Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

These are things that even he, who has become a 'pillar', cannot fully comprehend.

They also learned that the 'breathing method' they had been learning all along was just a degraded version of 'Sun Breathing'.

But... even if you gather the 'Breath of the Sun', 'Spot', 'Crimson Blade', and 'Transparency'...

Even Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had mastered all these peak abilities, was unable to completely kill Muzan.

Even Yoriichi Tsugikuni couldn't accomplish what these clumsy imitators of the 'Breathing of the Sun' couldn't do. Could they really completely slay Muzan Kibutsuji?

You can't see it at all...

There's absolutely no hope in sight!

Especially when facing his son Kyojuro, every time he saw Kyojuro's fiery passion, just like his own in the past, he only felt pain, but he was unwilling to tell his son this cruel truth. He just silently tore up the "Book of the Flame Pillars of All Ages".

Although the book was torn up, he also completely lost faith in exorcising the evil spirits.

because……

He no longer believed it was something that could be accomplished.

Therefore, he abandoned his duties as the 'Flame Pillar'.

He found it all so ridiculous to see his son, Kyojuro, still striving to rid himself of evil spirits and even trying to surpass him.

Even though his son Kyojuro slew the Lower Moon demon and rightfully inherited his duty as the 'Flame Pillar,' he only felt sorrow.

All of this has been done...

It's absolutely... incredibly boring.

Because of everything...

Both he and Kyojuro were striving for something that could never be accomplished!

This……

How ridiculous!

…………

Akaza was unaware of, and did not care to know, what Rengoku Makijuro was thinking at that moment. He was simply trying to complete the adult's task as soon as possible so he could return to continue training.

Akaza originally intended to find the brat and the girl first, but he didn't find them.

He's not very good at finding people.

Therefore, he could only finish Muzan's reprimand first, since he hadn't killed any 'Pillars' in years.

And so, we arrived here.

They arrived at the Purgatory Family.

I've heard that all the 'Flame Pillars' throughout history have come from the House of Purgatory. There should be 'Pillars' here. As long as I kill one 'Flame Pillar,' I'll complete the task assigned by the adults.

Originally, he was excited to see 'Pillar', such a strong person. He longed for and enjoyed fighting with strong people, because only in this way could he become stronger.

The 'pillar' in front of him did indeed give him a strong 'battle aura', but this strength revealed that he was all bark and no bite, just like those old people who are approaching their twilight years and can no longer be as glorious as they once were.

"Your fighting spirit seems too weak right now; you don't look like you're at your peak at all."

Akaza looked at Rengoku Makijuro: "Whether or not to become a demon, once you become a demon, these questions will almost never exist. In that case, you can be my sparring partner."

He enjoys inviting strong humans to become demons. These former strong humans become quite powerful demons and serve as excellent sparring partners. However, over the years, those humans who were invited to become demons eventually stopped growing stronger and were eventually killed by the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen.

Rengoku Makijuro remained silent.

He lowered his head, his withered fingers gripping the hilt of the sword tightly, the long-forgotten Nichirin Blade trembling slightly in his palm.

It wasn't out of fear, but because it had been so long since I'd had it.

The sharkskin wrapped around the hilt was worn and white, but the moment he gripped it, his knuckles made a slight clicking sound, as if rusty joints were forcibly reset.

He felt his own heartbeat.

Boom, boom, boom.

It's very slow. It's very heavy.

Like the dull thud of a taiko drum that hasn't been struck for years, when it's hit for the first time.

next moment--

He raised his head.

Those eyes have changed.

The turbidity receded, replaced by an almost scorching light—the gaze of years ago when he was still the Pillar of Flames, a flame ignited only after countless battles with demons. The wrinkles on his face were still there, the stubble was still there, but that air of despondency seemed to have been torn apart in an instant by something invisible, peeled away from him.

Akaza's golden pupils suddenly contracted, then curved into an excited arc.

"Yes...yes...that's it!"

He trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

He licked his lips, almost biting his tongue until it bled.

"The stronger the battle aura, the better! The stronger the better! Only when I fight against a strong opponent can I feel my blood boiling!"

His voice changed tone, like a wild beast that had been suppressed for too long and finally found an outlet.

"Flame Pillar, Rengoku Makijuro... Please enlighten me."

Makijuro's voice was deep and hoarse, yet it sounded like a block of iron hitting the ground, each word carrying a heavy weight.

"Upper Moon Three - Akaza... Please enlighten me."

Yiwo bent down and lowered his head.

The moment he lowered his head, Makijuro moved.

Without warning, without gathering power, and without even a trace of extra energy leaking out, he stomped his foot, the ground cracked open, and in the instant the debris flew, his figure had vanished from the spot.

His body, which hadn't exercised for years, seemed to forget the passage of time at that moment. He suppressed the tearing pain in his muscles, and what flowed in his veins was not blood, but fire.

"Breath of Flame, First Form, Shiranui—"

The blade flashed and exploded.

It's not a slash, it's an outpouring.

The blazing blade light, like magma gushing from the earth, slashed down with searing heat. The blade emitted a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air, igniting the air and leaving a twisted trail of fire.

Akaza sensed the killing intent the moment he lowered his head.

His lips curled into a smile—a smile that was almost manic.

Almost the instant the blade touched the back of his neck, his body shifted half an inch to the side.

It was only half an inch.

The blade grazed his skin, the scorching heat singeing a few strands of his hair, and the air crackled from the heat. The blade slammed into the ground where he had just stood, tearing a deep trench more than a foot deep with a deafening roar, sending shards of stone flying and scorching heat rising from the crack.

"what--"

Akaza exhaled a breath of stale air, his golden eyes reflecting the figure in his gaze.

"Haven't held a knife in a long time, have you? Your knife... isn't smooth enough."

Before he finished speaking, his fist was already there.

There were no fancy moves, just the purest—boom!

The air exploded with a deafening roar, as if a hole had been punched through it. Makijuro's pupils constricted, and he raised his sword to parry.

Boom-! ! !

That wasn't the sound of fists colliding; it was the loud thud of a hammer striking an anvil.

Makijuro's hand went numb, and the force of the punch sent him sliding backward, leaving two deep furrows in his wake. Before he could regain his footing, the second punch arrived.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Punch after punch, each one heavier than the last. Akaza's fists were like a torrential rain, like thunder; every punch that struck the Nichirin Blade made Makijuro's bones creak. His arm muscles trembled violently, blood seeped from the base of his thumb, and dents appeared all over the blade.

"Come on! Come on! Stronger! Stronger!"

Akaza's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his golden pupils almost burning. His punches became faster and faster, until finally the shadows of his fists were no longer visible, only the continuous booming of the air could be heard—bang! bang! bang!

That was a sonic boom.

Every punch is a sonic boom.

Makijuro gritted his teeth, not uttering a single word. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, his blade flipping to deflect one punch, parry another, and then take another head-on. His tiger's mouth was already split open, blood flowing down the blade, but his grip on the sword only tightened.

The cherry blossom tree in the courtyard was caught in the crossfire of their battle; the entire tree snapped in two with a crash, and just as it fell, it was sliced ​​in half again by a blade of light. Countless cracks appeared on the walls of the house, which eventually gave way and collapsed with a deafening roar, sending dust flying everywhere.

"boom--"

Another punch.

The punch slammed into the sword, and Makijuro's entire arm trembled, his muscles feeling as if they were about to tear apart. He took a step back, his foot creating a deep crater in the ground, before he could barely regain his balance.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

It looks like fire.

It's like that burning fire from many years ago.

Akaza stopped.

He looked at the man in front of him, at his increasingly bright eyes, at the growing fighting spirit emanating from him, and his lips almost stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

"Yes...yes...that's it...that's it!"

His voice was trembling, and his whole body was trembling.

"Stronger...stronger...make me...even more excited!"

Makijuro remained silent.

He simply gripped the knife tighter.

The Nichirin Blade, already riddled with countless cracks, reignited in his hands.

But it also seems to be... the last embers.