I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

His voice was still loud, but it now carried a resolute air of disregard for his own life.

"Demon Slayer Corps, Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku."

Upon hearing this name, Akaza's smile widened. He uttered the name softly, as if savoring a fine wine:

"Anjuro...々々..."

Akaza took a step forward.

He extended the invitation he had once made to countless powerful figures:

"Kyojuro, may you become a demon too!"

"That way, I'll have unlimited time to become stronger!"

"Then, join me in pursuing the eternal and supreme path of martial arts!"

Kyoju Rengoku's golden eyes, burning with flames, remained unmoved.

When faced with the invitation, he uttered only three words, decisive and firm.

"I reject."

For the first time, Akaza's smile froze.

"Why?"

He seemed unable to understand and pressed further, "Don't you yearn for the highest realm?"

Kyojuro Rengoku's voice was calm, yet contained unwavering determination.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are precisely the strengths of the mortal body."

"It is precisely because life is finite that we give our all to make it burn brightly in an instant!"

"It is precisely because it will eventually fade away that this fleeting brilliance shines so brightly, so...precious!"

“Our values ​​are fundamentally incompatible with yours!”

Akaza's smile vanished completely.

That fervent passion for martial arts was quickly replaced by a chilling disappointment.

"The foolishness of the weak," he coldly remarked.

"Since you are unwilling to accept this honor, then as a 'pillar,' just like your 'predecessors,' be killed by me here."

Akaza's seemingly casual remark sent chills down one's spine more than any roar.

Rengoku Kyojuro's pupils suddenly contracted.

"remember."

"The one who will bury you here—"

"It's Upper Moon Three,"

"Akaza!"

The moment he finished speaking, he moved.

There is no starting stance!

Akaza's figure vanished from the spot.

The next instant, a fist carrying a fierce wind that tore through the air slammed into Purgatory's face!

too fast!

In Tanjiro's eyes, this punch was impossible to dodge.

Mr. Purgatory will surely meet him head-on with an even more ferocious Flame Breathing technique!

however--

Kyojuro Rengoku's body was positioned at an incredibly small angle.

He slid half a step to the left.

A pure, textbook evasive maneuver without any unnecessary movements.

Akaza's fist, powerful enough to pierce steel, grazed past Purgatory's earlobe.

It didn't work out.

A flicker of surprise crossed Akaza's eyes.

He has fought for hundreds of years and has killed at least eight or ten "Flame Pillars".

Those people all used powerful, sweeping attacks, directly confronting him with flames.

dodge?

Flame Pillar, you actually dodged?

In that 0.1-second moment of his astonishment...

Kyojuro Rengoku's sword moved.

The blade flashed like fire, not choosing a direct strike, but instead slicing at Akaza's elbow joint as he threw a punch from an extremely tricky angle!

[Flame Breathing - First Form - Modified - Instant Fire!]

This move abandons the range and power that Flame Breath is proud of, pursuing only the ultimate speed and precision!

"clang!"

Akaza reacted extremely quickly, blocking with lightning speed with his other hand.

The collision of the knife and flesh produced a deafening clang, like metal striking metal!

The terrifying shockwave spread out, sending rubble and dust flying more than three meters high.

"My eyes! They can't keep up at all!" Tanjiro clutched his wound tightly, his face filled with shock.

This is the battle of top-tier experts!

One clash, and it's a natural disaster!

"Hahaha! Interesting! So interesting!"

Akaza's attack was neutralized, but instead of getting angry, he laughed, his fighting spirit soaring even higher.

"Your fighting style is completely different from those previous 'Flame Pillars'!"

He stomped his feet hard, and a huge magic circle, like a snowflake array, unfolded beneath his feet.

【Destruction Kill - Compass!】

Instantly, Kyojuro Rengoku felt himself being locked onto.

It seemed as if the other party anticipated his next move.

Every breath, heartbeat, and muscle contraction was clearly captured by the magic circle.

The powerful and sweeping Flame Breathing technique was completely suppressed!

"Pigs swoosh!"

Hashibira Inosuke couldn't stand it any longer and was about to rush forward when he was blasted away by a shockwave and rolled several times on the ground.

"Inosuke! You're useless!" Tanjiro roared, "We'll only get in the way!"

His keen sense of smell, however, had become a torment at this moment.

He could smell that Mr. Purgatory's battle aura, as bright as the sun, was burning wildly with unprecedented intensity.

At the same time, that scent that represents vitality is being gradually and relentlessly weakened!

And that demon named Akaza, his aura was always stable, powerful, and full of absolute control over the battle!

This incredibly powerful Mr. Purgatory... was completely suppressed...

A tremendous sense of powerlessness welled up in Tanjiro's heart.

What if it's Miss Butterfly?

How will she fare against this monster...?

at this time!

puff!

Akaza delivered a powerful punch that broke through the sword's defense, slamming it into Rengoku Kyojuro's left cheek.

Purgatory was sent flying backward, his left eye instantly becoming a bloody mess, and his vision went completely dark.

"Mr. Rengoku!" Tanjiro cried out in despair.

"Hahahaha! Kyojuro! Your movements have slowed down! Your reactions have become dull! This is the limit of human capability!"

Akaza burst into hearty laughter.

"If this continues, you'll die! It's not too late to become a ghost now!"

Rengoku Kyojuro spat out a mouthful of blood, staring intently at him with his only remaining right eye. His fighting spirit, instead of diminishing, intensified, burning even more fiercely.

"I'll say it again, I refuse!"

He gasped for breath, his chest bulging, and his broken ribs groaned in agony as he strained against the weight.

[Breath of Flames - Fourth Form - Vortex of Blazing Flames!]

He unleashed a defensive counter-attack technique with an extremely wide coverage area, and a huge vortex of fire swept out from the center of him!

However, Akaza did not even retreat!

He stepped into the blind spot of the vortex of flames from an unbelievable angle and punched precisely at his weakest point, his left side!

puff--!

Kyojuro Rengoku was knocked away again, spitting out blood.

But as he flew backwards through the air, a sharp light burst forth from his single remaining eye!

"I see……"

Purgatory rolled on the ground to dissipate its force, then knelt on one knee.

(It wasn't predicting my movements... it was sensing my battle aura!)

He stared intently at the strange snowflake formation beneath Akaza's feet.

(This formation allows him to sense my attack intentions in advance! So any of my attacks are no secret to him!)

Having understood this, Kyojuro Rengoku made a decision instantly.

A direct confrontation would be certain death and utterly pointless.

Then, let's carry out the "record information" and "delay time" strategy to the very end!

He suppressed most of his fighting spirit, and reduced the intensity of his Flame Breath to a minimum.

Faced with Akaza's next attack, he completely abandoned blocking and counterattacking, and instead devoted all his attention to dodging!

He began to awkwardly retreat, slide, and turn sideways, desperately searching for a way to survive in the downpour.

Upon seeing this, Akaza's excitement instantly turned into contempt and impatience.

"Just hiding won't do, Kyojuro!"

【Destruction Kill - Void Style】!

He threw a punch from several meters away!

A burst of blood erupted from Rengoku Kyojuro's right shoulder, and he staggered backward!

"Mr. Rengoku!" Tanjiro exclaimed in shock. He hadn't even seen Akaza touch Mr. Rengoku!

(So ​​that's how it is...) Hell endured the excruciating pain, his single eye gleaming even brighter.

(It's an invisible attack of force! I must record it! This is a long-range threat!)

He rolled away awkwardly once again, dodging the subsequent attacks.

Seeing this, Akaza changed his offensive strategy again!

【Destruction Kill·Kick Style·Flashing Light】!