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"Now then—let the feast begin!"
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Kyojuro and Giyu launched simultaneous attacks—fire and water in perfect tandem, flames interweaving with flowing currents as their blades converged on Akaza from opposing angles.
Akaza's fists became a blur of motion, deflecting both Hashira's coordinated assault while simultaneously mounting counter-attacks. His growth was evident—countless hours spent honing his combat abilities. But the Hashira had been evolving too.
Neither side gained the upper hand. The clash was perfectly balanced—technique against technique, will against will.
Blade energy and fist force collided repeatedly, shockwaves pulverizing wooden doors and crumbling walls. The battlefield transformed into devastation incarnate.
"So you're the Water Hashira! Excellent! I haven't fought one in fifty years! Combined with the Flame Hashira—this is the best day I've had in decades! HAHAHA!"
"Destructive Death: Chaotic Form!"
His fists accelerated beyond their previous speed, each strike carrying exponentially more force. The barrage shattered their offensive completely.
Kyojuro, positioned at the vanguard, couldn't evade in time. As he raised his blade defensively—
Giyu flash-stepped between them, deploying his original technique.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Every technique Akaza launched—every punch, every burst of destructive energy—vanished the moment it entered the blade's radius. Neutralized completely, as though swallowed by an endless ocean.
"Never seen that one before. The previous Water Hashira I fought didn't have it!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
After catching his breath, Tanjiro re-entered the fray. His blade wreathed in flames, he carved twin arcs toward Akaza's exposed back.
But the Compass Needle beneath Akaza's feet had already sensed the attack. He vanished from his position, reappearing behind Tanjiro—hand shaped into a blade strike aimed directly at the boy's throat.
'Damn it! I'm going to get hit! Move—MOVE!'
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
Giyu arrived first, severing Akaza's attacking arm at the shoulder. As Kyojuro's follow-up strike descended, Akaza showed no panic whatsoever.
His arm regenerated instantly. He crossed both forearms before his chest, absorbing the impact, then leapt away to create distance.
Surveying the trio, genuine satisfaction colored his voice. "Outstanding coordination! I'm impressed! Allow me to respond with everything I have!"
"Destructive Death: Shatter Form—Ten Thousand Leaf Flashing Willow!"
He launched skyward, fists hammering downward with devastating force aimed at all fighters simultaneously.
Kyojuro grabbed Tanjiro by the collar. He and Giyu retreated in perfect sync, creating distance just as—
CRACK!
The ground where they'd stood spiderwebbed with fractures, the entire section collapsing under the assault's magnitude.
Using the split-second opening their retreat created, Akaza flash-stepped before Giyu.
"Destructive Death: Leg Form—Flowing Light Barrage!"
Lightning-fast kicks erupted like explosive bursts, catching Giyu off-guard. No time to deploy a technique—only his blade's hilt positioned defensively.
The impact's sheer force launched him through dozens of walls before he finally stopped, embedded in rubble.
"Giyu!"
"Tomioka-san!"
"Oh? So his name's Giyu." Akaza's grin widened.
"Destructive Death: Demon Core—Eight-Fold Core!"
He closed on Kyojuro and Tanjiro, fists moving in devastating eight-strike combinations targeting both warriors simultaneously.
"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun!"
Both blades deflected the scattered barrage—but the overwhelming power drove Tanjiro backward, slamming him against a wall.
Kyojuro didn't pause. His blade remained in motion, pressing the offensive against Akaza alone.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!"
Flame-wreathed steel carved through space at blinding speed, forcing Akaza into pure reactive defense. Their duel intensified into a whirlwind of fire and fist.
As the battle escalated, something changed within Kyojuro. The Enhancement Pills' residual energy surged through his system, amplifying his physical capabilities exponentially. His heartbeat thundered. Body temperature spiked.
Gradually, flame-like patterns manifested across his left cheek, spreading down his neck. The more fiercely he fought, the more those marks blazed—as though actual fire had been branded into his skin.
Akaza's eyes widened with recognition. Kyojuro's combat power had multiplied dramatically. Those marks on his face—he'd seen similar patterns on Kokushibo before.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"
An upward-arcing slash carved a bone-deep gash across Akaza's chest, forcing him backward.
Akaza stared at Kyojuro and Tanjiro, genuine admiration breaking through. "Incredible. In such a short time, you've reached this level. I'll give you credit—you're far superior to those worthless, pathetic weaklings! After all, the weak don't deserve to exist in this world!"
Those words triggered something in Tanjiro. Memories surfaced—innocent people slaughtered by demons, families torn apart, lives extinguished without mercy.
His pupils contracted. His gaze became hollow, distant. "What did you say?? Shut your mouth! Don't you dare disrespect life like that!"
"You misunderstand, Tanjiro. I'm simply stating facts. Seeing the weak makes me sick. Culling them is natural selection. Isn't that how the world works?"
"You're wrong, Akaza. Everyone starts as a helpless infant! You may not remember, but someone protected you when you were vulnerable—otherwise you wouldn't be standing here!"
"Kaido-nii once told me: the strong exist to protect the weak. And when the weak become strong, they protect those weaker still—until those too can stand on their own!"
Kyojuro, listening from the side, remembered that battle aboard the Mugen Train. Kaido—wounded, bleeding, barely standing—had done exactly what Tanjiro described. Protected others with everything he had.
"So Akaza—I won't forgive you. And I won't let you run rampant any longer!"
Tanjiro's words drove needles into Akaza's psyche. He remembered their first encounter—Tanjiro had been weak. Pathetically so.
Even now, strengthened though he was, that inexplicable discomfort persisted. Each word carved into something deep inside, like blades flaying open old wounds.
'Everyone starts as a baby. We learn from those around us, growing stronger step by step.'
'Don't compare yourself to others. The only person you need to defeat is yourself—become stronger than you were yesterday. Then help others do the same.'
Akaza felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He spun, fist raised—
Nothing. No one stood behind him.
Both Kyojuro and Tanjiro witnessed the inexplicable reaction. He'd struck at empty air, as though fighting ghosts only he could see.
"Tanjiro! You really piss me off!"
BOOM!
Giyu returned at that moment, looking considerably worse for wear.
"Now I'm genuinely angry. My back is killing me. You kicked me halfway across the Castle, Upper Rank Three."
As he spoke, patterns manifested on Giyu's face—deep blue, wave-like marks spreading across his features.
Both Hashira had awakened their Demon Slayer Marks.
In that instant, Akaza perceived something extraordinary. The warriors before him—their bodies became translucent, as though he could see directly through flesh to the mechanisms within. Their senses sharpened impossibly, movements flowing with preternatural grace.
They'd entered the threshold of the Transparent World.
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