On a vast platform in the heart of the Infinite Castle sat a massive, grotesque flesh cocoon. Its shape pulsed and throbbed, formed by Kibutsuji Muzan through his blood demon art to protect himself while attempting to decompose both Tamayo and the human conversion drug.
One by one, figures appeared around the platform, teleported by Nakime, who was now under Yushirou's control. Among them were: Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Sanemi, Genya, Tengen Uzui, Muichiro, Kanroji, Shinobu, Giyuu, Kanao, and James.
The group gathered in tense silence.
Kanao's eyes quickly scanned Tanjiro. Seeing that he was unharmed, she let out a subtle breath of relief. Tanjiro exchanged a few words with Zenitsu, and the blonde boy broke into a rare smile.
> You worry about your brothers more than your girl, Kanao thought, biting back a grin. No wonder you're still single.
The Pillars glanced around and quickly took count.
> "Thirteen in total... and no casualties."
"Unbelievable," murmured Giyuu.
But it wasn't luck. It was James's special training, designed with almost prophetic foresight. Through that training, they had been granted the Transparent World, the Red Sword, and other boosts. At the same time, their enemies—the Upper Ranks—had suffered severe pre-existing injuries.
The Pillars were no ordinary fighters. Each had endured dozens of deadly battles. With the advantages they'd been given, they should have been victorious. And they were.
> "Muzan is in there," said Tengen, pointing at the giant cocoon. "Should we destroy it?"
He had just finished rescuing injured Corps members and eliminating lurking demons who had resisted Nakime's call.
> "No," James replied calmly. "Miss Tamayo is still inside. We'll do everything we can to ensure her survival."
His warning was deliberate. Not everyone fully trusted Tamayo. After all, she was a demon who had once consumed humans—even if her current allegiance and past actions were beyond reproach. Unlike Nezuko, Tamayo had made that choice. Some Pillars harbored quiet resentment.
> "So what now?" Sanemi grunted, frustration clear in his voice. "Just stand around and wait?"
The tension in the air was thick. No one knew when the enemy would emerge. But everyone could feel it—it was coming soon.
Inside the cocoon, Muzan had not been idle. He could sense every person outside. He tried to reach out to Nakime for an escape—only to find... no response.
He hadn't even killed anyone yet. What were the Upper Ranks doing?
> Useless, the lot of them!
Then—the cocoon began to crack.
A long slit opened down the middle. Flesh peeled away, revealing a disturbing sight: Muzan, partially entangled with Tamayo, who clung to him like a parasite.
> "Tamayo, you madwoman!" Muzan bellowed. "Let me go! I might still spare you!"
His eyes swept across the assembled Corps. Not a single person missing.
That made him nervous.
They had killed the Upper Ranks too fast. They had regrouped too quickly. Something was wrong. This wasn't like last time.
> "Miss Tamayo," James said, stepping forward with unhurried grace. His speed had been so fluid and effortless that Muzan visibly tensed.
> "You can release him now."
> "James! Wait—!" Tamayo cried.
But before she could finish, Muzan slammed a hand over her mouth.
> "Silence."
More whip-like tendrils burst from his back, wrapping tightly around Tamayo's body. She had become a liability—but now, she could serve as leverage.
> "Don't move," Muzan warned, glaring at James. "If you take one more step, I'll kill her. I haven't finished decomposing the drug. She's still valuable to me."
James's eyes narrowed, icy blue and unblinking.
> "Then make me an offer, Muzan."
He didn't posture. He didn't threaten. He wanted to know what the Demon King was willing to trade.
> "Give me the antidote," Muzan said flatly, his voice taut. "The antidote to the human transformation drug. You give me that, and I'll release Tamayo. We'll fight fair, one on one."
Tamayo writhed in protest, but Muzan ignored her.
> "If you lie to me, or try anything foolish," James replied, "I'll kill you both before you can react. We're so close, even teleportation won't save you."
Muzan hesitated. That had been his plan—to fake negotiation, kill Tamayo, and escape through Nakime.
But before he could act—
> "James," Shinobu called gently, producing a jade vial from her sleeve.
A blood-colored tendril snatched the bottle. It shattered midair. The liquid inside drifted into Muzan's body. He held still, feeling the chemical reaction inside him.
> Yes… it works. I'm stabilizing again.
With a cold smile, Muzan crushed Tamayo's body, leaving only her head intact, and hurled it from the platform.
James flashed forward, catching it just in time.
> "Enough!" Muzan roared, his voice echoing through the castle.
But… nothing happened.
There was no teleportation. No Nakime.
He tried to connect through his cells, reaching out to control her—but all he found was silence.
Far away, Murata, standing beside Yushirou, nodded grimly. Yushirou had given the signal.
With a sharp swing, Murata beheaded Nakime.
> "NOOOOOO!!!" Muzan howled in rage.
James gently set Tamayo's head down and turned to the demon king, a calm smile on his lips.
> "Let's fight fair, Muzan. One against one, or one against many—your choice."
Behind him, every Demon Slayer on the platform had drawn their blades.
> "Do you see them?" James asked softly. "The hatred in their eyes? That's for you."
Muzan stared at the furious warriors surrounding him. Each had lost someone. Family. Friends. Mentors. Students.
The grief of a thousand deaths burned behind their eyes.
> "MUZAN!!!"
> "MUZAN!!!!"
The cry shook the castle.
With blood-curdling roars, the Corps charged.
In Muzan's vision, he didn't just see warriors. He saw the spirits of the dead behind them—the countless victims of demons stretching back centuries.
In that moment, he heard voices whisper in his mind.
> "What do you think of your life, Muzan?"
"You've killed too many… now everyone wants to kill you."
> NO!
In a panic, Muzan attempted his final trump card: self-destruction.
His body began splitting—fragmenting into 1,800 separate pieces, as he had once done to escape from Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
But…
It didn't work.
The antidote Shinobu had given him only cured the transformation effect, not the suppressive drugs inhibiting his regeneration and escape ability.
James hadn't lied.
He had simply omitted the truth.
> "You underestimated us," James said coldly.
Muzan still had five brains, seven hearts. Even the red Nichirin Blades couldn't instantly kill him.
But that didn't matter.
Because then—James moved.
A deafening sonic boom cracked through the air. The wind itself split open. James's eyes glowed, the ice-blue irises rotating like lotus petals. His sword blazed with blue flame, the ground beneath his feet sublimating into ash.
> He can kill me!
Muzan's flesh surged in desperation, transforming into a hideous beast—fangs, claws, a skinned torso—a grotesque parody of a predator.
> If I die... I'll drag you all with me!!
> "Flame Style, First Form—"
BOOM!!!
The final war had begun.
Øóffer going on for diamond tier
pàtreøn (Gk31)