Seeing that the situation on Kyojuro's side had largely stabilized, Kokushibo shifted his attention to Akaza, who remained locked in an intense battle.
Once Akaza immersed himself in combat, he became an entirely different person. His overwhelming obsession with growing stronger still reflected the promise he had once made to Koyuki, a vow that even centuries as a demon had failed to erase.
Suddenly, Moko's fist crashed into Akaza's chest.
Caught off guard, Akaza staggered backward, exposing a brief opening.
Moko immediately pressed the advantage, unleashing a relentless barrage of punches and kicks that shattered Akaza's momentum. For the first time since the battle began, it looked as though the tide might turn.
But that was precisely the opening Kokushibo had been waiting for.
Forced onto the defensive, Akaza abandoned caution and met Moko's assault head-on. One of his arms was torn away in the exchange, but he deliberately accepted the injury, concentrating every ounce of power into his remaining fist.
Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!
The devastating punch obliterated Moko's entire upper body.
However, Moko had anticipated such overwhelming force.
The instant his torso was destroyed, he shifted his true core into his tail. Exploiting the brief recovery after Akaza's attack, the tail lashed upward with terrifying speed.
Its blade-like edge slashed directly across Akaza's eyes.
In an instant, darkness swallowed Akaza's vision.
Far away, Muzan who had been observing the battle through the connection shared with Akaza also found her vision abruptly cut off.
The livestream has been disconnected.
Kokushibo moved at that exact moment.
Moko assumed Kokushibo intended to finish him off and immediately fled before his body could fully regenerate.
With only his lower half remaining, he controlled his legs and sprinted across the battlefield, dragging his regenerating body behind him.
It was an absurd sight.
But Kokushibo paid him no attention whatsoever.
He appeared beside the blinded Akaza in a single step.
Without hesitation, he forced the medicine Tamayo had prepared into Akaza's mouth.
Akaza had not yet regained his vision before a pill was shoved between his lips.
Before he could spit it out, Kokushibo covered his mouth with one hand and drove a powerful punch into his abdomen.
The impact forced him to swallow.
The medicine went down.
Deep within the Infinity Castle, Muzan suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
For a fleeting moment, an impossible thought crossed her mind.
Could Yoriichi have somehow returned?
Then
Crack!
Muzan's crimson eyes widened.
She felt it.
The connection between herself and Akaza had vanished.
Exactly the same way it had disappeared with Kokushibo.
"Damn it…!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!!"
Her composure shattered.
She swept everything from the table in a violent rage.
Teacups.
Decorations.
Even a treasured teapot gifted by Tamayo before her betrayal was smashed into countless fragments.
Her hand paused briefly over the microscope nearby.
She lowered it.
Replacing that would be troublesome.
Her gaze shifted toward Kyogai's manuscript.
Nakime quietly watched from the side.
After a moment's hesitation, Muzan restrained herself once again.
Instead, she seized the nearby silk kimono and ripped it to pieces.
She could not understand what had happened.
Another Upper Rank had slipped beyond her control.
Had Akaza died?
Impossible.
Upper Rank Three could not possibly be killed by a single Manjushri.
Then…
Why had the connection disappeared?
Back on the battlefield, Akaza slowly regained his sight.
The first thing he saw was Kokushibo.
The second was a blade already resting against his neck.
Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace.
The slash severed Akaza's head cleanly.
Everyone present froze.
Tanjiro.
Zenitsu.
Inosuke.
Kyojuro.
Even Moko and Barons stared in disbelief.
Had Kokushibo… just attacked his fellow Upper Rank?
Fortunately for Akaza, Kokushibo's blade was not forged from Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore.
It was not a Nichirin Blade.
His severed head regenerated almost instantly.
Yet something about Akaza had changed.
The savage bloodlust consuming him only moments before had completely disappeared.
He stood motionless, eyes clouded with confusion.
He had no idea what Kokushibo had forced him to swallow.
Nor did he understand why, during the instant his head had been severed, fragments of long-forgotten memories had resurfaced.
They were his own memories.
The memories of Hakuji.
Kokushibo placed a hand upon his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Akaza."
"You are finally free."
The meaning behind those words needed no explanation.
Akaza remained silent.
He remembered Muzan's blood.
He remembered losing his humanity.
He remembered becoming a demon against his own will.
Revenge no longer filled his heart.
Only confusion remained.
Seeing Akaza standing there without any fighting spirit, Moko couldn't resist mocking him.
"What happened, Akaza?"
"Are you frightened?"
Unfortunately, Moko's judgment remained as immature as ever.
Despite all his strength, his thinking was hardly more developed than that of an impulsive child.
Kokushibo had no intention of letting the provocation continue.
He still intended to persuade Akaza to stand beside him.
Drawing his sword once more, he attacked.
Moon Breathing, Second Form: Pearl Flower Moongazing.
Two enormous crescent slashes erupted across the battlefield.
Moko's expression changed dramatically.
Even Kokushibo himself was momentarily surprised.
His attacks…
They felt stronger than ever before.
The reason quickly became clear.
His power had not increased.
Rather, the chains restraining it had finally broken.
For centuries, Kokushibo had subconsciously measured himself against Yoriichi.
His obsession with surpassing Sun Breathing had become a psychological shackle that prevented him from fully accepting his own strength.
Now, after abandoning that fixation, Moon Breathing had become complete in his own heart.
The strength he had always possessed could finally be expressed without restraint.
The twin crescent blades instantly sliced through Moko's true core.
Before the Manjushri could react, Kokushibo had already closed the distance, intending to end the battle with one final strike.
Then
A suffocating pressure descended upon the battlefield.
Every human.
Every demon.
Even Kokushibo himself instinctively stiffened.
Before he could clearly identify the source, a figure appeared before him.
Boom!
A single strike blasted Kokushibo backward.
He immediately raised his sword to guard.
Although he had not seen the attack clearly, its force alone told him everything.
This newcomer possessed strength equal to or perhaps even greater than his own.
Moko hurriedly reassembled his shattered body before dropping to one knee.
"Lord Mumei!"
His voice trembled with fear.
He scarcely dared breathe.
Mumei ignored him.
His gaze shifted toward Barons, who was still struggling against Giyu and Shinobu.
In the next instant, he disappeared.
"Not good!"
Both Giyu and Shinobu sensed the danger too late.
Mumei's claw flashed toward them with terrifying speed.
Clang!
At the critical moment, Kyojuro intercepted the blow with his Nichirin Blade.
For the first time, surprise flickered across Mumei's face.
Only slightly.
As he prepared to strike again, Kokushibo arrived.
Moon Breathing, Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail.
A colossal crescent slash swept across the battlefield.
Mumei stepped back to evade it.
With effortless ease, he seized Barons and tossed him beside Moko.
Seeing that neither subordinate was capable of continuing the battle, Mumei immediately abandoned any intention of fighting further.
Without another word, he gathered both Manjushri and disappeared from the battlefield.
Silence gradually returned.
Kokushibo walked back toward Akaza, his expression once again calm and unreadable.
He spoke first.
"Akaza."
"You and I have both severed Muzan Kibutsuji's control."
"We are demons who now stand independent of her will."
Akaza stared at him quietly.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Kokushibo answered without hesitation.
"Because I want you to stand with me."
"I intend to build a force capable of opposing Muzan herself."
For the first time since their conversation began, surprise appeared on Akaza's face.
He looked carefully at Kokushibo, as though seeing him for the first time.
"…You've changed."
"You are no longer the Kokushibo I once knew."
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