"Ahahaha! Is the final battle finally beginning?"
In the Infinity Castle, on a vast platform filled with all kinds of jars, Gyokko, who had already arrived at this location, couldn't help but laugh excitedly.
He had been waiting for this day for so long!
Demon Slayers, the Demon Slayer Corps, they—the Twelve Kizuki—would finally eradicate these ants completely on this night!
"Ah~ Lord Muzan~ Wise and mighty Lord Muzan~ Please rest assured~ I, Gyokko, will definitely work my hardest to kill as many Demon Slayers as possible for you~ To receive more of your favor, to become your most capable assistant~"
Covering his face with his small hands, amidst Gyokko's flushed fantasies, his first opponent of the night slowly approached from afar.
It was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his thirties, emaciated and gaunt, with the appearance of a consumptive ghost, giving off the impression that he might die at any second.
"Where is this..."
After being knocked flying into this area by a building, Tanjuro, who had been searching everywhere for traces of others, also immediately noticed Gyokko on the platform ahead, as well as the large number of jars arranged around the area.
"Upper Rank Five..."
Focusing his gaze on Gyokko, Tanjuro's expression became somewhat serious.
[A demon that the Demon Slayer Corps has never had information on before... Dealing with him will probably be somewhat troublesome...]
"Oh? Has my opponent finally arrived?"
While Tanjuro was sizing up Gyokko, Gyokko was also sizing him up.
However, unlike the cautious expression on Tanjuro's face, Gyokko's face—with its distorted features—was filled with disdainful laughter.
"Miss Nakime really is something, arranging a dying invalid for me. How am I supposed to win Lord Muzan's favor like this!
Well, whatever, after I kill you, I'll just go find the other Demon Slayers myself... Take this!"
Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needle Fish Kill!
Two jars suddenly appeared in his hands, and two puffed-up goldfish flew out from them, opening their small mouths and spraying countless dense poisonous needles toward Tanjuro.
Quickly dodging sideways, Tanjuro didn't rashly launch an attack, instead maintaining his distance, wanting to observe further.
"Oh? Quite fast!"
Seeing that this dying human could actually dodge his poisonous needles, Gyokko was a bit surprised, but that was all.
"In that case, let's see how you dodge this!"
Blood Demon Art: Ten Thousand Flying Sticky Fish!
Instantly summoning a giant jar, Gyokko aimed the jar's opening at Tanjuro, and countless sharp-toothed sticky fish flew out from it, flying toward Tanjuro at extreme speed!
Just as the name of this Blood Demon Art suggested, the number of these sticky fish was ridiculously high, and they kept pouring out from the jar's opening, flying toward Tanjuro one after another, desperately trying to tear at his flesh.
Finally drawing the Nichirin sword from his waist, Tanjuro retreated while continuously swinging his sword at the sticky fish in mid-air.
Whenever a sticky fish was cut down, the severed part of its body would also spray out poisonous bodily fluids, attempting to cause splash damage to Tanjuro.
"How is it, Demon Slayer? Feeling desperate?"
Putting down the giant jar in his arms and standing in the distance, Gyokko looked at Tanjuro, who was gradually being driven into a corner, and laughed triumphantly.
"Can't handle even this amount? I still have thousands of fish in this jar that I haven't released yet, hahahaha!
No matter how high your swordsmanship is, how many times can you swing your sword? Be careful not to get splashed by that poison, or you'll be poisoned~
Oh my, you still haven't shown that desperate expression?
Then let me guess, are you right now thinking about how to rush to my side and behead me?
Too bad~ That's impossible for you to do~ Because I can teleport~"
As his words fell, under Tanjuro's surprised gaze, Gyokko's figure suddenly disappeared from the jar beneath him, then emerged from another jar not far away.
"How about it? Surprised? Unexpected? Ahahaha~"
Finally seeing the shock on Tanjuro's face, Gyokko laughed triumphantly, his laughter quite healthy.
"But don't you think this is all I can do... See this hand of mine?"
Demonstratively raising both his hands, Gyokko continued proudly:
"This is the divine hand representing the heart of a craftsman. As long as I want, I can use these hands to transform any object I touch in this world into a sticky fish!"
Saying this, Gyokko even went "slurp" and stuck out his tongue to lick his claws, the movement quite mesmerizing.
His gaze toward Tanjuro was as if looking at a dead man who was about to become his next work of art.
"How about it? Scared? Shaking all over? This is the strength of us Upper Rank demons!"
[Indeed.]
Quickly swinging his sword to kill the sticky fish continuously surging around him, Tanjuro thought to himself.
[The Blood Demon Art of Upper Rank demons is truly troublesome... This demon seems very good at exhausting his opponents, and also has an ability similar to instantaneous movement...]
[If I cannot seize the opportunity to kill in one strike, I'm afraid...]
"Cough cough!"
While pondering, a sudden congestion in his chest caused Tanjuro to cough violently, even slowing his sword-swinging movements by quite a bit.
[No time left, can't drag this out any longer...]
Making up his mind, Tanjuro gripped the sword hilt tightly, and on his forehead, a strange scar-shaped pattern resembling flames suddenly appeared!
This was Tanjuro's Demon Slayer Mark.
As a human already well past twenty-five years old, Tanjuro of course knew that once he activated his Mark, by the time dawn broke, he would certainly die.
He had already prepared for this.
Tonight's battle was the final battle between the Demon Slayer Corps and the demons. Since he had come, he would definitely give his all!
"Oh? Finally decided to fight to the death?"
Noticing the appearance of the Mark on Tanjuro's forehead at the first moment, Gyokko's face still held that mocking expression.
"But even so, what meaning does it have?"
His figure constantly emerging from and disappearing into other jars around him, Gyokko's laughter echoed repeatedly in the surroundings.
"Look, I'm here~ There~ Now back here again~
With that small knife in your hand, can you cut me while I'm moving at high speed?"