Even Sukuna had to admit that demons had impressive regenerative abilities. The damage from that last Black Flash had already almost fully healed in an incredibly short time.
Based on the strength this Upper Moon Three had displayed so far, he could be rated above a Grade One sorcerer. Factoring in this automatically activated "Reverse Cursed Technique," he merited a solid mid-to-high Grade One rating. Against that sorcerer with the uneven bangs and the swordsman using Simple Domain, he could have outlasted them just with his regeneration alone.
The only shortcoming was that his offensive methods were too ordinary, just simple hand-to-hand combat lacking the versatility of a sorcerer's Cursed Technique.
Urged on by Sukuna's voice, Akaza immediately flipped backward into a standing position, resuming his fighting stance against Sukuna.
As a martial artist who pursued the highest peak, Akaza's pride would not allow him to simply wait for death.
"Aaaaaaaaaah—!"
Akaza let out a roaring howl, as if trying to burn away that despair and ignite his final frenzy and resolve.
He squeezed out every ounce of his power, every drop of blood, every wisp of fighting spirit, holding nothing back. The twelve-pointed snowflake array beneath his feet exploded with unprecedented, dazzling light.
"Destructive Kill: Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"
Akaza's fists hammered out at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye of an ordinary person.
They were no longer afterimages of fists, but rather countless beams of bluish-silver light, compressed to the extreme and condensed into solid form.
From the sidelines, Shinobu Kocho could only see Sukuna's figure completely engulfed by the torrent of bluish-silver light. But at some point, those beams of light had vanished, replaced by sprays of vivid crimson blood arcing through the air.
Only when the dust finally settled could Shinobu see the ground littered with Akaza's severed arms, and Akaza himself pinned beneath Sukuna's foot.
Sukuna's heel ground viciously into Akaza's face, pressing his head straight into the earth. Blood oozed from Akaza's seven orifices due to Sukuna's grinding.
"This couldn't possibly be everything you've got, could it?" Sukuna asked the demon beneath his foot with contempt.
"..."
Though Akaza gave no verbal answer, his silence already said enough.
He had been utterly defeated by Sukuna, reduced to the kind of weakling he despised.
Sukuna, meanwhile, was considering what to do with this Upper Moon Three. Killing him outright would be somewhat wasteful.
Extracting information was also quite difficult. A demon of this caliber had a much higher concentration of Muzan's blood in their system than ordinary demons. Directly questioning him about anything related to Muzan would likely cause his body to fail, even with Reverse Cursed Technique, and he probably wouldn't last long.
It wasn't that Sukuna's Reverse Cursed Technique was lacking; it was simply that if Akaza were stripped of his demonic attributes, the human body that originally belonged to him wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Given that Upper Moon Three had found his trail so quickly, it was surely on Muzan's orders.
With that thought, Sukuna had an idea. Since the other party was likely searching for him and had even sent Upper Moon Three to do it, why not use the connection between them to save Muzan some trouble? He would use Upper Moon Three as a beacon to guide Muzan to him.
Sukuna lifted his foot and kicked Akaza's head hard again, instantly crushing about a third of it. A mixture of blood and brain matter splattered out.
"You're a strange one. Can't you speak human language? Or are you just eager to die?"
Akaza shuddered. For a moment, it was as if he saw Muzan standing before him, grabbing his head and questioning him coldly.
"Didn't you want to become stronger? Is this how you end it, Akaza?"
Hearing Sukuna's question, even though Akaza was mired in negativity from the beating Sukuna had given him, his desires and instincts still compelled him to answer reflexively.
"No... I want to become stronger..."
Hearing this somewhat non-sequitur response, Sukuna was immediately amused. He laughed and continued.
"Hahahaha! You've got some nerve. Even in this state, you can still shamelessly say something like that?"
Shinobu, arriving just at that moment, witnessed the scene. A warrior on the level of Upper Moon Three of the Twelve Kizuki, reduced to begging pathetically for his life against Sukuna. How horrifying...
Sukuna grabbed Akaza by the hair and hoisted his still-regenerating head up, whispering in his ear.
"You want to become stronger? That can be arranged."
"What...?! Are you serious...?"
Upon hearing Sukuna's words, Akaza's mind instantly cleared from its chaotic state.
Shinobu, overhearing Sukuna, went rigid. Struggling to control her agitated emotions, she asked, "Lord Sukuna... you don't intend to kill him...?"
"I still have use for him. I plan to take him back with me."
Sukuna answered Shinobu's question while calmly walking away from Akaza, heading slowly toward the lake to retrieve the Nichirin blade he had set down earlier.
Akaza carefully got to his feet, looking somewhat lost. He glanced at Sukuna's back, then at Shinobu, whom he had just been fighting. He saw confusion and shock in her eyes as well.
Shinobu hurried after Sukuna, pressing urgently.
"Lord Sukuna, when you say you want to take him... Upper Moon Three 'back,' where exactly do you mean?"
Sukuna swung the Nichirin blade, moving at high speed across the lake's surface, swiftly and completely annihilating the remaining Spider Demon family. He did this as a way to send a signal to Muzan. Calmly, he answered Shinobu's question.
"Where else? That stronghold of yours."
Shinobu's hackles immediately rose. The stronghold where her leader, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, resided was chosen specifically to hide from demon detection. And now Sukuna intended to bring Upper Moon Three there? That was like leading a wolf straight to the sheep!
Internally, Shinobu was screaming with such frustration she wanted to curse, but outwardly she remained extremely restrained. Cautiously, she asked Sukuna,
"Lord Sukuna, are you serious?"
Sukuna sensed movement from other people nearby. Before heading off to investigate, he briefly explained his thinking.
"Finding Muzan myself is too much trouble. Since he was willing to send Upper Moon Three after me, I might as well help him raise the stakes. That bastard has been playing hide-and-seek with you Demon Slayers for a thousand years. There's no way he's not interested in wiping you out. I'll use Upper Moon Three to guide him straight to me."
"..."