"Annoying insect!"
Muzan lashed out with a whip in frustration.
It tore through the air like a venomous snake, catching Inosuke, who had charged in fearlessly yet again and sending him flying.
The boar hood was instantly stained with blood as Inosuke's body tumbled into the distant ruins.
But Tanjiro and Zenitsu's offensive didn't stop.
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
Tanjiro spun, his blade transforming into a rushing stream that deftly deflected another incoming whip.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash - Sixfold!" Zenitsu's figure became a zigzag of golden lightning, harassing Muzan from six different angles at once.
While it couldn't inflict serious damage, it masterfully interfered with Muzan's rhythm.
The three worked with a desperate, unspoken an understanding.
Tanjiro parried, Zenitsu distracted, and Inosuke attacked.
No one would have believed that three boys, not even Hashira, could barely hold their own against Muzan Kibutsuji himself.
But it was only barely.
The trio had long since reached their limits.
Tanjiro's jaw was clenched so hard it ached, his breathing heavy and ragged.
Zenitsu, his eyes squeezed shut, was as pale as paper, the extreme speed putting a massive strain on his body.
Inosuke, the main attacker, was gravely wounded, his unyielding will the only thing keeping him moving.
Muzan was furious
They were just weak little bugs, yet they were so slippery.
He was the Demon King, and he was being frustrated by children.
Especially the one named Tanjiro.
He wore the same hanafuda earrings as that man.
He even used a similar, sickening breathing technique.
Muzan was ashamed to even admit it, but when he felt the familiar breath of the sun from Tanjiro's blade, his body had an instinctive, primal urge to split apart and flee.
That man—Tsugikuni Yoriichi—was the only one who had ever truly, nearly killed him.
The one who had shattered him into over 1,500 pieces like a stray dog, forcing him to flee for his life.
That fear was etched into his very genes, a demon within the demon.
"No more delays!"
A murderous resolve surged in Muzan's eyes.
He would capture Tanjiro and find Nezuko's whereabouts, cost be damned.
His terrifying demonic energy flared, and even more whips and thorns burst from his body, the intensity and speed of his attacks suddenly multiplying.
The exhausted trio had no way to resist.
Inosuke had just crawled from the rubble, and Zenitsu's hand was shaking so badly he could barely hold his sword.
Facing the overwhelming storm of attacks, the air around Tanjiro seemed to solidify.
The shadow of death enveloped him.
At that critical, fatal moment!
"Muzan! Your opponent is here!"
A cold, low cry echoed out.
A figure wrapped in a turquoise light, flanked by two other attacks—one of explosive sparks and the other a cunning snake-like shadow—slammed into Muzan's side.
It was Shinichi, and following him closely were Uzui Tengen and Iguro Obanai!
"Breath of the Forest, First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
Shinichi's blade was no longer just green; it was now wreathed in a soft, brilliant white light.
"Breath of Sound, Fourth Form: Constant Resounding Slashes!" Tengen's twin blades crossed, a brilliant explosion and sonic boom crashing into Muzan's back.
"Serpent Breathing, Third Form: Coil Choke!" Obanai's twisting blade struck at an impossible angle, aimed straight for Muzan's neck.
This sudden, powerful reinforcement instantly shattered the fatal crisis.
Not even Muzan could ignore the combined assault of three Hashira.
He was forced to turn, a massive arm of flesh erupting from his back to meet and shatter Shinichi's white-lit blade.
The whips heading for Tanjiro were instantly recalled, dancing wildly to parry Tengen's and Obanai's attacks.
Though he blocked them all, for the first time, Muzan's face showed genuine, profound shock.
He stared at Shinichi in disbelief.
"This power…?!" His scarlet pupils shrank.
He felt a breath from Shinichi that threatened his very existence.
It was like Yoriichi's Sun Breathing, but at the same time, completely different.
It was a life force, closer to the origin, a power that was a natural-born predator to immortal demons like him.
"You… what have you awakened?!"
Shinichi didn't reply.
He felt the new power—the Breath of Life—coursing through him, connecting him to the vitality of all things, a seemingly endless well of strength.
He exchanged a determined glance with Tengen and Obanai.
The three of them, joined by Tanjiro and his friends who were scrambling back to their feet, launched their assault once more.
Shinichi, now wielding the Breath of Life, was a different class of warrior.
Every one of his attacks, shining with that soft white light, further inhibited Muzan's regeneration, which was already slowed by Tamayo's poison.
The six of them—three Hashira and the indomitable trio—were actually beginning to suppress the Demon King.
Scarlet blood, his blood, splashed onto the ruined earth.
But just as hope began to flare in the hearts of the slayers…
Clang!
A sudden, sharp sound of a biwa string.
The space in the center of the battlefield distorted.
Amidst everyone's bewildered, horrified gazes, two strange, yet familiar, figures appeared out of nowhere.
The face that looked so much like Muzan's caused a wave of terror to ripple through the slayers.
It was Shokyu, and beside him, the smiling Kamaro.
And in Shokyu's arms, he held a small, sleeping girl.
"NEZUKO!!!"
Tanjiro's eyes widened in utter horror, and he let out a heart-wrenching, soul-tearing roar.
At that moment, the entire, chaotic battlefield seemed to freeze.
Even the furious Muzan paused, his attack halting mid-swing.
His gaze, filled with rage and a flicker of betrayal, landed on his brother.
But that anger was instantly eclipsed as he locked onto the "key" he had dreamed of for a thousand years, the key to conquering the sun, held in Shokyu's arms.
Shokyu ignored the countless shocked and angry stares.
He looked down at the peacefully sleeping Nezuko with a cold, satisfied smile on his face.
Then, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the slayers, before finally landing on his ashen-faced brother.
"My dear brother," Shokyu's voice was gentle, yet filled with a chilling, poisonous amusement.
"It seems you're in a bit of trouble. Do you need… help?"