"They're already fighting?!"
Tengen Uzui exclaimed as he processed the message from the messenger crow. "Upper Rank One…"
"Wait, the battle's already started?!" Kairo Retsu sounded alarmed. "Crap, we gotta hurry! If we're late and someone dies, it's gonna be a disaster!"
"Could it be that defeating Muzan requires this much force concentrated together?" Tengen Uzui's heart sank as he spoke.
Otherwise, why would Kairo Retsu be so concerned about ensuring no one died in the process of taking down the Upper Ranks?
"This has nothing to do with that Muzan bastard!!"
Kairo shouted while sprinting at full speed. "The four of us made a pact before we came! This extermination mission is gonna be a flawless victory—no major characters dying to demons!!"
"Kokushibo doesn't pull his punches! If someone bites it, our whole big talk's going up in flames!! Aaaaaaaahhh!!!"
Kairo's anguished scream echoed through the halls of the Infinity Castle.
Tengen Uzui, hearing all this, could only stare at him in total confusion.
At that moment—Kokushibo, in the midst of battle, was reflecting on the strength of these current Demon Slayers.
He was using his Breath of the Moon, locked in combat against these formidable opponents.
After initially encountering Muichiro Tokito, Kokushibo had then crossed paths with Genya Shinazugawa. As he moved to strike down Genya, Sanemi Shinazugawa appeared. And after that… even Gyomei Himejima entered the fray.
A genius swordsman, a demon-eating hybrid, a rare-blood warrior, and a towering combatant not seen in centuries.
Delighted by this thrilling clash, Kokushibo began fighting more seriously.
He soon noticed something strange—these Demon Slayers possessed unusual regenerative abilities.
At first, Kokushibo assumed it was a unique trait of Genya's demon-like physiology, but after severing one of Muichiro's arms, he realized… these swordsmen's healing capabilities were nearly comparable to demons.
What concerned Kokushibo most, though, was the Marks that had manifested on their bodies…
"So they're marked swordsmen," Kokushibo muttered during a brief standoff, his tone a mix of interest and disappointment.
"Especially you," he said, turning to Gyomei. "Judging by your appearance, I'd say you're about twenty-seven…"
"You're already over twenty-five, so now that you bear the Mark… your life will burn out tonight." Kokushibo's voice was laced with regret. "To think a body and technique refined to such heights will vanish so easily…"
"Hmm…?"
Kokushibo suddenly twitched an ear.
With the heightened senses granted by demonhood, he had picked up on a distant scream.
Initially, Kokushibo thought it was just another Demon Slayer's dying wail.
But strangely, the scream didn't fade—it was sustained, full of energy, and rapidly drawing closer.
"…Who?"
He hadn't planned to pay it any mind, but a primal instinct flared in his gut—a threat was approaching.
Because… from the very direction of that scream, there was a trail—a trail that had existed since before the battle began—formed by those mysterious Scoutflies.
Inexplicably, Kokushibo now associated those glowing insects with the approaching danger.
"Hey!! You eyeball freak! What are you spacing out for!!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa bellowed as he charged forward. "I'M NOT LETTING YOU OFF!!"
Surrounded by formidable swordsmen, Kokushibo had no choice but to retaliate—but his focus remained fixed in the direction of the Scoutflies.
His sharpened senses stayed trained on that path, seeking to uncover the source of this inexplicable threat.
Gyomei, noticing Kokushibo's odd behavior, found it puzzling.
Just what was Kokushibo watching? Muzan? But…
To Gyomei, Kokushibo seemed genuinely on guard against something. That wariness prevented him from unleashing his full power.
Then Kokushibo sensed it—two auras rapidly closing in.
Two… people?
Kokushibo furrowed his brow.
One aura was steady and forceful, steps consistent—likely a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps…
But the other—its breathing was chaotic, footsteps irregular. It didn't sound like a trained Demon Slayer at all… more like an average, untrained civilian…
Then where was this sense of danger coming from?
Just as Kokushibo pondered this, the color of the Scoutflies abruptly changed.
From pale green, they instantly turned into an intense crimson—and Kokushibo's heart involuntarily thudded hard.
This was a threat on a completely different level… a pressure that resonated even through his Transparent World.
Reacting on instinct, Kokushibo unleashed his sword technique at full power—an enormous, sweeping attack that scattered the surrounding opponents in an instant.
He even sprouted additional blades from his own sword to expand his attack range even further.
"He's… being cautious?"
Even Muichiro Tokito sensed something was off.
"What… is coming?" Even Sanemi could now hear the hurried footfalls approaching—and fast.
"Those steps… Tengen? Why is he here?" Gyomei too had recognized the distinctive rhythm of Uzui's movement, but couldn't make sense of it.
At that moment, Tengen Uzui burst onto the battlefield.
"Upper Rank One's actually here?! Guildmaster! These Scoutflies of yours are seriously flashy!!"
"…Another swordsman from the Demon Slayer Corps," Kokushibo murmured, now certain the true threat lay with the remaining figure yet to appear. He braced himself for a full defensive engagement.
"Comm…ander?"
The three Hashira exchanged glances, puzzled.
Though the messenger crows had informed them of outside reinforcements, none of them had mentioned anyone referred to as "Guildmaster."
So now…
Every single person on the battlefield turned toward the source of the incoming footsteps.
The footsteps drew nearer—clearer—until finally…
A figure sprinted in from outside the battlefield, slammed their foot into the threshold, and proceeded to faceplant into the floor, rolling forward several times before landing with a brutal thud.
"...?"