Rokuya sheathed his blade and turned his gaze toward the distant Kyogoku House. He could sense that Shinobu's and Tanjiro's auras had grown erratic.
"You dared lay a hand on my people..."
Rokuya's voice was like a cold wind from hell, sending chills down the spine.
"I'll show you what true despair means."
A silver-blue afterimage flashed across the night sky. Rokuya became a streaking meteor, filled with murderous intent, heading straight for the battlefield where Daki was.
Meanwhile, in every corner of the Yoshiwara Entertainment District, the fighting continued to grow more brutal.
Tengen and the others struggled to hold on underground, their lives in danger at every moment; aboveground, Shinobu Kocho and Tanjiro were pinned down by Daki, covered in wounds.
Every hope of breaking the deadlock rested on that silver-haired asura rapidly approaching. The decisive battle had only just begun.
Tanjiro panted, waves of tearing pain coursing through his lungs. Both hands gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly. The webs between his thumbs and forefingers had split from the impacts, and blood slid down the hilt, drop by drop, splattering onto the rubble-strewn ground.
Across from him, Daki's face twisted viciously. The sashes behind her danced wildly through the air, making a teeth-grating scraping sound. Dark red patterns clung to their surfaces, radiating deadly menace.
"You weak little insect, where did all that arrogance go?" Daki's shrill voice echoed through the night, dripping with undisguised contempt. "You can't even cut through a single one of my sashes, yet you have the nerve to claim you'll protect others?"
Tanjiro gritted his teeth and ignored her taunts. He forced himself to calm down, adjusting his breathing to the rhythm of Hinokami Kagura. Intense heat circulated through his body, trying to reawaken his exhausted muscles. But the gap in strength