Kairo Retsu charged at Akaza with his Insect Glaive in hand—but after just a single exchange, he took seven punches and was sent flying.
Only Joseph Joestar was able to tank Akaza's blows and even counterattack.
"Crude, weak technique!!"
Akaza was particularly enraged by Kairo Retsu, even putting extra force behind his strikes to kill him outright.
"Don't joke around!! You think this is some kind of game?!!"
Originally, Akaza had assumed anyone fighting alongside Joseph would be a capable warrior… but the moment they clashed, he realized it—
This guy had almost no combat experience whatsoever!!
It was like he had only just picked up a weapon moments ago. Akaza couldn't even sense proper killing intent from him.
It felt like an insult.
Enraged, Akaza unleashed a flurry of punches that sent Kairo flying.
But—despite several blows landing on vital points, Kairo didn't suffer any major injuries. In fact, the moment his fists made contact, Akaza felt like he was striking a block of tempered steel.
The recoil from hitting Kairo was so intense, it drew blood from Akaza's own fists.
Akaza abruptly looked up—he couldn't see Kairo's expression under the Wiggler Head layered on his face, but he did see a flash of brown-yellow light ripple across Kairo's body.
And underneath that mask…
Kairo was grinning like a man whose trap had just gone off perfectly.
Just seconds earlier, during his reckless charge toward Akaza, Kairo had crushed a Demondrug+ Pill already hidden in his mouth.
[Demondrug+ Pill: Temporarily hardens the skin, rendering it as tough as steel!]
In simple terms—massively boosted defense!!
Kairo knew full well he was no match for Akaza in direct combat.
He could still brawl with demons like Doma, who relied on Blood Demon Arts—but Akaza, or even Kokushibo… their compatibility with him was utterly abysmal.
No matter how many plans he made, how well he understood Demon Slayer, even if he was now the Grand Guildmaster of the Hunter's Guild…
A few weeks ago, he was just a part-time grocery store clerk from peacetime Earth.
Going toe-to-toe with someone who had trained for decades like Akaza? That would be pure nonsense. Kokushibo could literally see through the world.
"The essence of a hunt is this! Do whatever it takes! Play to your strengths and dodge your weaknesses, Akaza!!!"
Kairo shouted as he was flung back, blood trailing through the air:
"You fell for it, Akaza! This is how I fight!!"
Only now did Akaza realize—
Kairo's charge just now had been a feint. A decoy, meant to distract and draw his attention away from Joseph.
"Hamon Overdrive!!"
Joseph Joestar unleashed his ripple energy at close range.
Faced with this natural counter to demons, Akaza could only lean back to avoid the hit.
Even so, just the edge of the Hamon grazed Akaza's chin—and melted it clean off.
Akaza tried to move again—
But the next moment, he heard the sharp whoosh of arrows tearing through the air, followed by explosions as several projectiles struck his back.
"Sniping~"
Kazuma Satou was doing anything but idle—he was darting between stealth and long-range attacks, using his bow with Paralysis Coating to strike Akaza again and again.
And because Kazuma changed positions after every shot, no matter how furious Akaza became, he couldn't break away to chase him down. He was stuck being surrounded by Joseph and the others.
In this chaotic, unrelenting battle, Akaza began to feel his mind clouding over.
The people before him… their silhouettes were starting to overlap with others—ones strange yet familiar.
A man in a karate gi with bare fists.
A frail, terminally ill man who seemed like the wind could knock him over.
And… a girl in a pink kimono with snowflake hair ornaments.
"GET AWAY!!"
Seeing these visions, Akaza was gripped by a primal fear.
He lashed out, knocking Joseph, Tanjiro, and the others out of his immediate range.
Tanjiro sensed something strange.
Why… was there a scent of fear and pain coming from Akaza during the fight?
Then he noticed the subtle fragrance in the air—Tamayo's Blood Demon Art.
This must be her doing, Tanjiro thought.
How can I support Tamayo?
His brain accelerated, and then he saw it—
Kairo Retsu, recklessly diving straight at Akaza again.
"GET LOST!!!"
Akaza's eyes locked on him as he unleashed another punch, his Destructive Death technique surging underfoot, swallowing Kairo whole.
Kairo didn't know who Akaza was seeing in his place.
But—
"I, Kairo Retsu, have my own way of fighting!!!"
With no hesitation, Kairo stepped forward once again to meet Akaza's strike.
Of the four hunters present, Kairo was the only one without innate power or battle-hardened experience.
Even Kazuma, despite being from a gag series, was still an adventurer who fought monsters regularly.
But Kairo—he came from a peaceful world. No threat, no danger.
So he did what he could: once again, he bit down on a hidden Demondrug+ Pill, raised his head—
—and headbutted Akaza's punch directly.
With his boosted defense and the enhanced physicality granted by becoming a Hunter, Kairo managed to do what Tanjiro had once done—
He took a punch to the forehead and tanked it.
Then, with the blade of his Insect Glaive, he thrust straight into Akaza's body.
The moment the weapon pierced Akaza's flesh, Kairo knew—
Tamayo's illusion was taking effect.
Akaza hadn't even reacted in time to dodge.
"Akaza… why did you seek strength in the first place?"
Kairo held strong against Akaza's strike, whispering close to his ear to guide the hallucination:
"Can you see her now? Koyuki's face?"
"When you killed those people… maybe her soul was pulling on your arm again and again, trying to make you stop."
"Or maybe… you've already forgotten her?"
Kairo continued his cruel taunts:
"Tragic, isn't it? Even if you go to Hell, I bet she'll follow you there… just to help you atone."
Kairo knew—at this point, he had no right to be picky.
Anything and everything that could be used, must be used.
He could only pray that the dead would understand his intentions.
It was all for the sake of stopping those who had already strayed from going even further.
So—
"Hakuji… can you still remember what you were like… when you were human?"
Kairo's voice, tangled in the hallucination, spoke to Akaza:
"Why did you chase after strength to begin with?"