The Hashira's Judgment: A Limit-Breaking Combined Attack!

In the center of the battlefield.

"Cough cough... cough..."

Amidst the devastation of the ruins, Sanemi Shinazugawa struggled to his feet, using his Nichirin Blade for support.

He was the most seriously injured of the seven people.

Tanjiro's punch not only broke three of his ribs, but also caused severe bleeding in his spleen.

Warm blood flowed down his forehead and into his eyes, turning his vision blood red and blurring it.

But he remained fixed on the demon standing in the sunlight.

There was no trace of retreat or fear in his eyes, only a frenzied killing intent that would drag the other person down with him even if it meant being shattered to pieces.

"Don't underestimate people... you bastard..." Sanemi spat out a mouthful of blood.

Immediately afterwards, Sabito, Obanai, Gyomei, Tengen, Kyojuro, Mitsuri also struggled to their feet from the ruins and pools of blood.

Every single one of them was covered in bruises, and their once neat Demon Slayer Corps uniforms were now tattered and torn.

But the shock they felt reached an unprecedented level.

"That's too strong..."

Sabito gripped his Nichirin Blade.

His sternum was still aching slightly.

"This is nothing like the so-called evil spirits we've encountered before!"

"Whether it's that unreasonable power, the speed that leaves afterimages, or the regenerative ability to instantly regenerate even after one's head has been smashed... all of these far exceed the limits of known life on Earth!"

Tengen gritted his teeth.

"He's so magnificent... He's practically a perfect monster without any weaknesses!"

They felt an unprecedented sense of oppression from this "Tanjiro"!

It was a kind of despair that made even breathing difficult.

This is no longer about slaying demons; this is practically challenging the gods.

The seven people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Having spent years together experiencing life and death, slaying demons and developing an absolute understanding, they could read the only message in each other's eyes:

Facing a monster of this caliber, continuing to fight alone is a sure path to certain death!

Only by setting aside all prejudices, abandoning the habit of fighting alone, and coordinating perfectly in tactical cooperation, can we possibly tear a hole in this monster!

"Everyone! Don't give up! Let's unite our hearts!"

Kyojuro Rengoku roared, and his fiery fighting spirit blazed up again, dispelling the gloom in everyone's hearts.

"We absolutely cannot let him underestimate the Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps! For our Master! For the future of humanity! Let's go! Hmm!"

The second round, a desperate counterattack, has officially begun!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Seven afterimages vanished from their spots in an instant, accompanied by a rapid whooshing sound!

"Is it this kind of boring trick again? You guys really never learn."

Tanjiro scoffed, his eyes filled with disdain.

He was just about to raise his hand to smash Sanemi, who was charging at him first, with brute force.

"Wind Breathing - Seventh Form - Gale, Sudden Gusts!"

However, Sanemi did not choose close combat this time at all!

He suddenly stopped a dozen meters away from Tanjiro, wildly swinging his Nichirin Blade.

Several cyan sword energies, like tornadoes, rose from the ground, stirring up countless fragments of rock and forming a massive sandstorm that wildly interfered with Tanjiro's vision!

"Water Breathing - Third Form - Flowing Dance!"

At the same time, Sabito, like an extremely agile fish, moved at supersonic speeds around Tanjiro, skimming the ground.

He left behind streaks of blue water, constantly launching feint attacks from various blind spots to attract Tanjiro's attention.

"Flame Breathing: Fourth Form - Blooming Flame Undulation!"

Kyojuro then launched a frontal attack, unleashing a massive vortex of fire.

The vortex did not directly attack Tanjiro, but instead formed a wall of fire, perfectly blocking all of Tanjiro's frontal attack and evasion routes!

The three pillars of [Wind], [Water], and [Fire], relying on the different characteristics of the breathing method, formed a stable "pin"-shaped frontal containment net in just a few seconds!

"Have insects learned to cooperate as a team? But what's the use?"

Tanjiro was annoyed by the sand and flames. He snorted and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, preparing to unleash his Heat Haze to burn the three people and the area to ashes.

However!

Just as he was about to gather his energy!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several high-intensity flashbangs exploded in front of him instantly!

The blinding white light made him squint instinctively.

"Sound Breathing - First Form - Boom!"

Using the white light as cover, Tengen Uzui appeared to Tanjiro's side like an elusive assassin.

His broadswords, wielded with deafening sonic booms, slashed fiercely at Tanjiro's thighs, attempting to disrupt his balance!

"Serpent Breathing, Second Form: Venom Fangs of the Narrow Head!"

Obanai Iguro was like an extremely venomous snake, perfectly concealing his presence behind the sonic boom of Tengen.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand gleamed with a deadly cold light, heading straight for Tanjiro's back!

The two pillars, [Snake] and [Sound], perfectly controlled the rhythm of the battlefield by using sneaky and tricky flanking attacks.

They weren't aiming for a fatal blow, but rather to constantly interrupt Tanjiro's pre-attack animation!

"You're so annoying! Get out of my way!"

Tanjiro was extremely annoyed by the relentless attacks, which were like flies buzzing around him. He suddenly turned around, ready to smash the sneak-attacking Obanai with brute force.

Just as he raised his left arm, his attention completely drawn to Obanai!

A pink figure descended from the sky with incredible speed, breaking into the defensive circle he had exposed when he turned around!

"What?"

Tanjiro was taken aback for a moment.

He looked down and saw that the little girl with pink hair, braids, who looked delicate, weak, and as if a gust of wind could blow her over, had actually thrown herself into his arms!

"Got you!"

Mitsuri's adorable doll-like face was flushed red, revealing an unusual determination and resolve.

"I absolutely cannot hold everyone back! I want to do my part here!"

She stretched out her seemingly delicate and harmless hands and hugged Tanjiro band!

"What do you want? Are you going to cling to my arm and beg for mercy? Or are you trying to seduce me?"

Tanjiro's eyes were full of disdain. He only needed to exert a little force to send this ignorant little girl flying.

However!

The next second.

Suddenly, a chilling roar of muscles erupted from Mitsuri's body!

Hidden within her seemingly slender body are terrifyingly unusual muscles with a density eight times higher than that of an average person!

This strange force, at this moment, erupted completely without reservation!

"Break it off!"

Mitsuri braced her feet firmly against Tanjiro's ribs as a fulcrum, while holding onto his left arm with both hands.

"Sizzle--!"

Bright red blood gushed out from Tanjiro's left shoulder, splattering across the sky!

"What?!?!"

Tanjiro's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets!

He stared blankly at his empty left shoulder, where blood was gushing out violently.

Then, looking at the pink-haired girl dozens of meters away, who was clutching her bloodied left arm, rolling around on the ground a dozen times, and finally excitedly holding up her severed arm, her face covered in mud.

Tanjiro's brain completely shut down at this moment!

"Holy crap?!"

Tanjiro let out a devastating roar from the depths of his heart.

"What the hell is going on?!"

"What did this pink-haired little girl eat to grow up like this? Did she eat barbells?!"

"My body is a perfect physique that surpasses even the Upper Rank!"

"This is incredibly dense muscle that even Red Nichirin Blade would have a hard time cutting through, and she actually managed to tear it off with her seemingly soft little hands?!"

"Is this even reasonable?!"

Tanjiro fell into deep self-doubt.

He even began to suspect that he had just bought a counterfeit Demon King's Blood, otherwise... how could he not even beat a loli?!

In those few seconds when he was distracted by the unscientific strength of this little girl, and lost in thought...

Namo Amitabha Buddha!

Above their heads, that resounding Buddhist chant, like a death knell, rang out once more!

With tears streaming down his Gyomei Himejima crashed down like Mount Tai.

"Stone Breathing - Third Form - Stone Skin!"

The enormous meteor hammer carried terrifying kinetic energy capable of shattering everything, even creating dazzling sparks as it rubbed against the air, like a falling meteor!

"Bang--!"

There's absolutely no suspense!

Tanjiro, who was in a state of malfunction and questioning his existence, had no time to make any defense.

The flail struck Tanjiro's body with perfect accuracy!

The immense force was devastating, smashing his entire torso into a pool of flesh that splattered onto the bluestone slab!

"Well done! Kanroji! Himejima!"

Tengen Uzui shouted excitedly, wiping the sweat and blood from his face.

Round Two!!

The seven pillars, with their tacit understanding and ability to set aside their prejudices, executed a perfect tactical maneuver!

... and Mitsuri's incredible, illogical, and superhuman strength finally tore a huge gash in the monster's body, successfully turning the tide!

Although everyone was panting heavily, a look of relief and joy appeared on their faces.

However.

This fleeting joy didn't even give the pillars a moment to exhale.

"Sizzle sizzle..."

In the center of the ruins, billowing crimson steam suddenly rose from the body that should have needed time to regenerate.

The temperature is rising at an unreasonable rate.

The remaining wooden structures and withered leaves in the courtyard, under the intense heat, instantly lost their moisture and began to spontaneously combust, emitting tiny sparks!

"What's going on? This suffocating sense of oppression... is several times more terrifying than before!"

The Sabito gripped the knife tightly, its modified, powerful legs now trembling uncontrollably—a primal fear in the face of a superior predator.

In the billowing crimson steam.

An unbelievable scene unfolded.

Tanjiro's shattered body and his left arm, torn off by Mitsuri and left in the distance, transformed into streaks of red light.

They not only instantly flew back to their original positions, restoring everything to its original state.

And then, when he rose again from the twisted flames...

His demeanor underwent a dramatic and devastating transformation!

The previous "Tanjiro," though arrogant, haughty, and spouting cringeworthy lines, at least possessed clear language skills.

He gets angry when he's hit and shocked when his arm is torn off, which shows that he still retains at least a sliver of human emotion.

But now...

He kept his head down, his long, dark red hair dancing wildly in the heat, like burning flames.

"Uh... ah..."

Tanjiro clutched his forehead tightly, letting out a painful roar.

His eyes revealed an extremely intense struggle!

He's resisting!

Hunger!!

An indescribable, overwhelming hunger, as if it could melt your stomach, swept over you like a tsunami!

"I'm so hungry..."

"Why... why are you... interfering with my eating?!"

But this struggle lasted only a few seconds.

Soon,

The agonizing struggle gradually subsided.

Tanjiro raised his head.

In his blood-red vertical pupils, the last shred of reason was mercilessly devoured.

At this moment, the instinct to eat people completely took over the top of his mind.

He is no longer a teenager with a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) second personality, but a perfect demon who only knows how to kill and eat!

"Hehe... haha!"

Tanjiro let out a chilling, sinister laugh.

He stuck out his long, slender tongue and licked the remaining blood off his fingers, seemingly still wanting more.

"This is infuriating!! It's just a few pieces of food that bounce around, yet it's making me feel tired..."

He bent down slightly, assuming a pouncing stance like a wild beast.

At that moment, a subtle reorganization of the bones in his body was taking place, producing a popping sound like popping beans.

Boom--!

Blood-red Heat Haze surged wildly from the bluestone slab beneath his feet!

The temperature of this Heat Haze was outrageously high; even the ground beneath his feet began to turn a molten, crimson red!

"So..."

Tanjiro grinned, revealing a terrifying smile that plunged all the Pillars into an abyss of ice.

"Warm-up is over!!"

Upon hearing this,

A profound sense of powerlessness instantly filled the eyes of the pillars!

The devastating attack just now forced all seven of them to use all their trump cards and even risk their lives to barely break through his defenses in one exchange...

Was this just a warm-up for the monster?!?!

Just how terrifying is he when he gets serious?!?!

"Boom--!"

They weren't given any time to think!

Tanjiro had already transformed into a blood-red afterimage of a death god wreath engulfed in raging flames.