Ordinary?
When Muzan read this thought from Akaza's consciousness, he felt a surge of anger so intense it almost made him laugh.
That was Yoriichi!
In his youth, Yoriichi had nearly killed Muzan with a single strike. Even when Muzan split himself into over 1,800 pieces to escape, Yoriichi had instantly shattered more than 1,500 of them.
Even in his old age, weakened and near death, Yoriichi had nearly decapitated Kokushibo with a single blow!
And you call him ordinary?!
Muzan didn't even bother explaining further to Akaza. With a thought, he temporarily shattered Akaza's consciousness.
Then, Muzan seized control of Akaza's body and grabbed his own head.
Crack!
A sharp snap echoed through the air.
Before Kyojuro and Yuki's eyes, Akaza had ripped off his own head!
This bizarre act left Yuki utterly dumbfounded.
Wait, what the hell?!
Seeing that I was about to decapitate you, you just tore your own head off in advance?
This... actually makes a lot of sense?
Caught off guard, Yuki didn't have time to adjust his attack. He could only watch his blade swing harmlessly through the air, slicing past Akaza's bald, headless neck.
In the next instant, Akaza flung his head backward with the hand that had been holding it, letting the severed head fly through the air.
Then, with astonishing speed, he retreated, catching his head mid-air with his other hand.
Finally, Akaza pressed his head back into place with a pop.
Yuki was genuinely stunned by Akaza's maneuver.
Since transmigrating to this world, he had considered himself well-versed in all kinds of situations. What hadn't he seen?
But Akaza transforming into the "Head-Swapping Overlord"? That was a first for Yuki!
A Demon actively severing its own neck to evade decapitation?
Yuki had indeed witnessed this tactic in the original work.
On Mount Natagumo, Lower Rank Five Rui had pulled the same trick against Tanjiro.
But the Demon standing before him now was Upper Rank Three, Akaza.
A warrior who had always fought head-on suddenly resorting to such a tactic caught Yuki completely off guard.
As this thought crossed his mind, Yuki's mind suddenly clicked.
This cowardly, survival-first approach perfectly matched his preconceived notions about Muzan.
Could it be that Muzan himself had taken over the account and was now controlling Akaza directly?
Meanwhile, Kyojuro launched his attack:
'Flame Breathing: Fifth Form - Flame Tiger'
Kyojuro surged forward, his Nichirin Blade flashing through the air.
In that instant, his blade seemed to burst into roaring flames.
The flames twisted and coalesced into a majestic, fiery tiger that lunged at Akaza, its jaws snapping hungrily.
Seeing the swordsman he had favored unleash such a powerful attack, Akaza's consciousness began to solidify once more.
"Such a formidable strike! Such overwhelming power!"
"Truly worthy of being the swordsman I've chosen!"
But just as Akaza's consciousness solidified, the oppressive force within his blood surged again!
"Ugh—!"
Akaza felt as if countless heavy hammers were crashing down on his consciousness.
Yet even under this crushing pressure, he stubbornly clung to his awareness.
In his mind, Akaza desperately questioned:
"Lord Muzan, why? Why?"
The Demon Slayers stood right before him. Why not annihilate them instead of turning to flee?
Especially since the Swordsman he admired had unleashed such a breathtaking attack.
Why was he running away instead of meeting the attack head-on?
Akaza's hastily gathered consciousness successfully moved his body.
The techniques honed through countless trials were about to unfold as naturally as breathing:
Technique Deployment
Destructive Kill: Compass Needle..
But before the snowflake-like technique could fully manifest, Muzan seized control of his body once more.
His voice turned chillingly cold:
"You dare question my decisions?"
"You still want to deploy your technique?"
"Withdraw it now!"
Faced with Muzan's fury, Akaza felt his consciousness tossed about like a leaf in a raging storm.
Moreover, Akaza could sense that every word Muzan spoke in his mind was transforming into a hammer far more terrifying than before, pounding relentlessly against his consciousness.
This was undoubtedly a warning!
If Akaza dared to disobey even slightly, he would be completely annihilated!
Thus, Akaza could only struggle to communicate with Muzan within his mind:
"Lord Muzan, this subordinate... dares not!"
Muzan snorted coldly and once again temporarily shattered Akaza's consciousness.
Then, facing Kyojuro, who had launched the first attack, Muzan manipulated Akaza to leap forward and directly "collide" with him!
Yes!
He literally collided with him!
Kyojuro's eyes widened in shock.
His blade had been aimed to strike Akaza's neck head-on.
Yet he witnessed Akaza suddenly jump half a man's height, offering his waist to meet the descending blade!
Swish!
The incomparably sharp blade cleanly severed Akaza's waist.
But Kyojuro saw a sinister smile of triumph spread across Akaza's face!
In Muzan's eyes, being bisected at the waist by this "firecracker-head" was a trivial matter.
As long as he wasn't struck by Yoriichi's Nichirin Blade—the one that prevents immediate regeneration upon impact—the Upper Rank Three's regenerative abilities would allow him to regrow even his entire lower body in moments.
But by sacrificing his entire lower body, he could instantly shed half his weight!
In the next moment, Muzan, controlling Akaza, used the force of Kyojuro's attack to thrust his hands against Kyojuro's Nichirin Blade.
Before Yuki's astonished eyes, Akaza was sent flying backward at incredible speed.
Just as he was about to land, Akaza's lower body regenerated seamlessly, allowing him to continue his escape without missing a beat!
Yuki was truly stunned!
He never imagined that in such a brief exchange, Muzan could control Akaza to execute such unpredictable maneuvers!
In the distance, Akaza glanced back at Yuki as he fled.
In Akaza's eyes, Yuki sensed the presence of Muzan himself, as if the demon lord were conveying a message:
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi, you never saw this coming!"
"This is my escape route!"