Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey

Chapter 30: Sanemi vs Seiji

[Seiji's POV]

Here's an interesting fact.

I was ten times better at fighting humans than I was demons. If I were to fight against Yoriichi or Muzan, I believe my chances of victory against Yoriichi would be higher.

This was because of two reasons. Firstly, it was because humans could not use spells and they could not manipulate thier flesh on whims. This limitation of humans made my eyes extremely more effective against them compared to demons.

And also because I have spent more than five years fighting against men. It was only recently that I learned to fight against demons. This was a direct effect of not having a demon slayer as a master.

So as Sanemi rushed at me with his sword, I did not feel any pressure. My eyes saw him as less of a threat than the demon I fought last night.

Our swords clashed and produced sparks.

My muscles tensed at the weight of his raw strength. As someone who was older and hence bigger, he was physically stronger than me. But if someone looked closely, they would notice that I was overpowering him.

You might ask how that was possible and the answer lies in the difference between our techniques. To put it bluntly, I was in a completely different realm of mastery over the sword compared to him.

In Kendo, we used wooden swords so pushing against each other using our swords was one of the most important techniques. I knew exactly which muscles to engage and the location of the sword where I should apply my strength.

Sanemi gritted his teeth as a new vein popped in his forehead. His eyes were bloodshot with anger and hatred for the world. He put more strength into his sword, reversing the situation as his overwhelming raw strength overpowered me.

I revealed a small smile.

Another thing I should mention is the difference in our swords. The katana is primarily used as one-handed sword in this world while the odachi is a two-handed sword.

So I calmly put my other hand on the hilt of my sword - using two hands - and in an instant, I overwhelmed him. A small shockwave erupted and I pushed Sanemi back, sending him sliding away.

"You bastard!!" he yelled and charged at me.

But he was stopped on his track when the end of my blade suddenly found his neck. My sword was longer than his, meaning I could cut him into pieces where he could not.

"Hah!!" he roared and knocked down my sword and came charging at me again. I calmly took a single step back and pulled my sword.

He tried to dodge my blade by ducking but as if I could see the future, the tip of my blade was already near his neck again.

He leapt back immediately to collect his thoughts. He did not charge at me afterwards and simply stared at me from a distance.

He slowly walked around me like a predator sizing up his prey. I also walked away from my location, not underestimating him since he was a Hashira.

We walked around each other in a circle, we didn't stay still because going from motion to motion was faster than going from being still to motion.

His muscles tensed, and his grip on his sword tightened. There was also slight twitches in his quad muscles and his arms but he never committed to an action. Each attack hesitated until they ultimately died down before even being executed.

He started sweating while I smiled.

'He has excellent instincts.' I thought to myself. He had attempted close to a hundred attacks during the short time but all have failed.

He could feel instinctively that each attack would be met with failure. He found no openings in me, there was no way to approach and cut me down.

Fighting me was like fighting against your own reflection.

With the help of my eyes, I could read every twitch of your body and predict your attacks and movements. Then I would change my own posture and position to perfectly counter those attacks.

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The closest thing I could compare our current situation was - two boys arguing in the park, trying to find out who could count bigger than the other. One boy said a million and the other said a million plus one. Then again he said a billion and the other boy said a billion plus one. A trillion and a trillion plus one, a quadrillion and then a quadrillion plus one....and so on.

The point was that it was impossible to beat me in this game. No matter how well you plan, I would use those same plans against you. Like how the little boy used what was said to him and only added plus one.

I did not need to plan, I did not need to strategise. I would simply read you and then use your own plan against you.

It must be truly frustrating to fight against me. I wish I never had such an unfortunate fate.

..

..

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[3rd POV]

"I've never seen anything like this before." Kanae, the Flower Hashira commented while gazing at the ongoing standstill. She may not be the one fighting but her incredible eyes allowed her to decipher exactly what was going on.

On the other hand, Giyu remained silent and pondered on the similarity of Seiji's fighting style with Water Breathing. Seiji couldn't be a Water Breathing user because Giyu would know, especially if he was strong enough to be a Hashira.

So he wondered if Seiji had a breathing style that was derived from Water Breathing.

"That boy...." Shinjuro said and narrowed his eyes, "...is quite dangerous."

On the other hand, Uzui merely shrugged. He was not as impressed as his fellow Hashiras were because in his opinion, "It's not flashy at all."

..

"You.." Sanemi said through gritted teeth, "I'll kill you!!"

Then he swung his sword at Seiji even though he was completely out of range. Seji tilted his head in confusion, he predicted the movement but didn't know how to reply to this one.

'Is he stupid? Why did-' !!!!!

Seiji's eyes widened and he leaned to the side, just in time to dodge the wind blade that cut strands of his hair. His eyes could see the movements of the air and even the vibration, but this attack caught him off guard due to how natural it was.

It was like a breeze, natural and not man-made.

*Woosh!*

That was the opening Sanemi had been searching for all this time. The moment he saw it, he took it and came at Seiji like the wind.

"Wind Breathing : First Form!!" He took in huge volumes of air and dashed towards Seiji.

"Dust Whirlwind Cutter!!"

At least this time, Seiji was able to predict that he was going to use his breathing style. The expansion of his lungs, the increased flow of his blood and his heart which roared like an old engine coming to life were all indicators.

Sanemi spoke.

But then Sanemi disappeared from his eyes and instead, what came at him was a horizontal tornado. The wind wrapped around Sanemi and he violently blew forward like a whirlwind.

All of the winds produced were as sharp as blades, ready to mince anything that crossed thier path. Seiji's eyes locked on the Wind Hashira as he came like a green blur of sheer speed and tornado.

"Flame Breathing : Fifth Form." Air turned into flames as they entered his mouth.

"Flame Tiger."

His long sword was wrapped in flames, and a yellow aura clashed against violent green. Flame was not like the wind, it was not violent or rushed at the enemy to destroy them.

Instead, a flame burned bright and hot in its place, ready to destroy anything that dared approach its flickering presence. The heat was a warning, growing more intense the closer you get.

To charge into flames was to charge at certain death.

...

Shinjro dropped his folded arms and stepped forward in shock. His eyes lingered on Seiji as he executed the textbook-perfect fifth form. It lacked the determination, rage and intensity but the movements were the epitome of excellence.

'Who is he?' It was a question that stayed on his rarely sober mind.

...

Sanemi appeared in front of Seiji, he swung his blade horizontally, sending wind blades from every direction. A green wave of energy wrapped around him and put him at the centre of a tornado.

Seiji on the other hand brought his sword in a high guard before performing a series of slashes that created the image of a fiery tiger that dashed towards the windblades.

A shockwave erupted as the two Hashiras met in another clash, this time they both utilized thier breathing styles.

The attacks nullified each other.

"Take this!!" Sanemi said, pushing through his limits and he swung his blade upwards.

Seiji predicted it and took the best course of action. He blocked the blade and used his body weight to resist the upward force. But the swing was powerful enough to send him flying. It looked like a powerful wind had taken him to the sky.

"Wind Breathing : Fourth Form!!" Sanemi yelled and his arm turned into blurs. He released multiple whirlwind slashes from below Seiji.

"Rising Dust Storm!!"

The place was engulfed in dust, blocking the scene of what was happening. Green blades made of wind rushed at Seiji, it was unbelievable how sharp the wind could get.

"Flame Breathing : Fourth Form" Seiji said calmly from above. Then he performed circular slashes that whizzed through the wind blades.

"Blooming Flame Undulation"

He painted the image of a beautiful red flower while blocking every single wind blades that came at him. His movement was elegant and each stroke served a deep purpose, directed by his purple eyes that saw through the world.

As if they were rivals by birth, the fourth forms of both breathing styles perfectly countered each other. Amidst the rising dust, the onlookers only heard the exchange of blows as yellow blade and green blade met in a flurry of attacks.

After multiple exchanges, both Sanemi and Seiji emerged from the smoke at opposite directions. Their eyes were focused as they slid to a stop.

Then they exploded out again.

...

"Wind Breathing : First Form!!"

Sanemi turned into a tornado again. His form was wrapped around by a green swirling tube of violent energy and he burst forth like the wind.

"Dust Whirlwind Cutter!!"

Seiji also grabbed the hilt of his sword with one hand and lowered his centre of gravity. He closed his eyes - his greatest weapon - to focus and control his leg muscles. Then he burst forth with every stregth in his body.

His step was so loud that it sounded like thunder. The force shattered the ground and he turned into lightning.

"Thunder Breathing : First Form!!"

"Thunderclap and Flash!!"

No one expected the boy they thought was a Flame Breathing user to pull out Thunder Breathing. But no one had time to react as the two Hashiras crossed paths and exchanged powerful slash

*BOOOOOM!!!*

..

..

It happened in the span of one second.

The two of them found themselves in the starting place of thier opponent.

Seiji sheathed his sword on his back before turning to look at Sanemi who collapsed right after. His blade snapped in half and there was a wide cut on his chest. It was not deep but blood seeped out of the wound.

The winner was clear.

Seiji Shigan.

..

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[IMAGE]

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Author : This deserve a stone.

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