Everyone Assembles

"Tanjuro Kamado, you two must leave quickly. Kanae Kocho and I will cover the retreat; we will find a way to escape."

Suzuki Mufeng could not afford to worry about anything else at this moment. He never expected the butterfly effect he caused to be so severe. Akaza, the Upper Rank Three who should have appeared on the Infinity Train, had arrived early. With only himself, the Flower Hashira, and the physically frail Tanjuro Kamado, they were clearly no match for him.

"Mr. Mufeng, I have already had Kie take the children away. I will stay behind to help you deal with this evil demon. Please, trust me."

"Tanjuro, be careful! Akaza is already here."

As they spoke, Akaza stepped forward in full view of everyone, appearing directly before Tanjuro Kamado to scrutinize his appearance.

"Truly terrifying. Despite having a body weaker than a blade of grass, you have already reached the Supreme Territory. Tell me, becoming a demon only requires consuming those weak humans. You won't have to worry about lifespan or injuries—those are just trivial matters. As long as you keep living, you can continuously hone your skills and become stronger. All that is sacrificed are the lives of mere mortals!"

Akaza spoke incessantly, failing to notice that Tanjuro Kamado's expression was growing increasingly grim. Memories hidden deep within his genetic lineage quietly surfaced in his mind, and the Sun Breathing danced by Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared before his eyes.

"What exactly do you take life to be!"

As the words fell, they struck Akaza's heart like a heavy hammer—it was the fear from the deepest cells of Muzan Kibutsuji.

The exact same movements, the same tone of voice. That day, that man had swung his blade thousands of times, slicing him into fragments until, in the end, he had to choose self-detonation just to barely survive.

When his consciousness returned to his body, the Tanjuro Kamado before him had already used the axe in his hand to sever his head.

At that moment, the trembling, shrill voice of Muzan Kibutsuji echoed in his ears.

"Kill him, Akaza! No matter the cost, you must kill this man for me!"

Inside the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji had lost all his former elegance, reduced to a beast with broken teeth, roaring madly in impotent rage.

"Well done! Tanjuro, leave the rest to us. Thunder Breathing."

Rumble—

Suzuki Mufeng transformed into a bolt of lightning. He secretly rejoiced, I underestimated Tanjuro's power, though Akaza's arrogance played a part. Regardless, thanks to Tanjuro's help, we might actually be able to slay Akaza here and now!

"First Form, Shave—Thunderclap and Flash: Sixfold!"

The lightning streaked past Akaza with blinding speed. The Nichirin Sword struck Akaza's regenerating neck, leaving only a white mark. The attack did not end there; he continued to strike at the center of Akaza's neck along a hexagram trajectory.

"Annoying insect! Destructive Death—Chaotic Type!"

Akaza quickly grabbed the rushing Suzuki Mufeng. His fists moved with the speed of a violent storm, so fast that only the Sharingan could track his movements. However, while his eyes could keep up, his body simply could not.

"Total Concentration—Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility."

Kanae Kocho, who had been waiting for an opening, struck the moment Akaza's attention was entirely focused on Suzuki Mufeng.

Her Nichirin Sword unleashed nine consecutive strikes, connecting them to pierce the same point on the back of Akaza's neck. Neither of them expected that even with such strenuous attacks, they had only managed to slice through a small amount of flesh.

"Destructive Death—Endless Tree Needles!"

"Soft & Wet, use bubbles to protect Kanae first! Water Style—Water Wall!"

The moment Akaza's fist slammed into the ground, Suzuki Mufeng commanded Soft & Wet to exhale bubbles, shielding Kanae Kocho inside. A wall of water rose around Suzuki Mufeng, dissipating most of the shockwave from Akaza's strike, yet both were still sent flying by the impact.

Kanae Kocho remained uninjured thanks to the bubble, but Suzuki Mufeng was in a dire situation. He noticed a sharp branch aiming directly for his chest in the direction he was flying; if he hit that, he would be dead or severely wounded.

Just then, Suzuki Mufeng felt a softness against his back. That scent—it was Makomo!

"Total Concentration—Fire Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Lull!"

Kyojuro Rengoku and Sabito arrived on the battlefield simultaneously. Both slashed horizontally at Akaza; fire and water formed a pincer attack from above and below.

"Destructive Death—Compass Needle!"

Akaza sensed their fighting spirit and felt disdain. The movements are too simple; avoiding them is effortless.

Akaza used his dislocated arms to perform high-difficulty gymnastic maneuvers, dodging the blades.

"This is the advantage of being a demon! Come, become a demon! Only then can you become stronger!"

As he spoke, dense wounds suddenly appeared all over his body, and blood splattered out.

"Haha, that's it! You are all indeed very strong! Destructive Death—Leg Type: Flowing Light Flash!"

Akaza's movements were so fast that his kicks were nothing but blurs.

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Lull."

Under Giyu Tomioka's domain, those kicks were neutralized as if they didn't exist.

However, "Lull" was a technique Giyu Tomioka had recently created and was not yet perfect. A second later, the kicks reappeared, sending all three of them flying toward Suzuki Mufeng.

"To face Upper Rank Three and still be alive—you're already very strong, Mufeng."

That annoying way of speaking... Giyu Tomioka hasn't changed at all.

"Long time no see, Mufeng. We wrote you so many letters; why didn't you ever reply?"

"Well done! Mufeng and Kanae, you held off Upper Rank Three for so long. Leave the rest to us."

"Don't move. I have medicine with me; I'll treat your wounds now."

Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Makomo had all arrived. He had told the Master that sending a few Kakushi for support would suffice; he hadn't expected them to send the Hashira themselves.

"Four more have arrived. Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku—with such immense fighting spirit, you will surely reach the Supreme Territory in time. Your fighting spirits are also quite strong. Tell me, why not become demons together? How about enjoying an infinite lifespan?"

Upon seeing Kyojuro Rengoku and the others, the craving for a strong opponent overwhelmed the fear ingrained in his cells.

"Be careful, his Blood Demon Art-Destructive Death allows him to sense our fighting spirit to predict our movements. As for his derivative techniques, Chaotic Type is a wide-range high-speed barrage of punches, Leg Type consists of precise kicks, Air Style allows him to release long-range shockwaves from his fists, and you have already witnessed Endless Tree Needles."

Suzuki Mufeng finished relaying the information about Akaza in one breath and immediately ran to Kanae Kocho's side.

"Everyone, do as I do now! Smash your two Nichirin Swords together with force until the blades turn red!"

Suzuki Mufeng began the demonstration immediately, summoning his Stand Soft & Wet to pick up Kanae Kocho's Nichirin Sword and slamming it against his own. Under the principle that brute force creates miracles, the temperature of the two Nichirin Swords rose rapidly until they turned red.

"Fire Breathing, First Form-Unknowing Fire."

Suzuki Mufeng charged at Akaza once more, the two Nichirin Swords trailing flames as he slashed horizontally toward Akaza's neck. Akaza raised his hands in disdain to block, only to have his arms severed.

"It won't take long for my arms to regenerate; this is the advantage of being a demon!"

The expected scene of his arms regenerating did not occur. His prideful regenerative ability seemed to have been erased, and as his advantage as a demon vanished, he began to panic.

"The red blade is actually suppressing the demon's regenerative ability! Everyone, hurry, go help Suzuki Mufeng."

In a fit of rage, a snowflake-shaped formation appeared beneath Akaza's feet as he raised his leg.

"Destructive Death-Leg Type-Crown Splitter!"

The fierce kick was deflected once again by Suzuki Mufeng using the bubbles of Soft & Wet. As Suzuki Mufeng was sent flying backward, he violently threw the Nichirin Sword in his hand behind Akaza; no one had noticed that a small figure was already standing behind him.

"How did you get behind me? Why didn't I sense you at all!"

When Akaza turned his head, Tanjuro Kamado had already caught the Nichirin Sword thrown by Suzuki Mufeng, and finally, he spoke.

"What exactly do you consider life to be!"

Tanjuro Kamado's strike was incredibly fast, but driven by Akaza's intense will to survive, it only managed to sever half of Akaza's head.

"Akaza, abandon the mission for now and return."

A portal to the Infinity Castle opened beneath Akaza's feet. As he vanished before everyone's eyes, a portal to the Infinity Castle also appeared beneath Tanjuro Kamado.

"Don't even think about it, Muzan Kibutsuji."

The bubbles of Soft & Wet enveloped Tanjuro Kamado, preventing him from falling into the space of the Infinity Castle.

After the portal to the Infinity Castle beneath their feet closed, only the scene of devastation, as if hit by a level eighteen typhoon, remained.

"We must escort the Kamado Family away immediately; we cannot allow Muzan Kibutsuji to make a comeback."

Everyone packed up at once, and with several people carrying those unable to move, they continued on their way.