Slaying lower moon 4

[Seiji's POV]

"Fine, let's talk."

"LETS NOT!!!" the demon yelled and he exploded out towards me. He came at me with endless momentum but this time, I was ready.

"Flame Breathing : Second Form." I said as my eyes glowed bright and flames wrapped around my blade.

"Rising Scorching Sun." I swung my sword up in a perfect arc, like the sun rising to the sky. A trail of fire followed my blade.

The sound of two consecutive shockwaves rang out, its vibration shaking the air itself. The demon produced shockwaves from his hands to stop his momentum and he halted right before my blade reached him.

His rows of sharp teeth smiled at me as if he had predicted my attack perfectly and dodged in time.

I bit down a smile, one thing you should never do when you fight me is try to out-predict me. It was a battle that assured defeat.

So I changed the grip on my sword, holding the blade horizontally and the pattern of my breath also changed abruptly yet seamlessly.

"Thunder Breathing : Second form." Lighting came alive around my body and my muscles tensed up, preparing to explode out with every fibre of stregth at one moment.

"Rice Spirit." I declared and the following action exploded in one moment. My arm blurred and my blade became five, slicing from different angles in one moment.

That was the concept of the second form. It was to deliver five consecutive slashes at the enemy from different angles in one moment.

The shocked demon did not even have time to react as I cleaved at his limbs one by one. I sliced off his left hand, and then his right arm. In less than a millisecond, I sliced off both of his feet as well.

Four slashes.

With all his limbs cut off, he could not use his shockwave anymore.

The last swing was aimed at his neck. But right before I decapitated the demon, he opened his mouth and a terrible shockwave shot at me - my head would've exploded in a gory mess it hit.

So I stopped my swing midway and tilted my head to the side. The shockwave went right past my ear and left a dent on the ground. I had seen the way his throat contracted before the attack so I had ample time to dodge.

The shockwave also pushed the demon back and he escaped my range in an instant. But I was determined to capitalize on the opportunity. He let his guard down and it cost him four limbs. Now I had to cut off his head before he could regrow them.

"Thunder Breathing : First Form."

"Thunderclap and Flash."

Lightning wrapped around my body and I pushed myself off the ground at the speed of sound. A sonic boom shattered the ground and roared like thunder.

I became something akin to a streak of lightning.

The demon's face pinched together to paint a nasty expression of fear and anger. He focused all of his regenerative power into one hand and managed to use his shockwave to shoot himself up the sky.

By the time I reached him, my blade could no longer slice his neck but I bisected his body just below his armpits. My blade cut through his demonic flesh like a cake.

But the moment was lost, the demon used his shockwave to propel himself high in the sky where I could no longer reach him.

He healed his body in the safety of the sky.

"You insignificant bug!!!" The demon roared in the sky, "I will kill you!"

"Blood Demon Art : Meteorite Fall." the demon said and just by the name, I could already guess what was about to happen.

Words and actions spoke to me.

The end of all four limbs exploded multiple times with shockwave and the demon shot down to the ground like a meteorite. I used thunder breathing to move away from my position quickly and the demon shattered the earth in his crash.

A huge dust of smoke rose. My eyes pierced through the smoke and locked on the demon who thought I would have trouble seeing.

He launched himself at me again, his body cutting through the smoke at sonic speed while I gripped the handle of my sword and took in a huge gust of air.

"Blood Demon Art : Shockwave Dance!!!" the demon yelled.

"Thunder Breathing : First Form." I replied to his action. It was an exchange of words, an exchange of meaning and violence.

"Thunderclap and flash." I said and after careful analysis of my enemy, I determined the amount of move required. "Twelvefold."

Our body moved at supersonic speed. Our image became a blur of flash and shockwave as we exchanged twelve consecutive attacks in a matter of seconds.

We were equal in speed, but he was stronger and more durable. On the other hand, I could read him like a book and predict his moves - then I replied in such a manner that nullified his superior strength and durability.

The sound of our exchange was like thunder and explosion, bringing chaos to the thick forest. Animals fled while trees were uprooted due to the shockwave and due to being used as a foothold. 

We were equally matched.

By the end of our clash, we were already miles away from the previous clearing where we fought. I felt my body ache due to the exhausting nature of Thunder Breathing.

To attain victory, I needed to end this quickly.

Although it might look like I was at a massive disadvantage right now since I was tired and my enemy was a demon who knew no injury or exhaustion, it was actually the opposite.

The end for the demon drew near because through our exchanges I finally had a grasp of his fighting style.

I was now familiar with the rhythm of his movement and the patterns of his attack.

What attack did he prefer? Which angle is his favourite? Which part of my body did he always target? What are the timing of his attacks? How did he react to an opening?

I had the answer to all of these questions. He told me himself through our battle.

And now it was time to end this.

I intentionally created an opening. It was a bait which I knew he would take without fail. He was desperate, angry and humiliated.

"DIE!!!"

It was oh so simple.

I got him used to Thunder Breathing and its fast nature. So the sudden change in breathing style was more effective than it should be.

"Flame Breathing : Fifth Form." I whispered as I fell from the sky. Our final clash took place high in the sky so we both fell.

But unlike me who was seemingly helpless while mid-air, the demon could use his shockwave to maneuver in the air. That was the fake opening I created, I lied with my action

"Flame Tiger."

Flames encased the entirety of my body. Those flames wrapped and folded around me until it became the shape of a tiger. I sucked in huge volumes of air in my lungs and my body reached a supernatural temperature. I was in overheat.

Flame Breathing was not like Thunder Breathing. It was not fast, but it was explosive and it burned with intensity that was completely unmatched.

My purple eyes bore down on the demon with disdain. Only a fool would run into flames.

The flames around my body which was in the shape of a tiger head, swallowed the demon and chomped down on him.

The canines of the tiger were my blades and they chopped him up into pieces. Flame Breathing was more effective than other breathing style due to its close relation with Sun Breathing, so even a slash to his body damaged him greatly.

The demon let out a guttural scream. It was times like these when I wished I was not deaf.

Was his scream as helpless as the screams of my family? Was it as sad as mine on that fateful night?

I hope so.

No. I made sure it was so.

*BOOOOOOM!!!!*

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On that lonely night in the valley, at the young age of 13 and 11 months, I slew the lower moon four and became eligible to become a Hashira.

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[IMAGE of Seiji (Hot)]

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