Chapter 28 Listen to the Red Dragon's Roar! Starlight in the Palm!
Above the ruins of the collapsed Infinity Castle, Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, fresh from their battle with the Upper Ranks, were tending to their gruesome wounds.
"Ah—! Battle report! Battle report!"
"Muzan Kibutsuji has resurrected! The Commander is fighting him alone!"
"Muzan Kibutsuji has resurrected! The Commander is fighting him alone!"
The Kasugai Crow's sharp shriek pierced the sky, echoing through the twisted wreckage, delivering the news the Demon Slayer Corps least wanted to hear.
Sanemi Shinazugawa fiercely tore open his blood-soaked uniform, roughly bandaging his new wounds, and let out a beast-like roar.
"Damn it! Even the sun couldn't kill that monster?!"
Uzui Tengen picked up a metal ball from the ground, which once shone brightly but was now considerably dim.
He turned to the Wind Hashira, who was struggling to get up, and shook his head, advising him.
"You've lost too much blood. If you move around like that, you'll die."
Sanemi Shinazugawa's veins bulged on his forehead as he retorted sharply.
"Are you telling me to just sit here and wait?! Impossible!"
"What a disobedient fellow!"
Uzui Tengen clicked his tongue, took two steps forward, and pulled him up.
The two supported each other, stumbling deeper into the battlefield.
…
Kanroji Mitsuri gently placed Daki's lost hairpin next to the ashes of Gyutaro, whispering a final tenderness.
"If there's a next life, you must be a pair of carefree, good siblings."
Obanai Iguro carefully identified the direction and said coldly.
"Mitsuri, let's go. The Commander's situation is critical!"
"Understood!"
…
Above the scorched earth, twisted giant trees were still burning.
Kyojuro Rengoku clutched his bleeding abdomen, a pale smile on his lips, his breath shallow.
"My apologies, Tokito Muichiro, it seems my training is still far from complete."
Tokito Muichiro wiped the sticky demon blood from his Nichirin Blade, his expression as calm as ever.
"If you hadn't held him back, I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint his main body. Kyojuro, you are very strong."
A hint of relief flashed in Kyojuro Rengoku's eyes.
"Thank you. The rest is up to you all."
Tokito Muichiro nodded solemnly, his figure a blur as he sped off in the direction the Kasugai Crow had warned.
…
By the lotus pond, Kocho Shinobu sat slumped on the ground, her hollow eyes fixed on the pile of ashes that once belonged to her mortal enemy.
Her tears had dried, leaving only a deathly silence.
Gyomei Himejima walked over, clasped his hands together, and spoke in a mournful voice.
"Namu Amida Butsu, Kanae's spirit in heaven would never wish to see you like this."
Tomioka Giyu stood to the side, his lips moving, but he ultimately said nothing.
During his battle with Doma, his unintentional words had unexpectedly thrown the demon into disarray, making him furious.
This made him vaguely realize that he might—be bad at speaking!
Grief did not completely consume Kocho Shinobu; she roughly wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes, forced herself to stand, and looked at her companions.
"Let's go, Arthur is waiting for us."
…
So, was Arthur truly waiting for the Hashiras' support at this moment?
Boom—!
A violent tornado ripped through the earth, the ground as fragile as a paper toy easily torn away, revealing the two fiercely battling figures.
Arthur held his platinum longsword upside down, the smile on his lips intensifying, his fighting spirit even more fervent than before.
Muzan Kibutsuji was expressionless, several grotesque flesh and bone whips wildly flailing behind him, unleashing deadly torrents again and again.
Dragon Breathing · Sun Form · Red Dragon!
Arthur transformed into a giant crimson dragon once more, his wings beating, soaring upwards, then plummeting down with the force of a thunderbolt!
Muzan Kibutsuji's stinging whips had not yet retracted, his face still expressionless, blood vessels suddenly densely covering his crimson pupils, his counterattack arriving in an instant!
Blood Demon Art · Infinite Impact!
An invisible and immense shockwave, with him as its core, spread out violently!
The crimson dragon's dive was abruptly halted!
Within that shockwave were tearing lightning, violent hurricanes, and even a mysterious power that disturbed the mind, continuously eroding!
One wave had not settled before another rose.
Layer upon layer of shockwaves roared in, as if to crush heaven and earth into dust!
As the smoke dispersed, the flames around Arthur vibrated and then retracted, leaving him standing steadily in the center of a massive circular crater.
"Not bad, for stolen power, it's much stronger than the original?"
"Too bad you only act on instinct, have you even lost your most basic intellect?"
"A creature even more bizarre than a demon, what exactly are you?"
Muzan Kibutsuji stiffly tilted his head, his gaze vacant, clearly having no intention of communicating with Arthur.
…
Crack—!
The faint sound of crumbling stones reached Arthur's ears.
The Hashiras, dragging their battered bodies, staggered forth, their gazes fixed on Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Is that… Muzan Kibutsuji!?"
"Is all this surrounding devastation caused by him? What a terrifying monster…"
"Commander, how are your injuries? Do they need to be treated first?"
"Namu Amida Butsu, such demonic aura is horrifying."
"Don't come any closer! He's not someone you can handle, stay where you are!"
Arthur shouted sharply, his eyes never leaving Muzan Kibutsuji's movements.
The monster had only glanced at the Hashiras when they appeared, its ultimate target still Arthur.
"But, we…"
"No buts! Ubuyashiki isn't here, so I decide!"
The Hashiras' expressions were conflicted, their tightened sword hilts slowly loosening, as it was truly agonizing for them to watch their comrade fight the progenitor of demons alone.
Arthur, with his Transparent World activated, saw their expressions clearly and couldn't help but chuckle in exasperation.
"Hey! What are those expressions? Do you think I'd lose to this kind of trash?"
He scoffed, "Never mind, it doesn't look like I'll get any information out of him anyway, so let's end this!"
"Invisible Air!"
Besides using Breathing Technique to channel magical power to strengthen himself, Arthur, for the first time in a long while, used magic from the Grace of God!
Invisible currents of air furiously converged, terrifying wind pressure solidified layer by layer, and the platinum longsword in his hand gradually became invisible!
A violent tornado suddenly formed around Arthur, tearing at the already broken earth, countless shattered stones and broken wood were swept high into the sky!
Muzan Kibutsuji seemed to sense extreme danger, his legs instantly exploded, extending more, more grotesque flesh and bone whips, shooting out from all directions!
Dragon Breathing · Fusion Secret Art · Roar of the Red Dragon!
In an instant, high temperatures surged!
Arthur perfectly merged magic and Breathing Technique, with wind fueling the fire and fire amplifying the wind's power!
The already scorching crimson giant dragon's surrounding heat waves suddenly climbed to a terrifying level!
The next moment, the giant dragon raised its head and let out a dragon's roar that shook heaven and earth!
A highly condensed, blue-white scorching breath was powerfully spewed forth!
Where the breath passed, earth and stone melted, everything was charred black, and even space seemed to be scorched and twisted!
The flesh and bone whips, which were capable of tearing through the air, turned to dust the moment they touched the breath!
At the end of the torrent, Muzan Kibutsuji's figure was completely swallowed, unable to even let out a whimper before being annihilated in endless light and heat!
Crack!
In the dead silence, Arthur vaguely heard a crisp, strange sound, like shattering glass.
Before he could investigate, a rice-grain-sized starlight mark quietly appeared on his left palm, shining brightly and emitting a mysterious glow.
Arthur's heart tightened at the sight.
'What is this?'
"W-we won? Muzan Kibutsuji… is dead?"
"We won! We won! There will be no more demons in the world!"
"Ha… Hahahahaha! Commander! What a truly flamboyant victory!"
Hearing the commotion, Arthur looked at the Hashiras, who were overjoyed and relieved to be alive, and quietly clenched his left fist.
'This mark… I'll put it aside for now. This is a time to savor the fruits of victory.'