Whoosh!
Time seemed to freeze. Gyomei Himejima's eyes burned with fury as he watched Kyojuro Rengoku's life fade away. But before he could make a move, Akaza, whose head he had just shattered, was once again surrounded by an endless fighting spirit.
Buzz!
A terrifying force exploded outward from Akaza's body. In the blink of an eye, the head that Gyomei's Crimson Red Blade had completely destroyed regenerated. A new head, identical to the last and filled with the same murderous intent, appeared on his neck.
"Excellent," Akaza breathed, his voice filled with admiration. His gaze fell upon Kyojuro, whose heart he still held in his hand. "Truly excellent. Although we are enemies, I have to admit you possess extraordinary strength."
He looked directly at the dying Flame Hashira. "Join us." His tone was strangely enthusiastic. "You should know about the true master of the Twelve Kizuki. Soon, not just the Demon Slayer Corps, but the entire country will belong to our Lord. You need to change your outdated ideas. What you call demons are simply the next stage of human evolution! Our goal is to become perfect beings."
Although Akaza was only repeating words he had heard from his master, he was deeply moved by them himself. Originally, even as Upper Rank Three, it was difficult for him to fight both the Stone Hashira and the Flame Hashira at the same time. But during his recent seclusion, his Lord's words had echoed in his mind countless times.
Past memories and old attachments no longer mattered. With no woman in his heart, his fists were divine.
By holding onto this powerful belief, he had managed to exhaust Kyojuro Rengoku with his immortal demon body and incredible regeneration. After all, a demon could fight forever, but a human's strength always had its limits.
"Join us…" Akaza repeated, his voice echoing in the silent night.
Just then, Kyojuro, who was on the verge of death with his consciousness fading, suddenly moved his arm.
Slap!
A weak slap, carrying almost no force, landed on Akaza's newly regenerated face. It wasn't damaging, but it was incredibly insulting.
Akaza stood motionless. The air fell into a dead silence.
Then, with a roar of fury, Kyojuro's body exploded. A spray of blood filled the air, and the strong metallic smell instantly covered the entire scene. When the dust settled, Akaza stood alone, covered in blood and holding a crushed heart in his hand. Not far away, the spot where Gyomei Himejima had been standing was empty. The Stone Hashira had vanished.
"It seems your strength has improved significantly. Our Lord's decision to have you train in seclusion was the correct one."
As Akaza stood still, a calm, indifferent voice came from behind him. It was Kokushibo, Upper Rank One of the Twelve Kizuki. Behind him stood Gyutaro and Daki, who had also completed their mission. The two of them looked at Kokushibo with expressions of pure awe, as if they were looking at a god.
"Of course," Akaza replied. He casually tossed the crushed heart to the ground. "Memories from my past life used to appear in my mind. Those memories, and the emotions tied to them, made it difficult for me to grow stronger and break my limits. But ever since I followed our Lord's instructions to forget everything and focus only on getting stronger, it has all disappeared."
A smile spread across Akaza's face. "Now, I truly understand what it means to have no distractions, to fight like a god." He let out a long breath. "However, I still have a long way to go to catch up with you and our Lord."
Before, Akaza had disliked Kokushibo, but after dedicating his entire being to cultivation, his attitude had changed. In this world, strength was the only thing that mattered.
"Now, only Doma's battle is left, isn't it?" Kokushibo said calmly.
As the Upper Ranks gathered, Gyomei Himejima was already fleeing in the opposite direction. Though he hadn't seen Kokushibo and the others, he could feel their powerful auras approaching. If Kyojuro were still alive, Gyomei might have chosen to stay and fight. But Kyojuro had died in battle. The new auras felt completely different from any of the Hashira, which meant they had to be reinforcements from the Twelve Kizuki. And if they were arriving now, it meant the Hashira they had been fighting were dead.
In that brief moment, Gyomei made his decision. He had to flee. Even if he wanted to fight, it was no longer possible. He had to get the remaining Hashira away from here, even if it meant failing the mission.
"Faster… I must be faster…" Gyomei whispered, his figure leaving countless afterimages as he raced through the night.
At the same time, Shinobu Kocho, the Insect Hashira, and Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Hashira, were being completely suppressed by Doma, Upper Rank Two. Although both were talented and strong, their fighting styles were being perfectly countered. The feeling of being outmaneuvered made every move they made feel incredibly difficult. Even more terrifying, as time went on, they could feel their movements and reactions becoming sluggish. If this continued, they would die here, even if Doma never landed a direct hit.
"Shinobu… I… I can't hold on much longer!" Mitsuri cried out, her usually fast movements now labored. Her face was grim.
"Oh my," a cheerful voice called from nearby. Doma, who had noticed their struggle, wore an eerie smile. "It looks like you two are running out of energy! By the way, I have some good news to tell you!"
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