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Demon Slayer World
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
"Huh?"
"Wha—what?!"
Gasps and shouts echoed through the room of young swordsmen and swordswomen.
"Th-that's it? Upper Rank Six just got cut down like that?"
Zenitsu's eyes bulged wide, his whole face a mask of disbelief.
"A demon's head, once it's sliced clean off by a Nichirin blade, can't regenerate. Even an Upper Rank can't survive that." Inosuke nodded firmly.
"Still, didn't think that big guy would actually pull it off!"
"But… for an Upper Rank to lose this fast, isn't that way too quick?" Shinobu frowned, brows knitting.
"Are the gaps between the Upper Ranks really that huge? Against Upper Rank Three, Akaza, even Rengoku gave everything he had and still lost. But this Upper Rank Six? Taken down by one slash from Tengen?" Mitsuri blinked, face blank with confusion.
"That was gorgeous! Such a flashy strike—so like you, Tengen!" Rengoku praised warmly.
Tengen, though, didn't bask in it. He shook his head, serious."As much as I'd love to brag, that demon girl was far too weak. There's no way someone like her could truly be an Upper Rank."
"Huhhh?"
"She's not?"
"But her eyes had the kanji for Upper Rank in them!" the trio of younger slayers cried out together.
"If Upper Rank Six were really that weak, there's no chance she'd have survived this long." Obanai's tone was calm and steady.
"No, no, no, no, no! If she wasn't the real Upper Rank, then… then our danger isn't over yet? Does this mean the actual fight's only just starting?! On the train, Rengoku was there to protect us to the end, but this time? This time who's gonna keep us alive?!" Zenitsu's panicked wails rang out again.
Infinity CastleThe Demon Stronghold
"Damn those slayers! Damn those Hashira! If not for that Hashira, I would've completed Lord Muzan's mission—those brats with the hanafuda earrings would've been mine! Ugh, so infuriating!"
Daki stomped and shouted, furious at the vision of herself being decapitated in one clean strike.
Any other demon making such noise when Muzan was in a foul mood would have lost their head instantly, never to regenerate. But because it was Daki, Muzan let it pass—he treated her like a spoiled child, tolerating her tantrums more than most.
"That's enough, Daki. Complaining won't change a thing. The only offering Lord Muzan accepts is the heads of demon slayers."
From behind her, the true Upper Rank Six, Gyutaro, emerged. Just as the light screen revealed.
"The hell?!"
"No way!"
"What's going on?!"
"That courtesan demon is still alive?!"
"But we saw her neck sliced right through! How is she not dead?!"
"What—what is happening here?!"
All across countless worlds, people who had been cheering Tengen as the true star now shouted in shock.
"Look! Behind her—something disgusting's crawling out!"
"Upper Rank Six?! There's another one?! Wait, are there two Upper Rank Sixes?!"
"Or maybe this guy's the real Upper Rank Six, which means the battle isn't anywhere close to over!"
And just as many had suspected, the truth was finally revealed.
Upper Rank Six had never been a single demon. They were a pair—a brother and sister.
The sister, Daki, was merely the outward face. The real fighter, the one carrying the true weight of the title, was her brother Gyutaro.
And worse…
It wasn't enough to sever just one neck. To kill Upper Rank Six, both siblings' heads had to be cut off—simultaneously.
"Whaaaaat?! Daki alone was already tough enough, but now the real one shows up too? And if you don't take their heads at the exact same time, they can't be killed? That's cheating! If the sister runs off and hides, doesn't that make the brother basically invincible?!"
In the One Piece world, Usopp grabbed his head with both hands, despair written all over him.
"No way, no way, no way! This is impossible! The Mugen Train tragedy is about to happen all over again! Another Hashira's going to die!" His cry echoed the fears of countless onlookers across the multiverse.
Now that everyone knew the secret of the twin demons, and the terrifying condition to kill them, who wouldn't be sweating for Tengen and the three kids at his side?
Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters
"Twin demons?!"
"Two Upper Rank Sixes?!"
"No one's ever heard of such a thing!"
The Hashira's expressions all darkened.
"Cough, cough, cough. Many of the Hashira who fell to Upper Rank Six died because of this ignorance. They thought cutting down Daki was the end… but the real danger has always been Gyutaro." Kagaya coughed violently, his voice thin but steady.
"But now, things will be different. With this truth known, we can plan around it."
"Master!" Tengen knelt, his voice like steel. "I, Uzui Tengen, will slay Upper Rank Six for you!"
The atmosphere swelled with resolve—until Zenitsu's sobbing shattered it.
"No, no, no! We're doomed! This time we're really, really gonna die!"
Tengen snapped. Without hesitation, he pinned Zenitsu over his leg and smacked him hard, over and over, until the boy's cheeks puffed red and tears flowed freely.
MeanwhileIn the Playback Screen
The Entertainment District battle.
Sound Hashira Uzui Tengen and the three fledglings vs. the twin demon siblings, Upper Rank Six.
The deadly fight had only just begun!
"..."
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