Chapter 214: Type 13
"Did we... did we do it...!?"
Although the scene where Reiger decapitated Kibutsuji Muzan took place within the still-collapsing throne room, Tamayo and Yushirou, who had been focusing on this battle and unwilling to retreat despite bleeding heavily, saw it clearly.
Protecting Tamayo among the various debris, Yushirou pulled her and together they jumped down from the collapsing throne, watching this scene and exclaiming with joy.
However, Tamayo was not as optimistic as Yushirou.
"No! Not yet!"
Tamayo still stared intently at Kibutsuji Muzan.
No one knew Kibutsuji Muzan better than she did, and no one was more aware of how greatly he feared death.
Such a man would surely not die just from being decapitated.
Demons who did not die after their heads were severed by Sun Wheel Blades existed, and Akaza from the Upper Rank Three was one example.
Breaking through limits—only a few demons with substantial strength could use their immense willpower at the brink of death to surpass a demon’s limits, allowing their necks to no longer be their weakness.
Such an ability was undoubtedly within Kibutsuji Muzan’s reach.
As expected...
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
The head that Reiger had chopped off did not turn to ash right then, but instead, as it flew into the air, it transformed into a gigantic demonic head and lunged at Reiger.
As the founder of demons who had lived for a thousand years, Kibutsuji Muzan possessed transformation abilities far superior to all other demons, not only perfectly mimicking others but also mutating into a myriad of bizarre limbs and bodies, unpredictable and eerily versatile.
Turning his arms into thorn whips was one manifestation of this ability. During the feudal era, he managed to escape Yoriichi Tsukiguni’s execution by exploding and splitting himself, thanks to this ability.
Now, he transformed his head into such a ferocious demonic head and lunged at Reiger in an extremely sudden attack, which could catch someone off guard and fatally bite them before they could react.
Luckily, Reiger was no ordinary person.
"Sun Breathing·Third Form·Fierce Sun Red Mirror."
The divine blade, radiating with high temperatures, drew an ’∞’ in its path and delivered a symmetrically sharp slashing attack at the demonic head rushing toward him.
"Spurt!" "Spurt!"
Two slicing sounds were heard, and the giant demonic head, split evenly by the two flaming slashes, turned to ash and vanished.
From the ashes, the head of Kibutsuji Muzan flew out somewhat awkwardly back to its body, reattaching to the neck.
"Sssss..."
Amid sounds like steaming, smoke started to emerge from the severed junction between Kibutsuji Muzan’s head and neck, seemingly preparing to regenerate.
However, although his neck injuries had regenerated in an instant when he was slashed by the Pillars previously, this time, they did not heal.
"Tch...!"
Kibutsuji Muzan uttered an agitated noise.
He had already realized that Reiger’s slash, like Tsukiguni Yoriichi’s Sun Blade, had the effect of delaying regeneration.
With Kibutsuji Muzan’s regenerative abilities, ordinary or even above-average Sun Blades could slash him, and he could regenerate immediately. However, even the most damaging Sun Blade wielded by others was almost negligible in front of him, the progenitor of demons.
Thus, Kibutsuji Muzan was so desperate to find the Blue Spider Lily because his only weakness was indeed sunlight; all else was trivial to him as a demonic progenitor.
Whether it was the Sun Blade or being decapitated by the Sun Wheel Blade, none could truly kill him, nor even inflict any significant damage.
However, Tsukiguni Yoriichi’s Sun Blade was an exception.
The swordsman skilled in Sun Breathing, his Sun Blade could emit destructive powers equivalent to sunlight, which even Kibutsuji Muzan, whose only weakness was sunlight, could not ignore.
Therefore, the injuries that Tsukiguni Yoriichi inflicted on Kibutsuji Muzan during the Warring States period had not fully healed even after hundreds of years, until recently, when Kibutsuji Muzan devoured thousands of people in one go and significantly increased his power; only then did those injuries finally heal.
Yet under such circumstances, Reiger’s strikes brought damage to Kibutsuji Muzan equivalent to, if not greater than, Tsukiguni Yoriichi’s Sun Blade.
Those injuries could not regenerate shortly even with Kibutsuji Muzan’s current power; otherwise, he wouldn’t have previously hidden inside the throne to buy time.
For Reiger, any attack from Kibutsuji Muzan was lethal, whether it was the stinger whip, tube whip, or the shock waves of Blood Demon Art. Even a simple graze would be too much for a mere human body to withstand, either causing cellular destruction or completely disrupting the nervous system, leading to death.
But for Kibutsuji Muzan, Reiger’s attacks were equally fatal.
Despite lacking a Sun Blade, Reiger’s slashes could nearly nullify his regenerative capabilities in a short time—a feat that should have been impossible.
"Is it because of that blade?"
Kibutsuji Muzan realized that the blade in Reiger’s hand was no ordinary weapon.
Indeed, as a first-class special armament called the Hermit, the blade concentrated an immensely dense solar energy, sufficient to rival the effect of a Sun Blade and even capable of melting steel. This allowed Reiger to easily sever Kibutsuji Muzan’s indestructible stinger and tube whips, and even effortlessly slice through the diamond-hard scales of Upper Rank Five, Gyokko.
However, the real reason Kibutsuji Muzan’s regeneration faltered was Reiger’s skill—[Sun Wheel Pioneer].
It produced a counteracting effect against beings with evil attributes, nullifying the racial advantages of such creatures as "demons" when facing Reiger.
Kibutsuji Muzan did not realize all this, still thinking that Reiger could inflict such grievous harm solely because of the special Sun Wheel Blade.
"I must destroy that blade!"
A fierce determination flashed in Kibutsuji Muzan’s eyes.
He would not allow a weapon that could counter him to exist in this world.
Now, his neck hadn’t regenerated, nor had his bisected arms; his body was covered with sword wounds of blazing flames, leaving him only able to wield his tube whip in combat.
Thus, Kibutsuji Muzan resorted to another type of Blood Demon Art.
"Black Blood Thorns!"
Instantly, numerous pitch-black thorns extended from Kibutsuji Muzan’s severed arm, howling as they attacked Reiger.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom—"
Where the black thorns passed, all debris in their way was penetrated, exploding on the spot, creating a flurry of flying rocks and dirt in midair.
Suspended in midair, Reiger was free-falling according to gravity while watching the rain of thorns approaching like a black tide, his eyes flickering.
"Sun Breathing Eleventh Form: Halo Dragon Head Dance!"
Once again, Reiger transformed into a flying fire dragon, charging forward.
The fire dragon passed through the rain of black thorns, burning everything along its path, turning all the black thorns to ashes.
From a distance, the fire dragon enveloped in fierce flames danced in front of collapsing buildings, first burning the black thorns, then breaking through numerous debris and flying rocks, and straight after, it opened its blazing jaws wide, swallowing towards Kibutsuji Muzan.
Kibutsuji Muzan was not frightened but delighted instead.
"Now is the moment!"
An impact wave appeared.
Accompanied by lightning and thunder, as well as hurricanes and explosions, the indiscriminate bombing created an impact wave centered on Kibutsuji Muzan for the second time, destroying everything around.
The collapsing throne was directly smashed by this impact wave, turning into complete rubble and crashing to the ground.
The fire dragon lunging at Kibutsuji Muzan was also annihilated by the impact wave, starting from the dragon’s head, the flames were blasted away inch by inch, leaving only insignificant sparks in the end.
Reiger, within the fire dragon, was blown away by the hurricane and impact.
"Die!"
Kibutsuji Muzan’s body swelled up, continuously growing flesh and tumors, eventually transforming into a giant baby that punched towards Reiger.
This punch, like a falling meteor, created a sonic boom and storm at the moment of impact, causing the front of the fist to burn up due to intense friction with the air.
In front of this punch, Reiger’s tiny figure was like the Monkey King about to be suppressed by Buddha’s Mount Sumeru, being pressed towards the ground.
However, there was no trace of panic in Reiger’s eyes; he even closed his eyes.
"Sun Breathing has a total of thirteen sword forms."
In his ears, the voice he had heard in his dreams floated lightly.
It was the voice of the Swordsman who had taught him Sun Breathing.
This was what the Swordsman repeated incessantly while demonstrating Sun Breathing.
There were a total of thirteen sword forms for Sun Breathing, a detail that the other party had emphasized deliberately.
However, in his dreams, this solar spirit-like Swordsman had never used the thirteenth sword form but would cycle through the twelve forms incessantly, without a break.
"Round Dance," "Blade of Heaven’s Azure," "Fierce Sun Red Mirror," "Phantom Sun Rainbow," "Fire Train," "Bone-Burning Sun," "Brilliant Sun Thrust," "Flying Wheel Yang Flame," "Slanting Sun Turnabout," "Glory’s Blaze," "Halo Dragon Head Dance," "Flame Dance"—"
The opponent continually practiced these twelve forms from the beginning to the end, and the thirteenth form was never seen.
Reiger, well acquainted with the original work, naturally knew why.
Because the thirteenth sword form was actually hidden within those twelve forms.
"Sun Breathing·First Form·Round Dance."
"Sun Breathing·Twelve Forms·Flame Dance."
"The pronunciations of Sun Breathing’s first and last forms are the same."
That is to say, the first and the twelfth forms could actually be linked together.
"Using the twelve sword forms of Sun Breathing in a cycle forms a loop, making up the thirteenth form of Sun Breathing."
This sword form was what Tsukiguni Yoriichi had realized spontaneously after encountering Kibutsuji Muzan, instantly inflicting severe injuries on him.
"————"
Reiger opened his eyes.
A sun-like blaze appeared on him.
Endless brilliance emanated from Reiger at that moment, transforming him into a genuine sun.
Then, the sun ascended, streaking towards the giant baby who had punched at him.
"Boom!"
As the sun collided with the giant baby’s fist, a deafening roar erupted.
There was not even a moment of deadlock between them, the giant baby’s fist and arm disintegrated under the power of the sun, turning to ash and vanishing.
Countless fiery slashes burst forth within the sun, cutting through the giant baby’s fist, arm, and then through its body, causing it to collapse, disintegrate, and dissipate on the spot.
Subsequently, the fiery slashes, like the rising morning sun, reached the center of the giant baby’s collapsing body.
There, with a ferocious expression still on his face, Kibutsuji Muzan, covered in wounds, hadn’t even realized what had happened.
"Pfft—"
The numerous fiery slashes instantly landed on him, chopping off his head once more, and thoroughly burning his entire body to ashes.