Under the night sky, a full moon hung high overhead.
The wisteria flowers in the courtyard had long since withered. The evening breeze passed through the barren branches, stirring the hair of the young men and women.
"Nezuko, don't be afraid. Your brother will protect you."
Tanjiro held his sister's hand. Nezuko had already taken the medicine developed by Lady Tamayo and was in the process of turning back into a human. As a result, she was suffering from a fever and other symptoms, and Tanjiro had remained by her side the entire time.
"I'll protect Nezuko too. Don't worry, Nezuko."
Zenitsu, seated beside Tanjiro, poked his head forward as he spoke, his face full of ingratiating eagerness. Nezuko did not seem to dislike him, however, and smiled as she nodded.
Over the past two months, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke had also taken part in the Hashira's training as Tsuguko. Their strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
They had already been geniuses among geniuses. After Luke's hellish training, all of them had now reached the realm of Total Concentration Breathing: Constant and learned Secret Technique: Demon God. They were no weaker than the Hashira of the past.
Zenitsu had finally developed some confidence. He felt that even if he faced one of the terrifying Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, he would dare to fight it.
It was not only his increased strength that had changed him. It was also because he had seen how much burden his senior brother carried.
Two months earlier, he had received terrible news. His second senior brother, Kaigaku, had perished while hunting Demons, leaving not even a body behind. It had left Zenitsu deeply saddened, and through their letters, he had also felt his grandfather's grief.
So Zenitsu wanted to slay Demons, avenge his second senior brother, demonstrate his strength, and ensure that neither his grandfather nor Luke had to worry about him.
Most importantly, he felt that Luke was simply too busy. He had to train the Hashira and the Tsuguko in Secret Technique: Demon God, go out to hunt Demons, and use himself as bait to contend with dangerous Demons.
Zenitsu wanted to ease some of his senior brother's burden. That was why he wanted to grow stronger—strong enough to muster the courage to fight the Twelve Kizuki, or even Muzan himself.
"The Hashira have all gathered too. This really is no ordinary night. I can smell a huge battle coming."
Inosuke sat on top of the wall, wearing his boar's head mask and holding his two swords as he gazed up at the stars.
"I wonder how Luke is doing. At his speed, if he'd finished his mission, he should have returned to headquarters by now."
Zenitsu spoke worriedly. They had only learned after finishing their training that Luke had gone out on a mission fifty li away.
"Don't worry. My foster father is strong. There's no way he'll lose to those Demons' schemes."
Since she was roughly from the same generation and got along well with Tanjiro and the others, Little Camellia was also standing guard in the courtyard.
After she and Little Whirlwind had received Luke's assignment two months ago, they quickly found Kaigaku. While Kaigaku was still utterly bewildered, they chopped him up and fed him to dogs.
After they completed the mission, Luke had indeed kept his promise. He had kept the two of them hidden in the rear and never sent them out to hunt Demons, ensuring that they remained safe.
But after hearing that Luke was training the Hashira and Tsuguko, Little Camellia had been tempted. She knew that surviving in Endspace was like rowing against the current: if you did not advance, you fell behind. So she volunteered for the training. Luke did not treat her any differently and taught her Secret Technique: Demon God as well.
Though she was not as naturally gifted as the Hashira, she had barely managed to learn the skill and could be considered a beginner. On her status panel, it was a Level 1 skill.
Yet even as merely a Level 1 skill, Little Camellia considered it immensely powerful. Once she heard that Luke had created it himself, she became even more convinced that he was absurdly invincible.
Before leaving today, Luke had actually warned her that she could run, because the Demon Slayer Corps might face a major battle afterward.
But after thinking it over again and again, Little Camellia had not run. Mainly because, after two months together, she had grown attached to Tanjiro and the others. She truly did not want to flee at the critical moment.
Nezuko was currently in the middle of her transformation. Even if Little Camellia did not join the fight, she figured she could still contribute by carrying Nezuko and escaping with her. So she stayed.
"Luke doesn't like you calling him that, does he? ‘Foster father’ and all that—it's so embarrassing."
Zenitsu complained from the side. Strangely enough, Little Camellia was a beautiful older girl too, but he had no urge to pursue her at all. Only Nezuko made his heart race.
"Isn't that what being a Tsuguko means?"
Little Camellia smiled and looked up at the moon. "I hope this will be a peaceful night, and that my foster father returns safely soon."
The instant her words fell, an explosive roar erupted outside the courtyard, accompanied by the furious shouts of numerous Hashira.
Little Camellia's expression changed. Was her mouth really that cursed?
Zenitsu reacted the fastest. His hearing was exceptional. In an instant, he rose to his feet and stood in front of Nezuko and Tanjiro, one hand resting on the Nichirin Blade at his waist. His gaze was grave and alert. "Tanjiro, stay with Nezuko. Inosuke and I will go help."
At that moment, Piggy on top of the wall saw the battle and jumped down first without even saying a word, charging toward the battlefield.
On the other side of the wall, the nine Hashira stood at full alert, staring at Muzan Kibutsuji as he emerged from a gate to the Infinity Castle.
The Serpent Hashira's senses were exceptionally sharp. He detected the anomaly immediately and warned the nine Hashira lying in wait around the courtyard. In barely two seconds, Muzan had been surrounded.
"On such a beautiful night, seeing all you eyesores is truly unpleasant."
Muzan Kibutsuji adjusted the white hat atop his head. He was a particular sort of Demon; after Nakime had moved him to safety, he had even changed into a fresh outfit.
"That's... Muzan Kibutsuji?!"
The Love Hashira stared at Muzan and cried out. This was her first time seeing a Demon with such an ominous and powerful aura.
"They're all here. It seems that man was not entirely unprepared. He's already made his arrangements."
Faced with the nine Hashira surrounding him, Muzan remained utterly calm. In his eyes, monsters like Luke and Yoriichi Tsugikuni were rare exceptions. Normally, Hashira were weak things, and he could massacre them at will by himself.
On the contrary, the fact that all nine Hashira had gathered here confirmed the intelligence his subordinates had previously given him: the Demon Slayer Corps' leader and Nezuko, who had conquered sunlight, were very likely here.
At the thought of obtaining eternal life and the perfect experience of being immune to sunlight, the corners of Muzan's mouth rose uncontrollably. Even the nine Hashira before him became much more pleasing to look at.
He stretched out his hand, his deep voice softly issuing the command. "Blood Demon Art: Black Blood Brambles."
In the next instant, countless blood-red brambles spread out from him like threads. They were sharp and tough. By Muzan's experience, that single move was enough to kill the vast majority of Hashira.
If the enemy had no particularly capable Hashira, this one attack would clear the field. Then he could simply go into the courtyard and devour Nezuko.
At such close range, he could already sense Nezuko's presence. How deliciously sweet it was.
Yet in the next instant, as the Black Blood Brambles shattered, the smile on Muzan's face froze.
Among the nine Hashira, the tall figure at the center erupted with a surging aura. Earth-yellow patterns appeared across his face and skin, like an enraged deity glaring down upon the world.
He swung the spiked flail in his hands, smashing it into the ground and bouncing it off the earth, pulverizing swaths of the spreading Blood Demon Art.
Then he stepped forward and exerted force, dragging the flail into a horizontal sweep at Muzan. The speed and power behind it left him unable to smile any longer.
At the same time, the other eight Hashira moved. Like the Stone Hashira, their auras surged explosively, and patterns resembling Demon Slayer Marks appeared across their bodies, covering them from head to toe.
Starting with the Stone Hashira and moving clockwise around the circle, they unleashed their ultimate techniques upon Muzan.
Stone Breathing, Second Form: Upper Smash!
Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash!
Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!
Sound Breathing, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!
Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting, True Flutter!
Serpent Breathing, Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent!
Love Breathing, First Form: Shivers of First Love!
Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!
Wind Breathing, Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!
All nine Hashira attacked at once. Their erupting momentum swallowed Muzan whole. Their various attacks had clearly been rehearsed in advance and were paired with corresponding elemental synergies.
For example, the Flame Hashira and Wind Hashira's attacks worked together, the wind fueling the fire and making the blazing flames even more violent and swift.
The Mist Hashira and Water Hashira's combined sword techniques entwined water and mist, confusing Muzan's vision and making it easier for the other Hashira's attacks to land.
The Sound Hashira's strike blasted apart the Black Blood Brambles in their direction, opening a path for Shinobu Kocho's thrust. The poison stored within her slender Nichirin Blade was ready to be unleashed.
The Serpent Hashira and Love Hashira coordinated flawlessly. One wielded a bizarre, winding sword; the other, a whip-like flexible blade. Their twisting attacks cut toward the blind spots in Muzan's defenses.
When the many Breathing Styles were driven at full force, they resembled a chaotic fireworks display—an ultimate visual feast. A dazzling torrent of attacks descended and swallowed Muzan directly.
Boom—
Amid the thunderous roar, Muzan's Blood Demon Art was breached. With every direction sealed off, he had nowhere to evade and could only take the blow head-on.
The Stone Hashira's flail struck Muzan's head and smashed it apart. His body was left riddled with holes by the nine Hashira's attacks.
The situation in the smoke and dust was extremely chaotic. To avoid accidentally injuring one another, the nine Hashira's attacks paused for a moment.
At that instant, Muzan's mangled remains sprang upward, escaping the encirclement through the air.
But the nine Hashira would not give Muzan any chance to flee. Their coordination was airtight, and once their second wave of attacks locked onto him, they bombarded Muzan once more.
Muzan had been dazed by that first frenzied barrage. Instinctively, he wanted to flee, but there was nowhere to dodge in midair, so he opened another gate to the Infinity Castle.
As he rose, a gate opened behind and above him. From inside the Infinity Castle, it looked as though Muzan had fallen in.
The gate opened quickly and closed just as fast. The nine Hashira's attacks struck the gate and shattered it as it closed, but the Infinity Castle beyond it was nowhere to be seen. The spatial passage had already vanished.
From Luke's perspective, he saw a gate open in the distance above the Infinity Castle, letting in the light of the night—and a figure that looked like a torn rag.
The surviving Explorers and Demons within the Infinity Castle were all stunned as they looked at that figure, unable to tell what exactly had fallen in.
No Demon would connect that rag-like figure with Muzan. Muzan was the mighty Demon King. Even if he was a coward, there was no way he could have been beaten into a torn rag... right?
But then that rag-like heap of flesh squirmed and awkwardly took shape, transforming into a humanoid creature that looked crudely stitched together. For a moment, the Infinity Castle fell into dead silence.
That made the incompetent, furious roar from the figure all the more piercing. "Demon Slayer Corps!!!"
His body had only just stabilized, and before he could unleash a few more enraged roars, an overwhelming sense of danger engulfed him.
Muzan instinctively leaped, but he was still a fraction too slow. A pitch-black blade swept through the air, cutting across the roots of his thighs and severing all three of his legs at once!
"Luke!"
Muzan roared with hatred. His legs regrew almost instantly, but he did not dare prolong a fight with Luke. The moment Kokushibo arrived and clashed blades with Luke, Muzan immediately pulled away and ordered Nakime, "Keep them away from me. I'm going over there again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a gate opened above him. This time, it once again opened outside the courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps' headquarters.
The moment the gate opened, Muzan saw nine figures standing beneath the night sky turn to look at him in unison. The foot he had been about to step outside hesitated.
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