"A fine blade. I am Upper Rank Three, Akaza."
As soon as Akaza finished speaking, he licked his hand, which the Flame Pillar had severed in the middle, then with a flick of his wrist, it was completely restored in less than a second. The other fist, which Uchiha Nagi had cut off, also regenerated fully in one second.
However, the Flame Pillar did not reply. He merely asked, "Why do you attack the injured? I cannot comprehend it."
"Nothing, I just dislike the weak. He was getting in the way of my conversation with you," Akaza said with a smile.
"You are a Pillar, aren't you? Your fighting spirit has been refined and is close to the pinnacle. I have a suggestion: how about you become a demon with me? If you become a demon, you won't have to worry about your body aging, and you can eternally enjoy the pleasure of growing stronger and fighting."
The Flame Pillar said, "I have nothing to say to you. Though this is our first meeting, I already strongly dislike you. I am the Flame Pillar, Kyojuro Rengoku. The Demon Slayer Corps' Flame Pillar will never join the demons."
"As long as one is human, one will age and die, and never reach the pinnacle," Akaza sincerely extended his hand to the Flame Pillar. "Become a demon, Kyojuro. That way, you can train for a hundred, two hundred years, as long as you wish."
Uchiha Nagi: "..."
Uchiha Nagi realized he seemed to have been underestimated. The opponent clearly possessed some kind of perception, sensing Kyojuro Rengoku's extremely powerful body and strength.
Uchiha Nagi had only recently learned the Breathing Technique, and his body used Chakra. Chakra was like physical strength; it could be temporarily extracted for each use, but in the opponent's perception, it was not fighting spirit.
Coupled with the fact that Uchiha Nagi's body was not particularly strong, he was directly ignored by the opponent.
However, this was not wrong. Flashy Ninjutsu was completely useless against an immortal body that could regenerate in one second.
"I refuse. Birth, aging, sickness, and death – life, though short, is precisely the beauty of human life. It is because they age and die that humans are so sacred."
"I'll say it again: our values differ greatly. Regardless of the reason, I will not become a member of the demons," Kyojuro Rengoku stated firmly.
"Is that so?" Akaza said regretfully, "What a disappointing answer. In that case, I will let you die at your strongest age."
He then stomped heavily on the ground, his palm facing forward, and a snowflake pattern of fighting spirit appeared around him.
"Destructive Kill: Compass Needle."
Then, with a loud bang, he rushed towards Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku at an incredibly fast speed, so fast that Uchiha Nagi's body simply couldn't keep up.
"Hahahaha, among all the Pillars I've killed so far, there hasn't been a Flame Pillar yet, and no one has accepted my invitation~" Akaza laughed wildly, attacking Kyojuro Rengoku with his fist technique. Even if his fist was directly cut by the opponent's nichirin blade, he didn't care at all, because he had no weaknesses anywhere on his body except his neck.
Being cut in the head or heart could be restored in one second. On the contrary, Kyojuro Rengoku was constrained; besides trying to find a way to attack the opponent's neck, he also had to constantly defend.
Because a human body, once injured, cannot heal in a second.
"Hahahaha, out of respect for the strong, I will use my full power to ensure you die without regret," Akaza laughed wildly.
"Destructive Kill: Air Type."
"Ah..." Kyojuro Rengoku groaned in pain, because the opponent's Air Type move was invisible; he just punched the air, and Kyojuro Rengoku was hit, like an air cannon.
"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation."
Uchiha Nagi did not intervene, first because he couldn't keep up with the speed, second because the Flame Pillar's original fate was different and he was still in full physical condition, and third, he discovered something surprising.
That was that the opponent's technique was not a pure Blood Demon Art; he could copy it.
That's right, the opponent's martial arts, which looked like fighting spirit, had existed in this world since ancient times, but later gradually declined because demons could not be killed. Coupled with the strongest swordsman creating Sun Breathing, it was slowly replaced by Breathing Techniques.
Now, Uchiha Nagi found that he could perfectly replicate the opponent's skills and release them with Chakra. The only drawback was that his body's toughness couldn't keep up, so the unleashed power might not be as strong as the opponent's.
[If I keep my distance, I can't cut his neck. So...]
Kyojuro Rengoku also realized that if he kept his distance from Akaza, the opponent's stamina was endless, while a human body's stamina was ultimately limited and would only grow weaker with prolonged fighting. Only close combat offered a glimmer of hope.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire."
The First Form, with the explosive momentum of flames, advanced at super speed, instantly arriving in front of Akaza and striking his body with a nichirin blade.
However, the next second, Akaza sneered and recovered in half a second. "What excellent speed! Let this excellent swordsmanship die here with you."
Tanjiro tried to struggle to his feet to help, but Uchiha Nagi stopped him.
"Tanjiro, you can't keep up with his speed. Stay here and don't interfere. I'll go help," Uchiha Nagi said.
After some analysis, Uchiha Nagi came to a conclusion about this guy: Akaza was very much like Might Guy after opening the Eight Gates Release Formation, impeccable in both long-range and close-range combat.
Uchiha Nagi had never seen Might Guy open the gates, so he didn't know how many gates Akaza was comparable to, but one thing was stronger than Might Guy: the demon's immortal body was stronger than Might Guy's, and the opponent wasn't in a state like Might Guy, where opening the gates for ten minutes would lead to a withered state for half a month. The opponent could maintain this state all night.
Their battle had extended into the forest.
In the forest, huge roars occasionally echoed, with trees and dirt splattering everywhere. Finally, the Flame Pillar, wielding his nichirin blade, was kicked out, rolling to his feet on the ground.
Kyojuro Rengoku was already panting and sweating, but he hadn't sustained any significant injuries. In contrast, Akaza, with a severed arm, walked out of the forest smiling.
The next second, with a flick of his wrist, his completely severed arm grew back, and there was no sign of fatigue on Akaza's face.
"Become a demon. Then you won't feel tired and won't have to fear injury."
"I refuse. I'll say it again, I dislike you. Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!"
Facing the Flame Pillar, who had slashed his body at super speed, Akaza's eyes held only excitement, no pain whatsoever. The next second, the wound that had just been cut perfectly healed.
"Truly excellent, what a splendid..."
Akaza hadn't finished speaking when a sudden change occurred.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu."
A Shadow Clone, which had quietly infiltrated earlier, emerged from the ground and directly dragged him into the mud with both hands. This sudden change caught Akaza somewhat off guard.