Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, stood frozen for a split second, his powerful hands still clenched around his weapon. Then, in a horrific, silent motion, his head slid from his shoulders and tumbled to the ground. A fountain of blood erupted from his neck, spraying the air with a hot, crimson mist that seemed to hang in the air.
Shinobu Kocho and Mitsuri Kanroji watched, paralyzed by the sight. The expression on Gyomei's face was locked in shock, his eyes wide. The strongest of the Hashira, their unshakeable pillar of strength, was dead in an instant. The blood-soaked ground and the absolute finality of the scene felt like a nightmare made real.
"How... how could this happen?" Mitsuri whispered, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face.
All their ambitions, all their hopes for the future, vanished in that single, bloody moment. Gyomei was their foundation, their strongest warrior. With him gone, the Demon Slayer Corps was finished. It didn't make any sense. Just moments ago, they thought they were winning, that they were finally pushing the demons back and securing a future free from fear. Now, everything was gone. The Corps, Oyakata-sama, all of it wiped out in the blink of an eye. The thought was so terrifying it stole the air from their lungs, leaving them gasping in a world that had suddenly turned to ash.
"Mitsuri, run!" Shinobu screamed, her usual calm shattered by raw panic.
Their eyes met for a fraction of a second, a silent, desperate agreement passing between them. Staying together meant they would die together. Splitting up was their only chance, no matter how slim. Without another word, they turned and fled in opposite directions, pushing their exhausted bodies to their absolute limits, leaving the corpse of their strongest comrade behind.
As their figures disappeared into the darkness, Doma and the other Upper Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki materialized from the shadows.
"Lord Doma, shouldn't we chase them?" one of the demons asked, watching the two Hashira escape. "They're the last of the Pillars. If we let them go, they could still cause problems for us later."
Doma, the Upper Rank Two, waved a dismissive hand, his usual cheerful smile plastered on his face. "Oh, don't worry about it. Our great master, Tsukihiko-sama, only ordered us to kill the Stone Hashira. He didn't say a single word about the pretty little Insect and Love Hashira. I wouldn't want to do anything to upset him, now would I? He might get very angry, and then where would I be?"
He tapped his golden fan against his chin, his rainbow eyes gleaming with amusement. "If Tsukihiko-sama wants them dead, they'll die. It's as simple as that. And if he doesn't want them dead, well... anyone who tries to hurt them would be making a very big mistake. A fatal one, I'd imagine."
He let out a soft giggle. "Besides, our master's plans are much bigger than just this little island. He has his reasons for everything, and I'm sure he has a special plan for those two." Doma's smile widened, a chilling sight in the moonlight. "Our job was to kill Gyomei Himejima, and he's dead. Mission accomplished!"
Meanwhile, inside the twisted, shifting dimensions of the Infinity Castle, Tanjiro and his friends were facing their own private hell. Akaza, Upper Rank Three, stood watching with a detached, almost bored expression while six new demons relentlessly attacked them. These "Demon Servants," as they were called, fought with a terrifying skill that seemed both demonic and chillingly familiar.
From the very first clash of swords, the fight was a desperate struggle for survival. Akaza wasn't even fighting seriously, yet Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were being pushed back step by step. Blood dripped from a dozen different wounds on each of them, and their faces were pale with exhaustion and searing pain.
"This is insane! We can't keep up!" Zenitsu shrieked, barely dodging a whip-like strike that mimicked the Serpent Breathing Style. He was drenched in sweat and bleeding from several deep cuts. "Tanjiro, it's no use! Even with your Demon Slayer Mark and your Crimson Red Blade, you can't get close! They're too strong!"
He was right. The Demon Servants were monsters unlike any they had ever faced. They fought using the Breathing Styles of the fallen Hashira, combining the refined techniques of a master slayer with the raw, regenerative power of a demon. It was a terrifying and unbeatable combination.
Kanao and Genya fought back-to-back, struggling to fend off their own opponents, but it was hopeless. They were all considered prodigies, the future of the Corps, but against these abominations, they were nothing more than children.
Tanjiro grit his teeth, his lungs burning as he chained together forms from his Sun Breathing.
What do I do? What can I do? he thought desperately, his mind racing. They couldn't escape, and they certainly couldn't win. Fighting like this would only lead to them dying from exhaustion, one by one. He didn't want to die. Not before he fulfilled his promise. Not before he killed Muzan Kibutsuji. But the man himself was nowhere in sight, and they couldn't even defeat his subordinate, who was still just watching the fight like it was some kind of entertaining show. A wave of crushing powerlessness washed over him.
Suddenly, a new figure landed silently in the middle of the chaos. The fighting stopped instantly.
"Stop," Akaza said calmly, his voice cutting through the tense air. The six Demon Servants immediately backed away, their eyes fixed on the newcomer.
Standing before them was a young woman in a simple kimono. Her presence was overwhelming, both graceful and terrifyingly powerful. Tanjiro stared, his eyes wide with disbelief as she slowly turned to face him.
"Nezuko?" Tanjiro breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
It was her, but... not. She looked older, more mature, as if years had passed in the short time they'd been apart. The innocent girl he knew was gone, replaced by this cold, imposing figure. It felt like he was looking at a complete stranger. "Is that... really you?"
"Tanjiro, wait!" Zenitsu yelled, grabbing his friend's arm. Inosuke stood beside him, his body tense under his boar mask. "Something's wrong! I... I can't hear a human heartbeat from her! And her scent..." Zenitsu trailed off, his face pale with horror.
The realization hit them all at once like a physical blow. The Nezuko standing before them was not human. She was a demon. A complete demon.
Before anyone could react, Nezuko moved. She was a blur, faster than anything they had ever seen. In the next instant, deep gashes appeared on the shoulders of both Zenitsu and Inosuke. They cried out in pain as blood sprayed into the air, stumbling back in shock.
She stood over them, her eyes empty of all warmth, and her voice was a chilling monotone, devoid of the love he knew so well.
"You're trying to take my brother away from me. You all get in the way." She looked from her wounded friends, their blood dripping onto the floor, then back at Tanjiro. "You all deserve to die for that."
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