A savage aura suddenly erupted from Moko.
The ground beneath his feet cracked apart.
His muscles swelled as violent demonic energy surged through every part of his body.
Without warning
He raised both hands.
His fingers curved into razor-sharp claws.
Slash!
The attack came with astonishing speed.
Even Akaza's battle-honed instincts were momentarily caught off guard.
The claws tore across his face.
Blood splattered through the air.
Half of Akaza's lower jaw was ripped away.
For a brief moment, silence fell over the battlefield.
At last…
Someone had finally landed a clean hit on Akaza's face.
Somewhere, if Doma had witnessed the scene, he might have applauded enthusiastically.
Akaza immediately leaped backward.
His severed jaw began regenerating.
However…
Unlike wounds inflicted by ordinary Demon Slayers, the damage caused by these strange creatures regenerated noticeably slower.
Akaza touched his partially restored face.
"Oh?"
His smile widened.
"So your strength and speed both increased."
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"What an interesting opponent."
The transformation resembled someone suddenly taking a powerful stimulant.
Unfortunately…
There was no referee to stop the match.
Nor any coach.
Nor anyone foolish enough to interfere.
Akaza remained perfectly calm.
He had already noticed his opponent's greatest weakness.
Although these bizarre creatures possessed abnormal regenerative abilities and could even interfere with a demon's healing…
Their true body remained obvious.
Destroy the core.
Everything else would disappear.
Akaza lowered his stance.
His familiar martial arts posture returned.
A confident smile spread across his face.
"Then…"
"I'll crush you completely."
Destructive Death: Leg Type – Crown Splitter.
The instant his words ended
Boom!
Akaza disappeared.
His kick shot upward like a cannon.
The strike landed squarely beneath Moko's chin.
The impact launched the insect-like demon skyward.
Akaza laughed.
"So…"
"You enjoy breaking jaws too?"
"I've always been the one breaking other people's jaws."
"I don't recall anyone ever breaking mine."
Before Moko regained his balance
Akaza continued his assault.
Destructive Death: Leg Type – Flowing Light Slash.
A relentless barrage of kicks descended.
Each strike targeted Moko's chest with terrifying precision.
If one were watching from afar…
The battle resembled an intense martial arts exhibition.
Akaza relentlessly pressured his opponent.
Kick after kick.
Punch after punch.
His movements flowed together seamlessly like an endless current.
Moko refused to retreat.
Despite being driven backward repeatedly, he desperately searched for an opening.
Finally
His chance came.
Twisting his body unexpectedly
Boom!
A brutal elbow smashed directly toward Akaza's chest.
The strike landed solidly.
Akaza was forced several meters backward.
The two opponents separated once again.
Neither looked any less eager than before.
Elsewhere…
Kyojuro Rengoku found his own opponent considerably easier to understand.
Not because the moth-winged demon was weaker than Moko.
Quite the opposite.
Their personalities simply clashed.
The winged demon, Barons, angrily brushed dust from his elegant clothing.
"You uncultured brute!"
"You've been waving that crude sword everywhere!"
"You even ruined my beautiful clothes!"
Unlike Tengen Uzui, whose flamboyance inspired others…
Barons believed only one being in existence embodied true beauty.
Himself.
Everything else was vulgar.
Everything else lacked refinement.
More importantly…
He demanded everyone acknowledge his perfection.
It was a remarkably familiar personality.
If Tengen Uzui and Gyokko had somehow met…
The result might have been surprisingly similar.
Facing him…
Kyojuro simply stood calmly with his sword raised.
Barons glared.
"I'll ask you one final time."
"Am I magnificent?"
Kyojuro answered honestly.
"I'm sorry."
"I don't find your clothing particularly impressive."
He paused thoughtfully.
"Besides…"
"If we're talking about flamboyance…"
"You're nowhere near Uzui."
"Our Sound Hashira is much more extravagant."
"Though…"
"He certainly has an unusually large family."
The next instant
Kyojuro vanished.
Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe.
He became a streak of fire.
The flaming Nichirin Blade descended directly toward Barons.
The winged demon barely avoided decapitation.
Even so…
The intense heat scorched the tips of his hair.
His expression instantly twisted with rage.
"My hair!"
"My beautiful hair!"
His wings spread wide.
Blood Demon Art: Phosphorus Dust.
With every beat of his wings, glittering scales scattered throughout the air.
The fine powder quickly filled the battlefield.
Kyojuro's expression sharpened.
Recognizing the danger immediately, he covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve while retreating.
Before he could create more distance
Barons lunged.
His elegant fingers transformed into razor-like claws.
They reached straight for Kyojuro's throat.
Without hesitation
Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation.
Using the momentum from his retreat, Kyojuro rotated his body.
His blazing blade formed a fiery vortex around him.
Clang!
The claws were deflected.
But Barons simply smiled.
With another powerful flap of his wings
Even more phosphorus dust flooded the area.
Then
Snap.
The particles ignited simultaneously.
Boom!!
A violent explosion engulfed the battlefield.
Only now did Kyojuro understand.
The phosphorus dust was not merely poisonous.
It was highly combustible.
An ability as flamboyant as fireworks themselves.
Before Barons could celebrate
Slash!
A crimson blade burst through the smoke.
His right arm flew into the air.
Barons stared in disbelief.
Emerging from the smoke…
Kyojuro stood covered in blood.
His uniform had been torn.
His haori was scorched.
Blood trickled from numerous wounds.
Yet…
His unwavering smile remained.
His eyes burned brighter than ever.
"I will not fall…"
"So long as there are people I must protect."
Fear finally appeared within Barons' eyes.
Without hesitation, he spread his wings and retreated toward Moko.
Kyojuro immediately pursued.
"Use your poison!"
Barons shouted.
"Finish this human!"
Even while retreating…
He remained far more concerned about his damaged clothing than his missing arm.
Moko sighed inwardly.
He truly had drawn the strangest partner imaginable.
Still…
There was no changing teammates now.
With one devastating kick
Boom!
He forced Akaza backward.
Immediately afterward
His regenerated scorpion tail whipped toward Barons.
The winged demon instantly understood.
Without slowing down, he flew higher.
Moko's poisonous stinger continued straight toward the charging Kyojuro.
The attack came too quickly.
Even Kyojuro had no room to evade.
At that critical instant
A figure appeared between them.
Bang!
Akaza struck the poisonous tail aside with a powerful kick.
The stinger slammed into the earth instead.
Akaza never even looked behind him.
His attention remained fixed on Moko.
His voice carried obvious annoyance.
"Our fight…"
"Isn't over yet."
"So don't lose focus."
To Akaza…
Nothing was more insulting than an opponent abandoning their duel.
Kyojuro also stopped.
Akaza's back lay completely exposed before him.
One strike…
Would certainly land.
Yet Kyojuro made no move.
Akaza had just prevented him from being struck by the poisoned tail.
Regardless of their status as enemies…
That fact remained.
If they were destined to fight to the death…
Then it would be openly.
Face-to-face.
Never through a sneak attack.
For one brief moment…
The impossible occurred.
The Flame Hashira and Upper Rank Three stood side by side.
Both faced the two bizarre demons ahead.
Kyojuro raised his Nichirin Blade.
Akaza clenched his fists.
Without speaking…
Their fighting spirit alone conveyed everything.
"Come."
Meanwhile…
Far from the Mugen Train…
The Wind Hashira, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and the Serpent Hashira, Obanai Iguro, arrived at a remote mountain village.
According to the intelligence gathered by the Demon Slayer Corps…
Several mysterious man-eating creatures had appeared nearby.
Both Hashira frowned.
This region had already been thoroughly investigated.
So why had the creatures appeared again?
Just then
Voices echoed from deeper within the forest.
They immediately rushed toward the disturbance.
Ahead…
Meng Xiyu held Yoshio aloft with one hand.
The terrified boy struggled desperately as his back was pinned against a tree.
Meng Xiyu smiled.
"So…"
"I knew something was strange."
"You little brat has been following us all this time."
Nearby…
Hera looked at Yoshio in surprise.
Only then did she realize…
While wandering aimlessly after leaving the village…
She had never noticed the child secretly following behind her.
Yoshio's face was deathly pale.
Tears streamed down his cheeks.
He stared at Hera in complete disbelief.
He had seen everything.
The humans they had killed.
The flesh.
The blood.
The truth.
"Sister Hera…"
His voice trembled.
"You…"
"You're one of them…"
"You're… a demon…"
Meng Xiyu chuckled.
"Interesting."
He looked at the trembling child with newfound curiosity.
"For someone your age…"
"You've got plenty of courage."
"Following two demons this far isn't something an ordinary child could do."
His fingers slowly tightened around Yoshio's throat.
The boy's face immediately turned red.
His breathing became labored.
Just as Meng Xiyu prepared to crush his neck
Two overwhelming presences descended upon the forest.
The surrounding trees trembled.
The air itself seemed to sharpen.
Sanemi Shinazugawa slowly stepped into the clearing, his scarred face twisted into a feral grin.
Beside him, Obanai Iguro rested one hand upon the hilt of his Nichirin Blade while Kaburamaru coiled quietly around his shoulders.
The atmosphere froze.
Neither Hashira spoke.
But everyone present understood.
The hunt…
Had begun.
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