With a *sizzle*!
The moment Byakuya's sword slashed forward.
Vast arcs of lightning bloomed.
Accompanied by the sword's strike, the exploding current spread out like a great net, enveloping everything in its path.
And then...
The belt began to scream.
The explosive current, sharp as a blade, swept across, effortlessly slicing the belt into pieces, severing it section by section.
At the same time...
As the belt was repeatedly cut, more people fell out, crashing onto the ground around them, and even...
"Agatsuma Zenitsu?"
Byakuya saw a falling figure and recognized Agatsuma Zenitsu.
This guy had been captured too?
"I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you!"
At this moment, the belt roared in fury. Instantly, the sections cut in mid-air straightened, transforming into a barrage of blades.
Byakuya stood unfazed. It wouldn't matter how many times this happened.
The opponent's attacks were ineffective against his elemental form.
But Byakuya didn't intend to retaliate, yet others did.
As the straightened fragments rained down, a woman's sharp cry echoed from behind Byakuya.
In the next instant, Byakuya saw a multitude of kunai fly into the air, colliding with the fabric shreds and deflecting them.
Byakuya turned his head and saw a beautiful woman with a high ponytail, a beauty mark beneath her left eye, and a form-fitting ninja outfit that accentuated her voluptuous figure.
Byakuya couldn't help but ask, "A ninja?"
The other party responded, "Demon Slayer?"
Byakuya scratched his head, "Something like that."
The woman's eyes lit up, "Has Tengen-sama arrived?"
"Uzumaki Tengen?" Byakuya realized with a nod. "Oh, you're one of his missing subordinates?"
"I'm not just a subordinate!" the woman emphasized indignantly. "I'm his wife, Hinatsuru!"
"Nani?"
Byakuya's face contorted into a question mark. That dashing, womanizing guy actually had a wife?
Hinatsuru nodded, "Besides me, Tengen-sama has two other wives!"
"Ah?"
Byakuya was dumbfounded, three wives?
Hey, is this 110? There's bigamy here!
However...
How enviable!
Byakuya mused, if he joined the Demon Slayer Corps now and apprenticed under Uzumaki Tengen, would it still be in time?
"Are you done chattering?"
A furious roar echoed from the air. It was the belt, attacking again, splitting into dozens of segments and stabbing down simultaneously.
Hinatsuru immediately assumed a defensive stance.
"No need to be so tense, it's fine," Byakuya said, looking at Hinatsuru. "How did you get captured?"
Hinatsuru explained, "I heard a maiden's scream. By the time I arrived, the room was empty. Then I was knocked unconscious."
"Oh!"
Byakuya nodded. This was clearly a trap. It seemed the Sound Hashira's wives weren't very clever.
Meanwhile, as Byakuya casually chatted with Hinatsuru, the belt's attack arrived.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The belt segments continuously pierced Byakuya's body and embedded themselves in the ground.
Amidst the rumbling, clouds of dust billowed up.
Hinatsuru froze, she had assumed Byakuya was confident, but he seemed to have taken a direct hit?
Was the new subordinate her husband had recruited not very bright?
But at this very moment...
*Sizzle!*
Vast arcs of azure current pushed out from the dust, spreading along the ground in all directions.
*Crack, crack!*
The ground continuously emitted light sounds. As the current passed, cracks appeared everywhere.
Affected by the electromagnetic field, small stones rolled on the ground, then slowly began to float, about half a meter off the earth.
Byakuya stepped out of the dust cloud, looking at the belt suspended in the air. "It's about time this ended. I'm already getting bored."
"Brat!" The belt grew enraged. "Who do you think you are?"
Byakuya smiled, not answering. Instead, he slowly bent down, one hand holding Thunder Fang Furious Beast, the other hovering above the hilt, in a drawing posture.
"Thunder Breathing..." Byakuya took a deep breath. "Thunderclap and Flash!"
*Bang!*
Byakuya stomped on the ground and leaped forward.
In an instant, Byakuya's body became a bolt of lightning, rapidly weaving through the belt.
As Byakuya weaved through, the belt continuously emitted tearing sounds, being sliced into pieces.
Reaching the rock face, Byakuya stomped on it forcefully and gripped Thunder Fang Furious Beast tightly in his hand.
Thunder Fang (Releases current from the blade, capable of aerial slashes, can also wrap around the blade for enhancement, and can be used with all lightning effects)
*Sizzle!*
The sound of crackling electricity suddenly erupted.
Vast amounts of current appeared, swirling around Thunder Fang Furious Beast. Byakuya then raised his sword high.
"Slash!"
Byakuya roared and unleashed a downward strike.
The current condensed on the blade transformed into an electric blade, descending with a thunderous roar.
The electric blade was initially only a foot long, but as it fell, it continuously grew larger, and its speed was astonishingly fast.
In the blink of an eye, the electric blade became so massive it spanned the entire space.
The ends of the electric blade cut through the rock walls, followed by a deafening roar. The walls on both sides were literally sliced open.
Countless rock fragments rained down, and large amounts of dust swirled, forming two pillars of dust.
The space within was as if instantly covered by electricity.
Walls, ground, surrounding rocks, every surface flickered with azure arcs of electricity.
The piercing sound of current made people's eardrums tremble.
And then...
*Rumble!*
The electric blade finally struck the ground, and also struck the belt.
The entire space trembled at that moment.
Even the buildings of the Entertainment District above began to shake and sway.
Some people looked around in terror.
Some quickly hid under tables.
Some held onto walls to steady themselves.
Was this...
An earthquake?
At the same time...
The ground below was completely filled with lightning. As the lightning gradually dispersed, the belt was revealed to be completely charred black.
"You saved the people trapped by the demon and received mission rewards: Chain Dual Swords x1, Sound Breathing Advanced Version x1"
The belt was utterly destroyed, and the people trapped within were freed. Byakuya's mission was naturally completed.
However...
Things were clearly not over yet!
Because the next stage of the hidden mission had appeared.
...