Hunter x Hunter: Sun Breathing Technique

Chapter 283 283: Roy VS Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni X Kaido

Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes widened in fury!

Stubborn and hot-tempered, he refused to believe it and tilted his head back to look at the sky once more...

That ink-black thin line seemed to transcend the boundaries of space and time, carrying endless, scorching heat and unparalleled sharpness as it plunged into his bloodshot, stubbornly fierce eyes for a second time. Suddenly...

It forced an unwilling cry of pain from him, making him forcefully shut his eyes again!

Two trails of bloody tears slowly flowed down from the corners of Sanemi Shinazugawa's eyes. The man, who had now returned home and was living with his younger brother Genya, covered his eyes and fell to his knees with a heavy thud. Behind him was Genya, who had rushed over and caught him in a tight embrace.

"Nii-san, don't look anymore..."

"That is not a realm we can reach."

"Have you forgotten that battle with Lord Eiichiro?"

That great sword wreathed in flames that pierced through the entire courtyard... according to the people of the Kakushi, it was absolutely... something only a god could do!

Humans are insignificant, yet they are also great... "Namu Amida Butsu, praise the sun..."

"What an ordinary yet brutal strike!"

Perhaps it was because his eyes had long been blind, or perhaps it was because his control and perception of himself had grown increasingly stronger after opening his Aura Nodes.

In front of that ancient temple from the past, Gyomei Himejima sat with his Nichirin Sword pressed beneath him, his hands clasped together as he looked up at the sky. The Nen aura around his body was completely concealed, not revealing the slightest trace. After undergoing two rounds of training, he had finally learned [Zetsu], following Kyojuro Rengoku, who was the first to convert.

Thus, under the condition of completely concealing his own Nen aura,

he was like a duckweed drifting and flowing through the world, his perception of everything around him becoming extremely acute!

Now, accompanied by this vertical slash from Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni,

Gyomei Himejima's breathing immediately hitched. Within his heart, he saw a cluster of fire—a pure, scorching, overbearing fire that seemed capable of devouring everything through its extreme heat!

Compared to Kyojuro Rengoku's fire,

even though the Flame Hashira was no longer what he used to be, having grown countless times stronger than before, it paled in comparison, leaving him completely out of his league!

*Slash!*

Fast was slow, and slow was fast. Fast and slow depended on each other, and just like Kyoka Suigetsu, it was extremely deceptive to the eyes.

At this moment, facing the ink-black thin line, Roy felt as if his hands and feet had been forcefully bound, rendering him completely unable to move. In just an instant, he lost the concept of "speed" and fell into this terrifying black blade light that contained residual embers...

*Pop!*

It sounded as if something had shattered.

The thin line drew closer.

The boy's fiery red long hair flew upwards as he stared blankly. Amidst the hazy blade light, he seemed to see a person... a man from the past who was not yet bald, his black hair tied into a samurai topknot at the crown of his head.

With his back to Roy, the man stood bare-chested in a small courtyard. One Soul Reaper after another charged at him, only for him to slice open their chests, chop off their limbs, pierce their hearts, and sever their heads with strike after strike. Beneath his feet, consequently...

The pile of corpses grew higher and higher...

For ten years, he fought.

For a hundred years, he fought.

For five hundred years, he was still fighting.

At a certain point in time, Roy even saw a familiar face fall under his blade. That person was also the most formidable among the many who had fallen by the man's hand. Right from the start, he had slashed a massive cross-shaped wound across the man's face. With white hair and golden eyes, wielding a rapier... it seemed to be Sasakibe Chōjirō, the one who now resided in the First Division, serving specifically as the Lieutenant!

"Eijisai!"

"Chōjirō!"

Blood spurted out... For a thousand years, the man was still fighting. Only this time, he held back, gaining a fiercely loyal subordinate who would follow him for nearly a millennium into the future.

Then, one thousand two hundred years, one thousand five hundred years, two thousand years... Time flew by, and the world underwent drastic changes, yet the man's original intention for fighting remained unchanged.

The murderous aura around him grew denser, his Spiritual Pressure grew stronger, and his Kido became more refined. When clashing with others, even without swinging his sword, he could pulverize a person into fine powder with just his bare fists and a single move of [Sokotsu]...

A long, weathered, and majestic voice subsequently echoed—

"Boy, this strike contains two thousand years of effort. Can you block it?"

At that moment, Roy instantly snapped back to reality, suddenly realizing that what he had just seen was not an illusion. It was the pinnacle of sword technique forged through two thousand years of life-and-death tempering, narrating to him the hardships and difficulties within!

Just as no one could succeed casually.

Talent could only be called talent when it was realized... Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni wielded the oldest fire-type Zanpakuto. Rather than saying he called out the blade's true name, it was more accurate to say... it was precisely because it valued his indomitable perseverance, his continuous persistence, his ability to endure loneliness, and his capacity to withstand pain, that Ryujin Jakka actively chose him!

Therefore,

"Block it?"

"The Captain-Commander truly overestimates me."

*Slash!* The vertical strike abruptly sank into the center of Roy's brow, directly cleaving him in half right down the middle!

As his mouth split open, he smiled and said, "When it comes down to it, I'm just a half-baked amateur who has been practicing the sword for less than two years."

His body then fell straight down, still gripping [Solar Eclipse]!

Hmm?! Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni frowned. At a certain moment, he suddenly drew his sword and swept it horizontally behind his back.

*Clang!* The crisp sound of clashing metal rang out...

A blade wrapped in black embers and a blade burning with surging, fierce flames abruptly collided. What scattered were Spiritual Pressure and Nen aura exploding like fireworks!

"You cunning boy, what kind of [Kido] is this?!"

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni narrowed his eyes and looked behind him.

The boy who had just been cleaved in half by his strike had, at some unknown point, bizarrely appeared behind him. With an identical vertical slash, he aimed straight for the center of his back!

Only, he hadn't expected that,

just like Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's vertical slash, Roy's identical vertical slash also failed to hit its target!

*Hum!* A smear of scarlet surfaced in the depths of the boy's eyes. Within them, three ink-black tomoe slowly spun. Reflected in Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's eyes, it intangibly brought him an oppressive feeling of being trapped in the netherworld!

Sharingan activated, Genjutsu broken... As Roy clashed blades with Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, he had long anticipated that the "feigned death" Genjutsu he created wouldn't be able to fool a powerhouse of this caliber. Just like how Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu failed to hypnotize the other party, it was shattered by a casual pulse of his Spiritual Pressure...

Roy blinked and said, "I told you from the very beginning, old man, everything is nothing but... Kyoka Suigetsu..."

As his words fell, he dropped his shoulder and delivered a backhanded upward slash. Accompanied by his Nen aura pouring out in full force, it instantly turned red, completely transforming into [Scorching True Intent].

The boy said lightly, "[Ken · Zanka no Tachi]!"

An identical strike sliced open the night sky, condensing into an ink-black thin line that slashed diagonally towards Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni... *Whoosh!* The high temperature of nearly fifty thousand degrees had already surpassed his former self, crossing the surface of the sun and entering the photosphere.

It closed in straight for Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's face.

The old man's grizzled beard, meticulously braided into a twist and hanging down his front, visibly paused in sheer surprise. When he recovered, he looked deeply at Roy, a smear of unprecedented, scorching divine light suddenly erupting from the depths of his aged eyes!

'Ken... Zanka no Tachi...' Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni carefully savored this upward slash from Roy. In the 0.0001 seconds before the strike was about to hit his chest,

the old man phantom-like leveled his blade, blocking Roy's strike once again with pinpoint precision.

Then, the veins on his right arm bulged. Carrying peerless Spiritual Pressure, he fiercely pressed down against Roy and coldly snorted, "Boy, you must know... those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die!"

"A swordsman must... forge his own path. That is the true way!"

*Clang!* Another crisp sound of clashing metal rang out.

The immense power transmitted through the blade rushed over abruptly, like a mighty river bursting its banks!

Roy only felt his forearm go numb as the webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly split open. He nearly failed to hold onto [Solar Eclipse]. His body then... like a cannonball just fired from a barrel, couldn't even hold on for a single breath. On the spot,

he was blasted by Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's inhuman strength, sent hurtling rapidly towards the surface of the earth!

It was visible to the naked eye,

the boy, wreathed in flames, was like a shooting star dragging a long tail of fire, tearing through the night sky and striking straight for the ground...

*Boom!*

With a loud crash,

he plummeted beneath the horizon,

causing the earth itself to seemingly tremble along with it.

It frightened many people into mistakenly believing it was an earthquake, sending them fleeing in panic in all directions!

"Namu Amida Butsu, I cannot see... I cannot see through it..."

As the Buddhist chant rose, the Nichirin Sword beneath Gyomei Himejima jumped slightly, only to be heavily pressed down again by the monk's rear, becoming obedient once more... This strongest Hashira in history, the number one person after Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Kokushibo successively left the Demon Slayer Corps,

now had his Aura Nodes opened and Nen aura enveloping his body. His strength had surpassed his original self by an unknown magnitude.

Now, as his gaze lingered between the sky and the ground, shifting back and forth, it was so hazy that he could no longer see the situation clearly, unable to distinguish who was who...

"Is the one who fell down Lord Eiichiro?"

Unease, restlessness, and anxiety... permeated every corner of the world.

Ubuyashiki Kagaya held Amane Ubuyashiki's arm, accompanied by the children Kanata, Kuina, and Kiriya. He looked up at the sky anxiously, then occasionally glanced at the ground. At a certain moment, waiting only for the nearest Kyojuro Rengoku to receive the Kasugai Crow's message and rush over, he hurriedly asked.

Kyojuro Rengoku, with a white haori draped over his back, remained silent for a moment before answering truthfully, "Reporting to the Master, this is not a battle I can comprehend. As for who exactly fell, I am also unsure."

The youngest, Kiriya, usually idolized Roy the most. He practiced his sword day and night, dreaming of the day he could receive personal guidance from Roy. Hearing this, he couldn't hold back his temper and said:

"Lord Kyojuro, can't you see clearly either?"

"It's too fast, too bright, and far too sharp." Kyojuro Rengoku slowly shook his head. Taking another look, he took a deep breath and said, "The only thing I can be certain of is that whether it is Lord Eiichiro or the one fighting him, they have both transcended the realm of ordinary swordsmen!"

The more he studied [Nen Aura], the more he understood the terror of divine power, and the more he realized what it meant that there was always someone better, and a sky beyond the sky!

He wasn't the only one who thought this way.

Muichiro Tokito, Sanemi Shinazugawa, Obanai Iguro, Tengen Uzui... Anyone whose Aura Nodes had been opened by Roy, becoming believers personally officially accepted by him, shared the exact same thought—

They felt ashamed of their former narrow-mindedness, while simultaneously developing a deep curiosity and yearning for that "sky" beyond the sky!

"Lord Eiichiro will not fall!"

"I believe in him."

"He can even kill Muzan Kibutsuji!"

"There is no swordsman more formidable than him!"

Kiriya raised his fist, whether to cheer himself up or to cheer Roy on... Seeing this, Kyojuro Rengoku hesitated to speak, very much wanting to tell the boy... compared to these two in the sky, Muzan Kibutsuji wasn't even fit to shine their shoes.

The words reached his lips, but the perceptive Ubuyashiki Kagaya noticed and shook his head to stop him!

The man's curse was completely gone, and from then on, he would live a happy and fulfilling life with his family. He had no other desires in this life. Carrying infinite gratitude towards Roy every day, he smiled warmly and said, "There is no need to dwell on who fell and who didn't..."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya opened his light-colored eyes and looked deeply at the sky, at the figure standing tall beneath the moon, and said, "Look closely. The other party did not pursue, nor do they show the slightest intention of delivering a finishing blow. This means there is no hostility between them. They are not enemies. Perhaps even..."

Ubuyashiki Kagaya narrowed his eyes. "I suspect that Lord Eiichiro knows the other party. Perhaps... he might also be a Divine Envoy from the Church's main headquarters."

"As expected of the Master!" Kyojuro Rengoku paused, suddenly realizing the truth, his eyes visibly brightening!

Another Divine Envoy... Didn't that mean the Church was far more powerful and mysterious than he had imagined?!

"Praise the sun!" A sudden phrase echoed through the Ubuyashiki clan's estate, followed by... more devout prayers and... well-wishes!

"Ugh—"

Pain... Heart-wrenching agony seemed to materialize at this moment.

On the surface,

within a remote and gloomy forest,

a deep, human-shaped crater of unknown depth had been abruptly smashed open!

Through the moonlight, it was faintly visible,

a hand suddenly clawed through the dirt and reached out.

Following that... was Roy, revealing his face, lying at the bottom of the pit covered in dirt, the corners of his mouth twitching incessantly!

Nine thousand points... which meant—ninety strikes!

'And that was only two strikes.'

'I've already broken eight ribs.'

'The strongest Soul Reaper in a thousand years truly lives up to his name!'

The system prompt chimed loudly...

Enduring the severe pain, Roy scrambled out of the crater in a sorry state. With a leap, he bounded onto the surface. Taking a deep breath, his abruptly flattened chest slowly bulged outward as Nen aura gathered. In less than three breaths, it instantly recovered to its original state.

Even his internal organs, which had been injured by the shockwave, returned to their proper positions and resumed their functions.

At this moment, the upgraded [Rebirth from a Drop of Blood], based on Muzan, displayed immense utility!

*Hum!* A hazy mass of green Nen aura tightly enveloped the boy from the inside out, seeking out every injury on his body to repair on the spot.

High in the sky,

beneath the bright moon,

Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, bearing the moonlight on his back, looked down. His grizzled eyebrows twitched imperceptibly as he said in astonishment:

"Kaido?"

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