Having received Sukuna's answer, Kagaya Ubuyashiki was reassured.
Based on his experience dealing with Sukuna over this period, the content of his promises was generally reliable. It was just that unexpected complications sometimes arose in the finer details.
For example, he had indeed kept his word by not directly attacking the Demon Slayer Corps himself, whether when Sanemi Shinazugawa provoked him last time or now when he brought back Upper Moon Three Akaza.
So since Sukuna had personally promised to kill Muzan, Kagaya Ubuyashiki was willing to trust him.
Shinobu Kocho and Gyomei Himejima heard their leader's decision. A quick glance between them was enough to make their decision.
Gyomei, as the stronger fighter, would engage Akaza first. Shinobu, being faster, would first evacuate their lord from the danger zone.
Sukuna propped his chin on his hand and looked out at the night, urging them on.
"The night is young. Aren't you going to start yet?"
Shinobu pulled Kagaya to his feet and asked Sukuna,
"Sukuna-sama, are there any limits on the number of participants in this fight?"
After all, Akaza was not one of the Lower Moons they could have easily dealt with in the past. He was the third-ranked of the Twelve Kizuki. Many Hashira had fallen to him over the years, and the Demon Slayer Corps had no record of Upper Moon Three ever being replaced. That alone spoke to Akaza's immense strength.
Sukuna, knowing exactly where Akaza's abilities stood, chuckled lightly and looked at Akaza. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Akaza raised his fists, taking his fighting stance, and answered Sukuna,
"Have them all come at once!"
With those words, the battle began.
Akaza stomped the ground and accelerated, his force caving in the wooden floor with a deafening crack. He shot forward like a cannonball toward Gyomei. At the same time, Shinobu quickly carried Kagaya away.
Gyomei's own Nichirin blade was still being repaired by the swordsmith after his previous fight with Sukuna. So like Shinobu, he was currently using a standard Nichirin blade as a substitute.
But with this substitute, he could not properly execute the techniques he specialized in. He had no choice but to fight as an ordinary swordsman, gripping the blade with both hands and swinging at Akaza.
Akaza, burning with desire for the power and victory Sukuna had promised, had no intention of dragging this out. He swung his fist directly from the side of the blade, using a Bell Splitting strike.
A sharp crack rang out. Akaza shattered the blade of Gyomei's Nichirin sword, snapping it cleanly at the midpoint.
The broken tip flew from the force of the impact and landed right by Sukuna's feet.
Gyomei was shocked. He had not expected the demon to destroy a Nichirin blade that way. He could also feel from the impact just how overwhelming Akaza's strength was, far beyond that of any ordinary demon.
After shattering Gyomei's blade, Akaza used the momentum to pivot his body and unleashed Destructive Kill: Leg Style: Flashing Cluster Light, kicking at Gyomei with brutal speed.
Because Gyomei had already achieved Transparent World, he did not panic even with his blade broken. By tracking the subtle shifts in Akaza's muscles, he anticipated the kick and raised what remained of his sword to deflect it.
Even so, the gap between Gyomei and Akaza was still very real.
Although he blocked the attack, his hands throbbed with pain from the tremendous force. He could feel that some of his bones had cracked from the impact, and his entire body was sent flying backward.
By unfortunate coincidence, given the angle of Akaza's attack, Gyomei went flying directly toward Sukuna.
Before Gyomei could steady himself and counterattack, Sukuna grabbed him by the head and hurled him away with force. Gyomei's airborne body collided with Akaza, and the two crashed together into the courtyard.
Neither immediately resumed fighting. Both paused and looked toward Sukuna, wanting to gauge his reaction to being caught in the crossfire.
Sukuna glared at them both and spoke with clear annoyance.
"Continue."
Receiving that order, the two relaxed slightly. They refocused on the enemy before them.
After that brief exchange, Gyomei had reached a conclusion based on what his body had felt of Akaza's strength. The Upper Moon Three before him was formidable, incredibly so. Even if his own Nichirin blade had not been broken, the situation would likely not be much better.
Akaza, too, sensed that something was different about this swordsman. Under normal circumstances, he might already have felt the urge to recruit him. But now, that thought never crossed his mind.
Now Akaza simply wanted to chase after greater strength. This desire had even eclipsed his identity as a demon. He had followed Muzan for so many years. He knew very well that having lost to Sukuna and been allowed to live, the next time he faced Muzan, whether he was treated as garbage or a traitor, he would most likely be killed by Muzan's own hand.
This hunger to become stronger was now driven largely by a primal instinct for survival.
But there was another reason, one he himself did not fully recognize. After fighting Sukuna, deep in his subconscious, Akaza believed that Sukuna was even stronger than Muzan. He hoped that by earning Sukuna's approval, he might be allowed to live.
Much of this subconscious shift was Muzan's own doing. After erasing Akaza's memories, the twin drives of becoming stronger and surviving had created the choice he was making now.
Sukuna walked to the edge of the courtyard, stroking his chin as he closely observed the Mark gradually emerging on Gyomei Himejima's arms.
The fight had so far been only exploratory, nowhere near the life-threatening intensity of the previous battle. Yet the Mark was already beginning to appear. Was that because Gyomei had already awakened it before?
Sukuna considered this internally, but he felt that Gyomei's value as a reference point was already limited. His conditions were different from a swordsman who had not yet awakened his Mark. So he would need to observe other swordsmen, ones who had not yet manifested the Mark.
Just as Sukuna was thinking this, as if on cue, nearby Hashira who had sensed something wrong began arriving, even before Shinobu could send word.
The first to arrive was Tokito Muichiro. He did not understand the situation, but one thing he knew clearly. He needed to kill the demon standing before Gyomei.
"Fifth Form: Sea of Clouds and Haze."
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This fanfic will be reaching it's end soon, so it would be really apprietiated if you all could write a review!