Akaza, who had regained his memories and returned to being Hakuji, slowly came back to his senses.
The confusion and pain in his eyes faded, replaced by a rare clarity and quiet resolve. As he looked at Raiden, a complicated emotion surfaced, and the regeneration of his body came to a complete stop.
His gaze dropped to the Destructive Kill, Compass Needle beneath him, and deep regret filled his heart.
Hakuji finally understood.
This technique had never been meant to destroy others, it had always been a reflection of himself, the one who failed to uphold his promises to his father and to Koiyuki.
He had stained his master's Soryu martial arts with blood. What was meant to protect had been twisted into something that killed.
With the obsession to grow stronger gone, his body lost the will to regenerate.
Just as Raiden assumed everything had reached its natural end, the Infinity Castle suddenly shook violently.
A furious voice tore through the air.
"Fight. Keep fighting. This life was given by me."
The presence of Kibutsuji Muzan pressed down like a storm.
Raiden caught a glimpse of him, a mass of shifting flesh, pulsing with rage. The very air trembled around him.
Under that overwhelming will, Akaza's body, which had already stilled, began to writhe once more.
An invisible force dragged him back.
Hakuji understood his sins. He knew the lives he had taken.
He did not want to return.
But Muzan's control, built over centuries, weighed heavily on him. For a moment, he could not fully break free, and his body began to regenerate against his will.
In that struggle, memories surfaced again.
Koiyuki appeared before him.
Her face was as gentle as he remembered.
Hakuji's emotions surged. He reached out and held her, his voice shaking.
"Koiyuki… forgive me. I failed you. I failed everything we promised."
Tears filled his eyes.
Koiyuki gently touched his face, her expression soft.
"Welcome home, husband."
There was no anger in her voice, only warmth.
In that moment, all his pain disappeared.
Hakuji's body began to break apart, turning into fragments that drifted into the air.
His soul was finally free.
No matter how much Muzan raged, no matter how strongly he tried to pull him back, it no longer mattered.
Hakuji was beyond his reach.
Raiden did not spare Muzan another glance.
The more unstable Muzan became, the clearer it was that he felt threatened.
That alone was enough.
Raiden turned and faced Kokushibo, his expression calm.
He lifted his chin slightly.
"Now it is just you, Kokushibo."
Kokushibo met his gaze in silence, his eyes sharp with focus.
Akaza's death meant little to him emotionally, but the way it happened could not be ignored.
Even after being strengthened by Muzan, Akaza had rivaled, and even surpassed, Doma. Yet Raiden had ended him in a single strike.
That difference in strength was undeniable.
Raiden looked at Kokushibo, who had already activated his Demon Slayer Mark and drawn his blade, then smiled faintly.
If Kokushibo had started the battle like this, things might have gone differently.
But that chance was gone.
In an instant, Raiden vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Kokushibo.
His Nichirin blade cut through the air, lightning patterns glowing across its surface as golden sparks crackled around it.
Kokushibo reacted immediately, thrusting his flesh blade forward to block.
The clash rang out sharply.
Sparks burst between them.
Raiden's strike sliced through Kokushibo's defense and continued straight toward his neck.
Pain flared.
The blade had already cut into him.
Kokushibo pulled back instantly, his weapon shifting and striking back toward Raiden.
Raiden stepped away with ease, creating distance as if it required no effort at all.
He looked at Kokushibo with a faint smile.
Warm blood traced down Kokushibo's neck.
For the first time, his composure faltered.
If his blade had not slowed the strike, his head would already be on the ground.
"How is this possible?"
Even he struggled to accept it.
He was in peak condition.
Yet Raiden had wounded him in a single exchange.
It had only been a short time since their last encounter. Raiden's growth made no sense.
Was he hiding his strength before?
Kokushibo dismissed the thought immediately.
Raiden had nearly died back then. There was no room for deception in that moment.
In the distance, Sanemi stopped moving.
His eyes widened as he stared at the scene.
Upper Moon One had almost been beheaded in a single strike.
And Raiden had not even used a breathing technique yet.
Sanemi felt his steps grow heavy.
The enemy they had struggled against together now seemed completely outmatched.
Was it that they were too weak?
Or that Raiden stood far beyond them?
The wounds on Sanemi's body still ached from his earlier fight with Kokushibo.
He was not alone.
The other Hashira, who had been ready to step in, now hesitated.
What could they even do?
At this rate, if Raiden attacked again, even Upper Moon One might not survive it.
___
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