Akaza's tone was very serious. He was genuinely proposing that the people before him transform into demons.
After all, it had been several hundred years since he last encountered such talented powerhouses. This caused his heart, which had been "cultured" for too long, to rarely stir with some "martial" thoughts.
"Seriously, masked brat, I think you all have great talent. You deserve a better future.
So stop wasting your time in that Demon Slayer Corps. There's no future there."
Akaza coaxed patiently, like a dedicated and responsible good teacher.
He also didn't feel at all that there was anything wrong with a demon saying these things to Demon Slayers.
After all, he hadn't killed these people's families, so he bore no burden in his heart about it.
To this, Sabito simply smiled.
"It seems you really want to persuade us to become demons. Thank you for your concern, but unfortunately, we also have things we must hold on to.
So, I'm sorry—I cannot accept your proposal no matter what."
"I see. That truly is a pity."
Having said this much, Akaza stopped trying to persuade them. He simply smiled and assumed his stance once more.
"In that case, depart in peace!"
"..."
Hurry, faster...
On the other side, after defeating Doma, Tanjiro was rapidly making his way toward Mitsuba's location under the guidance of the Kasugai Crow.
"What's the situation over there now?!"
Continuously leaping across rooftops between buildings, Tanjiro shouted loudly, asking the Kasugai Crow overhead.
He had previously heard that Tokito Muichiro, Shinazugawa Sanemi, and Himejima Gyomei had all rushed over there.
So much time had passed now, yet there was still no news of Upper Rank One being exterminated. This made Tanjiro quite uneasy.
"Caw! I don't know, Lord Tanjiro."
The Kasugai Crow overhead flapped its wings and shook its head slightly.
"The Master hasn't shared intelligence with us for a long time, so I don't know what the situation is with those three Lords..."
[Hasn't shared intelligence for a long time?]
Hearing this information suddenly, the unease in Tanjiro's heart rose sharply.
Not long after entering the Infinity Castle, everyone had learned through these Kasugai Crows that after their original Master was killed in the explosion, Kiriya had now become the new Master of the Demon Slayer Corps.
At this very moment, he was outside the Infinity Castle, using the Blood Demon Art of the demon by Tamayo's side to continuously guide them in battle through these crows.
But now the crow was saying that Kiriya hadn't contacted them for some time?
What was happening outside?
The young Master... could he have been attacked by demons?
[No! Don't think about this now. I must focus on the battle!]
Shaking his head forcefully, casting aside these distracting thoughts, Tanjiro asked again:
"What about Kanae-senpai? Is she rushing toward Upper Rank One?"
"My apologies, Lord Tanjiro, I don't know about that either."
To this, the crow shook its head once more.
"In the last intelligence I received, the Master was still directing other crows to search for Lady Kanae's whereabouts."
What do you mean still searching for Kanae's whereabouts?
Tanjiro couldn't quite understand the crow's words.
Kanae was the key figure who could stall Upper Rank One, one of the most important existences for the Demon Slayer Corps in tonight's decisive battle.
At such a critical moment, could she really have disappeared?
"Damn it!"
Hearing nothing but bad news of the situation spiraling out of control, Tanjiro couldn't help but feel some anxiety.
After entering the Infinity Castle, forced to separate from his comrades, his father also nowhere to be found. He finally reunited with Kanroji-senpai, only for her to be unable to participate in subsequent battles due to her injuries...
Kanae-senpai's whereabouts unknown, the three Water Hashira's fates uncertain, and the Stone Hashira, Wind Hashira, Mist Hashira, and Genya directly facing Upper Rank One...
No matter how you looked at it, the current situation had already reached its worst possible point.
[We might lose.]
[Tonight, we might really lose.]
This thought surfaced in Tanjiro's mind.
Although they had previously succeeded in exterminating Upper Rank Two, Four, and Five, defeating most of the demons' combat strength, the most troublesome Upper Rank One and Three were still alive.
And there was also Muzan...
Since the battle began, Muzan had never appeared. He must be quietly hiding somewhere detoxifying.
Miss Tamayo's poison couldn't hold him for too long. Once he completely broke down the toxins in his body, as the Demon King, he would greatly amplify the demons' combat strength.
By then, the situation would only become more desperate.
Tonight, they might truly be unable to win...
Although even before the battle began, Tanjiro and the other Demon Slayers had already anticipated this outcome.
But deep down, they all still harbored some fluke hopes and expectations.
What if?
Maybe, just maybe, they could really win?
Especially after consecutively hearing about those Upper Rank demons being slain, plus having personally killed Upper Rank Two himself, Tanjiro's hopes in this regard rose even higher.
And therefore, when that desperate conclusion gradually surfaced, when these hopes gradually crumbled, the pain and sorrow in his heart at this moment also grew increasingly intense.
Everyone's sacrifices would be wasted. In the end, they still couldn't win.
And this sorrow and pain reached its absolute peak when Tanjiro arrived at Upper Rank One's location and saw the situation with his own eyes.
"Caw! We've arrived, Lord Tanjiro!"
It was a street in the empty city.
As if swept through by a tornado, the houses around the street were shattered beyond recognition.
Looking in all directions, everywhere were ruins destroyed by some gigantic slash, rubble covering the ground.
And among this rubble, Tanjiro saw several familiar corpses.
Himejima Gyomei, lying face down on the ground with chain in hand, cut in half at the waist.
Shinazugawa Sanemi, his body broken into several pieces, still biting down on his Nichirin Blade.
And Tokito Muichiro, lying on his back in a pile of rubble, long since without breath.
"Ungh... ah..."
Grief-stricken, tears instantly pouring from his eyes, looking at the remains of these people, under the impact of extreme sorrow, Tanjiro couldn't even form a complete sentence.
[They're dead. The senpais are all dead...]
And amidst this rubble, Tsugikuni Mitsuba still stood there completely unharmed.
"Little one, you've finally arrived."
The moment Tanjiro arrived here, Mitsuba also noticed him.
She raised the Nichirin Blade in her hand, smiling as she pointed in a certain direction not far away, and said:
"There's another one of your companions over there. Would you like to see?"
Subconsciously turning to look, Tanjiro saw Genya, pinned to a wall by a Nichirin Blade, head hanging down, long since without breath.
Genya's hands gripped the blade hilt before him tightly, his knuckles white. Blood dripped drop by drop from the wound in his abdomen, pooling beneath him.
Clearly, he had been unable to pull out the Nichirin Blade lodged in his body until the moment his blood ran dry.
"Don't be too sad, little one. Soon you'll become just like them."
Taking in Tanjiro's grief-stricken face, Mitsuba smiled comfortingly:
"The world after death isn't scary. After all, you're different from us. You are people chosen by the gods—you can go to heaven.
At the very least, you can be reincarnated as humans. Unlike us—once we die, we must go to hell."