Chapter 116: The HR with Zero Performance
When the thick clouds of dust completely obscured Akira's vision, Akaza's relentless barrage finally ground to a halt.
But before Akira could even draw a full breath into his burning lungs, the silhouette of the Upper Rank demon tore through the smoke. Akaza closed the distance in a fraction of a second, stopping almost nose-to-nose with him.
"Tell me, what is your name?"
Akaza stared directly into Akira's eyes, a frenzied, battle-hungry smile stretching across his pale face. The moment the question left his lips, he launched a devastating straight punch aimed right at Akira's chest.
At such point-blank range, and having just barely survived the previous onslaught, Akira's muscles screamed in protest. His arms were entirely numb. Dodging was completely out of the question; he could only brace himself and meet the crushing impact head-on.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Inazuma!"
In the blink of an eye, Akaza unleashed a flurry of blindingly fast punches. Akira's golden nichirin blade intercepted every single strike, but the sheer kinetic force traveling down the steel violently rattled his bones. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger stretched agonizingly, threatening to split wide open under the immense pressure.
To break free from this suffocating close-quarters death trap, Akira forced a sharp breath through his teeth and abruptly shifted his stance.
"Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
"Leg Style: Crown Splitter!"
Facing Akira's heavy, crackling downward slash, Akaza did not retreat. Instead, he violently swung his leg upward to intercept the glowing blade. The ferocious collision of demon flesh and breathing technique generated a shockwave that launched Akira high into the air.
This, however, played perfectly into Akira's hands. He rode the violent momentum, twisting his body into a fluid backflip to carve out a safe distance between himself and the Upper Moon.
His boots skidded across the ruined earth. Even though he had intentionally redirected the kinetic energy, the residual shock from Akaza's kick still radiated through his arms, leaving a heavy, suffocating tightness in his chest.
"Kanzaki Akira."
His sudden words caused Akaza to freeze mid-step. The demon lowered his raised fists, a flicker of genuine curiosity replacing the bloodlust in his glowing golden eyes.
"Kanzaki Akira. That is my name."
Hearing his opponent willingly offer his identity, Akaza's desire for conversation flared to life. He knew perfectly well that Akira was using this brief pause to regulate his breathing, but as an absolute martial arts fanatic, he simply did not care. The battle had reached a boiling point, and the sheer thrill of the fight easily pushed Muzan's assassination orders to the darkest corners of his mind.
To Akaza, the weak could be slaughtered at any given moment. But a swordsman of Akira's caliber, someone who could actually push him to fight to his heart's content, was a rare treasure. He was more than willing to grant the human a few seconds of respite if it meant their ensuing clash would be even more exhilarating.
"Good. Kanzaki Akira, I will carve that into my memory. Your martial arts are exquisitely refined, yet you look so incredibly young. Such raw talent is truly a sight to behold."
Akaza spread his arms, his tone shifting into one of deep pity. "However, the fleeting lifespan of a human and that fragile, pathetic body greatly limit your true potential. Look at yourself. You flawlessly blocked all my attacks, yet your arms hang numb and your chest heaves with exhaustion. If I had pressed the advantage just now, your flesh would have torn. You would have died."
He took a slow step forward, his smile fading into a solemn expression. "It would bring me immense sorrow to see someone with such beautiful martial arts wither away and die."
"Why don't you become a demon as well? With an endless lifespan and an indestructible physique, you will surely reach an entirely new world of power. You might even touch the supreme territory."
"Are there actually any benefits to becoming a demon?" Akira asked, his voice carefully modulated to sound genuinely tempted.
Since the Upper Moon was generously offering him a break, Akira naturally intended to milk it for all it was worth. If he could manage it, he would gladly stand here and chat with Akaza until the sun breached the horizon.
"To possess infinite time and a flawless body, allowing you to walk higher and further on the path of martial arts... is that not enough?" Akaza asked, genuinely baffled by the question. "For individuals with strength like yours and mine, the pursuit of ultimate power is our lifelong goal, is it not?"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Akira replied, leaning slightly on his sword. "Looking at your routine, this isn't the first time you've handed out this little recruitment pitch, is it? Has anyone actually ever said yes?"
Akaza frowned slightly. "Regrettably, every powerful Hashira I have encountered thus far has refused my invitation."
'Then your performance as a recruitment specialist is truly garbage,'Akira grumbled internally.'You have been in the industry for over a century, and your success rate is a flat zero.'
Compared to this guy, Akira considered his own performance as the Demon Slayer Corps' unofficial HR representative to be stellar. He was practically their top salesperson.
Unaware of the human's internal mockery, Akaza continued his impassioned speech. "It pains me deeply to watch those who possess exquisite martial arts and great potential die right before my eyes, burying their beautiful swordsmanship in the dirt with them."
He extended a hand toward Akira. "Kanzaki Akira, become a demon! Fight alongside me, grow stronger with me, and together we shall pursue that supreme territory!"
Akira remained silent, offering no direct response to the second invitation. Akaza's patience began to fray, his outstretched hand twitching.
Sensing the shift in the demon's aura, Akira immediately pivoted the conversation. "Become stronger? Of course I want to become stronger. But there has to be an actual reason behind that desire, right?"
"To constantly fight and constantly evolve... that is the sole pursuit of a true martial artist. What other reason could possibly be needed?"
Seeing Akira engage so deeply with the topic, Akaza reined in his temper. He genuinely wanted to convert this powerful swordsman into an immortal rival.
"No reason needed?" Akira's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping into a sharp, probing tone. "Akaza, before you became a demon, you must have already possessed extraordinary martial arts. Where did your foundation come from? Why did you choose to practice martial arts in the very beginning?"
He took a deliberate step forward. "Was it really to pursue some illusory supreme territory? Or was it to protect someone worth protecting?"
Akaza froze. Total silence descended upon the ruined battlefield.
When he tried to dig into his human past, he found a gaping void. Everything before his transformation seemed to have been violently ripped away, leaving behind nothing but his martial arts, his Blood Demon Art, and an obsessive, hollow conviction to grow stronger.
The demon's sudden, rigid stillness caught Akira slightly off guard.
'Is Talk-no-Jutsu really this effective?'Akira thought, blinking in surprise.'I'm not actually going to talk Upper Rank Three into ending himself, am I?'
Realizing he had struck a massive psychological nerve, and needing to stall for even more time, Akira doubled down on his verbal assault.
"Think about the master who taught you your forms! Think about the girl you made a lifelong vow to protect!" Akira shouted, his voice echoing across the clearing. "Tell me, what exactly are you trying to become stronger for?! Is it really just for that empty supreme territory?! Answer me!"
The sudden spike in Akira's volume struck Akaza like a physical blow. The demon subconsciously clawed at his own mind, desperately trying to visualize the master and the lover the human was screaming about. But no matter how hard he pushed, all he could see were fragmented, blurry silhouettes.
A sudden, agonizing spike of pain pierced his brain.
An inexplicable, suffocating wave of irritation and grief flooded his chest. Without warning, Akaza raised his fists and began violently smashing them into his own skull. He struck himself over and over, desperately trying to either numb the agonizing headache or force the shattered memories to piece themselves back together.
Blood sprayed from his temples. Just as a deeply familiar, gentle face finally began to materialize in the darkness of his mind...
"Akaza, what are you doing?!" a cold, terrifyingly familiar voice hissed from the depths of his cells. "What about the mission I gave you?!"
Muzan's furious mental command shattered the fragile memories instantly. The two blurry figures Akaza had fought so agonizingly hard to recall vanished into thin air.
"Right... I still have Lord Muzan's mission to complete."
Akaza's arms dropped limply to his sides. The gruesome wounds he had just inflicted upon his own head regenerated in the blink of an eye. When he looked back up at Akira, the confusion was gone, replaced entirely by a cold, murderous rage.
Sensing the explosive shift in the Upper Moon's aura, Akira let out a quiet, resigned sigh.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered simply decapitating Akaza while the demon was busy beating his own brains out. In that distracted, vulnerable state, the probability of landing a lethal strike was incredibly high.
However, defeating Akaza through a cheap sneak attack carried a massive risk. It might trigger his evolution, causing him to prematurely overcome the weakness of decapitation.
, if Akaza didn't die in a fair, head-on confrontation, his lingering resentment might prevent Koyuki's soul from pulling him back from the brink.
Weighing the risks, Akira had ultimately chosen to hold his blade.
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