~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
<><><><><><><><>
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
With his Mark fully manifested, Giyu's speed and power had multiplied exponentially. Attacks cascaded like ocean waves—relentless, overwhelming, each strike building on the momentum of the last.
Akaza's arms were severed repeatedly—but regenerated just as fast. Meanwhile, the shockwaves from Akaza's counter-attacks had opened a gash across Giyu's forehead, blood streaming down his face.
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"
Kyojuro's massive flaming tiger materialized—a colossal slash aimed directly at Akaza's neck from behind.
Akaza's Compass Needle detected the threat instantly. While engaging Giyu, he freed one hand and deflected Kyojuro's devastating strike.
Both arms severed. Both regenerated within a heartbeat. The battle continued without pause.
Within minutes, Akaza had completely adapted to the Marked Hashira's enhanced capabilities—matching their new speed, countering their evolved techniques with surgical precision.
Tanjiro watched the three-way clash, desperately seeking an opening. But the sheer velocity overwhelmed him—he could barely track their movements, let alone intervene.
'Too fast! I can't even see them properly! Akaza adapted to Kyojuro-nii and Tomioka-san's increased speed instantly!'
He forced himself to remain calm. Panic wouldn't help. Analysis would.
'Stay focused. Think. Why does Akaza move like a magnet—always perfectly aligned? Why can he detect attacks from blind spots and behind him with such precision?'
A memory surfaced—words Akaza had spoken aboard the Mugen Train: 'Your fighting spirit has been honed through countless battles—you've nearly reached the supreme domain!'
"Fighting spirit... Kyojuro-nii and Kaido-nii fought Akaza back then. He mentioned fighting spirit. What is it exactly? I rely on scent to predict movements in battle. Does Akaza use fighting spirit the same way?"
"What is it? What am I missing?? Think faster! There has to be a way to disrupt Akaza's compass!"
'Tanjiro... can you see it?'
Tanjiro's eyes widened. His father's voice echoed through memory.
That winter—snow falling heavy on the mountain. His father, Tanjuro, had led young Tanjiro to a clearing crisscrossed with strings of bells.
Before them stood a massive bear—nine feet tall when upright. The creature had already killed six people.
Tanjuro approached calmly. "You must be starving. I pity you. But I can't let you pass. Anyone who threatens my family will meet the same fate—no matter how many come. If you ignore this warning, I'll take your life."
ROAR!
The bear bellowed, dismissing the warning entirely. This human seemed small, insignificant—easily crushed.
As the bear crossed the bell-lined threshold, Tanjuro leapt forward—axe carving through air in a single, perfect arc.
THUD.
The bear's head—thick as a man's torso—separated from its body and collapsed into the snow.
Tanjuro turned back toward Tanjiro, who'd been hiding behind a tree. "Did you see that?"
"I... I saw, Father. Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Tanjiro—don't forget what you witnessed today."
Later, Tanjiro understood. His father had demonstrated the Transparent World—a realm where perception transcended normal human limits.
His father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather—they'd all possessed this ability.
And now, for just an instant, Tanjiro glimpsed that world himself.
Akaza's body became translucent before his eyes. Internal organs, heart, blood vessels, brain, skeletal structure—all crystallized into perfect clarity.
His awareness of combat mechanics sharpened dramatically. Muscle movements telegraphed intent. Opponent attacks became predictable sequences rather than chaotic violence.
━━━━━━━━
Kyojuro and Giyu's battle against Akaza intensified—but as time wore on, exhaustion began taking its toll. The Demon Slayer Marks accelerated their energy consumption exponentially.
They were flesh and blood. Injuries accumulated. Pain mounted.
Akaza was a demon. No matter how much damage they inflicted, regeneration erased it instantly.
Worse—through prolonged combat, Akaza had completely decoded their fighting styles, cataloging every technique, anticipating every rhythm.
"Hah... hah..." Both Hashira struggled for breath, stamina reserves depleting rapidly.
"You've done well, Kyojuro. Giyu. I'm impressed you lasted this long. But it's over now."
"Destructive Death: Chaotic Form!"
Overwhelming force gathered in both fists. Akaza launched twin strikes—one toward each Hashira simultaneously.
Both raised their blades defensively. The Enhancement Pills had elevated their physical capabilities significantly—without that boost, this attack would have killed them outright.
Kyojuro, whose stamina had depleted fastest, couldn't maintain his guard. The impact launched him through the air, slamming him against a wall.
Giyu held his position, absorbing the blow—then immediately counter-attacked, blade aimed for Akaza's throat.
Akaza's fist shot forward. Just before Giyu's sword connected, Akaza bent his wrist ninety degrees and struck the blade's flat side with explosive force.
CRACK!
Giyu's Nichirin Blade shattered.
Akaza pressed forward without hesitation, fist aimed at Giyu's abdomen—intending to punch clean through his torso.
"GIYU!" Kyojuro's desperate shout echoed as he forced his battered body upright, sprinting to intercept—
Too far. He wouldn't make it in time.
"Farewell, Giyu Tomioka!"
The killing blow descended—
SLASH!
The expected pain never came. Instead, Akaza's arm fell away, severed at the shoulder.
Tanjiro had appeared from nowhere, rescuing Giyu at the last possible instant.
Something had changed in the boy. His presence felt fundamentally different—Akaza could see through Giyu's and Kyojuro's bodies with perfect clarity now, every cell and muscle fiber visible. But Tanjiro had become... transparent. Empty. As though he'd ceased to exist entirely.
'What the hell?? When did he get here?? Every cell in my body is screaming danger—kill him NOW!'
While Akaza processed Tanjiro's inexplicable presence, Giyu and Kyojuro attacked simultaneously from opposite flanks.
BOOM!
"Technique Development: Final Form—Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"
Akaza summoned his Compass Needle. Using himself as the epicenter, he fired hundreds of destructive projectiles in all directions—each one faster and more powerful than artillery shells.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"
"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Both Hashira deployed defensive techniques—but the assault's sheer magnitude overwhelmed their guards. Multiple projectiles punched through, drawing blood from dozens of wounds.
Yet Tanjiro evaded every single attack with impossible precision.
Akaza stared at the two fallen Hashira. "Incredible, Kyojuro. Giyu. Still alive! Barely avoided fatal injuries? Neither of you needs to die like Tanjiro did! Become demons—we could fight forever. What do you say?"
What Akaza didn't realize—Tanjiro stood directly behind him. Akaza had assumed the boy died in the barrage, dismissed him as irrelevant.
Kyojuro and Giyu spotted Tanjiro's position. Their eyes met—shock, then hope flickering between them.
Akaza hadn't detected him. Not his presence, not his breath—nothing. If Tanjiro struck now, he could end this.
But reality defied expectation.
"AKAZA! I'M TAKING YOUR HEAD!"
Akaza spun at the shout, fist lashing out reflexively. Tanjiro ducked beneath the strike with fluid ease.
'How is he alive?? He dodged everything??' Akaza's mind raced. His Compass Needle—the technique that detected all fighting spirit—registered nothing. The boy standing before him possessed no more presence than a roadside weed.
"No... impossible... this CAN'T BE REAL!"
"Hinokami Kagura: Setting Sun Transformation!"
Tanjiro flash-stepped into the air, inverting his body mid-leap. His blade—wreathed in flames like the dying sun—carved horizontally through Akaza's neck.
SLASH!
Akaza's head separated from his shoulders.
As it began to fall, Akaza stared into Tanjiro's eyes—and finally understood.
No killing intent. No fighting spirit. No hatred or rage.
Only emptiness. Clarity. The "Selfless State" Akaza had pursued his entire existence.
The supreme domain he'd sought through centuries of violence—this boy had achieved it through compassion.
"No! Not yet! The battle isn't finished! I can still fight! I can become stronger!"
In the instant before his head hit the ground, Akaza's hands shot up—catching his severed head, forcing it back onto his neck.
Giyu reacted instantly. He hurled his broken blade like a spear, impaling Akaza's skull—preventing the reconnection.
The three warriors watched Akaza's head dissolve into ash. Their bodies relaxed fractionally.
"Did we... did we win??" Tanjiro's vision blurred. His body had reached absolute limits—muscles spasming, consciousness fading. He nearly collapsed.
But something was wrong.
Akaza's head had vanished—yet his body remained standing, refusing to disintegrate.
"I can't end here! I haven't lost! I can still fight! I can become STRONGER!"
The headless body moved.
The wound where his neck had been sealed shut completely. His leg muscles tensed—the Compass Needle activated beneath his feet once more.
His hand shaped into a blade-strike aimed at Tanjiro. The boy, already at his breaking point, barely evaded before collapsing.
The headless demon kicked.
Tanjiro flew backward, smashing through a wall. Half his body embedded in stone, vision dimming to black. His eyes rolled back—unconsciousness claimed him.
The headless body charged toward Tanjiro's prone form.
Kyojuro forced himself upright using his blade as support, launching forward to intercept.
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"
This strike moved faster than before—desperation adding velocity. Both of Akaza's legs severed cleanly.
But regeneration matched the previous pace. The limbs grew back within heartbeats.
Giyu retrieved his broken blade and joined the assault. As Kyojuro dismembered the body, Giyu followed through.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
Multiple strikes carved the headless torso into segments—but the wounds healed instantly, flesh knitting back together.
A single punch and kick sent both Hashira flying again.
The body ignored them completely, continuing its march toward Tanjiro.
"Wait... I'm... still alive... If you want Tanjiro... you'll have to go through me first!" Kyojuro's voice was barely a whisper.
"You won't... touch Kamado-kun... I won't allow it!" Giyu forced his battered body upright.
'An unyielding spirit refuses to surrender—no matter the odds, no matter the pain!'
Akaza's head began regenerating—flesh coalescing from nothing.
Then a hand grasped his wrist.
A woman in a pink kimono appeared beside him, her expression gentle yet unbearably sad.
"Stop, Hakuji. Please... it's enough."
<><><><><><><><>
~# 30 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~# Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!