Chapter Summaries

Lu You proposed replacing Mount Fujikasane’s lethal selection system with a points-based test and options for candidates who failed or wished to withdraw. After Giyu Tomioka’s vote and the Hashira’s reconsideration, the reform was approved for next year, and Lu You’s synchronization value unlocked new abilities.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki acknowledged the flaws in the Demon Slayer Corps’ selection system and reviewed a prepared reform proposal with Lu You.
• Lu You examined the proposal, which introduced points for demons killed, alternative Corps roles for unsuccessful candidates, withdrawal signals, and periodic clearing of Mount Fujikasane, and approved it.
• Obanai Iguro, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Kyojuro Rengoku raised concerns about the reform, while Tengen Uzui and Shinobu Kocho argued that the old system did not guarantee stronger swordsmen.
• The Hashira voted, and Giyu Tomioka supported the reform; Rengoku, Iguro, and Sanemi then changed their positions, approving it for next year.
• Lu You gained 20 synchronization value, unlocked Blood Manipulation (Blue) and Black Flash (Purple), and received a 20% increase to his final settlement rewards.

Lu You described the Upper Ranks’ rapid regeneration and unusual abilities to the Hashira, then accepted a Hashira title despite initially wanting to remain outside the ranks. He chose the title Source Hashira, while news of his achievement and Corps reforms spread and Akaza learned an Upper Rank had been killed.

• Lu You demonstrated his rapid regeneration and explained that Upper Ranks could regrow limbs in seconds, then described the paired demons of Upper Rank Six and recommended multiple Hashira fight each Upper Rank.
• Lu You told the gathering that only Himejima could likely defeat an Upper Rank alone, and Kagaya offered him the rank of Hashira for killing one.
• Lu You initially declined the honor, but Kagaya argued that recognizing his achievement would encourage future members, so Lu You accepted and chose the title Source Hashira.
• Lu You received permission to borrow Breathing Style manuals from the Ubuyashiki Family collection, and the meeting ended after reports and discussion of Corps support.
• News of the reforms and the new Hashira spread through the Demon Slayer Corps, while Akaza was summoned to Infinity Castle and learned an Upper Rank had been killed.

Muzan summoned the Upper Ranks after Gyutaro’s death and condemned their failure to find the Ubuyashiki Family and the Blue Spider Lily. He revealed that a swordsman was close to finding him, and Akaza volunteered to kill the man.

• Akaza arrived at the Infinity Castle and saw the assembled Upper Ranks, including Kokushibo, Doma, Gyokko, and Hantengu.
• Akaza punched Doma after Doma taunted him, but Doma regenerated and praised Akaza’s strength.
• Muzan announced that Gyutaro had died in a direct confrontation and that his death left a vacancy among the Upper Ranks.
• Muzan berated the demons for failing to find the Ubuyashiki Family or the Blue Spider Lily, then described the swordsman who had killed Gyutaro and was close to finding him.
• Akaza respectfully asked Muzan to assign him the mission of bringing the swordsman’s head.

After Tanjiro and his companions were defeated at Mount Natagumo, Giyu protected Tanjiro and Nezuko from Shinobu and Sanemi. Giyu fought Sanemi to buy the siblings time, while Tanjiro turned to face Shinobu rather than flee.

• Tanjiro received Lu You's reply that the blood from the Upper Rank demon was with Shinobu, and he continued searching for a way to help Nezuko.
• At Mount Natagumo, Rui defeated Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, but Giyu arrived and beheaded Rui.
• Shinobu and Sanemi moved to kill or capture Nezuko, but Giyu stood between them and the siblings.
• Giyu challenged Sanemi and told Tanjiro to escape with Nezuko, then the Hashira clashed with their Breathing forms.
• As Giyu fell behind in the fight, Tanjiro carried Nezuko through the woods, set her down, and prepared to face the pursuing Shinobu.

Tanjiro defended Nezuko to Shinobu, then was taken to headquarters, where Kagaya identified him as the Sun Breathing Successor. Meanwhile, Lu You found Tamayo and invited her to the Infinity Castle.

• Tanjiro declared that he had a reason he could not lose, and Shinobu sheathed her sword after learning that Lu You trusted him and Nezuko.
• Shinobu told Tanjiro that Nezuko was nearby, and he collapsed from his injuries after asking her to return Nezuko to the box.
• A Kasugai Crow relayed Kagaya's order to bring Tanjiro and Nezuko safely to headquarters while Giyu Tomioka and Shinazugawa ended their clash.
• Goto escorted Tanjiro and Nezuko to Kagaya, who told the Hashira that Tanjiro was the Sun Breathing Successor.
• Lu You found Tamayo in Tokyo and invited her to the Infinity Castle.

Lu You brought Tamayo and Yushiro to Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, proposing an alliance to develop a medicine that could turn demons back into humans. After resting, he left with Tanjiro to hunt demons and begin the final battle against Muzan, while Nezuko stayed under Shinobu Kocho’s care.

• Lu You told Tamayo that Nezuko might overcome sunlight and offered to bring her to Corps Headquarters to work with its medicine expert.
• Yushiro arrived and tried to protect Tamayo, but Lu You admitted he had killed Upper Rank Six and demonstrated his speed and strength.
• Tamayo agreed to go with Lu You to Headquarters, where Kagaya Ubuyashiki helped receive her and Yushiro.
• Lu You reviewed his growing abilities and resolved to start the final battle against Muzan without waiting for further power-ups.
• After two days of rest, Lu You left Headquarters with Tanjiro to hunt demons, leaving Nezuko with Shinobu Kocho.

Lu You brought Tanjiro to a coastal village to confront Upper Rank Five, Gyokko, while hoping Tanjiro would awaken the Transparent World in battle. After Gyokko emerged from a pot, Lu You ordered Tanjiro to kill him.

• Lu You took Tanjiro to the Uradome Coast to hunt Gyokko and test whether Tanjiro could awaken the Transparent World.
• They visited the village and spent the day exploring the coastline before returning at sunset.
• Chief Yamashita presented a pot and bowed to Gyokko, who emerged from it and recognized Lu You as a Demon Slayer who had killed Gyutaro.
• Tanjiro sensed Gyokko's demonic presence, steadied himself, and prepared to fight.
• Lu You told Tanjiro to kill Gyokko, surprising him.

Lu You and Tanjiro cornered Gyokko after he escaped their first clash, then tracked him to his sea-cliff lair. Lu You poisoned Gyokko with Piercing Blood, giving Tanjiro the opening to behead him.

• Tanjiro attacked Gyokko with Hinokami Kagura, but Gyokko teleported away through his pots; Lu You struck him and nearly cut off his head.
• Gyokko warned that other Upper Ranks were coming, then fled, while Lu You explained that his teleportation had limited range and led Tanjiro toward his lair.
• Lu You killed the village chief after Tanjiro recognized his plea for mercy as a lie, then learned the location of Gyokko's hideout from a fisherman.
• At his sea-cliff cave, Gyokko waited for other Upper Ranks, unaware that Lu You and Tanjiro had found him.
• Lu You pierced Gyokko with Blood Manipulation-Convergence: Piercing Blood and poisoned him, allowing Tanjiro to cut off his head with Hinokami Kagura.

Tanjiro beheaded Gyokko, and Lu You collected his blood to help turn Nezuko back into a human. After months of intensive training, Nezuko conquered sunlight, and the Demon Slayer Corps prepared for its coming battle with Muzan.

• Tanjiro killed Gyokko, and Lu You collected his blood for the medicine that could restore Nezuko.
• Tanjiro vowed to keep fighting demons and agreed to intensive training to regain the power of Sun Breathing.
• Muzan sensed Gyokko's death, raged over losing another Upper Rank, and resolved to find replacements for his subordinates.
• Months later, Nezuko stood in the sunlight and called Tanjiro her big brother.
• Tamayo, Shinobu Kocho, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, and the Demon Slayers braced themselves as the final battle approached.
• Lu You left the Corps headquarters with Nezuko while the Hashira and their allies voiced their resolve to fight Muzan.

Lu You used Nezuko’s resistance to sunlight to lure Muzan into a confrontation, then prepared an ambush at the Valley of the End. As Muzan and the Upper Ranks surrounded him, Lu You unveiled his Blood Manipulation Domain Expansion.

• Lu You showed Muzan through a Lower Rank demon that Nezuko could withstand sunlight, then challenged him to meet at a marked location in ten days.
• Muzan ordered Nakime to summon the demons and set out to intercept Lu You and Nezuko before the appointed meeting.
• Lu You left Nezuko with Sakonji Urokodaki at the Valley of the End, where the Hashira and swordsmen were prepared nearby.
• Kokushibo, Doma, Akaza, and Hantengu arrived, and Lu You provoked them by calling out their histories and names.
• Muzan appeared and offered Lu You the chance to become a demon if he led him to Nezuko, but Lu You refused and activated Domain Expansion-Samsara Burial.

Lu You detonated the explosives he and Ubuyashiki had spent over a year preparing, devastating Muzan Kibutsuji's demon forces while surviving inside a protective blood shell. Muzan fled into the Infinity Castle, and the Demon Slayer Corps followed him inside as the final battle began.

• Lu You's explosives erupted across the valley, incinerating most of the demons and leaving the Upper Ranks gravely injured.
• Muzan Kibutsuji regenerated first, blamed Ubuyashiki for the trap, and prepared to retreat with the surviving Upper Ranks.
• Lu You emerged unharmed from his blood shell as Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen arrived through the haze.
• Muzan summoned Nakime and escaped with the Upper Ranks through a window into the Infinity Castle.
• Tanjiro, the Hashira, and the other swordsmen jumped through after Muzan in planned groups, while Lu You entered last.

Zenitsu and Yushiro used a surprise attack on Nakime to bring the Infinity Castle to the surface and teleport Lu You to Muzan. After Nakime was destroyed, Lu You confronted Muzan and told Zenitsu and Yushiro to leave the rest to him.

• Zenitsu activated his Demon Slayer Mark and used Yushiro’s talismans to conceal their presence as he tracked Nakime’s biwa.
• Zenitsu attacked Nakime with Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Thunder God, striking her before she could move the Infinity Castle.
• Yushiro controlled Nakime’s blood and made her move the Infinity Castle to the surface of the Valley of the End and teleport Lu You to Muzan.
• Muzan sensed the change and detonated the demon blood inside Nakime, but not before she carried out Yushiro’s commands.
• Lu You appeared behind Muzan, drew his blade, and praised Zenitsu and Yushiro before facing Muzan.

Lu You fought Muzan Kibutsuji, countering his blood-based attacks and cutting him apart, but Muzan regenerated after being beheaded. Lu You began a Domain Expansion to test whether Muzan could recover from being reduced to powder.

• Muzan Kibutsuji attacked Lu You with nine spiked whips, but Lu You used Source Breathing to deflect them.
• Muzan added a barbed whip and then eight more, piercing Lu You and injecting demon blood into him.
• Lu You used Convergence: Piercing Blood to inject Muzan with poison and return the demon blood Muzan had put inside him.
• Lu You healed himself, then used Source Breathing to sever Muzan's head and limbs, but Muzan regenerated and declared that beheading no longer worked.
• Lu You questioned whether Muzan could recover from being cut into powder, formed hand seals, and began Domain Expansion.

Lu You unleashed Malevolent Shrine and Furnace against Muzan, repeatedly shredding and then burning him while the Demon King regenerated. When Muzan tried to escape, Lu You revealed that the blood he had injected prevented Muzan from splitting apart, and prepared to continue fighting with his demon slayer mark activated.

• Lu You expanded Malevolent Shrine, shredding Muzan and the surrounding Infinity Castle as Kiriya Ubuyashiki watched the destruction through the Kasugai Crows.
• Lu You ended the domain and fired Furnace, igniting the powdered buildings and reducing Muzan to scattered charred fragments in a huge explosion.
• Lu You recovered from the blast and waited as Muzan slowly regenerated, then dodged the tube whips that grew from Muzan's recovering body.
• Muzan tried to split apart and escape, but Lu You explained that the blood he had injected had also stopped him from doing so.
• Lu You drew his Nichirin Blade and activated his demon slayer mark as Muzan roared that he would keep fighting.

Tanjiro and Giyu encountered Upper Rank Three Akaza in the Infinity Castle and struggled against his overwhelming strength. After Akaza unleashed his ultimate attack, Giyu remained standing and counterattacked as the dust settled.

• Tanjiro and Giyu found a way down toward the explosion, but Akaza ambushed them before they could descend.
• Akaza challenged the pair, and Giyu and Tanjiro attacked him with Water Breathing and Hinokami Kagura, but Akaza quickly regenerated and knocked Tanjiro back.
• Akaza activated Compass Needle, then began attacking with Blue-Silver Chaotic Afterglow after Muzan ordered him to finish the Demon Slayers quickly.
• Giyu activated his Demon Slayer Mark and dodged the barrage while Tanjiro struggled to avoid Akaza's attacks, suffering wounds across his body.
• After Akaza's assault ended, Giyu stood bloodied and launched Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux.

Tanjiro saved Giyu from Akaza, learned to use the Transparent World, and helped defeat Upper Rank Three. As Tanjiro and Giyu collapsed from their wounds, the other Demon Slayers reached Doma, who found himself facing Shinobu, Kanao, Rengoku, Tengen, and Inosuke.

• Tanjiro arrived in time to save Giyu from Akaza's killing blow and revealed that he had learned the Transparent World.
• Tanjiro cut Akaza's neck with Hinokami Kagura, then struck him with Black Flash and sent his head crashing into a wall.
• Akaza remembered Master and Koyuki, gave up fighting, and walked toward Hell as his body disintegrated.
• Tanjiro and Giyu collapsed from exhaustion, and their Kasugai Crows carried news of Upper Rank Three's defeat to the Ubuyashiki Estate and the other Hashira.
• Shinobu, Kanao, Rengoku, Tengen, and Inosuke confronted Doma, who was surprised by the number of opponents.

Shinobu Kocho, Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, Inosuke Hashibira, and Kanao Kocho fought Doma together, using their combined attacks to sever his arms before he unleashed his powerful ice techniques. The group held their ground, and Shinobu’s poison began rotting Doma’s flesh.

• Shinobu Kocho steadied herself and remembered Lu You’s warning not to let revenge cost her future with Kanao.
• Tengen Uzui and Kyojuro Rengoku attacked Doma, and their speed and flames countered his icy mist.
• Inosuke Hashibira charged through the poisonous frozen clouds and kept Doma occupied as the others closed in.
• The five fighters struck together and severed both of Doma’s arms, but he regenerated and unleashed several Blood Demon Arts.
• Shinobu Kocho said it was time, and Doma realized that his flesh was rotting from her poison.

Shinobu Kocho, Kyojuro Rengoku, Tengen Uzui, Kanao Kocho, and Inosuke Hashibira used Demon Slayer Marks and specially prepared poison to kill Doma. As they prepared to support the others, Muichiro faced the terrifying Upper Rank One, who could regenerate even after decapitation.

• Shinobu Kocho and the other slayers took Lu You's antidote, which neutralized Doma's icy-mist poison.
• Kyojuro Rengoku and Tengen Uzui activated their Demon Slayer Marks and attacked Doma while Kanao Kocho and Inosuke Hashibira kept his ice constructs occupied.
• Shinobu Kocho stabbed Doma repeatedly and injected him with poison made using Nezuko's blood, weakening him until Kanao Kocho severed his head.
• The Kasugai Crow announced that the group had slain Upper Rank Two and that Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji had defeated Upper Rank Four, then ordered them to provide support.
• Muichiro watched Upper Rank One recover even after his head had been cut off.

Lu You fought Muzan through the night, using his endurance-focused Source-Flow Breathing and Black Flash to keep him from escaping. With only one hour left until dawn, both fighters were near exhaustion, but the battle continued.

• Kagaya Ubuyashiki sensed that Lu You's plan might have concealed a dangerous contingency and worried that Lu You had left himself no way out.
• Muzan tried to unsettle Lu You with the Demon Slayer Mark's lifespan limit and offered to make him a demon, but Lu You rejected him.
• Lu You and Muzan clashed for hours as Lu You used Source-Flow Breathing and Malevolent Shrine to hold Muzan in place until daylight.
• Nearly out of cursed energy, Lu You put away his sword and struck Muzan with a Black Flash that smashed his head apart.
• Muzan regenerated, and the two continued fighting until only one hour remained before dawn, both weakened and bloodied.

Lu You trapped Muzan in his domains until sunrise, then used Mysterious Farmhouse to destroy Muzan’s consciousness at the cost of his own life. As Lu You awaited death, Tanjiro and the Hashira rushed toward him while Kokushibo turned to dust elsewhere in the Infinity Castle.

• Lu You immobilized Muzan with Blood Manipulation’s Domain Expansion and drained his blood as the sun approached.
• Lu You transformed the domain into Mysterious Farmhouse, where its soul-targeting effect annihilated Muzan’s consciousness.
• The domain shattered, leaving Lu You gravely weakened and waiting for his life to end beside Muzan’s lifeless body.
• Kokushibo disintegrated in the sunlight and lamented that he had failed to surpass Yoriichi.
• Tanjiro and the Hashira hurried through the shattered Infinity Castle toward Lu You as his presence faded.