Chapter 235

"Wait."

Obanai Iguro stepped forward with Snake Steps, appearing beside him, his blade tip flicking away a whistling bullet, "Going alone is too dangerous, I'm going with you."

"I'm going too!" Tanjiro cleaved a Corpse Puppet before him with one slash, striding over. He had just broken through to the Transparent World, though his stamina consumption was enormous.

"Tch, suit yourselves." Sanemi Shinazugawa impatiently shook the blood off his blade.

Just as the three prepared to charge, the surrounding Corpse Puppets suddenly rioted, dense figures surging from every corner like a tide pouncing toward them.

The three stood back-to-back in a circle, dense Corpse Puppets before their eyes.

"Bang bang bang!"

Dense gunfire rang out, bullets sweeping in like raindrops. The swordsmen raised their blades to block, the sound of metal striking metal incessant.

"We can't delay any longer!" Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together, "Amitabha. Form Four: Flowing Rock · Rapid Conquest!"

The chain in his hand whipped out violently, the meteor hammer tracing an arc through the air. The massive metal sphere, wrapped in terrifying force, smashed into the corpse horde.

"Boom!"

The ground instantly cracked, centered on the impact point, rings of fissures spreading outward. The shockwave blew away a large swath of Corpse Puppets, severed limbs flying everywhere. Amid the dust, a passage appeared before everyone.

The other Hashira-level Swordsmen moved immediately. Giyu Tomioka and Muichiro Tokito rushed to the left and right respectively, blade lights flashing, clearing obstacles for the assault squad.

"Right now!" Sanemi Shinazugawa shouted, "Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind · Slash!"

His whole body became a whirlwind, blade light slicing the Corpse Puppets ahead into fragments. Blood Mist permeated the air.

Obanai Iguro followed close behind, his figure twisting like a snake: "Serpent Breathing, Fifth Form: Winding Long Snake!"

Tanjiro took a deep breath, the flame pattern on his forehead surfacing again: "Sun Breathing, Seventh Form: Solar Flare Thrust!"

"Bang!"

The three almost simultaneously shattered the ground beneath their feet, borrowing the other Hashira's cover, shooting toward the palace depths like shells fresh from the barrel.

Tanjiro suddenly halted, nose twitching rapidly, a special scent drilling into his nasal cavity — it was Dio's scent.

"It's here!" Tanjiro pointed at an entrance, "There's a powerful presence underground."

Sanemi Shinazugawa kicked the door open: "Less talk, kill our way in!"

The three charged into the Underground Palace, a long corridor stretching downward before them. A dozen Corpse Puppets guarded both sides of the passage; seeing intruders, they immediately raised guns and fired.

"Fifth Form: Winding Long Snake!" Obanai Iguro's figure moved like an agile venomous snake, weaving through the bullet rain.

Blade light flashed, the Corpse Puppets ahead instantly collapsing.

"The passage is below!" Tanjiro reminded while fighting.

"Then blast it open!" Sanemi Shinazugawa stomped, leaping into midair. He gripped his blade with both hands, fierce Wind Breath coiling around the edge.

"Second Form: Claw Claw · Koto Wind!"

Blade light howled down like a storm; the moment it struck the ground, the thick stone slabs instantly shattered. A pitch-black passage appeared before the three.

Sanemi Shinazugawa's mouth curled into a ferocious grin: "Dio. You wait right there for me!"

The battle on the surface grew even more intense at this moment.

"Clang!"

Giyu Tomioka swung his blade to sever incoming bullets, his movements noticeably slower than before. The poison gas's impact was becoming increasingly obvious, every breath bringing searing pain.

"Watch your back!"

Muichiro Tokito cleaved a Corpse Puppet lunging at Giyu Tomioka's back with one slash, but his blade had barely retracted before he was forced to double over in violent coughing.

Mitsuri Kanroji and Shinobu fought back-to-back, blade lights weaving a net around them.

But the corpse horde before them seemed endless; one batch fell, and new ones immediately filled the gaps.

Gyomei Himejima's meteor hammer swept horizontally, blowing away a large patch of Corpse Puppets. But his movements also grew sluggish, his breathing increasingly heavy: "Amitabha. Just how many of these monsters are there?"

"Hah!"

At this moment, a bone-chilling cold air swept in. Temperature plummeted, a layer of thin ice instantly condensing on the ground, frost crystals spreading along the stone slab patterns.

The surrounding Corpse Puppets' movements slowed, thin frost beginning to form on ground and walls.

"This is..." Giyu Tomioka's eyes sharpened.

"Boom!"

The ground suddenly trembled, five massive Wood Dragons bursting from the earth.

Each stood three stories tall, dragon scales covered in thick bark, blinding light blooming from their gaping maws.

They opened their bloody mouths, spewing breath mixed with flame and lightning.

Corpse Puppets were shredded like straw under this assault. But more Corpse Puppets still surged forth in an unending stream.

Before anyone could react, a terrifying oppressive feeling suddenly descended.

"Moon Breathing, Eighth Form: Moon Dragon Ringtail!"

A low voice echoed through the air.

A massive crescent Sword Qi suddenly swept across, hundreds of meters wide. Where the Sword Qi passed, air was torn apart, emitting a sharp whistle.

It instantly cleared the corpse sea ahead. Severed limbs danced in the air, Blood Mist pervasive.

The Hashira's figures trembled, this oppressive feeling...

Amid the dust, a figure walked out slowly. He stood nearly two meters tall, long hair reaching his waist, six eyes flashing with eerie light. Every step seemed to carry unmatchable pressure.

Kokushibo.

Behind him, Akaza bared his upper body, tattoos on his arms clearly visible. Douma held an iron fan, a gentle smile on his face.

Further back was Upper Rank Four · Hantengu, already transformed into Zohakuten form.

"Upper Ranks." Gyomei Himejima's face darkened, "Why would you appear here?"

Kokushibo advanced slowly, gaze sweeping over the swordsmen present. He drew the Hollow Crying God Gone Blade at his waist, the eyeballs on the blade slowly opening: "Demon Slayer Corps? Perfect, I'll settle you all together."

He turned to look at the three Upper Ranks behind him, "You stay here and handle them, I'm going to find Dio."

"Understood~" Douma lightly waved his iron fan, his tone still light and cheerful, "I'll 'entertain' them properly."

Kokushibo paid no heed to the others, his gaze already locked onto the direction of the Underground Palace entrance, his hand resting on the sword hilt.

"Moon Breathing, Second Form, Pearl Flower Moon Play."

"Careful!" Giyu Tomioka stomped his foot, "He's about to attack!"

Voice not yet fallen, Kokushibo had already vanished from his original spot. A crescent-moon-like sword light swept across, dozens of Corpse Puppets instantly sliced in two, severed limbs and broken arms dancing in the air.

"So fast!"

Muichiro Tokito widened his eyes; the trajectory of that slash just now, he had completely failed to capture it.

Giyu Tomioka subconsciously raised his sword to block, but Kokushibo simply did not have the intention to pay them any mind, striding straight toward the Underground Palace entrance.

Kokushibo's figure moved through the corpse horde; with every step he took, large swathes of Corpse Puppets fell. His movements were elegant and composed, as if performing a magnificent sword dance.

In the blink of an eye, Kokushibo's figure had already vanished into the stairway leading to the Underground Palace.

"Good, this is even more interesting." Douma shook the iron fan in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the five remaining Hashira before him, "In that case, why don't we play a game too——"

"Let's see who survives till the end!"

He raised his right hand, fingertips lightly tapping. The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly; the white breath exhaled by the swordsmen condensed into frost in the air.

"Bang! Bang!"

Hantengu suddenly struck the huge drum behind him heavily; the heavy drumbeat trembled in the air.

"Roar!"

The Wood Dragon opened its bloody mouth wide, spewing flames mixed with lightning. The scorching dragon breath swept across the ground while rushing toward the Hashira before it.

"Amitabha."

Gyomei Himejima's eyes could not see, but he could clearly perceive the location of every Wood Dragon. He stomped his foot, his whole body leaping high.

"Stone Breathing · Second Form · Heaven Face Shatter!"

The meteor hammer in his right hand, carrying a whistling sound, smashed toward the nearest Wood Dragon's skull.

"Boom!"

The Wood Dragon's head exploded instantly, fragments scattering in all directions. Simultaneously the broad axe in his left hand swept horizontally, cold light flashing, severing another Wood Dragon at the waist.

When Gyomei Himejima landed, the ground trembled. He shook the chain; the meteor hammer drew a circular arc in the air, smashing a third Wood Dragon to pieces.

In merely the blink of an eye, five imposing Wood Dragons had turned into broken wood covering the ground.

"Th-this is impossible!" Hantengu instantly widened his eyes, his voice carrying disbelief, "My Wood Dragons were actually this easily..."

"Interesting."

A flash of excited light suddenly flickered in the eyes of Akaza, who had been watching from the sidelines.

"Hantengu, step down!"

He stepped forward slowly, his bare upper body muscles bulging, the tattoos on his arms appearing exceptionally ferocious under the moonlight.

"Gyomei Himejima, the rumors are true; you are indeed the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest combat strength."

Akaza rotated his wrist, emitting a cracking sound, "Then let me see just how strong you are!"

"Technique Expansion · Destructive Death · Compass!"

Akaza spread his legs, planting a firm horse stance. In an instant, a suffocating aura erupted from within his body.

Dense patterns instantly appeared on the ground, spreading outward with him as the center.

"Destructive Death · Annihilation Style!"

Akaza's figure vanished from the spot; the air was torn apart, emitting a sharp whistle.

His whole body like a fired shell, he instantly rushed before Gyomei Himejima, his right fist wrapped in terrifying force blasting out.

Gyomei Himejima stomped his foot; the ground instantly cracked and collapsed. He held a weapon in each hand, his figure not retreating but advancing.

"First Form · Snake Pattern Rock · Dual Poles!"

The meteor hammer and broad axe swung almost simultaneously. The meteor hammer smashed down from above, the chain drawing a perfect arc in the air; the broad axe slashed up from below, cold light shining. The two weapons formed a pincer attack, completely sealing off Akaza's attack route.

"Clang!"

Akaza's fist collided head-on with the meteor hammer. The tremendous impact force twisted the air instantly; air waves spread in all directions. The ground's stone slabs shattered inch by inch, cracks spreading like a spider web.

"What!"

Akaza stumbled back a step, actually forced to retreat one step by this force. His fist transmitted waves of numbness; the web of his thumb throbbed with faint pain.

"This kind of monstrous strength." Akaza shook his numb right hand, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.

If not for previously accepting Muzan Adult's new blood, he probably would have difficulty taking even one blow.

His gaze toward Gyomei Himejima became even more fervent.

This fully blind monk actually possessed such terrifying power. Even he, as Upper Rank Three, had no choice but to go all out to deal with him.

"Hey," Akaza rotated his wrist, his voice carrying excitement he could not conceal, "Want to consider becoming a Demon?"

"With your current strength already this astonishing, if you were to become a Demon... " He stepped closer step by step, "You would surely break through human limits, reach a higher realm!"

"Amitabha." Gyomei Himejima gripped his weapons tight, his tone calm, "This poor monk's only wish in this life is to slay every evil Demon under heaven."

"Is that so." A trace of regret flashed in Akaza's eyes, but was quickly replaced by battle intent, "Then let me see to what extent you can exert this power!"

He readied his stance again, muscles bulging, an even more terrifying aura erupting from within his body: "Destructive Death · Chaotic Style!"

At this moment, the dense Corpse Puppets all around surged forward once more, simultaneously launching attacks at both sides.

"Right on time!" Hantengu suddenly let out a strange laugh. He struck the war drum heavily with both hands, "Thump! Thump! Thump!" Dull drumbeats reverberated in the air.

The ground shook again; three massive Wood Dragons burst from the earth, opening their bloody mouths wide and pouncing toward the Corpse Puppet horde.

Those Corpse Puppets not only did not dodge, but instead leapt up one after another, pouncing on the Wood Dragons like locusts.

Their nails turned pitch-black and sharp, frantically tearing at the Wood Dragons' scales.

Amidst flying wood chips, the bark on the dragons' bodies was torn off piece by piece. More Corpse Puppets climbed upward stepping on their companions' shoulders, quickly submerging the Wood Dragons.

"Tear them apart!" Hantengu beat the drum once more.

The Wood Dragon twisted its body violently, flinging off some Corpse Puppets. But more Corpse Puppets immediately filled the gaps, gnawing madly at the dragon's body, emitting a teeth-grating chewing sound.

On the other side, Douma's gaze swept over Shinobu and Mitsuri Kanroji, a gentle smile on his face: "What lovely girls." He lightly waved his Iron Fan, "It seems I'll get a full meal today as well."

"Douma!" Shinobu's voice was icy cold, the Nichirin Blade in her hand pointed at Douma, "Do you remember Kanae Kocho? That was my sister!"

"Kanae... Kocho?" Douma tilted his head, pondering for a moment, his gaze drifting to the Corpse Puppet corpse that had just been slain on the Ground.

"Oh, that gentle girl. My apologies, if I hadn't seen her corpse, I truly wouldn't have remembered. After all, I've eaten far too many people."

He still wore a gentle smile on his face: "People die in the end anyway; if eaten by me, isn't it that they can gain eternity together? Isn't that a good thing?"

"You—" Shinobu's arm was Trembling, killing intent growing denser with each breath. She stared dead at Douma's eternally smiling face, knuckles pinched white.

"Calm."

At This Moment, Muichiro Tokito stepped forward, blocking in front of Shinobu, his young face devoid of any expression, but the Nichirin Blade in his hand was already drawn.

"Oh my?" Douma revealed a surprised expression, "So it's a boy? What a pity, I thought I'd run into three pretty girls."

(Chapter End)