Countless ki-bullets skimmed past Vincent Fox's clothes.
But Rengoku wasn't having such an easy time.
His Crimson Flame Nichirin Blade whirled without pause, clashing head-on with the incoming barrage. Flames burst from his body again and again, forming a burning wall that intercepted most of the shots.
A few still slipped through the fire, one or two at a time, only to be knocked aside by his blade.
Even so, the impact numbed his wrists.
"What terrifying power…"
Rengoku's gaze pierced the flames and landed on Akaza, who had already forced himself upright again.
While the two of them dealt with his ultimate technique, he had restored most of his injuries.
Vincent's brows knit.
Annoying.
He surged forward again.
He didn't know how long Ultra Instinct would last, and he had to finish Akaza quickly.
If the state dropped in the middle of this fight, the backlash alone could kill him on the spot.
Blade-light flashed in rapid succession. Akaza dodged frantically, but a deep gash still opened across his abdomen.
His movements slowed for a split second.
Vincent seized it and went in, a storm of slashes crashing down.
Sword arcs ripped through the air. The trees around them were carved with countless scars by the leftover force.
Boom.
A massive tree collapsed.
Dust exploded upward, swallowing both figures, only for Vincent's sword light to cut a clean path through the haze.
Akaza raised his arms to block. His hardened wrist bones caught the Nichirin Blade again.
Clang.
Sparks flew.
But now Vincent's blade was coated in Armament Haki, its edge no longer what it had been.
After a brief stall, Akaza's wrist bone was sliced clean through.
Vincent followed with another strike.
Akaza's arm came off at the root.
Splurt.
A heavy spray of blood erupted, and then, with a sickening squirm, a new arm grew back in its place.
"The ultimate peak of martial arts… so this is what it looks like? I'm excited!"
Akaza laughed like a madman, pushing his regeneration to the absolute limit.
Every instant he healed, his lifespan was burned away in exchange.
Even with that price, he looked exhilarated.
"A truly strong enemy… I've never fought anyone this strong!"
"If I kill you, I'll step into the pinnacle too, won't I?"
"Hahaha! That realm… I've waited a hundred years for it!"
As he spoke, he continued to block Vincent's Nichirin Blade with his own arms, taking the edge again and again.
Every time, Vincent cut him apart again.
They fought and retreated, deeper and deeper into the forest without even noticing.
One sweep of Vincent's sword severed several towering trees at the waist.
Every time Akaza struck, the ground shattered beneath his feet.
They traded blows relentlessly, but what tortured Akaza most was this.
He still could not touch Vincent.
And yet, he could also feel it.
Compared to that eerie, puppet-like evasion, Vincent's offense carried a faint stiffness, as if something in his timing wasn't perfectly natural.
"I get it," Akaza said with a grin, shifting into a more defensive rhythm. "You haven't fully mastered this state. If you had, I'd already be dead."
Vincent attacked, and Akaza blocked. When he couldn't, he dodged.
Akaza was betting on one thing.
That Vincent couldn't maintain this form for long.
Then Akaza noticed it.
Vincent was starting to breathe hard.
Not the measured cadence of a Demon Slayer's breathing techniques, but the ragged breath of exhaustion.
Akaza laughed like a child who'd finally gotten what he wanted.
"I have to kill you. I have to kill all of you. Only then will Lord Muzan keep giving me more blood!"
"Only then can I grow stronger and bring the medicine to my father!"
"Only then can I escape unharmed when the magistrates come for me!"
"Only then can I protect Uncle Keizo… and Snow…"
Faces surfaced in Akaza's mind, one after another.
His father, hanging from a rope.
Keizo, poisoned by the neighboring dojo.
And the woman who had promised to watch fireworks with him, his wife, Snow.
After that tragedy, he had slaughtered dozens of martial artists from the neighboring dojo with his bare hands.
Then Muzan had pierced straight through his skull, tearing away his memories and turning him into a demon.
Now, as those long-buried shadows resurfaced, Akaza's aura began to spiral out of control.
A terrifying tide of demonic force burst from his body, rolling toward Vincent like a storm.
Vincent swung to deflect it, eyes cold as he watched Akaza sink deeper into madness.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"
Akaza's punches became wild, with no rhythm, but they only grew faster and faster.
Vincent parried and slipped aside, but his state had reached its limit.
Ultra Instinct could shatter at any moment.
"Destructive Death, Extinguishing Jutsu!"
Akaza set his stance again, power condensing into his right fist.
Boom.
An explosion detonated from his punch. Vincent cut into it.
The blast split cleanly down the middle.
"A miserable man," Vincent said softly, his gaze calm and empty. "Is this really what you want?"
Akaza froze for half a heartbeat, then roared in fury.
"Who do you think you are? I don't need your pity!"
Vincent shook his head.
"You don't need my pity… because you were already a miserable man to begin with."
"Shut up!"
Akaza threw another Extinguishing Jutsu, but Vincent dodged it with ease.
"The only one who pities you… is yourself."
Akaza went rigid.
His newly regenerated eyes widened as he stared at Vincent.
That expression, neither anger nor hatred, no killing intent at all, felt like the deepest humiliation.
In a blur, a pure-white figure appeared before him.
"Percival… enough."
Akaza slowly raised his head.
It was his master, Keizo.
"Master!"
Percival broke completely. He lunged forward and collapsed into Keizo's arms.
"I'm sorry, Master. I didn't protect you… it's my fault, I was too weak. That's why they got you…"
He sobbed until his voice turned hoarse.
"It's alright," Keizo said, stroking his hair gently. "No matter what happens, I'm still your master. But… we may not be able to go to heaven together."
Percival's crying only grew worse.
Then a large hand grabbed Percival by the head and yanked him up.
"Akaza," a voice hissed. "Don't you want to become stronger?"
Akaza looked up.
The man in front of him was the one who had turned him into a demon.
Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Right… I need to be stronger. If I'm strong enough, I can throw all of this away…"
"As long as I can become stronger, I don't need to care about anything!"
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands gently cupped Akaza's face.
"Enough, big brother Percival."
A soft, tender voice brushed his ear. Akaza froze.
Then a familiar face came into focus.
"Snow… Snow?"
"I can't go to heaven with you anymore," she whispered. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay, big brother Percival."
Snow pulled his head into her embrace.
And in that moment, she broke down too, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Percival… even if it's hell… I'll go with you."
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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