Doma and Kokushibo had witnessed firsthand the changes in Muzan after his growth.
His aura now bore a striking resemblance to Oboro's. With just a single glance, he possessed a power that could shake one's very soul.
It was as if his spiritual pressure had become substantial, capable of radiating outward and influencing the physical world.
But… from Doma's perspective at least, there was still a noticeable gap between him and Oboro.
Recalling the memories of being utterly dominated by Oboro, a wider smile spread across Doma's face.
They all carried blood distributed by Muzan. Like every other demon, they were bound by his curse and subject to his control—but that control was never absolute.
If his power was truly absolute, Muzan would never have needed to limit the number of demons.
He would have transformed humans recklessly, expanded his forces, and annihilated the Demon Slayer Corps long ago.
He would never have feared the possibility that one day, demons might turn on him and cast him from his throne.
The reason for Muzan's fear was simple: the stronger a demon became, the weaker his hold over them grew.
This was especially true for the Upper Ranks.
Doma believed… if Muzan and Oboro were to clash, the victor would undoubtedly be the latter.
There was no factual proof to support this judgment, but he trusted his intuition.
The power Oboro had displayed when dealing with him and Kokushibo went far beyond what Muzan had recently acquired or mastered.
And so… Doma was planning to defect.
Perhaps becoming an inheritor was actually a very appealing choice.
And the fact that Kokushibo had refrained from acting once Gyutaro was found confirmed to Doma that his fellow Upper Rank harbored the very same thoughts.
They were of one mind.
Kokushibo, having experienced Oboro's cruelty firsthand, understood the true extent of that man's power perhaps even more deeply than Doma did.
Having served Muzan longer than anyone else, he also knew his master's strengths and weaknesses better than any other demon.
If even Kokushibo had reached such a conclusion, it only proved… that Muzan stood very little chance of winning.
It was the law of survival—adapting to the stronger side was no disgrace.
Besides, compared to Muzan, Doma genuinely preferred Oboro.
"What are you doing?"
Doma suddenly stepped forward and moved toward the battlefield. Kokushibo, sensing his intent, frowned darkly.
"Naturally, acting in consideration for our new master… Now that we have made up our minds, we must demonstrate our sincerity. Otherwise, the moment we finally meet him might very well be the moment we die…"
Doma covered half his face with his iron fan, his irises shimmering with kaleidoscopic colors as he sighed softly.
"It's just a pity about Akaza… Over all these years, I've really grown quite fond of him as a friend. Even though he seems to detest me… I've never let it bother me. After all, that is just his nature."
"And he holds certain misunderstandings about me."
Kokushibo remained silent, watching Doma walk away.
---
On the battlefield, the fight between Gyutaro and Akaza had reached its peak intensity.
Gyutaro stretched out his arms, wrapping them in swirling masses of blood that formed into two massive, spinning slicing attacks as he clashed at close quarters with Akaza.
This was his Blood Demon Art: Circular Slicing Rotation.
Akaza, meanwhile, was enveloped in such dense Fighting Spirit that it formed a virtual armor around his body. He had pushed his own art, Destructive Death, to its absolute limit.
Blades of blood‑red light collided continuously with terrifying shockwaves of force. The ground beneath them shattered and cracked with every step, rising in thick clouds of dust.
As for Daki… she was no longer able to intervene. Though she desperately wanted to help her brother, her sashes were torn to shreds by the raging pressure of Akaza's aura before they could even get close to him or make contact.
The snowflake‑shaped array pattern expanding from beneath Akaza's feet grew larger and larger.
Within this domain, every trace of energy emanating from his body was under his absolute control.
Gyutaro appeared to be evenly matched and fighting furiously, but in reality, his flesh and blood were constantly being battered by Akaza's aura, leaving him covered in countless wounds.
He only managed to keep fighting thanks to his terrifying regenerative abilities.
"Destructive Death: Final Form!"
After smashing away yet another one of Gyutaro's blood‑coated attacks with a punch, Akaza's eyes sharpened.
Realizing he could not drag this out any longer, he retreated slightly to create distance, preparing to unleash his ultimate technique.
He sank his hips low, assuming his stance. The array pattern beneath his feet flared with blinding brilliance.
Destructive Death: Annihilation Type – Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow.
This technique allowed him to release hundreds of projectiles instantly in all directions, centered on himself. They were incredibly fast and devastatingly powerful.
No matter how skilled Gyutaro was in footwork and movement, he could never evade them all.
The cost, however, was immense stamina. It was an all‑or‑nothing move.
If this killing blow still failed to finish his opponent, Akaza would be left severely weakened. In that state, even Daki—who stood to the side—might pose a fatal threat.
He would have no choice but to draw the battle toward where Doma and Kokushibo were hiding.
"Need a hand?"
Just as Akaza prepared to unleash his full power, a soft, airy voice drifted into his ears.
A figure appeared behind him without warning.
Not only that, but the newcomer casually rested a hand on Akaza's shoulder, all too friendly and familiar.
He had absolutely no sense of timing, intruding right at the critical moment of battle.
"Get lost!"
His rhythm broken, Akaza glared at Doma with killing intent burning in his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead and his hair standing on end with rage.
Doma was clearly doing this on purpose.
He had deliberately stayed out of it and watched from the sidelines, only stepping in now precisely to interrupt and humiliate him.
To sabotage him and cause his defeat.
With a wave of his arm, Akaza smashed Doma's head to pulp.
But thanks to this moment of distraction, the storm of blood Gyutaro had swung out earlier was rushing toward him again.
Akaza had just begun to dodge…
When suddenly he felt heavy pressure on his shoulder—from the arm Doma had placed there, pinning his body down.
"You bastard!"
Akaza realized instantly what had happened, his expression murderous.
The crimson glow of the attack was already reflecting across his face.
It was too late to evade now.
"Heh heh… no need to be so angry. This is the first time we've worked together in ages… I thought it would be a wonderful chance for us to bond and deepen our friendship."
Half of Doma's face had already regrown while the rest of his neck and head were still regenerating. He spoke with utter nonchalance and amusement.
BOOM!
Without hesitation, Akaza threw a punch filled with lethal intent, blasting Doma away.
A massive, jagged hole was punched straight through Doma's chest and abdomen, sending him flying in a high arc across the air.
But at the exact same moment, Akaza's expression changed completely.
He sensed the temperature around him plummeting.
Looking up, he saw several tall statues of Bodhisattva rising from the ground all around him.
It was Doma's Blood Demon Art.
Even if he couldn't dodge Gyutaro's slash, he still had the means to block it or endure the impact.
But Doma had clearly seen his plan and played a dirty trick on him.
Ice crystals shimmered in the air.
The statues opened their mouths and sprayed thick clouds of freezing mist toward Akaza.
In an instant, frost filled the air and Akaza was frozen in place, his entire body encased in thick, solid ice.
Immediately afterward, Gyutaro's storm of slashes arrived exactly as predicted, engulfing him completely.
"Really… you are so unkind… and here I thought we were friends."
Doma picked himself up from the ground, glanced down at his rapidly healing wounds, then looked toward the frozen figure being sliced apart endlessly by waves of blood blades, smiling brightly.
Countless attacks shattered the ice and swept across Akaza's body.
His aura was still active, but his limbs had been numbed and stiffened by the frost from Doma's art, making it impossible to react quickly.
Skin tore and split open!
Blood sprayed from every part of his body instantly.
Wounds expanded rapidly, threatening to cut him into pieces on the spot.
Managing to regain some sensation and still able to push off with his legs, Akaza roared and used the strength in his thighs to launch himself out of the storm, leaping clear of the battlefield.
But midway through his jump, he was sliced cleanly in two at the waist.
At least the lower half of his body was carried outward, successfully escaping the danger zone.
His upper torso crashed to the ground, internal organs and tissues exposed completely. But as Upper Rank Three, his regenerative abilities were extraordinary.
Using only his hands and arms, Akaza crawled rapidly across the ground at terrifying speed.
His fight with Gyutaro was over!
Not because he wanted to stop—but because a third party had intervened.
Doma had clearly intended to take advantage of the situation to kill him!
Watching Akaza flee in such a sorry state—already recovering his body while dragging himself along the ground—Doma dusted the dirt off his clothes and stood up slowly, making no move to give chase.
Gyutaro likewise stopped. He had noticed the new enemy approaching.
Another Upper Rank.
"Hello there~"
Doma noticed Gyutaro's gaze fixed upon him, raised his hand, and greeted him warmly with a smile.
Perhaps from now on, they would be friends.
As for Akaza…
Doma glanced sideways out of the corner of his eye. There was no way Kokushibo would let him take all the credit alone.
---
Moments later, Akaza's body had fully regenerated.
His face pale, he turned his head and saw that Gyutaro had not given chase.
He was well away from the battlefield now.
Obviously, Gyutaro and Doma were about to begin fighting each other.
His current condition was far from ideal.
"I'm going to kill you!"
Thinking of Doma's betrayal and actions, Akaza was consumed with rage.
Doma had tried to get rid of him. Even though he had failed, Akaza had already been fighting Gyutaro for a long time.
Doma could simply step in, reap the rewards, and complete Lord Muzan's mission effortlessly.
In doing so, Doma would become the hero and greatest contributor.
No wonder he had hidden in the shadows and watched for so long.
The more Akaza thought about it, the angrier he became. I must kill Doma!
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, every hair on Akaza's body stood on end. He instinctively raised his arm, but a blade swept horizontally toward him.
It sliced through his arm… and cleanly severed his head.
A strike, sudden and without warning.
His mind had been entirely focused on how to destroy Doma.
Who?
Akaza was utterly confused.
His head rolled several times across the ground. His eyes wide and pupils dilated, spinning dizzily as he caught sight of a familiar figure.
Kokushibo!
Why?
Akaza could not understand.
It made sense for Doma to attack him; they had always been at odds.
Not to mention, Akaza's rank among the Upper Ranks had dropped specifically because of Doma. But why would Kokushibo want him dead?
Ever since he had become an Upper Rank in the Twelve Kizuki, Kokushibo's position as Upper Rank One had never wavered. The members changed, but Kokushibo remained…
Even Akaza admitted that his current strength posed absolutely no threat to Kokushibo in the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, Kokushibo was known to strictly obey every one of Muzan's orders, placing immense importance on hierarchy and discipline among the Upper Ranks.
"Is it Muzan…?"
"Did Lord Muzan command this?"
Akaza thought of a possibility.
"Did Lord Muzan order you to eliminate me during this mission?"
Kokushibo picked Akaza's head up from the ground by the hair, holding it in his hand.
"You are no longer necessary," Kokushibo said in a low voice, offering no explanation.
"Why? What did I do wrong?"
"No… even if I were to be killed, given Lord Muzan's character, he would never have let me leave the Infinity Castle alive in the first place…"
Akaza sensed something strange and suspicious about the whole situation.
"Answer me!"
"Answer me… Kokushibo!"
Kokushibo ignored Akaza's furious shouts and carried his head back toward the main battlefield.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere and some time later…
Oboro, who had been traveling continuously, finally arrived at a stronghold controlled by one of the inheritor factions.
But when he stepped inside the compound, Muzan was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained were cold corpses scattered across the ground and ruins reduced to rubble.
The perpetrator had already left…
It was widely known within the inheritor faction that Muzan was hunting them down one by one, using their deaths to find the path toward mastering the power of the soul.
Therefore, if Oboro simply traveled to the territories of those who were still alive, he would surely find Muzan or wait for him to appear.
But Muzan moved incredibly fast. Time and again, Oboro arrived just moments too late.
This was clearly intentional on Muzan's part.
"Not here, huh… I thought after all this growth and change, you might have finally grown a spine."
Oboro closed his eyes and sensed the lingering aura in the surroundings. After a long pause, he opened them again, looking genuinely disappointed.
Is he planning to track my movements precisely, eliminate every single inheritor, raise his power to a certain level, and then finally come face‑to‑face with me alongside all his subordinates?
He really is extraordinarily cautious!
"I guess I can't keep chasing him from place to place. I'll just pick one of the remaining strongholds and wait there for him… Once he is fully prepared, he will come to me on his own."
Oboro changed his mind.
About an hour later, Oboro left the town along the main road.
He was passing by the foot of a mountain when he stopped in his tracks.
For standing on the road ahead were two people he had never expected to see.
"No Muzan… just the two of you."
Oboro was genuinely surprised.
Muzan was not nearby—if he had been, Oboro would have sensed him instantly.
Kokushibo and Doma — Upper Rank One and Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki.
"We meet again, My Lord."
Doma stepped forward eagerly, drawing close.
Kokushibo and Doma were fully aware of Muzan's plans and movements. They also realized Oboro would likely appear eventually, so it was only logical to station themselves here and wait.
Muzan had sent them along with Akaza to capture Gyutaro because he feared Oboro might otherwise slip away into hiding.
But Muzan also feared meeting Oboro suddenly and fighting him one‑on‑one.
That was why, every time he massacred an inheritor's faction, he acted swiftly and fled immediately.
In a one‑on‑one situation, Muzan clearly had no confidence or sense of security.
He needed everything arranged perfectly before confronting Oboro exactly as he desired.
Oboro hadn't found Muzan…
Instead, Doma and Kokushibo had found him.
For them to come looking for him personally at such a critical moment was already extremely strange.
And to address him as "My Lord"?
Oboro couldn't help but laugh.
"You certainly have guts… I imagine Muzan is absolutely furious right now."
Oboro smirked. "So… exactly what have you two done?"
This development was completely outside Oboro's predictions.
While Muzan was working so hard to achieve his goals, his two right‑hand men had turned around and defected to the enemy…
Well now…
____________________
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