be used with blood demon arts and a ghost body covered with blades.

As the founder and user of [Breath of the Moon], and having honed this sword skill to perfection over the past four hundred years, Kokushibo is naturally very familiar with the sword skills used by his enemies.

That was the 'weak' sword technique he often used when he was a 'weak' human, wielding an ordinary sword.

[Moon Breathing·Form 8·Moon Dragon Tail]

Using the powerful strength of his wrist, he swung the sword swiftly, with the momentum to sweep away everything around him.

It sounded very powerful, but Kokushibo understood that it was actually just a sweep of the sword with a crescent-shaped sword energy.

But the sword skills used by Fang Yi's knife produced incredible results.

As he swung his arm, this ordinary and slow sword technique suddenly showed an unprecedented sense of layering.

The faint sword energy came into contact with his own sword energy, and the opponent's slash, which should have been immediately submerged by his sword energy, produced an extraordinary effect.

His own sword energy 'surrendered at the sight of the enemy'.

[Breath of the Moon·Form 14·Devastating Change·The Sky is Full of a Slender Moon] When the gorgeous, overwhelming, and extremely oppressive sword energy came into contact with the opponent's sword energy, it was like an army whose commander had been beheaded, whose flag had been broken, and whose morale had collapsed and began to disintegrate. It politely sent off the opponent's sword energy and continued to advance.

Not until his own sword energy was completely devoured and his head was cut off by the opponent's sword energy did the enemy's sword energy disappear into the air.

This attack did not cause any damage to his body that had turned into a ghost, and his head, which was cut off by the opponent's sword, grew back in just a moment.

But this attack destroyed Kokushibo's confidence that had been considered "indestructible" for four hundred years.

At this moment, it finally realized one thing.

【The enemy is a swordsman much stronger than me.】

The enemy before him was a human being who used simple sword skills to easily defeat his ghost self, breaking the unique skills he had painstakingly studied for four hundred years and chopping off his head in the process.

Kokushibo's hand holding the knife began to tremble, and before he knew it, he had even lost the courage to swing the knife at Fang Yi.

There are only countless fears and questions in its heart.

"Is that my [Breath of the Moon]?
"How can the other party use [Breath of the Moon]?
"Is that what my [Moon Breath] can do?
"Then how can it be my [Breath of the Moon]?"

Kokushibo looked at Fang Yi, and his ugly face after turning into a demon showed unprecedented confusion and despair.

It expressed its doubts to Fang Yi in a trembling voice.

"how did you do it?"
-
When Fang Yi heard Kokushibo's question, he looked at Kokushibo's head, which had become as ugly as a spider's mouthparts after it recovered, and gave his answer to the dying ghost with pity.

"Sword Qi also has its own structure and core. Wouldn't it be fine if I could just destroy all the cores of your sword Qi in one breath?

"Your sword energies were not released simultaneously; there was a clear interval between them.

"After I sensed the path of all your sword energies in space, I naturally saw a line between the core of all the sword energies and your head.

"After all the sword energy reaches the position I expect, I just need to swing the sword at the right time. Anyone can do it with a little practice. Is it a difficult thing?"

Fang Yi looked at Kokushibo in surprise. He didn't even activate [Preemptive Strike]. He just used the perception ability brought by the [Brain Map] skill he traded from Ma Han to accomplish this simple task.

In the battle with Liao Lin, he put himself in a desperate situation and used 80% of his strength limit, racking his brains to fight against the opponent's indestructible sword energy.

He sensed the structural principle of the derived abilities after this basic skill reached level 10, and made multiple attempts to crack it.

Kokushibo's sword energy was much weaker than Liao Lin's, with noticeable gaps and dispersed power. Having solved Liao Lin's sword energy 'difficulty', solving Kokushibo's 'easy points' was naturally much easier.

Fang Yi did not think that his performance was outrageous. It was just an experiment to learn from one example and apply it to other situations, and a further application of basic skills.

He even calculated the energy dissipated after the opponent's sword core was destroyed and deducted a little mana. Without affecting the opponent's head, he saved his scarce mana to the greatest extent possible.

After all, he doesn't have as much power as Liao Lin to squander, so he can only work harder and try his best to make the little mana he has more effective.

Fang Yi thought to himself.

[Everyone knows how cool it is to kill someone with one sword. I also want to crush them with numbers, but my hardware is only capable of manipulation.]

After finishing his words to clear up Kokushibo's confusion, Fang Yi looked at Kokushibo, only to find that this Upper Rank One's body was trembling, and sweat seemed to be pouring down his ugly face. Then this Upper Rank One tremblingly used a new sword technique.

[Moon Breathing·Type 16·Moon Rainbow·Crescent Moon]

Fang Yi held the knife in his hand, looking at Kokushibo's face which seemed to be sweating and his sword skills which were full of flaws, and couldn't help but feel a little confused, thinking to himself.

“Strange, can ghosts sweat?

"Why is the enemy's new sword technique even worse than before?
"Doesn't it have the [Transparent World] and [Stripes]? Why is it still so lame?
"I can't seem to learn anything from you, so let's move on to the next enemy."

Fang Yi struck again, ready to quickly end this sword fight that had become boring.
-
Kokushibo felt that his nightmare had come back again, or rather, there could be another person beside Yoshikazu Tsugakuni in his nightmare.

The moment it realized that Fang Yi was a swordsman much stronger than itself, a chill surged uncontrollably from the depths of its heart.

It understood that this chill was the feeling that only occurred when facing a powerful and unfathomable enemy.

When Fang Yi used concise words to explain how he used simple sword techniques to break the sword techniques he had painstakingly studied, the chill spread from Kokushibo's body like an unstoppable force, almost freezing his mind.

It forced itself to suppress the fear, quickly adjusted its posture, and used [Breath of the Moon·Form 16·Moon Rainbow·Crescent Moon] in an attempt to regain control of the situation.

However, Fang Yi's sword skills have completely surpassed the scope of its understanding and reached a world that it cannot understand.

Each of this swordsman's sword techniques may seem simple, but in Kokushibo's eyes they are the embodiment of reducing complexity to simplicity and returning to basics.

As soon as the opponent swung his sword, the whole world seemed to be cooperating with his movements, forming a sharp contrast with his own empty and powerless attack.

It once again used a sword technique infused with even greater energy, releasing a blade energy powerful enough to penetrate the ground, but it was neutralized by the opponent as it had expected.

The opponent's blade flickered lightly, unleashing a gentle blade aura with a leisurely swing. His own overwhelming blade aura melted away like ice in the sun, leaving not even a ripple.

At this moment, Kokushibo felt a sense of powerlessness he had never felt before, and was also filled with unprecedented recognition and respect for the enemy in front of him.

The enemy had no [Stripes], no [Transparent World], no fancy sword techniques, no dazzling lights and shadows, but it possessed a power that seemed to devour everything, turning all its attacks into nothingness.

The harder it tried, the steadier the opponent's knife became, as if waiting for it to use up its last bit of strength.

In this increasingly oppressive atmosphere, it realized that every time the opponent attacked, it seemed to be wearing away its fighting spirit and making it gradually lose the will to fight.

Kokushibo knew that if he continued like this, he might be defeated without being able to fight back.

He is indeed better than me. Perhaps what Tsugikuni Yoriichi said, "We are not special people," is true.

【But I also have to make my struggle and show my knife. 】
-
With his thoughts racing, Kokushibo decided not to confront the opponent head-on, but to adopt a more cautious strategy.

It suddenly took a few steps back, adjusted its breathing, tried to calm its mind, and then stared at every move of the other party with its eyes as sharp as lightning.

Kokushibo knew that he had to find a flaw in the opponent's swordsmanship, otherwise, he would die in the opponent's next blow.

However, the opponent suddenly stopped attacking and smiled slightly, as if seeing through its thoughts.

Fang Yi's eyes were deep and calm, like an outsider who had everything under control, and at the same time, there was a hint of regret.

At this moment, Kokushibo seemed to see an invisible hand strangling his throat, gradually forcing him into a desperate situation.

Fang Yi spoke again, his voice like a whisper on the wind, with a hint of compassion.

“No need to struggle any longer, it’s time to end this battle.

“Your swordsmanship is not bad, but you have lost your confidence and foundation, and the blade in your hand has become shaky.

"There's no point in fighting any further. The blow I just made was just to make you understand that.

"With the next strike, I will use the most magnificent sword skills to bury you."

Kokushibo's heart was shaken, as the other party's words touched the depths of his heart.

It knew that the enemy was not lying.

Although he had painstakingly cultivated his swordsmanship for four hundred years, achieving an astonishing state, it now seemed as if he had simply stagnated. The superficiality and impatience in his swordsmanship had been fully exposed in this battle.

All the past practices seem so shallow and powerless at this moment.

It finally understood that the enemy not only wanted to defeat it, but also used it as a whetstone, trying to reach a higher level through this battle with it.

His own hesitation made him somewhat disappointed.

Kokushibo sighed, and the pride and unwillingness in his heart gradually faded away, replaced by an indescribable calmness.

It gripped the knife tightly, closed its eyes, and silently felt the surrounding atmosphere. At this moment, it suddenly felt that everything became clear and its knife skills had improved unprecedentedly.

A whole new world seemed to appear in its eyes, which was also the world it had always longed for, but Kokushibo felt a little sad for some reason.

Four hundred years later, there is no one left to share my joy at seeing this kind of world.

Because the person with whom he could share his joy had passed away, and he had chopped off his body with his own hands, thus severing the bond between brothers.

[It's a bit too late to realize this now, Tsugakuin Iwakatsu.]

[In the end, I just wanted to see the world that Yuichi Tsugakuko saw and follow him.]

[In order to survive, I betrayed myself, severed my own bonds, and became such an ugly monster. It was truly a pathetic act.]

Kokushibo, who already understood what he was pursuing, looked at Fang Yi, took a starting stance, and prepared to swing his sword.

This sword move was exactly the [Moon's Breathing·Form 8·Moon Dragon Wheel Tail] that Fang Yi had just used. It seemed that it wanted to use this sword skill to make a final break with Fang Yi.

Fang Yi, who originally wanted to use the gorgeous sword skill [Breath of the Sun: Strengthened], saw Kokushibo's opening move, understood his opponent's intention, and chose to go back on his word.

He also performed the opening move of [Moon Breathing·Form 8·Moon Dragon Wheel Tail].

With the same starting posture, one man and one ghost stood on both sides of the gradually rising platform, and drew their swords at the same time as if in tacit understanding and rushed towards each other.

Two crescent moons that swept everything away suddenly rose and disappeared in a moment.

After swinging the sword, Kokushibo felt his body become stiff, his internal organs felt as if they were burning, and his body gradually began to disintegrate.

Fang Yi's [Red Blade] caused fatal damage to him, and he could no longer regenerate.

The ugly man said the last words to Fang Yi calmly, "I lost."

Fang Yi also gave a simple answer, "Yes, I won."

Seven hours and forty-four minutes before the return of this mission, one of the Upper Moons, Kokushibo, died.
-
Fang Yi listened to the prompt sound of "Hidden mission [The object pursued by Kokushibo] completed, the relic [Severed Bonds] has been issued, and [Enemy's Respect] has been successfully advanced", and rushed to the next battlefield without hesitation.

His mission has not been completed yet, and the final Muzan Kibutsuji is waiting for him to kill.

(End of this chapter)