In the serene and tranquil courtyard, the surroundings suddenly transformed as if a hurricane had swept through, causing the flowers, plants, and trees to sway, the water under a small bridge to ripple, and the entire cozy ambiance to take on a hint of danger.
As Sanemi raised his Nichirin Sword and pointed it at Riezel, the swirling wind around him went berserk, louder and more forceful than when Riezel used 'Ariel', causing the stones scattered on the ground to roll one after another.
Every Hashira watched Sanemi in this state, mostly indifferent except for Kyoujurou. Clearly, Sanemi's provocation intrigued them, and they were eager to see the outcome.
"Hey, aren't you going to draw your sword?!" Sanemi shouted impatiently.
However, Riezel just calmly looked at him, appearing completely defenseless, not even a shadow of a weapon visible on him.
Seeing this, veins bulged on Sanemi's forehead, anger evident on his face as if he felt insulted.
"Since you won't draw your sword, then don't blame me if you die!"
With those words, Sanemi finally moved.
*BOOM!*
"Stop, Shinazugawa!" Kyoujurou exclaimed hastily.
He couldn't just stand by and watch his friend being attacked by his own comrade.
However, as he was about to rush forward, he was suddenly held back by someone.
"You stay here and watch, Rengoku."
Obanai appeared behind Kyoujurou, one hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
As Obanai held Kyoujurou back, the tornado-like gust already reached Riezel, sending his kimono fluttering wildly.
Sanemi, in the tornado, clearly showed no mercy as his Nichirin Sword violently cut through the air, aiming squarely at Riezel's chest.
His attack was undeniably powerful, not inferior to Kyoujurou's; instead, it was even faster, seemingly capable of slicing through the entire courtyard.
With just this one attack, it was evident that Wind Hashira Shinazugawa Sanemi was no less powerful than Flame Hashira Rengoku Kyoujurou.
However—
*DING!*
As the sound of a clear, bell-like tone resounded, Sanemi's slash halted, his sword froze mid-air, and the howling wind dissipated.
Sanemi appeared in front of Riezel, devoid of any momentum.
"What?" Sanemi's complexion suddenly changed.
"Impossible!"
Seeing this, the other Hashira were equally shocked, unable to believe their eyes.
Riezel stood calmly, his kimono finally settling down after being ruffled by the wind. He was unscathed, not even flinching, just extending a hand in Sanemi's direction.
However, firmly gripped between Riezel's two fingers was a blade.
It was the blade of Sanemi's sword.
"You bastard!" Sanemi shouted, his eyes filled with disbelief. 'He actually stopped my slash with just two fingers? Are you fucking kidding me?!'
"Satisfied?"
Riezel finally spoke, his expression still calm.
"Though I don't think I need to prove anything to you lot, being bothered by you troublemakers is quite annoying. Consider this as a favor returned." Riezel continued calmly, releasing his fingers from Sanemi's sword.
*BANG!*
The next moment, with a thunderous explosion, Sanemi was kicked away.
With a speed that caught everyone off guard, Riezel kicked Sanemi like a flash, causing the Wind Hashira to fly out even faster than when he charged at Riezel, crashing into a rock in the courtyard, shattering it.
"Shinazugawa!"
Many Hashira who witnessed this scene cried out in shock.
Some even directly attacked Riezel.
*Swish!*
*Swish!*
Two figures simultaneously cut through the air, appearing on Riezel's left and right.
"Sound Breathing - First Form - Roar!"
Tengen drew two swords from his back, his muscular arms bulging with immense strength, before bringing down two crimson-hilted swords, creating a tremendous roar with astonishing power.
"Serpent Breathing - First Form - Winding Serpent Slash!"
Obanai twisted his body in mid-air, contorting at an unbelievable angle, holding a curved serpent-shaped and double-edged sword. As he twisted and swung, it seemed like a living snake, slashing out a serpent-shaped slash from the side toward Riezel.
As the two Hashira launched their attacks simultaneously, both in terms of momentum and aura, they were truly world-shaking.
Tengen and Obanai were like two contrasting individuals, one attacking in a flashy manner, the other in a stealthy manner, directly blocking all of Riezel's retreat paths.
However, Riezel's response left everyone dumbfounded.
He stood there motionless, just flicking the sleeve of his kimono.
*Whoosh!*
With just that flick, it stirred up tremendous gusts of wind and impact, sending both Hashira flying with a loud howl.
In the next instant, Riezel flipped his hand, grabbed two small stones blown over by the gust of wind in front of him, and with a flick of his fingers, launched the stones like bullets.
*BANG!*
*BANG!*
Accompanied by two muffled sounds, the stone bullets hit the chests of the flying Tengen and Obanai, causing them to fall to the ground in pain.
"..."
In an instant, the entire courtyard suddenly fell silent.
Every Hashira looked at Tengen and Obanai writhing on the ground in pain, then at Sanemi struggling amidst the rubble, speechless.
"He beat three Hashira so easily?" Mitsuri couldn't help but cover her mouth in shock.
"Hmm... Amitabha..." Gyoumei clasped his hands together in prayer, tears no longer streaming down his face.
"My..." Shinobu glanced deeply at Riezel, her smile unchanged.
Even Giyuu and Muichirou, who had been silently observing from the sidelines, felt a shiver down their spines, their gaze filled with solemnity as they looked at Riezel.
Only Kyoujurou, as he stopped his movements, let out a sigh.
"Hahh... I couldn't stop them after all..."
Indeed, he knew from the beginning that the outcome would turn out like this.
He wasn't kidding; he had seen with his own eyes Riezel's strength and how he faced off against the Upper Three, Akaza.
How could he not know where Riezel's strength lies?
When facing Akaza, he could distinctly feel he wasn't Akaza's match at all.
No doubt, Akaza was stronger than him—or rather, Akaza was stronger than every Hashira currently, and this was something he could confirm without a doubt.
However, even with such strength, Akaza was defeated with just one slash from Riezel.
In such a case, according to logic, if he faced off against Riezel, he wouldn't be able to withstand even one slash from Riezel at all.
Among the current Hashira, except for one person who made Kyoujurou feel distinctly inferior, the rest of the Hashira were at best on par with him, and some of them were clearly weaker.
Wind Hashira Shinazugawa Sanemi, Serpent Hashira Iguro Obanai, and Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen, while their strengths were not weak and were among the top-ranking Hashira, individually, Kyoujurou didn't think he was weaker than any of them.
According to this fact, even if those three teamed up, how could they possibly deal with Riezel?
At most, Riezel would just turn one slash into three slash.
Kyoujurou wanted to stop them, not only because he didn't want to see Riezel being harassed by the Hashira but also because he didn't want them to embarrass themselves further.
Unfortunately, he couldn't do it.
In the end, this was their own fault.
Of course, the three Hashira who had fallen to such humiliation were definitely not willing to give up.
"You bastard!"
"This isn't pleasant at all..."
"Tch..."
Sanemi, Tengen, and Obanai stood up successively, glaring angrily at Riezel.
Responding to their glares, Riezel simply stated calmly.
"Just give up. You can't possibly match me without using the Mark, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and the Transparent World."
His words stunned every Hashira.
"Mark?"
"Bright Red Nichirin Sword?"
"Transparent World?"
Every Hashira furrowed their brows tightly, looking at each other in blank dismay, seemingly ignorant of what Riezel was talking about.
Riezel didn't explain either, merely turning his gaze toward the mansion.
"You've also seen enough, can you come out now?"
With Riezel's words, every Hashira quickly brushed aside what he had just said. One after another, they looked toward the direction of the mansion, seemingly realizing something.
Soon, a voice came from inside.
"I'm sorry, I meant no harm. I just wanted to see what the legendary Sun Breathing was like, but unfortunately, couldn't fulfill my wish."
Strangely, the voice gave a light and airy feeling, calm and gentle, making one feel refreshed.
As the voice echoed, a man supported by someone emerged from the mansion and stepped onto the veranda leading to the courtyard.
""Master!""
Seeing this man, all the Hashira present, whether it was the previously arrogant Wind Hashira and Serpent Hashira, or the silent Water Hashira and Mist Hashira, all kneeled on one knee, bowing their heads.
Without a doubt, this was the highest courtesy and the utmost respect.
Riezel became the only one standing in the courtyard, only his eyes showing a slight tremor as he stared at the man.
No choice.
After all, the appearance of this man was truly out of the ordinary.
Dressed appropriately, elegant and noble in posture, one could tell he was someone of high status, and also a benevolent one.
Yet, despite being such a benevolent leader, the upper part of his face was severely disfigured, his eyes seemed to have already lost sight, and there was a sense of illness emanating from his body, making him look extremely frail.
With just one glance, Riezel could see it—this man, his time was running out.