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Mid-battle with Tanjiro, Daki was suddenly struck by multiple obi returning to her body. The sashes quickly merged back into her form.
Tanjiro tried to capitalize on the opening and decapitate her, but Daki vanished instantly—reappearing on a rooftop.
Daki's appearance transformed. Having reabsorbed all her clones, she revealed her true form—silver-white hair with green tips, golden eyes gleaming.
The memories transmitted by her obi informed her that Hashira had arrived. Excitement bubbled up inside her.
"Hashira! Two of them! Excellent! Lord Muzan will be so pleased... ahaha!"
Daki's transformation triggered an ominous scent that made Tanjiro's throat constrict painfully.
"Hey! What are you doing?? Don't cause trouble in front of someone's shop!!"
A man stepped out behind Tanjiro, shouting. The commotion from their fight had drawn onlookers from surrounding buildings—which only enraged Daki further!
"Dangerous! Get back inside! Don't come out—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Instantly, the surrounding buildings began collapsing, shattering into pieces. Some people were bisected on the spot.
Having returned to her normal state, Daki no longer needed to maintain external Blood Demon Arts. She could fight freely and unleash wide-area techniques without restriction.
The previous attack had been Daki's doing. Tanjiro threw himself in front of the man to protect him, taking the obi strike directly. He was grievously wounded—a visible gash ran from shoulder to chest. Blood sprayed outward. The man lost an arm; without Tanjiro's protection, it wouldn't have been just an arm.
"Someone help us..."
"Save me..."
Seeing the collapsed buildings, hearing the screams, witnessing bodies torn apart—rage ignited in Tanjiro's chest.
Daki looked at the carnage with cold indifference, feeling slightly better. She smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"Wait! I won't forgive you... for doing this!"
"What are you muttering about, ugly? Hideous humans have no value alive. Dead is dead! Might as well all die together and rot!"
Hearing those words, veins bulged across Tanjiro's forehead. His eyes filled with blood. Even blood tears leaked from the corners. Fury couldn't begin to describe the inferno raging inside him.
He remembered what Shinjuro Rengoku had told him—that he was chosen by Sun Breathing, that his forehead mark and earrings were proof.
But Tanjiro didn't believe that. His forehead mark wasn't a Demon Slayer Mark at all—just a scar from when he'd burned himself protecting his brother as a child. His father's mark had been natural from birth.
"Sorry, Shinjuro-san. I might not be 'chosen.' But... but... even so, even if I'm not chosen, I won't back down!"
"There are creatures in this world without conscience, who steal lives for no reason, who feel no remorse, no regret! That kind of brutality..."
In a blink, Tanjiro appeared behind the retreating Daki. He grabbed her ankle and swung his blade toward her neck.
"I'll never forgive you!!"
SLASH!
Daki twisted mid-air. One foot was severed. She leapt backward, creating distance. The severed foot regenerated instantly.
"The dead never come back! Why take their lives?? Why trample on them??"
Those words triggered something in Daki's mind—a voice, a memory from somewhere deep inside.
An image surfaced: a red-haired man in samurai garb, a mark on his forehead.
...
What's funny? What's amusing?
What do you think human lives are?
Why don't you understand? Why did you forget?
...
Scene after scene flashed through Daki's consciousness. The figure resembled Tanjiro. Terror gripped her.
"Who? I don't know them... these aren't my memories! It's the cells—Lord Muzan's cells..." Daki's thoughts raced.
"You were human once too... you struggled, you cried..."
These words made Daki recall painful memories she'd buried. She punched the roof tiles.
"Shut up, ugly! Your babbling is annoying! I don't remember what I was like before! Now I'm a demon—I don't get sick, I don't age, I don't have to pay for food, and I never lose anything!"
"Besides, as a powerful, beautiful demon, I can do whatever I want!"
"I understand!" Tanjiro's right leg coiled, then exploded forward.
"Blood Demon Art: Obi Slash!" Daki released eight sashes from her body, hardening them to the point where even Nichirin blades couldn't cut easily. They surrounded Tanjiro from all directions, leaving no escape.
'He couldn't match me even when I wasn't using Blood Demon Arts! Now he has no chance! No escape from this cross-attack! I'll shred him and that blade together! It's over. Goodbye!' Daki visualized Tanjiro already torn to pieces.
Reality, however, proved otherwise. Not only did Tanjiro survive—his blade severed every obi that touched it.
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Spinning flame slashes radiated outward like the sun itself. The cuts on Daki's obi burned with searing pain, temporarily preventing regeneration.
"It hurts! What is this pain?? The severed parts feel like they're burning—they won't regenerate!"
"This guy's so badly wounded! Releasing such powerful attacks should kill him! And why are my sashes being cut??"
The battle continued. Daki's obi relentlessly attacked Tanjiro, but her body trembled—fear and dread creeping in.
"My fingertips are shaking. Am I trembling? Or is it Lord Muzan?"
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Tanjiro's blade speed increased exponentially. Every obi attack was deflected. None could reach him.
'This guy... he's faster than before! Is he even human??'
Seeing this, Daki leapt to another rooftop section. Tanjiro pursued immediately, blade arcing toward her neck—but Daki made her neck as flexible as her obi.
"You... bastard... there's no way... I'd let an ugly piece of trash like you behead me!!"
"So soft! Too soft to cut through! She made her neck flexible like her obi to cushion the slash!"
WHOOSH!
Obi lashed toward Tanjiro. He backflipped several times, evading.
"Don't think you can escape! You ugly bastard!"
The number of obi behind her increased from eight to thirteen.
Tanjiro understood—if he dodged, those sashes would cause more destruction. More innocent people would die.
"Why does she seem so slow? Even these obi feel slow?"
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Every single obi was deflected by Tanjiro once again.
"This time you won't escape! Landing a hit on my neck earlier was pure luck!" Daki roared.
What she didn't expect: Tanjiro used his blade to redirect all the obi attacks to one side, concentrating them, then pinned the cluster to the roof with his sword—immobilizing them completely.
SNAP!
Daki tried using the obi's elastic tension to fling Tanjiro away, but he held firm. She couldn't move an inch.
The deadly struggle continued. Tanjiro surged forward, severing obi as he closed the distance.
"Huh?? All of them cut?? So fast!" Daki's mind reeled.
"Simple logic. If I swing faster than your obi can soften, I can cut through. This time, I'm taking your head..."
"Big brother... big brother, please! You need to breathe!" Hanako's voice echoed in Tanjiro's mind.
Disaster struck. The flames on his blade vanished. His grip trembled violently. The side effects of Hinokami Kagura hit all at once.
"Ah... cough cough..." Tanjiro collapsed in front of Daki, coughing uncontrollably. His entire body shook. Breathing became impossible. His vision blurred. He tried raising his sword, tried standing—but his exhausted body refused to obey.
"Humans are so pathetic. No matter how desperately they struggle, in the end, they're hideous! Makes sense, though. With wounds that severe, recovery's impossible."
"Well then, as payback for earlier, I'll take your head..."
WHAM!
A kick exploded from behind Daki, obliterating her head. The force sent her flying across the rooftops, tumbling uncontrollably, sparking against electrical wires—utterly humiliating.
The attacker was Nezuko. She stood protectively in front of Tanjiro, veins bulging across her skin, eyes burning with rage.
"It's you! That's right—you're the one Lord Muzan mentioned! The demon who escaped his control!" Daki clutched her shattered head, one eye glaring at Nezuko, recalling Muzan's words.
"Daki, there's a demon who's slipped my control—just like Tamayo. Find her and kill her. She's wearing an asanoha-patterned kimono with a checkered obi—a female demon."
Looking at Nezuko now, Daki knew this was the one.
"Don't worry, my lord. I'll definitely kill her for you!"
Nezuko leaned forward and charged, foot aimed at Daki's face.
"All you know how to do is kick??"
Her obi lashed out horizontally, severing Nezuko's leg and striking her torso. Nezuko was flung backward, crashing through multiple walls before finally stopping—pinned beneath fallen debris.
Daki hopped down from the roof, approaching the trapped Nezuko with contempt. "Wow, you're weak! Guess you haven't eaten many humans! Hahaha! I don't understand why you'd escape Lord Muzan's control in the first place!"
"How pitiful—your body's been split in half. I'd advise you not to move. A half-rate demon like you can't regenerate easily. Since we're both demons, I'll be merciful—I'll wrap you in my obi, then leave you in the sun to burn to death when it rises!"
"Demons killing each other is just a waste of time anyway..."
Before she finished, Nezuko crawled out from the rubble—body intact, severed leg fully regenerated.
"Why did her leg regenerate?? Even her body?? That's impossible! I definitely cut her in half—I felt it connect! It definitely severed!" Daki's mind raced, disbelief flooding through her.
Then, right before Daki's eyes, Nezuko's left arm regenerated at blinding speed—regeneration comparable to an Upper Rank.
CRACK!
The bamboo muzzle binding Nezuko's mouth shattered under her bite. Her body began growing larger. Not only that, but a horn sprouted from her right temple. Vine-like patterns spread across her arms, legs, and chest. Even the aura radiating from her became overwhelmingly powerful.
A terrifying pressure rolled outward. Daki could feel that crushing force—Nezuko had gone full demon.
Nezuko charged again, launching a flying kick at Daki.
"Another kick!"
SLASH!
The obi severed Nezuko's foot again, then moved to decapitate her—but the severed foot pierced through Daki's back, pinning her to the ground.
"Why did the foot I just cut off stab through my back?? Why is her regeneration faster than mine??" This was a reality Daki couldn't comprehend—couldn't accept!
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