THUD!!
The sound of flesh tearing hardly stood out on the brutal battlefield, and the low chant of the Buddha's name drew little attention.
Yet, behind Urogi, the towering figure resembling an enraged Vajra guardian sent chills down the spine of Kamaro, the Upper Rank Six.
HUM!
Almost the instant half of Sekido's body was obliterated by the mysterious silver light, Karaku—who had been gleefully fanning terrifying gusts of pressure at Shinichi with his banana-leaf fan—suddenly felt darkness loom overhead.
Looking up instinctively, he locked eyes with a pair of unfocused orbs.
Beneath the long scar on the forehead and the vacant sockets was a face both solemn and compassionate.
But what was truly terrifying was the overwhelming aura radiating from this sudden arrival—powerful enough to shake even an Upper Moon.
This man was undoubtedly strong.
"Who are you?!"
The smile vanished from Karaku's face.
The haori resembling a monk's kasaya, the red prayer beads across the chest, the loose black Demon Slayer Corps uniform—there was no mistaking it.
This was the strongest Hashira, the most respected senior of the Demon Slayer Corps—the Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyoumei!!
CLINK, CLINK—
The massive, bloodstained Nichirin Steel Meteor Hammer swayed slightly in the breeze, its chain links softly clinking.
Gyoumei gripped the iron chain tightly with one hand, the other clutching a massive Nichirin axe linked to the same chain.
"You—!!" Karaku wasn't stupid.
In an instant, he realized the figure behind him was from the Demon Slayer Corps.
Immediately, Karaku raised his banana-leaf fan.
But someone was faster.
THUD! CRACK!!
A crisp sound—too fast for Karaku to dodge, too powerful to block.
The razor-sharp axe transformed into a streak of silver light, smashing Karaku's head and chest into pulp.
Splat!
Flesh and blood splattered across Gyomei's face, yet the Stone Hashira's expression remained utterly unchanged, as calm as ever.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Shinichi. Have we arrived too late?"
"Gyomei! Haha, perfect timing!"
The appearance of the newcomers shocked not only the Upper Moon but also Shinichi, who was in the midst of a fierce battle.
His earlier resolve to unleash his full power momentarily cooled, and the boiling blood within him gradually settled.
....
Meanwhile.
Aizetsu, wielding a cross-shaped spear, was practically dominating the severely injured Inosuke and the exhausted Zenitsu with his superior martial skills.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro and Nezuko were locked in a desperate struggle against Daki.
As time passed, the danger to Tanjiro and the others grew increasingly dire—especially for Inosuke and Zenitsu.
If not for Zenitsu's relentless harassment, gritting his teeth to the point of nearly shattering them, Aizetsu's spear would have already pierced a dozen more holes through Inosuke's body.
"Pitiful little things. You're just struggling in vain. Give up now, and your suffering will—Gah!!" Aizetsu's sorrowful mockery of Inosuke and Zenitsu was abruptly cut short by a thunderous boom.
Squelch!
Aizetsu let out a shriek as half his head exploded in a spray of blood, his body staggering uncontrollably backward.
The faint scent of gunpowder lingered in the air.
Shinazugawa Genya finally relaxed his tense expression as he watched Aizetsu's head partially blown apart by his shotgun.
Letting go of the weapon, he leaped down from the rooftop, landing beside the panting Zenitsu and the blood-spitting Inosuke.
"Still alive?"
Ugh.
Genya's way of speaking was just as unpleasant as his brother's.
"You are—? It's you?!"
At that moment, Tanjiro, gripping his Nichirin Blade, caught sight of Genya.
Thanks to his excellent memory, Tanjiro instantly recalled their first meeting—the Final Selection at Mount Fujikasane.
"Hmph! As long as you're not dead, don't waste time. Let's finish that bastard off!"
Seeing that the others were still breathing, Genya wasted no more words.
Drawing his unusually short Nichirin Blade, he charged straight at Aizetsu.
At the same time, Sanemi—lips curled in a grin, eyes wide and fierce—swung his emerald-green Nichirin Blade with such speed it became a blur.
His attacks lived up to his title as the Wind Hashira: swift as a gale, violent as a storm.
Gyutaro's blood-red afterimages erupted around him with equal ferocity, yet they were utterly overwhelmed by the relentless emerald slashes.
"You bastard! What are you looking at?!"
In his fury, Gyutaro cast aside all restraint.
Though his sister's influence had made him despise Upper Moon Four, this was no time for grudges.
Yet, to Gyutaro's surprise, Urogi—who had been flapping his wings nearby—showed no intention of helping him.
Instead, his ever-smiling face turned grim.
"Fall back! Regroup!!" Urogi shouted down at Gyutaro before abruptly turning his wings to flee.
"You coward! Trying to run?! Stay where you are!" Sanemi noticed Urogi's movement, but he was too busy hacking at Gyutaro to stop the fleeing demon.
"How could such a dazzling battlefield end so simply?" Tengen, his face smeared with blood, suddenly burst forward, darting through the ruins of the red-light district like lightning.
In mere moments, he reached beneath Urogi and leaped high into the air!
"Get down here!"
Whoosh! Boom!!
The black explosive ball shot out with precision, striking Urogi and detonating in a violent explosion.
The smoke-covered body happened to land right in the middle of Tanjiro's battlefield.
Splat!
"What the—?!"
Genya, who had been about to finish off the demon, stared in shock as a large, smoking shadow crashed onto Aizetsu.
Then, before anyone could react, a horrifying fusion of flesh began.
A pair of brand-new wings suddenly sprouted from the mass of flesh, spreading wide before the creature took flight, soaring toward the distance.
"What the hell?! Why retreat?!" Daki snarled, though she seemed just as confused.
Still, she lashed out with her ribbons to force Nezuko back before sprinting in the same direction Urogi had flown.
"Such terrifying power…" Kamaro hissed, wide-eyed as he watched Himejima Gyoumei effortlessly shatter his reinforced vine serpent with his meteor hammer, as if it were a child's toy.
The sheer strength of this Demon Slayer was absurd—where had he come from?
Were all the Hashiras this monstrous?
Then what did that make the hundreds of Hashiras who had fallen to the Lower and Upper Moons before?
Kamaro shook his head and smirked.
No matter.
No matter how strong they were, what could they do?
Sure, they might be stronger than the newer Upper Moons, but the power of the top three Upper Moons was on another level entirely.
This time was no different.
The Demon Slayer Corps had reinforcements, but so did the Upper Moons.
And really, how long could even these powerful Hashiras last before that person?
Kamaro lifted his head, gazing at the waning moon in the sky.
"Tonight's moon… is unusually bright."
Whoosh!
Six crimson eyes gleamed in the shadows from an unknown dark corner.
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