"..."
At this moment, Kokushibou fell silent as he stared at the young man before him.
However, as his silence deepened, the aura he emitted became even more terrifying and astonishing.
*Glug*
Soon, Kokushibou slowly raised his sword, which emitted a squirming sound as it gradually elongated and transformed.
Before long, the sword in Kokushibou's hand completely changed its form, becoming a massive longsword, with its blade sprouting several blades like a branch, making it extremely intimidating.
In fact, the sword in Kokushibou's hand was no ordinary weapon but a demon sword forged from his own flesh and blood.
His Blood Demon Art allowed him to transform his physical body into blades at will. Not only could the blades unleash crescent moon slashes, but when combined with Moon Breathing, their effect far surpassed ordinary Blood Demon Arts.
Because of this, Kokushibou was known as a sword demon, not only because he was a demon swordsman proficient in the breathing style but also because he himself was akin to a sword.
Since every piece of his flesh could transform into a blade, even if his sword was damaged, it could instantly regenerate and evolve into a heteromorph weapon with multiple blades as his power was unleashed.
In other words, this state was Kokushibou's full-power form.
In the next moment, Kokushibou began to swing his sword.
"Moon Breathing - Seventh Form - Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit!"
Slashing his sword forward, five crescent moon blades surged forth, fanning out across the ground and sending arc-shaped shockwaves toward Riezel.
Seeing this, Riezel's eyebrows slightly furrowed and his eyes began to emit a radiant glow. He swiftly shifted his steps, dodging each blade one by one.
"Moon Breathing - Eighth Form - Moon-Dragon Ringtail!"
Kokushibou showed no sign of stopping his attacks, continuing to wield his demon sword, unleashing a massive slash that could sweep away everything.
A massive crescent moon blade was attached to this enormous slash, like a dazzling streak, slashing fiercely toward Riezel.
Facing such a wide-range slash, there was no way to avoid it on the ground. Even the stone pillars standing in front of Riezel were effortlessly cut down, collapsing with a crash.
In the end, it forced Riezel to leap into the air, letting the massive crescent moon blade scrape beneath his feet and strike the wall behind him.
*BOOM!*
As the wall shattered on impact, it broke into pieces that scattered across the ground.
"Moon Breathing - Ninth Form - Waning Moonswath!"
Kokushibou, relentless, slashed countless crisscrossing waves at the airborne Riezel, the slashes forming a web of interlocking crescent moon blades, sealing off all of his escape routes.
Looking around, Riezel found himself surrounded by interwoven tornadoes of crescent moon blades, where a single misstep would result in being torn to shreds, leaving no trace behind.
Realizing this, Riezel stopped dodging.
"Sun Breathing - Sixth Form - Burning Bones, Summer Sun."
Suspended in midair, Riezel unleashed a whirlpool of rotating flames amidst the barrage of crescent moon blades. Although he still hadn't unsheathed his sword and was still using the scabbard, he performed the sword form of Sun Breathing perfectly.
Such an extraordinary skill demonstrated Riezel's progress over the past two months.
Through continuous combat training with the Hashira, he had not only deepened his understanding and comprehension of every sword form of the evolved Sun Breathing, but he had also mastered all forms of sword techniques and had truly achieved the state of 'Total Concentration - Constant'.
As a result, even without drawing his sword, even with just a wooden stick or a scabbard, Riezel could execute any form of Sun Breathing, no longer limited to using a sword.
*BOOOM!*
In this scenario, the vortex of flames clashed with the crescent moon blades, resulting in a massive explosion in midair.
Riezel emerged from the fiery explosion and managed to land back on the ground without a scratch.
However, the moment he landed, a figure swiftly closed in on him.
"Moon Breathing - Tenth Form - Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves!"
Kokushibou, now just a step away from Riezel, unleashed three gigantic crescent moon blades without hesitation.
*Rumble—!*
As the crescent moon blades tore through the air, ripping apart the ground where Riezel stood, the earth crumbled beneath him, drawing him into the raging blades.
*BOOOM!*
Riezel immediately swung his scabbard to meet the attack, shattering the violent crescent moon blades with a tremendous shockwave.
Kokushibou, unfazed by the shockwave's rampage, charged toward Riezel again, slashing at him with relentless attacks.
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
Riezel calmly countered, parrying all the incoming slashes.
*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!*
Sparks and radiance burst around Riezel and Kokushibou in a dazzling, intense display.
Amid these relentless attacks, Kokushibou suddenly spoke up.
"He is just like you…"
Kokushibou's sudden remark was unexpected.
"He is just like you… His eyes always look ahead… Like he's seeing some target… Some place he must reach… So brilliant… And so annoying!"
*BOOM!*
Kokushibou's slashes grew fiercer, tearing through the ground, the air, and even the surrounding walls, ceiling, and rubble made from shattered stone pillars.
"I know what you're looking at…"
"You're looking at Lord Muzan… In your eyes… He's the only worthy opponent…"
"You're looking at humanity's future… At a glorious path… An ideal so grand that anyone who sees it can't help but admire and aspire to it…"
"Indeed… You're great… Strong…"
"But your eyes… Your eyes never seen me!"
Kokushibou quickly unleashed countless enormous crescent moon blades, turning his slashes into a raging storm, an overwhelming storm directed at Riezel.
Such an all-encompassing storm left Riezel with no way to escape, and his figure was quickly swallowed by the storm of slashes, torn apart, shattered, vanishing without a trace.
However, in the next second, Riezel's figure suddenly reappeared behind Kokushibou.
"Sun Breathing - Fourth Form - Fake Rainbow..."
Riezel whispered Sun Breathing's sword form.
Fake Rainbow—a specialized evasion sword form achieved through high-speed twists and turns, creating afterimages like sun flames. It allowed the user to become a flickering mirage, dodging enemy attacks while slipping into their blind spots.
Using this sword form, Riezel appeared behind Kokushibou like a flickering sun flame, raising his scabbard and slashing down.
*DING!*
At the critical moment, Kokushibou, with his understanding of Sun Breathing and his ability to use the Transparent World, turned around just in time to block the scabbard slash with his demon sword.
Surprisingly, the seemingly ordinary scabbard could directly clash with the grotesque demon sword, causing sparks to fly explosively.
"I'm right here! Right in front of you!"
Kokushibou let out a low growl as his six demon eyes glared at Riezel.
"I'm not an ant! Not some insignificant weakling! Do I not even have the right to enter your eyes?!"
"You are so arrogant! So self-centered! So detestable!"
Kokushibou roared angrily at Riezel.
"You want to know the throne?! You want to find Lord Muzan?!"
"Defeat me first!"
"Defeat me! Kokushibou (Tsugikuni Michikatsu)!"
As Kokushibou roared, an unprecedentedly terrifying aura erupted from him.
"Moon Breathing - Sixteenth Form - Moonbow, Half Moon!"
In Moon Breathing created by Kokushibou, this was the strongest move—the final form of Moon Breathing.
Hundreds of years of persistent research and practice of Moon Breathing led Kokushibou to create sixteen forms, far surpassing any other breathing style.
Even Sun Breathing in Yoriichi's hands had only thirteen forms.
Moon Breathing, however, had sixteen, clearly showing the depth of Kokushibou's research into his own breathing style, reaching a level that ordinary Demon Slayers could hardly achieve.
In fact, Kokushibou was not weak.
Just as he had said earlier, he was not an ant or a weakling.
Creating a breathing style like Moon Breathing and improving it to such an extent was proof enough that Kokushibou himself was a genius in swordsmanship.
It was believable that in another era, he would have been a great swordsman, an extraordinary figure whose name would go down in history.
Unfortunately, this genius happened to encounter a monstrous genius.
Moreover, it was not just one, but two.
*BOOM!*
When Kokushibou's final sword form descended from the sky, transforming into several gigantic crescent moon blades that shattered the earth and the entire palace, Riezel slowly raised his head.
*Scwing!*
Amid the clear sound of a sword's hum, Riezel finally drew his sword.
Soon, flames erupted around him, while intense heat surged from his body.
On the blade of the famous divine sword known as Hermit, red patterns glowed like the sun, engulfing Riezel in flames and transforming him into a blazing sun.
*Whoosh!*
In the next moment, Riezel's figure darted out, the blazing sun he had become evaporating the giant crescent moon blades and burning away Kokushibou's slash.
Before Kokushibou could react, Riezel's sword sliced past him.
"Sun Breathing - Twelfth Form - Flame Dance..."
*Swish!*
In a calm voice, Riezel's sword traced an almost perfect circle, transforming into two scorching slashes that cut through Kokushibou's body.
"..."
Everything instantly fell into a silent stillness.
Riezel and Kokushibou landed in the shattered palace, touching the ground simultaneously.
They stood back to back, one holding a flaming sword and the other a demon sword, saying nothing more.
*BOOM!*
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, two murals fell from mid-air—one crashing down in front of Riezel, the other in front of Kokushibou.
The murals depicted the sun and the moon, respectively.
The mural in front of Riezel depicted the sun.
The mural in front of Kokushibou depicted the moon.
The two of them, like the murals—one radiated brilliant sunlight, while the other emitted desolate moonlight.
*Click*
"Are you satisfied?"
Riezel slowly sheathed his sword and asked indifferently.
"..."
No response.
Kokushibou remained silent.
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In a daze, Kokushibou recalled an event that happened a long, long time ago.
It was about sixty years after he had become a demon, abandoned his name and human identity, and betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps.
He remembered it was a night like tonight, with the moon dyed red as if by blood.
At that time, he had witnessed something unbelievable while passing by a seven-story pagoda in the countryside.
He saw a person.
An old man, over eighty years old, with white hair and a face full of wrinkles.
He wore a kimono that felt extremely familiar to Kokushibou and carried a sword. Despite his aged appearance, Kokushibou recognized him immediately.
It was none other than his younger brother—Tsugikuni Yoriichi.
After about sixty years, he saw his younger brother again, the sun swordsman who had made him jealous, disgusted, and resentful for a lifetime.
At that time, he truly couldn't believe his eyes.
All those who bore the Demon Slayer Mark were supposed to die before the age of twenty-five.
As a result, Kokushibou had always thought that his younger brother, who had always overshadowed him, was long dead. Yet, not only was his younger brother alive, but he had also lived to be over eighty, which was simply unbelievable.
However, as he doubted his eyes, his younger brother, now an old man with white hair, shed tears.
"How sad... Brother..."
With tears in his eyes, his younger brother said those words and instantly took a stance—a flawless stance that exuded such strong pressure that Kokushibou almost couldn't breathe.
In the blink of an eye, his younger brother moved.
At that moment, he had no idea what had happened.
At that moment, he didn't even feel pain.
Even though his Transparent World was always active and he was much stronger than before after becoming a demon, he lost track of his younger brother and watched him disappear right before his eyes.
When he came to his senses, he realized that his younger brother had delivered the final slash of his life, landing behind him. Unbeknownst to him, he now sported a fresh cut on his neck, nearly beheading him on the spot.
At that moment, he had to admit that he truly trembled in fear.
What terrified him was that after sixty years, his younger brother, now an old man with white hair, could still deliver a strike with the same power and speed as in his prime, leaving him unable to react.
He understood that on that night, he almost died at the hands of his most hated younger brother.
However, his younger brother was exhausted after delivering that strike and died on the spot.
His younger brother's death allowed him to survive.
His younger brother's death also gave him a defeat that could never be recovered.
With his life as the price, his younger brother told him that even though he had become a demon and much stronger than before, he still couldn't block a single strike from his aged younger brother.
Humiliation.
Resentment.
Anger.
All these emotions surged in Kokushibou's heart that night, making him unable to forget the name 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi' for the rest of his life.
Because of this, he vowed never to lose to anyone other than Yoriichi in his lifetime and to assist Muzan in eliminating anyone who knew about Sun Breathing.
Now, as several hundred years had passed, he always thought he had forgotten that past and no longer felt humiliated by that unbearable memory.
Yet, he realized he had never truly let it go.
Clearly, the name 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi' had brought him too much jealousy, too much hatred, too much anger, and too many memories.
In such a situation, when Riezel appeared bearing the name 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi', Kokushibou lost all rationality and calmness, with only one thought left in his mind—to defeat him, to defeat the man named 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi'.
Whether it was to prove that he had surpassed his younger brother or for some other reason, perhaps not even he himself knew.
He only knew one thing—even after hundreds of years, he still had to live in his younger brother's shadow.
However, despite all that, he ultimately lost to 'Tsugikuni Yoriichi' once again.
Still with just one strike.
One strike, and he was defeated.
Defeated so miserably, so thoroughly.
"Are you satisfied?"
Riezel's voice slowly reached Kokushibou's ears.
"..."
Kokushibou was silent for a long, long time before finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Why... Just why can't I win against you..."
*Thud!*
With these words, Kokushibou's head slid off his neck and fell to the ground.
At the same time, his body was cut in half at the waist, one part falling to the ground while the other part slid against the moonlit wall, facing the desolate, lonely full moon and gradually losing its aura.
With the sun mural behind him still dazzling, Riezel calmly turned around, looking at Kokushibou, who was gradually turning to ashes.
"It was not Tsugikuni Yoriichi that you couldn't win against..." Riezel murmured slowly. "You just couldn't win against yourself..."
With these words, he turned around, intending to leave.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a voice stopped him.
"..."
Riezel stopped, turned around, and as he looked at the voice's owner, his calm expression soon shifted to surprise.
"What are you two doing here?"
As he asked, he saw two figures appear out of thin air in a corner of the ruined, altar-like palace, approaching him.
He had seen this method of appearing once near the headquarters of the Demon Slayer Corps two months ago.
Yes, these two were none other than Tamayo and Yushirou.
"We infiltrated using the Blood Demon Art."
Tamayo answered Riezel's question, watching Kokushibou gradually turn to ashes and disappear, her expression complex.
"I didn't expect that even the Upper One wasn't a match for you... You're far stronger than I imagined..."
Tamayo naturally knew Kokushibou.
After all, she was a demon who had survived from the Sengoku period to the present, had seen Yoriichi, witnessed Muzan's pitiful condition, and, of course, had also encountered Michikatsu, Yoriichi's elder brother who had once betrayed the Demon Slayer Corps.
Because of this, she understood very well how powerful Kokushibou was.
In this world, the Upper Ranks were powerful beings, existing on a completely different level from other demons, including the Lower Ranks, who were regarded as ants by them.
Even the Hashira were helpless and no match for the Upper Ranks, as most of them who had bravely sacrificed themselves so far had died at the hands of the Upper Ranks.
Yet, even such Upper Ranks were nothing more than ants before Kokushibou.
Like how the Upper Ranks and the Lower Ranks were not on the same level, Kokushibou was also not on the same level as the other Upper Ranks.
Given this, Tamayo always thought that the only one capable of overpowering Kokushibou was Muzan, which meant that even if Riezel wanted to defeat Kokushibou, he wouldn't find it easy.
However, who would have thought that Riezel would surprise her so much?
He had proven with his strength that even the Upper One, second only to the Demon King, could not withstand his sword.
"Are you looking for the throne?" Tamayo asked solemnly. "I'll show you the way."
"Oh?" Riezel raised an eyebrow. "You know where this throne is?"
In response to his question, Tamayo replied with just one sentence.
"I haven't lived in vain for hundreds of years."
During these hundreds of years, besides researching drugs to counter Muzan and to turn demons back into humans, Tamayo had tirelessly investigated him, seeking every possible means to obtain information related to him.
Her Blood Demon Art involved injuring herself to generate illusions that could confuse anyone who smelled her blood, making it very useful for extracting and investigating information.
Yushirou, who had always followed her, possessed a Blood Demon Art related to vision, capable of obscuring others' sight or revealing things that were usually invisible, creating visual illusions that also greatly assisted her in her endeavors.
For this reason, Tamayo and Yushirou were able to infiltrate the Infinity Castle and map out its terrain.
"Follow me..."
Tamayo closed her eyes, murmuring as she suppressed certain emotions.
"Let everything end tonight."
She felt that perhaps this was her purpose for surviving until now.
Riezel looked at Tamayo silently and nodded a moment later.
And so, the three of them immediately left and headed toward the location where Muzan was.
===
At the same time, Kasugai Crows quickly spread the news of what had just happened at the altar-like palace.
"Head Instructor Tsugikuni Yoriichi has defeated the Upper One! Head Instructor Tsugikuni Yoriichi has defeated the Upper One!"
"Upper One! Defeated!"
"Casualties are zero!"
As this news reached the ears of every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, they were instantly filled with vigor.
"YOSHA—!"
"We defeated the Upper One!"
"Long live Lord Head Instructor!"
Every member of the Demon Slayer Corps erupted in cheers.
"Ho-How... How is this possible?!"
On the other hand, the demons, including the Upper Ranks currently in battle, couldn't believe their ears.
"Kokushibou... defeated?"
"So quickly...?"
"No! It can't be!"
"How could that Kokushibou be so easily beaten?!"
Not a single demon was without shock, nor dared to believe it.
Especially Kaigaku, who was currently fighting Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, was unwilling to accept this reality.
"How could he lose? How could he be beaten by a human?"
Kaigaku felt as if his faith had been shattered.
After all, the reason he became a demon was because of encountering Kokushibou, nearly being killed by him, and only surviving by begging for his life. He drank Muzan's blood out of a desire for immense power like Kokushibou's.
He knew very well how terrifying and powerful Kokushibou was, and yet, those crows said that Kokushibou had been defeated.
"Impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible!"
As Kaigaku yelled in disbelief, Zenitsu staggered to his feet and shouted at Kaigaku.
"Lord Head Instructor's strength is beyond anything you can imagine!"
"How does it feel?"
"The human you've looked down upon is now going to cut off your king's head!"
Zenitsu's shout sent an inexplicable panic through Kaigaku's heart.
'Are we... really going to lose?'
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