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The final battle had begun—sudden, brutal, and inescapable.
"The Demon Slayers and the demons… the real fight has started!!!"
"No warning at all—it's way too sudden!"
"This is bad! The Demon Slayer Corps got dragged into Infinity Castle—right into the demons' home turf!"
"The Hashira who had just gathered together… now they're scattered again!"
"And worse—Muzan slipped away to recover. If he heals completely…"
"Crap, there are so many demons—way more than usual! This looks like a plan to drown the Hashira in an endless tide and wear them down!"
"No matter how you look at it, the Demon Slayer Corps is at a huge disadvantage!"
Across the worlds, countless people clenched their fists in nervous dread.
The scene shifted.
The perspective turned to the Insect Hashira—Shinobu Kocho.
She slid open a wooden door. What greeted her eyes was nothing short of hell.
Upper Moon Two, Douma, sat calmly, leisurely feasting on the bodies of young women.
That sight alone set off a wave of fury. From Sanji to Jiraiya, Gintoki, and Master Roshi, gentlemen from across countless worlds erupted into outrage, their curses filling the air.
But beyond anger, voices also rose in worry.
Because compared to the other Hashira, Shinobu's strength had never been her greatest weapon. And yet here she was—facing Upper Moon Two right from the start.
And just as many feared, the fight went exactly as expected.
Against Douma's overwhelming power, Shinobu couldn't hold her ground.
Her poisons slowed him for only a breath before he shrugged them off, perfectly fine. His casual strikes, meanwhile, left her with devastating injuries—her collarbone shattered, her lungs torn, her ribs crushed.
Yet still, she did not fall.
She fought with everything she had, her spirit blazing, her life burning away in defiance.
But the difference in strength was merciless.
The battle didn't last long.
The Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho—fell in battle.
And under countless wrathful glares from those watching across worlds, Douma smiled as he absorbed her piece by piece.
Silence.
The multiverse froze.
No one had expected the knife to cut so deep, so fast. The war had just begun, and already one of the Corps' brightest—the very face of its beauty—was gone.
Not even a body remained. She was completely consumed by the very demon who had once killed her sister.
"Miss Shinobu… rest in peace… sniff…"
Lubbock, Sanji, Brock, and even plain old Akiyama from another world—tears streamed down their faces.
"DAMN IT! That ice bastard! If I ever meet him, I'll burn him to ashes!!!"
Natsu, the Fire Dragon of Fairy Tail, roared flames in fury.
"She knew from the start… she couldn't win. But this was never about winning. Some things… you just have to do."
Emilia from Re:Zero wiped away her tears, her voice trembling but resolute.
"That ice freak—I swear I'll blow him sky-high with Explosion Magic!"
Megumin from Konosuba was furious.
"She has fulfilled the duty of a Hashira. May joy find her in her next life."
Twilight, the spy from Spy x Family, closed his eyes in silent prayer.
"No! Not Shinobu too! I don't want to watch anymore… this anime is nothing but pain!"
Anya's cries broke into sobs.
"To make Miss Anya cry like that… unforgivable."
Yor's killing intent surged.
Back in the Demon Slayer world.
At headquarters, grief spread like wildfire.
"Miss Shinobu!!!"
"How could this happen?!"
Kanao clung to Shinobu's fading figure, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Don't worry… my death will not be meaningless."
Shinobu's voice was soft but unyielding.
And then—
"Ahhh! After Shinobu, now it's Zenitsu's turn!"
Murata cried out in alarm.
"Zenitsu's opponent is… Upper Moon Six—wait, no! That's Kaigaku! He became a demon?!"
The Kakushi, Gotou, shouted in shock.
"What?!"
Zenitsu, dazed and trembling, snapped back to himself at those words.
On the vision before them, he saw himself facing Kaigaku—his senior disciple, his fellow student under their master.
The cowardly, timid Zenitsu's eyes blazed red with rage.
Because Kaigaku's betrayal had forced their master—like a grandfather to them both—to commit seppuku in shame.
That wound cut deeper than any blade.
"Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable!"
Both inside the vision and outside, Zenitsu's fury shook him to the core.
But the cruel truth remained—Kaigaku had mastered five forms of Thunder Breathing, while Zenitsu had only ever grasped the first. And now, as a demon, Kaigaku's power was beyond human limits.
The duel began—and from the very start, it was one-sided.
Zenitsu was torn apart again and again, his body slashed and battered.
Everyone watching thought the same—Zenitsu would fall next, just like Shinobu.
But then, the impossible happened.
Cornered, bloodied, desperate—Zenitsu exploded.
From that hopeless place, he unleashed a move of his own creation.
Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form—Flame-Thunder God!
With a single strike, he cut down Kaigaku before the demon could even fully wield his new powers.
The Demon Slayer Corps had its first victory.
"Yesss!!!"
"Well done, loudmouth boy!"
"That Flame-Thunder strike—damn, that was badass!"
"The crybaby really came through in the end!"
Voices across the multiverse cheered for him, their recognition echoing loud and proud.
At headquarters—
"Well done, blond boy."
Kyojuro Rengoku nodded with fiery approval.
"You're a true Demon Slayer. Hold your head high."
Tengen Uzui added with a grin.
Normally, Zenitsu would've been shouting and bragging, soaking in every word of praise.
But this time…
He only stood there, blank-eyed, lost, his face heavy with despair.
"Zenitsu," Tanjiro said gently, "you've done more than enough. If you need to cry, then cry."
"Tanjiroooo!"
Finally, Zenitsu broke. He threw himself into Tanjiro's arms, sobbing, tears spilling like a flood.
"..."
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