Akaza Attacks

The Mugen Train stood silently on the tracks, like a dead behemoth. On its roof, Moyu had just sheathed his sword, and the ashes of the four slain Lower Rank demons had yet to fully scatter. The night breeze stirred his hair, carrying a faint chill.

But the peace did not last long.

An immense, violent demonic aura, brimming with fighting spirit, rose from the distant mountain forest like a signal fire and raced toward the train at astonishing speed! Far stronger than the combined auras of the four Lower Ranks, it carried a madness and oppressive force born purely for battle.

"He's here..." Moyu's Azure eyes narrowed slightly. Upper Rank Three, Akaza. Just as in his "memories," he had come alone.

He could not wait here. There were still countless sleeping passengers aboard the train. If a fight broke out here, its shockwaves alone would be enough to cause heavy casualties.

Without a moment's hesitation, Moyu vanished from the roof and appeared on the ground dozens of meters away. Then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, he rushed to meet the approaching demonic aura! He had to draw the battle away from the train.

In a few bounds, Moyu reached an open woodland beside the railway. Almost the instant he stopped, a figure wrapped in violent currents of air crashed down a short distance in front of him, cracking the ground and sending dust billowing.

As the dust cleared, Akaza came into view. He had deathly pale skin, short pink hair and eyebrows, blood-red nails, and dark blue tattoos covering his muscular upper body and extending to his cheeks. He rolled his neck with a crack, his golden eyes fixed on Moyu like a beast eyeing its prey, full of excitement and fighting spirit.

"Oh? You came out to meet me... Looks like you're the brat with the special eyes Lord Muzan told me about." Akaza grinned, baring his sharp teeth. "Good, very good! That fighting spirit... It's far stronger than those useless Lower Ranks'! Give me your name, boy! I, Akaza, don't kill nameless nobodies!"

"Moyu," he answered calmly, his hand resting on Azure Star's hilt. His Azure eyes coolly analyzed the exertion of every muscle and the flow of energy in his opponent's body. The information from his Six Eyes showed that Akaza's physical strength and energy reserves had reached a terrifying level. In particular, the regenerative power contained in that body was like boiling magma.

"Moyu? Good! I'll remember it!" Akaza laughed, his fighting spirit surging. "Let's fight to the death! Show me what you can do!"

Before he finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet exploded! He vanished, appearing at Moyu's left at a speed far beyond that of the Lower Rank demons. A simple, direct punch, heavy and fast as lightning, blasted toward Moyu's temple! The wind from his fist tore through the air with a piercing boom!

"Fast!" Moyu's gaze sharpened. Akaza was even faster than he had expected! But he did not panic. Limitless: Inviolability deployed in an instant!

Bang!

Akaza's fist stopped dead half a foot from Moyu's head, as if it had struck an invisible, endlessly extending wall of rubber! Its violent force was dispersed and canceled out layer by layer until it finally came to a halt.

"Hm?!" Surprise flashed through Akaza's golden eyes, followed by even greater interest. "Interesting! What is this? A defensive Blood Demon Art? No... you don't smell like a demon... Is it some kind of special technique?"

Surprised though he was, he did not pause. When his strike failed, he immediately changed tactics, throwing punches like a raging storm!

"Destructive Death: Disorder!"

Countless fist shadows instantly engulfed Moyu! Every punch held enough terrifying power to split mountains and shatter stone! The air was compressed relentlessly, producing a continuous series of muffled blasts!

Yet under the absolute perception of the Six Eyes, the trajectories and force of the seemingly impenetrable attack, down to its slightest fluctuations of energy, were perfectly clear. Moyu swayed and flickered through the fist shadows like a ghost, always avoiding the deadliest blows with the smallest movements at the last possible instant, or using Inviolability to precisely deflect and cancel out the force of punches he could not completely evade. His Flowing Cloud Step combined perfectly with Limitless, making him look at ease.

From time to time, Moyu seized a gap in Akaza's attacks and struck back.

"Azure Flow Breathing: First Form: Vortex Slash!"

Azure Star flashed from its sheath. Rather than cleaving straight down, the blade thrust like a drill toward Akaza's joints or the nodes in his energy flow, carrying a rapidly spinning cutting force! It was blindingly fast, striking from tricky angles!

Rip! The blade swept past, leaving wounds on Akaza's arms or chest deep enough to expose bone!

But what happened next was enough to make one's heart tremble. The flesh around those wounds writhed wildly, healing almost in the blink of an eye without leaving even a scar! His regeneration was astonishingly fast!

"Useless! Useless!" Akaza laughed wildly, his attacks growing fiercer. "Wounds like that do nothing to me! Your attacks are too weak!"

"Destructive Death: Air Type!" He sprang into the air and punched downward in rapid succession. Solidified shockwaves hurtled toward Moyu like cannonballs, cutting off every avenue of escape!

Moyu's expression did not change. He raised his left hand, and a walnut-sized Blue formed instantly in front of his palm. Its powerful attraction warped space, deflecting, drawing in, and annihilating most of the shockwaves! At the same time, he retreated swiftly, avoiding the remaining attacks.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Several deep craters were blasted into the ground.

The battle reached a stalemate. Akaza's attacks were ferocious, and his speed, strength, and regeneration were all top-notch, but Moyu's defense and evasion were even more flawless. Limitless, combined with the Six Eyes' ability to predict his moves, rendered the vast majority of Akaza's attacks useless. Moyu's counterattacks could hit Akaza, but they could not inflict a fatal wound; his opponent's regeneration was simply too monstrous.

"Hahaha! This is great! Absolutely exhilarating!" Akaza grew more excited as they fought, his golden eyes practically glowing. "How long has it been since I met such an interesting opponent? Boy, you're strong! Very strong! But... as a human, you have limits!"

He abruptly stepped back and spread his hands. A snowflake-shaped formation appeared beneath his feet.

"Cursed Technique deployment: Destructive Death: Compass Needle!"

The instant the formation took shape, Akaza's aura changed abruptly, becoming more precise and deadly! It was as though he could directly "see" Moyu's fighting spirit and the locations of his weaknesses!

"That's it! Now we're talking!" Overjoyed, Akaza lunged forward again. This time, rather than sweeping, wide-open attacks, his blows were as precise as a surgeon's scalpel. Every punch and kick headed straight for fatal weak points such as Moyu's throat, heart, and joints! With Compass Needle, his attacks became vastly more effective!

The pressure on Moyu increased sharply! Limitless began consuming noticeably more energy. He had to focus even harder on using his Six Eyes to predict every attack while pushing Flowing Cloud Step to its limits and combining it with tiny instances of Blue for instantaneous movement. Only then could he narrowly evade the endless succession of killing blows.

"Well? Can you feel the difference?" Akaza shouted as he attacked relentlessly. "Human bodies are too fragile! They grow old! They die! No matter how refined your skills are, your strength will eventually run out! But demons are different! They have endless life and endless potential to grow stronger!"

He suddenly unleashed a high sweeping kick, his heel chopping toward Moyu's neck like a battle-axe! "Destructive Death: Leg Type: Crown Splitter!"

Moyu ducked beneath it and slashed upward, leaving a wound on Akaza's thigh, but it healed instantly.

"Become a demon, Moyu!" Akaza's voice carried an almost fanatical persuasion. "Join us! Abandon your weak human shell and gain eternal life and endless power! Then we can keep fighting, forever and ever! That's what the strong should strive for!"

Moyu parried a straight punch and used its force to slide backward. He was breathing slightly hard, but his gaze remained calm.

"Become a demon?" A trace of mockery entered Moyu's voice. "Gain eternal life, and then what? Wag my tail and beg Muzan for mercy like a dog, gaining pathetic strength by devouring innocent people? Is that what you call 'strength'?"

Akaza's face darkened. "How dare you! Do not insult Lord Muzan! The strong ruling the weak is the natural order! The weak have no value in living!"

"The weak have no value?" Moyu said coldly as he dodged the shockwaves of Destructive Death: Air Type raining down like meteors. "Then do you still remember the name 'Hakuji'?"

"Haku... ji?" Akaza's movements suddenly stalled. A fleeting trace of bewilderment and confusion flashed through his golden eyes. "Who... is that?"

Though Muzan had erased most of his human memories, the name Hakuji, engraved deep in his soul, still caused a faint ripple.

Moyu gave him no time to think. He spoke faster, his voice reaching Akaza's ears clearly. "Do you remember that shabby dojo? The old master who took you in and taught you Soryu Style? And the gentle girl who always followed you around, calling you 'Brother Hakuji'... Koyuki?"

Each name was like a key, trying to pry open the sealed door of his memories. The wild grin vanished from Akaza's face, replaced by agitation and confusion, and the rhythm of his attacks became noticeably erratic.

"Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about!" he roared. His attacks grew wilder, but their order had fallen apart. "Destructive Death: Shattering Type: Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow!" He slammed a fist into the ground, sending shockwaves spreading out in a fan as he tried to suppress Moyu with an area attack.

Moyu dodged easily and continued, "Didn't you grow stronger to protect that dojo? To protect the master who had shown you such immense kindness? To protect the girl you promised to marry? When did your desire to protect the people important to you become an excuse to bully the weak?!"

"I told you to shut up!" Akaza flew into a complete rage, his eyes blood-red. "Destructive Death: Annihilation Style!" Every muscle in his body bulged as he charged at Moyu like a cannonball, thrusting out both fists with earthshaking force!

But in his fury, he left an even greater opening! Moyu's Six Eyes caught the precise instant when Akaza's forward momentum was spent and he had yet to summon fresh strength. Moyu twisted aside at the very limit, his blade flashing like lightning as it stabbed straight at Akaza's heart!

Puchi! This time, the tip sank several inches deep, nearly reaching his heart!

"Argh!" Akaza roared in pain and sprang backward. Blood poured from a large hole in his chest, though it was still regenerating rapidly. He stared fixedly at Moyu, his eyes full of fury and killing intent, along with a trace of... panic he could not even understand himself.

"That... is all fake! It's an illusion!" He tried to convince himself.

"Fake?" Moyu stood with his sword in hand, his Azure eyes seeming to see through Akaza's soul. "Then why are you afraid to listen? Why is your heart wavering? Akaza... or should I call you Hakuji?"

"I'm not Hakuji!!" Akaza roared like a beast, his reason nearly consumed by rage. "I'm Akaza! Upper Rank Three! I'll kill you! Cursed Technique deployment: Final Form: Azure-Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"

The Compass Needle formation beneath his feet blazed with light! The demonic aura throughout his body surged to its peak! The next second, he became an afterimage and, at a speed the naked eye could not possibly follow, unleashed over a hundred fist-pressure blasts compressed to the utmost at Moyu! Like hundreds of streaks of silver light, they instantly covered every space Moyu could use to dodge! This was his ultimate technique!

Faced with this killing blow, Moyu's expression grew as grave as could be. He pushed his Six Eyes to their limit, factoring the trajectory, intensity, and gaps of every fist-pressure blast into his calculations. Limitless: Inviolability deployed at full power.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!!!

Explosions sounded as densely as falling rain! Moyu's position was completely engulfed by dust and rampaging energy! The ground trembled violently, and trees were torn to pieces by the energy spilling outward!

When the dust slowly cleared, Moyu was on one knee, supporting himself with Azure Star. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and his Haori was torn in several places. Clearly, he too had suffered some shock and internal injuries under that terrifying attack. Limitless was not invincible. Against a saturation attack of such extreme frequency and range, some of the force had still penetrated his defense. After all, Limitless required the cooperation of the Six Eyes, while the Six Eyes required powerful mental strength. The exhaustion caused by calculating beyond his limits had allowed a small portion of the attacks through. But thanks to the defense of Armament Haki, his injuries were not serious, and the powerful recovery of his Sage Body was rapidly healing them. (The Six Eyes are a little weaker while still developing.)

Akaza stood a short distance away, his chest heaving. Using his Final Form had taken a great toll on him as well. He stared fixedly at Moyu, who seemed badly hurt, and a vicious grin appeared on his face. "Well? That's my power! Now, I'll ask you one last time: become a demon, or... die!"

Moyu slowly stood and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. There was no fear in his Azure eyes, only a trace of scorn. "That was your full strength? Nothing special. It seems Muzan not only erased your memories, but made your spirit so small as well. Pathetic."

He looked up at the east, where a faint pale light had already appeared on the horizon. Dawn was approaching.

"Daybreak is almost here," Moyu said calmly. "You should run, Akaza. Or... do you want a taste of sunlight?"

Akaza's expression changed drastically, and he whipped around to look east. That faint light filled him with instinctive fear. His body began to tremble involuntarily. If he kept fighting, he would surely die once the sunlight touched him!

"Damn it!" He roared in utter unwillingness and glared at Moyu, as though he meant to engrave him on his soul. "You got lucky this time! The next time we meet, I'll tear you apart!!"

With that, he hesitated no longer. His figure became a black shadow, fleeing swiftly away from the sunlight.

Moyu watched the direction in which Akaza had disappeared, but did not pursue him. He knew that with his current offensive power, it would be difficult to truly kill an Upper Rank with monstrous regeneration, especially one who specialized in hand-to-hand combat like Akaza. Driving him off, protecting the train's passengers, and planting a seed in his heart was already the best outcome.

Clearly, Muzan had erased his memories thoroughly, or Muzan's current strength gave him too much control over Akaza for Moyu to fully awaken them. After all, in the story, Akaza recovered his memories after his head was cut off and Muzan had been weakened. Even knowing the plot in advance, it was difficult to awaken his memories early.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his body, and shouted in the direction Akaza had disappeared:

"Hakuji! If you remember anything... you can come find me!"

His voice echoed through the mountain forest at dawn, carrying far into the distance.

Far away, Akaza's figure seemed to pause almost imperceptibly before disappearing even faster into the depths of the forest.