With Muzan Kibutsuji's command, the first main course he had meticulously prepared for this grand funeral was finally served.
"Fire!"
At his command, countless dark muzzles of cannons and guns hidden in the shadows of the Infinity Castle's twisted architecture spat out tongues of deadly fire at the exact same moment.
Boom---!!!
The deafening roar threatened to overturn the entire Infinity Castle.
Hundreds and thousands of artillery shells and special anti-demon bullets wove into a steel net, pouring down toward the Demon Slayer Corps and the group of uninvited guests in the center of the arena.
The air was instantly filled with the pungent smell of smoke and gunpowder, and the shrieks of death filled every corner.
However, this saturation attack, enough to make any army despair, did not draw the attention of the people on the field.
"Hmph, this kind of attack..."
Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui looked at the incoming barrage of death, the corners of his mouth instead curling into a flamboyant arc.
He raised the intricately and gorgeously designed Driver in his hand high, inserting it into his waist without hesitation.
"Truly, not flamboyant at all!"
Accompanied by music that resounded through the clouds, a dazzling, blinding seven-colored light shot into the sky.
Countless golden light particles and cherry blossom petals appeared out of thin air, spinning at high speed around his body, rapidly forming a golden armor that fused futuristic technology with classical festival art.
A flamboyant energy field expanded from around him, forming a brilliant barrier.
All physical ammunition that touched the force field, whether shells or bullets, were instantly deflected by an irresistible force, drawing arcs in the air and shooting toward the twisted walls of the Infinity Castle, exploding into clusters of fireworks.
"[Wood Release·Wood Locking Wall]!"
In stark contrast to Tengen Uzui's flamboyant sci-fi style, the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's response seemed unadorned, yet carried an unshakeable, majestic momentum.
He simply clapped his hands lightly in front of his chest.
The ground began to shake violently, and several massive wooden shields, catalyzed by chakra, rose from the ground.
The heavy artillery shells smashed against the wooden walls, only letting out a few muffled thuds before their kinetic energy was easily dissipated by the tough wooden structure, falling powerlessly to the ground.
Immediately after, without waiting for the second round of artillery fire to strike, countless thick vines surged madly from the ground like awakened giant snakes, accurately wrapping around the cannons and machine guns in front of them.
Accompanied by a teeth-aching crushing sound, those steel creations representing modern warfare and slaughter were instantly twisted and crushed into a pile of useless scrap iron by these vines.
"Gyaaaah! So scary! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!"
In Zenitsu Agatsuma's eyes, that overwhelming artillery fire was the most terrifying sight he had ever seen in his life.
His eyes were instantly flooded with tears, and his entire being seemed to have been frightened out of his wits.
And right at this moment, the Lightning Release chakra within his body erupted explosively.
Bzzzt---!
Dazzling blue lightning covered his entire body like armor, and his figure completely transformed into a streak of golden lightning.
The people present only felt a flash of golden light pass before their eyes.
When that golden light finally returned to its original spot, everyone saw an unbelievable scene.
In the sky, those flying artillery shells had actually been neatly sliced in half right down the middle, the cuts as smooth as mirrors.
And in the distance, the heads of the demons responsible for operating the firearms had silently rolled to the ground, their faces still frozen in the ferocious expressions they had before firing.
Zenitsu Agatsuma's figure reappeared, as if he had never moved.
Only a massive drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead, while his mouth kept muttering.
"So scary, really so scary, I almost died just now..."
On the other side, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't even be bothered to pay attention to these attacks, which looked like "toys" to him.
He just stood there quietly.
Behind him, that Perfect Susanoo had already taken shape.
That massive purple giant, exuding an ominous and destructive aura, merely waved its arm casually.
Just a single slap.
A section of twisted architecture, along with all the hidden firing points within it, was instantly smashed into fine dust.
In a corner of the battlefield, Akaza could clearly sense the surging battle aura contained within Muichiro Tokito's body; although not as blazing as the Flame Hashira's, it was still powerful to an unbelievable degree.
He turned into an afterimage, his violent fist wind tearing through the air, aiming straight for Muichiro Tokito's vitals.
However, his proud Compass Needle completely failed at this moment.
In front of Muichiro Tokito's Migeika Eyes, all of Akaza's attack intentions, muscle exertion methods, and even the flow of battle aura within his body...
...were completely seen through the instant he made a move.
Muichiro Tokito's figure, amidst Akaza's stormy attacks, was like an uncatchable wisp of mist, drifting erratically.
He even had the leisure to learn Akaza's martial arts.
He lightly tapped his fingertips on Akaza's arm, leaving a shallow scar.
"Your martial arts..."
Muichiro Tokito evaluated softly.
"Have too many flaws."
On the other end, Upper Rank Two, Doma, was walking toward Shinobu Kocho with his eternally unchanging fake smile.
He had just wanted to wave the golden fans in his hands that could create deadly ice crystals to activate his Blood Demon Art.
A young man with a cool pompadour suddenly appeared in front of Shinobu Kocho as if he had teleported, pointing at Doma's nose and letting out an earth-shattering roar.
"You bastard! Were you just making fun of my hair?!"
For the first time, the smile on Doma's face was replaced by bewilderment.
Before he could open his mouth to defend himself, the Crazy Diamond Requiem behind Josuke Higashikata had already smashed a fist ruthlessly into the ground.
An incomprehensible, wondrous power instantly spread out.
Doma discovered in horror that the incredibly sharp ice crystals he had created with his Blood Demon Art were forcibly "restored" into water vapor the moment they came into contact with that power.
In front of the throne, the battle situation was even more one-sided.
The Ultimate Being Kars moved as fast as a phantom; his arms, which had transformed into streaming blades, clashed madly with Muzan Kibutsuji's dozens of bone whips, erupting in ear-piercing shrieks of clashing metal.
Although Muzan's attacks were fast, he couldn't even touch a sliver of Kars's clothes.
While elegantly dodging, Kars let out an undisguised laugh full of contempt.
"Is this the power you're so proud of?"
"Your regenerative abilities are decent, but your fighting style is truly... too ugly, too inefficient!"
Muzan Kibutsuji's pupils contracted violently.
Humiliation!
An unprecedented sense of humiliation washed over his soul.
His meticulously laid traps had been easily dismantled by them.
His strongest Upper Rank demons had completely fallen into a disadvantage from the very beginning on their respective battlefields.
'What about my other subordinates? Their abilities should be able to counter these monsters, right!'