The effect of the musical score required time to activate.
Kaigaku stared at Tengen Uzui, who had remained motionless for a long time, then gritted his teeth and slashed forward with ferocity.
"Almost there… just a little more."
No one's heart was racing more urgently than Tengen Uzui's—if he moved now, all previous effort would be wasted.
A bluff?
Kaigaku noticed that Uzui still wasn't moving, yet his face turned savage. "Die!"
Clang!
The twin blades collided—but even then, Tengen Uzui had not moved from his spot.
It was the muscle mouse—the ninja beast—that had raised a Nichirin Blade to block the blow in Uzui's place.
It's done. He had read the rhythm of the attack.
"Then let me deliver a flamboyant death to a traitor like you!"
As if reciting an oath, Tengen Uzui gathered all his spirit into the twin blades in his hands.
Sound Breathing, Fifth Form: String Performance!
The air burst apart, blades flashing with brilliance.
The attack surged in, aiming directly for Kaigaku's blind spot. Only now did Kaigaku realize—he had nowhere to retreat.
"Damn it! I will not fail!"
Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!
Thunder cracked—yet Uzui's form left behind only an afterimage.
"It's now!"
A single blow—decisive. A killing strike!
Only in that final moment did Kaigaku realize he could see his own body…
He had been severed. The outcome was crystal clear from the scene before him.
There were still so many things left unsaid. He shouldn't have bowed out this early.
No more words.
With his neck severed, Kaigaku's body shattered and dissolved on the spot.
Huff… Huff…
"So ends it… flamboyantly."
Tengen Uzui's body burned with lingering pain, the heat searing through his wounds. Holding out this long had drained most of his strength.
To him, Kaigaku hadn't been that strong—far less than he'd imagined.
"I wonder if the other Hashira have arrived yet."
Only now that the battle had ended did Tengen have a chance to think about the other Hashira who were supposed to arrive.
"Well, never mind. I should just take a breather first."
Uzui decided not to overthink it. The Hashira had faith in each other.
Like in this battle against Kaigaku—if he hadn't rushed here at full speed, exhausting much of his strength along the way, the fight would have been far easier.
"Old man, it's over now."
Only then did he remember the person he was originally supposed to protect.
But Jigoro said nothing, merely staring at the spot where Kaigaku had disappeared—like he was mourning a fallen disciple.
"Rest well, Kaigaku…"
Jigoro seemed to have aged significantly in a short time. Watching his own disciple turn into a demon, only to die before his very eyes…
Even though he knew Kaigaku had become a demon, the pain in his heart remained.
Tengen Uzui offered no words of comfort.
He knew well how grave Kaigaku's crimes were—such a person did not deserve sympathy in his eyes.
"I should go check on the others," Uzui thought silently.
No matter how slow they were, they should have reached the peak by now. Yet he remained alone. That likely meant something had gone wrong.
And the only one capable of stopping the other Hashira… was Upper Moon One—Kokushibo.
….
At the foot of Peach Mountain—
Mist Breathing, Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist!
Boom!
Tokito Muichiro's figure flitted through the forest like lightning, followed by wide-range attacks.
Seeing the summoned water beasts fall one by one—
Thousand Needle Fish Kill!
A storm of silver needles shot toward Tokito Muichiro's body!
Mist Breathing, Second Form: Eight-Layered Mist!
Muichiro slashed swiftly in all directions.
"You're awfully quiet, kid. What's the matter? Feeling overwhelmed?"
Gyokko, cruel and arrogant, with his twisted love for mocking humans, laughed sinisterly as he watched the increasingly busy Tokito Muichiro.
"That pot of yours is deformed."
Just one simple sentence—and Gyokko's Blood Demon Art halted.
"Pot? Deformed…?"
"You—how dare you say something like that?!"
"How dare you—how dare you insult my art!"
"I am an artist! That was my precious masterpiece!"
To Gyokko, his crafted pots were works of high art—he considered himself the ultimate artist and could not tolerate anyone tarnishing or mocking his creations.
Now, someone had stood before him and claimed his pot was asymmetrical!
Blasphemy!
It was a desecration of his sacred art!
"I'll kill you, kill you, kill you!!"
"Come out, come out! Yes, that's right—come out!!"
Usually hidden within his pots and capable of teleportation through them, Gyokko now emerged fully—his complete form revealed. His body was covered in scales, taking the shape of a monstrous "fish-man."
Blood Demon Art: Octopus Vase Hell!
Blood Demon Art: Ten Thousand Gliding Slime Fish!
Two techniques in rapid succession—Gyokko had decided to teach Tokito Muichiro the price of speaking out of turn.
Mist Breathing, Third Form: Scattering Mist Splash!
….
"You're tougher than I thought," Sekido snarled, glaring at the man holding the prayer beads.
He had already experienced the man's overwhelming strength.
They had launched a four-on-one assault, confident they could devour him. But this towering monk-like warrior had overpowered all four of them.
"What now…?"
"How tragic," said Aizetsu, dressed like a warrior and holding a cross-shaped spear, his brows furrowed in frustration.
"I've had enough—time to end this."
Overwhelmed with rage, Sekido could no longer contain his fury. He suddenly absorbed Urogi, Karaku, and Aizetsu—his three fellow demons.
Zohakuten—the most powerful embodiment of Hantengu's emotions, the fusion of all his aspects into one monstrous form.
With multiple taiko drums etched with the kanji for "hatred" on his back, and wielding a serpentine drumstick, the young demon stared fixedly at Gyomei Himejima.
"Anyone who harms the main body… is an evil person."
This was a further twisted, corrupted demon—a being that looked down on all others.
Equally cautious, Gyomei adjusted his breathing. Though the previous four demons had already given him considerable trouble, they hadn't yet managed to suppress him completely.
But this new arrival—Zohakuten—radiated a threat far beyond the others.
"Battle!!"
Without hesitation, Gyomei swung his flail forward with incredible force.
Stone Breathing, Fourth Form:Volcanic Rock,Rapid Succesion!
Stone Breathing, Third Form: Stone Skin!
Gyomei Himejima had decided—he would take this opponent down in one fell blow.
It was not Zohakuten who truly worried him…
It was the silent samurai, still watching from the shadows, who felt like the real threat.
"Go, Heavenly Thunder!!"
The taiko drums on Zohakuten's back thundered—unleashing an unprecedented storm of lightning.
"Those who cause harm… must die!"
And it didn't stop there—
Under the power of his Blood Demon Art, a massive wooden dragon formed from the drums came charging straight at Gyomei Himejima…
…