His head would be severed in the next instant. Doma had never experienced anything like this and did not know how he should feel, but the blades of the Demon Slayer Corps did not pause for him. Inosuke's and Tengen's paired blades passed through Doma's neck at the same time, and his head fell to the ground...
Meanwhile, Akaza, already severely wounded by Chiba Yo, could no longer hold out against the combined assault of four Hashira and Zenitsu.
Under the five fighters' coordinated attacks, Kyojuro's crimson Nichirin Blade finally swept through Akaza's neck.
I... actually lost...?
The refusal to accept defeat surged from deep within him. Even with his head severed, Akaza's body did not begin to crumble.
No! I haven't lost yet! I can keep fighting! I have to become stronger! Stronger... than anyone in the world!
These wounds are nothing. As long as I'm alive, I can keep fighting, keep getting stronger!
An overwhelming obsession welled up inside him. Though his wounds had yet to heal, though his head had been cut off, he still did not fall. Instead, he assumed his stance once more. A snowflake-shaped technique spread beneath his feet, startling Kyojuro and the others surrounding him.
"Be careful! The fight isn't over!"
Kyojuro, the first to sense it, shouted a warning to the others.
A fist hurtled toward Kyojuro's chest. Having just swung his blade to behead Akaza, Kyojuro had no time to defend himself. Yet just as he thought he would have to take the blow, Akaza's fist suddenly faltered.
"Please stop, Hakuji..."
A voice both familiar and unfamiliar sounded beside Akaza's ear. At the same time, a beautiful woman appeared in the darkness and took hold of his arm. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she wore three snowflake-shaped ornaments