Everyone Gathers

"Tanjuro, get out of here! Kanae and I will hold them off. We'll find a way to escape."

Suzuki Mufeng couldn't afford to worry about anything else. He hadn't expected the butterfly effect he'd caused to be this severe. Upper Rank Three, Akaza, who should have appeared on the Mugen Train, had shown up early. With only me, the Flower Hashira, and the frail Tanjuro on our side, there was no way we could beat him.

"Mr. Mufeng, I've already had Kie take the children and leave. I'll stay and help you deal with this demon. Please trust me."

"Tanjuro, be careful! Akaza's here!"

As they spoke, Akaza stepped forward and appeared before Tanjuro Kamado in full view of everyone. He studied Tanjuro's appearance.

"How terrifying. Your body is already weaker than a blade of grass, yet you've reached the Supreme Territory.

"Become a demon, and all you have to do is devour weak humans. Worrying about your lifespan or getting injured becomes trivial. As long as you keep living, you can keep honing your skills and growing stronger. All it costs is the lives of a few ordinary people!"

Akaza rambled on, not noticing Tanjuro Kamado's expression darkening. Memories hidden in his bloodline and genes quietly surfaced in his mind, and he saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni performing Sun Breathing.

"What have you done with your life?!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, they struck Akaza like a heavy hammer. It was the fear buried deep in Muzan Kibutsuji's cells.

The same movements, the same tone of voice. That day, that man had swung his blade a thousand times, cutting him to pieces. In the end, he had only barely survived by choosing to self-destruct.

When Akaza's consciousness returned to his body, Tanjuro Kamado had simply used the axe in his hand to chop off his head.

At that moment, Muzan Kibutsuji's trembling, shrill voice rang in his ears.

"Kill him, Akaza! I don't care what it costs—you must kill that man!"

Inside Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji had lost all his former elegance. All that remained was a beast, its teeth knocked out, raging helplessly as it roared in a frenzy.

"Good work, Tanjuro! Leave the rest to us. Thunder Breathing!"

RUMBLE—

Suzuki Mufeng turned into a streak of lightning, privately relieved. He'd still underestimated Tanjuro's strength, even if Akaza had let his guard down. At any rate, thank goodness for Tanjuro's help. Maybe they could kill Akaza this time!

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

The lightning streak shot through Akaza in the blink of an eye. The Nichirin Sword struck his newly regenerated neck, leaving only a white mark. The attack wasn't over. Following a six-pointed star pattern, Mufeng repeatedly struck toward the center of Akaza's neck.

"Annoying bug! Destructive Death—Chaotic Type!"

Akaza quickly caught Suzuki Mufeng as he charged in. His fists rained down like a violent storm, moving so fast that only the Sharingan could follow them. But although Mufeng's eyes could keep up, his body couldn't.

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

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

She swung her Nichirin Sword nine times in succession, aiming each thrust at the same spot on the back of Akaza's neck. Neither of them had expected that even their all-out assault would only cut through a little flesh.

"Destructive Death—Endless Tree Needles!"

"Soft & Wet, protect Kanae with bubbles! Water Style—Water Wall!"

The instant Akaza's fist hit the ground, Suzuki Mufeng had Soft & Wet blow bubbles around Kanae Kocho to protect her. Water walls rose around him, absorbing most of the shock wave from Akaza's punch, but both of them were still hurled away.

Kanae Kocho was unharmed thanks to the bubbles. Mufeng, however, was in trouble. As he flew through the air, he noticed a sharp branch pointed straight at his chest. If it pierced him, he'd be badly injured at best.

Just then, Suzuki Mufeng felt something soft against his back. That presence was Makomo!

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

"Total Concentration—Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"

Kyojuro Rengoku and Sabito arrived on the battlefield at the same time. They both swung at Akaza, one from above and the other from below, pinching him between flame and flowing water.

"Destructive Death—Compass Needle!"

Akaza sensed their fighting spirit and dismissed their movements as too simple. Dodging them would be easy.

Using his dislocated arms, Akaza contorted himself through a series of complex, gymnastic movements and evaded their blades.

"That's the advantage of being a demon! Come on, become one! That's the only way you can grow stronger!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless wounds appeared all over his body, and blood sprayed into the air.

"Ha! That's more like it! You're all strong, just as I expected! Destructive Death—Leg Type: Flowing Light Flash!"

Akaza moved so quickly that his kicks became invisible.

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

Within Giyu Tomioka's domain, the kicks seemed to vanish, as though they had never existed.

But Giyu Tomioka had only recently created Lull, and it was still imperfect. After just one second, the kicks reappeared and sent all three of them flying toward Suzuki Mufeng.

"Facing Upper Rank Three and still being alive is impressive, Mufeng."

What an annoying way to speak. Giyu Tomioka hadn't changed at all.

"Long time no see, Mufeng. We sent you so many letters. How come you never wrote back?"

"Great work, Mufeng and Kanae! You kept Upper Rank Three occupied for so long. Leave the rest to us."

"Don't move. I have medicine on me. I'll treat you now."

Giyu Tomioka, Sabito, Kyojuro Rengoku, and Makomo had all come. He'd told the Master that they only needed to send a few Kakushi to escort them, but he hadn't expected the others to be sent instead.

"Four more people. Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku—you have such tremendous fighting spirit. Given time, you'll surely reach the Supreme Territory. The rest of you have strong fighting spirits, too. Come, become demons with me. How would you like an infinite lifespan?"

Seeing Kyojuro Rengoku and the others, Akaza's longing for strong opponents overcame the fear in his cells.

"Be careful. His Blood Demon Art, Destructive Death, lets him sense our fighting spirit and predict our movements. Chaotic Type is a rapid barrage of punches that covers a wide area. Leg Type is a precise kick, and Air Style lets him release long-range shock waves with his fists. As for Endless Tree Needles, you've just seen that for yourselves."

Suzuki Mufeng relayed everything he knew about Akaza in one breath, then immediately ran over to Kanae Kocho.

"Everyone, do as I do. Strike your Nichirin Swords together as hard as you can until the blades turn red!"

Suzuki Mufeng demonstrated at once. He summoned his Substitute, Soft & Wet, picked up Kanae's Nichirin Sword, and struck it against his own. With a little brute force, the temperature of both blades rose rapidly until they turned red.

"Fire Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"

Suzuki Mufeng charged Akaza again, swinging the two Nichirin Swords, wreathed in flames, toward his neck. Akaza disdainfully raised both arms to block, but they were cut through.

"My arms will regenerate soon enough. That's the advantage of being a demon!"

But his arms didn't recover as he'd expected. His vaunted healing ability seemed to have been erased. The advantage he'd taken pride in as a demon was gone, and he began to panic.

"So red blades can suppress a demon's ability to regenerate! Everyone, hurry and help Mufeng!"

In his fury, Akaza's snowflake-shaped pattern appeared beneath his feet once more. He raised his leg.

"Destructive Death—Leg Type: Crown Splitter!"

Suzuki Mufeng used Soft & Wet's bubbles to absorb the force of the fierce kick and evade it. As he was sent flying, he hurled the Nichirin Sword in his hand behind Akaza. No one noticed the small figure already standing there.

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

When Akaza turned around, Tanjuro Kamado had already caught the Nichirin Sword Suzuki Mufeng had thrown. In the end, all Akaza could say was:

"What have you done with your life?!"

Tanjuro Kamado's strike was incredibly fast, but Akaza's intense will to survive meant it only cut off half his head.

"Akaza, abandon the mission and come back for now."

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

"Not a chance, Muzan Kibutsuji!"

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

The portal beneath his feet closed, leaving behind a scene that looked as if it had been battered by a level-eighteen typhoon.

"We need to escort the Kamado Family out of here at once. We can't let Muzan Kibutsuji come back for another attack."

Everyone quickly gathered themselves. A few of them carried those who couldn't walk as they continued on their way.