After killing Gyokko, Seiichi quickly ran in the direction of Swordsmith Village.
His Transparent World could vaguely sense a fierce battle taking place there, which, of course, also brought him a sense of relief, indicating that there was still activity there.
If there had been no activity, it truly might have meant everyone was killed.
At the same time, Tanjiro's situation was very difficult.
Tanjiro, Mitsuri, Muichiro, Nezuko, and Genya, who had gained demon power after absorbing Akaza's flesh and blood, were five individuals bitterly fighting Akaza.
The five of them coordinated with each other, striving not to lose any members, and attempting to find an opportunity to break through the predicament.
The most likely opportunity now was to stall until dawn.
Yes, the sky was about to brighten soon. Once the sun came out, they would inevitably flee.
Although they were very unwilling, with their current strength, they had no confidence in keeping them there. If they truly forced the issue, the greatest possibility was heavy losses with nothing gained.
Akaza punched and kicked, sending the pouncing Nezuko flying back.
Nezuko was caught by Tanjiro behind her and returned to Akaza's front, followed by Tanjiro's Hinokami Kagura.
Dazzling flames illuminated the somewhat pale night sky.
Akaza merely performed a precise dodge, avoiding the sword, then raised his right hand for a fierce impact.
However, a blue Nichirin Sword sliced off his entire arm and continued upwards along it, attempting to sever his neck.
Akaza tilted his head to the right, the blue sword grazing his cheek, leaving a drop of blood that immediately healed.
Pink sword light then coiled up from his right, attempting to constrict his neck.
"Enough!"
Akaza roared, biting down on Mitsuri's Nichirin Sword and flinging it aside.
He thrust his knee upwards, directly sending the Tanjiro in front of him flying, then swung his leg, striking the rushing Genya.
He bent his head sharply, directly colliding with Muichiro's head.
Muichiro dodged, then Akaza performed an Iron Mountain Lean, the violent impact sending Muichiro flying.
His recovered left hand pressed down on Nezuko in front of him, unleashing a direct, explosive slam.
Breathing heavily, his eyes red, Akaza assumed a stance.
"Destructive Kill—Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"
Akaza summoned his Compass Needle, and from his own center, instantly fired hundreds of projectiles in all directions.
The projectiles were extremely fast and incredibly powerful. Buildings hit by them instantly turned to dust, and everyone present's expression changed.
Tanjiro activated Sun Breathing Style, the gentle airflow entering his lungs.
"Sun Breathing—Revolving Heaven!"
A rapidly spinning white circle enveloped their entire group, but the white circle was violently impacted by the projectiles.
Even though 90% of the force had been worn down, Tanjiro still felt a tingling numbness in both hands.
"What an incredibly troublesome technique!"
Akaza cursed.
However, he was not in a hurry at this moment, even though dawn was not far off.
Because a gradually reawakening evil aura was gushing forth.
It was Zohakuten, whose body had healed.
"How utterly displeasing! How utterly displeasing!"
Zohakuten slowly approached, his stick heavily striking the drum on his back a dozen times in a row.
Over a dozen gigantic Stone Dragons burst forth from the ground, the earth already cracked beyond recognition.
Without a word, the dozen or so Stone Dragons were accumulating power. Lightning, sound waves, strong winds, and other different forces gathered in the mouths of the different Stone Dragons, awaiting their full accumulation, which would undoubtedly be a world-shattering moment.
Mitsuri and Muichiro swiftly approached the Stone Dragons. They had to deal with them before the Stone Dragons finished accumulating, otherwise Revolving Heaven would not be able to block a dozen shockwaves.
However, a figure blocked their path. It was a grinning Akaza.
Great crisis!
It was almost impossible to reach the Stone Dragons past Akaza's obstruction.
A close-combat martial artist and a ranged spellcaster, their combined efforts were truly too deadly.
Tanjiro slowly circulated Sun Breathing Style.
Sun Breathing Style was balanced and peaceful. Although it didn't fully enhance specific aspects like some Breathing Styles, Sun Breathing Style was a Breathing Style with extremely strong comprehensive performance.
Moreover, it could continuously maintain smooth airflow in the lungs, nourish lung function, improve sustained combat ability, and slowly heal injuries.
He recalled Seiichi chatting with him, Inosuke, and Zenitsu.
"What if you encounter the opponent's ranged attack?"
"Like Daki's, that should mean closing the distance and then dealing with her, right?"
Zenitsu offered his post-battle thoughts.
"Yes, when facing a ranged enemy, quickly closing the distance is the correct approach. But what if you encounter a ranged enemy that you can't close the distance on? Tanjiro, you tell me."
"Eh, me? I think we should also learn ranged attack methods."
Tanjiro awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Well said. To deal with a ranged enemy, the most important thing is to attack them. There are two types: close-range attack and long-range attack. But if you can't attack, or can't reach them, then find a way to make this ranged enemy unwilling to attack you."
Seiichi spoke slowly.
"The best way is either to leave their attack range, or to enter their attack range, but with their companion also nearby."
"Especially when this person's status is lower than their companion's."
His thoughts retracted, returning to the battlefield.
Tanjiro spoke to his companions around him.
"Everyone, in a moment, be sure to get as close as possible to Upper Moon Three. The closer, the better, provided you can ensure you won't be killed by him."
Hearing Tanjiro's words, Muichiro and Mitsuri understood his reasoning after only a moment's thought, nodding in agreement.
"Tanjiro-kun, you're so smart!"
Mitsuri praised Tanjiro's intelligence fiercely. Because, considering herself, Tanjiro was truly super smart.
After she finished speaking, Akaza in the distance didn't know what they were talking about. He just watched them chat and didn't attack.
Akaza believed that he and Hantengu basically had victory in their grasp.
Forget the unrealistic talk of two Hashira resisting two Upper Moons. Even four Hashira wouldn't be enough.
The group of five not only didn't retreat but instead charged directly at Akaza.
Akaza found this somewhat strange.
It seems they've chosen to stake it all.
In that case, none of you will be able to pass.
Akaza took a firm stance, calmly awaiting their fierce assault.
Unexpectedly, Tanjiro and the others merely surrounded him, their attacks not particularly sharp.
"Nonsensical!"
The Stone Dragons behind Zohakuten had finished accumulating power, but he frowned, watching the back-and-forth between Akaza and the others.
Akaza is too close to them.
A shockwave of this power could blow half of Swordsmith Village sky-high, and if they took this head-on, both he and Akaza could very likely die.
Zohakuten didn't care. He was just a clone, but Akaza...
He wasn't interested, but Hantengu's thought was absolutely not allowed!
Since the main body said so, feeling the Stone Dragons' gaping mouths becoming increasingly difficult to suppress, Zohakuten struck the drum once, directly launching the dozen or so shockwaves into the sky.
First, a faint glow, then a dazzling, unwatchable high flash.
A colossal roar echoed in the sky, and a vast mushroom cloud ascended.
Even the Upper Moons and Tanjiro's group on the ground could feel the violent explosion's vibration.
Far away on the other side, Seiichi stared at that direction, dumbfounded.
Did America drop an atomic bomb on Japan again?