In that instant of Akaza's shock, a fatal opening appeared.
In front of an opponent stronger than himself, even a momentary lapse was enough to be fatal.
The nichirin blade, glowing red-hot with crimson flames, flashed past, severing Akaza's arm, which had already been cut off multiple times, from the elbow.
Whoosh! Sizzle! The areas touched by the crimson flames instantly carbonized, and the severed arm was engulfed in and burned by the crimson flames.
"Ha!" Kyojuro Rengoku didn't stop his continuous assault. His nichirin blade twisted, tracing a crimson arc, and with flames that severely distorted the air, he slashed towards Akaza's neck.
By this time, Akaza had reacted.
But there was no time for him to ponder why a human could use power similar to a Blood Demon Art.
"My body!"
Akaza's eyes bulged, bloodshot. His limbs, which should have regenerated instantly, were unable to do so in the areas scorched by these strange flames.
He was, he was going to be hit!
Akaza's eyes were splitting with rage as he watched the crimson blade slash towards his neck.
Though his eyes could follow, his body couldn't keep up.
If his body could regenerate, he could have counterattacked directly!
Kyojuro Rengoku gripped his nichirin blade with all his might, without any hesitation.
Magic is so powerful!
Whether it was the speed, the reaction ability, or the temperature of the flames, it all exceeded imagination.
The crimson flame arc sliced across Akaza's neck.
The area it passed over instantly carbonized, and a head, eyes splitting with rage, flew up, spinning as it fell to the ground.
It rolled for a short distance like a soccer ball before coming to a stop.
"How! How… is this possible! In an instant! In an instant!"
Akaza's eyes kept constricting, but for some reason, his heart calmed down.
Was it because the opponent had defeated him head-on as a strong individual?
The belief that he absolutely could not die, which had arisen the moment his head was severed, also slowly faded in this calm.
"Hoo…" Kyojuro Rengoku exhaled deeply, looking at the demon's body, which stood headless.
The demon's body was slowly turning into ash and dissipating.
However, the speed of dissipation was much slower than that of ordinary demons, so to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, he did not return his nichirin blade to its sheath.
"As expected of an Upper Rank, truly strong." Kyojuro Rengoku slowly sheathed his nichirin blade only after the demon's body had mostly dissipated.
After speaking, he looked towards the bustling Tokyo area, leaped, and shot forth like a burning fiery meteor.
"Next is the final slaying of Kibutsuji Muzan, to end all the sins of demons in this era."
Akaza's head, which had already half-dissipated, had both eyes looking in the direction where Kyojuro Rengoku disappeared, and some long-forgotten memories appeared in his mind.
Is this… my memory from when I was human?
"Hakuji…"
"Hakuji."
"Brother Hakuji."
In the mind of the not-yet-completely-dissipated Akaza, two kind yet stern voices, as well as a gentle girl's voice, echoed.
Tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing it.
I'm crying… Why…
Memories surged forth ceaselessly.
"That's right, my name is Hakuji. Why did I forget this name! Why did I forget the person most important to me!"
Akaza's demon head turned into flying ash and dissipated.
Darkness descended, quiet, empty.
At this moment, Hakuji had reverted to his human form.
"Where is this…"
Hakuji found himself standing at a crossroads: on one side was a black abyss burning with crimson flames, and on the other was a gate leading to light, full of blooming flowers.
"Hakuji!"
"Hakuji!"
"Brother Hakuji."
On the side of light, three figures appeared, gradually becoming clear in his eyes.
They were his father, who had hanged himself so as not to burden him with stealing for his treatment, and Master Keizou, who had helped him turn over a new leaf and taught him martial arts.
And… his fiancée, Koyuki, whom he had sworn to protect forever.
Upon seeing the three, Hakuji's emotions instantly collapsed, as if he had found salvation. He knelt down, tears flowing like a breached dam.
"Father, Master, Koyuki."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I failed to protect you."
"I did wrong, I did heinous things, bringing shame upon you."
"I failed to uphold Father's dying wish for me to be a good person, used the fist art Master taught me to protect others to kill people, and I failed to keep my promise to protect Koyuki for life."
"Finally, I was turned into a demon by Kibutsuji Muzan, committing all sorts of heinous acts."
"I will go to hell, never to be reborn."
The girl in the red kimono walked up to Hakuji and cupped his face: "That wasn't Brother Hakuji's fault. Brother Hakuji tried his best. Koyuki is very happy to have received Brother Hakuji's Guardian."
Master Keizou pressed Hakuji's head, his voice stern yet comforting: "It's alright, Hakuji, thank you."
"No matter what you become, a son is a son, a disciple is a disciple. I would never abandon you, even in death."
The next moment, the surrounding darkness disappeared, replaced by a golden grassland.
"God has arrived, Hakuji."
The three souls, who had lingered here for three hundred years, waiting for Hakuji's arrival, knelt towards the direction from which the 'sun' was coming.
They had never seen God, but since yesterday, God's mercy had already arrived, letting them know who the God descending upon this world of death was.
"God?" Hakuji raised his head, looking at the 'sun' slowly descending, and much information appeared in his mind.
[destiny fantasy great god]
Before he could see the full extent of the sun, his head was pressed down by Master Keizou.
This was a wisp of Xia Wei's divine consciousness. Under the effect of his divinity, his soul had already begun to gradually transform into a divine soul. A mere thought in this reincarnation realm was like a sun.
The reincarnation realm was not large, only a long path made of light and a path leading to hell. Souls who came here could choose to stay for a few hundred years, after which they would disappear if they did not reincarnate.
But if a soul carried sin, it would be forcibly sent to hell.
Although the reincarnation realm was not large, it was a illusory place, not a physical entity, so for souls, it could be infinitely vast.
A majestic yet compassionate voice came.
[Hakuji, originally, for what you did as a demon for Kibutsuji Muzan, you were meant to go to hell and have your soul scatter.]
[However, even as a demon, you did not consume many humans and tried your best to control yourself. This is extremely rare.]
[Furthermore, before you became a demon, you stole to save your gravely ill father and endured punishment yourself. After being redeemed by Keizou, you once again embraced the Guardian belief as a man, which is extremely rare.]
[This was not your fault, but the era that made you a demon.]
[Your soul is not evil; on the contrary, it is the seed of a hero.]
[Therefore, by God's mercy, I absolve you of the sin of your soul scattering.]
[But you still need to burn away your sins in the fires of hell. This is the punishment you must endure for your actions as a demon.]
[Once your sins are cleansed, go and be reborn.]
After God's voice disappeared, the golden light vanished, and the world returned to darkness.
Hakuji's tears flowed uncontrollably. God had forgiven his most severe sin of having his soul scatter. God knew everything about him; he didn't want to do bad things, but he had to protect important people, even though he had failed in every instance.
He choked back tears and kowtowed: "Yes, God, I will definitely atone properly."
Master Keizou said: "God has forgiven your most serious sin, Hakuji."
Hakuji's father: "Hakuji, you must atone well. I hope in the next life, I can still be your father."
Koyuki: "I will wait for you, Brother Hakuji. In the next life, we must also become husband and wife."
Hakuji stood up, tears streaming down his face, looking back at his father, master, and Koyuki twice, then walked towards hell without looking back again.
"God, I beg you, in the next life, please let me meet my father, master, and Koyuki again."