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Chapter 40

An overwhelming warmth emerges by my side, Tanjiro's eyes full of determination.
A gentle breeze rolls in, and I guide it around us and bury myself steady into the ground, Tanjiro's bright embers swirling through the air.

For a moment, everything stills, and my eyes lock onto the thin, gleaming thread around her throat, then, we charge through.
His sword burned her sashes, slowing her regeneration greatly, the impact of his attacks surprising me as well. I aimed straight for her head, heavily stomping the ground before swinging at her.

She was quick and leaned back to avoid us, the sound of the earth clearly perturbing her focus.
She's sensitive to sound. If I can just cause a big enough impact to make her lose focus for just one more second...!

Sky Breathing : Burning Sky!
All of the embers are drawn and dispersed around, Tanjiro using this to his advantage to create rapid false images of himself, confusing her greatly. She relies on sight as well.

His sword is close to her neck, and in her moment of confusion I draw forth as well, startled when I see the thread snap in two.

"Tch. Even your most impressive techniques are too slow. You're boring."
Without a moment's notice, her sashes strike us flat and knock us back, bouncing on the ground until we drag through the dirt.

I feel the burning pain of the dust and pebbles seeping into my freshly scraped wounds on my face, but nevertheless, I force myself up. Tanjiro over-exerted himself. He's immobilized temporaril from Hinokami Kagura, so it's up to me to keep him alive until he's able to fight again.

I can almost hear his heart pounding with incredible speed, his breaths panicked and rushing to regenerate.

I stand firm, a couple of steps before him.
I won't let us die here.

The woman wastes no time in rushing toward us, taking advantage of Tanjiro's state. Right when she gets close enough, Tanjiro pushes my foot forth and breaks my stance, a burning, bright circle of flames illuminating the ground. Keeping her at bay, Tanjiro quickly inhales and exhales, sweat beading on his forehead. I help us both up to our feet.

There is no time to waste. Even if I'm a half-baked bender, and nowhere close to a master swordswoman like a Hashira, I'm holding my own against an Upper Moon! So whatever I'm doing is working!

Tanjiro and I only share a moment's glance, determined to win and end this battle before more people have to suffer.
Nobody should ever have to bear what we have.

Tanjiro's breaths turn to flames, and he exhales deeply, ready to strike and charging forward.
Now or never.
I raise my sword as high as possible, firmly planting myself into the ground and stabbing the blade clean through, causing a rumble that shook the tiles of the tallest roofs.

Distracted for a moment, the demon halts, and Tanjiro manages to land a strike straight through several of her obis. She was clearly growing more distracted by something, angry and far more vicious than before.

Our strength alone wouldn't be enough. Not with an Upper Moon. But we're adapting. Tanjiro is showing me where to guide my airbending to rise the dust and block her line of sight, and I'm learning to use the cinders he produces to heat up my blade, only making it glow brighter.