Chapter 339: Akaza: I'll Take You All to Kill the Demon of Child-like Appearance

Human memories?

Akaza took a deep breath; those kinds of feeble lives had nothing worth me remembering.

Just as he was thinking this, a figure suddenly flashed before his eyes.

"Hakuji-san, really... that is enough, please stop!"

By his ear, a voice he seemed not to have heard for a long time rang out.

Even though there were no memories related to this figure in his mind, it was inexplicably familiar; could it be someone he knew?

Akaza struggled desperately, wanting to break free from the shackles of the Demon-Locking Array.

The chains rattled and clattered, and he actually managed to shake them, causing a faint cracking sound of fissures appearing.

"Truly astonishing willpower; no wonder he could become an Upper Rank Demon Moon. Are they all such terrifying fellows?"

Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima muttered Buddhist chants in a low voice, tears streaming from his eyes as he raised the wide axe and Meteor Hammer forged from Nichirin Swords.

These two uniquely shaped Nichirin Weapons had been taken by him to Linus's blacksmith shop to be reforged using more precious materials.

Infusing them with stronger fire-attribute energy.

Since the opponent insisted on resisting, he could only end his life.

"Wait a moment, Gyomei-san."

Tanjiro suddenly blocked the front of the Demon-Locking Array, looking at Akaza with a strange gaze; clearly a demon that had discarded its emotions, yet he smelled the scent of sadness and pain from the opponent's riddled body.

It did not come from Akaza, but from the several halos of souls entwined around Akaza that had always wanted to redeem him.

The Demon Slayer World was very special.

The man-eating demons created by Muzan Kibutsuji should not actually be called demons; they were more like monsters after flesh and blood had mutated.

And true ghosts were souls that, after dying with obsessions, were unwilling to leave for a long time.

When training, Tanjiro had once seen the soul of Sabito and was helped by him to successfully slice a giant boulder.

"Is it pity, or is it indulgence toward the weak? How ugly!"

Seeing Tanjiro's appearance, a feeling of anger inexplicably surged in Akaza's heart, as if that face had appeared a long time ago.

Who is it?

"Hakuji, stop here!"

The voice appeared by his ear again.

Damn it, who exactly is it? Akaza's eyes, covered in cracks, widened, but he could not see the owner of the voice.

Until... his gaze landed on the ring-shaped tattoos on his arms.

These were tattoos that had appeared all over his body after becoming a demon; he had never paid attention to them, but now they were particularly eye-catching.

"A criminal's... tattoo?"

A mottled stream of images flooded into his mind; those were the memories of Akaza's time as a human.

To buy medicine for his sick father, he had done all kinds of manual labor, but the income was ridiculously meager; he could only steal and rob, trying every possible way to keep his father alive, and this tattoo was the brand left after being caught.

But his father died in the end...

He had failed to protect him.

"I'm sorry, Hakuji. If it weren't for me dragging you down, you could have walked a path that earned people's respect, right?"

The voice sounded again.

This time, the memory-restored Akaza saw clearly the thin, weak man appearing before him.

Akaza widened his eyes; clearly he had already become a demon, yet he felt like crying, murmuring: "Father..."

Immediately following was anger; he growled: "Why was it a burden? Do poor people not have the right to live? This world... that is why I must become strong, stronger than anyone else!"

In the center of the Demon-Locking Array,

Akaza had clearly lost consciousness and fallen into a state of confusion, yet his aura was constantly climbing.

"What a terrifying demon, to continue growing even in the desperate straits of near-death!"

"Tanjiro, move aside quickly. I cannot let him continue to grow stronger, otherwise..."

Flame Hashira looked solemn, watching the increasingly powerful Akaza.

Unlike Tanjiro and Stone Hashira, he was merely a mortal of flesh and blood and had not become a player in the Samsara Game, so he could feel the sense of danger that the demon radiated toward humans from Akaza.

"Wait a little longer..."

Tanjiro took a deep breath and said: "Gyomei-sama and I can kill him directly, and the sun will rise soon; no matter what, he cannot escape."

"So... Kyojuro Rengoku-aniki, give him one more chance!"

Flame Hashira did not speak,

He merely assumed the starting stance of his Breathing Technique sword skill, ready to act at any moment.

"Hakuji-kid, are you still as headstrong as ever?"

A smiling face filled Akaza's vision; although it felt unfamiliar, he instinctively called out: "Master Keizo?"

Wearing a white martial arts uniform, the stubble-faced Keizo, just as he had redeemed Hakuji back then, gently rubbed Akaza's head.

"Geez, I've always wanted you to hear my voice, but your master is too useless; it's only now that I've appeared before you..."

Akaza took a deep breath and looked up, saying: "No, that's not it!"

Keizo's soul carried a helpless smile and said: "No matter what, you are my family. So, since I couldn't take you to Heaven, I will go to Hell to atone for sins with you... Hakuji-kid."

"How could this be?!"

The soul's voice rang out; when Akaza learned that Keizo, who had always been very gentle and kind, had failed to go to Heaven because he wanted to redeem him, he completely erupted!

"Those rich people who commit all kinds of evil, why should they be able to go to Heaven?"

"Those petty people who poison others, yet they can live comfortably?"

"They are clearly a group of weaklings not even as good as Laoshu, and even the aura they emit is disgusting..."

Boom.

The Demon-Locking Array began to tremble, and Akaza in the center began to sprout fangs, his body swelling as if some kind of evolution were occurring.

However, compared to Nezuko's benign mutation, the mutation driven by Akaza's hatred leaned more toward darkness and corruption.

"Can't wait any longer... must kill him!"

The Flame Hashira's Blade ignited with scorching flames, charging toward Akaza in the center of the Demon-Locking Array, intent on severing his head.

Tanjiro did not stop him, merely feeling slightly disappointed.

The Stone Hashira likewise swung his broad axe, smashing it toward Akaza.

"Mr. Hakuji."

Finally, the soul of a young girl with her hair tied up and wearing a cherry-pink robe appeared.

She pulled Akaza into her embrace and whispered, "Thank you, you have done enough; there is no need to continue."

Akaza's eyes widened abruptly, tears streaming down; he recognized the soul before him as the girl he adored—could it be that she hadn't been able to go to Heaven either? "Koyuki, I'm sorry, it's all my fault for failing to protect you!"

At this moment, Akaza apologized with all his might, like a child.

"It's alright, it's truly wonderful that you could remember me, Mr. Hakuji; let's go to Hell together."

The girl's tone was light, not taking going to Hell to heart in the slightest.

But... the pure Koyuki was not like him, who had eaten people everywhere after becoming a demon; she should have gone to Heaven—it was all because of him! "I'm sorry."

Akaza's expression was solemn as he stood up and said, "Koyuki, can you wait for me a little longer? I want to kill Muzan Kibutsuji; perhaps that will lighten the sins upon me."

For his sake, the souls of Koyuki and the others had not been able to go directly to Heaven, but had remained by his side.

It was equivalent to being bound to Akaza's soul; if they went to Hell after death, the sins would be shared as well.

Therefore, he wanted to atone for his sins and secure a chance for Koyuki and Master Keizo to reach Heaven.

Bang.

His head was smashed to pieces, but two seconds after losing his skull, Akaza frantically grew a new one again.

"Truly troublesome; since he has already overcome decapitation, we can only completely destroy his body!"

The Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima shook his head sadly, feeling pity for a creature like a demon.

Just as he was about to continue his attack, he saw Akaza stop struggling and say with a calm gaze, "I am willing to help you kill Muzan Kibutsuji."

He glanced at Tanjiro and said, "I have killed many people, so I do not crave salvation; let this be atonement..."

Once he killed Muzan Kibutsuji and repaid his sins, he would go to Hell with Koyuki.

"To the east, there is an Eternal Paradise Faith, which is the territory of the Upper Rank Tong Mo; I will lead you there to kill him together!"

Akaza picked up the Pill Tanjiro had thrown over and tossed it into his mouth; a large mass of black smoke dissipated from his body until, finally, the human Hakuji said, "Do you have brass knuckles? I am skilled at fighting with my fists."

"Sorry, there has never been a Fist Hashira in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps, so there are no weapons suitable for you."

Tanjiro smiled and said, "However, I will help you go to Uncle Linus's smithy to forge a pair of Nichirin brass knuckles."

Upon learning the hideout of the Upper Rank Tong Mo,

The Flame Pillar reported the situation to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, and the messenger crow flapped its wings, quickly relaying the news back to headquarters.

Several Swordsmen rushed over to provide support, intending to strike in one go and directly sever the wings of Muzan Kibutsuji.

"Tong Mo!"

The usually gentle Shinobu Kocho revealed an angry expression, the veins on her forehead bulging.

She packed all the potent poisons from the Butterfly Mansion into containers and hurried toward the direction of the Eternal Paradise Faith.

(End of this chapter)