"Miss Yuko… you're amazing!!"
In the open clearing, Tanjiro stared at Yuko in shock.
He hadn't reacted at all just now—no, even if he had reacted, he wouldn't have been able to intervene.
He couldn't see their movements at all.
Rengoku Kyōjurō also wore a grave expression. Unlike Tanjiro, who saw nothing, he could barely make out Akaza's figure.
And that was precisely the problem.
As the saying goes:
If you don't cultivate, you see me like a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon.
If you do cultivate, you see me like a mayfly staring at the sky.
Another saying puts it well: it's not scary if you know nothing, and it's not scary if you know everything.
What's scary is knowing just a little.
That was exactly Rengoku's reaction now.
The gap in strength… was simply too vast.
Before the Hashira Meeting, due to a misunderstanding, he had once joined forces with Sanemi to attack Yuko. Back then, she certainly felt strong.
But not unfathomably so—she seemed like someone he could confidently confront head-on in real combat.
Now, however, it was clear that defeating them back then would have been effortless for her.
Not just Tanjiro—he himself had been powerless just moments ago.
…
Yuko stepped forward and stopped in front of Akaza's head, looking down at him from above.
A cold voice sounded from overhead.
"Do you remember the Shindō-style dojo master you ate several decades ago?"
Akaza's pupils shrank. He remembered…
Not her words—but—
He remembered where he had seen this woman before!!
Upper Rank One—Kokushibo!
What surfaced in Akaza's mind was the image of a monster clad in dark purple-black robes, overwhelming in presence, flawless in stance, who had crushed him effortlessly with swordsmanship alone.
Lower Ranks think Upper Ranks are monsters, yet they don't realize that the gap between Upper Ranks is just as terrifying.
Akaza still vividly remembered the moment he had been effortlessly defeated by Kokushibo in the Blood Battle for Rank Advancement.
"You are still far from enough…"
Almost identical—
That same cold voice.
The sound in his ears overlapped perfectly with the memory in his mind…
Akaza looked up in shock, meeting Yuko's crimson dual pupils—utterly emotionless, gazing down at him.
His pupils trembled uncontrollably.
Almost identical—
That arrogant posture, as if looking down on an ant.
Her figure overlapped completely with the one etched in his memory.
"Forgotten?"
Yuko lowered her eyelids, sheathed her blade, and turned away without the slightest hesitation.
Do you remember how many slices of bread you've eaten in your life?
Yuko didn't actually care whether he remembered or not—she had merely asked on impulse.
Come to think of it, if that girl were still alive, she'd be in her seventies or eighties by now.
Yuko remembered promising her that she would bring her the good news of Akaza's death.
She wondered if that girl was still alive.
"Miss Yuko!"
Just as Yuko walked back, momentarily lost in thought, Tanjiro's sudden shout snapped her attention back.
"Hm?"
She looked up to see Tanjiro and Rengoku rushing toward her with drawn swords, panic on their faces.
Before they reached her, Yuko sensed something wrong behind her—a powerful gust of wind surged forward.
She instinctively turned—
And everything went black.
From Tanjiro and Rengoku's perspective, the demon that Yuko had already decapitated hadn't disintegrated. Instead, its headless body lunged forward, throwing a punch at the distracted Yuko.
At that moment, even Yuko couldn't dodge in time.
So—
Crack.
Like a watermelon shattering, Yuko's head exploded completely, crimson blood spraying everywhere.
Seeing this, Tanjiro forgot Yuko's true identity entirely. His eyes split wide, his body nearly giving out.
Fortunately, Yuko's regeneration was no weaker than an Upper Rank's. Within two breaths, her head had fully regrown.
Having not experienced having her head blown off in many years, Yuko turned back in surprise—only to see Akaza's body retrieve its head and retreat at high speed.
The stronger a demon is, the longer it can struggle after decapitation.
That was why Yuko had spoken to him earlier.
What she hadn't expected was that he had already overcome the weakness of the neck.
For a brief moment, Yuko even wondered if she'd picked up the wrong sword.
Besides Muzan, could other demons really reach this level?
She was genuinely surprised.
"So you're… a demon?!"
Akaza exclaimed in shock as he grabbed his head and retreated.
And that face…
It really was Kokushibo's face!
Though Kokushibo's demonic form bore six eyes, anyone who had seen him would understand—the resemblance was undeniable.
"Miss Yuko! Are you okay?!"
Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Tanjiro was drenched in sweat.
Yuko rolled her neck slightly.
"I'm fine."
Rengoku stared gravely at Akaza.
"Even decapitation doesn't kill him—has he overcome that weakness too…?"
Yuko interrupted calmly.
"No. He's only overcome the weakness of the neck."
If it were sunlight, Muzan would only need to consume Akaza to become a perfect immortal lifeform.
Meanwhile, Akaza, face twisted in desperation, shoved his head back onto his neck, attempting regeneration.
This had to be a joke!
How could he die here?!
He still had to grow stronger—to become the strongest… only then could he protect—
Strange, unfamiliar figures flashed through his mind.
Who?
Who was in his memories?
The flesh around his neck writhed violently. Driven by pure survival instinct, Akaza overcame the demon's vulnerability to decapitation by a Nichirin blade.
His head reconnected.
But before he could feel relief, every hair on his body stood on end.
He looked up—Yuko's blade was already right in front of him.
He dodged desperately. The pressure radiating from her grew heavier and heavier, yet her aura remained utterly still. His Compass Needle was completely useless.
There was no mistake!
This was the Supreme Realm!
A state he hadn't comprehended in hundreds of years—yet it had manifested in a woman.
Akaza roared,
"Who are you?!"
"Why did you betray Lord Muzan?!"
The answer was an impossibly fast flash of steel.
Another decapitation strike!
Anticipating Yuko's obsession with cutting off his head, Akaza relied on his combat experience and caught the Nichirin blade with both hands just before it reached his neck.
"RAAAAH!!"
The two struggled in a contest of strength, Akaza letting out a furious roar.
He could feel it—he was evolving.
Under the crushing pressure of this woman, his body was undergoing astonishing changes.
He was adapting.
He was growing stronger!
However—
"Sun Breathing…"
"Flame Breathing…"
Two figures crossed left and right within his golden vision, bringing with them two blazing streams of fire.