Battle thundered throughout Infinity Castle, and cries of combat shook the air.
While every member of the Demon Slayer Corps fought desperately to hold back the many demons, Zongyan led Uchiha Itachi and two clansmen swiftly toward Muzan's hiding place.
The deeper they went, the fainter the sounds of fighting became, until silence fell.
The corridors here were orderly and solemn. An intangible pressure filled the air, as though even space itself had grown taut.
At the end of the corridor stood a massive figure.
He wore black demon armor, with six eyes arrayed across his face. Six pupils gazed indifferently down the path ahead, an invisible pressure radiating from his body.
The pinnacle of the Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank One-Kokushibo.
He stood silently at the doorway, guarding the passage alone.
Zongyan stopped abruptly, feeling nothing but trouble ahead.
Kokushibo had been far from weak in the original story. Although his death in the final battle had been rather perfunctory, his strength was comparable to a low-tier Kage.
But before Zongyan could say anything, Uchiha Itachi stepped forward beside him.
"Keep going. Leave this to me!"
The three tomoe in Itachi's eyes rotated slowly, his tone perfectly calm.
Zongyan gave his elder brother a long look. He knew very well how terrifying Upper Rank One was.
But he also knew his elder brother's strength.
After a moment of silence, he nodded.
"Brother, please be careful."
"There's no need to worry."
Itachi glanced sideways, his voice utterly certain.
Zongyan hesitated no longer. He led Uchiha Ren and the clansman past the confrontation in the corridor and pressed onward.
Only the two opponents remained in the deathly silent corridor.
Kokushibo's six pupils slowly contracted, all fixing on the black-haired, black-clad Itachi before him.
Steady and solemn by nature, he devoted himself to