"Ready up, ready up!"
Watching the Palicoes lay down the final segments, Kairo Retsu took the opportunity to familiarize himself with the terrain.
Ramps, stairways, barricades, mechanisms.
Kairo and Kazuma Satou quickly ran through mental simulations of how they could use the battlefield's layout to take down Muzan.
Meanwhile, within the Infinity Castle, the Demon Slayer Corps had already confirmed Nakime's precise location. Under Kagaya Ubuyashiki's orders, they began executing a plan to create an opening for Yushiro and Tamayo to take control of her.
Yushiro had initially hesitated, but upon Tamayo's request, he successfully slipped close to Nakime and projected a false visual into her field of perception.
Minute by minute, the time ticked down.
Roughly twenty minutes after the last voice contact, Joseph Joestar once again reached out to Kairo and Kazuma.
"Guildmaster, Kazuma, we've succeeded," Joseph reported after confirming Nakime was now moving the Infinity Castle toward an empty void—proof she was under Yushiro's control.
"We'll need about three more minutes to transfer the Infinity Castle to the designated location," Joseph shouted over the Gathering Hub voice channel. "Is your side ready?"
Kairo looked over the vast, improvised arena before him, his hunter's instincts surging to the surface.
"I already told you—Palicoes can do anything! Send Muzan over!"
"As the Guildmaster of the Gathering Hub's Hunters, I swear this—Muzan will die before this night ends! I won't let him take another life!" Kairo said, visibly thrilled. "Joseph! Let's finish this with a... perfect ending!"
"You're making me start to like you with talk like that!" Joseph replied, raising his voice several decibels. "Did you all hear that?! Our Guildmaster over here is ready! Next up is our final enemy—Muzan!!!"
A thunderous roar of voices and pent-up fury erupted from the other end of the Gathering Hub voice chat.
"Wait, Joseph, is that on speakers?" Kairo flinched. "Just how many people do you have over there?"
"Glad I didn't say anything embarrassing..." Kazuma mumbled to himself in relief.
Joseph glanced at the near-entirety of the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen gathered around him.
"A speech like that deserves an audience! What, you scared now?"
Then he teased, "Why not let me take over as Guildmaster and lead the charge against Muzan?"
"Traitor! Mutiny! You're staging a coup!" Kairo yelled, then cleared his throat. "No more talk!"
"Joseph! Time to hunt!!" Kairo roared. "Doesn't matter who we used to be. Now… we HUNT this son of a bitch!!"
Having overheard their exchange, Naofumi Iwatani looked helplessly at his nearly empty backpack.
He'd been chugging Recovery Potions from the start, and after expending his entire bullet stock, his inventory was bone dry.
He didn't have access to that self-harming Rage Shield yet—nor did he think he'd ever unlock something so dangerous.
"You bastard…!"
Muzan roared furiously, watching the now nearly defenseless Shield Hero, thrashing like mad within the confines of the Prison Shield. He was desperate to break out.
He had seen through Nakime's viewpoint—her illusion now showing slain Demon Slayer Corps members, including several Hashira.
After battling Naofumi for so long, Muzan was heavily drained. Although he'd consumed a number of demons as sustenance, it wasn't nearly enough to replenish him.
The man before him wielded a Shield and some bizarre weapon, but trying to consume him felt like gnawing on a spiked chestnut—he didn't know how long it would even take to digest such prey.
He had to get to Nakime. He needed those supposed Demon Slayer corpses to recover his strength—then he could slaughter the rest of them!
In the very next instant, Muzan escaped from Naofumi and sped off toward where Nakime was. At the cellular level, he screamed,
"Nakime! Bring me the corpses!!!! Hurry!!"
"So damn tired…" Naofumi muttered after Muzan fled. Finally releasing all of his Shields, he collapsed onto the ground.
He had no more potions. No stamina-restoring meat.
But he did have some demons nearby—summoned by Muzan earlier to serve as distractions or food.
"Guess I'll head back… restock on ammo and supplies, then join the final fight," Naofumi sighed, making no effort to resist as the demons closed in.
A grotesque aberrant demon lunged and swallowed him whole using the massive maw on its stomach.
And in that moment, one last thought passed through Naofumi's mind:
"I wonder what it feels like to get carted…"
Naofumi's first death was thus confirmed.
But before that demon could even begin to digest him, a dazzling rainbow Palico pulled up with a cart in tow—stopping directly in front of the demon.
Upon locating Naofumi, the rainbow Palico's muscles bulged.
In the very next instant, the demon that had swallowed Naofumi was reduced to neatly chopped meat chunks.
Naofumi lay completely unharmed on the cart, now en route—dragged by the radiant Palico—back to the Master's Camp.
Meanwhile, Muzan began to feel that something was… off.
Nakime had responded to his orders. Yet despite how far he'd traveled in her direction, not a single Demon Slayer corpse had been transported from the Infinity Castle.
"Nakime! What the hell are you doing?!" Muzan shrieked.
"Get me that sustenance!! NOW!!!"
But instead of corpses, he felt the Infinity Castle itself was... rising.
Even an idiot would realize by now—something was wrong on Nakime's end.
"NAAAAKIMEEEEEE!!!"
Muzan flew into a frenzy, charging wildly through the Infinity Castle, trying to find any Demon Slayer to absorb—but the place was empty.
Until—he neared Nakime's position and saw it:
A massive crowd of people.
Everywhere he looked, swordsmen stood tall, staring him down. And leading them were the unharmed Nine Hashira and the man who made his blood boil: Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
"Muzan," Kagaya said gently, his calm tone making Muzan's veins throb in rage,
"You've walked yourself into a dead end."
"You damned scum—!!!!!!!"
As Muzan roared, Joseph—standing beside Nakime—struck the final blow.
The moment Yushiro severed the mental link, Joseph pierced every single cell in Nakime's body with Ripple.
In that instant, the Infinity Castle began to collapse.
And Yushiro's final command before disconnecting?
Transfer everyone inside to the designated surface location.
As for Muzan—he was launched straight into the sky.
He plummeted messily to the ground, only to look up and realize—
He was now surrounded at the center of a massive combat arena.
"Welcome to the Hunter's Arena, Muzan!!!!!!!!"