As his voice fell, Hansen's two fingers, which were clamping down on the sword aura, slightly twisted.
"Crack!" A crisp sound rang out.
Kokushibo's demonic blade, forged from his flesh, sinews, and bones through countless refinements, shattered inch by inch, starting from the tip!
The cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire blade in the blink of an eye!
"Bang!" The entire sword, along with the captured sword aura, exploded into a mist of blood!
"Pfft!" Kokushibo staggered back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood as if struck by lightning.
The demonic blade was connected to his spirit; with the blade broken, he suffered a significant internal injury.
His six eyes stared intently at Hansen, no longer filled with fighting spirit, but with... fear.
Meanwhile, the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps were completely stunned.
The Breathing Styles they took pride in, passed down for centuries, and the sword techniques they honed by staking their lives, were described by this man as merely "crude" and "vulnerable"?
This evaluation was more painful to them than being killed outright.
Especially for top-tier fighters like Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, and Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Hashira, they could better grasp the weight of Hansen's words.
The other party was not mocking them; he was stating a fact.
In the face of absolute, higher-level power, their techniques truly were as childish and ridiculous as a child's scribble.
"Alright, the warm-up is over."
Hansen clapped his hands, as if he had just accomplished a trivial task.
"The game should end now."
He was no longer interested in playing around with these "small fry."
His figure vanished from the spot.
The next second, he appeared before Akaza, who had just climbed out of the forest.
Akaza's regeneration ability was extremely strong; the injuries he sustained from being knocked away earlier were mostly healed.
Just as he was about to launch another attack, he saw Hansen's calm face appear right before him.
So fast! Only this single thought managed to flash through Akaza's mind.
Hansen extended a finger and gently touched Akaza's forehead.
There was no astonishing force, nor were there any dazzling visual effects.
But Akaza's body suddenly froze.
He lowered his head and saw, in horror, that his body was rapidly "collapsing," starting from the forehead where the finger had touched him!
It wasn't damage from being cut or burned, but a kind of collapse... of existence itself, being erased!
His cells, his flesh, and his bones were rapidly dissolving into fundamental particles, vanishing into the air.
His prideful super-regeneration was utterly useless against this single touch!
"No..." Akaza only managed to let out a desperate roar before his entire body completely turned to dust.
Upper Rank Three, fallen!
Having finished this, Hansen's figure flashed again, appearing before Doma.
"You... you monster!"
Doma finally felt genuine, heartfelt fear.
The smile on his face completely vanished, replaced by sheer panic.
He frantically waved his golden fans, creating overwhelming ice crystals and freezing air, attempting to freeze Hansen.
"Blood Demon Art: Withered Glare - Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva!"
A massive statue of a Bodhisattva, constructed from ice, rose from the ground, opening its enormous mouth and spewing forth cold air capable of freezing everything toward Hansen!
"You like playing with ice?"
Hansen strolled through the freezing air—which was potent enough to solidify magma—completely unharmed, as if taking a leisurely walk.
He directed a slight puff of air toward the massive Ice Bodhisattva.
Whoosh—An invisible blast of cold air, containing the Law of Absolute Zero, blew out from his mouth.
That majestic Ice Bodhisattva, along with all the freezing air released by Doma, was "reverse" frozen in an instant!
They were solidified into an "Absolute Ice" that transcended physical form and shimmered with an eerie light.
Then, under Doma's terrified gaze, the Ice Bodhisattva, along with Doma himself, shattered simultaneously.
"Crack... Bang!" Like a smashed glass artwork, they broke into billions of glittering ice fragments that scattered into the night sky.
Upper Rank Two, fallen!
Now, only Kokushibo remained in the clearing.
This strongest Upper Rank Demon was currently trembling all over, his six eyes filled with a despair he had never known in over four hundred years.
Flee!
He must flee!
Only this single thought remained in his mind.
He frantically channeled his Breathing Style, pouring all his strength into his legs, preparing to escape this man who resembled a Demon God.
However, a hand gently settled on his shoulder.
Hansen's voice, like a devil's whisper, sounded in his ear.
"Don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"I still have a good thing I want to show you."
Kokushibo stiffly turned his head and met a pair of eyes.
They were scarlet eyes, with nine black tomoe slowly rotating within the pupils.
"Let me show you what the... true moon is."
The Rinne Sharingan.
The moment Kokushibo's six eyes met the scarlet Rinne Sharingan, his consciousness was instantly pulled into an endless crimson space.
Here, there was no Aokigahara Forest, no Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, and no man resembling a Demon God.
There was only a massive moon, radiating an ominous red light, hanging high in the sky.
Under the moonlight, a figure slowly walked toward him.
That was... his younger brother, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"Brother..." Yoriichi Tsugikuni's face was as calm and sorrowful as it had been over four hundred years ago.
"Why did you become like this?"
"Shut up! Shut up!" Kokushibo let out an angry roar.
He wielded the demonic blade, reconstructed from his flesh and blood, and frantically slashed at the figure.
However, his blade passed through Yoriichi's body again and again.
It was only an illusion.
Immediately afterward, the crimson moon in the sky shone brightly!
A golden sun rose from behind the moon!
Scorching sunlight instantly flooded the entire space!
"Aaaahhhhh!" Kokushibo let out a scream of extreme agony.
His body rapidly burned, melted, and disintegrated into ash under the sunlight.
But the next second, he reappeared in the same spot, completely unharmed.
Then, the sun rose again.
Burning, melting, turning to ash.
Rebirth.
Burning again, melting again, turning to ash again... an endless cycle.
The endless pain of being scorched by the sun.
This was an illusionary hell Hansen had tailored specifically for him.
Only one second had passed in the outside world.
But within Kokushibo's consciousness, he had already experienced hundreds of millions of deaths.
His resilient will, honed as the strongest swordsman, was utterly crushed under this eternal torment.
"I... surrender..."
In reality, blood tears streamed from Kokushibo's six eyes.
Due to his complete mental breakdown, his body began to disintegrate spontaneously.
"Poof." Finally, he turned into a pile of lifeless dust.
Upper Rank One, fallen.
Hansen retracted his gaze and brushed off non-existent dust from his hands.
"Alright, the small fry are all cleared out."
"It's time to go find the final Boss."
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