The inferno of the destroyed Ubuyashiki estate still raged behind Muzan Kibutsuji as she regenerated, her charred flesh knitting itself back together with terrifying speed. Her crimson eyes burned with fury, and the once elegant, human-like form of the Demon Queen began to shift. Black veins pulsed across her skin, her features sharpening into something monstrous. She stretched her clawed hands, which glistened with a deadly sheen, and sensed three powerful presences cutting through the night air, closing in fast.
"Hmm…" Muzan murmured, her voice a mix of scorn and curiosity. "They rush to die. How quaint."
The three figures streaked into the battlefield like meteors, their speed a testament to their power. Bell Cranel, Gyomei Himejima, and Tanjiro Kamado landed in unison, weapons at the ready and eyes fixed on Muzan. The fiery backdrop painted an apocalyptic scene, the tension so thick it seemed to slow time.
Tanjiro's breath hitched as he locked eyes with Muzan in her true form—a grotesque and regal abomination. Her presence radiated malice, her body both elegant and horrifying, with undulating appendages tipped with venomous claws. Her hair, once glossy black, now writhed like tendrils of shadow, and her lips twisted into a predatory smirk.
"This… is Muzan?" Tanjiro whispered, momentarily frozen. The raw malice she exuded felt suffocating.
It was only the blur of claws descending toward his head that snapped him out of his daze. Time slowed as he tried to move, but he was too late—
CLANG!
A massive chained flail intercepted Muzan's claw, deflecting it with a powerful swing. Gyomei stepped forward, his face calm yet grim, his body radiating focus. "Do not falter, Kamado. She will not allow hesitation."
Bell, a step ahead, sidestepped another swipe aimed at Tanjiro and retaliated with a blinding slash of his katana. The blade shimmered with the power of Sun Breathing, striking true and forcing Muzan back a step.
"She's fast," Bell said, his tone casual but sharp. "Kamado, keep your head straight. If you're not careful, she'll take it off."
Tanjiro nodded, regaining his composure. "Right. Let's do this together."
The battle began in earnest. Tanjiro lunged forward, unleashing the Dance of the Fire God – Burning Bones, Summer Sun, his blade streaking toward Muzan in an arc of golden flames. Bell flanked her, his strikes precise and devastating, the air around him warping as he moved faster than the eye could follow. Gyomei brought his chain and axe to bear, creating a relentless rhythm of attacks to pin Muzan down.
Muzan dodged with inhuman grace, her appendages lashing out like whips. Her claws moved in blurs, countering and retaliating simultaneously. She cackled as she pushed the trio back. "Is this all the Demon Slayer Corps has to offer? How disappointing."
One of Muzan's clawed strikes hurtled toward Tanjiro, a poisoned talon aimed directly at his head. Before it could land, Bell appeared like a ghost between them. The claw stopped mere inches from Bell's face before it was slashed apart into ribbons, as if by an invisible blade.
Tanjiro's eyes widened in disbelief. "Bell… how did you—"
Bell didn't glance back, his crimson eyes focused on Muzan. "Don't let her words distract you, Kamado. Focus. That's all."
Tanjiro nodded, his grip tightening on his blade as they pressed the attack.
The Arrival of the Hashira
As the intense battle raged, Muzan noticed a shift in the air. More presences closed in—familiar ones, strong ones. Her lip curled in disdain. "So, the rest of your kind comes to die, too? Fine. Let them."
In a flash, the other Hashira entered the battlefield, their movements synchronized and deadly. Mitsuri Kanroji, Tengen Uzui, Giyuu Tomioka, Shinobu Kocho, Muichiro Tokito, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Obanai Iguro each arrived, forming a ring around Muzan. Their blades shimmered under the light of the flames, their faces resolute.
Gyomei's booming voice broke through the chaos, his tone commanding. "This is Muzan Kibutsuji. Prepare yourselves for the ultimate battle!"
The Hashira didn't waste time. They lunged as one, their combined Breathing techniques creating a dazzling storm of color and power that bore down on Muzan like an unstoppable force.
Bell grinned, his katana already in motion as he joined the fray. "Finally, some real action. Let's see how much punishment the Queen can take."
Muzan's eyes flicked between her attackers, her expression cold but calculating. With a single motion, she unleashed a tidal wave of her Blood Demon Art. Black tendrils erupted from her body, each tipped with poisonous barbs that spread out in all directions. The air was thick with the sound of clashing steel as the Hashira countered her strikes, each one pushing themselves to their limits.
Even with their combined power, Muzan proved a force of nature, her movements graceful and deadly. The battlefield was chaos, a dance of life and death that pushed every Slayer to their brink.
Bell moved through the fray with ease, his strikes swift and unrelenting. "Come on, Muzan," he taunted, a wild grin on his face. "I expected more from the Demon Queen. Don't disappoint me now."
Muzan hissed, her eyes narrowing. "You dare mock me, human? I will make you beg for death."
The stage was set, the players assembled, and the battle for humanity's future had begun in earnest.