"That's a bit unexpected."
Akaza's eyes widened as he observed Lucien holding Kyojuro's severed head, struggling to process the scene before him.
The moment Akaza recognized him, he knew this human was the one Lord Muzan had ordered all Upper Ranks to kill. A member of the Demon Slayer Corps, gone rogue.
And the head Lucien held? Flame Pillar Kyojuro Rengoku himself. Internal strife on such a scale—mutual slaughter among the strongest—was unprecedented.
Lucien casually tossed Kyojuro's head aside. His patterned amethyst pupils scanned Akaza from head to toe, radiating arrogance and utter confidence.
"I've been searching for you for three months, and I've finally found you," Akaza said, a faint grin curling his lips.
Akaza's excitement surged. For months, all Upper Ranks had scoured the world for this elusive human, only for him to vanish like smoke. And now, Muzan's order to kill the Flame Pillar coincided with his presence on the Infinity Train—a fortunate encounter.
"I am pleased to meet you as well," Lucien replied, white teeth gleaming in his confident grin.
Boom.
The ground beneath Akaza cracked violently as he launched himself forward.
"Destructive Kill: Annihilation Type."
With his Blood Demon Art activated, Akaza became a swirling storm of lethal force. The earth shattered beneath his feet as he propelled himself toward Lucien, his punch overwhelming in both speed and destructive power.
Lucien did not flinch. Fist clenched, he advanced like a dragon emerging from the sea, meeting Akaza's punch head-on. He did not even deploy Hardening.
A terrifying shockwave swept outward. Lucien's feet sank into the cracked earth, sliding slightly as his right arm snapped from the elbow under the sheer force. Blood gushed, yet his expression remained unreadable.
Akaza's Blood Demon Art enhanced every strike, imbuing it with nearly unstoppable power. Threads of multicolored energy spread from the steam around him, yet Lucien's right arm rapidly regenerated, threads knitting flesh and bone seamlessly.
"You're no ordinary human," Akaza muttered, astonished by Lucien's accelerated regeneration.
"I enjoy a proper fist-to-fist fight," Lucien said, shaking his hand. Physical combat was the fastest way to refine his mastery of qi, and Akaza's refined attacks offered a perfect challenge after three months of preparation.
Crack.
Golden lightning flickered across Lucien's body as he activated Thunder Breathing. The earth beneath him fractured in layers, rings of violent wind radiating outward. The destructive aura made Akaza's blood boil—Lucien intended close-quarters combat, just the kind of fight Akaza craved.
"Destructive Kill: Compass Needle, Technique Deployment."
Akaza's feet pressed the ground, a twelve-pointed snowflake array materializing beneath him, surrounded by a swirling blue-silver aura. This was the essence of his Blood Demon Art, pushing him to maximum output.
Purple diamond-patterned pupils met Lucien's golden amethyst eyes. Lightning crackled as Lucien disappeared in a streak of gold. Akaza moved atop the snowflake array, his body arcing like a long rainbow, light scattering in every direction.
Rumble.
The collision of two fists shattered the air. Neither combatant relented. Blood splattered as their blows tore through flesh and bone, carving a ten-meter-wide pit beneath them. Thirty meters away in an instant, dirt and debris erupted as the ground buckled.
"Destructive Kill: Void Type."
Akaza unleashed six rapid punches, each so fast they seemed fused into one devastating strike. The combined impact obliterated Lucien's right arm, leaving no bone intact.
Lucien's expression did not waver. He swept his right leg across Akaza's chest, and with a bone-shattering crack, Akaza's torso caved inward. A shockwave followed, sending him flying through obstacles like a cannonball.
Lucien's right arm regenerated almost immediately, colorful threads of lightning and steam spiraling around him.
"Haha," Akaza laughed, blood dripping from his mouth, chest restored by his own regeneration. His eyes shone with excitement as he faced Lucien again.
Lucien's frown deepened. Compared to Akaza's regenerative power, his own was inferior, though still formidable.
"Destructive Kill: Leg Type, Crown Splitter."
The ground erupted beneath them. Akaza struck with his left foot anchored, right foot sweeping toward Lucien's chin with explosive force. The air hissed around them like a volcano.
Lucien leaned back, extending his right leg to intercept. Akaza jumped to avoid the counterattack, simultaneously driving his right foot toward Lucien's chest.
Lucien twisted sideways, supporting himself with one hand on the ground. His right arm blocked above, resisting the immense force driving down. His right foot, a rainbow of hardened energy, struck toward Akaza's abdomen.
In a blur, Akaza's left knee intercepted. The ensuing shockwave tossed dirt and stone across the battlefield. Lucien flipped backward, sliding three meters with his feet planted in the earth.
Akaza mirrored him, flipping through the air, impacting the ground with explosive force as cracks and steam erupted around him.
Golden lightning danced along Lucien's form, enhancing his already terrifying presence. The swirling steam made him appear almost supernatural, a figure of pure combat energy.
Akaza's aura remained equally spectacular, flowing atop the twelve-pointed snowflake array, wisps of blue-silver energy trailing him like spectral ribbons.
"Become a demon! Gain strength beyond measure!" Akaza roared, hoping to tempt Lucien into accepting Muzan's gift of power.
Lucien said nothing, only beckoning with a single middle finger, provoking Akaza further.
Akaza's expression twisted into a ferocious grin.
"Destructive Kill: Leg Type, Flowing Flash Group Light."
Akaza struck again, leaving afterimages in his wake, a torrent of movement resembling a storm of meteors.
Lucien stood firm on one leg, deploying Hardening for the first time in their duel. Flesh and bone now protected, he exchanged blow after blow with Akaza, neither yielding an inch.
"Destructive Kill: Leg Type, Flying Meteor Thousand Wheels."
Akaza's excitement reached its peak. He became a swirling, blue-silver stream, his kicks tracing chaotic arcs around Lucien like celestial meteors.
Lucien's hardened feet met each strike, shockwaves radiating outward as the cratered battlefield expanded further. Sand and stones flew. The ground quaked. The destructive power escalated, the clash of lightning and Blood Demon Art painting the battlefield with raw devastation.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…
Their bodies became living weapons. Lucien's fist struck Akaza's left face as Akaza's smashed into Lucien's right, half of each visage blown away, revealing raw flesh and bone. Blood sprayed like fountains.
Lucien rolled, slamming into the ground, sliding sideways with precision, steam rising thickly around him.
Akaza slammed into a hill opposite, embedding himself deeply and coughing blood, yet his eyes never left Lucien, glinting with the thrill of combat.