The night wind howled across the wilderness, whipping up dust and splinters of wood into the sky.
The ruins of the Infinity Castle lay scattered across the plains for several kilometers, resembling a massive graveyard.
Thousands of lower-level demons, originally hidden deep within the extra-dimensional space, were now like hornets from a disturbed nest, crawling and shrieking through the debris in dense swarms.
"Kill! Tear these demon slayers to pieces!"
"He is watching us from behind! Eat them!"
The demons let out greedy roars and began to spread outward frantically, attempting to drown the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who had just landed.
Sanemi grit his teeth and gripped his nichirin blade, the Demon Slayer Mark instantly surfacing on his right cheek.
Just as he was about to charge into the demonic tide toward Muzan and the others, a calm voice drifted over from ahead.
"Sanemi. Take the others and clear out the trash on the outskirts."
Yamada lowered his Kusanagi Sword from his shoulder, the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground.
"There are at least several thousand small fry spewed out from these ruins. I shouldn't have to tell you the consequences if they scatter into the nearby human towns. Form a perimeter, don't let a single one escape."
"But..."
Kyojuro took a step forward, his gaze fixed with concern on the three figures radiating terrifying pressure directly in front of Yamada.
"That is the Progenitor of Demons! And the top two Upper Moons! Yamada-san, please let us fight by your side!"
"Can't you understand human speech?"
Yamada tilted his head slightly, a flicker of unquestionable coldness flashing in his deep black eyes.
"Those three are my prey. If you interfere, I'll cut you down as well."
This utterly domineering declaration caused all the Hashira present to catch their breath.
However, recalling the god-like power Yamada had displayed during their special training, a sense of blind trust began to grow in their hearts.
"...Understood."
Giyu was the first to speak.
He turned to face the surging army of demons, the Demon Slayer Mark lighting up on his cheek.
Water Breathing: Third Form, Flowing Dance!
A cerulean water tornado roared forth, instantly shredding the dozen or so demons charging at the front.
"Don't let him hog the spotlight! Everyone, scatter! Wipe out the small fry!"
Tengen unsheathed his dual blades, and thunderous explosions erupted within the ruins.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and the rest of the Hashira did not hesitate to leave their backs to Yamada. They turned into streaks of light of various colors, flying against the demonic tide toward the perimeter, establishing an unbreakable defensive line across the wilderness.
The center of the battlefield was instantly cleared.
Only Yamada remained, facing Muzan, Kokushibo, and Akaza.
"Arrogant."
Muzan stood his ground, his pale face twisted with extreme rage. His hands had already transformed into dark red whips covered in barbs, and the flesh on his back writhed, ready to unleash a lethal attack at any moment.
"You think that by driving away those cannon fodder, you can face us alone? Kokushibo! Akaza! Kill him!"
Hearing Muzan's roar, Akaza's eyes instantly became incredibly fanatical.
In his false memories, he believed it was only the sunrise that had interrupted his slaughter. Now, reuniting under the cover of night, he intended to crush this lightning swordsman in the most brutal way possible.
Destructive Death: Compass Needle!
A snowflake-patterned array bloomed beneath his feet, and Akaza's body pulled into a blurred afterimage, closing in on Yamada's face almost instantly.
Destructive Death: Disorder!
His fists moved like a violent storm, carrying air-compression cannons powerful enough to shatter steel, sealing off all of Yamada's blind spots.
Facing this heavy and powerful barrage, a trace of mockery curled at the corner of Yamada's lips.
He then lifted the hilt of his Kusanagi Sword and used the unsheathed scabbard to block casually in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dull sounds of impact were as dense as a drumbeat.
Akaza's punches appeared so slow to Yamada that it seemed almost stationary. The trajectory of every punch and the point of muscle exertion were intercepted by Yamada's scabbard with the most precise movements.
"How is this possible?!"
Akaza's heart suddenly constricted. His Compass Needle actually couldn't perceive the other party's Fighting Spirit at all.
What was even more terrifying was that his full-force punches hitting that seemingly ordinary scabbard actually made his knuckles ache.
"With this little strength, it's not even enough to scratch an itch."
Yamada flipped his hand, and the scabbard slid up Akaza's arm before slamming down.
The immense force collapsed Akaza's center of gravity.
Yamada raised his right leg and slammed a knee strike into Akaza's chest.
Crack!
The crisp sound of a shattering sternum echoed. Akaza sprayed out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, slamming into a deep crater in the ground.
Moon Breathing: First Form, Dark Moon, Evening Palace!
Just as Akaza was sent flying, a low, raspy voice sounded to Yamada's left.
Kokushibo had made his move.
His bizarre longsword, forged from flesh and blood, unsheathed silently as an extremely sharp half-moon-shaped slash swept across the ground.
Surrounding the slash were countless tiny, irregularly moving crescent moon blades of various sizes.
The trajectories of these crescent moon blades were unpredictable, even a slight graze could tear a person's flesh apart.
"Playing with swords? You've picked the wrong opponent."
Shing!
Accompanied by the sound of the Kusanagi Sword being unsheathed, on the pitch-black blade, Lightning Chakra suddenly surged.
The chirping of a thousand birds pierced the night sky.
Yamada twisted his wrist, and the Kusanagi Sword brought forth a dazzling net of lightning. Instead of retreating, he advanced, cleaving straight through that half-moon slash.
Boom!
Thunder and moon blades collided violently.
The crescent moon blades of Kokushibo's Blood Demon Art were dismantled the moment they touched the high-density Lightning Chakra.
The residual lightning force did not diminish, following the edge of the Kusanagi Sword to strike against Kokushibo's flesh sword.
Sparks flew everywhere.