In the impression of Shinobu Kocho and Kyojuro Rengoku, the aura emanating from Akaza was second only to the aura that Lexon emitted after turning into a demon.
Both the former and the latter far surpassed any other demon they had encountered in their demon-slaying careers. Undeniably powerful.
'We might die if we fight.'
From the aura the opponent was emitting, Shinobu and Rengoku suddenly realized this.
But even knowing this, they would not retreat, would not shrink back.
The two of them were well aware that behind them were more than two hundred unconscious passengers of the Mugen Train. If they were to give way in the slightest, the lives of all the passengers would be in danger.
The duty and mission carried by the Demon Slayer Corps did not allow them to retreat even a single step!
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Style."
Akaza planted himself firmly, his two arms swinging, as if performing some kind of ritual to release a technique.
An extreme power gradually gathered in Akaza's arms. It was a daunting, terrifyingly ultimate power.
"Stand behind me, Shinobu," Kyojuro Rengoku vaguely saw the power of the technique the opponent was about to release and called for Shinobu to stand behind him.
Shinobu nodded, her face calm as she stood behind Rengoku.
"Hoo..." Rengoku's breathing became extremely long. Flames burst from the corners of his mouth with each inhalation and exhalation.
The fighting spirit around him instantly swelled, as if it would soar into the clouds.
His hair and haori fluttered continuously with the soul-stirring, surging fighting spirit.
"Mr. Rengoku..." Shinobu also sensed what was contained in this move of Rengoku's.
'Soaring fighting spirit! Immense power!'
'After this move, Mr. Rengoku will definitely be unable to fight again, with only half a life left to be slaughtered by the demon.'
'This is an all-or-nothing strike!'
Kyojuro Rengoku shifted his stance, raised his Nichirin Sword, and the latent flames within his body spread to every part. It seemed as if even his heart was burning to its utmost limit.
'To uproot that entire area in an instant!'
Rengoku stared intently at the area where Akaza was, building up his power.
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Style!"
Akaza charged towards the two, and upon closing in, he threw an ultimate punch. The fist's wind and impact, like a beast that would devour heaven and earth, swept towards Kyojuro Rengoku and Shinobu Kocho.
"Flame Breathing, Esoteric Art!"
"Ninth Form: Rengoku!"
Endless flames seemed as if they would burn even the night sky bright!
The ultimate flames, accompanying the slash from Kyojuro Rengoku's Nichirin Sword, also transformed into a fire dragon that would devour everything, fiercely charging towards the opponent's impact.
"Bang!"
The two collided and exploded.
A boom that sounded as if heaven and earth would shatter rang out.
The black smoke from the explosion obscured all vision, and then the ensuing gale blew away the smoke that blocked their sight.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon!"
Shinobu, following behind Kyojuro Rengoku, circulated her Insect Breathing. With butterflies flying and bees dancing, the moment the two techniques collided, cancelled each other out, and dissipated, she lightly leaped into the air and dived towards Akaza's direction with a vicious thrust.
But she didn't feel the sensation she should have of piercing through flesh and blood.
'Did I miss?'
Shinobu's gaze went forward, and she found that the opponent was already standing back in his original position. His body was tattered and torn, and many parts of his body were incomplete. It was clear that he had suffered very serious injuries from Kyojuro Rengoku's esoteric art. But for a demon, these were clearly not a problem.
Under Shinobu's watch, Akaza's body quickly recovered to its original state.
"Kyojuro truly is a strong one chosen by the heavens..." Akaza stared intently at the unconscious Kyojuro Rengoku, who had fallen to the ground, and murmured.
'This is dangerous...'
Shinobu's heart tightened.
The opponent's condition seemed not to have changed much from before.
But!
Shinobu gripped her Nichirin Sword even tighter.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Centipede: Hundred-Legged Zig..."
Just as Shinobu was about to continue using her sword technique, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a figure deeply imprinted in the depths of her mind.
That figure was perched on the branch of a large tree not far away, a gentle smile on its face, propping its chin on its hand as it watched the scene with great interest.
Shinobu's pupils contracted rapidly, and an immense rage that had been hidden deep in her heart suddenly surfaced.
This anger even showed on the face of Shinobu, who had excellent control over her expressions.
That figure had platinum blond hair like unblemished oak, rainbow-colored eyes, and a portion of the hair on its head was as if it had been splashed with blood, incomparably red. It wore a bright red top and a long, yellowish-white skirt.
It was shockingly the Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki, Doma.
"I've been found..." As if realizing he had been discovered, Doma's soft voice came from over there.
"The demon who killed my sister!" Shinobu muttered to herself, her words carrying an immense hatred.
"Lord Akaza, what's taking so long?" Doma said teasingly to Akaza.
Then, he raised a golden iron fan engraved with a lotus pattern to cover his smile, and then continued, "Could it be that you can't bring yourself to strike that cute girl, Lord Akaza? After all, you never kill or eat women! I can help, you know."
"Get lost," Akaza seemed to dislike Doma very much and had no good attitude towards him, cursing with a cold face.
"Oh my, don't be so angry, Lord Akaza," Doma said with a smile.
"You can try to break your principles now, you know... otherwise, you'll never be able to catch up to me and Lord Kokushibo. I clearly became a demon after you, Lord Akaza, yet I was promoted before you. Perhaps it's because you don't kill or eat women."
"Shut up!" Akaza was very impatient and glared at Doma with angry eyes.
He truly hated this person.
"It was just a joke, Lord Akaza," Doma laughed, waving his fan. "Don't take it so seriously."
"Kyojuro, since you are unwilling to become a demon, then I will force you to become one!" Akaza no longer paid any attention to Doma and instead slowly walked towards the unconscious Kyojuro Rengoku.
He had already decided that regardless of Kyojuro Rengoku's consent, he would turn him into a demon.
'After he becomes a demon and experiences what it's like, perhaps Kyojuro won't have such shallow thoughts as before.'
Faced with Akaza's approach, Shinobu suppressed her hatred for Doma, adjusted her breathing, and slowly raised her Nichirin Sword towards Akaza.
She knew that everyone present was in a perilous situation now.
But even so, she would absolutely not back down, and she certainly would not allow Mr. Rengoku to be treated with such humiliation!
"Get out of the way!" Akaza said impatiently to Shinobu.
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Butterfl—"
Just as Shinobu was about to use her sword technique again, another unexpected change occurred.
"Bang!"
A figure suddenly smashed onto the path Akaza was walking on.
The person and the demon both looked at the figure that had smashed onto the ground with confusion, only to shockingly discover that it was Doma, who had just been teasing them from the tree branch!
"A demon hundreds of years old, and you're still bullying a little girl."
A voice that felt familiar to Shinobu came from the position where Doma had just been.
Shinobu's gaze shifted to the tree branch.
Standing on that branch, retracting his foot, was Lexon.
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