Just how strong was Kars?
The audience outside the light curtain had no way of knowing. He was the only Pillar Man who had yet to truly make his move in a meaningful fight.
Esidisi's Mode was fire, Wamuu's was wind, and Kars's was light.
True to the nature of his Light Mode, the blades on his arms shone with a dazzling brilliance during his few attacks.
So far, whether he was cutting the car that hit the dog, the walls of the Infinity Castle, or even the very passage into that dimension, his arm blades had sliced through everything as if it were tofu. The true sharpness of Kars's arm blades remained a mystery to the audience.
And now, they were eagerly anticipating the showdown between Kars and Upper Rank One.
Although Kokushibo had been crushed by DIO, as one of the most powerful beings in the Demon Slayer world, his strength was sufficient to clash with Kars, even if he couldn't win.
Moreover, Kokushibo's personality was a world apart from the cowardly Kibutsuji Muzan. His samurai-like resolve already made him far superior to his master.
---o---
Light Curtain Barrage—
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "My goodness, how does Kars hide so much hair in that tiny turban? I'm so envious of that volume!"
Conan: "Like a statue from ancient Greece? I have to admit, Kars's physique is the closest to perfection we've seen so far."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "A one-on-one villain duel? Hmph. If they continue to wear each other down, perhaps humanity might actually stand a chance to win."
The Overseer of Schicksal: "When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits? In reality, it's likely not so simple. Kars's power is no small matter; it's questionable if he'll even be injured by the end of this. Of course... the most important question is what he will become after he obtains the Red Stone."
Gensokyo's Enforcer: "If Kars gets the Red Stone... won't he just overcome the sun and become the Ultimate Lifeform? What else could there be?"
The Seventeen-Year-Old Youkai Sage: "It's probably not that simple. The Ultimate Lifeform can certainly conquer the sun, but if that were the only reason, why would Kars have persisted for so long? There must be some other power, something far more mesmerizing to him, that the Ultimate Lifeform possesses."
---o---
On-screen—
Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of clashing blades echoed. As the camera zoomed in, the image of Kokushibo's sword and Kars's arm blades locked in a furious exchange became clear.
It was a perfect demonstration of the martial arts principle: speed conquers all. The screen was filled with a constant spray of metallic sparks from the impacts and blinding flashes of light, every detail revealing the sheer intensity of the battle.
The sound of clashing steel reverberated through the Infinity Castle like a series of explosions.
In the span of a single second, Kars and Kokushibo had already exchanged hundreds of blows.
This visual spectacle reminded the audience of the very first viewing: the battle between Saber and Lancer.
Both were duels fought with legendary sharp weapons, both at impossibly high speeds. Aside from Kars and Kokushibo lacking the flashy skills and special effects of Servants, the two fights were nearly identical.
The first exchange ended quickly. Without a doubt, no matter how exquisite Kokushibo's swordsmanship was, faced with the fundamental disparity in strength and biology, he was ultimately inferior to Kars.
As had been noted before, Kars was not the most powerful combatant among the Pillar Men. Compared to a natural-born warrior like Wamuu, Kars was not as proficient in the art of battle.
His duel with Kokushibo relied heavily on the innate advantages his Pillar Man body provided. In terms of pure swordsmanship, he admitted to himself that he would be no match for Kokushibo.
Of course, that didn't mean Kars's combat experience was significantly less than Kokushibo's. The battle knowledge accumulated over thirty thousand years was not something one could easily overcome.
Having gained the upper hand, Kars flicked Kokushibo's katana aside and spoke with a detached expression, "Not bad. To think a lowly creature could fight me to this extent."
Though the words were technically a compliment, the deep-seated arrogance and utter contempt behind them made both Kokushibo and the audience watching grit their teeth in anger.
"However, the next attack is not something an inferior creature like you can withstand."
As he finished speaking, his posture remained impossibly proud. Kars had fully integrated his pride as a perfect being into his fighting style.
This disdainful attitude inevitably ignited a spark of anger and impulse within Kokushibo.
"Lowly creature? You consider yourself a higher life form? You are merely another special form of demon."
Although these beings could absorb demons on contact and possessed physical abilities and regenerative powers far exceeding their own, Kokushibo still categorized them as different, yet fundamentally similar, creatures.
At most, they were akin to Demon Kings like Kibutsuji Muzan and DIO. As for anything beyond a Demon King, that was a concept beyond Kokushibo's comprehension.
The forms of Moon Breathing erupted from his blade. Countless crescent-shaped slashes of sword energy swirled across the battlefield. Any ordinary human who came into contact with them would be instantly sliced in two.
Kars, however, remained unhurried. He casually blocked every incoming attack with the blades on his arms.
"Hmph hmph hmph, demons?" he said, as if stating the obvious. "Think whatever you wish. A frog at the bottom of a well can never comprehend the vastness of the world."
A venomous smile spread across Kars's face, making him look exceptionally dangerous. The blades on his arms began to glow with a dazzling light.
Seeing this, Kokushibo once again prepared to unleash his Moon Breathing, combining the breathing style with his most powerful sword techniques to meet Kars's attack.
SHIIING!
This time, the expected metallic clang of weapons colliding and the shower of sparks from the high-speed impact never came.
Instead, Kars's arm blades, once again as if cutting through tofu, effortlessly severed Kokushibo's personal sword—Kyokukōkamusari.
"What!?" Kokushibo exclaimed in shock. Kyokukōkamusari was no ordinary katana; it was a demonic blade formed from his own flesh and blood, its hardness far surpassing that of any normal Nichirin Blade.
But now, Kars had cut it as if it were nothing.
"Hmph. A fragile weapon," Kars sneered. "My Mode is Light. The power of light can slice through any solid object."
If Kokushibo had been able to look closely at Kars's blades at that moment, he would have seen that their edges were lined with countless microscopic serrations, all spinning at an incredible speed like a chainsaw.
The brilliant "light" effect was, in fact, generated by the high-speed rotation of these serrations.
It was this mechanism that allowed Kars's arm blades to spin at such a phenomenal velocity, enabling them to cut through hardened steel as if it were mud.