Kokushibo's six golden eyes watched Himejima Gyomei, a look of admiration on his face, as the sharp gusts of wind tore apart the purple haori on his body.
"Become a Demon. Someone as talented as you shouldn't die like all the other mediocre people. And you too, Serpent Hashira."
Himejima Gyomei didn't reply. He simply swung his weapon a little faster.
Kokushibo was too powerful; he had to exert every ounce of his strength. If he spoke, he would lose his breath.
Iguro Obanai, however, did respond.
"Go to hell! I'm not becoming a Demon!"
Kokushibo raised an eyebrow slightly.
"In that case, it's a pity. One of you is almost as strong as Yoriichi, even Muzan is almost at his limit. It seems I'll have to deal with you first."
Kokushibo's power was the closest to Muzan's among all the Demons.
Their relationship was less like a superior and subordinate and more like collaborators. His combat ability would be a huge asset to Muzan, potentially introducing variables into the fight between Qingshui and Muzan.
The expression in his six golden eyes grew colder. Kokushibo activated his Blood Demon Art. Kokushibo's Blade in his hand grew longer and more slender, sprouting segment after segment of branching blades, transforming into a grotesque, alien sword.
Similar sword blades also spread across his body.
Before, apart from the six eyes on his face, he looked no different from Tsugikuni Michikatsu as a human. But now, he truly looked like a Demon.
A Sword Demon!
This meant he would no longer hold anything back.
"Oh, quite lively, aren't we? Upper Rank One, how about I join in?"
A tall, muscular figure landed in the arena, drawing the Nichirin Twin Blades from his back.
Uzui Tengen had arrived as reinforcement.
Uzui Tengen, whose performance in the original timeline was rather lackluster, was quite impressive at this moment.
After acquiring a Red Blade and the Transparent World, he was now capable of defeating lower-ranked Upper Rank Demons on his own.
After spending some effort killing Daki and Gyutaro, who had been promoted to Upper Rank Six, he rushed to assist other Demon Slayers, easily killing the newly promoted Lower Rank Five, Yahaba. Now, he came to help Himejima Gyomei and Iguro Obanai fight Upper Rank One.
All three possessed a Red Blade and the Transparent World. Although they didn't have a Demon Slayer Mark yet, the Fluorescent Lamp could also weaken Demons, which was a roundabout way of achieving the "Demon Slayer Trinity." Facing Upper Rank One Kokushibo, who was using his full power, they had a fighting chance.
Even if they couldn't kill him, at least holding him back wouldn't be a problem.
Beyond this battlefield, buildings crumbled one after another.
Three figures, two red and one blue, rapidly clashed and separated, leaving countless sword marks and fist imprints on the ground.
*"Boom!"*
A terrifying wave of air swept through, and a slightly shorter figure was the first to be sent flying.
"Destructive Kill: Annihilation Style!"
"Sun Breathing, Eighth Form: Solar Heat Haze!"
Rengoku Kyojuro gave his all, using the strongest techniques he currently commanded to block Akaza's punches.
Thanks to the changes brought by Sun Breathing, coupled with his near-mastery of the Score, his strength was significantly greater than at the same time in the original timeline. However, he still couldn't defeat Akaza. Even with the assistance of Tanjiro, whose strength was practically on par with a Hashira, he was inevitably at a disadvantage.
He even had one eye blinded, which was currently bleeding.
Under the immense pressure, he could feel himself constantly nearing his limit.
Tanjiro gasped for breath, struggling to rise from the ground.
Due to his age, his strength was slightly lacking, making it difficult for him to withstand direct confrontations.
But for some reason, Tanjiro felt his strength constantly increasing, his body growing hotter and hotter, as if it were burning, and his heartbeat accelerating.
Faintly, a flame-like Demon Slayer Mark quietly appeared on his forehead.
*"Boom!"*
Several massive wooden dragons fell limply to the ground, disintegrating into ash along with Zohakuten.
Shimegawa Sanemi, covered in wounds, gave a thumbs-up to Tokito Muichiro, who was kneeling on the ground, exhausted.
"I can't believe even you awakened the Transparent World before me. Good thing we finally killed that guy. I don't know how many times I've chopped off his head, but I never expected his true body to be so small and hidden."
"The battle isn't over yet, Sanemi. You go help Giyu deal with Upper Rank Five. I'll recover some stamina, then go help Kyojuro and the others."
Tokito Muichiro quickly recovered his strength, speaking to Shinazugawa Sanemi.
"Tch, Giyu, huh? I'll grudgingly help him out this once! Tokito, I'll leave Kyojuro to you."
Shinazugawa Sanemi nodded at Tokito Muichiro, then strode away, rapidly heading towards a battlefield covered in spiderwebs.
Tomioka Giyuu, like Shinazugawa Sanemi, was a Hashira nearing his peak. Although he hadn't awakened the Transparent World, he had a Red Blade and Fluorescent Lamp, and his Water Breathing was exceptionally good at defense. He was able to hold off Upper Rank Five, Rui, for the time being.
This guy, who was almost instantly killed by Tomioka Giyuu in the original timeline, had undergone rapid enhancement after the Twelve Kizuki suffered heavy losses. Due to Muzan's favoritism, he received a large amount of Muzan's blood, transforming from the former Lower Rank Five to Upper Rank Five, greatly increasing his power.
However, with Tomioka Giyuu gaining the powerful reinforcement of Shinazugawa Sanemi, if no other external forces intervene, Rui's fate is essentially sealed.
Ending even sooner than Rui was Nakime, the new Upper Rank Six.
After being controlled by Yushiro and Tamayo's dual hallucinogenic abilities, and leading everyone out of the Infinity Castle, Kanroji Mitsuri decisively beheaded her.
After that, Kanroji Mitsuri became a firefighter, assisting the other Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen in killing the remaining Lower Rank Three and some more powerful, difficult-to-deal-with Alien Demons from the Lower Rank Demons.
Now she was rushing to help Tanjiro and Rengoku Kyojuro, who were not in a good situation.
During the intense battle, ever since the Demon Slayer Mark appeared on Tanjiro's forehead, all the Hashira felt their bodies involuntarily heat up, their heartbeats accelerate, and their strength rapidly and steadily increase as they pushed their Breathing Styles to the limit.
This included Qingshui, who was currently fighting Muzan.
"This state is…"
Qingshui used a massive plasma sword strike to force Muzan back, then began to carefully sense his own condition.
To activate the Demon Slayer Mark, one needed to raise their body temperature to 39 degrees Celsius and their heart rate to 200 beats per minute.
However, the reality wasn't quite that simple.
My grandmother is in the hospital; I need to visit her tomorrow. My uncle said it's uncertain if she'll pull through. I'll bring my laptop tomorrow and try to write when I have a moment, but I can't guarantee a stable update. Just giving a heads-up.
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