Sitting calmly at the center of a frozen lotus, Doma pressed his thumb and middle finger together while letting the other fingers naturally spread apart.
An invisible, colossal hand made of ice—vast enough to blot out the sky—materialized above everyone.
Himejima Gyomei, a devout Buddhist, was filled with fury upon seeing the image of his Buddha profaned and used by Doma in such a blasphemous way.
"Stone Breathing, Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock, rapid conquest!"
Gyomei spun the chain of his weapon, his massive axe and flail whirling with tremendous speed as he launched an attack toward the enormous hand above.
Clang!
The strike landed with a sound like steel striking steel. The massive hand didn't show even the slightest mark.
In the next instant, the gigantic palm began to press down.
Tsugikuni Yoriichi's descendant, Tsugikuni Michikatsu, immediately awakened his Demon Slayer Mark and entered the Transparent World.
Within that heightened perception, Michikatsu saw the hand's only weak point—at the base joint of its little finger.
"Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing!"
He leaped into the air, twisting his body as he unleashed twin arcs of slashing wind aimed precisely at that joint.
The attack struck true—fine cracks began to spiderweb from the little finger's base, spreading rapidly until they covered the entire hand.
As Michikatsu landed, Doma's massive ice hand shattered into countless glittering shards, scattering like snowflakes through the air.
But before anyone could even catch their breath, a new calamity unfolded.
The floating ice crystals swiftly condensed into countless razor-sharp blades.
Nakime, plucking her blood-red biwa covered in eyes, sent out a pulse of sound—and the falling shards suddenly moved as if they possessed will of their own, raining down toward the Demon Slayers like a storm.
Their speed was tremendous. The group barely had time to guard their vital points, slashing frantically with their Nichirin Blades to deflect the deadly barrage.
All who could not regenerate rapidly—aside from Hakuji and Michikatsu—suffered wounds of varying severity.
Sanemi Shinazugawa, in particular, was grievously injured—a deep gash opened across his neck. Fortunately, it missed his carotid artery, sparing him from bleeding out.
Snarling, Sanemi seized a burning plank that had been ignited by Rengoku Kyojuro's earlier attack and pressed it against his wound, cauterizing the flesh and vessels with fire to stem the bleeding.
Yet the demons gave them no respite.
The six-headed, twelve-armed Hantengu charged forward. Though grotesque and cumbersome in appearance, his movements were startlingly fast—within the blink of an eye, he was among them.
Each of Hantengu's twelve hands wielded a different weapon, all forged from his own blood. As he attacked, he unleashed a torrent of abilities—thunderbolts, fierce gales, sonic blasts, shockwaves, even wooden dragons.
The relentless variety of attacks left the Demon Slayers with no time to react.
Already wounded, Sanemi barely kept his arms intact thanks to the cover provided by Tomioka Giyu and Iguro Obanai.
But amid the chaos, Uzui Tengen, master of sound, began to discern a pattern. The rhythm of Hantengu's strikes carried a tempo—a musical structure. Translating the cadence into a musical score, Tengen gradually uncovered Hantengu's attack rhythm and blind spots.
"The score's complete! Time to end this!"
Excitement flashing in his eyes, Tengen gripped his twin blades and charged.
"One, three, seven, five—beat, rest!"
Dodging and parrying with flawless timing, Tengen closed the distance.
"I've seen through it all—your filthy song ends here!"
But just as victory seemed within reach, a sudden, jarring note from Nakime's biwa rang out.
The rhythm Tengen had mastered collapsed. His "score" was rendered useless.
Empowered by Nakime's sound-based speed enhancement, Hantengu moved faster than ever before. In the next instant, he slashed—Tengen couldn't dodge in time. His left arm was severed.
"Tengen!"
Cries of anguish erupted from his comrades. None of them had expected that the combined might of Doma, Hantengu, and Nakime—each having revealed new, evolved forms—would be so overwhelmingly coordinated.
Doma attacked from afar, Hantengu engaged in close combat, and Nakime provided perfect support. The synergy of the three demons eclipsed any of the former Twelve Kizuki.
In just a single exchange, both Sanemi and Tengen were critically wounded.
At that moment, only Tsugikuni Michikatsu, who could perceive through the Transparent World, was able to track the movements of the demons enhanced by Nakime's biwa.
"At this rate, the only way to match their speed is to awaken your Marks and enter the Transparent World!"
Michikatsu's voice rang out with conviction.
"Yoriichi's notes said that when a Marked Swordsman appears, those nearby may resonate and awaken Marks of their own. I awakened mine because of Yoriichi—and since Tanjiro and I already bear Marks, you too should be able to resonate and awaken yours!"
His words sparked realization among the Hashira. They had long studied the nature of the Marks, the Transparent World, and the Flame of the Nichirin Blade—but until now, none had understood how to manifest the Mark itself.
Now, guided by Michikatsu's insight, they felt something stir. Their body temperatures began to rise sharply.
Sensing their imminent awakening, Michikatsu called out:
"Hakuji! Gyutaro! Koyuki! Ume! Support me! For now, only I can keep pace with them—we must create an opening before the others finish awakening their Marks!"
"Moon Breathing, Sixteenth Form: Moonbow—Half Moon!"
Michikatsu swung his blade, sending down enormous crescent slashes that tore through the air toward Doma, Hantengu, and Nakime.
Nakime swiftly struck her biwa, warping space and teleporting herself and the two other demons to the rear, narrowly evading the attack.
Doma formed a new mudra—above him, countless lotus flowers of ice bloomed. Their pure white petals gradually turned blood-red before exploding one after another like bombs.
"Blood Demon Art: Frivolous Dance!"
Gyutaro unleashed arcs of slashing blood around the group, shielding them from the rain of explosions.
"Destructive Death: Extinguishing Strike!"
Hakuji dashed toward Hantengu in midair, driving a devastating punch.
Hantengu crossed four of his arms to block—the blow failed to penetrate. The remaining eight arms slashed back with blood-forged weapons.
"Blood Demon Art: Eight-Layered Ribbon Slash!"
Ume unfurled eight razor-sharp ribbons from her body, intercepting Hantengu's attacks and striking back.
Though she was the weakest among them, her attack bought Hakuji enough time to break free from Hantengu's assault.
Michikatsu, Hakuji, Gyutaro, Koyuki, and Ume all fought with reckless resolve—trading injury for opportunity—to buy the Hashira precious seconds to awaken their Marks.
At last, their efforts bore fruit.
Among them, Himejima Gyomei was the first to succeed—his body erupted with the Mark, his senses expanding as he stepped into the Transparent World.