Chapter 170 — Kyojuro, Become a Demon!
Akaza was born during the Edo period. Unlike Kokushibo, he had never lived through the era when Demon Slayer Marks were prevalent, so he had never actually seen one before.
He was merely curious about the mark that had appeared on Kyojuro.
"Looks like you're truly suited to becoming a demon, Kyojuro!"
Akaza shouted excitedly.
A demonic-looking pattern had appeared on Kyojuro's body.
Couldn't that prove that he had some kind of connection to demons?
He was practically born to become one!
As long as Kyojuro became a demon, Akaza was certain that his future strength would be in no way inferior to his own.
It had to be admitted that, as a spokesperson for the demon side, Akaza was remarkably dedicated.
Alas.
The only response he received was the Flame Hashira's flaming Nichirin sword, rising toward the heavens.
"Stop dreaming! No matter how many times I'm given the choice, I will always choose to remain human!"
Unable to reach an agreement, Akaza and Kyojuro once again clashed fiercely.
However, this time, Kyojuro had awakened his Demon Slayer Mark, and the pressure he exerted on Akaza was immense.
Akaza fought barehanded, relying on martial arts.
After becoming a demon, he had continuously battled successive generations of Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps, honing an extraordinarily powerful fighting spirit.
He could sense even the most subtle traces of fighting spirit and make use of them in battle.
The principle behind his Blood Demon Art, "Destructive Death: Compass Needle," was to sense his opponent's fighting spirit and use it to determine their position.
Akaza held immense respect for those who possessed powerful fighting spirits.
Although Akaza's own fighting spirit was already extraordinarily powerful, he had yet to reach the ultimate realm where fighting spirit could be completely concealed at will—the Transparent World.
But now, he had actually seen a trace of that realm in Kyojuro.
A breakthrough beyond one's limits!
"Become a demon, Kyojuro!"
Akaza stubbornly continued persuading him.
"If you become a demon, you can continue growing stronger forever!"
"Mr. Rengoku would never become a demon!"
Another voice suddenly rang out.
Akaza angrily turned his head and found Tanjiro.
The boy wearing the flame-patterned earrings.
Akaza hated him.
"You!"
Akaza's expression turned cold.
"Why aren't you dead yet?"
The sudden pressure made cold sweat instantly break out across Tanjiro's body.
Too strong!
Tanjiro was utterly shocked.
Is this the strength of an Upper Rank?
Was this the kind of monster Mr. Rengoku had been fighting just now?
After jumping off the train, Tanjiro had followed the two of them all the way here.
But they had moved far too quickly.
If he hadn't seen the flames created by Mr. Rengoku, he would never have been able to find this place.
"I wasn't planning to bother with you, but you insisted on getting in my way!"
Bang!
Akaza stomped his foot.
Under the night sky, the snowflake pattern blossomed beneath him, radiating an enchanting brilliance.
Countless ice crystals transformed into a freezing current, instantly enveloping both Kyojuro and Tanjiro.
"Total Concentration!"
Kyojuro's body suddenly sank lower.
All his strength was concentrated into his legs.
This was his strongest technique.
But after using it, almost all of Kyojuro's energy would be exhausted.
He had only one chance!
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Style!"
Akaza clenched his fist and unleashed a devastating punch.
A tremendous howl echoed through the air.
The air suddenly distorted, followed by a thunderous boom as a massive explosion erupted.
No! There's no time!
Akaza's speed suddenly increased another level.
Kyojuro couldn't even save Tanjiro in time.
The attack's range was simply too wide!
Tanjiro's mind went completely blank.
It wasn't that he didn't want to dodge after seeing Akaza's attack.
He simply couldn't.
By the time Tanjiro sensed the attack, it was already too close to evade.
At this critical moment—
A young figure suddenly descended from the night sky.
The elegant figure moved incredibly fast, appearing before Tanjiro almost in the blink of an eye.
He held a slender Nichirin sword in his hand.
The tip of the blade dragged behind it a winding, burning tail.
The scene beneath the night sky was beautiful enough to resemble a painting.
The figure's graceful lightness formed a stark contrast with the violent shockwave crashing toward them.
The young man moved like a dragon.
"Dragon Breathing, Sixth Form — Winding Flame Tongue!"
Ren landed.
With a gentle sweep of his blade, countless flames instantly erupted.
They greedily absorbed the oxygen in the surrounding air before completely burning away the incoming shockwave!
The Dragon Hashira had arrived!
"Lord Dragon Hashira!"
Tanjiro exclaimed.
He knew Lord Dragon Hashira would definitely come.
Now that there were two Hashira here, they would surely be able to defeat their opponent!
Tanjiro wasn't the only one shocked.
Akaza's expression had also become rather unpleasant.
Destructive Death: Annihilation Style was the strongest technique in his Destructive Death martial arts.
Akaza had poured his full strength into that final strike.
Yet the person before him had dealt with it effortlessly.
Almost immediately, Akaza guessed the young man's identity.
"You're Ren, aren't you?"
Akaza smiled.
"I really didn't expect you to be here too."
Akaza had heard about Ren's exploits long ago.
Every demon ranked below him had died at Ren's hands.
It was worth pointing out that ever since Akaza had become a demon during the Edo period, he had never encountered a Demon Slayer this powerful.
Akaza had always believed that Ren was the strongest member of the Demon Slayer Corps.
He had wanted to meet Ren for a long time!
So what if Ren had already killed three Upper Rank demons?
Who cared?
Hantengu was so weak that surely Akaza could defeat one of them with a single punch!
Akaza's confidence stemmed from his absolute faith in his own strength!
"Come at me together!"
Akaza assumed a fighting stance.
The snowflake pattern beneath his feet grew even larger!
Akaza was serious!
At this moment, Kyojuro Rengoku also walked over.
He asked with concern,
"Ren, are you all right?"
Ren shook his head.
"I'm fine."
"What about everyone on the train?"
Tanjiro was still worried about the passengers.
"Are they all safe?"
"It's a long story. We'll talk about it later."
Ren didn't answer Tanjiro's question directly.
Because, of course, some problems had occurred on the train.
When Ren had been driving, he noticed the train shaking and immediately knew a demon had arrived.
As expected, it was Akaza.
Ren had hurriedly left behind a Dragon Shadow Doppelgänger before rushing over.
The train's brakes needed some time to take effect.
Seeing that the situation was urgent, Ren had rushed over immediately.
The braking could be left entirely to his clone.
"His attacks are extremely powerful, and the shockwaves cover a very wide area. The slightest mistake could leave you injured."
Kyojuro reminded him from the side.
After all, he himself had just been injured by the residual force of one of those shockwaves.
With Ren joining the battle, the situation was much better.
But information naturally had to be shared.
After listening to Kyojuro's report, Ren nodded.
"I understand. We only need to use techniques involving flames. His shockwaves will lose their effectiveness."
"Looks like you understand me quite well!"
Akaza suddenly laughed.
As a demon, his hearing was naturally extraordinarily sharp.
If Akaza couldn't hear Ren and Kyojuro discussing their strategy, that would truly be bizarre.