"Hashiras of the Demon Slayer Corps, nice to meet you~" Kamaro performed an exaggerated salute toward Shinichi, his smirk dripping with sarcasm.
Just as he seemed about to say more—
Sekido and Karaku beside him could no longer restrain themselves.
Just as Shinichi felt shame for letting these demons escape, the four split forms of Upper Moon Four—Wrath, Joy, Sorrow, and Pleasure—were equally humiliated.
Now that they met again, enemies naturally saw red at the sight of each other.
Bang!
Karaku kicked off the ground with a mighty leap, swinging his palm-leaf fan downward with full force.
His body instantly soared into the air propelled by terrifying air pressure, charging straight toward Shinichi.
Sekido gritted his teeth, brandishing his staff crackling with lightning, its tip aimed directly at Shinichi.
Witnessing this scene, Kamaro had no choice but to swallow the taunts he had prepared for the Demon Slayer Corps.
"Come!"
Facing the furious onslaught of Sekido and Karaku, Shinichi showed no fear.
With a short blade in his left hand and a long sword in his right, the verdant vitality within him surged continuously, even causing his black hair to flutter wildly.
....
Meanwhile, on the battlefield where Tanjiro and his two companions fought, the trio coordinated seamlessly.
With Tanjiro at the center, Zenitsu as the main striker and Inosuke providing support, their teamwork momentarily overwhelmed Daki, the Upper Rank Five demon.
"You damn brats! Who do you think you are? I've killed seven of your Demon Slayer Corps' Hashiras! What makes you special!?" Daki shrieked in anger, though the increasingly chaotic ribbons behind her lacked the same confidence as her voice.
'The power of the Dance of the Fire God is too aggressive—it can't clash with soft ribbons. I should use the equally fluid Water Breathing instead!' Tanjiro's mind raced.
Having endured countless fierce battles, he was no longer the ignorant boy he once was.
Every second in battle against demons was perilous, and Tanjiro's greatest strength lay in seizing every opportunity to turn the tide.
"Alright! Let's go! Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
Rippling blue light shimmered along Tanjiro's black Nichirin Blade as his body twisted nimbly, swiftly gathering the energy into a spinning vortex.
When the watery whirlpool met Daki's ribbons, it effortlessly entangled the tough yet pliant strands.
"What!?"
For once, genuine shock flashed across Daki's face as she lost control of her ribbons.
Such an obvious opening was not something Tanjiro and the others would overlook.
"Zenitsu!!" At Tanjiro's shout, an orange blur shot up from behind him.
The usually timid boy, eyes shut tight and hand gripping the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, now looked strikingly gallant under the moonlight.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—"
Zenitsu's voice was soft, but in that instant, the dazzling lightning he unleashed seemed to descend from the sky, piercing through Tanjiro's whirlpool as it streaked toward Daki's neck with blinding brilliance.
"Don't even think about it!!" Daki screeched, dodging frantically while hurling all her remaining ribbons at Zenitsu.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Under the flurry of slashes too fast for the naked eye, Daki's ribbons shattered one after another.
Yet, instead of panic, a smug smirk crept onto her face—Zenitsu's speed had finally faltered.
But Daki seemed to have forgotten something.
She wasn't just fighting two people.
"Yahaha! The great Inosuke makes his entrance! Ugly hag! Take this! Beast Breathing, Seventh Fang!"
The boar-headed warrior had somehow closed in behind Daki, his two gleaming serrated Nichirin Blades poised to strike her neck.
Now, Daki was truly panicked.
"ONII-CHANN!!"
"Fuck! Get away from me!!" Daki's desperate cry pierced clearly into Gyutaro's ears, igniting boundless fury in his heart.
Yet despite this, he couldn't assist his sister at all—the flashy man before him was clinging to him with reckless abandon, fighting as if his life meant nothing.
Tengen widened his eyes.
The chained Nichirin blades whirled around him like a storm of steel, continuously clashing against Gyutaro's crimson sickles.
Hearing Daki's scream, Tengen flashed a wild, carefree grin.
"Ugly and unrefined creature! Even your wails are unbearable to the ears! Filth like you belongs in hell! I won't tolerate your filthy tune!"
Though he had come into his role later than others, Tengen's Breathing Technique was no less formidable.
His Sound Breathing, born from his ninja experience combined with elements of Thunder Breathing, made him a force to be reckoned with among the Hashiras.
His speed, strength, and ultimate trump card—his Musical Score—ensured his place as a formidable warrior.
"I'll tear you apart!!" Gyutaro snarled through gritted teeth, his twin sickles converging as countless crimson slashes coalesced into a massive blood-red arc, aimed at forcing Tengen back.
'Daki needs help! There's no time—I have to share some of my power with her!' Gyutaro's face twisted in fury, but his decision was swift.
In an instant, a lump swelled on Daki's forehead and a golden eye slowly emerged.
"Damn it! Too late!" Gyutaro's teeth shattered as one cracked under pressure.
Because at that very moment, Inosuke's twin blades were already slicing into Daki's neck.
"Go, Inosuke!!"
"Cut through it!!" Tanjiro and Zenitsu shouted in unison.
"Hah! Like I need to be told! Break—Gah!!" Inosuke suddenly screamed, his body convulsing before he collapsed to his knees.
A razor-sharp cross spear had impaled him through the chest, its tip glistening with crimson blood as it protruded from his back.
A sorrowful-looking Demon in training robes slowly materialized.
"How unfortunate, pitiful child~" Upper Moon Four's clone—Aizetsu!
"RAAAGH!!"
A terrifying sonic wave descended from above, sending the unprepared Tengen flying while he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Yare yare, perfect timing."
Fluttering his wings, a gleeful Demon bared his fangs with a grin.
Upper Moon Four's clone—Urogi.
An ethereal emerald dragon roared as a sharp Nichirin blade cleanly bisected Sekido and his staff.
A spinning shortsword whistled like an eagle's cry, piercing Karaku's throat before a powerful kick sent his momentarily stiffened body flying backward.
"Is this all you've got?! Where are the other two damn clones?!" Shinichi, his face splattered with blood, demanded like a wrathful Asura from hell.
Watching two of Upper Moon Four's clones get decimated, Kamaro's lips twitched.
"Eh... Do I really have to fight? I'm terrible at this."
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