The Pitch-Black Nightmare (42)-Flame and Sound vs. Upper Rank Three!

The woods halfway up the mountain transformed in the blink of an eye into a stage that was both incredibly magnificent and extremely dangerous.

Akaza's smile was pure and joyful, just like a child who had found the toy he had been dreaming of (☆▽☆).

"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"

Shinjuro Rengoku's swordsmanship is steady yet domineering; he is like a volcano that will never go out.

A violent upward slash, wreathed in towering flames, hurtled straight at Akaza's face with an utterly unreasonable force.

"What a beautiful slash!"

Akaza, instead of retreating, stepped forward and let out a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.

He didn't even bother to block it with his hands; he just tilted his head slightly, and the fiery blade, capable of melting boulders, narrowly missed his cheek.

But in the instant he turned to the side!

"Gotcha, you pink-haired bastard! Give me a spectacular explosion!"

Tengen Uzui's figure appeared beside Akaza like a ghost.

His two enormous Nichirin Blade drew two flamboyant arcs in the air.

Before the blade even reached the target, the special gunpowder wrapped around the blade was already ignited by the sparks from rubbing the hilt together!

"Sound Breathing - Fourth Form - Constant Resounding Slashes!"

"Boom! Boom!"

Two loud bangs exploded right next to Akaza's ears.

That terrifying shockwave and countless flying blade fragments were enough to tear any Lower Rank demon into pieces on the spot!

As a result, Akaza, who was at the epicenter of the explosion, didn't even flinch.

"Spell Deployment - Destructive Death - Compass Needle!"

At Akaza's feet, a complex and beautiful snowflake magic circle unfolded instantly.

Just a second before the flames and smoke of the explosion engulfed him, he twisted his body in a completely ergonomic posture and threw out both fists at once!

"Destructive Death - Air Type!"

"Bang! Bang!"

Two invisible punches, like two air cannonballs, met Tengen Uzui's twin swords and Shinjuro's finishing blow squarely.

"Clang!"

An unimaginable, terrifying force surged back through the blade.

Tengen Uzui felt as if his hand had been hit hard by a battering ram, and he was sent flying backward uncontrollably, rolling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.

For the first time, a look of utter shock, as if to say "How the hell is this possible?", appeared on his heavily made-up face.

"Are you kidding me...? This guy... actually blocked my slash with the force of his fist?!"

On the other side, Shinjuro was in slightly better shape, but he was still forced back several steps, and his right hand holding the sword was trembling slightly.

"Such powerful strength..."

Shinjuro's gaze was extremely heavy.

"Every single one of his attacks was perfectly anticipated! It was as if... Transparent World!"

As the smoke cleared, Akaza stood unharmed, not even a wrinkle on the hem of his clothes.

He shook his hand, and his smile widened.

"That's amazing! That's fantastic!"

Akaza watched the two of them excitedly.

"Your teamwork is simply amazing! One of you is incredibly fierce, and the other is as fast as lightning!"

"I haven't encountered such an interesting opponent in a long time! How about you reconsider my proposal?"

"If we become demons, we can keep fighting like this forever! For a hundred years! For a thousand years!!"

Stop talking nonsense!

Tengen Uzui sprang to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and resumed his fighting stance.

"Your fighting style... while strong, isn't without its weaknesses!"

"I'll compose your entire attack rhythm into a magnificent symphony!"

Shinjuro lowered his center of gravity again, and the flames on the blade burned even brighter, so intense that they seemed to engulf him entirely.

"Uzui, don't be fooled by his words! Focus, this guy... is going to do it for real!"

Before he could finish speaking, Akaza suddenly vanished.

The next second, he appeared in front of Shinjuro as if he had teleported, and threw a simple straight punch at Shinjuro's chest!

That's too fast!

Even the seasoned Flame Hashira Shinjuro, a veteran of countless battles, only had time to hold his Nichirin Blade horizontally in front of his chest to parry the attack!

"Clang!"

This time, it's no joke.

Shinjuro felt as if he had been hit head-on by a Fire Wheel traveling at full speed.

An overwhelming and terrifying force blasted him off the ground, sending him flying like a cannonball, crashing through seven or eight large trees that would take several people to encircle before finally stopping!

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of scalding hot blood gushed out of Shinjuro's mouth.

A tiny crack had appeared on the blade of the Nichirin Blade in his hand!

"Shinjuro!!"

Tengen Uzui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; without a second thought, he brandished his sword and charged forward.

"Your opponent is me!"

"Destructive Death - Disorder!"

Akaza didn't even glance at Tengen Uzui. In the instant he turned around, his arm left a long trail of afterimages as he unleashed dozens of extremely fast punches in all directions!

The fists, like a storm, came from all directions, completely blocking his room to dodge.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Tengen Uzui swung his twin swords with all his might, but could only block less than half of the attacks.

His chest, abdomen, and shoulders were hit by heavy punches one after another, and the sound of bones breaking could be heard clearly.

He was slammed hard into the mountainside, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive.

In just ten minutes, the two pillars were completely overwhelmed!

"It's over."

Akaza withdrew his fist, and the fanatical smile on his face slowly cooled, replaced by a hint of regret.

"What a pity. Such powerful fighting spirit will ultimately disappear along with the death of the body."

***

On the other side, in a dead end.

Giyu Tomioka's fighting has reached a level that outsiders simply cannot understand.

Alone, with only a sword, he faced both Upper Rank One's Moon Breathing and Upper Rank Four's endless wooden dragon strangulation.

Aquamarine ripples and crimson moonlight intertwined around him, creating an absolute domain.

Every swing of his sword was terrifyingly precise, using neither too much nor too little force, perfectly neutralizing the attacks of the two Upper Rank.

Kokushibo's six eyes were filled with solemnity and disbelief.

Zohakuten was so angry he was practically fuming (╬￣皿￣). His wooden dragon had been chopped to pieces hundreds of times, yet he couldn't even touch the hem of the other's clothes.

However, just when the battle was at its most intense and evenly matched...

On Giyu Tomioka's perpetually icy face, his brow furrowed very slightly.

Within the perceptual network that covered the entire mountain in the [Transparent World], he clearly "saw" it.

Halfway up the mountain, two blazing battle auras representing Shinjuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui...

After colliding with another surge of violent battle energy, it is dimming at an extremely rapid pace!

Almost simultaneously, from the direction of the mountaintop, representing Mr. Himejima's mountain-like, heavy fighting spirit,

It was also clashing violently with another powerful aura—cold, eerie, and filled with feigned compassion.

Muzan... he actually threw all the Upper Rank here?!

The curtain has risen on the decisive battle!!

But he was stuck here!

"Oh? What's wrong?"

Zohakuten, who had been looking for an opportunity, keenly grasped the fleeting change in Giyu Tomioka's emotions.

A wicked and cruel smile finally appeared on his handsome face.

Are you worried about your poor companions?

While directing the wooden dragon to attack relentlessly, Zohakuten used his malicious voice to strike at Giyu's nerves, word by word.

"It's no use, give up."

"Tonight, Muzan has summoned all of our companions."

"Kokushibo, Doma, Lord Akaza... we've all come to this mountain!"

"Your so-called 'pillars' will be hunted down, killed, and crushed one by one! Like a swarm of ants that can't escape!"

"And you,"

Zohakuten's voice was filled with the pleasure of watching a good show.

You can't do anything!

"You'll be stuck here, forced to watch your comrades die one by one, witnessing the Demon Slayer Corps' centuries-old legacy crumble tonight!"

Haha! Despair? Pain?

"This is the retribution you wicked villains deserve!"

Giyu did not answer.

He simply wielded his Nichirin Blade, his movements still precise and flawless.

However, Kokushibo was horrified to discover that the aura emanating from the man before him had changed.

That battle aura, which was originally as calm as the deep sea, is becoming icy cold and bone-chilling at a terrifying speed, filled with... rage that can freeze everything.

The light blue ripples surrounding his blade were slowly deepening in color, turning into a deep blackish-blue.

The eerie purplish-red moonlight burned even brighter, as if it wanted to tear the night sky apart completely.

"... Shut up."

A very soft, yet chilling voice that could freeze the soul escaped from Giyu Tomioka's lips.