Easily evading Daki's razor-sharp claws and putting distance between them, Tanjiro suddenly raised his head, lifting his Nichirin Blade high above him.
"Raaaaaah!!!" Tanjiro's roar echoed like a dragon's cry!
His wide eyes now blazed with scorching flames!
"Hinokami Kagura!"
The swirling blue water enveloping his Nichirin Blade was instantly replaced—no, transcended—by blazing crimson flames!
Golden-red fire erupted from the tip of the blade, rapidly coiling around its length, radiating a brilliance akin to the sun itself!
The air around the Nichirin Blade distorted from the intense heat, sizzling audibly!
The flowing water dragon that once encircled the blade transformed in an instant, fueled by Tanjiro's unwavering resolve, into a roaring dragon of infernal flames.
"Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!!!"
With a single step, Tanjiro's body left behind a searing afterimage!
His vision narrowed, leaving only the stunned Daki before him!
Compressing all his flames, strength, and the berserk power awakened by his Mark into the edge of his Nichirin Blade.
The blade became a golden-crimson flaming dragon, tearing through space itself!
With a deafening roar, it closed the distance to Daki in an instant—not just a condensed force of destruction, but also a hope as warm as sunlight.
"W-what is this technique?! Why?! Why does this presence fill me with such terror?! Who are you?!" For some reason, Daki was suddenly engulfed by a fear as if she had been cast into hell itself.
The terror paralyzed her, stripping away even the will to resist, leaving her only able to stare blankly as that indistinct, horrifying figure overlapped with Tanjiro.
And the flaming Nichirin Blade drew closer and closer!
"Aaaah!!!"
Squelch—!
A soft sound, like a hot knife slicing through butter.
With heat capable of incinerating all, the roaring flaming dragon effortlessly swept past Daki's slender neck.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
The fury, disdain, and cruelty on Daki's beautiful face solidified instantly, replaced by utter bewilderment and disbelief.
She seemed to want to lower her head, to touch her own neck, but a crimson-gold slash had already silently appeared across her pale skin.
Then came the towering flames!
Not blood, but the lingering flames of the Dance of the Fire God, ignited by Tanjiro's mark and carried upon his blade.
The crimson-gold flames bloomed like wrathful lotuses, instantly engulfing Daki's head and severed neck.
"Ah... AHH!! ONII-CHANN!!" Daki let out a short, terrified scream, her body stiffening.
Her cruel eyes widened to their limits, reflecting the burning flames within them, filled with incomprehensible fear.
Why?
Why had her head been cut off by some insignificant brat from the Demon Slayer Corps?
Where was her brother? What was he doing??
BOOM!
Daki didn't know that at this moment, Gyutaro was also teetering on the edge of ultimate madness!
He roared!
He howled!
He even cursed, yet he couldn't break free from the man who was even more insane, whose roars were even louder than his own.
"Get away from me!!"
"You're scared! I can hear it! Fear has entered your melody! Hahaha! So even demons can feel fear?!" Tengen's Nichirin Blade was nothing but a blur as it clashed countless times with Gyutaro's crimson scythes.
His body had long reached its limits, yet his indomitable will refused to let him retreat even half a step.
Gyutaro was close!
'Just a little more, just a little more, and his body would collapse completely.'
But...
BOOM!!
The fall of that grotesquely beautiful head not only signaled the end of one battle but also heralded a turning point in another!
For a brief moment, Gyutaro's movements froze, his golden pupils filled with the same confusion and disbelief as his sister's.
"How is this possible?!"
BOOM!!
A burst of flames suddenly erupted, blocking Gyutaro's vision—and also obscuring the cold blade that came for his neck.
Sssshhk!
A thin line of blood instantly appeared across Gyutaro's neck.
At the same time.
Crash!!
A deafening collapse echoed as massive wooden dragon heads crumbled, kicking up clouds of dust.
From within the dust, a figure slowly emerged.
The drums on his back were shattered beyond recognition, his body covered in gourd-like wounds that showed no signs of healing.
The characters for "Upper Moon" and "Four" in his pupils had dimmed to near nothingness.
Zohakuten turned his head silently, still wearing that same haughty expression.
And behind him, Shinazugawa Sanemi stepped forward, his aura was like a demon from hell.
At the tip of his Nichirin Blade was impaled a grotesque, walnut-sized head.
Zohakuten glanced at Sanemi, whose face now bore a pattern resembling a windmill.
His Nichirin Blade radiated terrifying heat.
Finally, Zohakuten's gaze fell upon the head skewered on the blade's tip.
"Pathetic..." he muttered one last time before his body turned to ash.
Upper Rank Four! Upper Rank Five!
Died one after another.
"Pant... pant..." Tanjiro maintained his slashing stance, breathing heavily.
The flame-like mark on his forehead still burned bright, radiating astonishing heat.
But the fire in his eyes rapidly faded, replaced by endless exhaustion.
The violent power within his body receded like a tide, leaving only complete emptiness and excruciating pain as if his entire body had been torn apart.
Yet even now, Tanjiro sensed an overwhelmingly terrifying power locking onto him—a presence from which he detected an abyss-deep hatred.
"Why?! Why does his Breathing Technique still exist? They should all be dead by now! Damn you! Why won't you just stay gone?!" A resentful, venomous roar inexplicably erupted from Kokushibo's mouth.
This left Shinichi and Gyoumei who's locked in desperate combat deeply puzzled.
But without question, the pressure on both men intensified.
Shinichi and Gyoumei had also sensed Tanjiro's sudden surge of power, but they had no attention to spare while fighting Upper Rank One—especially now that Kokushibo seemed on the verge of madness.
The terrifying Nichirin Blade in his hand suddenly become alive, writhing as countless crescent-shaped slashes filled the air, swiftly overwhelming Shinichi and Gyoumei.
"Not enough! Not enough! My current strength is nowhere near enough!" Shinichi's mind roared.
"Hurry! Assist the Forest Hashira and Stone Hashira!"
At some point, Demon Slayers had rushed near the two Hashiras.
Seeing Kokushibo completely suppressing them, the Demon Slayers couldn't just stand by.
Raising their Nichirin Blades, they charged at Kokushibo.
"No! Everyone, get away from here!"
Unfortunately, Gyoumei's warning came too late.
Before they could even get close to Kokushibo, over a dozen Demon Slayers were sliced apart by the storm of crescent slashes the moment they stepped onto the battlefield as blood spraying everywhere.
Yet this gruesome scene didn't deter the others—instead, more rushed toward Kokushibo without hesitation.
And their fate...
"Ahhh!! Fuck this! Explode!! Raging Blood Third Stage!!"
BOOM!!
A rolling wave of scorching heat erupted across the battlefield!
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