"Swish!"
"Hmph..." Akaza's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched his body separate from his head.
How could this be?
How could he lose?
He was still meant to become stronger!
He was supposed to reach the very end of the martial arts path!
How could he stop here?
If he died so easily, how would he... how would he... Akaza froze, what was he supposed to do?
As Akaza stood there in a daze, a memory suddenly flashed in his mind: a sickly, emaciated man looking at him with remorse, his weak voice seeming to drift from a great distance.
"Hakuji."
That name again!
"Hakuji-elder brother."
Hearing that soft voice, Akaza looked over in the direction of the sound. The girl, who wore a pink kimono, had plum-blossom pink eyes, and a snowflake hairpin tucked into her black hair.
The girl who always appeared in his mind reappeared. She stood by his body, smiling gently at him, her slightly pale face showing a soft smile.
Hakuji...
Hakuji... Hakuji!
Akaza remembered.
This was his original name... cut off!
Tanjirou watched Akaza's head separate from his body, his excitement immense, but noticing his older brother's somewhat unsteady body, he quickly reached out to support Yoizumi.
"Yoizumi-nii? Are you alright?"
Yoizumi's breathing quickened, and he frowned. The consumption brought by the Sixth Form was indeed immense; the power in his body was almost instantly depleted, and his breathing was somewhat disordered.
But... why?
Akaza's body had not yet dissipated!
Yoizumi felt a wave of confusion. Had he also overcome the weakness of decapitation, like Muzan?
Bracing his body, Yoizumi reminded Tanjirou to stay vigilant. Although he didn't understand, Tanjirou immediately became alert. If Yoizumi-nii said so, there must be a reason.
"His body hasn't collapsed," Shinobu stated with almost certainty.
Shinobu stared gravely at Akaza's still standing body. Even the headless torso once again assumed an attacking stance.
A huge snowflake pattern reappeared at Akaza's feet. With a forceful stomp forward, the ground instantly cracked into a spiderweb pattern. He brought his palms together like a blade, pointing it towards everyone.
A fierce killing intent and powerful pressure suddenly enveloped them!
What's going on?
Tanjirou, assailed by the chilling pressure, watched as Akaza's neck, which had clearly been severed by Yoizumi-nii, was slowly regenerating!
Tanjirou bit his teeth in disbelief, forcing himself not to tremble.
Could it be that only the sun could kill Akaza?
"Despicable scoundrel!"
"Do you think you can kill me like this!"
"Dream on!"
"You will all die!"
Akaza, with his head reattached, growled through gritted teeth, casting the strange memories aside. His only thought now was to kill these people!
Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style!
Stomping his foot, Akaza leaped high into the air and launched an attack mid-flight, sending shockwaves directly towards the group.
"Disperse!" Yoizumi shouted, simultaneously blocking one of the shockwaves.
Shockwaves exploded one after another at their feet, and the resulting air currents sometimes made it difficult for Tanjirou to open his eyes. He constantly relied on his keen sense of smell to dodge Akaza's attacks, yet he still sustained scrapes and cuts.
"Boom!" Shinobu's nimble body, like a butterfly, flapped its wings, dodging the dangerous impacts. Her hair was slightly disheveled.
Why couldn't he just die obediently after having his head cut off?
Shinobu clicked her tongue in disgust.
If I were to forcefully block these shockwaves with a nichirin blade, it would probably break... Akaza charged directly in front of Shinobu, raising his right fist high, his eyes filled with intense killing intent.
Destructive Kill: Shattering Style: Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow!
Accompanying Akaza was an endless flurry of fine snow. The liquid from the cell-activating medicine still lingered on Yoizumi's lips, and the pupils in his usually clear, sapphire-like eyes had turned into vertical slits.
Snow Breathing Fourth Form: Wind-Ravaged Blizard!
The wind brought by the continuous sword swings howled like a storm, carrying the chill of ice and snow. Akaza's body, at the center of the gale, seemed to freeze, covered in white frost.
Seizing the opportunity, Shinobu immediately activated her breathing technique, drawing her nichirin blade, which had already been prepared with poison in its sheath. Her deep purple eyes were filled with solemnity.
Insect Breathing: Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon!
With a speed beyond what dynamic vision could capture, Shinobu delivered six consecutive thrusts in an instant onto Akaza's body, which had been slowed and stiffened by Yoizumi, injecting a large amount of poison into him.
Six bloody holes appeared on his body, and Akaza's body stiffened for a moment, but he immediately launched another attack.
Destructive Kill: Demon Core Eightfold Core!
He furiously swung both fists, striking from all directions towards Yoizumi and Shinobu, each blow creating a strong gust of wind.
Yoizumi retreated with Shinobu, his nichirin blade fending off Akaza's attacks. The unique, almost transparent snowflake pattern on the back of his right hand slowly emerged.
Under the effect of the Mark, Akaza's attacks were clearly visible in Yoizumi's eyes.
Fierce snow, mixed with white mist, scattered from the blade. The numbness from the ice and the toxins in his blood caused black blood to uncontrollably spill from the corners of Akaza's mouth.
Biting his teeth desperately, Akaza's inner rage seemed as if it would never subside.
Poison and sneak attacks.
For Akaza, these were things he found utterly unacceptable.
The strong disdained such actions.
Only the weak... only the weak would resort to such unscrupulous means!
The strong would become stronger! The weak would only become more despicable!
"Hakuji-elder brother, why do you want to become stronger?"
The girl's words echoed in his mind out of nowhere.
If he didn't become stronger... he wouldn't be able to protect... protect those he cherished... Confronted with his own thoughts, Akaza stared blankly, clutching his chest, then his face inexplicably felt a burning pain.
"Let me cleanse the sins from your body."
"Be reborn!"
"Young man!"
The middle-aged man with a scraggly beard, who had suddenly appeared in his mind on that night on the Infinity Train, reappeared.
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