How could Akaza not know the other party's intentions? After all, the other party had already succeeded. Zohakuten also needed time to accumulate power. Having used such a powerful move in one go, the next one might be a while later.
But it didn't matter, because they still held a significant advantage.
Over a dozen Stone Dragons flew, and the remaining houses and trees around them could not survive, being shattered into pieces by the Stone Dragons.
They succeeded, but the situation did not improve.
Tanjiro gripped his sword tightly, occasionally rescuing Nezuko and Genya who had been struck away. Nezuko and Genya launched frontal attacks, while Tanjiro, Mitsuri, and Muichiro provided support from the sides, seeking opportunities to attack. Even without prior experience fighting together, their combined assault was now very skilled.
Living Demon Slayer Corps members never lacked combat experience.
However, this was still not enough. They had to turn the tide, otherwise they wouldn't last until dawn. Sun Breathing Style had been used for some time, and his physical condition had improved greatly, but it was still not at the point where he could use advanced techniques.
What to do?
His thoughts raced wildly. Tanjiro attacked non-stop, his mind quickly contemplating.
On the other side, Akaza kicked Genya away and retreated. Behind him, a huge shadow emerged, and over a dozen Stone Dragons were swooping down on the five individuals.
Everyone quickly dodged, scattering in different directions. Some jumped onto the backs of the Stone Dragons, while others moved and shifted within the gaps between the Stone Dragons.
Akaza looked at the situation with a smile on his face. He charged directly forward.
Separate them and deal with them one by one. First, let's deal with that mist brat.
With a few flashes, he arrived on the back of the Stone Dragon where Muichiro was. The constantly changing directions of the Stone Dragon made it sway, but both individuals stood very steadily.
Everyone naturally noticed Akaza's movements and began to converge towards Muichiro's direction, but Zohakuten, seeing this, did not give them the chance. He lightly tapped his drum, and a giant Stone Dragon directly blocked their path.
A hint of anxiety permeated everyone's hearts.
They had to deal with Upper Moon Four first. His summoned creatures were a great hindrance to everyone, and he also had powerful, large-scale attacks.
"Nezuko! Genya! Mitsuri-san!"
With just a shout, the other three already understood Tanjiro's intention.
Mitsuri led the way, her pink figure leaping back and forth on the backs of several Stone Dragons. Her ribbon-like Nichirin Sword occasionally severed parts of the Stone Dragons' bodies as she rapidly approached Zohakuten's direction.
Tanjiro switched to Thunder Breathing Style, emerging like a flash. The several Stone Dragons following him couldn't keep up, but several more charged at him from the front.
"Thunder Breathing—First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Sixfold!"
A massive amount of energy gathered in Tanjiro's feet. He bent down in a hundred-meter sprint starting position, followed by a violent surge of lightning. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and Tanjiro shot out like a purple rainbow.
The charging Stone Dragon opened its gaping maw.
First strike!
There was no deceleration. Instead, he suddenly changed direction, directly dodging the Stone Dragon's attack.
Second strike! Third strike!
The brilliant lightning seemed to form the shape of the Big Dipper in the air.
Genya and Nezuko, on the other hand, charged head-on, dodging when they could. If they couldn't dodge, even if they were knocked flying by a Stone Dragon, they quickly got up and ran forward.
Before long, everyone had closed in on Zohakuten's position.
If there were enough people, approaching Zohakuten wasn't difficult. It was what came after approaching Zohakuten. If the number of people was two or three encountering Zohakuten, there was almost no way, because one person would be tied down, and even if the other person rushed to his front, they would be directly hit by his sound wave attack.
Fortunately, they had four people!
As long as Zohakuten was severely injured to the point where he couldn't recover quickly, the Stone Dragons could be dispelled, and they could revert to the stalemate of a five-person combined attack.
"You all, aren't you thinking things too optimistically?"
A cold voice sounded from behind. It was Akaza, who was rushing towards them. Behind him, Muichiro had already been pinned to the ground by his Nichirin Sword, unmoving.
Immense grief made Tanjiro's eyes burn with fury.
"Tokito-san!"
The four were attacked from front and back, so only two could continue attacking Zohakuten, and two would turn back to defend against Akaza.
Nezuko and Mitsuri turned without hesitation and charged towards Akaza. Nezuko's attack ability was too weak, but as a demon, she didn't fear death, and with Mitsuri's flexible sword, they could pose a significant hindrance to Akaza.
On the other side, Tanjiro needed someone who wouldn't die even after taking a sound wave attack to tank it, so it could only be Genya.
Everyone acted without the slightest hesitation, as if they had practiced countless times. This was not their talent. This was an intuition honed through life-and-death situations.
Every person who had made it this far had survived countless demons and engaged in countless life-and-death battles with them.
They must succeed! They had already sacrificed too much!
Tanjiro's face, at this moment, became calm. He seemed no longer anxious about the present, nor worried about Muichiro's condition.
His expression was as tranquil as indifference. In his eyes, a red lotus slowly rotated.
Time rewound to a few days ago.
Seiichi was tapping Tanjiro, who was learning Sun Breathing Style, with a ruler. Tanjiro cried out in pain.
"Tanjiro..."
"What is it, Seiichi-san?"
"Have you ever thought about using Sun Breathing Style and Void Breathing Style together?"
"No, I haven't."
Another tap with the ruler.
"You failed to apply what you've learned, so you're punished"
After a pause, Seiichi slowly said.
"In a life-or-death situation, you can try it, but I can't guarantee the outcome myself."
His thoughts returned to the battlefield.
Tanjiro felt as if he was omnipotent now. He could clearly see every weak point on Zohakuten's body, something he had been completely unable to sense before. He also found that he seemed to have lost his emotions, viewing everything without emotional fluctuations.
A red lotus mark, like a flame, appeared on Tanjiro's forehead.
An idea struck him, and Tanjiro softly uttered.
"Crimson Lotus Breathing Style."
He looked around. Everyone's movements had become incredibly slow. Zohakuten still stood there, and Nezuko and Mitsuri were struggling under Akaza's attacks.
He lightly raised the Nichirin Sword in his hand. He could sense the emotions transmitted from the sword.
Was the sword breathing? Sadness, pain. Yes, it was about to break.
His right foot tapped, leaving an afterimage, and then he appeared almost instantly to Zohakuten's left side.
Slash! Slash again! In the blink of an eye, dozens of slashes landed on Zohakuten's body, while Zohakuten seemed to be still.
With another flash, he appeared before Akaza, performing a flat slash, aiming for the neck!
A current of electricity flashed through Akaza's stagnant thoughts. His entire body jolted, and he crouched down, dodging the strike.
Time resumed its normal flow. Everyone was astonished to find that Tanjiro was already by Mitsuri's side.
"Tan..."
Bang!
Zohakuten looked at his own body, and in a moment, it disintegrated into hundreds of pieces of flesh.
Akaza looked at Tanjiro with a solemn expression. He had almost died just now. The faint burning sensation on his neck confirmed it.