Akaza

On the Train, the night wind whistled past the ears of the three as they sped forward. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu stood side by side, gripping their weapons tightly.

The Enmu's flesh had already seeped into every metal plate of the Train, and its tentacles clung to the carriage body, trembling and contracting as if they were alive.

"It's actually grown alongside the Train?" Inosuke gripped his twin swords. "Looks like simply cutting it won't work."

"We can do it," Tanjiro, regaining his composure. "As long as we have enough speed and strength."

"Eight Gates Formation Released!" The three of them simultaneously unleashed their Chakra, their muscles tensing and their nerves communicating more flexibly.

A fiery aura enveloped the three, causing their blood to circulate faster and their strikes to be executed more cleanly and decisively.

"That should be enough to hold out until we destroy it." Zenitsu gripped his Nichirin Blade. "Get ready."

The three moved swiftly, attacking almost simultaneously.

Tanjiro 'Flame Breathing, Isshiki "Train"—a streak of crimson flame advances with the blade, cleanly severing a blood vessel attached to the top of Train.

Inosuke then used "Beast Breathing: Space Tear" to slash horizontally, and a pair of serrated blades pierced into the blood clot like sharp teeth, completely tearing it apart with a "crack".

Zenitsu, with Godspeed Flash, blurred his figure and circled the Train, severing the attached tentacles one by one.

Blood splattered in the air, and sparks flew up as the metal broke apart.

The Train began to tremble, and the areas covered in ghost blood continued to crumble as the three attacked.

"We can... we've held on." Tanjiro gripped his sword tightly. "But... the Eight Gates are taking a heavy toll on us."

"We can't hold out much longer," Inosuke gasped for breath.

"The Train... is it still fighting for its life?" Zenitsu gripped his knife. "Looks like it's not going to collapse so easily."

The Train's main body began to twist, and blood vessels regenerated from the broken ends, attempting to reattach themselves.

The three of them slowed down and were almost pierced by the tentacles.

"Dodge!" Tanjiro shouted a warning, slashing off Inosuke's bloody beard with a fiery Flame Wheel, narrowly shoving him away from a fatal blow.

The Train trembled, and the last vein burst forth with sharp barbs, heading straight for the three men's chests.

"Stop!" A fiery dragon descended from the sky, and Kyojuro Rengoku, wielding his Nichirin Blade, cleanly shredded the barbs with a single strike.

"Lord Kyojuro?" the three asked in unison.

"You did a good job," Kyojuro said softly. "Leave the rest to me."

The flames erupted as he gripped the knife, forming a wall of fire that completely blocked the growth of blood vessels.

With a powerful stomp, he shot through the wall of fire and headed straight for the main body of the Train.

"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form... Purgatory"

A crimson flame, like a dragon, burst forth from the Nichirin Blade, piercing through the core of the Train and destroying the blood clots that sustained it along the way.

The Train came to a complete stop with the impact; the metal creaked and broke, and the veins dried up.

The three steadied themselves and looked at Kyojuro, who remained standing amidst the flames.

"The Train... is destroyed." Tanjiro breathed a sigh of relief. "We held on."

"Fortunately, there's the Eight Gates... and Captain Kakashi's training." Zenitsu gripped his trembling sword. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have lasted until Lord Kyojuro made his move."

The flames had just died down with the destruction of the Train, and a heavy, cold aura pressed down from the night sky.

The expressions on their faces changed.

"They're here." Kyojuro gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly. "It's the Upper Moon."

All three tensed up and gripped their weapons.

A figure plummeted from the night sky at high speed, and with a loud "thud," the ground exploded, sending up a ring-shaped shockwave that sent sand and sparks flying.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a pair of golden eyes slowly emerged, inscribed with the characters "Shangxian" and "San".

"Upper Moon Three... Akaza." Kyojuro uttered the name softly, a rare hint of nervousness in his voice.

The three of them felt a chill run down their spines.

The mere presence of this being could make one feel that it was completely different from the demon they had just vanquished, and even from everything they had ever encountered before.

Akaza slowly straightened up, his bare upper body marked with mysterious book marks, the vein-like patterns trembling as his muscles tensed.

"Flames... not bad." Akaza's tone was cold. "But, is that enough?"

He gently clenched his fist, and a transparent aura burst forth around him. "Spell activation... Destructive Death."

"They're here," Kyojuro said in a deep voice. "Prepare for battle."

"We... hold on." Tanjiro gripped his sword. "The Eight Gates... can still be opened."

"We can... but only one at most," Zenitsu said, his voice trembling. "At most... we can unleash one last burst of power."

Inosuke gripped his twin swords. "Whether he's an Upper Moon or not, I'll chop him to pieces with one strike."

"Okay." Kyojuro's fiery gaze hardened even more. "Let's do it together."

The Akaza beneath Akaza's feet shattered, and the "Destructive Death" mark enveloped his body. The transparent aura expanded continuously as his blood flowed, and a destructive fist pressure surged outward from within.

"Flame Breathing, First Form... Unknowing Fire." Kyojuro drew his sword first, and crimson flames followed the advance of the Nichirin Blade, forming a fiery dragon-like sharpness that headed straight for Akaza's chest.

Akaza sneered, "Wait."

With a slight sway of his feet, he dodged the fire dragon's blade with near-instantaneous movement. As he turned, a straight punch of "Destructive Death - Air Type" was thrust out from the side, and a transparent air blast exploded with a Vacuum Wave, "boom" knocking Kyojuro back several steps.

Sparks flew out with the collision, Kyojuro's heels sank into the ground, flames engulfing his body. "So heavy... you actually managed to make me stagger back with just your fists."

"What good is fire, no matter how sharp it is?" Akaza softly. "Only a powerful enough fist can bring destruction."

"We...can." Tanjiro's eyes burned even brighter. "Eight Gates ... the Gate of Pain ...open."

With that shout, a burst of green energy erupted from Tanjiro's body, his blood flow increased dramatically, and his muscle strength surged. He gripped his Nichirin Blade, "Hinokami Kagura... Round Dance."

A fiery arc shot out from the blade, aiming straight for Akaza's neck.

Akaza's movements were fluid and unpredictable. "Destructive Death - Leg Type"—he delivered a side kick, the Vacuum Wave shattering the fiery arc like a sharp blade. Then, in a flash, he closed in on Tanjiro, "Destructive Death - Disorder."

Several punches rained down, transparent fist imprints shooting through the air and striking Tanjiro with a series of "thuds," causing blood to gush from his mouth and sending him flying backward.

"Tanjiro!" Zenitsu roared, "Eight Gates... Gate of Pain... Open!"

A golden arc of electricity encircled Zenitsu. "Thunder Breathing: Divine Godspeed Flash"

His figure was blurry, like a sharp bolt of lightning, piercing straight into Akaza's back.

"Interesting." Akaza turned around purely on instinct, unleashing a "Destructive Death - Leg Type" from his arch. The Vacuum Wave collided with Zenitsu edge, creating a shockwave with a "boom".

Zenitsu staggered backward, "So... hard."

"Beast Breathing... Piercing Fangs!" Inosuke swooped down from the sky, "Ya!!" With a wild roar, his fangs crossed like sharp scythes, aiming straight for Akaza and neck.

Akaza coldly raised his arm, "Destructive Death - Air Type."

A transparent blast of energy erupted from the fist, sending Inosuke flying through the air with a loud thud. "You... are utterly pathetic."

The flames began to diminish, and the golden lightning began to subside. Only the three, their blood boiling, relied on the amplification of the Eight Gates to barely hold on.

"At this rate... we can't hold out for long." Kyojuro gripped his Nichirin Blade. "But... we can't retreat."

"We... are not afraid to sacrifice ourselves," Tanjiro, his voice trembling. "For the sake of... those who remain behind us."

"For... everything we believe in." Zenitsu gripped his trembling sword tightly. "We will never... back down."

The aura emanating from the three surged back, like a spark reigniting.

Akaza's eyes were cold. "Courage without strength... what good is it?"

The battle intensified, with flames, lightning, and blood energy exploding simultaneously in the night sky. Sparks and fist imprints flew everywhere, and blades clashed with Vacuum Wave, causing the battlefield to crack...

That night, the battle between the three members of the Demon Slayer Corps had just entered its most intense phase.