Whoosh!
The air fell into a dead silence. On the rooftop, the expressions of Tengen Uzui and Muichiro Tokito were frozen in shock.
Even the demons of Upper Rank Six, Gyutaro and Daki, were stunned into stillness. Just moments ago, they had been completely overwhelmed by Muichiro, who had awakened both his Demon Slayer Mark and a Crimson Red Blade. They were on the verge of death. As twin demons, they could only be killed if decapitated simultaneously, and Muichiro had come closer than anyone ever had to achieving it.
But neither the demons nor the Hashira could have ever predicted what happened next.
At the most impossible moment, the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank One, had appeared. With a single, unbelievably simple draw of his sword, Kokushibo had effortlessly destroyed the attack that Muichiro had poured all of his strength into. In that same motion, he had severed Muichiro's sword arm and sliced his Nichirin Blade in half.
Bang!
The spell of silence was broken as Muichiro's body slammed heavily onto the ground. The flow of time seemed to resume. A searing pain shot out from his severed arm, and the young Hashira's usually blank face twisted into a grimace.
Kokushibo's single slash had shattered more than just his arm and his blade; it had shattered his unwavering confidence. The idea that his full-power attack could be so casually brushed aside felt like a cruel joke. The frustration, anger, and utter helplessness that followed were suffocating.
"You... Who are you?" the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, demanded. He instantly moved to stand in front of the fallen Muichiro, shielding him as he drew his own twin Nichirin Blades.
Just moments before, Muichiro had been so dominant against Gyutaro that Tengen hadn't even needed to join the fight. But this new, six-eyed demon was on a completely different level. With one move, he had displayed a terrifying mastery of swordsmanship that left everyone speechless.
He was too strong.
It wasn't just Muichiro who had been caught off guard. Even Tengen, a former ninja renowned for his incredible speed, hadn't been able to clearly see Kokushibo's attack. The demon's power was godlike, his sword skills impossibly overwhelming.
"You have one thing wrong," the six-eyed swordsman said, his voice calm and indifferent as he slowly sheathed his blade. "First, I am not a human. I am a demon." He paused, his gaze sweeping over their shocked faces. "Second, your so-called Marks and Crimson Red Blades... even the Transparent World... are nothing more than techniques I discarded long ago."
Boom!
His words struck them like a thunderclap, shaking Tengen and Muichiro to their core. The Demon Slayer Mark was a legendary power they had only recently unlocked during the tragic events of the Mugen Train, where they witnessed former slayers turn into demons. As for the Crimson Red Blade and the Transparent World, Muichiro was the only one among the current Hashira who had even begun to master them.
These were the ultimate skills that the entire Demon Slayer Corps strived for, yet this demon claimed to have abandoned them. Could it be possible?
While the two Hashira were still reeling from the shock, Gyutaro and Daki, having already reattached their heads, quickly moved to stand behind the powerful demon.
"Lord Kokushibo!" they said in unison, their voices filled with reverence.
That simple address was all it took. Tengen and Muichiro now understood exactly who they were facing.
Upper Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki: Kokushibo.
The Demon Slayer Corps had gathered intelligence for centuries, but there was very little information on this particular demon. The records described him as an arrogant and terrifyingly powerful swordsman who had once been a Demon Slayer himself. He was the older brother of the legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest Demon Slayer in history and the creator of Sun Breathing. He, too, had been a peerless swordsman who had awakened the Mark and mastered the Transparent World before creating his own unique style: Moon Breathing.
However, upon learning that the Mark was a curse that borrowed from one's own lifespan, he had chosen to abandon his humanity and join Muzan Kibutsuji. Years later, he met his younger brother again. The gentle face he remembered from his youth had become old and wrinkled. In that final encounter, he had severed their past bond with a single, decisive slash.
This was the man standing before them. The former Demon Slayer genius, now the most powerful of Muzan's Twelve Kizuki.
"Tengen... Tengen..."
Muichiro gritted his teeth, forcing himself to speak through the blinding pain. He whispered urgently to Tengen, who was still shielding him.
"Demons are hard to kill, especially an Upper Rank One. Our mission was just to draw out their main force, and we've done that. It's clear now... I'm not going to be able to leave."
The words startled Tengen. "No..."
"Don't argue with me!" Muichiro snapped, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes. "I've lost an arm. Even with the Mark and a Crimson Red Blade, there's a limit to what I can do now. You still have your three wives waiting for you! Remember, run forward, and don't look back!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Muichiro shifted his body. Another Nichirin Blade shot out from the pack on his back and into his remaining hand. In an instant, a surging, irresistible wave of heat roared from the blade, burning like the evening sun.
"Mist Breathing... Final Form!"
Hum!
Suddenly, the air around them seemed to ignite. A violent wave of energy exploded outwards from Muichiro, spreading in all directions.
"Go!" he roared.
With tears streaming from his eyes, the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, turned and shot into the night, fleeing the battlefield.
"Trying to leave? It's too late," Kokushibo said, his voice flat. The air around the motionless demon suddenly began to churn. Countless slashes of Sword Qi filled the sky, forming a net of blades that rushed toward the escaping Tengen.
"Your opponent... is me!"
Before the attack could reach its target, it was intercepted by a vast web of sword strikes that Muichiro unleashed with his remaining hand.
"Good," Kokushibo said, his face still a mask of cold indifference. "Then I'll kill you first."
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