Akaza's expression gradually became serious.
The smile that had lingered throughout the battle disappeared completely.
He could sense it.
Meng Siyu had finally resolved himself.
The next exchange would likely determine the outcome of their fight.
"Meng Siyu."
Akaza lowered his stance.
"You truly are a worthy opponent."
The moment those words left his mouth, he vanished.
The ground beneath his feet exploded.
Like an arrow released from a bowstring, Akaza shot forward.
His left fist clenched tightly.
The same fist that had crushed countless powerful enemies.
The same fist that had shattered even Upper Rank Two's jaw on more than one occasion.
Destructive Death: Disorder!
An overwhelming barrage of punches erupted.
Each strike carried enough force to pulverize stone.
Yet Meng Siyu did something unexpected.
He retreated.
He chose to evade rather than clash directly.
Not far away, Doma was still leisurely dealing with the cockroach-like Manjushiro.
The battle had become so one-sided that he had long since lost interest.
The creature's movements had become sluggish from the freezing air.
Every attempt to approach him ended in failure.
Doma sighed.
"How boring."
His rainbow-colored eyes drifted toward the surrounding battlefields.
Muzan had specifically ordered him not to interfere with Kokushibo's battle.
As much as Doma enjoyed causing trouble, even he had no intention of disobeying a direct order.
Then his gaze shifted toward Akaza.
Immediately, he noticed something unusual.
Meng Siyu wasn't retreating out of fear.
He was buying time.
Preparing something.
A stronger attack.
Akaza naturally noticed the same thing.
His first barrage missed.
Without hesitation, he accelerated.
Punch after punch filled the battlefield.
Afterimages layered over one another.
Finally
One strike connected.
Yet something felt wrong.
No explosion occurred.
No violent reaction.
Nothing.
Akaza's eyes narrowed.
Previously, even the slightest contact with Meng Siyu's skin had triggered a devastating detonation.
Why had it stopped?
The answer arrived immediately.
Meng Siyu stepped inside Akaza's guard.
His elbow struck Akaza's arm.
A straight punch followed.
The force drove Akaza backward.
Yet Meng Siyu did not pursue with another punch.
Instead
He took two rapid steps forward.
Closing the distance instantly.
Akaza's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Without hesitation, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
A fraction of a second later
Meng Siyu's elbow connected.
BOOOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the mountain.
Flames erupted.
The surrounding forest trembled.
Smoke swallowed everything.
The shockwave spread across the battlefield.
Even distant combatants instinctively turned toward the source of the blast.
"Lord Akaza!"
Several Lower Moons cried out in alarm.
Such an explosion at point-blank range would have destroyed most demons instantly.
Even Doma stopped smiling.
Gradually, the smoke cleared.
Meng Siyu remained frozen in place.
His elbow was still extended.
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
Directly before him stood Akaza.
Or rather
What remained of Akaza.
His chest had been blown apart.
Half of his head was missing.
Only fragments of flesh still connected his body together.
It was a devastating sight.
For a brief moment, silence reigned.
Then
"Well done."
Akaza's voice echoed from the smoke.
Meng Siyu's eyes widened.
The destroyed flesh began regenerating instantly.
Muscles.
Organs.
Bones.
Everything reformed at a terrifying speed.
Within seconds, Akaza stood whole once more.
"That attack was truly impressive."
Meng Siyu's expression changed.
His Blood Demon Art was supposed to suppress regeneration.
Yet Akaza had overcome it.
Before he could understand how
Akaza attacked.
Destructive Death: Eight-Layered Core!
Eight consecutive strikes exploded outward.
The punches came from every direction simultaneously.
Meng Siyu immediately activated his Blood Demon Art.
Explosions erupted around his body.
The battlefield became a sea of fire and destruction.
Yet Akaza never stopped.
His fists shattered repeatedly.
Each explosion tore them apart.
Each wound regenerated instantly.
Then he attacked again.
And again.
And again.
The relentless assault gradually pushed Meng Siyu onto the defensive.
For the first time since the battle began, exhaustion appeared on his face.
Meanwhile, Akaza only seemed to grow stronger.
"Meng Siyu."
Akaza's voice remained calm.
"Thanks to fighting you…"
A smile appeared.
"I've remembered something important."
The memories he had once lost.
The feelings he had buried.
The promise he had failed to keep.
Those emotions had resurfaced during battle.
His fighting spirit intensified.
Not because of rage.
But because he finally understood why he fought.
Nearby, Doma observed with mild interest.
"Well."
He folded his fan.
"It seems Lord Akaza has already won."
The difference was becoming increasingly obvious.
Meng Siyu was still strong.
Exceptionally strong.
But Akaza's growth during battle was terrifying.
Every second pushed him closer to defeat.
Seeing there was nothing left to worry about, Doma turned his attention elsewhere.
The cockroach-like Manjushiro was still trying desperately to reach him.
Its movements were painfully slow.
Doma crouched slightly.
His smile remained as pleasant as ever.
"Are you angry?"
The creature glared at him.
"Tell me."
Doma tilted his head.
"What does anger feel like?"
The Manjushiro remained silent.
It simply continued crawling forward.
Doma sighed dramatically.
"How disappointing."
Another burst of freezing air erupted from his fan.
The creature slowed even further.
Elsewhere, Doma began casually spectating the remaining battles.
"Gyutaro."
"Daki."
"Do your best."
His gaze shifted again.
"Lord Gyokko."
"You seem to be taking your time."
Gyokko immediately clicked his tongue.
His battle had become considerably easier.
With Hantengu's emotion clones relentlessly attacking Kokori, the centipede-like Manjushiro barely had any opportunity to focus on Gyokko.
Every opening became an opportunity.
Every distraction became another wound.
The large intelligent fish summoned by Gyokko floated nearby.
Whenever Kokori attempted to move, poisonous needles rained down.
Two more centipede bodies eventually collapsed.
Their bodies were riddled with venomous spikes.
The poison spread rapidly.
Their movements slowed.
Then stopped.
Kokori's expression darkened.
This battle was becoming increasingly hopeless.
The combined pressure from Gyokko and Hantengu's clones was overwhelming.
He needed nourishment.
He needed to recover.
And quickly.
His eyes suddenly shifted.
Nearby.
The Lower Moons.
Fresh prey.
If he could devour even one of them, his condition would improve dramatically.
Without hesitation, he abandoned caution.
One of his remaining centipede bodies broke away from the battlefield.
He surged forward.
Straight toward the Lower Moons.
The plan itself wasn't unreasonable.
The route he chose, however
Was disastrous.
At that exact moment, Haigra was fighting desperately against Gyutaro and Daki.
For the first time in the battle, he had begun pushing them back.
The siblings were being forced onto the defensive.
Then
THUMP!
Something slammed into Haigra's leg.
Caught completely off guard, he stumbled.
His balance vanished instantly.
Everything he had worked to gain disappeared.
Gyutaro's eyes lit up.
"Got you."
Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!
Dozens of poisonous blades erupted forward.
Haigra was struck repeatedly.
The poison immediately entered his body.
At the same time, Daki's obi wrapped around his legs.
The next moment
He smashed face-first into the ground.
Meanwhile, Kokori never even looked back.
He continued charging forward.
Completely oblivious to the disaster he had caused.
As far as he was concerned, Haigra's misfortune had nothing to do with him.
The strange scene naturally attracted attention.
Even Gyokko paused.
Hantengu's clones also stared.
What exactly was Kokori trying to accomplish?
Why would he suddenly abandon his battlefield?
Then they realized something.
The direction he was heading.
The place he was running toward.
The most dangerous battlefield on the entire mountain.
Kokushibo's battlefield.
The battlefield where Upper Rank One was facing Kutenmoku and Fujiyuki.
The moment that realization struck them, every combatant froze.
Even Kokori himself seemed to realize where he had arrived.
The terrifying pressure filling the area was unlike anything else on the mountain.
Moonlit slashes carved through the landscape.
The earth had been reduced to ruin.
Every exchange between Kokushibo and the two evolved Manjushiro carried enough force to reshape the battlefield.
For the first time since the battle began
Kokori felt genuine fear.
Because he had just rushed headfirst into the center of a battlefield that no one else dared approach.
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