"Then go to hell!"
Kibutsuji Muzan had completely transformed into his true demonic form. His white hair flared wildly, his limbs and lower body were wrapped in blood and fur, and his entire body was covered in massive, toothy maws. From his back extended nine fleshy tubes, each around four meters long, pulsing with his own blood and moving with such speed that even the fully awakened Gyomei Himejima, with his Transparent World, couldn't react in time.
Muzan, now devoid of mercy, would not give Yohan a second chance. Since his opponent had already made his choice, then Muzan would show him exactly what happened to those who defied him.
With a crack, the blood-whips lashed out violently. Muzan aimed to kill Yohan in a single strike.
But it wasn't that easy.
The demon's attacks wrapped around Yohan's form, but they could only clang uselessly against his armor. Thanks to Yohan's overwhelming strength, he was able to withstand the brutal blows.
With a roar, Muzan—now in his complete form—suddenly accelerated the eight whips on his legs and hurled them at Yohan. These were his true trump card—Muzan's fastest whips, surpassing even the nine on his upper body and the barbed ones on his arms. The sheer speed created sonic booms that cracked the earth beneath Yohan's feet. Caught off guard, Yohan was forced to retreat several steps.
"What?!"
Rather than being pleased at pushing Yohan back, Muzan was shocked—utterly stunned that Yohan's armor hadn't shattered under that blow. Anyone else would've been torn apart, their body exploded under the impact. But Yohan?
He only took a few steps back.
"You've got some strength, I'll give you that," Yohan said coldly. "Now try mine."
Having taken a hit, Yohan wasn't going to let that slide. With a single flap of his wings, he shot toward Muzan like a golden comet.
"Too fast!"
Muzan hadn't expected Yohan to move so quickly. Desperately, he moved all his tendrils to block.
"Break for me!"
Yohan's strike came down like thunder, shattering the tendrils and smashing into Muzan's chest. Half of his body exploded, his already pale face turning ghostly white. He was forced to divert a massive amount of energy to begin regenerating.
What strength… Only by feeling it firsthand could one understand the power of a dragon. Before, Muzan had thought Yohan was merely "strong." But now?
This wasn't just strength. This was destruction.
What kind of force could blow away half of his body?
"But... you can't kill a demon that easily."
Five brains. Seven hearts.
Muzan, through his advanced medical knowledge, had developed multiple internal organs that could move within his body. This gave him a terrifying survival advantage.
With multiple hearts and brains hidden throughout his body, Muzan possessed near-infinite regeneration. If not for Tamayo's earlier drugs weakening him, he wouldn't even need to expend energy to heal.
In the past, only Yoriichi Tsugikuni's sun-like Nichirin blade and the Thirteenth Form of Sun Breathing had ever broken through his immortality and pushed him to the edge.
Right now, he was only expending energy. That's all.
But in this battle, Muzan hadn't yet realized—his stamina was draining much faster than usual.
"You think I can't kill you?" Yohan didn't care. If one punch couldn't do it, he'd throw another. And another.
This wasn't a one-time move.
Without another word, he attacked again.
Golden light flared. A barrage of punches rained down on Muzan.
"Damn you!!" Muzan roared. He had never imagined Yohan's suppressive power would be so overwhelming. Before, he thought Yohan's attacks were manageable. Now, he realized—
Yohan could destroy him.
"Get away from me!"
Muzan unleashed a massive, omnidirectional shockwave centered on himself, tearing apart the entire room and opening a vast, empty space.
The Hashira rushing in from afar were caught by the blast and flung backward, several of them coughing up blood.
"Such force!!"
Only by getting close could they understand Muzan's terrifying power. The Hashira were no weaklings, yet even from this distance, they were injured by the shockwave, their nerves scrambled, limbs going numb.
And yet—Yohan, who stood closest to Muzan, had merely been pushed back slightly.
He was barely affected.
"No wonder… it's Yohan!" Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku had just arrived. The force of that shockwave still had him struggling to stand, but when he saw Yohan standing firm at the center of the destruction, he couldn't help but laugh, his heart filled with admiration.
Too strong!
That was the thought in everyone's hearts—including Muzan's.
That had been his trump card. And Yohan was still unharmed.
Why?!
More people were arriving, the net was closing in, and the terrifying warrior Yohan stood unyielding before him.
Muzan's earlier confidence had long since vanished. He had planned to slaughter all the Demon Slayer Corps in the Infinity Castle with Nakime's Blood Demon Art.
But now... now he felt something he hadn't felt in centuries—fear for his own life.
"Retreat!"
The thought of escape surged once again through Muzan's mind. He had tried to take the initiative before because of Tamayo, but now, facing this nightmare named Yohan—
He had to flee.
Without Nakime, Infinity Castle had already collapsed, and they were now on the surface. If this continued until sunrise...
Then he would be the one to die.
Eternal life was important—but he could wait. He had pursued it for a thousand years. What was another thousand, if he could just survive?
He had to live.
"You think I'll let you run?!"
Yohan, who had been watching him closely, wasn't about to give Muzan any opening.
"Die!"
Without pause, a flurry of punches rained down again. Yohan was determined to keep Muzan here forever.
"We…"
Shinobu's older sister, Kanae Kocho, spoke up. She didn't know if they should step in.
"Leave it to Yohan. We only need to guard the perimeter and make sure Muzan doesn't escape," Rengoku answered firmly.
He knew this battle wasn't one they could interfere in. If they rushed in recklessly, they'd only get in the way.
"Today—we will end Muzan here!"
The Hashira all nodded, gripping their blades and forming a ring around the battlefield.
Muzan grew increasingly frenzied. Yohan's relentless assault left him no opening to escape. Every misstep shattered his body further.
Suddenly, the crow bearing spell tags returned.
"Caw, caw!"
"One hour until sunrise!"
"One hour until sunrise!"
Its cry echoed across the battlefield.
The Hashira tensed up even more. Muzan's expression twisted in horror.
No… I can't let this continue!
He knew if this dragged on until dawn, he would be doomed.
"You pests... I won't forget this!"
Self-Detonation.
Muzan exploded himself, his body shattering into over 1,800 fragments. This was his ultimate escape technique—his last resort.
Each piece could regenerate. As long as even one survived, Muzan could fully restore himself.
The fragments were impossibly small. Even Yoriichi in his prime had only managed to eliminate 1,500 of them.
Not good!
The countless pieces shot off like bullets in every direction. The Hashira immediately unleashed their Breathing Techniques—they could not let these escape!
Berserker's Roar!
This was Yohan's ultimate trump card, a technique with no wind-up, designed solely to annihilate Muzan.
A crimson Berserker avatar loomed behind Yohan. Red light burst from him in all directions, and an ancient war cry thundered in every ear.
"NO!!"
Muzan had no idea what was happening—but in the next moment, all the fragments that had been flying apart suddenly reversed course and flew straight back toward Yohan!
"DIE!"
A single iron fist fell. Countless fragments were obliterated. Of the original 1,800, only a few scraps remained.
"No! I can't die!!"
Driven by pure instinct, Muzan's desire to live surged to its peak. The remaining fragments swelled and twisted, reforming into the shape of a grotesque infant.
A monstrous, wailing demon fetus—the very image of Muzan when he was still in the womb, surrounded by death. This form constantly regenerated thick layers of flesh to protect him.
He turned. Began digging.
He would escape.
"DIE!!"
But Yohan gave him no chance.
He smashed into the grotesque infant form, raining blow after blow, ignoring its wails. His fists did not stop. He did not relent.
"NO! NO! NO!!"
Stripped of speech, Muzan could only screech in agony.
Wheeee! Wheeee!
"Then go to hell and repent for all you've done!"
The first rays of morning sunlight shone down.
And in that light, the last of Muzan—shattered again by Yohan—began to dissolve.
For a full hour, Muzan had regenerated countless times. But the man called Yohan never tired. Blow after blow, he shattered Muzan's illusions of immortality.
The fragments drifted away in the morning breeze.
Muzan... was dead.
"He's dead! He's dead!!"
"He's really dead!!!"
Surrounded by Yohan, the members of the Demon Slayer Corps erupted into tears—not of sorrow, but of relief, of victory.
Muzan was finally dead.
"Treat the wounded!"
"Treat the wounded!"
"We've won!!"
"We've won!!!"
The crows cried out in joy, their voices echoing across the battlefield.
"Yohan!"
"Yohan!"
"Yohan!"
The cheers of the warriors surged like a wave.