"What? You! You're... Ren?"
Mitsuri looked up, her eyes meeting Evernight's cold, piercing gaze. Her face was filled with confusion as she shouted.
"Why? Why are you attacking us? Why did you kill the restaurant owners? Why are you..."
"Be careful, Kanroji!" Obanai grabbed Mitsuri's arm, staring at Evernight's eyes in shock. "Look at his eyes. He's become a Berserk Demon!"
"Huh?"
Mitsuri froze, then looked at Evernight's eyes. When she saw the words 'Upper Moon Zero' etched into them, her astonishment grew even greater.
"Why? Ren, why did you become a Berserk Demon? Why would you side with Muzan..."
"Why? The Wind Hashira and Stone Hashira asked me that same question. I'll answer it one more time: I've awakened the Demon Slayer Mark. Only by becoming a Berserk Demon can I survive past twenty-five."
"And now, I will completely eradicate the Demon Slayer Corps, starting with you Nine Hashira!"
Evernight chuckled. Seeing the battle spirit surging from the three of them, he immediately realized they were the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps!
'According to the intel Kaigaku gave me, these three should be the Love, Flame, and Serpent Hashira. Why don't I have a little fun with them?'
With that thought, a smirk played on Evernight's lips.
"Just for that? For such a simple reason..."
"Simple? Heh, wanting to live has never been a simple reason!" Evernight sneered, his eyes brimming with murderous intent as he looked at Mitsuri.
"Forget it, I have nothing to say to you. It's late. Why don't you all just go to sleep forever?"
In a flash, Evernight drew his sword, thrusting his bone blade directly toward Mitsuri's chest.
In a single instant, he unleashed a dozen slashes. The violent strikes swept toward Mitsuri like a gale, intending to tear her to shreds.
Clang—
Just as the bone blade was about to strike Mitsuri, it was halted mid-air. Two figures, one black and one red, suddenly intervened, their blades parrying his strike.
Obanai roared in fury, "How dare you strike Kanroji after turning into a demon! I'll never forgive you!"
Kyojuro added, "It is truly a pity that you chose to become a Berserk Demon. I thought we might have become great friends! But since you've chosen this path, we must fight!"
"To save humanity, I will slay every Berserk Demon, even if it costs me my life!"
"Hmph, stop with the empty talk. You'd better think about how you're going to survive my hand first."
"Dark Combat Technique: Galaxy of Eternal Night!"
Evernight swung his blade again. In the blink of an eye, he slashed dozens of times. The heavy sword pressure surged like a storm toward Obanai and Kyojuro.
"Such immense power!"
"Kanroji, get back!"
The two struggled to fend off the violent onslaught. They felt an overwhelming pressure as the sharp sword qi lashed at their faces, leaving bloody gashes across their bodies.
Even their Nichirin Swords began to chip and crack under the constant collisions with the bone blade.
Under such duress, even speaking became a luxury.
Warned by Obanai, Mitsuri quickly gathered herself. She knew this was no time for tears; she had to stop Evernight before more lives were lost.
Leaping into the air, she drew the whip-like Nichirin Sword from her waist. It lashed out like a flexible vine, attempting to coil around Evernight's arm to create an opening for Obanai and Kyojuro.
"A sneak attack from behind? Naive! Dark Combat Technique: Galaxy of Eternal Night!"
Evernight twisted his torso, his powerful frame moving with surprising agility. He whirled around and slashed, sending dozens of strikes whistling through the air in an instant.
The force of the strikes was so great they distorted the air. What should have been invisible slashes became visible against the night sky.
The dozens of dark purple slashes formed a dark tornado. Had she been caught in it, Mitsuri's body would have been shredded instantly.
Realizing the danger, Mitsuri swung her blade in defense.
"Love Breathing, Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Wildclaw!"
Mitsuri spun her body at high speed, her flexible sword whipping the air into a pink storm that collided with Evernight's slashes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of steel clashing echoed through the night. In the end, Mitsuri was overpowered. The force of the attack sent her flying like a broken kite, crashing through the wall of a nearby shop with a heavy thud!
"Kanroji!"
Seeing Mitsuri thrown back, Obanai and Kyojuro glared at Evernight with bloodshot eyes. Their fury rose to a boiling point!
"Cough... Rengoku-san, Iguro-san, I'm okay..."
A metallic taste filled Mitsuri's mouth as she coughed up blood. Forcing herself through the pain, she slowly stood up.
Just moments ago, she had used her Breathing style to tense her muscles, which had absorbed the brunt of the final strike. Without that, she would have been severely injured, if not killed.
"Hmph, you can still stand? No matter. It'll only take a few seconds to finish you off. Once you're dead, I'll burn that ridiculous hair of yours. It's an eyesore."
"You..."
Mitsuri pointed her sword at Evernight. "You aren't Ren. You couldn't be him. Who are you really?"
"!!!"
Evernight's eyes widened. He turned back, feigning a calm sneer.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Did I knock your brain loose? Or is the reality of the situation too much for you to handle, so you're resorting to self-delusion?"
"Heh, it might just be a guess, but my intuition tells me you aren't Ren!"
Wiping the blood from her lip, Mitsuri managed a small smile. "If you want to know why... it's because you're too weak!"
"What did you say?!"
Evernight spoke again, his voice laced with genuine anger at being called weak.
"I've seen Ren fight Berserk Demons more than once. Even if your techniques are the same, his speed is far greater, and his power is on a different level."
"If it were Ren, I never would have survived that last strike."
"Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I trust my gut. You are definitely not Ren! The Ren I know would never be such a cruel monster!"
"Ren is my dear friend! I was even going to play matchmaker for him and Shinobu!"
As she spoke, a crimson heart-shaped mark appeared on Mitsuri's neck. She lunged at Evernight.
"So, I'll ask again: who are you?"
"I won't let you wear Ren's face to insult his name!"
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