"Cough… cough—"
Rengoku Kyojuro spat out blood. Blood also streamed from his left eye, and several of his ribs had been shattered. His body had suffered severe injuries.
"Aoyama … th-thank you…"
Not far away, Akaza clicked his tongue as he looked at the heavily wounded Rengoku.
"Hang in there, Rengoku! Don't die! If you were a demon, these injuries wouldn't matter at all—you'd recover instantly."
Tanjiro and Inosuke rushed over from behind and helped support the badly injured Rengoku.
Aoyamaglanced at him and took a deep breath.
"Don't fight anymore. Leave the rest… to me."
He walked forward step by step toward Akaza.
Stopping ten steps away, he gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade tightly with both hands.
The blade pointed straight at Akaza.
The killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Akaza! No matter how strong you are, you only dare to run wild in the darkness. That makes you nothing more than a coward!"
A stream of energy flowed along the blade of his sword.
A powerful aura radiated from Aoyama 's body, his haori fluttering despite the absence of wind.
Akaza's expression darkened with fury.
Calling someone like him—a supreme being—a coward?
Unforgivable.
"Blood Demon Art—Destructive Death: Crushing Style—Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow!"
A devastating downward punch struck the ground, shattering the earth like scattered leaves.
Aoyama narrowed his eyes.
Total Concentration!
Light Breathing!
Third Form: Dance of Light.
His body lifted lightly off the ground, perfectly dodging the attack. The unique footwork of the Third Form confused Akaza's targeting.
His figure flashed repeatedly.
As he entered striking distance, Aoyama adjusted his grip and flipped in midair directly above Akaza.
Total Concentration!
Light Breathing!
Fourth Form: Radiant Flash.
Akaza looked up just as Aoyama 's blade came crashing down.
His expression changed instantly as he twisted his body to evade.
But Aoyama had already predicted this.
He adjusted his breathing technique.
Total Concentration!
Light Breathing!
Flash + Radiant Flash.
By merging the First Form and Fourth Form, he dramatically increased both speed and destructive power.
Akaza had barely escaped the previous strike when—
Less than a second later, he was already back within Aoyama 's attack range.
He could only watch as Aoyama closed in again.
"Blood Demon Art—Destructive Death: Leg Style—Crown Split!"
Akaza whipped his leg upward in a brutal kick aimed directly at Aoyama 's head.
Aoyama tilted his body sharply to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.
Without wasting even half a second, his blade swung down.
Slash—
Half of Akaza's leg was severed.
Akaza lost his balance and crashed heavily onto the ground.
This was the perfect chance.
Light Breathing!
Second Form: Light Burst.
"Ha—!"
Putting all his strength into his arms, Aoyama swung down at the fallen Akaza.
Everyone believed it would succeed.
Even Aoyama himself could see the Line of Opening connecting his blade to Akaza's neck.
But something unexpected happened.
Just as the blade neared Akaza's neck—
The line suddenly snapped.
Crack.
At the same moment, a violent explosion erupted between them.
Light Burst collided with Akaza's Blood Demon Art—
Destructive Death: Annihilation Type.
Both attacks detonated simultaneously.
The shockwave blasted both fighters away.
The scent of blood thickened instantly.
"Aoyama -senpai!!!"
Tanjiro shouted as he rushed forward uncontrollably.
Whether he could defeat an Upper Rank demon or not didn't matter anymore.
He couldn't just stand there and watch.
Akaza's body flew dozens of meters away before crashing heavily into the ground.
Aoyama was also injured.
As he was thrown backward, he quickly used Water Breathing: Second Form—Water Wheel to stabilize his landing.
He managed to land on his feet, supporting himself with his Nichirin Blade to keep from collapsing.
Seeing Tanjiro charge forward, Aoyama didn't even have time to stop him.
Adjusting his breathing again, he rushed back into battle.
Akaza's body had already regenerated completely.
He glanced toward the wounded Flame Hashira.
That injury had struck vital points.
He would probably die.
Akaza chuckled.
Demons were the rulers of this world.
Any injury could be instantly regenerated.
"Water Breathing! First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Tanjiro rushed into range and slashed toward Akaza's neck.
Akaza smirked coldly.
"Heh. Kid, even they couldn't do it. You're just here to die."
"Blood Demon Art—Destructive Death: Leg Style—Flowing Flashing Lights!"
Using his newly regenerated leg, Akaza unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast kicks toward Tanjiro.
The strikes exploded like bursts of light.
Spurt—
Tanjiro was struck instantly.
Blood burst from his mouth as his body was launched backward through the air.
His speed was nowhere near enough to match Akaza's attacks.
Aoyama caught Tanjiro as he fell.
His expression grew serious.
Battle could not be won by reckless passion alone.
"Aoyama ," Akaza said again. "I'll ask you one last time. Will you become a demon? Rengoku refused. What about you?"
"You could have an indestructible body and limitless strength."
Aoyama gently set Tanjiro down.
Then he raised his eyes to meet Akaza's.
He gave no verbal answer.
Instead—
He attacked again.
His actions were the answer.
Seeing Aoyama charge once more, Akaza clenched his fists.
It seemed killing him was the only option.
"Blood Demon Art—Destructive Death: Demon Core Eightfold!"
From all directions, eight devastating strikes converged on Aoyama simultaneously.
Aoyama remained calm.
He dodged and slashed through the incoming attacks, lips tightly pressed together.
Then he drew in a massive breath.
Total Concentration!
Light Breathing!
Seventh Form: Swift Light Phoenix Feather.
For a moment, Akaza's vision was filled with drifting white feathers.
Then—
He felt the blade of a Nichirin Sword touch his neck.
The blade cut into his skin.
But his right hand shot out instantly, grabbing Aoyama 's wrist.
"Nagasawa… Aoyama !"
"You must die!"
Akaza roared through clenched teeth as his free left hand shot toward Aoyama 's heart.
The advanced battle suit absorbed part of the impact, giving Aoyama just enough time to react.
He seized Akaza's left arm with his own hand.
"Heh… between the two of us, it's not certain who will die."
Akaza's eyes suddenly shifted away from Aoyama .
The eastern sky had begun to brighten.
Dawn was coming.
Akaza panicked.
He absolutely could not be exposed to sunlight.
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