"Cough... argh..."
Tokito Muichiro dropped to his knees amid the rubble. The purple-black veins that had once crawled across his face finally began to subside after the serum was injected.
He coughed up a mouthful of murky blood, and fresh air surged back into his lungs.
The other Hashira, each with injuries of varying severity, also injected the anti-toxin serum, suppressing the spread of Muzan's virus.
Of course, there was one exception.
The Fist Hashira.
If he injected that medicine, it would probably act as pure poison.
"Shinobu, thank you for the medicine." Mitsuri pressed down on her nearly shattered ribs, looking worriedly at the pale-faced Shinobu.
As the one who provided the serum, her condition was the worst of all.
Already weakened by a Blood Demon Art, she had spent this period burning away the last of her life force, working day and night alongside Tamayo to find a way to counter Kibutsuji Muzan.
Although the final result only reached this level, it had already exceeded her expectations.
Asuka stood at the very front of the group. His abnormal perception had long locked onto Shinobu.
In his vision, the life force within her body was collapsing in a despairing way…
The fluctuations of her spiritual pressure were so faint they were almost imperceptible, and her spiritual particles continued to dissipate rapidly.
She hadn't cured Doma's Blood Demon Art. Her injuries were still worsening.
Moreover, because she had long used her own body as a carrier for wisteria poison, combined with the chain reaction of the Blood Demon Art, unprecedented side effects had begun to appear within her body.
At this moment, her life was like a candle battered by a raging wind, flickering on the verge of extinction.
"That damn Tamayo, always relying on petty tricks, you demon slayers!"
Muzan stood atop the ruins, moonlight outlining his twisted figure, his face dark and terrifying.
These demon slayers, who should have dissolved into sludge, had actually stood back up again. This loss of control over victory filled him with irritation.
Especially that black-haired swordsman, who could still unleash sword energy that threatened him…
"If poison can't kill you, then I'll just tear off all your heads!"
The thorn whips behind Muzan were infused with massive amounts of demon blood, instantly transforming into a monstrous flower of evil made of bone and blades, its killing intent locking onto every Hashira.
"Prepare for battle!" Gyomei Himejima swung his flail, the heavy chains clanging through the empty ruins.
The Hashira suppressed their pain and weakness, gripping their Nichirin Blades tightly, their eyes igniting with the flames of resolve.
Marks spread across their bodies, and their blades began to heat up.
Just as they were about to launch a desperate assault—
Asuka stepped forward, blocking everyone.
With his back to his companions, he stood like a solitary peak.
The blade in his hand trembled violently, its scorching body now a dark crimson-black, as if yearning for an ultimate release.
"Asuka? What are you doing?!" Sanemi shouted.
Asuka didn't turn back. His gaze remained fixed on Muzan.
"All of you, step back. Recover."
"The serum suppressed the erosion, but your bodies are already at their limit. Charging in now would only waste the life Shinobu bought for you."
"You're going to fight him alone?" Obanai said in disbelief. "Even for you, that's too arrogant."
Asuka didn't argue. He simply slowly raised his head.
At that moment, his aura underwent a complete transformation.
If before, Asuka had been a sharp blade—dangerous, but still mortal steel—
Now, he was a bolt of lightning tearing through the night sky, impossible to face directly.
"I just don't want to see anyone else fall."
The corner of his eye swept over Shinobu's paper-white face, and a tide of anger surged within him.
That anger caused the spiritual pressure within his body to churn violently, ready to burst out at any moment.
After tonight's battle, Nugata had drunk deeply of the blood of Upper Rank One and Kibutsuji Muzan. The power within it grew increasingly restless, long beyond suppression.
"Alone?"
Muzan let out a harsh laugh, his pupils shrinking to slits.
"So your name is Asuka? Kid, don't think that killing Kokushibo gives you the right to stand on equal footing with me."
"That samurai was just a mortal craving my blood. I am the only god in this world!"
Even as he spoke, Muzan wasn't truly confident.
He could already feel the intense pressure emanating from Asuka. Though he spoke arrogantly, his instincts were screaming—
This is bad. Run.
"God…"
Asuka murmured softly.
The ground beneath his feet began to crack inch by inch, unable to bear the weight of his spiritual pressure.
Boom!!
His figure vanished instantly, bursting forward with a speed that whipped up a violent gale!
Muzan's heart jolted as eight thorn whips wove together into an airtight defensive net before him.
"Do gods bleed?"
Asuka's voice appeared beside him like a ghost.
What?!
I didn't even see him move?!
Before Muzan could react, Nugata's blade had already carved deeply into his body!
A black-red slash of spiritual pressure erupted along the blade, baring fanged jaws as it tore savagely into Muzan's reinforced flesh.
Rip—rip—rip—!
A series of dense cracking sounds rang out.
Flesh was shredded, bones were split, tendons torn apart.
Though Muzan's body was covered with a resilient defense formed from demon blood, before the blazing Nugata, it was no different from ordinary flesh.
And just like the injuries he had seen on Rokuro and Akaza before—
Muzan discovered that even his instant regeneration began to fail upon contact with these slashes, even spreading inward!
"What a vicious power!"
This wasn't the first time he had seen traces of it, but facing it directly was something else entirely.
Muzan roared as his arms transformed into massive bone blades, colliding fiercely with Asuka alongside the thorn whips.
The two battled from the top of the Infinite Castle ruins down to the lower levels.
Everywhere they passed, walls and structures were obliterated!
Shockwaves flattened hills, violent sword energy and whip shadows tore through forests. The already ruined remains of the Infinite Castle were reduced to even greater devastation under their inhuman power.
The Hashira watched in shock.
A human—fighting Kibutsuji Muzan head-on with pure strength—and not falling behind in the slightest!
Shinobu forced herself to sit against the rubble, her eyes filled with worry.
Please… don't let anything happen… Asuka…
Muzan's attacks were as fast as lightning. Every whip could shatter stone, every blade could cleave steel.
Yet Asuka was like a lone boat in a storm—no matter how the waves surged, he stood unshaken.
He was injured, even grievously so, but with every swing of Nugata, he tore away massive chunks of Muzan's flesh.
Before that flesh could even hit the ground, it was pulverized by violent spiritual pressure, turning into pure spiritual particles that repaired his body.
"He's getting stronger… with every clash, his aura is growing stronger!"
Muzan's unease finally turned into fear.
He remembered the man from centuries ago who had plunged him into nightmares—Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Though Asuka's techniques lacked the blazing warmth of the sun, that killing intent dragging his soul into the abyss was even colder.
"Damn it… damn it!!"
Muzan cursed wildly. He hesitated.
He hesitated whether to split and escape now.
"Are you trying to run?"
Asuka's voice sounded again.
Muzan's eyes widened as he realized that Asuka had found an opening within the swirling thorn whips, closing in instantly!
They were face to face, eyes locked.
Asuka gripped Muzan's mutated arm tightly, his blade already embedded in Muzan's cervical spine.
"A coward like you, even after living a thousand years, still doesn't understand the meaning of life."
"It's over, Muzan!"
Asuka stared coldly, blood pouring from his body where the whips and bone blades had torn him open.
"You… aren't you afraid of death?!"
Muzan was horrified, trying to trigger the Muzan cells within Asuka's body to poison him instantly.
But strangely—
From the wounds, faint blue patterns spread out, weaving into a net.
It was as if the virus had been completely confined to the wounds, unable to advance even a fraction further.
As the burning Nugata cut deeper—
Muzan's regeneration failed.
This is bad… I might actually be beheaded!
"Death? I won't die… or rather, I've already died."
Asuka spoke calmly, his words sending chills down the spine of the thousand-year-old demon king.
Had he just encountered a real monster?