Chapter 9: I'm Not Even Close! |
The power system in the world of Demon Slayer is quite different from that of the Naruto world, where shinobi are ranked as Genin, Chunin, and Jonin. Furthermore, Demons and Demon Slayers rely on completely different sets of abilities.
Let us begin with the Demon Slayers, who can be categorized into several conventional levels.
Level One: Mastering the basics of Breathing Techniques—the fundamental art of the sword—and becoming a Demon Slayer.
Level Two: Mastering Total Concentration Breathing. This allows a slayer to temporarily push their physical and mental strength to the limit to deliver a devastating attack. However, as a rule, slayers at this level still fall short of the Twelve Kizuki.
Level Three: Mastering Total Concentration: Constant. As the name suggests, this allows the user to maintain a state of Total Concentration at all times, even while asleep. Simply put, such a Demon Slayer is always at the absolute peak of their capabilities.
The strength of a Demon Slayer at this level is comparable to the six Lower Ranks. Under the influence of Total Concentration: Constant, their power continues to grow day by day until, after several years, they reach the level of a Hashira, capable of easily crushing the weakest of the Twelve Kizuki.
Usually, all Hashira reach this level.
However, an enormous chasm of power exists between the Upper and Lower Ranks, and the top three Upper Moons are particularly exceptional.
The power ratio between ordinary Hashira and the top three Upper Moons is at least three to one. This means that to simply have a chance against an Upper Moon, at least three Hashira must fight together.
There are two more levels that are so rare they require not only extraordinary talent but also a fortunate stroke of luck.
Level Four: The Mark!
A mysterious sign, resembling a scar, tattoo, or birthmark, which significantly expands a Demon Slayer's physical capabilities once activated.
A Demon Slayer with an active Mark can stand against the three weakest Upper Moons but still loses to the three strongest.
For example, to someone like Akaza!
The Upper Rank Three is strong enough to face three Demon Slayers with active Marks at once, and over the past centuries, he has crushed more than a few Hashira!
Moving on.
Level Five: The Transparent World!
This ability allows a Demon Slayer to see the blood flow, joint movements, and heartbeats of living beings, while also vastly accelerating their reaction time and improving perception.
Possessors of this ability can finally maximize their physical potential, perfecting the contraction of every muscle and the movement of every bone in their body.
The strength of a Demon Slayer with the Transparent World unlocked approaches that of the Upper Rank Three, Akaza!
In a future without Yeruashi, even Tanjiro with the Transparent World and the Water Hashira Tomioka with his Mark would be unable to defeat Akaza; the demon would essentially commit suicide after regaining his will.
Such is the power of the Upper Rank Three!
But...
Right now, Akaza was losing!
That was the truth.
He was losing to Makomo!
Had they met ten minutes ago, Makomo might not have been able to gain the upper hand, but she had become far more skilled in her swordsmanship thanks to her recent victory over the previous demon.
The young swordswoman was not just becoming stronger; she was gradually forging her own unique art of the blade.
Boom!
The ground shuddered.
Makomo's sword collided once more with Akaza's fist, sparking an explosion of sound as the surrounding earth webbed with countless cracks.
The blue radiance of her blade attained a staggering sharpness, seeming capable of cleaving through anything. With a roar, it sliced Akaza's fist in half along the bone, tearing upward all the way to his shoulder!
"Ha... ha-ha-ha... amazing!" The demon seemed to feel no pain at all, even as his arm was split in two. On the contrary, Akaza's excitement only intensified. "I feel no Breathing Technique in your attacks, only pure swordsmanship! I never thought it was possible to reach such heights by training the art of the sword alone!"
During his centuries as a demon, Akaza had encountered many masters of the blade of various kinds, including Hashira, and all of them utilized Breathing Techniques.
But this girl was fundamentally different from any master the Upper Moon had ever known...
Because she used no Breathing Technique at all!
It was pure... no, it was flawless swordsmanship.
It was difficult to even measure how many steps she had surpassed any known master who relied on breathing if one considered only the technical skill of the blade!
Simple sword strikes without the empowerment of breath.
Flawless and mesmerizing slashes that perfectly followed the natural laws of the world, repeatedly generating an azure glow that was as beautiful as it was lethal!
"Breathing Technique? This is the first I've heard of it. My teacher didn't instruct me in any breathing styles..." Makomo said with utter calm, almost thoughtfully, as she continued to meet Akaza's fists with her blade, shredding his hands and arms into pieces time and again.
However, the regeneration of an Upper Moon was many times superior to that of the ordinary demon she had crushed earlier. It was so potent that Akaza needed only a heartbeat to restore a destroyed limb.
"You have a teacher? I didn't know the path of pure swordsmanship still existed in this world! But I don't think anyone could possibly equal your skill with a blade..."
"Praiseworthy, truly praiseworthy to surpass your own teacher at such a young age!"
As he spoke, the demon never ceased his fierce barrage of punches against the lapis lazuli sword, creating powerful shockwaves with every motion.
By this point, Makomo's swordsmanship was doing more than just exciting Akaza; it was making him think.
The demon was already fighting at nearly full capacity. Yet even the perfect symbiosis of his brutal attacks and his Blood Demon Art failed to grant him even the slightest advantage!
Never before, since becoming an Upper Moon, had any Demon Slayer managed to suppress him to such a degree!
Perhaps only the Upper Rank Two, Doma, who stood a step above him, could manage such a feat!
Akaza didn't want to admit it, but based on what she had shown, Makomo was stronger than him!
Right now, he wasn't just losing; he would likely be on the brink of death if the swordswoman possessed a Nichirin Sword specifically designed to kill demons!
Somewhere at the level of the second Upper Moon, but weaker than the first—that was Makomo's current level, matching Yeruashi's earlier assessment.
That was precisely why he had said there was only a handful of people in the entire world stronger than her.
"..." The girl's lapis blade lunged forward as before in response to the demon's words, but her voice and gaze wavered slightly.
In that moment, a memory of Yeruashi's effortless strike with a broken wooden sword flashed before her eyes, followed by the image of the dark abyss it had carved.
'No.'
'I'm not even... close to being on my teacher's level!'