Chapter 80: Be Proud of Yourselves!
Enjoy~~~
"This is bad… even with all these sacrifices, with all this power burning away our lives… this is all we managed to do?" Tokito Muichiro thought as despair crept into his heart, after Zenitsuchiro had finally managed to land a direct hit after all that running and maneuvering.
Zenitsuchiro had launched himself at maximum speed possible, screaming so hard his throat nearly tore apart:
"Light Breathing — Second Form: Light Hurricane!"
This was not just a single attack; it was a torrent of dozens of slashes unleashed within fractions of a second at absolute maximum power and speed, turning Zenitsuchiro into a destructive golden hurricane that devoured everything in its path.
But all the Light Hurricane managed to do was… almost nothing.
Kokushibo swung his flesh blade with a single elegant and simple motion, and Zenitsuchiro barely blocked it before the force of his own attack rebounded into him, blasting him into the wall of the gigantic chamber and shattering the thick wood. Zenitsuchiro spat out a large amount of blood and collapsed face-first onto the ground, trembling violently.
From within the drifting clouds of dust, Kokushibo's cold, majestic, utterly calm voice emerged:
"Congratulations, Demon Slayer… you managed to tear my kimono."
As he said this, Kokushibo swung his sword again, generating a violent gust of wind that instantly blew the dust away. The upper half of the First Upper Moon's torn purple kimono fell apart, revealing his imposing upper body, covered in bulging muscles and demonic scars.
At that moment, Kokushibo finally took a true combat stance. His flesh blade, slightly damaged from blocking dozens of strikes, pulsed violently and revealed its complete terrifying form; it grew longer, additional twisted blades protruded from its sides, and it resembled a living monster breathing blood.
"Damn it… this isn't working at all," Tokito felt complete helplessness. The power of the First Upper Moon was absurd, beyond all logic. Even two Hashira who had broken past human limits and used the forbidden technique could not even scratch his neck.
Tokito was carefully controlling the maximum output of "Kengi no Kaiho" so he could continue fighting as long as possible, but every time he regained the ability to think clearly, despair overwhelmed him.
How was he supposed to fight this monster and defeat it?
"Muichiro… fight!"
Tokito heard a hoarse, trembling voice filled with unbreakable determination. He turned to see Zenitsuchiro slowly rising while leaning on his shattered sword.
His clothes were completely torn apart, and his haori lay discarded on the floor. His entire body was drenched in blood, and his eyes were bloodshot to a terrifying degree. His deep wounds had begun bleeding again twice as badly, slowly draining away his life with every drop.
And despite all of that… this person was still fighting. Still refusing to surrender.
Seeing this sight, Tokito regained the determination that had nearly faded from his chest. A terrifying determination that caught Kokushibo's attention as he raised his fully transformed sword in preparation for attack.
"Amazing resolve…" Kokushibo said with twisted admiration. "I expected no less… from one who carries the blood of my lineage!"
"Prepare to die, demon…" Tokito replied in a voice colder than frost.
Tokito exhaled a long stream of white breath. The muscles in his legs tightened with such force that the wooden floor shattered beneath his feet. In the next moment, his pale blue eyes became completely empty; no emotions, no anger, not even killing intent.
Kokushibo frowned at this sudden change and quickly raised his sword. In the next instant, Muichiro slowly vanished, dissolving into thick mist.
"Afterimage?" Kokushibo thought.
Kokushibo immediately swung his sword backward and frowned deeply. If not for his insane demonic senses, far beyond the other Upper Moons, he might never have sensed the boy appearing behind him from nowhere.
"No spirit? No killing intent? This is unpleasant…" Kokushibo frowned and kicked Tokito to crush him, but… his leg passed through Tokito like it was piercing mist itself!
"Another afterimage?" Kokushibo quickly turned and saw Zenitsuchiro and Tokito appearing and disappearing around him like ghosts, leaving terrifyingly fast afterimages and visual mirages far greater than before. His six eyes narrowed in total concentration.
"Every cell in my body is telling me to kill them immediately… they've reached transcendent heights!"
There was only one goal left in the minds of the two boys:
"We must cut off this demon's head!"
Nothing else existed. No fear. No pain. Their reaction speed had surpassed reality itself.
Kokushibo blocked a powerful strike from Zenitsuchiro without even turning around, and at that moment he saw his eyes up close. The whites of his eyes had completely turned blood-red, while his pupils had become razor-thin and sharp, glowing with predatory amber-yellow light.
He kicked Zenitsuchiro's body away and disappeared from his position, slashing toward Tokito's back as he attacked from above.
But Tokito twisted his body at an impossibly unnatural angle and blocked the massive blade, then used the momentum of Kokushibo's attack, planting his foot on the demon sword's side blade to launch himself away.
During that exchange, Kokushibo saw Tokito's eyes in a similar state to Zenitsuchiro's; bloodshot, with needle-thin pale blue pupils.
Kokushibo landed lightly on the ground while his six eyes watched the two boys who never stopped moving, endlessly attacking from dead angles and unpredictable positions.
Kokushibo frowned and spoke loudly while blocking their attacks:
"This battle is meaningless… I may not be able to kill you in one strike anymore because of your speed and reflexes, but you'll die from exhaustion at any moment… and besides that…"
In Zenitsuchiro's world, everything appeared slow and crystal clear. But suddenly, as he attempted to attack Kokushibo from a blind angle, his vision blurred violently and his eyes burned painfully red.
In that instant of blindness, Kokushibo swung his sword with a speed that made the air scream. In complete silence, without even the sound of blood spraying or muscles tearing… Zenitsuchiro's left arm flew into the air.
Zenitsuchiro flipped backward and landed far away, his vision slowly regaining focus as he saw his severed arm lying beside him.
"You're so unconscious of yourselves that you don't even blink anymore, nor are you controlling your breathing properly in this state…" Kokushibo said calmly.
Kokushibo blocked a surprise attack from Tokito and grabbed his leg to slam him into the ground. But the moment the demon's grip loosened slightly for the throw, Tokito vanished from his hands like smoke and landed several meters away, panting heavily.
Kokushibo continued speaking while resting his massive sword on his shoulder:
"I do not know what suicidal technique you are using to enhance your eyes enough to keep up with your explosive speed, but at this rate… you will both go completely blind long before this battle ends."
Speed was the best method they had for trying to cut off Kokushibo's head, and that was the fortunate part for the two boys. But that did not mean their bodies could naturally endure such speed.
But when Kokushibo turned around, he saw something unexpected.
Zenitsuchiro picked up his severed arm, pressed it back into place, and bit into a tiny glass vial filled with glowing red liquid.
The vial shattered in his mouth, and the thick liquid slid down his throat.
At that moment… dense white steam exploded from his body, covering the area. In the next second, Zenitsuchiro shot out from within the steam like a cannon shell!
"This… not only healed his arm! It healed his entire body… even his eyes!" Kokushibo was shocked as he watched Zenitsuchiro's speed return to its maximum level. No—he had surpassed the fastest speed he had shown before!
"Light Breathing — Third Form: Light Dragon — Tenfold!"
Zenitsuchiro exploded forward in a terrifying flash while his attack emitted an incredibly loud and disturbing sound, like the sky itself splitting apart with thunder. Kokushibo nearly grabbed his ears as his eardrums rang violently from the deafening roar disrupting his senses.
Zenitsuchiro became a pure beam of golden light, a gigantic Light Dragon that shattered the sound barrier in an unpredictable zigzagging path. Kokushibo froze for an instant as he watched the Light Dragon descend from above toward him and prepared to block and destroy the attack.
But then—
"Zenitsuchiro!"
Kokushibo heard Tokito's shout from somewhere unknown. Kokushibo gathered all his defenses around his neck, prepared to stop any hidden strike, because neither his six eyes nor his perception could detect Tokito approaching. Tokito moved at insane speed yet emitted no sound, no scent, no image, not even a spiritual presence.
But Tokito did not target Kokushibo's neck as expected.
Instead, he appeared in front of him with a deceptive mist afterimage, slid downward, and severed the arm holding Kokushibo's sword at the elbow, then spun and cut off his other leg at the knee with terrifying speed!
Simply put… he prevented Kokushibo from stopping the incoming killing blow and completely destroyed his balance.
"Hah?!"
All Kokushibo could see was his sword and arm falling away while his massive body tilted off balance. Within that fatal opening, violent golden light flashed before him as Zenitsuchiro appeared, swinging his sword so quickly that both his arms and blade became nothing more than a cutting flash against Kokushibo's exposed neck.
"Will they… actually succeed in cutting off my head?" Kokushibo thought in astonishment.
The golden sword pierced deep into Kokushibo's neck and began carving through it at insane speed. Zenitsuchiro's attack relied purely on raw power born from sacrifice and burning away his very soul in that moment.
The star-shaped mark on his shoulder spread wildly in pulsating crimson red, covering his entire shoulder and extending across his chest.
His eyes, temporarily restored by the potion, began approaching blindness once again due to the suicidal strain, glowing with golden light that left trails behind them.
The muscles in his arms and legs tore apart under the immense pressure. Blood poured from every pore in his body. His eyes bled. He spat blood while screaming from the depths of his soul with a loud, monstrous roar like a real dragon, as his sword continued desperately carving through Kokushibo's neck!
But it still was not over.
Because Tokito, within fractions of a second, bit into the red potion he had hidden in his mouth since the beginning of the attack.
In an explosion of white steam that temporarily healed his wounds, Tokito's sword flashed with pale blue light. With all his strength, he joined Zenitsuchiro, striking the exact same point on Kokushibo's neck, while Kokushibo concentrated every ounce of his regeneration and demonic vitality into strengthening the flesh and bones of his neck to prevent decapitation.
"HAAAAAAAAAA!"
The two boys screamed like beasts while blood poured from every pore and evaporated into steam. Within the dense mist, golden and blue eyes gleamed with overwhelming determination and refusal to surrender to the demon.
Would they succeed?!
"No…"
Kokushibo whispered in a low, cold voice devoid of all compassion.
Then, from within the steam and light, crimson and dark purple radiance erupted from Kokushibo's body like a nuclear explosion. A deafening blast shook the chamber as the solid wooden floor shattered apart and a true red shockwave exploded outward, ripping through the entire room.
Dust covered everything. A sharp ringing filled the ears.
When the dust finally settled slightly, Tokito and Zenitsuchiro found themselves in miserable states.
Zenitsuchiro was embedded into a distant wall, his broken body hanging limply like a shattered doll.
Tokito had smashed into the floor so hard that the ground caved beneath him. His sword was broken, its blade completely gone, and a massive mortal wound stretched from his left shoulder down across his chest, bleeding heavily.
"We failed…"
That was the only painful thought shared by both boys.
Zenitsuchiro's blood-covered vision watched the dust slowly clear, revealing the First Upper Moon standing calmly in place. His arm, leg, and even neck had already fully regenerated, though traces of their blood still stained his body. The floor around him had been completely obliterated into a gigantic crater.
"Be proud of yourselves…" Kokushibo said while brushing dust off his new flesh blade. "You forced me beyond my limits and compelled me to create a new technique at the edge."
"A new technique? Wasn't that just a pure demonic power explosion… what exactly is your Blood Demon Art, monster?" the two cursed internally while trembling from cold and approaching death.
"Hm… have you finally lost the ability to move?" Kokushibo asked while slowly approaching them. "Do you not have any more of those magical potions?… I'll allow you to drink them and recover. Your battle… was enjoyable."
The two boys did not know whether to cry from despair or feel pride for earning the respect of the strongest demon after the Demon King himself.
During their training, Ren had given them multiple potions; some that increased their strength and speed, and others that rapidly healed their bodies, allowing them to train through hell without fear of permanent injuries.
"The spare potions in our pockets shattered from the explosion… I hope someone arrives right now… Ren-sama," Zenitsuchiro weakly thought as his eyes slowly closed.
"I'll take your silence as a no," Kokushibo sighed. "Perhaps your bodies are too damaged to even drink those potions anymore… You already died twice in this battle yourselves because of that suicidal technique. It's time for me to grant you rest and—"
Kokushibo suddenly stopped speaking.
He looked upward toward the ceiling.
There, where the gigantic inverted shoji door rested overhead, they heard a violent impact, followed by crashing destruction and several consecutive explosions.
Finally, the enormous door shattered completely and fell downward like a meteor directly toward Kokushibo!
Kokushibo lightly leapt away from the falling door and the other chunks of collapsing buildings raining down around him. From within the thick dust rising from the rubble, Kokushibo saw a familiar pair of golden eyes glowing in the darkness.
"Shall we begin the next round, old man?"
Kokushibo heard a mocking, arrogant voice overflowing with murderous confidence. The voice made the First Upper Moon frown and sigh in annoyance.
"You are weak… humans are fragile creatures that break easily," Kokushibo said while staring into the dust. "Why did you choose to become human again in the first place… Akaza?"
Truthfully, Hakuji had not really had a choice.
When he regained his memories, he truly wanted to die. Guilt gnawed at his heart every single night; guilt for forgetting his beloved, and guilt for the countless crimes he committed as a demon for centuries.
But before dying, he needed revenge.
He needed to witness Muzan's death and land a punch directly on that pale face in repayment for all the humiliation he suffered while serving under him.
And honestly… he had no other option because Ren constantly threatened him! If he dared die or commit suicide before the war ended, Ren himself would kill him.
Or as Ren once said with a sadistic smile:
"I'll shatter every bone in your body, heal you with a recovery potion, then break you again and again forever."
Hakuji was absolutely certain the Sun Hashira of this era was mentally insane.
"Humans are weak? You're absolutely right…" Hakuji said sarcastically as he finally stepped out from the dust.
Kokushibo could finally see him clearly.
Hakuji stood calmly while casually playing with two red healing potion bottles in his hand, tossing and catching them repeatedly with a charming and confident smile.
"So, I hope you don't mind facing three people this round instead of one?" Hakuji added as he threw the two potions with perfect precision straight into the mouths of the ruined Tokito and Zenitsuchiro.
Kokushibo frowned deeply.
Then, from behind Hakuji, he saw Zenitsuchiro's and Tokito's eyes reopen and regain their insane glow once again.
Their eyes emitted intense light from the techniques they were using and from the potion that healed their mortal wounds within seconds. Kokushibo watched as two pairs of glowing eyes returned to life beside Hakuji.
Kokushibo smiled and raised his flesh blade as terrifying demonic aura erupted from him, causing the entire chamber to tremble.
"This is better… I have not fought a true battle that forced me to use my full power since becoming a demon… so entertain me with your lives, Demon Slayers!"
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