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Kaido's Estate.
Retsuki knelt in her room, hands clasped in prayer—begging for everyone's safe return.
But moments ago, something had shifted. Dread had seized her heart like an icy hand—as though something precious was slipping away from her.
"It hurts... my chest hurts so much. What's happening to me?"
Both hands pressed against her sternum. The more pressure she applied, the worse the anxiety became.
"Kaido-niisan..."
━━━━━━━━
"Cough—ptui!" Critical injuries forced Kaido to vomit blood as he struggled upright.
He assessed the hole punched through his abdomen. Grabbing a nearby broken wooden rod, he used his shattered blade to cut it to size—then drove it straight through the wound, creating a makeshift plug to staunch the bleeding.
He regulated his breathing to suppress the pain.
"At least... the bleeding's stopped."
His gaze fell on the broken sword. His hand traced its fractured edge. "Old friend... thank you for staying with me this long."
"Original... you can't keep fighting. Otherwise... you'll die." The wounded clone's warning carried finality.
"I won't die. Cough—Retsuki's waiting at home. I... won't die. None of us will."
Watching his original force himself upright, the clone fell silent—then made his decision.
"Original. I'll coordinate with the other clones to pin Muzan down. You all focus on treatment."
Kaido prepared to stop him—
Then saw what Muzan was doing.
Rage exploded through every cell in his body.
Muzan was using his tube whips to drag fallen Corps members' corpses toward himself—feeding them into the gaping maws covering his torso, devouring human flesh to restore his strength.
"MUZAN! YOU BASTAAAAARD!"
"Dragon Breathing, Eighth Form: Wandering Dragon Flash!"
Ignoring his wounds, ignoring the agony in his legs, Kaido tore through space itself—a dragon's roar erupting as he materialized behind Muzan in a heartbeat.
"STOP IT! AAAHHH!"
Both hands seized five or six tube whips—and yanked. Flesh and bone tore free together, appendages ripping from Muzan's back in crimson sprays.
"AAAHHH! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Terror cracked Muzan's voice. He hadn't seen Kaido's approach at all.
He prepared to whip around with his thorned weapons—
Mitsuri arrived, grabbing his arm with iron grip. "I won't let you hurt Kaido-kun! I'll protect everyone!"
RIIIP—
Eight-times-density muscle fibers bulged. She tore Muzan's arm clean off at the shoulder.
"YOU DAMNED HUNTERS!"
Before he could deploy his other whip—
Kaido seized that arm as well. Pure willpower overriding physical limits—he tore.
SLASH—
The second arm separated from Muzan's torso.
Fear penetrated Muzan's consciousness for the first time in centuries. Compared to him, the Demon Slayer Corps members were the true monsters. Especially the white-haired hunter—he was more monstrous than any of them.
'I need to kill them and escape—NOW.'
Eight leg whips erupted, hammering both Mitsuri and Kaido backward.
Muzan prepared to finish them with his regenerated thorned whips—
A spiked flail intercepted, shattering his attack.
Both Gyomeis spun their chain weapons, rescuing the pair. The poison in their systems was dissipating rapidly.
When Kaido had charged Muzan, Chachamaru had appeared at his clone's feet—pawing at the small backpack strapped to his body.
Opening it, the clone found dozens of finger-sized injection syringes. Memory from the original surfaced—understanding crystallized.
He'd taken Chachamaru to every Hashira, administering the antidote to both originals and clones.
Gyomei, Tengen, and Kyojuro recovered first. They raised their weapons and rejoined the assault.
"HAHAHA! My score is complete! Prepare for the supremely flamboyant dual performance!"
Tengen's "score" was his original combat calculation formula—reading enemy attack rhythms and converting them to musical notation. Analysis required time—but once complete, an opponent's habits and weaknesses became transparent.
Attack during the gaps between beats, and damage was guaranteed.
Muzan likely possessed techniques he hadn't revealed yet—but there was no time for such considerations. Besides, his clone's score was also finished.
With both of them alternating attacks, they could create endless opportunities for the others.
"Flamboyant me and flamboyant original—flamboyant assault! Let's claim flamboyant victory together!"
WHOOSH—
Both Tengus struck simultaneously, dual blades carving continuous high-speed slashes.
No matter which angle Muzan's whips attacked from, they were severed. If one missed, the other intercepted immediately.
"One, five, cloth, seven, four, two, release..."
"Four, seven, three, shuttle, one, rise, become..."
Perfect coordination. Every whip Muzan deployed was dismantled with surgical precision.
Gyomei and his clone followed in their wake, launching axe and flail as they closed distance.
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
"Stone Breathing, Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice!"
Both weapons punched through Muzan's chest cavity simultaneously—wounds exposing bone.
The clone's alternating throws blocked the leg whips' counterattack.
"Flame Breathing, Esoteric Art, Ninth Form: Rengoku!" x2
Kyojuro and his duplicate completed their charge preparation. Wreathed in searing flames, roaring like meteors—they struck with devastating force, carving massive wounds across Muzan's entire torso.
Victory seemed within reach—
But reality proved otherwise.
The wounds regenerated within moments. Slower than before, yes—but still frightening speed.
"DON'T STOP! KEEP ATTACKING! NO BREATHING ROOM FOR MUZAN!"
"RIGHT!"
Watching them, Muzan's only thought was escape. At this rate, they'd pin him until sunrise—and sunlight meant death.
Worse, his body was deteriorating in other ways. His physical functions were aging rapidly. Movement, coordination—everything had degraded compared to minutes ago.
'That witch Tamayo—what did she do?? It's not just one humanization drug! There are multiple compounds!'
"IRRITATING INSECTS—DIE!"
BOOM—
Fully regenerated whips swept outward. All seventeen appendages lashing in rotating patterns. Gyomei's group took direct hits—
A voice roared from behind Muzan.
"MUZAN! YOUR LIFE IS MINE!"
━━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━━
'Are you really accepting this, [me]?'
"What do you mean?"
'Are you really willing to die like this?'
"There's nothing to accept or reject. I already died once. Without the System, I never would've gotten a second chance at life."
'What about Retsuki? If she loses you—do you think she'll keep living alone?'
"Retsuki!"
'Stand up, [me]. Stand up and defeat Muzan. Then go home.'
'Didn't you promise to protect everyone and destroy Muzan together?'
'A true dragon doesn't lose to trash like Muzan!'
'Think about everything you've accomplished in this world. Remember everyone you've met—every moment you've shared. You're supposed to attend Mitsuri and Obanai's wedding, aren't you? Were all those promises lies??'
Faces materialized before him—the Kamado family, Tamayo, Yushiro, Sakonji, Sabito, Makomo...
"No... I promised everyone we'd all survive together."
'Then keep fighting! Show that bastard what a dragon truly is! Don't you dare lose to him, [me]!'
"That's right. A promise made is a debt unpaid. Muzan surviving while I die? ABSOLUTELY NOT."
"I WON'T ALLOW IT!"
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Kaido's eyes snapped open. Consciousness flooded back. He grabbed the Longsword and dragged his broken body toward Muzan.
Moments before Muzan's whip had struck, Kaido had used his tail to shield Mitsuri—while simultaneously drawing the Longsword from his System Space to block the impact.
The collision had launched him into a building, knocking him unconscious. His inner self—Yukimura—had awakened him.
"A dragon isn't something garbage like you can defeat, Muzan. Let me show you what the dragons of ancient legend are truly capable of."
Watching the distant battle, recalling those words—Kaido's blood began to boil.
'If I concentrate everything I've learned—every Breathing technique, every form—and forge them into a single new strike... could I deliver a truly devastating blow? But can I even accomplish that?'
'No—I MUST accomplish it.'
Cleaving strikes. Sweeping slashes. Defensive stances. Piercing thrusts. Speed techniques...
Kaido's breath steadied.
Something crystallized in his consciousness. A figure materialized in his mind's eye—he reached for it, but it dissipated like smoke.
Then gentle water currents enveloped his awareness, bringing tranquility. His mind quieted. The figure reappeared—clearer this time.
A creature from his past life's childhood—his favorite mythological being. The divine beast from legend: the auspicious dragon.
His room back home had been filled with dragon figurines, posters, toys...
His hand touched the phantom. Dragon Breathing and Water Breathing techniques flooded his consciousness, interweaving, synthesizing...
His eyes opened. He drew the Longsword from its sheath. The blade's polished surface reflected his eyes.
'I wonder if burning every last bit of mental energy—in my current condition—can inflict the most devastating injury possible on Muzan?'
He inhaled deeply and roared: "MUZAN! YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT!"
"Dragon Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dragon Dominates the Heavens!"
Gripping the Longsword, Kaido charged forward. His right leg exploded against the ground, launching him skyward. He channeled every fragment of remaining mental energy into the blade—
A phantom dragon coalesced around the sword.
ROAR—
A heaven-shaking dragon's cry erupted behind Muzan. The Demon King whipped around—
Kaido hung suspended in midair. His weapon seemed to have enlarged impossibly—manifesting as a colossal dragon descending to dominate all creation. Its gaze locked onto Muzan with inescapable finality.
Beyond that, Muzan felt something he'd only experienced once before—with that man. No—this power was even greater.
"GO TO HELL! HAAAAAAAH!"
Muzan crossed all seventeen tube whips and both thorned whips together. Black brambles erupted from his arms, weaving into the defensive formation—attempting to withstand the strike.
As the attack descended, Gyomei bellowed: "EVERYONE CLEAR OUT!"
Tengen, Kyojuro, and their clones retreated at maximum speed. They'd sensed this technique's magnitude.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Cataclysmic force radiated outward. A sandstorm erupted. Gyomei's group—despite their distance—were hurled backward by the shockwave.
A V-shaped crater carved dozens of meters behind Muzan's position.
The Demon King himself suffered catastrophic damage. Less than half his skull remained. Two-thirds of his upper torso was obliterated—only skeletal fragments supported his rapidly regenerating body.
Both legs were buried to the knees. Whips, brambles, thorns—all destroyed completely.
"As expected... in my current state... this is... my limit?" Kaido's voice carried bitter self-mockery.
The strike had consumed every fragment of mental energy and physical stamina. His body felt impossibly heavy. His head swam. Even moving his fingers seemed beyond him.
"You're the real monster here. But that attack drained everything, didn't it? Humans are so fragile. Farewell, Kaido!"
A regenerated thorned whip lashed toward Kaido.
'My body won't move! Damn it—MOVE! I refuse to die like this!'
He tried forcing his body to dodge—but his condition was too critical. His flesh wouldn't respond.
At that critical instant, two figures intervened. One grabbed Kaido, carrying him clear. The other attacked Muzan's freshly regenerated form.
"Hinokami Kagura: Beneficent Radiance!"
Tanjiro descended from above, carving a spiraling slash downward. His blade blazed with solar flames—suppressing Muzan's regeneration once more.
Muzan's eyes widened.
He glanced at his severed arm, then at Tanjiro. Contempt twisted his features. "What a hideous appearance!"
Tanjiro had been struck by Muzan's poisoned blood earlier. Though Yushiro's antidote had saved him, the corruption had spread from his shoulder to his left cheek—leaving grotesque scarring.
"I can barely tell who the demon is anymore, Tanjiro Kamado!"
Tanjiro raised his blade—black as obsidian, gleaming like volcanic glass. Combat stance locked.
Seeing this, Muzan's mind superimposed another figure over Tanjiro's form. Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
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