Bang!!
Asuka took another kick from Akaza, but he immediately swung his blade down, using the burning Nugata to sever half of his opponent's lower leg!
His chest hurt so badly it felt like it was about to explode!
His consciousness began to blur. The high-intensity spiritual pressure perception and the forcibly converted breathing technique were crushing his body, depriving his brain of oxygen and making him dizzy.
Hold on! Break through your limits!
Clang!!
Akaza's fist smashed against the blade. Though his own skin was scorched open, he still knocked aside Asuka's attack, leaving a massive opening in his chest!
"What a pity! What a pity, young man!"
He roared in anger and regret, yet showed no restraint as he hurled out a vicious punch!
If that blow landed, Asuka would be pierced through!
"Ughhh—!!!"
Even so, Asuka did not retreat. He twisted his body and stepped into the attack, reducing the force of Akaza's punch as much as possible!
Crack!
Though the strike still broke two of his ribs, his blade had already carved into Akaza's shoulder!
"Damm it! I missed!"
He had aimed for Akaza's neck, but the searing pain warped his movement!
Shoulder, then shoulder it is—I'll tear you apart right here! Aaaah!!!
The blade embedded itself into Akaza's body, greedily devouring his blood and demonic power, continuously injecting new strength into Asuka as the edge sank deeper, inch by inch!
Asuka's eyes turned bloodshot, his expression ferocious like a war god.
"Asuka! Don't let go! Burn!!" Rengoku Kyojuro struggled to his feet, enduring the agonizing pain in his chest.
He didn't know whether his bones were shattered or his organs torn, but he couldn't stand by and watch Asuka fight an Upper Rank alone!
That sudden surge of power had to be burning Asuka's life away. The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be!
He let out a thunderous roar, forcing the last of his strength to surge through him, raising his Nichirin Blade to his shoulder!
"I am the Flame Hashira! Rengoku Kyojuro! I will fulfill the duty of a Hashira!!"
"Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!!"
Flames flooded through his limbs and veins, and the explosive fighting spirit shook even Akaza, who was locked in struggle with Asuka!
With a roar, his entire body transformed into a golden-red fire dragon, charging straight at Akaza!
The power gathered on his blade was enough to split mountains and tear the sky!
"Damn these humans!"
Killing intent boiled within him to its peak!
Enraged, he bellowed, "Destructive Kill: Eight-Layered Demon Core!"
This time, he abandoned defense entirely. Demon power flooded his fists as he unleashed a barrage of devastating punches straight at Asuka's vital points!
Seeing this, Asuka had no choice but to abandon his attempt to tear Akaza apart. He yanked his blade free and barely managed to block!
Bang bang!!
Two punches still struck his abdomen, forcing him to cough up a mouthful of dark blood!
At that moment, Rengoku arrived!
His Nichirin Blade slashed down fiercely, fire tearing through the air as it struck Akaza's crossed arms!
Screech—!!
The grating sound of bone grinding against steel erupted, accompanied by the sizzle of burning flesh!
The blazing heat from Rengoku's blade tore through Akaza's unyielding demon arms in an instant. The fire dragon-like flames ripped through half his body as if fangs of a beast!
"Cursed Demon Slayers!!" Akaza roared furiously, swinging a punch toward Rengoku—
But an unexpected figure appeared!
Boom—!!
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Godspeed!!!"
The fist Akaza had just raised was severed clean off in a thunderous flash!
Though such a wound could regenerate in an instant for him, in a life-or-death battle, that momentary vacuum was fatal.
No one expected that Zenitsu—the most terrified of demons—would launch the most decisive charge at this moment!
"Hinokami Kagura: Burning Sun!!"
"Beast Breathing, Second Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
Though fear gripped their hearts, Asuka and Rengoku were nearly spent!
Tanjiro and the others could no longer stand idle. Even if they couldn't kill Akaza, they could create even the briefest delay!
By now, the eastern sky had begun to pale!
"What?!" Akaza roared, shock and fury mingling in his voice.
They had dragged it out this long?!
Sunlight! Deadly sunlight was coming!
There was no time left! He had to escape immediately!
At that instant, Asuka finally caught his breath!
"My Style: Fang Thrust!!"
He roared, blood spraying from the corner of his mouth, utterly heedless of it.
Slash!!!
The blazing Nugata stabbed into Akaza's body, interrupting his attempt to flee!
"Damn it! Get lost!!"
Akaza exploded with incomprehensible strength, blasting Tanjiro and the others away! Only Asuka and Rengoku remained, refusing to release their grip, locking him in place!
"Destructive Death: Annihilation!!!"
Akaza unleashed his most violent roar yet!
His newly regenerated fist descended like a black meteor, carrying the pressure to destroy everything as it crashed toward Rengoku Kyojuro!
Rengoku's pupils shrank. His survival instinct screamed at him to dodge!
But as the Flame Hashira, even if he died, he would never release the demon before him!
"Asuka, young man! Cut him down!" he shouted. "Sever his neck!!"
Crunch—!!
A horrifying sound of bone shattering rang out, followed by a spray of blood!
But the one struck was not Rengoku.
At the final instant, Asuka had stepped in front of him.
In a flash, he pulled Nugata free—but did not aim for the neck.
He stepped forward, slicing through Akaza's fist, only to have a broken bone spur pierce straight through his chest.
His uniform and even the bones beneath visibly caved in!
His face turned deathly pale!
With fingers turning bluish and twisted with fury, Asuka gripped Akaza's upper arm, standing firm before Rengoku, raising Nugata once more.
"I said I would protect you. No one is going to die!"
"Get lost!!!"
The sky was already brightening. Akaza had no patience to listen to such nonsense!
Clang—!!
Before his roar faded, Asuka forced out his final breath and slashed his Nichirin Blade across Akaza's neck!
It hurts! It burns! Am I going to be decapitated?!
Akaza was horrified. He tried to knock the blade away, only to realize that after a night of fierce battle, countless wounds from Asuka's sword energy had eroded his body. His regeneration had slowed to a crawl!
"Ahhh—!!" Asuka roared as Nugata tore through Upper Rank Three's flesh, reaching the hard vertebrae!
"Inosuke! Zenitsu! Move!!" Tanjiro, blasted aside, wiped the blood from his mouth and stood again. "Help! We have to hold him! Help Asuka!!"
"Boar Rush!!"
"Thunderclap and Flash!!"
Their blades struck against Asuka's blade at the same time, injecting renewed strength into him!!
"Ahhh—!!!"
Amid everyone's roar, Nugata finally tore through the demon's flesh completely!
Slash—!!
Akaza had never imagined his head would be severed!
At that moment, countless memories surged back—precious memories taken from him after he became a demon under Muzan.
Koyuki...
"How can I fall—!!!"
His severed head roared midair, while his headless body summoned its last strength to kick the gravely wounded Rengoku in the chest and tear off its own arm!
The headless torso staggered back in panic. The rage on his flying face was replaced entirely by terror.
His body leapt, sprouting new limbs to grab his head. Without even pulling the Nichirin Blade embedded in him free, he fled desperately into the forest!
"How is that possible?! Why didn't he die?!" Tanjiro cried out, unable to understand how Akaza still lived!
Asuka stared at the dimmed Nugata in his hand and spat unwillingly.
"At the very end... I ran out of strength... what a pity..."
The light was rapidly spreading. Golden dawn pierced through the curtain of darkness like swords, sweeping across the earth irresistibly!
The first faint ray of sunlight—deadly to demons—touched the treetops at the battlefield's edge!
There was no time left. Hurry! Escape!!
"Black-haired swordsman! I'll remember you! Next time we meet, I'll tear you to pieces!!!"
Akaza became a streak of blood-red shadow, cursing viciously as he vanished into the dense forest, leaving behind only a scorched, foul-smelling trail of blood.
Watching the Upper Rank disappear into the shadows of dawn, the tension in Asuka's body finally snapped.
He could no longer stand. He collapsed to his knees, vomiting blood in great gulps.
Not far from him, Rengoku Kyojuro had been kicked into the remnants of the train carriage, lying unconscious in a pool of blood, his breathing weak to the extreme.
"Asuka! Rengoku!!"
Tanjiro rushed forward in panic to check on Asuka.
Asuka's eyes were already closed. He had fallen into unconsciousness.