Back with Aoi Kazama, she watched as five massive wooden dragons rose toward the sky, her hand instinctively tightening around the hilt of her Nichirin Sword.
"So this is the power of an Upper Moon?" Giyu Tomioka's gaze was heavy, locked onto the five towering wood dragons.
The words had barely left his lips before the tail of one dragon whipped toward the group.
"Scatter!" Giyu barked. He moved like a bolt of blue lightning. "Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
The surging slash collided with the dragon's tail. With a sharp crack, the wood splintered, and the dragon's head was severed.
However, it wasn't long before the creature began to recover. From the splintered tail, a mass of tiny sprouts erupted. In a heartbeat, they grew into thick branches and leaves, reforming into a powerful, gnarled tail even sturdier than the last. The wind it kicked up was sharper than before.
"Regeneration... to think it's this fast." Giyu's brow furrowed.
"Let me try!"
Aoi stepped forward, twirling her blade in her palm. "Wood Breathing, Third Form: Blade of Withered Judgment!"
As the blade carried the chilling intent of the cycle of life and death, it emitted a faint, ashen light. She didn't strike the dragon's main trunk; instead, her blade bit precisely into the fresh sprouts on the newly formed tail.
The vibrant green buds that had been growing so aggressively withered the moment they touched her sword-wind. They shriveled and curled as if their life force had been drained, turning into blackened ash that crumbled away.
The wooden dragon let out a roar, but it wasn't a physical sound—it was a piercing sonic wave erupting from its maw, surging toward Aoi.
The sound was as sharp as a thousand steel needles piercing her eardrums. Aoi's head throbbed, her vision swimming in shadows as her grip on her sword nearly failed.
It can use Urogi's attacks?! Does that mean it's fused with the abilities of the other clones?
Aoi's heart sank. Just as the thought crossed her mind, the concussive force of the soundwave sent a surge of nausea through her.
Tanjiro immediately moved to shield her. "Aoi, are you alright?!"
Aoi pointed toward a wooden sphere floating near Zohakuten. "Tanjiro! The demon's main body is hidden in there!"
Tanjiro followed her finger and saw a cracked wooden ball hovering beside Zohakuten. "I see it!"
"I'll draw the dragons and Zohakuten's attention!" Giyu said. He blurred into motion again. "Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!" The dense water blades flowed like a torrential stream, entangling the attacks of the five dragons. Amidst the churning waves, even the piercing sonic screams were muffled.
"Tanjiro, Genya, Nezuko—split up!" Aoi shouted, forcing back the dizziness and wiping blood from her lip.
Tanjiro gripped his sword, a flash of resolve in his eyes. "Right! If we destroy the main body, these dragons will vanish!"
Under Giyu's cover, the group began to scale the wooden dragons. But Zohakuten had no intention of letting them succeed. In an instant, both Tanjiro and Aoi were snapped up and swallowed into the maw of a dragon.
"It's too tight... am I going to die?" Aoi's limbs were pinned, and her breathing became shallow. She struggled to raise her hand.
Suddenly, Mitsuri Kanroji's voice rang out. "Love Breathing, First Form: Shivers of First Love!"
A sweet, clear shout was followed by a sharp, whip-like blade that cleaved through the dragon's hardened husk like pink lightning.
"Aoi! Tanjiro! Grab on!" Mitsuri called out urgently. She reached into the opening she'd made, her pink-and-green hair fluttering in the gale.
Hearing her, Aoi summoned her last bit of strength to reach out, her fingertips just catching Mitsuri's warm palm.
"Thank you, Mitsuri-san!" Tanjiro looked at her with profound gratitude.
Aoi caught her breath and immediately locked onto the wooden sphere beside Zohakuten. She tightened her grip on her sword. "We can't drag this out! Hantengu's core is right there. Let's break it together!"
"Right! I'll work with Tomioka-san to cover you!" Mitsuri chirped. She leaped into the air, her hair swirling in the wind. "Go for the main body!"
She gripped her sword with both hands, her combat aura surging. "Love Breathing, Fifth Form: Swaying Love, Wildclaw!"
Countless pink wind-blades lashed out like cat claws, swiping fiercely at Zohakuten's perimeter.
Giyu's Water Breathing moved in tandem. The waves of his Constant Flux formed a solid barrier, pinning the five wooden dragons in place. Even with their rapid regeneration, they were hacked down so quickly they couldn't move.
Aoi and the others took the chance to climb toward the wooden sphere. "Damn it, it won't cut! I can't get any leverage!"
Seeing this, Genya did something that shocked Tanjiro and Aoi—he leaned forward and bit directly into the wooden dragon.
"Genya! What are you doing? You'll get a stomach ache!"
Genya ignored them, a heavy swallowing sound coming from his throat as he tore into the dragon's branch.
This is... Genya's ability! Tanjiro realized. Genya could gain strength by consuming the flesh of demons!
In the next second, the wooden sphere protecting the main body fell to the ground.
"Now!" Aoi vaulted off the dragon branch, diving toward the sphere.
Tanjiro followed immediately behind her, the heat of the Hinokami Kagura roaring on his blade, nearly scorching the air.
The wooden ball rolled across the ground, its cracks widening. From inside, the terrified whimpering of Hantengu could be heard.
"Die!" Tanjiro and Aoi's attacks struck simultaneously.
CRACK—BOOM!
A deafening explosion of wood splinters filled the air. But when the dust settled, Hantengu was nowhere to be found.
"He escaped again!"
"Where is he? Where did he go? He can't have gone far!" Tanjiro scanned the area.
Aoi pointed toward the tall grass ahead. "There!"
"You! Don't you dare run! Stop running from your responsibilities!" Tanjiro roared. "For every sin you've committed, I will make sure you answer for them!"
Hantengu stumbled as he fled. Hearing Tanjiro's roar, memories of his life before becoming a demon flickered through his mind.
"Don't blame your crimes on others! Take responsibility for yourself! You lying coward!"
Hantengu looked up, his clouded eyes bloodshot, a twisted smile pulling at his lips. "Responsibility? Why should I take responsibility? Since the day I was born, I have never told a single lie. I am a kind, weak soul. I am so pitiable, yet no one shows me sympathy!"
"I have not lied!" With that, he scrambled deeper into the woods.