Watching Akaza clutch his head and roar in agony, the blue fighting aura around him erupted chaotically, blasting crater after crater into the surrounding ground.
On his newly regenerated head, chaos and clarity fiercely alternated in his golden eyes.
Although they didn't know what was happening, this was a perfect opportunity!
Shinichi and Obanai exchanged a look.
No words were needed; they reached an instant understanding.
Shinichi gripped his blade with both hands.
The green Nichirin Blade erupted with an incomparably powerful aura as the faint phantom of a giant dragon emerged.
"Forest Breathing, Seventh Form: Wood Dragon's Slash!"
Crack!
Pushing off the ground to charge forward, Shinichi left a distinct crack where he stood.
His figure, along with the turquoise-green dragon phantom, shot out, crashing head-on toward Akaza!
The Crimson Blade in Obanai's hand lit up again, his Mark burning hot.
He forced himself to take a breath, his body once more transforming into a crimson serpent shadow as he lunged from the side!
The cunning sword techniques of Serpent Breathing were unleashed again, aiming straight for the multiple openings Akaza exposed in his confusion.
"Get away!!!"
Although Akaza's mind was lost in chaotic memories, the combat instincts honed over hundreds of years were still terrifying.
Facing their attacks, he threw punches and kicks almost instinctively.
The snowflake technique deployment unfolded beneath his feet as he casually unleashed Destructive Death techniques.
The violent blue fighting aura directly blasted away the turquoise blade light and the crimson serpent shadow!
Boom!
Clang!
Bang!
The three clashed in a flurry, their speeds so fast that only afterimages remained.
Obanai's Crimson Blade once again left scorched black wounds on Akaza's body, and the tip of Shinichi's blade continuously struck, leaving gashes deep enough to see bone.
However, what was terrifying was the absurdly fast healing speed of these wounds.
Almost the instant a wound appeared, the flesh would begin to writhe and regenerate madly.
Even his neck, which should have been a demon's fatal weak point—Shinichi and Obanai's Nichirin Blades simultaneously sliced into Akaza's neck, nearly severing half his head, but in a flash, the wound healed with ease.
"It's useless! Useless!" Akaza roared, striking back while painfully pounding his own head.
"Do you see? This is the power after breaking through the limit! Mere decapitation... can no longer kill me!"
He sent Obanai flying with a punch and kicked at Shinichi.
Although his movements were somewhat distorted by his headache, his power was even more ferocious than before.
Shinichi blocked with his blade held horizontally but was jolted so hard his arm went numb, forcing him back several steps.
"This guy... his regeneration is at least three times stronger than before!" Obanai panted, feeling a wave of helplessness.
The stamina drain from activating his Mark and Crimson Blade was immense, and his energy was rapidly depleting.
Shinichi adjusted his stance, his gaze grave.
He had noticed it too.
Akaza's state in this battle was extremely bizarre.
On one hand, he seemed to be mentally deranged, tormented by sudden memory fragments, unable to unleash his full combat potential.
On the other hand, the evolution in power from overcoming the weakness of decapitation had given him even more terrifying regenerative abilities.
If this dragged on, it was not a viable solution.
He had to find a breakthrough!
Shinichi's sharp gaze swept over Akaza's somewhat contorted face.
Those memories... they seemed to be the key.
Every time Akaza seemed to recall something, his movements would show a clear lag and confusion, and his attacks would lose their form.
"Is he afraid of those memories?" Shinichi's thoughts raced. "Are those memories belonging to 'Hakuji the human' impacting his heart as 'Akaza the demon'?"
A bold idea formed in his mind.
Shinichi dodged one of Akaza's Destructive Death.
A wooden house behind him was instantly pulverized by the attack, and amidst the billowing dust and smoke, Akaza's movements faltered for a moment.
But Shinichi didn't take the opportunity to immediately counterattack.
Instead, he took a deep breath, channeling his life force energy into his throat.
His voice instantly carried a strange penetrating quality that clearly entered Akaza's chaotic mind.
"Hakuji!"
The name was like a binding spell, causing Akaza's frenzied movements to abruptly freeze.
His golden eyes widened in an instant, filled with shock, panic, shame, and a trace of... a tremor that even he couldn't comprehend.
"Who... Who's calling that name?!" Akaza roared, but his attacks involuntarily slowed.
Shinichi didn't know who Hakuji was, but Akaza had mentioned the name several times, so it must be incredibly significant to him.
Thus, while weaving around to dodge attacks, Shinichi continued in that calm yet powerful voice.
"The memories you're seeing, the voices you're hearing... they aren't illusions. They are all real, Akaza! That is the past you've forgotten, the things you cherished most when you were human!"
"Shut up! Shut up! I'm not some Hakuji! I am Akaza! I don't need emotions! I only need to become stronger! Stronger! Stronger!" Akaza attacked with even greater frenzy, but his techniques grew increasingly messy, as if he were desperately trying to deny something.
"So what about them! The people most precious in your memory?" Shinichi's voice was like the sharpest needle, piercing the most fragile corner of Akaza's soul.
"Their names, are you really going to forget them!?"
"Koyuki...?"
Akaza uttered the name almost subconsciously, as if in a dream.
The moment the word left his lips, he froze as if struck by lightning!
His entire body stiffened on the spot.
The violent blue fighting aura around him receded like a tide.
In his golden eyes, the madness and bloodlust rapidly faded, replaced by boundless confusion, pain, and... an ever-clearer sorrow.
More memory fragments surged forth like a bursting dam... Under a night sky full of fireworks, a shy young woman with a gentle smile on her face said softly.
"Hakuji-san, would... would you be willing to... marry me?"
On a cold, moonless night, two bodies covered by white cloths.
Amidst endless rage and despair, a tempting voice whispered in his ear.
"Interesting fellow. Do you want power? Become my subordinate... Akaza~"
Then hundreds of years of slaughter follow.
After casting aside all his memories, only the obsession to become stronger remained in Akaza's mind.
Countless Demon Slayers had died at his hands, but why had he never felt even a moment of satisfaction? W
as he not strong enough?
Or rather, what was the purpose of his obsession with becoming stronger...?
"Koyuki... Koyuki... Koyuki..."
Akaza repeated the name over and over.
With each utterance, a fraction of the fighting spirit in his eyes dissipated, and his violent aura weakened.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the fierce tattoos on his body, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly.
"What... what have I done..." Akaza's voice was hoarse, filled with endless regret and self-loathing.
"I forgot... I actually forgot everything... I'm a coward... I abandoned her... abandoned everything I cherished..."
He raised his head and looked at his own hands—the hands stained with countless blood, used in the pursuit of ultimate strength.
Once, these hands had only wanted to protect a frail, sickly girl and a warm family.
"I... don't deserve to live... It's enough..."
The blue fighting aura around him completely vanished.
The wounds inflicted by Shinichi and Obanai on his body no longer healed rapidly; ash even began to drift from their edges.
He had given up resisting, given up his demonic instincts.
When the memories of "Hakuji" fully awakened, when the name "Koyuki" was re-engraved deep within his soul, the obsession for battle that had supported "Akaza" for hundreds of years collapsed like a sandcastle.
Shinichi and Obanai stopped their attacks, watching as this powerful opponent lost all will to fight, standing motionless like a puppet.
There was no joy of victory, only a heavy and complex feeling.
Demons were once human, and Akaza... or rather, Hakuji, who was chosen by Kibutsuji Muzan to become a demon... perhaps his pursuit of the ultimate martial path was, from the very beginning, just a twisted compensation for his powerlessness to protect those he loved, a crazed rebellion against a tragic fate.
"It's over," Shinichi said softly, raising the Nichirin Blade in his hand.
This time, his opponent would not resist.
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