Muzan could no longer comprehend what was happening.
A colossal arena-like structure—strange mechanisms laid out across the battlefield.
And standing atop a high platform, a man in bizarre armor shouted through a megaphone, his voice thundering like a lightning strike:
"Welcome to the Hunter's Arena, Muzan!!!!!!"
Muzan's pupils instantly turned blood-red upon seeing the man's face. He recognized him.
One of the people who had fallen from the sky after Ubuyashiki blew himself up.
So these were Ubuyashiki's reinforcements after all?
But then… what was this place? Another of Ubuyashiki's traps?
"Ubuyashiki! Was this part of your calculation too!?!?" Muzan roared.
"?" Having already watched himself defeat Kars, Joseph Joestar slowly typed out a question mark.
This cowardly Muzan… seriously dared to quote Kars?
"Muzan," Ubuyashiki spoke in his usual calm tone.
"You were the one who awakened these children—who should have been allowed peaceful lives. If 'calculation' could bring an end to centuries of resentment, then I can only hope your demise arrives all the sooner."
"Yes," he continued. "From the moment you chose to harm others, this day became inevitable. You've walked yourself into your own end."
"Let's begin already!!" Kairo Retsu shouted through the megaphone in his hand.
"Draw your weapons! It's time to hunt!!"
"Those who can fight—go all in! Those who can't—man the mechanisms!!"
Kairo popped open a bundle of Recovery Potions and Antidotes.
"Time to make Muzan pay!"
"You bastards—!"
Muzan charged forward in a fit of rage, hoping to take Ubuyashiki down before he could escape.
But before he could even make contact—he got smashed in the face by a spiked flail.
"Don't even think about getting near the Master!"
The scars on Gyomei Himejima's arms lit up vividly.
He held nothing back—he was unleashing his full power.
"Muzan! You're dying here today!" Tanjiro also roared.
"Then come and try it!!"
Dozens of whip-like tendrils exploded from Muzan's back, launching indiscriminate attacks at every Demon Slayer who came near.
Only a handful in the Demon Slayer Corps could engage Muzan in direct combat:
The eight remaining Hashira, Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Kanao…
Everyone else had already been pulled aside by Kazuma and assigned to operate the arena's traps and devices.
However…
Two of the Hashira had been stopped before joining the fight.
The Wind Hashira and Shinobu Kocho.
"You two!" Joseph grabbed them. "Kairo—the Guildmaster—has urgent business with you!"
"Huh!? Muzan's right in front of us! What could possibly be more important than this!?" Sanemi was furious, unable to understand.
But Shinobu glanced at herself, then at Sanemi—and suddenly realized:
"Is it… because you need our blood?"
Her body contained Wisteria poison. Sanemi, on the other hand, had rare blood—an intoxicating lure to demons.
"Exactly," Joseph confirmed. Then, after passing the info to them, he pulled out his Sword & Shield and dashed off to join the assault.
"The Guildmaster will explain the rest!"
And the moment Joseph joined the battle, his Ripple dissolved two of Muzan's tentacles—shielding Zenitsu from the incoming attack.
"AAAGHH—!"
The sensation was like sunlight burning into his flesh—Muzan recoiled in panic.
He'd thought only the sun itself could threaten him. But this…
This Ripple power was melting his body like ultraviolet light.
"Don't worry about getting injured! Don't worry about poison!"
Joseph's voice rang across the battlefield, rallying the attackers:
"We can't let a single one of Muzan's cells escape! We must destroy every last piece of him!"
"As long as we can cut his flesh small enough, even Nichirin Blades can finish him off!" he shouted, slashing through Muzan's whip-blades with Ripple strikes.
"Wear him down! Even if the Nichirin Blades can't kill him outright, they'll burn through his life force!"
"Don't pin all your hopes on the sun! The sooner we finish him, the fewer variables we face!"
Joseph shouted while discharging Ripple energy in every direction—his eyes scanning for any clever strategy to cripple Muzan.
Meanwhile—
The Wind Hashira and Shinobu Kocho had already arrived at Kairo Retsu's position—joined by Ubuyashiki and Tamayo.
In front of them sat two massive barrels, and just one look told Shinobu exactly what to do.
"I need your blood," Kairo said plainly. "I've got an idea…"
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Shinobu pulled out a scalpel, slashed her wrist, and began bleeding directly into one of the barrels.
"!"
Sanemi hadn't even been tapped yet and was already freaking out.
"What the hell are you doing?! You'll die from blood loss at this rate! These barrels are massive—you could drain ten of you and still not fill one!"
"Sanemi. Calm yourself."
Ubuyashiki's soft voice managed to pacify Sanemi's fury.
"You've seen the strange regenerative effects. Right now, Kazuma is healing everyone. Her life isn't in danger."
"This isn't the first time I've bled myself," Shinobu said.
"Didn't you notice? Those girls from the Eternal Bliss Cult—they were protecting themselves with blood-stained weapons…"
As she spoke, the bottom of the barrel was already coated in her blood. Shinobu reopened the healing wound and continued bleeding.
Her expression was unwavering:
"If this can kill Muzan… then forget just bleeding—if necessary, I'd even let him eat me."
"STOP!!"
Kairo cut her off instantly.
"Let him eat you?! Do I look like the kind of guy who'd pull crap like that?! Don't insult me!!"
He looked genuinely betrayed.
"Feeding you to Muzan is worth maybe—what? A few dozen pounds of poison. But draining your blood here? That's over a hundred pounds of toxins! Sustainable development, lady! Don't underestimate it!!"
"You bastard…!"
Sanemi glared, but restrained himself out of respect for Ubuyashiki.
"Then what's my blood for, huh? I'm rare blood—my scent is irresistible to demons!"
"You trying to mix our blood together and bait Muzan into eating it?"