Chapter 45: The Serpent Awakens
Chapter 45: The Serpent Awakens
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The spars between the Hashiras continued, with Obanai and Rengoku facing each other next.
If it were the pre-Mark Rengoku, Ace would have put his bets on Obanai winning the fight. However, after his Mark awakening, Rengoku got a power boost, making him one of the most powerful Hashira, only behind Gyomei.
If Ace had to rank the Hashiras currently with their Advanced Breathing, he would put:
• Gyomei - 1st (Pseudo Mark)
• Rengoku - 2nd (Post Mark)
• Sanemi - 3rd (Pre Mark)
• Giyu - 4th (Pre Mark)
• Obanai - 5th (Pre Mark)
• Mitsuri - 6th (Pre Mark)
• Muichiro & Tengen - 7th (Pre Mark)
• Shinobu - 8th (Pre Mark)
By the way, all of this is based on when their Marks were not active; if everyone awakened their Mark, the ranking would soon change.
And the reason Rengoku is still behind Gyomei even after awakening the Mark is due to the Transparent World ability of Gyomei. Its main function is essentially x-ray vision, while the sub-ability includes limited precognition and an increased speed of perception for the user.
It's an ability even Ace hasn't awakened, as his soul eyes allow him to see anything he wants. Thus, he was never desperate enough to awaken it.
'I should limit using my soul eyes to naturally awaken it. While I don't need the x-ray eyes, the perception boost is quite a good thing to have,' Ace thought.
Coming out of his thoughts, Ace looked at the battle in front of him. As he expected, even though the fight looked even to the untrained eye, an experienced master would easily recognize Rengoku's dominance.
Obanai, even with his unique swordsmanship, was struggling to survive Rengoku's fast and powerful slashes.
[Adv. Flame Breathing 5th Form: Flame Tiger]
Charging at Obanai, Rengoku brought his blade into a high guard position, slashing a series of sword strikes, each aimed at a fatal point on Obanai's body, attempting to rip him apart like a tiger.
Facing a barrage of nine sword slashes, Obanai took a deep breath.
[Adv. Serpent Breathing 5th Form: Slithering Serpent]
Suddenly, his body moved like it was a serpent with no bones, his sword twisting and winding in a series of unpredictable motions. His blade curved in multiple directions, deflecting each of the nine strikes from Rengoku.
Obanai's hands shook from the vibrations caused by deflecting Rengoku's powerful strikes. Despite the strain, he quickly charged at Rengoku, thinking, 'I have to finish this fast; I won't last in a long, drawn-out fight.'
[Adv. Serpent Breathing 2nd Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head]
Dashing behind Rengoku with a burst of speed, Obanai aimed his sword directly at his back and thrust it with all of his strength.
But Before the blade could pierce him, Rengoku slashed his sword at his back without even looking.
Twisting his waist to turn behind, Rengoku slashed at Obanai. Seeing the fast-paced slash, Obanai smiled internally; he knew that he wouldn't be able to beat him with just that attack, so the move was merely a distraction.
As Rengoku attempted to slash Obanai, the grip on his sword suddenly weakened as he felt a constriction around his wrist, causing his attack to miss. Looking over, Rengoku saw a white snake coiled around his wrist, trying to twist it.
'When did the snake appear here?' Rengoku wondered, feeling no prior movement on his arm. Unfortunately, the moment of distraction was enough for Obanai.
Seizing the opportunity provided by the distraction, Obanai executed a singular frontal horizontal slash aimed at Rengoku's chest in a winding motion.
[Adv. Serpent Breathing First Form: Winding Serpent Slash]
But….
.
.
"Huh?!"
Obanai looked dumbfounded, his eyes locked on the scene. Koburamaru(snake), was held in Rengoku's hands with just his wrist strength. Simultaneously, Rengoku blocked his sword strike with the sheath of his sword, using his left hand.
Before Obanai could even move, Rengoku, in a burst of speed, delivered a powerful kick to his abdomen, causing a resounding crunch echoing through the arena as Obanai was sent flying to the other side.
"Ooh, that must have hurt," Tengen remarked.
"Heh, Rengoku taking the spar seriously for sure," Sanemi chuckled at the scene.
"It was supposed to be serious," Giyu said, pissing off Sanemi.
"Iguro-san!" Mitsuri murmured in worry.
While Gyōmei stayed silent over the result.
"Do you think the fight is over?" Shinobu asked as she stood next to Ace.
"Hmm… Let me see," Ace said, holding his fingers in a circle over his eyes as he focused on Obanai.
"Oh! That's surprising," Ace said, then added, "The fight has just started!"
Just as he said, Obanai stood up suddenly and launched at Rengoku in a burst of movement, surpassing his previous speed.
He quickly executed attacks after attacks on Rengoku in a snake-like movement, targeting every weak point. Rengoku, however, too didn't back off and retaliated with equal intensity, escalating the fight to a new level.
Each blow exchanged had enough power and speed that it seemed like any strike could end the life of the other.
"D-Don't you think this is going overboard? They can kill each other at this rate," Mitsuri said.
"No! This is necessary. The whole point of this training is to awaken Mark and to achieve that, one must give their everything and push their body to the limit. It can't be done if they continue to limit themselves in the name of sparring."
"And if they die from this… I will burn incense for them," Gyomei finished, causing everyone to fall silent.
Continuing the fight.
Both Rengoku and Obanai continued their battle frenzy, attacking each other relentlessly. Craters formed around the arena from Rengoku's powerful strikes, while Obanai dodged with slithery and serpentine movements, as if his body were that of a snake.
Their fight intensified, each refusing to give the other any advantage. Minutes passed, and the fierce duel showed no signs of coming to an end.
"They're giving their everything," Shinobu remarked.
Nodding, Ace added, "Obanai is putting up quite a fight, but his chances of winning rely on awakening his Mark. His stamina is already on low and looks like Rengoku can go longer than him."
Which was true, as without a Mark awakening boost, it would be quite difficult to win against Rengoku.
Rengoku took a lower squatting stance and thrusted his sword in a pincer attack toward Obanai's right side, exploiting his blind spot. But with Koburamaru's help, Obanai bent his body at an impossible angle, barely dodging the attack.
However, Rengoku was aware of Obanai's snake communication abilities, so he knew that he would be able to dodge. So quickly twisting his wrist, Rengoku struck Obanai's side abdomen while simultaneously kicking the other side of his body, launching Obanai again and colliding with a tree at the end of the arena.
"Argh!..." Obanai grunted in pain. His back and abdomen throbbed with pain and discomfort, marked by a large bruise forming on his abdomen.
Stroking the bruised area with his left hand, Obanai thought, 'I can't last much longer; my whole body is racking with pain,' as he slowly stood up.
Seeing Rengoku charging at him, he calmed his breath down, despite feeling as if his lungs would burst. Then even with massive pain and weakness in his body, he operated Total Concentration to its maximum output.
[Adv. Serpent Breathing Sixth Form: Serpent's Stillness Stance]
Obanai stood in a poised and composed stance, maintaining a steady grip on the sword, embodying the focus before a strike.
Unbeknownst to him, as he stood there, a white serpent tattoo, similar to Koburamaru's, formed on his skin, it slithered with intricate details, winding its way from his neck to his face, veiling half of it in serpentine artistry.
Seeing the Mark, Rengoku showed a big smile on his face as he increased the speed of his charge to almost double.
[Adv. Flame Breathing Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun]
Unleashing a powerful arcing vertical slash in an upwards motion, Rengoku swung his katana at Obanai, who still didn't move from his position.
Just as the sword was about to slash him, Obanai's fingers moved. Suddenly, like the lightning-fast strike of a snake, his sword clashed with Rengoku, almost making him lose his grip on the sword.
Using the chance when Rengoku's grip on his sword was weakened, Obanai slashed at his chest with the full momentum of his body. Rengoku quickly tried to block it with the sheath of the sword, but it didn't work this time as the power behind the attack was too much for it to handle, launching him towards the other side.
Crack~
Rengoku felt his chest cave in from the attack as some of his ribs broken from the impact.
Despite the pain, he quickly tried to stand up, sensing a sword thrusting towards him.
'Fast!' thought Rengoku, realizing the speed of the sword. Unable to stand up quickly enough, he rolled to the side, barely dodging the sword.
Obanai continued his advance on Rengoku, who quickly regained his balance and fought back. However, due to the active Mark, Obanai started to dominate the fight.
Dodging, slashing, thrusting, piercing—they kept going at each other, showing no signs of backing down. The pressure of the fight soon led to Rengoku activating his Mark, forming two sun marks on both of his cheeks.
"Both of them were able to activate their Mark in the same fight !! Who do you think will win?" Shinobu said, her calm voice carrying a hint of excitement.
"I would still bet on Rengoku; he has greater stamina left than Obanai," Tengen said, casting his vote.
"Tch, I want one more fight for me! Hey, Giyu, fight me after this," Sanemi said in a somewhat irritated tone, feeling like he had fallen behind.
"Who are you rooting for, Mitsuri?" Ace asked with a playful smile.
"Uhh... I-I'm actually supporting both of them!" Mitsuri replied, stuttering slightly.
"That's not fair; you have to pick one!" Shinobu insisted, noticing Mitsuri's hesitation.
"I don't know. Why don't you answer first?" Mitsuri questioned her.
"Heh, for me, may the better fighter win! I support them both equally, as either of them winning will ultimately benefit the Corps," Shinobu said.
*Clang!*
A resounding noise echoed, drawing their attention away from their conversations as all eyes fixated on the ongoing battle.
Rengoku and Obanai stood at the brink, unleashing their ultimate attacks and colliding in a spectacular clash.
[Adv. Flame Breathing Ninth Form: Purgatory]
[Adv. Serpent Breathing Seventh Form: Venomous Sword's Finale]
BOOM!
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.
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- x - X - x -
"That was quite a battle, huh?" Ace remarked, taking a sip of sake for the first time.
"Indeed, it was. Both of them performed admirably," Shinobu acknowledged.
"Well? They did way more than just well!!" Mitsuri exclaimed.
"Heh, they both managed to knock each oth—Urghh, what taste is this, it feels pungent!" Ace said, choking on his drink.
"Hey!! Don't insult my sake. Don't drink if you don't like it," Shinobu scolded.
Calming his taste buds with a glass of water, Ace continued, "First- that sake is too sweet and Second-Since Rengoku did wake up first, so I'd say the victory goes to him."
"Hmm, I can agree with that somewhat," Shinobu said. Further adding, "By the way, I have something for you to know."
"What?" Ace said, raising his eyebrows.
"A new mission."
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