[center][h2][b][color=f7941d]Rengoku Hinotora[/color][/b][/h2][/center] [hr] [sup][i]At the Daikaku Shrine...[/i][/sup] [@13org] The timely arrival of Daikaku Koshin (and she suddenly realized he had the same surname as the Shrine's namesake; coincidence?) made Hinotora let out a small sigh of relief, as she nodded and passed the barrier demon over into his care. Straightening up, as Koshin unsheathed his blade and began tending to the demon with a donation of his blood, Hinotora nodded, offering a lopsided smile. [color=f7941d]"Thanks for the initiative. I'd have offered some of my own blood, but I'm actually kinda poisonous to demons, so..."[/color] Shrugging, she offered a final nod and half-turned to go.[color=f7941d] "Wish me luck, heh... We're all going to need it. Oh, and uh... sorry about the trees."[/color] And then the fire in her veins was surging through her limbs anew again, sending Hinotora catapulting up onto the wall of the Shrine. Jogging lightly atop the wall with deceptive relaxation, Hinotora took a moment of relative pause to consider the task before her. The opposition, her assets, the feasibility of her goals, even the damn prophesy. She weighed every factor with a focus more intense than she felt she'd ever regarded anything in her life before. An Upper Moon was not to be trifled with lightly. The Muzan generation of them had remained largely untouched until the advent of the Demon Slayer Marks, and while -yes- those made a difference, they weren't necessarily a guarantee. Especially given that the post-Muzan Uppers had gained the ability to not die when they were beheaded, making one of the only reliable ways to kill them to wait till sunrise. And in all the time they had existed, despite the presence of Muzan veterans -what few there were- none of the new generation Upper Moons had ever been slain. [color=f7941d][i]Ridiculous.[/i][/color] But that wasn't all of it. That [i]couldn't[/i] be all of it. Hinotora knew it well enough. Or at the least, she had strong suspicions. Sunlight wasn't the only way to kill the Upper Ranks. The evidence was backed historically, from records of the legendary events of the Muzan era's conclusion, and far more importantly... the evidence was right before her in how this Upper Moon had approached attacking the Daikaku Shrine despite being ostensibly invincible... [color=f7941d][i]I don't know if it will let me kill him, but it might be just the right x-factor to ensure we all survive... His behavior shouts it loud and clear: [b]wisteria still works on Upper Moons[/b]...[/i][/color] Leaping into the boughs of one of the many wisteria trees lining the Daikaku Shrine's courtyard, Hinotora's blade flashed with a silent apology to the Shine's landscaper, severing numerous bundles of the anti-demon plant, as she swiftly packed away the flowers into the many large pockets of her coat, both outward and inward. A few more sprigs were slipped into her beltline, with the twigs lain flat and hidden against the sides and back of her waist, and even more leaves were shoved down her neckline and stuffed into her bra. Itchy? Yes. But also secure. [color=f7941d][i]It won't hide the smell for long once I get close, but having them out of sight should give me the element of surprise. With how much the Shrine's wisteria trees must "stink" even from the distance that demon is attacking from, it should cover my approach to some degree.[/i][/color] Finally taking off in a fresh vault, Hinotora left the Daikaku Shrine's walls for what she hoped wouldn't end up being the last time, sprinting as fast as she could in the direction Ryunosuke had left. [hr] [sup][i]Towards the Heavenly King...[/i][/sup] [@Digmata][@JrVader][@TimelessParagon] Shoes pounded against roof tiles in a clatter of quiet thunder, as Hinotora blurred over the rooftops, her blood-red coat billowing behind her with a flutter in the night. It wasn't completely dark out, thanks in great part to the lighting of many streetlights and buildings, so she thankfully had no issue navigating without needing to call up some flames. At least externally. [i]Internally[/i] was an entirely other matter. Ions ground against cell membranes in hastened process, lighting nerves up like live wires. Steam hissed from every exhale, as her limbs pumped like pistons, a machine of muscle and bone propelled like a living rocket with each breath. Microfractures in bones sprouted from the stress of her inhuman movements, only to be swiftly sealed and cemented stronger than before, inch by inch, microbe by microbe, even now creating sustained lasting improvements in her physicality in ways a normal human never could have. Flame surged through her limbs in tandem with her thundering pulse in a constant internal roar, suffusing flesh and bone with strength, pushing them to the limits of their performance and then a touch beyond, even as Recovery Breathing sent her body's healing processes into hyperdrive. This was the basis of the Phoenix Style, of the Style of Survival and Ascension. Even regular Total Concentration and Recovery Breathing didn't fully capture the depth of what Hinotora had developed her Style to do. In the end, the Phoenix Style was predicated upon one critical supposition: that humans and demons weren't so different. In fact, a demon was -in the end- just a mutated human. In which case... shouldn't it be possible to drag up a demon's potential even in a regular human body? That was what Hinotora was eager to find out. That was what she was eager to discover in her quest to push her body irrevocably past the limits of what so many had long considered to be "human", millimeter by millimeter, like an extreme form of all-encompassing hyper-accelerated exercise. With the Phoenix Style, she could reach peaks thought impossible, levels of strength that let her compete with a Hashira, official rank or not. And now, she was about to test the fruit of her labors against the ultimate trial by fire, the veritable peak of power in this world and the benchmark that would finally prove to her whether or not she was as strong as she hoped she was. [color=f7941d][i]Remember not to forget though...[/i][/color] She shook her head, taking a steadying breath, as she caught the edge of a roof with one hand and redirected her momentum to send her slide atop another. [color=f7941d][i]Your job here isn't to actually try and kill an Upper Moon. Just driving him off is [b]more[/b] than enough. What is absolutely [b]critical[/b], however, is that the Sun Hashira survives. Before anything else, that was Takaya's directive...[/i][/color] Scowling to herself, Hinotora briefly entertained the selfish thought of letting Sunbutt's fate land where it may, but the practical part of her dismissed the foolish consideration. Unless it came down to a matter of her life or his, she wouldn't just hang him out to dry. [color=f7941d][i]Besides, unless he's already down for the count by the time I get there, realistically speaking, I'm probably going to need his help to truly pressure the Upper Fucker. The wisteria I grabbed will surely be helpful, no doubt, but odds are good it will be an equalizer at best. All I have is the unrefined raw plant on me, and while that's still effective, it's nothing compared to a true lab-prepared poison. Speaking of which...[/i][/color] Hinotora's right eye twitched, as she got within a block of the building where Ryunosuke was fighting the Upper Moon. [color=f7941d][i]Note to fucking self: start bringing some damn poisons after today! Holy shit, girl, you work in the damn Butterfly Mansion; how and why did you procrastinate on this?! And while you're at it, have a proper poison-dispensing sheathe for your sword made![/i][/color] A violent explosion ripped her from her thoughts, as the rooftop ahead was rocked by an eruption of activity. Hinotora's eyes widened, as a shockwave of noise and pressure slammed into the surroundings, shattering windows with a deafening cacophony and making her own ears ring and whine moment before Phoenix Form 2 smoothed over the damage. All the while, a hail of shrapnel blasted outward, dealing property damage and likely death to any it struck. [color=f7941d]"Fourth Flame Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"[/color] Hinotora hissed, narrowing her profile with a spinning leap, as she twisted her blade into a coiling spin, drilling through a section of the shrapnel wave in a burst and landing back on her feet in a roll. Coming out of the movement in a jog, her eyes narrowed, as a forest of deadly stakes erupted like a wrathful alien maw atop her intended destination. Unwilling to be daunted so easily, she didn't let the surprise slow her pace nor put a hitch in her breath, as she made one last leap to cross the distance between the shorter building she was on and the side of the taller one where Ryunosuke and the Upper Moon resided. The moment she arrived, she was launching upwards, practically running up the side of the taller building, as her feet used each window ledge as a foothold for her vertical sprint. All the while, her keen hearing could pick it up more clearly the closer she approached, the cold, wrathful fury of the demon lord, spitting out a rant of such vitriol and strangely personal offense that it made Hinotora want to roll her eyes as much as it gave her chills down her spine. [color=f7941d][i]Good gods, Sunbutt, how in the hell did you piss him off this hard this fast?![/i][/color] A final lunge took her high enough to deftly grasp the edge of the roof with one hand and haul herself up. Not high enough to actually climb up entirely, but rather just enough to peak her gaze over the edge and observe the state of the battle. In this way, she was left hanging from the roof by one hand, whilst the other still clutched her sword, her body coiled like a spring, ready to act but not yet sure where best to insert herself. In the face of an opponent of a class she'd heard so many ominous things about, her earlier enthusiasm was not necessarily doused, but it was most definitely tempered by a far more rational caution. After all, whilst her prior experience with the Upper Moon's Blood Demon Art had been promising, that was no excuse to get cocky and assume she'd seen all his tricks. Better to let this unfold out a bit longer until either the demon had played his hand further or Ryunosuke's demise was obviously imminent. [color=f7941d][i]Let's see what you've got, Sun Hashira... Upper Moon... Show me the realm of the Strongest...[/i][/color] [color=f7941d][i]Show me, right here and now, what I need to surpass to reach the peak...[/i][/color]