"You're strong."
Akaza stared at Himejima Gyomei before him, golden pupils flashing with unhidden excitement as the blue aura around him thickened.
"Your strength, your speed, your control over weapons—all far beyond that Flame Hashira just now. If you become a demon, freed from human limits, it won't take long before you reach the supreme realm of true power! So, how about it? Want to become a demon?"
It was his instinctive obsession with the strong—the mightier his opponent, the more he wanted to turn them, to keep them forever by his side in pursuit of greater strength.
Himejima Gyomei gripped the chain of his flail and axe, his deep voice as solid as stone. "I am the Stone Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps. My lifelong vow is to destroy all demons and protect humanity. The 'supreme realm' you speak of, if built upon harming the innocent, is nothing more than a shroud for sin. Make me a demon? Impossible."
The moment his words fell, Gyomei swung his flail fiercely. The chain howled through the air, smashing straight toward Akaza's face.
The iron spikes embedded in the flail gleamed coldly. If struck, even with a demon's regeneration, the wound would be grievous.
"Stubborn fool!"
A trace of anger flashed in Akaza's eyes, though it was mostly wild excitement. He stepped forward instead of back, gathering fighting spirit into his right fist and slamming it straight toward the flail.
With a deafening boom, the flail veered off course and smashed into the broken wall beside them, collapsing it instantly.
Gyomei reacted fast. His left hand drew the massive axe from his back in one smooth motion, swinging it horizontally. "Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
The heavy axe roared through the air with unstoppable force, slicing toward Akaza's waist.
Akaza twisted aside, his left leg snapping out at Gyomei's knee with such speed that afterimages lingered in the air.
In an instant, they clashed—Gyomei's flail and axe moved in perfect rhythm, sometimes restraining from afar, sometimes slashing up close, every strike carrying the weight to destroy all before it. Akaza countered with fluid footwork and overwhelming aura, weaving between the weapons' reach. Each collision of his fists against iron echoed like thunder.
The ground was pitted and torn by their battle. Crumbled walls kept collapsing, dust shrouding the entire field.
At that moment, several small, lean figures peeked from behind the ruins—the Kakushi.
Seizing the narrow chance between attacks, they sprinted toward the unconscious Flame Hashira, Tanjiro, and Tō, carefully lifting them onto stretchers and rushing toward the outskirts where it was safer.
They moved silently, terrified of drawing either warrior's attention.
But Akaza's senses were far beyond ordinary. The moment they took a few steps, he detected them.
"Annoying insects!"
His gaze turned cold as he broke free from Gyomei's chain and lunged toward the Kakushi, dark energy gathering around his right fist.
"Those who lose are unworthy of life!"
"Don't you dare!"
Seeing this, Gyomei hurled his flail again. The chain coiled like a serpent around Akaza's ankle, yanking him violently back.
"Your opponent is me!"
The axe descended once more, aiming straight for Akaza's neck.
"Stone Breathing, Third Form: Upper Smash!"
Akaza was forced to block, his fists colliding with the axe's edge. Dark energy clashed with stony might, sending both reeling back several steps.
Breathing hard, Akaza glared, confusion and fury mingled in his eyes. "Why protect these weaklings? They can't even fight back! Living like that is just a waste of air!"
"They are not weak."
Gyomei's voice remained steady, but carried unshakable conviction. "They fought with everything they had to protect their comrades. Even wounded, they never gave up their resolve. That kind of will… is worth far more than your so-called strength."
"Enough talk!"
Akaza was fully enraged now, his aura surging violently. His fists swung faster and faster.
"If you insist on protecting them, then I'll kill you first—and crush them all after!"
The battle exploded again. Akaza's fists rained down like a storm, every blow infused with deadly energy, tearing Gyomei's robes and bruising his skin. Blood seeped from several cuts.
Yet the Stone Hashira held firm. His flail and axe strikes grew even sharper. With perfect mastery of Total Concentration Breathing, he analyzed every motion, searching for an opening.
In one fierce clash, Gyomei seized his moment. As Akaza punched, the flail chain suddenly wrapped around his right arm.
At the same instant, the axe swept in from an unexpected angle—a finishing strike he had prepared long before. The blade gleamed coldly, aimed straight for Akaza's neck.
Akaza's pupils contracted. He tried to break free, but the chain held tight. The axe drew closer—
Then, from behind, a faint blue water blade shot through the air, striking the axe's edge with perfect precision.
A metallic clang split the silence. The axe flew from Gyomei's grasp, spinning across the field before embedding itself deep into the ruins, quivering with a long, low hum.
Gyomei turned sharply toward the direction the water blade had come from.
A dark figure stepped slowly out of the shadows, his slit pupils glowing cold blue without a trace of emotion.
It was Upper Moon Two—Tomioka Giyu.
"Akaza."
Giyu's voice was flat, indifferent. His eyes flicked toward Akaza with clear disgust. "You almost got your head cut off by a human. Pathetic."
Akaza's face darkened. He broke free from the flail chain and stepped back a few paces, standing beside Giyu. "I just let my guard down. I wasn't close to being killed."
Giyu didn't reply. His gaze shifted toward the Stone Hashira. Pale-blue ripples of Water Breathing gathered quietly at his fingertips. "Lord Muzan ordered us to retreat."
Gyomei gripped his flail tightly, his expression hard as stone. He stayed on guard, but his mind was already racing. The force behind that earlier water blade had been immense—Giyu's strength had clearly grown even greater than half a year ago.
And dawn was near. At the far edge of the mountains, faint light was already spreading. In a little over half an hour, the sun would rise—and demons could not survive beneath it.
More importantly, Oyakata-sama's reinforcements should be arriving soon. If he could just stall for a while longer, he might be able to keep both Upper Moons here.
But Akaza clearly had no intention of delaying. Glancing at the dim light on the horizon, his expression twisted with frustration. Without realizing it, his fight with the Stone Hashira had already lasted more than half an hour, and that was after his earlier battle with Kyojuro. It was nearly daybreak.
"Fine, we'll retreat! Next time we meet, I'll kill you for sure!"
Akaza shot Gyomei a fierce glare, then turned and sprinted toward the darkness beyond the town.
Giyu cast one last look at Gyomei, then glanced briefly toward the direction where the Kakushi were evacuating the wounded.
Without another word, his figure blurred like a shadow and vanished into the night, following Akaza.
Gyomei didn't chase. He knew in his current state, pursuit would only bring danger. Protecting the wounded and waiting for reinforcements were far more important now.
He walked to where his massive axe had landed, pulled it free from the rubble, and looked toward the brightening sky, his expression heavy.
Just a little more—and he could have killed Upper Moon Three. He hadn't expected Giyu to appear and save him. What did that mean?
Had even Giyu's heart turned into that of a demon?
In the distance, faint footsteps approached—it was Oyakata-sama's reinforcement squad.
Gyomei let out a quiet breath and turned toward the direction the Kakushi had gone.
He had to make sure Kyojuro, Tanjiro, and Tō were safe—and report everything that happened here to Oyakata-sama as soon as possible.
The light on the horizon grew stronger, signaling the start of a new day. But for the Demon Slayer Corps, the war against Muzan was still long and merciless.