_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Swordsmith Village battle had finally come to a close.
It was a fight full of danger and close calls, but the outcome couldn't have been better.
Nezuko not only survived—she overcame the sun itself. A miracle worth celebrating.
On the cosmic screen, the story pressed on.
After the village, the Hashira gathered together.
Under Ubuyashiki Kagaya's guidance, special Hashira training was launched.
The purpose was twofold: to sharpen newcomers like Tanjiro and Inosuke, and to help the Hashira push each other past their limits, awakening their Marks under pressure.
Everything seemed to be flourishing.
"Wonderful. I can already see it—the Demon Slayer Corps has a brilliant future ahead!"
"Right? Three Upper Moons have already fallen. The rest will follow one by one!"
"Next, the other Hashira will step up and show their strength!"
"I wonder who'll be the next Hashira to team up with Tanjiro to take down an Upper Moon?"
"Once the rest are eliminated, all the Hashira can unite and bring down Muzan himself. Our chances will be huge!"
Across the worlds, people chatted casually, plotting out the battles to come. None of them realized the blade was already swinging toward them.
One moment, the screen showed Tanjiro and the others sweating through intense training.
The next—it snapped to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.
"Within five days… Muzan will come."
The words fell weakly from Kagaya's lips, his body ravaged by illness.
Across the multiverse, spectators gasped in shock.
What?! So soon?!
"Of course… the Ubuyashiki clan bears a curse. In exchange, they're gifted with foresight. He must have seen five days into the future."
Red-Haired Shanks' expression darkened. He knew from experience—things would not go according to anyone's plans now.
"I'll act as bait. Please… cut off Muzan's head. The others wouldn't agree to use me like this, so I can only entrust it to you, Gyomei."
Kagaya's plea was heavy with finality.
"…Understood!"
Gyomei, the Stone Hashira, broke down in tears as he accepted.
The scene shifted again.
Five nights later, a man stood at Kagaya's bedside.
"So you've come… Kibutsuji Muzan!"
"What a pitiful sight, Ubuyashiki." Muzan's voice was cold, dripping with disdain.
"You finally… came here… Muzan Kibutsuji. For a thousand years, my family and the Demon Slayer Corps have hunted you…"
"You must hate us—the Ubuyashiki bloodline. You couldn't leave this to anyone else. You had to come kill me yourself."
Kagaya's words were frail, but steady.
"Disgusting. Utterly repulsive. You're already reeking of death, Ubuyashiki. I have no interest in you." Muzan sneered.
Their dialogue peeled back the centuries of hatred binding their families together.
"But remember this—my life may be unimportant, but my death will not be meaningless. It will ignite the Corps' spirit like never before!"
"Are you finished?" Muzan reached out a pale hand.
Kagaya smiled.
And then—BOOM!
The entire estate erupted in a massive explosion.
Across worlds, countless onlookers went pale with shock.
"So that was it… Kagaya's true plan as bait. Such resolve! What kind of unshakable conviction does it take to make this choice?"
In the shinobi world, Tsunade's voice trembled.
"To slay Muzan, he dragged even his wife and daughters into the trap. Only because of their presence would Muzan come in person. I can't say if it's right or wrong… but I can feel his determination."
In the seas, Garp's face shadowed with grief.
"They must have been ready… to follow husband and father into death. Such strength…"
Vice Admiral Tsuru let out a long sigh.
Other worlds were no less stunned.
"What the hell—?! The war hasn't even begun and the commander just died?! With his wife and children too?!" Lu Mingfei shouted in disbelief.
"It's starting."
Chu Zihang's voice was like steel.
As he spoke, two blazing crimson words appeared on the screen: Final Battle.
The multiverse roared in chaos.
No one had been prepared for it to begin this suddenly.
Meanwhile, at the Demon Slayer headquarters, things were quieter.
The slayers felt their master's resolve. They knew the final confrontation had come.
Calmly, they accepted it.
The war between demons and slayers—a thousand years in the making—was finally here.
Kagaya's death was not in vain.
The explosion had maimed Muzan himself, blasting the Demon King into pieces.
As he struggled to regenerate, Tamayo stepped forward.
She bound his body with her Blood Demon Art, halting his healing, and forced him to absorb her drug.
Right after her, Gyomei charged into the ruins. His muscles swelled like coiled dragons as he swung his chained axe and flail, smashing Muzan's skull.
But he was still the Demon King. Even decapitation could not kill him.
"You… what did you do to the Master?!"
"Master!!!"
The Hashira, gathering one after another, were furious beyond words.
Mist Breathing!
Insect Breathing!
Serpent Breathing!
Water Breathing!
Love Breathing!
Wind Breathing!
And Tanjiro—Hinokami Kagura: Solar Halo Dance!
Breaths clashed, the Hashira unleashing their full fury all at once.
But—
The ground vanished beneath them. Space itself twisted.
Before they could blink, they were swallowed by another dimension.
"You thought you had me cornered?!" Muzan's voice thundered. "No—it's you demon slayers who've been dragged into hell! Tonight, I'll slaughter every last one of you!"
"No, Muzan—it's you who's going to hell! We'll never let you escape! We'll bring you down!" Tanjiro roared.
"Then come and try, Kamado Tanjiro!!!"
And so, in the depths of Infinity Castle, the final battle began.
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________