As the battle progressed, even the ordinary Demon Slayer Corps' members achieved remarkable results.
They contained and besieged the weaker demons, preventing them from harassing the Hashira who were engaged in decisive battles with the Upper Moons.
"Seventh Unit! Quickly support the east! The swordsmen there are severely wounded!"
Deep in the mountains, Kiriya, wearing a headband with strange patterns, was directing the battle with complete concentration.
The headband he wore came from the demon who does not eat people, Yushiro, a subordinate of Tamayo.
This Blood Demon Art allowed him to share vision with the other Kasugai Crows, thereby achieving the effect of remotely controlling the overall situation without being inside the Infinity Castle himself.
The biwa sounds within the Infinity Castle grew increasingly shrill. The twisting of space was like an out-of-control giant beast, drawing the flames of war into every dark corner.
In a tall, ancient building that had been completely shattered and deformed, muffled drumbeats accompanied by thunder and raging wind nearly shattered one's eardrums.
It was the strongest battle form of Upper Rank Two, Hantengu… Zohakuten.
"You beasts who bully the weak...."
Zohakuten's childlike face was filled with anger. Behind him floated drums engraved with the character for Hatred.
With each strike, several massive wooden dragons roared forth from the ground.
They brandished their claws and fangs, each containing the terrifying power to split mountains and crack rocks.
Within the encirclement of the wooden dragons, three figures were weaving at high speed.
Sanemi grinned fiercely, his Nichirin Sword dancing with waves of wind pressure, shredding the incoming wooden dragons: "Hey hey! How much longer are you going to keep playing these childish tricks? Your sanctimonious tone makes me want to rip your guts out!"
"Wind Breathing: Fifth Form: Cold Mountain Wind!"
A violent hurricane instantly severed the heads of the wooden dragons, carving out a safe space for them.
"Shinazugawa! Don't get caught up in the fight! Remember Oyakata-sama's instructions!"
"This body is just a disguise concocted by that coward to escape responsibility!"
Kyojuro's booming voice echoed in their ears.
He swung his Nichirin Sword, scorching as the blazing sun. The mark between his brows burned like raging flames.
Wherever his blade tip passed, the reforming wooden dragons were also completely burnt away.
Hearing his words, Sanemi no longer lingered, not even sparing Zohakuten another glance.
He twisted his body, using the wind to charge directly into the deeper parts of the ancient building.
Giyu remained silent, bringing up the rear, his posture as smooth as flowing water.
Whenever Zohakuten unleashed stone waves, thunder, or raging winds, a simple lift of his hand with Eleventh Form: Dead Calm would render all attacks void around him.
Zohakuten furiously beat the drums on his back. Countless wooden dragons roared wildly:
"You cruel humans! Instead of fighting me, you go to harm the weak! How despicable is that!"
In the past, facing such a wide-ranging, brutal Blood Demon Art, even a Hashira would have found it hard to avoid a tough battle.
But at this moment, the three Hashira surrounding him… Sanemi, Giyu, and Kyojuro, showed no hesitation or wavering in their eyes.
They absolutely would not fight Zohakuten to the death.
This was the final instruction left by Oyakata-sama during training, combined with the intelligence provided by Hakuji:
"Hantengu's weakness does not lie in those incarnations. No matter how many times you cut off their heads, as long as the main body is not dead, he will keep reviving."
"His main body represents Cowardice, only the size of a palm. He will definitely flee and hide by any means necessary... Find him, and all incarnations will vanish."
Because of this intelligence, the behavior of the three Hashira was a nightmare in Hantengu's eyes.
"There!"
Sanemi's eyes, already bloodshot from the extremely strong fighting spirit and the burning of his mark, had their senses raised to the limit.
Relying on his keen vision, he captured the aura filled with corruption and fear.
It was the cowardly demon hiding in the deepest part of the ancient building, frantically fleeing.
"How is this possible... how was I found...."
Hantengu's cowardly main body was now fleeing in panic, trembling all over.
That tiny body was covered in wrinkles. His cloudy eyes were filled with disbelief.
For four hundred years, every Demon Slayer who fought him was beguiled by Zohakuten's overwhelming destruction until they exhausted their strength and died.
As long as he focused on hiding, he should never have been found.
But today, how did these three killers come straight for him!
"Was it Akaza? That damn traitor! That bastard sold me out!"
"Get away! Get away!!"
Zohakuten let out a desperate roar. Countless wooden dragons howled forth, trying to stop the three Hashira.
But in that instant, Kyojuro's entire momentum abruptly soared. His mark burned madly on his forehead, reflecting a patch of crimson.
"Flame Breathing: Ninth Form: Rengoku—!!"
His entire body transformed into a fire dragon, forcibly opening a charred path through this ocean of wood.
Thanks to the Flame Hashira's path-opening, Sanemi had already reached Hantengu.
A cruel smile appeared on his scar-covered face. The Nichirin Sword in his hand had also begun to scorchingly burn.
"Got you! You little bug hiding in your shell!"
Hantengu let out a shrill, piercing scream. That palm-sized body flew out like a rubber ball.
He desperately writhed in the air, trying to hide in the shadows again, trying to call Zohakuten back to protect him.
But it was too late.
Pffft—!
That tiny head rolled to the ground.
With the fall of the main body, the once-dominant Zohakuten and the sky-covering wooden dragons all ceased their movement.
They were like puppets with their strings cut, instantly crumbling and dissipating into a sky full of ashes.
Hantengu's eyes, full of cowardice and deceit, wept until the very last moment, trying to disguise his evil in this way.
However, there was no longer any place in this world for him.
At the same time, in another hall filled with gorgeous decorations and countless bizarre ceramic pots, the battle had also entered its final turn.
Upper Rank Three, Gyokko, writhed out from the mouth of a pot, his entire body covered in fish scales as hard as diamond.
"Once touched by these divine hands of mine, your bodies will turn into lovely fish! Come, become part of my collection!"
His movements were extremely fast. Each teleport brought waves of ear-piercing sonic booms.
Gyokko's Blood Demon Art was very special. He could use the ceramic pots he created for spatial leaps.
In the previous battle, he had continuously used his Blood Demon Art to summon giant fish summoning beasts and restrain the movements of the three swordsmen with wide-ranging waves.
Now that his form had been elevated, those eerie divine hands seemed even more unstoppable.
However....
"Your smell has gotten stronger."
Tanjiro closed his eyes. His nostrils flared violently.
After Gyokko entered his elevation stage, due to the eruption of demonic power, the stench of rotten seafood formed clear scent lines in the air.
No matter how Gyokko teleported, that line always connected to his head.
And Obanai's state was even more extreme.
His heterochromatic pupils lost focus due to extreme concentration. The entire world became transparent in his eyes.
Although Gyokko could appear and disappear in different pots, Obanai could clearly see the flow of demonic energy before each movement.
His so-called perfect form, in the eyes of Tanjiro and Obanai at this moment, seemed so ridiculous.
In their eyes, Gyokko's so-called teleportation had long since been predicted by them.
Gyokko's figure abruptly flashed in the air. His hand was mere inches from Mitsuri's face.
He was laughing wildly. He thought he had won.
"Do you call this twisted garbage art?"
Obanai's voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.
A sword shadow, twisting like a snake, silently sliced into his defensive circle through the gaps in his scales.
With a single slash, the Snake Breathing sword form severed Gyokko's divine hand.
At the same time, Mitsuri's supple, whip-like blade precisely coiled around his fishtail, immobilizing him!
"How is this possible! My scales are divinely sturdy...."
"Tanjiro! Now!"
At Mitsuri's call, Tanjiro abruptly opened his eyes. The mark on his forehead instantly expanded. The Nichirin Sword in his hand brought a streak of golden-red light that pierced through the entire hall.
"Hinokami Kagura: Sunflower Thrust!!"
With this thrust, Tanjiro's entire body transformed into a burning fire meteor, piercing through Gyokko's scale-covered chest.
"So hot! Uwaaahhh!"
Gyokko let out a bloodcurdling wail. But what greeted him was Obanai's resolute final slash.
The curved Nichirin Sword swept across Gyokko's deformed neck.
With a crisp sound, that self-styled head flew upward and crashed heavily among the shards of his prized ceramic pots.
Upper Rank Three, Gyokko, subjugated!