One exhausted swordsman after another was rescued by Soma and sent to rest in the rear.
The rescued swordsmen were unwilling, but their arms could barely lift their blades anymore. They had no choice but to retreat, hoping only to recover as quickly as possible and return to the battle.
"I am not exhausted. I can still fight. As a Hashira, as a senior, how could I stop and rest at a time like this?"
Kyojuro Rengoku swung his Nichirin Sword and cut off a demon's head. Seeing Soma appear before him and tell him to withdraw, he shouted loudly, as if trying to prove he still had strength left.
Yet his trembling legs, swaying body, and bloodstained haori all revealed just how terrible his condition truly was.
As a Hashira, and as a senior, Rengoku had to stand forward in such a critical moment.
That was what the strong were supposed to do.
It was also the belief Kyojuro Rengoku had always upheld.
But reality did not bend to human will. Hashira were powerful, but they could not truly compare with demons. High-intensity combat consumed tremendous stamina. With Breathing Styles, they could continue fighting, but their bodies could not endure forever.
This was the limitation of being human.
This was where humans could not compare to demons.
"Stand down, Kyojuro."
Soma spoke again. "If you keep going, even a Hashira's body will fail."
"But…"
Rengoku looked at the surging demons before him. His trembling hand tightened around his Nichirin Sword.
As a Hashira, how could he possibly step back and rest now?
"I can still continue." Rengoku gritted his teeth.
"Stop saying foolish things. Every swing you make now is draining your own body."
"I…"
Rengoku raised his head and looked at Soma, who stood before him and cut down a charging demon with one slash. He could not help speaking.
"What about you? Are you not the same? Even if Mr. Soma is stronger than I am, have you not also been fighting until now?"
For a moment, Soma did not know how to answer Rengoku.
He was not human. He was a demon. He did not need to worry about stamina collapsing, nor did he need to worry about his body being wounded, tired, or thirsty.
But Rengoku did not know that.
Rengoku only knew that Soma was the same kind of person as him.
"Step back. If you continue like this, you will only slow me down."
Soma did not turn his head. His voice was cold.
Just then, a demon lunged at Rengoku. In the past, an ordinary demon like this would have been cut down by Rengoku with a single slash.
Even now, Rengoku thought the same.
But when he swung his blade, he suddenly felt as though the sword weighed a thousand pounds. The Nichirin Sword he could usually wield with ease now felt unbearably heavy. He could only watch as the demon's sharp claws tore toward him.
"Die."
A cold voice sounded beside him.
A sharp blade flashed through the dark night. Soma's sword swept in and cut off the head of the demon attacking Rengoku, saving him.
"Withdraw. In your current state, you are not suited to keep fighting. As a swordsman, do not drag your feet." Soma said only that.
"Then you…"
Looking at Soma as he continued fighting, Rengoku tightened his grip on his sword hilt. In the end, he stepped back in frustration.
"I will recover soon. Then I can replace you. Then I can fight by your side again. If you run out of strength, please withdraw in time."
"Stop talking nonsense, Kyojuro."
"If you run out of strength, please withdraw in time. I will immediately—"
"Stop talking nonsense."
...
Among the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps, the one with the greatest stamina was undoubtedly the Stone Hashira, Gyomei Himejima.
He had trained his body to the very limits of humanity. Even before joining the Demon Slayer Corps, before he had ever learned a Breathing Style, he had once beaten a demon with his bare fists until morning, keeping it there until sunlight burned it to death.
Now, amid the surging demon horde, he swung his spiked flail and axe again and again, smashing the demons around him. Almost every second, a demon was crushed into pulp by his heavy weapons. Wherever he passed, he was like a meat grinder tearing through demons.
He was also the only swordsman still able to fight beside Soma.
"Mr. Soma's physical training may already be above my own."
Gyomei Himejima crushed another demon beside him with his spiked flail. Through his Mind's Eye, he sensed Soma's movements and could not help praising him.
"You are just as powerful, Himejima-senpai."
Soma smiled lightly as he moved through the demon horde. Wherever his blade flashed, demon heads fell.
Like wheat before a scythe, their heads were severed and their lives ended. Every demon that surged forward met the same fate.
Gradually, the demons' advance began to slow. The way they looked at Soma also began to change. Their crimson eyes were no longer filled only with bloodlust. Something else appeared within them.
Fear.
Some demons even began retreating unconsciously as Soma cut his way toward them.
At first, it was only one.
Then two.
Then three.
Demons were not creatures without reason. Even though bloodlust filled their hearts, they could still feel fear. They could still be terrified.
No one could calmly face death.
Demons were the same.
Boom!
A retreating demon suddenly exploded, blood and flesh splattering across the ground.
It was not because he had been attacked.
The curse within his blood had suddenly erupted.
At that moment, almost every demon heard their lord's voice surge within their hearts.
Those who retreated would die.
Those who advanced would receive more of their lord's blood.
No demon dared defy their lord's will.
And with their craving for his blood added in, the crimson in their eyes grew even stronger.
A demon whose strength approached that of the Twelve Kizuki suddenly rushed forward. His desire to become a new member of the Twelve Kizuki, and his hunger for his lord's blood, drove him to launch a sneak attack on Soma.
An attack far beyond that of an ordinary demon tore toward Soma. This demon even felt that he had surpassed himself in this moment. Even a strike from one of the Twelve Kizuki might not necessarily possess such power.
Facing this demon's attack, Soma only looked at him quietly.
Then he swung the Nichirin Sword in his hand.
The demon had clearly attacked first.
His claws had nearly reached Soma's vital point.
But…
Feeling his body grow farther and farther away, the demon could not understand.
Why am I the one whose head was cut off?
Thud!
Only after his head fell to the ground did the demon see Soma draw back the blade that had passed through his neck.
He also saw the blood spraying from his own throat.
So…
His blade was that fast.
With a single slash, Soma beheaded a demon whose strength approached that of the Twelve Kizuki. There was nothing flashy about it. It was as effortless as slaughtering a chicken.
The morale that had just been stirred among the demons suddenly froze. Many demons unconsciously fixed their eyes on Soma, watching the man stand calmly where he was, watching blood drip from his blade like flowing water.
Every demon felt bitterness rise in their hearts.
If they charged forward, he would kill them.
If they retreated, they would suffer their lord's curse.
No matter what they did...
Are we really going to die here today?
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