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At Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters—
"What the hell is going on? Even Muichiro's awakened a Mark?!"The Sound Hashira, Uzui Tengen, stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Muichiro, congratulations. You've remembered your past… you've remembered yourself."Ubuyashiki Kagaya spoke with his usual gentle smile.
"Yes, Master."The Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro, nodded blankly, still processing.
"What's with this Mark thing anyway? It looks super powerful. I want one too!"Inosuke, ever direct, voiced what everyone else was secretly thinking.
"The Mark grants overwhelming strength," Kagaya explained. "But as for how it manifests—no one knows anymore. What we do know is this: the Mark spreads. When one person awakens it, those around them can resonate and awaken theirs too."
"So… if the first Mark appeared on Tanjiro, does that mean if we just stick close to him, ours might activate too?"Zenitsu's eyes lit up with sudden realization.
"Ohhh, I get it now!"Without hesitation, Inosuke pounced and wrapped Tanjiro in a bear hug.
"Tanjiro, you're amazing!"The Love Hashira, Kanroji Mitsuri, clapped happily.
"No surprise—this is exactly why I picked him as my successor."Uzui casually inched closer to Tanjiro.
Even Giyu, Shinobu, and the others subtly shuffled his way.
But Kagaya's expression grew grave. "There is something else about the Mark you must know. It grants power by borrowing against life itself. Those who awaken it… never live past twenty-five."
Silence fell over the courtyard.For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then, life carried on as if nothing had changed—except for Zenitsu, who visibly faltered.
The rest of the Hashira didn't so much as blink.
"Why worry about the future? What matters is right now. If the Mark gives me the strength to slay demons, so what if I don't live past twenty-five? Tanjiro, spread it to me all you want!"Rengoku declared with his usual fiery grin.
"The big bug-eye's right! If you refuse that power just because of some side effect, you'll only die faster when you face a demon!"Inosuke pressed his face even harder against Tanjiro's shoulder.
"I think… it's best if you don't try for it, Master Himejima. You're already past twenty-five."Iguro Obanai muttered seriously.
"Amida Buddha… if it means cutting down the source of demons, even a brief life is enough."The Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei, pressed his hands together, unshaken.
And while the Hashira debated—
The vision in the light screen shifted.
The second round between the newly Marked Mist Hashira, Tokito Muichiro, and Upper Moon Five, Gyokko… had begun.
BOOM! A monstrous octopus tentacle burst from Gyokko's pot, tearing through a cabin and coiling around Muichiro.
SLASH, SLASH!A flash of steel cut through the air.
The tentacle fell, severed cleanly.In Muichiro's hands was no longer the chipped, broken blade—but a brand-new nichirin sword, lovingly forged by Haganezuka.
Breath of Mist – Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze!
Fog swirled in all directions as Muichiro's marked blade blurred into a storm of strikes, each swing faster than the last, all driving toward Gyokko's neck.
"Tch. Fast slashes, but you'll never keep up with my pot's speed!"Gyokko sneered, smug as ever.
But the smile froze on his lips the very next second.
SPLURT! Blood spurted from his neck.
He thought he had dodged—but Muichiro's blade had nearly severed his head clean through.
"Don't underestimate me, brat!"Gyokko roared, unleashing a storm of furious attacks.
Muichiro didn't flinch.The Marked Mist Hashira simply moved with calm precision, sidestepping and deflecting without expression, answering Gyokko's jeers with flat, cutting words.
At first, Gyokko forced himself to stay composed.But when Muichiro pointed out that his pots were ugly, lopsided, and just plain badly made—that insult cut deeper than any blade.
Gyokko, who prided himself as an "artist," completely lost it.
His Blood Demon Art exploded forth: a tidal wave of ten thousand fish-demons surged from his pot, rushing to devour Muichiro.
The Mist Hashira met it with a single strike.
Breath of Mist – Sixth Form: Lunar Dispersing Mist!
In one instant, every last fish was cut to ribbons.
"What incredible speed!"Zoro, the three-sworded pirate hunter, gasped from another world.
"Not bad for a boy who became a Hashira after only two months of holding a sword."Aizen clapped politely in the world of the Shinigami.
"That blade's wasted on demons. He should come to my supermarket to slice fish!"A fishmonger lamented.
Back in the vision, Muichiro's relentless advance forced Gyokko to reveal his true form.
No matter how much he boasted about its power, Muichiro just stared back blankly, giving half-hearted replies.
Gyokko snapped again, his body blurring as he rained down a flurry of punches.Each strike spawned live, wriggling fish.
The so-called God Hands.Anything his fists touched turned to fish.
"Whoa, what a handy power! With that, you'd never go hungry again!"Luffy, Happy, and other gluttons across the multiverse cheered with shining eyes.
"Turning everything you touch into fish… ridiculous, but terrifying. That's practically a rule-level ability," more sensible onlookers muttered, worried for Muichiro.
Gyokko's monstrous, fish-snake body twisted and darted through impossible movements, spitting boasts nonstop even mid-attack.
By contrast, Muichiro was the perfect image of an emotionless prodigy—a boy with no words, no wasted motion, no hesitation.
Breath of Mist – Seventh Form: Obscuring Clouds!
His speed surged, fluctuating wildly between bursts of stillness and blinding acceleration.To Gyokko, it was as if Muichiro vanished into a fog.He could no longer tell where the real body was.
"Why do you think you're the only one not fighting seriously?"Muichiro's voice was soft, hazy, almost unreal.
And then—A single flash of steel.A head soared into the air.
Upper Moon Five, Gyokko… was slain.
Even as his body disintegrated, both of his mouths kept babbling nonsense.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Muichiro's blade gleamed, slicing Gyokko's severed head into countless pieces.
"..."
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