Kokushibo was already prepared, his sword sweeping to block Gusion's strike.
The tremendous force of their clash caused the stone tiles beneath Kokushibo's feet to shatter and fly backwards.
What shocked Kokushibo was that the power behind this strike was even greater than any previous exchange with Gusion; it was as if a mountain was collapsing on him, and even his skillful techniques of redirecting force struggled to offset it.
Under this blow, his bones cracked slightly, though they healed instantly. The floor, however, was not so sturdy—the cracks spread rapidly, and the entire platform collapsed.
In the instant the platform gave way, both Kokushibo and Gusion leaped, landing on a nearby platform. Kokushibo retreated several steps in the opposite direction of Gusion, gripping his sword with both hands, his expression deadly serious as he fixed his gaze on Gusion.
Gusion did not immediately advance. Standing sideways with his sword, he looked at Kokushibo, a playful grin on his lips. "Tell me, why did you distance yourself from me?"
Kokushibo's face stiffened. Just moments ago, he was accusing Gusion of fleeing, yet now, after landing on the same platform as Gusion, he'd instinctively backed away—wasn't this a form of 'retreat' as well?
"Not pure enough, huh?"
Gusion bared his teeth in a provoking smile that only inflamed Kokushibo further, "You're not even as good as Akaza."
"Arrogant!"
Kokushibo roared and charged at Gusion, unleashing the Moon Breathing at its utmost limit. He slashed forward, sending a barrage of crescent blades to cover every corner of the area where Gusion stood.
Boom—
A torrent of thunder surged upward, blocking all of Kokushibo's attacks. Simultaneously, Gusion used a flash step to move to Kokushibo's flank, then lunged forward, slashing down from Kokushibo's upper left.
Gusion's transition—from thunder's defense to a counterattack—was so fast that even Kokushibo was astonished; it was as if Gusion was becoming more and more accustomed to this high-speed combat, his movement increasingly agile.
This blistering counter left Kokushibo no time to defend, forcing him to dodge desperately.
The sound of the blade slicing through flesh and bone echoed. Blood splattered as an arm flew away.
Kokushibo immediately leaped, planting his foot onto the underside of the next platform, regenerating his arm mid-air.
At that moment, the black-clad figure charging up from below seemed to overlap with a shadow from his memory.
Damn you, Yoriichi! Even in death, you haunt me!
Kokushibo howled inwardly. Still upside down, he swung his sword downward, shouting: "Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Calamitous Change—Celestial Web!"
Countless swirling moonlight vortexes pressed down in layers, trying to destroy the phantom he saw—or perhaps, the ghost from his memory.
But the figure ascending from below was like a dragon breaking free, thunderlight violently dispersing all moonlight, the blade aiming straight for his throat—just like that night centuries ago.
The threat of death made Kokushibo's body tense, his muscles and bones trembling, but it only made him more resentful, his soul roaring in defiance.
Crash—
Blade met blade. Sparks from the clashing steel lit up their eyes—one filled with complex emotions and fury, the other with pure fighting spirit.
Their swords clashed, Gusion's blade skimming past Kokushibo's, slicing through his arm and severing it once again.
Almost instantly, Kokushibo regenerated, wielding his sword with both hands to clash with Gusion anew.
Both fell through the air, nowhere to brace themselves, but strangely, neither was knocked away by the force of the other. During their descent, their blades met again and again, like incandescent lamps flickering to life.
The moment they landed, their feet rooted to the ground, drawing power from the earth as they simultaneously slashed with lethal intent.
With a deafening clang, both Gusion and Kokushibo were jolted backward, yet Kokushibo did not retreat a single step—he had embedded his feet into the ground to brace himself. Cracks spread from beneath Gusion's feet as well, the result of a special stance to resist the urge to step back.
Immediately, the duel resumed—like a rainstorm lashing against a tsunami.
Their high-speed slashes stirred razor-sharp gusts, leaving the ground scarred with countless marks. A demon attempting to sneak attack Gusion was shredded by invisible sword energy before even getting close.
At last, the platform could no longer withstand their power and exploded in midair.
Neither made to leap away; it was as if nothing else existed in their eyes—only their opponent.
Their gazes met—two eyes to six—and fighting spirit and fury clashed, just as sparks flew from their blades.
Crack—
In a particularly forceful exchange, a crisp sound rang out. Empowered by Armament Haki, Gusion's sword Mazuko split Kokushibo's blood-forged blade.
This sudden setback left Kokushibo no time to dodge. Gusion's blade cut cleanly from right to waist, slicing Kokushibo in half.
Kokushibo's battle experience showed in his reaction. He instantly decided not to try to reconnect his body, knowing Gusion would seize any opening. Instead, he abandoned his lower half, controlling it to kick at Gusion, fusing his severed blade into its leg to stab at Gusion's chest, while his upper half leaped away, regenerating as Gusion was distracted.
But Gusion's next move left Kokushibo stunned. In a heartbeat, Kokushibo realized that his and Gusion's talents in battle were on different levels. This man before him truly was, like his own brother, someone blessed with envy-inducing talent.
Gusion didn't bother dodging, nor did he look at Kokushibo's lower half. His sword swept upward, targeting Kokushibo's true body.
For masters, a split-second's hesitation decides the outcome. Kokushibo assumed Gusion, as a human, would instinctively try to protect himself—but Gusion overcame the human instinct to fear pain.
Gusion did not defend against the lower half's attack. Instead, he chose to take the hit in order to kill Kokushibo!
The pitch-black blade, crackling with thunder, surged up like a golden river against the sky, shattering Kokushibo's last defense. It severed the remaining half of his flesh blade, then slashed at Kokushibo's neck.
Mazuko, stained with crimson blood, drew a graceful arc through the air. Kokushibo's head continued to rise from inertia.
At that moment, his lower half's attack landed. In the spinning view of Kokushibo's head, he saw Gusion manage to twist aside at the last moment, letting the blade pierce his shoulder blade—missing all vital organs.
Gusion landed, looked up at Kokushibo's falling head, and yanked out the blade embedded in his shoulder, blood welling up. He tossed it aside. "You're the first to ever injure me in this world."
Kokushibo's head hit the ground and rolled a few times before stopping, his six eyes complex as they looked at Gusion. "Even after surpassing myself, I still can't reach your blade…"
Gusion didn't know if these words were for him or for Yoriichi. He stepped forward and said flatly, "You're already very strong."
As his words fell, so did his sword, Mazuko, smashing Kokushibo's head to pieces.
An orange-yellow treasure chest appeared beside Kokushibo's corpse. Gusion picked it up and stowed it away.
Kokushibo was strong—both his stats and technique were flawless. In their final clash, he had even clearly broken his own limits, perhaps even stronger than his original manga counterpart.
But he underestimated Gusion's ruthlessness—a fatal mistake. Since Gusion was young, he had learned never to leave things to chance in battle.
To Gusion, Kokushibo's style was just courting death. As long as Gusion was willing to trade blows, Kokushibo was sure to die. With confidence in his ability to avoid fatal wounds, of course he would end the fight.
The enemy was a demon, with far more tolerance for mistakes. The longer the fight dragged on, the worse for Gusion. So he seized the opportunity to kill Kokushibo, rather than dodge and prolong a stalemate.
His praise for Kokushibo at the end was genuine. In terms of raw power, Gusion felt Kokushibo was even stronger than Muzan, especially during their frenzied exchanges at the end, where Kokushibo made almost no mistakes—a feat requiring immense skill.
"Kokushibo… was defeated too…"
The last surviving Explorer in the Infinity Castle muttered in despair. He couldn't understand how things ended up like this.
It was his first time in a Tier 2 world, the first time he'd gained a bloodline, the first time he'd chosen the superior faction in a camp war—so why, why did it all end like this?
Whoosh—
As a pitch-black blade flashed, his consciousness faded into darkness.
Gusion swept through the Infinity Castle, searching for Nakime. He needed to find a way out, or risk being trapped here forever.
The Muzan faction's explorers were not without a chance. Kokushibo and Muzan were both threats. If their side had grouped up from the start to hunt Gusion together, he might not have survived.
But their unreliable boss never united them, giving Gusion two whole months to grow stronger. His stats now were worlds apart from when he first entered.
The Infinity Castle was a three-dimensional maze. Nakime kept herself hidden, so even with Gusion's flash step at near-sonic speed, he couldn't find her immediately.
Gusion frowned, pondering for a moment, then decided to use his remaining soul energy to cast a Bakudō—he was worried about the battle outside. Even though he trusted the nine Pillars he had strengthened, he couldn't be certain Muzan wouldn't take someone down with him.
Gusion gathered his spirit and chanted deeply: "Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, arrive with the wind and depart with the rain.! Bakudō #58: Kakushitsuijaku!"
As the chant ended, an invisible column of light shot upward. Gusion's spiritual pressure spread out, like a vast net, filling the Infinity Castle.
The spell's effect let him sense and track targets.
Soon, under Kakushitsuijaku's power, Gusion sensed Nakime's location—she was hiding in a room behind a door.
With his ability now locked onto Nakime, even if she changed locations, he would always sense her.
Just to be safe, Gusion strolled near the door, pretending to inspect demon corpses.
In the next moment, with a burst of flash step, he burst through the door. Before Nakime could react, his blade flashed, severing her arm and preventing any biwa transfer.
Then, with another slash, he cut off both of Nakime's legs.
Nakime screamed, trying to crawl away, but without hands or legs, and with her wounds regenerating slowly due to Mazuko's effect, she could only writhe desperately across the floor, instinctively terrified of this man.
Though she hadn't fought directly, her spatial abilities had aided the demons. But now she saw Gusion slaughter them all—including the strongest, Kokushibo.
Even after Muzan had promoted her to Upper Moon Five, she was not a combat-type demon—how could she hope to fight a monster like Gusion?