The demon slayers, along with Mark's team, plunged through the Infinity Castle, passing by countless rooms until they finally landed on a vast wooden platform.
They stood up, taking in their surroundings, noticing five separate rooms moving closer, each one containing an Upper Rank demon. Akaza stood with his arms crossed, gazing down at them from his chamber, his blue demonic markings glowing ominously.
Similar scenes unfolded in the other rooms, where the Upper Rank demons watched the newcomers with cold, predatory eyes. The tension in the air was palpable, so thick that it was hard to breathe.
"Welcome to my domain, Demon Slayers. I trust you've enjoyed the view, for this will be your graveyard," a cold, sinister voice echoed from above. All eyes turned to a high throne, where a figure with piercing red eyes stared down at them.
"Muzan," they all thought, recognising the leader of the demons.
"Enough talking! Let's have some fun!" Zach bellowed, launching himself forward with incredible speed. The force of his movement shattered the wooden floor beneath him as he shot straight at Akaza. The demon, startled by the massive human's speed, barely had time to react before Zach grabbed him by the stomach, both crashing deeper into Akaza's chamber, where their brutal fight began.
Zach's sudden assault sparked the others into action. The demon slayers leapt towards their respective targets, except for Mark, Julia, and the Stone Hashira, who remained standing, their eyes fixed on Muzan, clearly choosing him as their foe.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters, the scent of blood permeated the Ubuyashiki mansion. A towering, six-foot-eight demon was calmly walking through the halls, leaving behind a trail of death. The bodies of Kakushi lay scattered around, some missing their heads, others with gaping holes where their hearts used to be.
Ali continued his slow walk through the blood-soaked mansion until he stopped in the main hall, his gaze shifting upwards. There, a small female Kakushi hid in the shadows, trembling with fear. Her heart nearly stopped when Ali's midnight eyes locked onto her position. In a desperate attempt to flee, she turned to run.
"UGH!" A wet, sickening sound escaped her throat as Ali's hand effortlessly pierced through her chest. He withdrew it just as swiftly, and the Kakushi collapsed lifelessly behind him. He continued on his path, now juggling her still-beating heart in his right hand.
Inside the sleeping quarters of Ubuyashiki and his wife, the tension was suffocating. Ubuyashiki sat silently on his futon, his wife clinging to him in terror.
Despite her strength, she couldn't help but tremble each time she heard Ali's footsteps grow closer. Ubuyashiki gently placed a comforting hand on her back, though inside, he mourned for the lives of his loyal Kakushi, now brutally slain.
Ali stopped outside the door leading to Ubuyashiki's room. He ceased juggling the heart, crushed it in his hand, and flicked away the remaining bits of flesh.
Swoosh.
The door slid open, revealing no one at first. Amane turned to look, only to find emptiness, but the sound of a heavy thud in front of her made her heart race.
She turned back to see a figure-Ali-towering before her and her husband, his midnight-coloured eyes colder than death itself.
"Why?" Ubuyashiki asked, his voice eerily calm, despite the gruesome situation, his blind eyes and scarred face looking up at the demon standing before him.
Ali unhooked his spear from its harness, holding it loosely in his left hand. "The simple answer? You're in the way. In my way, just like your precious Hashira and their new allies," Ali replied, his voice chilling and devoid of emotion.
"And what about Shinobu and the others at the Butterfly Mansion? Will you kill them too? Do they mean nothing to you?" Ubuyashiki asked, a flicker of anger finally rising in his voice.
Ali smirked. "Nope. Not even a little. The only person who matters to me is me." He lifted his spear, the tip gleaming ominously. "Don't worry, though. I'll make sure you have plenty of company on the way to death's door, blind man."
SLASH.
"NO0000000000!"
Amane tried to shield her husband with her body, but she was too slow.
Ubuyashiki's head hit the floor, rolling away, leaving his body to spurt blood like a gruesome fountain. Amane, now drenched in her husband's blood, stared in horror, clutching his headless body as despair washed over her.
"No, no, no, no!" she repeated, holding him tight as her tears mixed with the blood.
Ali crouched down beside her, his gaze indifferent. "You can leave this room alive if you-" he began, brushing aside her white hair to reveal her tear-streaked face.
But before he could finish, Amane slapped his hand away and, with all the fury and grief in her heart, attempted to strike him.
Ali expected this. Before her hand could even connect, he dropped his spear and caught her wrist, pulling her close. "UGH," she gasped as his right hand plunged through her chest, emerging on the other side, clutching her heart.
With a brutal flick of his wrist, Ali withdrew his hand, and Amane's body fell lifelessly to the floor. He stood up, casting a cold glance over the carnage he had wrought. To him, they were just two more bodies added to the mountain of corpses.
Back in the Infinity Castle, the battles had exacted a heavy toll. Zach, having fought alongside Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Giyu, helped them defeat Akaza in a gruelling battle. While Tanjiro and Giyu were left utterly exhausted, Zach stood over Akaza's body, his muscular arms now covered in thick grey hair, his transformation not yet complete.
In another chamber, the twins, Leo and Lila, fought alongside Sanemi and Tokito against the Upper Moon One, Kokushibo. Though Tokito was tragically slain in the battle, he had managed to inflict severe injuries on the demon. Leo and Sanemi, exhausted but relentless, pressed their attack. Sanemi was thrown back by a powerful kick, but Leo quickly responded, tossing a knife with a paper tag attached to it. Lila, standing on the opposite side, performed a series of hand signs.
"Water Jutsu: Water Bullet!" she shouted, releasing a barrage of water bullets towards Kokushibo.
The demon, riddled with injuries, couldn't react in time. The knife exploded, and the water bullets tore through him, leaving him half-burned and full of holes.
Kokushibo collapsed to his knees, unaware of Sanemi leaping into the air above him.
"Wind Breathing: First Form!" Sanemi roared, decapitating the demon and finally putting an end to Upper Moon One.
But the victory came at a cost. Sanemi, exhausted and bleeding, collapsed next to Kokushibo's lifeless body.
In the other fights, Shinobu, aided by Inosuke and Tsuyuri, battled Doma.
Shinobu was gravely injured but managed to decipher Doma's techniques. With her help, Inosuke and Tsuyuri were able to finish the demon off.
Meanwhile, Mitsuri and Zenitsu fought Upper Moon Four. Together, they triumphed, with Zenitsu delivering the final blow by decapitating Hantengu. Mitsuri, however, was left wounded from the intense fight.
Upper moon five was killed by the serpent Hashira and Nezuko, the serpent Hashira unfortunately laid down his life to kill the demon while Nezuko was left unconscious by the fight.
The toll on the Hashira was immense. Out of the ten, two had fallen, two were in no shape to continue fighting and only six remained capable of continuing the fight. But even those still standing knew that the hardest battle-the confrontation with Muzan-was still to come.
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