The moment Inosuke Hashibira shouted that, everyone snapped into motion.
So that was how they'd managed those hidden strikes against Muzan Kibutsuji earlier.
No more hesitation. They moved at once.
"Serpent Breathing, Fourth Form!"
Obanai Iguro gripped his now crimson Nichirin blade and lunged straight at Muzan!
The instant he closed in, Obanai twisted in midair, spinning a full one hundred eighty degrees. The wavering, snake like slash fell from above, cleaving through Muzan's arms and more than a dozen tentacles in one sweeping cut!
Splurt!
Blood burst out as Muzan's arms began to regenerate.
Normally, it would've been instantaneous.
But now, only about half grew back.
It still looked terrifying, but the sight made everyone's eyes light up.
"Yes! If a Crimson Blade hits him, even Muzan's regeneration slows down!"
"Move! Tear him to pieces!"
Sanemi Shinazugawa slapped a talisman onto his forehead and shot forward.
Zenitsu Agatsuma tore off his damaged charm, replaced it with a fresh one, and charged too, crying the whole time as he clutched his Nichirin sword.
"If I'm gonna die, then I'll die!"
"Thunder Breathing, First Form!"
"Thunderclap and Flash!"
Zenitsu became a streak of lightning. He could use Thunder Breathing smoothly now, even if it was still only the first form…
"Enough with these stupid tricks!" Muzan roared, furious.
The blades and tentacles across his body whipped wildly, shredding the air in every direction, a blind massacre meant to erase anyone who dared draw near.
"Serpent Breathing, Third Form!"
"Coiling Serpent!"
Obanai's figure flickered like a mirage, cutting through Muzan's tentacles from impossible angles, severing them again and again.
A crow swept down overhead, shouting on schedule.
"Caw! One hour until sunrise! One hour!"
One hour…
They'd been fighting to the brink of death, every single one of them already drenched in wounds.
And only half an hour had passed.
The remaining time was double what they'd already endured.
But no one broke.
Endure, or die. There was no other ending.
In the chaos, Gyomei Himejima's Transparent World flared again. His sightless eyes suddenly pierced through Muzan's body.
"What…? He has five brains and seven hearts!"
Gyomei was shaken. He'd never seen a body this grotesque.
And in the same instant, he understood.
Maybe Muzan's immortality wasn't just about protecting his head.
Maybe every part of him was a head.
A living command center.
For a heartbeat, Gyomei thought he'd found a way to kill Muzan before sunrise.
"Look harder! Watch his body closely!"
He bellowed and swung his flail.
The iron ball smashed Muzan's upper arm to pulp.
But something even more horrifying happened.
The heart that had been inside that arm moved before the blow landed, sliding away like it had a will of its own.
The strike hit nothing vital.
Useless.
Gyomei pressed in again.
But Muzan had already realized Gyomei had seen through him.
His face stayed calm as he shifted his killing intent, focusing everything on Gyomei.
In an instant, Gyomei was forced back into a defensive corner.
His flail and axe whipped and roared, but it was only barely enough to survive.
That brief shift bought the others time.
Obanai widened his mismatched eyes until they burned.
The world in front of him changed.
"Transparent…? Muzan's body is turning transparent?!"
Obanai stared, stunned.
The Demon King's vital organs were multiple.
Not one.
Not two.
But before he could fully react, Muzan exploded.
The ground beneath his feet shattered, spiderweb cracks racing outward.
Blades shot up like flying swords, launching in a storm!
The battlefield shook violently. The blast like roar ripped into the sky!
"What's that sound? That shaking…"
A medic treating the wounded staggered, thrown off by the tremor.
He turned toward Muzan's direction.
"Where… where did everyone go?"
A harsh breath sounded beside him.
He turned again.
Gyomei's body was sunk deep into the ground, his legs gashed so badly the pale bone was nearly visible.
Giyu Tomioka was pinned in a corner.
Obanai was thrown up onto a second floor ledge.
They'd all been driven back.
All of them.
"Too fast… it's too fast…"
Kanao Tsuyuri sat collapsed on the ground, her Nichirin sword snapped in two.
Muzan walked toward her.
Kanao's body trembled.
"Get up. Get up!"
"My legs… stop shaking. Stand up, fight back!"
She growled it at herself, but fear had locked her joints in place.
"Fight to the end. So what if I die…"
"But I can't die like this, meaningless…!"
She shouted, but her body still refused to move.
Muzan lifted his arm, ready to bring it down.
If that blow landed, she would die.
But then…
Firelight flooded across Kanao's face.
Two familiar figures appeared in front of her like a miracle.
Muzan's arm was caught by Vincent Fox and ripped clean off in one brutal motion.
At the same time, Tanjiro Kamado's Nichirin blade flared crimson, flames surging over the edge.
"Hinokami Kagura!"
"Brilliant Grace!"
Tanjiro's flaming slash severed the tentacles, and even took Muzan's other arm off in one clean cut.
The stump sizzled, burning like meat on a grill.
"T Tanjiro… and Mr. Vincent…"
Tanjiro scooped Kanao up, carried her to the medic rushing over, and set her down carefully.
"She's in your hands," he said softly.
Then he turned back, stepping to Vincent's side again.
Vincent glanced at him, at the grotesque changes on Tanjiro's face from the cell corrosion.
"Looks like you've grasped Sun Breathing."
Tanjiro nodded.
"Yes, Mr. Vincent. Let's end this."
His expression was calm, almost emotionless. His eyes were deep, like they could see through everything.
Muzan stepped forward, slow and contemptuous.
"How ugly, Tanjiro. Look at you. I can't even tell anymore whether you're the demon… or I am."
"It's you, Muzan Kibutsuji," Tanjiro said coldly.
His hands tightened on the hilt.
Under the crushing force of his grip, the Nichirin blade turned fully crimson.
"Tanjiro," Vincent warned, voice low.
"We're going in."
And Vincent Fox burst forward first.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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