A violent explosion tore through the Ubuyashiki estate, making the Hashira who were fighting at the front lines grit their teeth in anguish.
"Master!"
They wanted to rush back to the mansion, but an endless tide of demons surged forward, leaving them no chance to turn back.
The night before, Ubuyashiki Kagaya had summoned Yoriichi, Yosuke, and Tamayo.
"I apologize for calling you so late," Kagaya said, every word costing him immense effort. "I have a plan. Muzan Kibutsuji will surely come for me personally. So, Lady Tamayo, I hope you can create bombs infused with wisteria poison."
Yoriichi and Yosuke both furrowed their brows at once—they had guessed Kagaya's true intention.
"Master! Please don't do this!"
But Kagaya only smiled gently. "I know my own body well. I've already pushed far past my limits. That's why I want to do one last thing for the Demon Slayer Corps. This is my final request. Please grant it… Yoriichi, Ancestor Yosuke."
The two fell silent, their hearts heavy, yet they gave their word.
Kagaya's smile grew soft and warm. "I believe death is not the end. One day, somewhere in the future, we'll meet again. When that day comes, I hope we can sit together like ordinary men in a tavern and drink until dawn."
Now, standing before the ruins left by the explosion, Yoriichi and Yosuke exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes burned a fury as vast as the heavens.
"Let's go, Yoriichi. It's time to end this!"
"Yes."
Both drew their Nichirin blades and stepped into the blasted remains of the Ubuyashiki estate.
Muzan Kibutsuji stood there in a wretched state. The explosion and the concentrated wisteria poison had left his body riddled with wounds—so severe that even he felt pain.
"Kagaya Ubuyashiki!" Muzan roared in rage, assuming his true form as the Demon King.
When his eyes fell upon Yosuke and Yoriichi, his fury deepened. He glared at Yosuke with hatred. "Yosuke Ubuyashiki… you really are a ghost that refuses to fade away!"
"Why? Because you can feel the will of the Ubuyashiki clan burning in me? This is only the beginning, Muzan!"
Yosuke's face was set in grim determination. He wasted no more words. Unleashing his own Demon King form, his pitch-black hair turned a blood-red hue, wings of gore unfurled from his back, and streams of living blood swirled around him.
"Blood Demon Art: Blood Domain!"
The ruined land transformed into a world of blood. Countless weapons, forged entirely from blood, erupted from the ground.
One after another, Yosuke seized them and hurled them at Muzan.
Muzan countered with a massive shockwave that blasted all the blood-forged weapons aside.
Undaunted, Yosuke drew his Nichirin blade and closed the distance, disregarding any danger to himself, choosing close-quarters combat.
"Breath of the Sun, Sixth Form: Burning Bone, Summer Sun!"
Yoriichi inhaled deeply, releasing a white breath as his Nichirin blade blazed with flames as radiant as the sun. He unleashed a spiraling slash of fire toward Muzan.
For the first time, Muzan felt the chill of death.
He abandoned his clash with Yosuke and turned to face Yoriichi instead.
"Blood Demon Art: Black Blood, Brambles!"
An immense field of black blood-thorns erupted across the battlefield.
But the moment they touched the flames on Yoriichi's blade, they were consumed and reduced to ash. Nothing could halt the strike, which cleaved into Muzan's shoulder.
"Aaaahhh!" Muzan's scream of agony split the night. The wound refused to heal. Instead, the fire clung to it like a parasite gnawing at his flesh.
Desperate, Muzan tore out the burning flesh himself to extinguish the flames.
Yoriichi said nothing, his head bowed, and at last spoke the question that had long weighed on his soul:
"What have you turned life into?"
Muzan's face darkened with fury. "Do you think you've already won? Do you think I came unprepared, with only those lowly demons outside? Come forth!"
At his command, three figures appeared behind him.
Yoriichi's heart froze when his eyes landed on one of them. "Brother…?"
"No. I am no longer Michikatsu Tsugikuni. I have transcended life and death. With endless years to hone my blade, I am Kokushibō."
With long black sidelocks tied in a high ponytail, clad in a purple, snake-patterned kimono, his face marked with six eyes and the same markings as Yoriichi, stood Michikatsu Tsugikuni—once second only to Yoriichi himself. Now, he was the Upper Rank One, Kokushibō.
Yoriichi's eyes filled with grief. "How wretched you've become… Brother."
Kokushibō bared his fury in a roar. "You, the one blessed by the gods—what do you know of me?! We were twins! I gave everything, worked ceaselessly, yet I could never catch up to you! I could not master the Breath of the Sun—only its derivative, the Breath of the Moon.
I thought if I polished my skills enough, someday I would stand beside you. But when I awakened the Mark, I discovered it doomed me to die before twenty-five! Why?! Why must every blessing fall upon you?! I would not accept it! Even if I must become a demon, I will surpass you!"
Yosuke's heart tightened. Things had grown far worse than he had foreseen. The three demons behind Muzan had clearly been granted massive amounts of his blood. Their power was far beyond that of the creatures outside.
If the three bought Muzan even a little time, he could escape.
No! Muzan must not be allowed to leave this place alive!
Just as Yosuke prepared to strike again, the kasugai crow of Kiriya Ubuyashiki, the Corps' new commander, swooped down from the skies.
"Attention! Attention! Large numbers of humans have appeared near Mount Suzuka! They are being controlled by demons!"
Yosuke's face darkened. Muzan had sunk even lower than before—using innocent humans as shields. If the controlled humans broke through and reached the battlefield, the situation would spiral into disaster.
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