Chapter Summaries

Xia Xi killed Gyokko and kept Muzan occupied while Kanae and Shinobu followed their plan and withdrew. As their battle continued, Muzan noticed silver strands in his hair and realized he was showing signs of aging.

• Xia Xi reflected on Gyokko’s low strength and experience as Gyokko recalled his brutal human past and dissipated.
• Muzan rushed toward Kanae and Shinobu, but Xia Xi kicked him away and resumed fighting him.
• Kanae understood Xia Xi’s signal, took Shinobu, and disappeared into the forest while Xia Xi prevented Muzan from pursuing them.
• Xia Xi stalled Muzan through their violent battle, waiting for the effects weakening him to take hold.
• Muzan saw his reflection in Xia Xi’s blade and discovered silver strands in his hair, an apparent sign of aging.

Muzan discovered that Tamayo’s poison was aging and weakening him while he fought Xia Xi, though he insisted Xia Xi still could not defeat him. As reinforcements and captured demons arrived, they saw the battle between the Demon King and the young swordsman.

• Muzan realized the poison was shortening his telomeres and aging him, and demanded to know what the Demon Slayer Corps had put in it.
• Xia Xi explained that the poisons included a cell-necrosis drug and Tamayo’s Demon King Aging Drug, which had already aged Muzan by three thousand years.
• Muzan insisted that his weakening did not mean Xia Xi had grown stronger and claimed he could still overcome him.
• Uzui arrived with the incapacitated [Dark Blade], while Kazetoriin brought the bound Upper Rank Fives Gyutaro and Daki, and Obanai criticized Uzui for leaving him to handle the trouble.
• [Dark Blade] laughed at Xia Xi’s apparent disadvantage, while Gyutaro was shocked that Muzan had not swiftly defeated him.

Xia Xi killed Upper Rank Three and Upper Rank Five while protecting the Hashira from Muzan. After Gyutaro’s memories revealed the suffering that had shaped him and Daki, Xia Xi beheaded both siblings and turned back toward the fight.

• Xia Xi struck Muzan aside, reached Tengen, and beheaded Upper Rank Three, Dark Blade (Uzui Seshū).
• Tengen used his marked Sound Breathing technique against Muzan, then retreated when Xia Xi ordered him to leave.
• Kazetoriin threw Daki and Gyutaro toward Xia Xi and warned him that the siblings had to be beheaded at the same time.
• Gyutaro recalled the abuse he and his sister had endured as humans, blamed the swordsmen who had failed to help them, and rose to fight beside Daki.
• Xia Xi’s bright red blade beheaded Daki and Gyutaro simultaneously, completing their extermination.

Xia Xi survived Muzan’s massive lightning attack by using his Great Tachi as a lightning rod, while the Demon Slayer Corps continued eliminating demons across the battlefield. Muzan tried to break away, but Xia Xi kept tackling and delaying him as the fight continued.

• Muzan unleashed a huge lightning-and-plasma attack that engulfed Xia Xi and Gyutaro’s remains, but Xia Xi reported that he was still alive.
• Xia Xi diverted most of Muzan’s lightning through his upright Great Tachi and took only minor damage.
• Xia Xi learned that Rui and Shakutarō had been killed, gaining experience from both demons.
• Muzan guessed that Xia Xi was holding him in place until the other Hashira could surround him, then decided to flee.
• Xia Xi abandoned his evasive approach and repeatedly tackled Muzan to slow his escape, while attacks from both sides struggled to overcome their defenses and regeneration.
• Xia Xi continued receiving experience as the Demon Slayer Corps defeated more demons, advancing toward his goal of reaching level nine.

Xia Xi’s strategy kept the strongest fighters concentrated on defeating the Twelve Kizuki and then supporting other battles. As Kokushibo transformed to overcome Gyomei and three Hashira, more Hashira arrived, leaving him surrounded by nearly the entire Corps’ elite.

• Xia Xi’s plan had the Nine Hashira and Provisional Hashira defeat the Kizuki before helping other battlefields and protecting ordinary swordsmen.
• Gyomei, Tanjuro, Kiseki Tokito, and Shinjuro overwhelmed Kokushibo, whose successive transformations increased his strength and turned him monstrous.
• Kokushibo began to believe his new form could let him defeat even Yoriichi, but Kanae arrived with a red Nichirin Blade.
• Tengen and Kazetoriin joined the battlefield, and Gyomei welcomed the gathered fighters before they prepared to attack Kokushibo together.
• Kokushibo realized he was the only Upper Rank still fighting and faced seven Hashira-level swordsmen, including Gyomei, with five Transparent Worlds, seven red blades, and seven War Marks.

Muzan tried to escape the Hashira, but Xia Xi’s poisons weakened his Blood Demon Art and trapped him in Doma’s ice. The Swamp Demon then pulled Muzan into the Shadow World, where Muzan ordered him to flee before Matsushita Shousha could catch on.

• Muzan changed course to avoid the embattled Upper Ranks, while Xia Xi pursued and the Hawaii unit’s snipers struggled to keep up.
• Muzan’s Blood Demon Art became difficult to activate, allowing Xia Xi to knock him into the ground.
• Muzan discovered Tamayo’s poisons were suppressing his abilities and that another poison was turning his energy into ice.
• Xia Xi’s poisons used Muzan’s energy to create Doma’s ice, and the Dawn Hashira cut Muzan in two with a Nichirin Blade.
• The Swamp Demon appeared and pulled Muzan into the Shadow World, where Muzan ordered him to carry them as far away as possible.

Xia Xi tracked Muzan but turned back to join the Demon Slayer Corps, where the Five Youngsters had defeated Akaza. Akaza fought Xia Xi one last time, reached the Transparent World, and died beneath Xia Xi’s blade.

• Xia Xi used [One-Tap Navigation] to track Muzan, then chose to head toward the Twelve Kizuki instead of pursuing him.
• Xia Xi found Sabito, Murata, Kyojuro, and the others holding the weakened Akaza, and Akaza recognized his old opponent.
• Akaza asked Xia Xi to fight him honorably, and Kyojuro stopped Sabito and Murata from intervening.
• Akaza entered the Transparent World and unleashed [Extreme: Thousand Nights, Ten Thousand Blossoms, Kṣaṇa].
• Xia Xi answered with [Fourth Form: Water Dawn · One Slash · Lian Haiping], beheaded Akaza, and gained proficiency in Dawn Breathing.

After Xia Xi killed Akaza, he planned to continue wiping out the Twelve Kizuki. As Akaza died, he remembered his human life as Hakuji, the loved ones he had lost, and how Muzan Kibutsuji had turned him into a demon.

• Xia Xi checked his experience gains from Akaza and the demons dying across the battlefield, then told Sabito they would eliminate the remaining Twelve Kizuki.
• Makomo cleaned Akaza's face and closed his eyes, and Akaza felt a woman's warm hands gather his fading head into an embrace.
• Akaza's tattoos and red hair faded as his consciousness broke free of Muzan's control and he remembered his life as Hakuji.
• Hakuji recalled how Keizo took him in, taught him Soryu, and entrusted him with caring for Koyuki, who later recovered and agreed to marry him.
• After Hakuji left to visit his father's grave, a rival kendo school poisoned Keizo and Koyuki; Hakuji slaughtered the school's members in revenge.
• Hakuji wandered away after the killings and met Muzan Kibutsuji on a bridge.

Hakuji regained his memories as Akaza and rejected Muzan, choosing to die with Koyuki after reuniting with the people he loved. His demonic body crumbled as karmic flames carried him and Koyuki into the darkness.

• Muzan found Hakuji after the boy killed sixty-seven swordsmen, smashed his head, and turned him into the demon Akaza, erasing his memories.
• As Akaza’s body disintegrated, Hakuji tried to strike himself, but his father, Master Keizo, and Koyuki stopped him and welcomed him home.
• Hakuji remembered his past and grieved for breaking his promise to protect others and live happily with Koyuki.
• Muzan ordered Akaza to rise, but Hakuji ignored his control, insulted him, and declared that he was quitting.
• Muzan lost control of his strength in the Shadow World while Hakuji embraced Koyuki amid karmic flames, and they vanished as Akaza’s body turned to dust.

Kokushibo fought seven Hashira, whose coordinated attacks and specialized weapons overwhelmed his defenses. Gyomei revealed that he had just grasped the Heart Domain, as Kokushibo lay blasted into a mountainside.

• Kokushibo struggled against the seven Hashira, whose Transparent World and teamwork repeatedly prevented him from killing any of them.
• Kiseki Tokito wounded Kokushibo, while Tengen restrained his wrist and Kanae used her blade’s anesthetic to disrupt his attacks.
• Tanjuro switched to his axe and used Fighting Power: Point-blank Release to stagger Kokushibo as the other Hashira inflicted more wounds.
• Gyomei struck Kokushibo with his Meteor Hammer, blasting away the demon’s left side and sending him into a mountainside.
• Tengen asked whether Gyomei had entered the Heart Domain, and Gyomei confirmed that he had just grasped it.

Gyomei awakened a mind-based Supreme Territory and overwhelmed Kokushibo, but Xia Xi arrived and proved Kokushibo’s attacks could not stop him. With the Nine Hashira gathered, Xia Xi challenged Kokushibo to face them all.

• Gyomei used his newly awakened Supreme Territory to build strength through Kokushibo’s attacks and smash him into the mountainside.
• Kokushibo recovered and unleashed his Thirteenth Form at Xia Xi while retreating, but Xia Xi dissolved the Blood Demon Art energy and tore through the remaining slashes.
• Xia Xi noticed Gyomei’s new skill, [Thoughts Without Form Vajra's Wrath], and saw that Murata remained an ordinary Hashira-level Swordsman.
• Kokushibo asked what Xia Xi had done to Muzan, and Xia Xi said Muzan had run away because he could not match his strength.
• Xia Xi taunted Kokushibo and challenged him to fight all nine Hashira now that they had gathered.

Matsushita Shousha overwhelmed Kokushibo in front of the Nine Hashira and the Provisional Hashira, leaving the Upper Rank One unable to fight back or regenerate. As Xia Xi continued beating him, the gathered Swordsmen watched with confidence and exchanged teasing remarks.

• Xia Xi challenged Kokushibo to face the Nine Hashira and their Provisional Hashira, and Kokushibo hesitated at the overwhelming numbers and strength.
• Xia Xi moved too quickly for Kokushibo to track, sliced off his tentacles and half his body, then drove him into the ground with a crushing punch.
• Xia Xi taunted Kokushibo about his centuries of training and his younger brother Yoriichi while continuing to pin and pummel him.
• Uzui joked to Obanai that Xia Xi was venting after Kokushibo had beaten him before, and Kanae and the other women gave Uzui threatening looks.
• Shinjuro praised Kyojuro for becoming a dependable Swordsman, while Tanjuro avoided getting involved in the young Swordsmen's romantic tensions.
• Murata asked Giyu whether they should watch the fight, and Kozō assured him that Kokushibo could not cause trouble with Xia Xi there.

Xia Xi defeated and killed Kokushibo after the demon evolved and tried to overcome decapitation. Kokushibo died reflecting on Yoriichi and asking Xia Xi to witness the view his brother had seen, while Xia Xi gained a Wooden Flute and enough experience to advance Dawn Breathing to level nine.

• Xia Xi beheaded Kokushibo, who evolved and sealed his neck before Xia Xi cut his body apart until it could no longer regenerate.
• Kokushibo saw an apparition of Yoriichi and reflected on how he had failed to reach his brother’s realm.
• Xia Xi found and picked up a Wooden Flute that Kokushibo had given Yoriichi as a child.
• Kokushibo apologized to Yoriichi and asked Xia Xi to witness the view his brother had seen before vanishing.
• Xia Xi received 30,791 proficiency for killing Kokushibo, completed the Upper Ranks side quest, and advanced Dawn Breathing from level eight to level nine.

After killing Kokushibo, Xia Xi advanced Dawn Breathing and Thunder Breathing, then unlocked Mimicry · Heaven's Chosen by raising all three attributes above 500. As his abilities amplified one another, his Energy Level surged past 29,000, leaving the Nine Hashira astonished as the battle against Muzan approached.

• Xia Xi raised Dawn Breathing to level 9, increasing his Energy Level and bringing him close to a new realm.
• Xia Xi spent his skill points to raise Thunder Breathing to level 7, further boosting his attributes.
• The Nine Hashira watched Xia Xi's body and aura transform, while Gyomei interpreted his growth as the merit of delivering demons.
• Xia Xi unlocked Mimicry · Heaven's Chosen after meeting its attribute and territory requirements.
• Xia Xi activated his Heavenly War Mark and Total Concentration, causing his Energy Level to soar to 29,584.

Muzan tried to recover from the poisons while hiding in the Shadow World, but Xia Xi tracked him down and launched a surprise attack. The chapter ended with Xia Xi overpowering Muzan and blasting his head apart.

• Muzan struggled to break down the poisons and let the Swamp Demon briefly recover his Blood Demon Art.
• Muzan planned to kill the Demon Slayer Corps, find Ubuyashiki, and use the Corps to locate the Blue Spider Lily.
• Xia Xi hurled a crimson Nichirin Blade from hundreds of meters away, killing the three demons accompanying Muzan and knocking Muzan back with its shock wave.
• Muzan began gathering energy to attack Xia Xi, but Xia Xi crossed the distance at supersonic speed and confronted him.
• Muzan attacked Xia Xi with his flesh-armored whips, but Xia Xi blocked them and blasted Muzan's head into bloody mist.

Xia Xi overwhelmed Muzan with superior technique and taunts, while Muzan’s poisoned body thwarted his attempt to split apart and escape. The chapter ended with Xia Xi revealing that the Demon Slayers had put more than four kinds of poison into Muzan.

• Xia Xi deflected Muzan’s attacks and taunted him about the deaths of his Upper Ranks and parents.
• Xia Xi struck Muzan with a rapid blade attack that pulverized much of his waist and abdomen.
• Muzan realized Xia Xi posed a lethal threat and decided to split his body into pieces to flee.
• Muzan’s attempt to divide himself stopped because poison in his body disrupted the transformation.
• Muzan asked when Xia Xi had poisoned him again, and Xia Xi revealed that they had never limited themselves to four poisons.

As the decisive battle against Muzan began, the families and support crews waited anxiously and helped the wounded near the front. The chapter left them still hoping their loved ones would return safely.

• Muichiro and Yuichiro waited outside the Radio Room, and Yuichiro reassured his brother that their father was strong.
• Tanjiro encouraged the Tokito brothers, while Kie and Mrs. Tokito comforted each other and hoped the fighters would return safely.
• Ye Ying admitted to Aoi Kanzaki that she was scared but kept working because her siblings were fighting ahead.
• Hinatsuru, Suma, and Makio carried a wounded swordsman toward the Temporary Operations Center, where Ye Ying and Aoi called for doctors.
• Ruka Rengoku watched the battle from a hilltop and prayed for Shinjuro, Xia Xi, and everyone to return in triumph.

Xia Xi continued overpowering Muzan and rejected his offer to become a demon. After Muzan defended his killings as no different from natural disasters, Xia Xi declared himself Muzan’s natural disaster and intensified his attack, but Muzan took Xia Xi’s joking demand that he transform into a woman seriously.

• Xia Xi relentlessly beat Muzan, rejected his offer to become a demon, and accused him of seeking a chance to escape.
• Muzan said he felt no remorse for killing humans and compared himself to earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons.
• Xia Xi challenged Muzan’s claim to be a natural disaster and declared himself Muzan’s irresistible natural disaster.
• Xia Xi’s Flame Fist grew hotter as Muzan begged to be spared.
• Xia Xi jokingly asked Muzan to transform into a woman, and Muzan seriously asked whether doing so would save his life.

Xia Xi relentlessly beat Muzan, turning aside his attempts to escape and overpower him while fulfilling promises to those Muzan had hurt. He left the Demon King flattened beneath his fists and challenged him to block another blow.

• The Nine Hashira arrived and watched Xia Xi pin Muzan down and punish him whenever he tried to flee.
• Xia Xi dragged Muzan back from the air, broke his joints, and struck him with punches dedicated to his Master, Urokodaki, Ōyama, Owl, and Owl’s wife.
• Muzan unleashed a stronger lightning attack, but Xia Xi withstood it and used Gyomei’s Meteor Hammer to tear through Muzan’s flesh armor.
• Muzan burrowed underground to escape, but Xia Xi pulled him back with a Nichirin Blade whip and used steel needles to redirect his lightning.
• Xia Xi struck Muzan in the name of Tamayo, Yushiro, the Ubuyashiki, Kanae, Shinobu, Yoriichi, and his sister Dong Hua, then flattened him into the ground.
• Xia Xi hauled the battered Muzan up and challenged him to block his fist.

As Muzan neared defeat under Matsushita Shousha’s attacks, he summoned Xiang Kai, whose Blood Demon Art trapped the Demon Slayers in a sprawling town. The Hashira and Provisional Hashira fighters soon found their way into Muzan’s hall, leaving him surrounded by nearly the entire Corps’ strongest combatants.

• Muzan’s old wounds from Yoriichi flared, worsening his exhaustion as Matsushita Shousha continued attacking him.
• Muzan spotted Xiang Kai and ordered him to use his Blood Demon Art to separate Matsushita from him.
• Xiang Kai expanded Drum Street into a vast town that swallowed Murata and enclosed the other Hashira.
• Muzan praised Xiang Kai, but Gyomei, Sabito, and Giyu entered the hall, followed by Kanae, Makomo, and Kazetoriin.
• Tengen and the Sun and Moon Hashira joined the others, and the remaining Hashira and Provisional Hashira fighters gathered before Muzan.