"Huff... huff!"
Rengoku Kyojuro, his body a map of deep gashes and burns, stared at the monstrous figure in the center.
Muzan's whips were a blur of lethal motion, and the air hummed with the scent of blood and terror.
Too strong! Terrifyingly strong!
Rengoku had heard of Muzan Kibutsuji's power from Aomura Kazuhiko, but facing the Progenitor of Demons in the flesh was a different nightmare altogether.
In just one exchange, he had nearly been cleaved in two. The tubular whips on Muzan's lower body moved with a speed that defied human reaction.
Kazuhiko had told them to hold out for ten seconds. Initially, Rengoku had been skeptical—only ten seconds?—but now he realized that against Muzan, even a single second was a gamble with death. He glanced around; every Pillar was wounded. Even Himejima was struggling.
"We can only rely on Kazuhiko now," Rengoku thought, his grip tightening on his blade. He didn't know how much time had passed, but it had to be close to the mark. "I wonder how his fight with Kokushibo is going?"
Suddenly, the relentless storm of whips stopped. Muzan's gaze was fixed on the battlefield beyond, his expression turning deathly gloomy.
Kokushibo... was dead.
Muzan wasn't shocked that the Upper Moon One had lost—he was shocked at the speed. The battle had barely begun, and his strongest subordinate had been erased.
In that moment of distraction, Muzan felt a sharp sting in his shoulder. A strange, clinical-looking shuttle had pierced his flesh. The air in front of him shimmered and distorted, revealing a familiar face.
"Tamayo? What are you doing here?" Muzan spat, his voice laced with venom.
The Pillars were stunned. They knew Tamayo was a doctor, but they never imagined she had the stealth—or the courage—to approach Muzan. Only Kanae Kocho looked on with a trace of worry.
"Of course," Tamayo hissed, her beautiful face twisted with centuries of pure, unadulterated hatred. "I am here to watch you burn in Hell with my own eyes!"
"With this rabble?" Muzan glanced at the wounded Pillars, unimpressed.
Tamayo sneered. "Even the weakest forces, when united, become a tide. Besides... we have our trump card!"
Muzan looked at his shoulder. The flesh around the puncture site was turning a sickly shade of black and purple. It was rotting at a visible rate. "What did you inject me with?"
"Guess!" Tamayo grinned gleefully.
The poison was spreading. She had prepared four doses, giving three to Aoki and keeping one for herself. Using Yushiro's Blood Demon Art to remain invisible, she had waited for the perfect opening. The death of Kokushibo was that opening.
THUD!
With a brutal flick of his wrist, Muzan sent Tamayo flying. Her arm was severed at the shoulder, and a horrific wound ripped across her chest.
Kanae Kocho caught her mid-air. "Ms. Tamayo! Are you alright?"
"Don't worry," Tamayo smiled through the pain. "I'm a demon... I won't die that easily."
"Not easy to kill, perhaps," Muzan suddenly appeared before them, his whips raised for a finishing blow. "But that doesn't mean you won't die!"
The Pillars were too far. Kanae was vulnerable. But before the whip could land, Muzan's shoulder exploded in a spray of gore, sending him staggering sideways.
"You're right, Muzan," a calm voice echoed through the clearing. "Demons aren't easy to kill, but they certainly die. Just ask your Upper Moons... oh wait, you can't. They're all gone."
Aoki's figure emerged from the dust.
"Aomura Kazuhiko!" Kanae's face lit up.
The Pillars felt a wave of relief, followed by sheer awe. He had actually defeated Kokushibo—the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki—in just ten seconds.
"Leave him to me," Aoki said, his eyes locked on Muzan. "Go and deal with the rest of the remaining demons."
"We'll leave the rest to you, Kazuhiko!" the Pillars replied, retreating without hesitation. They knew they would only be a hindrance in a fight of this magnitude.
Aoki looked at the wounded doctor. "Ms. Tamayo, you've done enough. Leave the rest to me."
"I trust you... Aomura Kazuhiko," Tamayo whispered. She affixed a talisman to her forehead and slowly faded from sight once more.
Muzan didn't stop them. That one punch from Aoki had carried a scent of danger he hadn't felt in centuries. He concentrated his power, his body rippling as he prepared to face the man who had dismantled his empire in minutes.
The two stood facing each other, the air crackling with killing intent. However, Aoki's mind was elsewhere. After absorbing Kokushibo, his mental interface was flooded with system notifications.
[System Upgrades Initializing...]
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(End of Chapter)