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Burn your soul!
Push past your limits!
"I am the Flame Hashira—Rengoku Kyojuro!!!"
Breath of Flame, Ultimate Art—Ninth Form: Rengoku!!!
Rengoku unleashed the strongest strike of his life.His entire body was swallowed in a blazing inferno.The fire roared like a dragon, unstoppable, surging forward.
"Splendid, Kyojuro!"Akaza laughed wildly, meeting him head-on with Destructive Death.
Boom!A thunderous explosion split the night.Flames spiraled into a burning vortex, scattering droplets of demon blood in every direction.
Rengoku's Nichirin blade pierced straight through Akaza's torso, nearly cutting him in half diagonally.
But—He missed the neck.For an Upper Moon demon, that wasn't even close to fatal.
When the clash ended, silence fell.Rengoku's sword froze mid-air.Akaza's fist was buried through his chest.
Countless voices across worlds cried out in shock.
"How can this be?! Is the Hashira going to lose?""Even Rengoku, one of the strongest pillars, is about to die!""As expected… an Upper Moon is just too strong!""No Hashira can win in a fair fight against one of them!""The flame in the darkness is about to go out…"
Sighs of grief and regret echoed across the multiverse.
And just when everyone thought it was over—
The next instant, Rengoku proved what it meant to be a Hashira.Even with a hole punched through his body, even with death clawing at him, he clenched his teeth and drove his sword deeper into Akaza's neck, inch by inch.
He locked his arms around the demon, pinning him in place, refusing to let go.
Dawn was almost here.Even if he couldn't take Akaza's head, he only needed to hold him until sunrise.If he could do that, they would die together.
That was the last duty he could offer this world.
Yet even as he gave everything—burning his life down to the last spark—it wasn't enough.Akaza ripped himself free by tearing off his own arms, then fled into the forest.
"Don't you dare run, coward! Don't run!!!"Tanjiro screamed in fury, hurling his blade, piercing Akaza as he fled.
"The Demon Slayer Corps has always fought you in the dark, in the world that favors demons! We're human, made of flesh and blood—our wounds don't heal overnight, our limbs don't grow back! Don't you dare run, you bastard, you coward!"
"Compared to you, Rengoku was far greater, far stronger! He didn't lose! No one here died because of him! He fought to the very end, he protected us all—you're the one who lost! Rengoku won!!!"
Tanjiro's grief-stricken cry of pain, rage, and defiance echoed across worlds, shaking hearts everywhere.
"Ahhh—""Asuma-sensei!""Stay with us, Asuma-sensei!"
In the shinobi world, the same tragedy played out.During his fight with the immortal Hidan, Leaf jōnin Sarutobi Asuma fell.
...
In the world of pirates—
"What incredible resolve these young men have!"Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression grew solemn.
"Such righteousness, such courage! To uphold their beliefs and protect others, they willingly throw away their lives without hesitation. Every one of these Demon Slayers carries that conviction. If we could recruit them into the Navy, they would be the next generation of justice!"
His words grew more passionate with every sentence.
"Calm down, Sengoku," Vice Admiral Tsuru interjected."Even if you want to recruit them, we don't even know where their world lies. And besides, our priority right now is the coming war with Whitebeard."
...
In the world of Konosuba—
"Rengoku Kyojuro, Flame Hashira, I—Aqua, goddess of water—acknowledge you! If your soul were to arrive here, I swear I'd grant you a brilliant new life in my name!"The so-called goddess spoke with a rare air of compassion.
"Nice speech, but you're still a useless goddess. You can't even get back to the heavens yourself. Honestly, I'd sooner bet on Eris than on you," Kazuma muttered, digging his nose with disdain.
"Whaaat?! Kazuma, I'm not a useless goddess! It's your fault I'm stuck here in the first place! And that fake-boobed phony Eris isn't half as dependable as me!"Aqua shrieked, flailing.
...
In Doraemon's world—
"Doraemon! This is bad, Rengoku-san is gonna die! Don't you have a gadget to save him?!" Nobita cried in panic.
"No way! I can't do anything! Even the Anywhere Door won't reach that place… maybe that world isn't even connected to ours!" Doraemon clutched his head, despairing.
"Rengoku-san!!""He was such a good person!""Is he really going to die…?"
In countless ordinary worlds—Himouto Umaru-chan, Oregairu, Kaguya-sama, and many more—schoolgirls wept, moved to tears by the man they only knew through a screen.Even brief glimpses of Rengoku's spirit had captured their hearts.
"Farewell, Rengoku Kyojuro."In the world of Slime, Rimuru Tempest poured out a drink on the ground, sending him off.
"What an incredible hero," Genos murmured in the world of One Punch Man.
"Safe journey."In Ling Cage, Bai Yue Kui lifted her glass toward the heavens.
And so, across infinite worlds, countless voices mourned.
The Flame Hashira, Rengoku Kyojuro, passed with a smile.
"..."
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