"Boom--!"
Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath Tanjiro's feet shattered with a deafening roar!
He transformed into a streak of golden-red light that pierced through the void, charging head-on into the exhausted blood net!
"Arrogant brat! Don't think you can turn the tables just because you've grown an arm! Before absolute power, everything is in vain!"
"Blood Demon Art: Eight-Directional Murderous Threads!!"
Hundreds upon hundreds of crimson beams, powerful enough to cleave through fine steel, swept down from the sky, tearing everything apart!
However, this time, Tanjiro did not back down!
"Sun Breathing - Fourth Form - Mirage Sun Rainbow!!"
A flash of golden light!
Tanjiro's true form caused visual afterimages as he moved at high speed. Layer upon layer of high-temperature afterimages intertwined in the air, and the incredibly dense blood-red light pierced through the illusory afterimages of firelight several times!
The instant it pierces through the spider web!
"Sun Breathing - Sixth Form - Burning Bones, Summer Sun!!"
Tanjiro completed an incredible spin in mid-air, and a vortex of golden-red flames erupted from the Nichirin Blade!
"Sizzle--!"
The reinforced spider silk ignites instantly upon contact with the flame, turning into ashes that fill the air!
Break through the defenses! Close-quarters combat!
"What?!"
For the first time, a look of horror appeared on his exhausted face.
That's too fast!
This level of control over swordsmanship is something a novice swordsman could never possess; it is clearly the true skill that only a seasoned, battle-hardened veteran could display!
"Sun Breathing, Third Form - Blazing Sun Red Mirror!!"
"Sun Breathing, Fifth Form - Fire Wheel!!"
Tanjiro has completely transformed into a fire god who dominates the battlefield!
The blade, wreathed in golden-red Heat Haze, poured down on Lei's body!
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Pfft!"
Each strike left a deep, bone-revealing sword wound on Lei's body!
Instead of healing immediately, the wounds emitted billowing white smoke as they were relentlessly burned by the Sun Breathing!
"It's so hot! It hurts so much!!"
Exhausted, he let out a bloodcurdling scream, his body retreating violently, the horror in his heart unleashing a level twelve tsunami:
"What on earth is this flame?! Why is it stopping my cells from dividing?!"
"If I were still that Lower Rank Five, my head would have flown to the sky during that last round!!"
The battle did not end in a one-sided fashion!
"Roar--!"
His exhausted torso swelled up instantly, and large amounts of scarlet blood gushed from his pores!
"You forced me to this! You forced me to this!!"
"Blood Demon Art - Full Release - Eightfold Thread Wheel Prison!!"
"Boom--!"
The entire core area was completely transformed into a churning sea of blood!
Dozens of rapidly spinning, blood-red giant wheels descended from the sky, sealing off the entire world completely!
The power of this attack has completely reached the level of a natural disaster!
Faced with this overwhelming killing array, Tanjiro had no choice but to push the Sun Breathing to the limit that his body could withstand!
"Solar Heat Haze!!"
"The Setting Sun Flash Step!!"
"The Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!!"
Golden light and blood-red light clashed on the ruins of the core area! For a full half hour!
This is a clash of top-tier forces that will be recorded in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps!
However...
Time has sided with the demons who can regenerate.
Thirty minutes of intense bombardment relentlessly shattered the physiological limitations of Tanjiro Kamado's "pure human body"!
Tanjiro's body temperature had now soared to an alarming forty-two degrees Celsius!
His heart beats more than two hundred times per minute!
"Hoo... cough!!"
"Bang--!"
A rapidly spinning blood wheel grazed Tanjiro's right ribs!
Despite his best efforts to avoid vital points, the violent kinetic energy still blasted him away!
"Boom!"
"Wow--!"
Tanjiro knelt on one knee in the dust, spitting out a mouthful of blood!
He gripped the Nichirin Blade tightly with both hands, his vision blurring, and he was completely drained of the strength to even stand up!
No matter how strong the human will is, it can never bridge the gap between mortal beings and non-human species!
The sounds of the real world gradually became blurred and distant at this moment.
"Da, da."
When Tanjiro opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in that familiar Sea of Consciousness.
"Yo~"
The Demon Consciousness gently swirled the wine glass, its voice drawn out in a strange, sarcastic tone:
"Isn't this our eldest son, who always talks about 'justice will prevail,' is unyielding to the death, and is determined to be a pure human being?"
"Does the spider silk outside taste good? How does it feel to be beaten up?"
"I was having a blast watching the show inside! Hold on for another three seconds, and your beautiful head will be hanging on the net like dried meat! Haha!"
Faced with this barrage of ridicule.
Exhausted, Tanjiro rubbed his aching temples and sighed deeply.
"My other self... is this not the time for sarcasm and celebrations?"
"If my physical body is turned into mincemeat outside, your spiritual consciousness attached to my body will also be completely destroyed along with it, right?"
"Puff--!"
"Nonsense! Stop trying to glorify yourself! I am a god who transcends all things in this world! How could I possibly perish together with a weakling like you?!"
"Okay... I admit, our souls are now bound a little bit deeper than you think!"
The Demon Consciousness impatiently grabbed its long hair, its blood-red vertical pupils glaring at Tanjiro:
"Speak up! What the hell do you want, you troublemaker?!"
"You want me to fight for you?! Fine! Immediately relinquish your mental control and hand over all physical permissions to me! I'll go out and slap that whining spider bastard into a pile of mincemeat!!"
"Damn! Absolutely not!"
Tanjiro refused without hesitation, his attitude so firm that there was no room for negotiation:
"Mr. Giyu repeatedly warned me that I must never yield to evil spirits!"
"I'm handing my body over to you. After you're done fighting, you might just devour the entire Mount Fujikasane!"
Tanjiro helped himself to his feet, held up one hand, and raised five fingers:
"We agreed before at Mount Sagiri that we would only borrow five percent!!"
Not a single drop more!
"..."
The Demon Consciousness froze, and the entire ghost was frozen in place.
His arrogant face turned a deep purple in that instant because of Tanjiro's stubbornness.
"Five percent?! You wouldn't even dare ask for five cents in interest if you borrowed from loan sharks on the black market!!"
"You stingy, inflexible idiot! Do you even know how precious the power within me is?! Five percent is barely enough to replace your car battery, you bastard!!"
Tanjiro remained unfazed, stubbornly holding up five fingers. "Five percent is enough. To lend it or not?"
"Lend it to me! I'll lend it to you, okay?!"
"Get out of here right now! If you lose control of your instincts and want to eat someone later, don't come crying for your mom! Get out, ahhh!!"
"Boom--!"
A raging crimson torrent instantly filled Tanjiro's soul!
The real world.
"Die, you scum!!"
Lei, who was in mid-air, had completely gone into a frenzy, pressing down with all ten fingers at the same time!
Eight enormous, blood-red, engraved wheels, carrying a deathly aura capable of cleaving through everything, crashed down upon Tanjiro's head, leaving him less than three centimeters from the top of his hair!
The red-haired boy was about to turn into a pile of minced meat!
However--
"Boom--!"
An indescribable, terrifying pressure suddenly exploded from Tanjiro's center!
The violent crimson shockwave transformed into a tangible shockwave, directly shattering the eight crimson giant wheels and sending them flying back into the sky!
Amidst the exploding sparks, Tanjiro Kamado, who had been kneeling on the ground exhausted, slowly straightened his spine!
"Sizzle--!"
White steam billowed from every pore of his body!
The torn muscles, broken bones, and even severely damaged internal organs were all restored at the speed of light in a mere 0.1 seconds by that perfect self-healing power!
Not only that!
"Buzz--!"
The aura emanating from the Nichirin Blade that Tanjiro held in his right hand underwent a qualitative leap!
"Zheng--!"
The deep blue color on the entire Nichirin Blade peeled off at an alarming rate!
Instead, it was replaced by a dazzling, bright red color!
The space around the blade distorted under the terrifying heat!
Without even a single swing, the residual heat emanating from the crimson Red Nichirin Blade caused the spiderwebs that Lei had laid out in mid-air to spontaneously combust and turn to ashes, even from a distance of tens of meters!
Natural enemy!
This is the absolute nemesis that surpasses all evil spirits!!
In mid-air.
Lower Rank Five, who had initially been confident of victory, now had his expression frozen into a comical one.
The moment the Demon King cells within his body sensed the crimson Red Nichirin Blade below, they actually stopped their rampage!
Every neuron is screaming the same command:
Run! Run away immediately!!
On the earth.
Tanjiro gripped the crimson blade radiating intense heat in one hand, his blood-red vertical pupils slightly raised.
A rare, composed, sinister smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Phase Two..."
With a slight flick of his wrist, Tanjiro instantly melted the soil beneath his feet into churning, boiling crimson magma!
"--Start now!"