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"Uooooooh!"
"He did it! Tanjiro actually did it!"
"He really pulled it off—he cut off Akaza's head! Rengoku's death is finally avenged!"
"I don't know how it happened, but… thank god we won. At first, I thought…"
"Hahaha, that Tanjiro is too much of a softie! Even at the end he gave Akaza a chance!"
"Well, as long as the result's the same, who cares? Beating him fair and square feels way better than a sneak attack anyway!"
All across the countless worlds, everyone erupted in cheers at the sight of Tanjiro decapitating the Upper Rank Three demon, Akaza—washing away the shame of the Mugen Train.
But then…
The next second—
"No! Something's wrong! Akaza… even though his head's gone, he hasn't disintegrated!"
From the Konoha Twelve, Rock Lee was the first to cry out in shock.
"Wait, wait, wait—what the hell? His neck's been cut clean through, so why isn't he dead? Is he seriously cheating now?!"
Usopp, the sniper of the Straw Hats, was trembling, eyes wide with fear.
"Don't tell me Akaza's a twin demon too—or maybe there's another body somewhere?!"
Erza Scarlet, the Titania of Fairy Tail, went pale. If that were true, it was beyond terrifying.
"No… it's his sheer will to survive," Ban from the Seven Deadly Sins said grimly, "He's forcing his body not to collapse. He's evolving—heading toward a state where even decapitation can't kill him. He's trying to become truly immortal."
Under the horrified stares of countless watchers across the multiverse, the headless Akaza unleashed his Domain once more, charging Tanjiro and Giyu. Victory, which seemed certain, was about to turn over again—
And then.
A hand reached out, stopping Akaza in mid-transformation.
The hand of the girl he had loved most in his human life—the one he had sworn to protect forever.
The battle ended in a way no one could have expected.
On the verge of becoming the ultimate being, Akaza instead used his own technique to finish himself. He chose death.
Countless question marks filled the worlds.
What just happened?
A hopeless situation flipped in an instant.
"Why did he suddenly go crazy? He just… offed himself?"
"Who cares! This time we really won!"
"That's right! Akaza's body is completely disintegrating!"
"This is Tanjiro and Giyu's victory!"
"Uoooooh!"
Cheers thundered across every world once again.
But the celebration was cut short.
The light shifted.
The scene returned to the domain of Upper Rank Two—Doma.
After Shinobu's death, the next to enter Doma's chamber were none other than Kanao Tsuyuri and the boar-headed Inosuke.
It's over.
We're doomed.
That was the shared thought of countless onlookers.
This was Upper Rank Two. Stronger than Akaza. He had crushed the Insect Hashira, Shinobu, with hardly any effort.
And now, two young fighters—neither of them Hashira—were standing in front of him.
Almost nobody believed they could win.
And then… a miracle happened.
Facing the terror of Doma, Kanao and Inosuke fought with unbelievable resolve and strength.
But what turned the tide was Shinobu's final gamble: by letting herself be consumed, she had forced Doma to ingest an entire body's worth of deadly poison.
Now, as the poison erupted all at once, not even an Upper Rank could endure it.
Doma's body began rotting at a speed visible to the naked eye, his defenses crumbling.
Kanao awakened her Scarlet Eyes and drove her blade into his neck.
Inosuke hurled his weapon from a distance, striking home.
At last—
Upper Rank Two, Doma, collapsed and perished!
For a moment, silence fell across the multiverse. And then it exploded into chaos and celebration louder than ever.
"They won! They actually won!"
"Kanao-chan and the boar-head pulled off a miracle—they killed Upper Rank Two!"
"No, not just them! Don't forget Shinobu!"
"Right—Lady Shinobu sacrificed herself, luring him into consuming her!"
"Ugh… Shinobu… you were incredible…"
Back in the Demon Slayer world, at Corps headquarters—
"We won! This is my victory!" Inosuke leapt three feet in the air, shouting with joy.
"Master…" Kanao was still crying into Shinobu's arms.
"You did wonderfully, Kanao. You gave it your all." Shinobu's voice was gentle, her hand stroking her disciple's hair.
"Young ones—Zenitsu, Inosuke, Kanao—you've proven yourselves against impossible odds." Rengoku's spirit nodded with fierce pride.
"And you too, Tanjiro. I believe in you. I know you'll create even more miracles."
"Muzan Kibutsuji will be ended in this generation!"
The entire Demon Slayer Corps roared with renewed spirit.
Meanwhile—
In Infinity Castle, the demon stronghold, the air grew suffocatingly heavy.
With the defeat of Upper Ranks Four, Five, and Six—and now Two and Three—the situation was disastrous beyond precedent.
Nobody dared imagine what Muzan himself was feeling now.
"I'm deeply sorry, Lord Muzan," Doma's fading voice echoed, "I failed as well. But with Lord Kokushibo still standing, he will surely annihilate the Demon Slayers."
With those words, he unknowingly planted a curse of fate upon Kokushibo.
The clash began: Kokushibo, Upper Rank One, against the strongest of the Demon Slayers—Stone Hashira Gyomei, Wind Hashira Sanemi, Mist Hashira Muichiro, and the demon-eater Genya.
After an hour of ferocious battle—
It was over.
At the cost of Muichiro and Genya's lives, the Demon Slayer Corps succeeded in cutting down Kokushibo.
At that moment—
All the Upper Ranks were gone.
Aside from Muzan himself, the demons' army had been completely annihilated.
"..."
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