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"Huh?"
It wasn't until Upper Rank Five Gyokko's head was severed and rolled to the ground that people across countless worlds finally registered what had just happened.
The fight had ended far too abruptly.
A moment ago, Gyokko had been proudly boasting about his new form, smug and self-satisfied.The next moment, Muichiro—the Mist Hashira—had cleanly sliced off his head, ending it all in one decisive strike.
For a while, everyone just stared in stunned silence.Only after Gyokko's body crumbled away did they truly believe it was over.
And then the cheers erupted.
"Wait… it's over? Just like that? That's it?"
"That Upper Rank Five Gyokko bragged forever, and then went down in two hits?"
"Hah! I thought he'd be terrifying since he's one of the Upper Ranks. Turns out he's trash!"
"It's not that Gyokko was weak—it's that the Mist Hashira kid is a monster! Once his mark awakened, his power skyrocketed."
"Seriously, what a genius. Taking down an Upper Rank solo? No one else has ever done that!"
"Hahaha, Gyokko just perfectly proved the old saying—villains die because they talk too much!"
"From the moment the fight started he wouldn't shut up. Like he had to remind everyone he had two mouths. What an idiot way to go!"
"Muichiro is a prodigy among prodigies. If he lives long enough to grow stronger, he might even kill Muzan himself one day!"
All across the heavens and worlds, praise for Muichiro and ridicule for Gyokko overlapped in an endless chorus.
In the Overlord world.
"As expected of Lord Ainz! Such foresight… your wisdom is beyond us. You must have seen this outcome from the very beginning!"
Demiurge looked at Ainz with shining admiration.
"Wha—?!"Ainz quickly cast calming magic on himself, struggling not to panic.(It was just a random guess earlier! I didn't actually plan this!)
In the Demon Slayer world. Infinity Castle.
"Forgive me, Lord Muzan! Please, forgive me!"
Gyokko's severed head crashed to the floor, his body trembling.
He had never imagined it would end like this.
One second he had been bragging endlessly about his new form.The next, a Demon Slayer had cut him down.
The shame was unbearable.
Muzan's cold gaze pierced him, promising to rip him to pieces.
"Your mouth runs far too much. Daki, sew it shut."
"Yes, Lord Muzan."
Barely containing her laughter, Daki waved her hand. Silk ribbons bound Gyokko's two mouths closed.
"Lord Muzan, please don't worry about me! I won't let you down! When Zohakuten manifests, the Demon Slayers' end will come!"
Upper Rank Four Hantengu stammered nervously, trying to seize the moment.
At the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
"Well done, Muichiro!"
"As expected of him!"
"Taking down an Upper Rank all by himself… incredible!"
The Hashira all looked at the boy with admiration.
"No, I—" Muichiro started to speak, but—
"Banzai!""Banzai!"
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu grabbed him, tossing him into the air in celebration.
"Alright, enough! The battle's not over yet!"
Sound Hashira Tengen intervened.
"Once Muichiro returns, the other Upper Rank will be finished too. Just hang in there a bit longer, Kamado kids!"
Rengoku's cheerful voice rang out in encouragement.
The recording screen shifted back to Tanjiro, Genya, and the fight against Upper Rank Four.
The scene picked up right at the critical moment.
Genya, who had failed to finish off the real body, was cornered. Wrath's claws reached for his throat—he was about to be killed.
But at the last instant, a blaze of fiery sword light slashed in.
Tanjiro appeared, rescuing him.
Only now Tanjiro himself was exposed to Sorrow's devastating attack.
Genya snapped out of it. Without hesitation, he threw his body in the way, taking the full brunt of the strike.
His flesh was shredded, his body full of holes, but he saved Tanjiro.
"I can't cut its neck… You do it!" Genya gasped.
At last, he stopped pretending he could do it all alone.
And in that moment—when he shielded Tanjiro with his own body, when he admitted his limits—the way countless worlds saw him shifted.
"Finally! Being a stubborn tsundere isn't cool anymore. Owning up and being honest? Much better!"
"See? That's his role—his insane regeneration makes him the perfect shield!"
"Tanjiro really is an angel. Even someone as twisted and antisocial as Genya was moved by him!"
"Talk later! Go, Tanjiro! Cut that tiny demon down!"
Encouraged by voices from every world, Tanjiro steadied his breathing. His mark flared, his blade turned red-hot.
The burning sword bit into the little Fear demon's neck.
"Yes! He can do it!"
"With this, maybe they don't even need Muichiro's help!"
"Tanjiro and the others might actually take out Upper Rank Four themselves!"
But just as hope swelled—
BOOM.
Without warning, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward.
Under the stunned gaze of all worlds, Wrath spread his arms wide, drawing in the other three.
Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure—merged into one.
A new demon was born.
His name—Zohakuten.
Doom.
A thunderous drumbeat echoed.
CRACK!
The ground split apart.
From the earth, a colossal wooden dragon erupted, sending Tanjiro and the others flying.
ROAR!
One after another, massive dragons of wood burst upward, coiling into the sky. The sight was terrifying.
"Wait, what the hell?! That demon still had something like this up his sleeve? How do you even fight a monster like that?!"
In the Gintama world, Shinpachi grabbed his head and screamed.
"I saw it—the Wrath demon absorbed the other three. That drum-carrying demon is all four combined. This must be his true form."
In the Fairy Tail world, Lucy's eyes widened.
"Of course. Without a trump card like this, how could he be an Upper Rank? Up until now, his performance looked weaker than Upper Rank Six Gyutaro's. But this… this changes everything."
In the Reborn! world, Reborn muttered calmly.
"Wood Release…? That's the First Hokage's Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
In the Naruto world, Tsunade shot to her feet.
"Unbelievable—it's Wood Release, and even summoning wooden dragons! I can't even do that myself…"
Yamato gaped in shock.
"The power to control the forest? Don't joke with me! I'm the real Forest Logia user!"
In the One Piece world, future Admiral Green Bull snarled in disbelief.
"Hmph. A filthy demon dares to copy my divine drums?"
On the moon, Enel sneered with open contempt.
"Better pray you never meet me. God's judgment will erase you in an instant."
"..."
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