Uchiha Shinji felt a pang of regret at not having lured Orochimaru here.
In his original plan, Orochimaru, with his mastery of various secret techniques, forbidden arts, and vast experience, was the best candidate for dealing with demons. At the Thunder Country's anchor point, he had counted on Orochimaru, which is why he only arranged for Kimimaro alone.
But things did not go as planned. The only ones who made it were Kimimaro and Kabuto.
In truth, these two were not weak by the standards of the shinobi world. The issue was that one of them was still young, and the other had not yet mastered Sage Mode. In terms of both strength and experience, they hadn't yet reached their peak.
At present, the two could only be considered at the level of jonin. Facing ordinary demons posed no problem, but facing a demonified Tanjiro was a different story.
In fact, it was already somewhat surprising that they had managed to survive this long.
As Shinji surveyed the battlefield, he noticed that the only demon guarding this particular anchor point was Tanjiro.
"It makes sense—Upper Rank One does indeed have the qualification to guard this alone."
He confirmed this, but his face was not one of joy; instead, it bore an expression of worry.
Of the five anchor points, the ones in the Fire Country, Wind Country, and Earth Country had already been cut off. The only ones remaining were this one in the Thunder Country and the one far off in the Water Country.
Currently, the demons known to have shown up included Upper Rank One, Tanjiro; Upper Rank Two, Kokushibo; an alleged Upper Rank Nakime; and a demonified Rengoku Kyojuro.
Shinji wasn't sure who had guarded the anchor point in the Earth Country, but considering that Karin and Neji managed to handle it, the guardian there couldn't have been too formidable.
The upper demons yet to be seen included Upper Rank Three, Upper Rank Four, Upper Rank Five, and Upper Rank Six, as well as the rumored Demon King—the lantern bearer of the Demon Slayer world.
Especially that 'lantern bearer'—the one Shinji was most wary of.
If the Demon King wasn't here, it meant he could very well be at the anchor point in the Water Country.
"Over there with Haku…"
Shinji felt his anxiety rising. Though he was filled with unease, he stood quietly on the cliffside, recovering his dojutsu and observing the battlefield. He didn't rush into action.
The battle between Yugito Nii and Tanjiro raged on!
Neither side held back.
In full Tailed Beast form, Yugito Nii was teetering on the edge of going berserk. Each attack carried immense power, displaying the full ferocity of a Tailed Beast. Meanwhile, demonified Upper Rank One, Tanjiro, did not relent. His refined swordsmanship and eyes that seemingly perceived chakra allowed his attacks to match the raging Tailed Beast.
As the battle progressed, not only Shinji, but also Kabuto and Kimimaro watching from nearby, could discern some things.
Tanjiro's swordsmanship was indeed exceptional. When he used the breathing techniques to their peak, his speed was astonishing—so much so that even Shinji, with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, found it difficult to track.
However, the destructive power of the breathing techniques was limited, and demons lacked the ability to refine chakra. As the battle drew on, Tanjiro gradually began to lose ground.
Though each of his slashes landed precisely on Yugito Nii, carving deep wounds, the fully transformed Yugito Nii—wrapped in the chakra cloak of a Tailed Beast—dismissed these "flesh wounds" as inconsequential. Every time Tanjiro managed to cut through, the wounds would heal quickly under the concentrated Tailed Beast chakra.
Kimimaro frowned, confused by the performance of Upper Rank One, who had cornered him into such a dire situation earlier.
Kabuto thought to himself, "Does this Upper Rank One have no experience fighting Tailed Beasts? What's the point of going head-to-head like this? Without sealing techniques, it's impossible to win!"
Shinji couldn't help but feel a burst of joy.
Indeed, it seemed that when demons faced creatures with greater chakra and stronger regenerative abilities, they had no effective methods for dealing with them.
Shinji felt a tinge of sympathy.
Even demonified Tanjiro, whose strength had reached the upper limits of the Demon Slayer world, appeared powerless in the face of an actual monster like a Tailed Beast.
This was the limitation of their world.
The ceiling of the Demon Slayer world was only so high. No matter how much talent a person had or how brilliant they were, they couldn't escape that limit.
There were no Tailed Beasts in the Demon Slayer world, so neither demons nor swordsmen had any experience dealing with such terrifying creatures.
Just like how many shinobi would be caught off guard when first encountering a demon's unique regenerative abilities, demons would similarly be at a loss when encountering a Tailed Beast.
On the cliff, Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly.
Tanjiro had fought fiercely against Kimimaro and Kabuto, and now he was battling Yugito Nii without respite. The chakra within him had been depleted. Whether it was his speed or his strength, both had diminished to their normal levels, greatly reducing his destructive power.
Without the chakra enhancement, Tanjiro was no match for Yugito Nii on the verge of going berserk. Before long, he found himself at a disadvantage, and the fully transformed Yugito Nii smacked him into the snow.
"It's over!"
Upon seeing this scene, both Kabuto and Kimimaro thought Upper Rank One was surely done for.
Suddenly, sword lights danced in succession, slicing apart the giant claw pinning Tanjiro in the snow!
The fully transformed Yugito Nii roared in pain and leapt to the side.
Swoosh!
At that moment, Tanjiro burst from the snow, pouring all of his remaining chakra into a final effort. His entire being turned into a blazing ember as he charged towards Shinji atop the cliff.
As he leaped high, a breath of mist left his lips, and his blade suddenly ignited with a dazzling, sun-like blaze!
For a moment, both Kabuto and Kimimaro held their breath.
They knew that this had to be Upper Rank One's strongest and final strike—he had staked everything, hoping to reach that figure on the cliff who had only watched the battlefield with indifference.
"Will it succeed…"
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed, and Kabuto clenched his fists. The showdown between the mysterious 'A' of the Akatsuki and Upper Rank One shouldn't have mattered to them, but faced with such an epic battle, they couldn't help but be drawn in.
Especially Upper Rank One's all-out assault—it had completely captivated them. Such swordsmanship, such spirit—they had never seen it in another person!
Facing Tanjiro's blazing attack, the figure on the cliff remained still.
Just as Tanjiro was about to slash down, a black flame surged silently, swallowing him in an instant.
The flames on Tanjiro's blade, along with Tanjiro himself, quickly dimmed within the black flames.