Tanjiro's heart pounded as Muzan effortlessly deflected his Hinokami Kagura attack. The sheer speed and power of Muzan's movements were overwhelming. Despite everything they had thrown at him, Muzan remained untouchable—his regeneration instant, his strikes lethal.
As Tanjiro staggered back, his lungs burning from the effort, Nezuko rushed to his side, growling with fury as she prepared to defend her brother. Her demonic eyes glowed red, and her claws flexed, ready to tear into Muzan if he dared approach.
But Muzan didn't falter. His eyes, cold and calculating, swept over the group as if they were mere insects beneath his notice. His lips curled into a sinister smile. "Do you understand now?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice. "No matter how hard you fight, you will never defeat me. This world will belong to me, and you will all be consumed by the darkness."
Killua, standing a few feet away, wiped blood from his lip, his silver eyes gleaming with cold determination. "He's regenerating too fast," Killua muttered, electricity sparking around him as he readied himself for another attack. "No matter how much damage we do, he's back to full strength in seconds."
Gon, breathing heavily beside Killua, clenched his fists, his nen pulsing with energy. His face was bruised, and his muscles ached from the relentless fight, but his spirit hadn't wavered. "We can't give up!" he shouted. "There has to be a way to stop him!"
Aru, still standing tall despite the deep gashes Muzan had inflicted, swung his massive sword over his shoulder, grinning through the pain. "There's always a way," he said, his voice filled with a wild intensity. "You just have to hit harder than he can regenerate."
Rengoku's flames flared brightly as he stepped forward, his eyes filled with a fiery resolve. "We've fought demons before that seemed impossible to kill," Rengoku said, his voice strong. "But no matter how strong they are, no matter how fast they heal, they all have a weakness. Muzan is no different."
Tanjiro, still catching his breath, nodded. "Muzan's body might be nearly invincible, but… maybe there's a limit. If we can push him past that, he won't be able to heal."
"But how?" Killua asked, his eyes narrowing. "We've thrown everything at him, and he's barely been phased."
Tanjiro's mind raced. "There's something about his blood," he muttered, thinking of all the demons he had fought. "All the demons Muzan created have a connection to him. Maybe… if we can disrupt his control over that, we can weaken him."
Muzan's mocking laughter echoed through the battlefield. "You think you can find a weakness in me?" he sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. "You're welcome to try."
But before anyone could respond, Muzan's form blurred. In an instant, he was in front of them, his claws slicing through the air with blinding speed. Tanjiro barely managed to raise his sword in time, the force of Muzan's strike sending him skidding back across the ground.
Nezuko lunged at Muzan, her claws flashing as she attacked with feral intensity. But Muzan's movements were too fast—he dodged her strikes with ease, his expression never changing. "A demon protecting a human," Muzan hissed, his voice filled with disdain. "How pathetic."
Before Muzan could strike Nezuko down, Rengoku's flames blazed to life once more. "Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!" Rengoku's blade roared to life as he slashed toward Muzan, a massive wave of fire tearing through the air.
Muzan twisted his body, avoiding the brunt of the attack, but the flames licked at his skin, searing the edges of his form. For the first time, Muzan's smile faltered.
"You're persistent," Muzan growled, his voice filled with venom. "But persistence won't save you."
Aru took the opportunity to strike, his massive sword swinging down with brutal force. Muzan's eyes flicked toward Aru, and in a blur of motion, he blocked the strike with his bare hand, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground.
"You're not bad," Muzan said, his eyes narrowing as he pushed Aru back. "But you're no match for me."
Aru grinned, his wild eyes gleaming with excitement. "I like a challenge."
A Desperate Plan
As the battle raged on, Tanjiro, Gon, and Killua regrouped, their bodies battered and bruised but their determination unshaken. They had seen Muzan falter, if only for a moment, but it was enough to give them hope.
"There has to be something we're missing," Tanjiro said, his breathing steadying as he tried to think. "He's not invincible… he can be hurt."
Killua's silver eyes narrowed as he watched Muzan deflect another one of Rengoku's attacks with ease. "We need to find a way to cut him off from his power. If his regeneration is tied to his blood, maybe there's a way to stop it."
Gon, his fists glowing with nen, nodded. "But how? We've hit him so many times, and it hasn't slowed him down."
Tanjiro's eyes widened as a realization hit him. "His blood… it's connected to every demon he's ever created. What if we can use that against him?"
Killua's eyes gleamed with understanding. "If we disrupt his control over the demons… we might be able to weaken him."
Gon looked between his two friends, determination filling his eyes. "Then we have to do it. But how do we break his control?"
Tanjiro's mind raced. He thought of everything he had learned about Muzan—the way his blood flowed through the demons, the way he controlled them from afar. "Maybe we don't have to destroy his control," Tanjiro said slowly, his voice filled with urgency. "Maybe we just need to sever it, even for a moment."
Killua's smirk returned, his body crackling with electricity as he prepared for the next phase of the battle. "Then let's do it."
Severing the Connection
With their plan in place, the group moved into action. Tanjiro, Gon, and Killua surged forward, their attacks focused and precise as they worked together to create an opening. Rengoku's flames continued to blaze, and Aru's massive sword swung with brutal force, keeping Muzan on the defensive.
"Keep the pressure on him!" Rengoku shouted, his voice filled with fiery determination. "We need to break through!"
Muzan's eyes flicked between them, his expression darkening with every passing second. Despite his overwhelming power, the combined efforts of the demon slayers and Hunters were forcing him to stay on the defensive. But his smile never faded.
"You think you've found a way to stop me?" Muzan hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You are all fools."
In a blur of motion, Muzan's form shifted. His body dissolved into a mass of writhing, black tendrils, each one lashing out at the group with terrifying speed. Tanjiro's heart pounded as he dodged the oncoming tendrils, his mind racing as he looked for an opening.
"There!" Killua shouted, his voice sharp. "Now's our chance!"
Tanjiro's eyes locked onto Muzan's core, the center of the writhing mass of tendrils. If they could sever that connection, even for a moment, they might be able to stop him.
"Hinokami Kagura!" Tanjiro's blade ignited with fiery energy as he surged forward, his movements faster and more fluid than ever before. His sword slashed through the tendrils, cutting a path toward Muzan's core.
At the same time, Gon charged from the other side, his fists glowing with nen. "Jajanken: Rock!" he shouted, his fist crashing down with immense force as he aimed for Muzan's center.
Killua, his body moving with lightning speed, darted around the battlefield, his claws crackling with electricity. "Godspeed: Thunderbolt!" he called out, his attack aimed at Muzan's core.
The combined force of their attacks struck Muzan at the same time, and for a brief moment, the connection between him and his demonic power seemed to waver.
Muzan's eyes widened, a flash of fear crossing his face. "No…!" he hissed, his voice filled with fury.
The tendrils around him began to thrash wildly, but the damage had been done. Muzan's regeneration slowed, his body struggling to maintain its form.
"Now, Rengoku-san!" Tanjiro shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
Rengoku's flames surged brighter than ever before as he raised his blade high. "Flame Breathing, Ninth Form: Rengoku!" he roared, his sword igniting with the full power of his flames as he slashed toward Muzan with everything he had.
The attack struck true, Rengoku's flames consuming Muzan in a blazing inferno. Muzan's body twisted and contorted as the flames burned through him, his regeneration faltering as the connection to his power was severed.
For the first time, Muzan let out a scream of pain.
The ground beneath them trembled as Muzan's form collapsed, his body burning in the flames of Rengoku's attack. The sky above them seemed to darken, and for a moment, everything went still.
Had they finally done it? Had they defeated the Demon King?
Tanjiro, his chest heaving with exhaustion, stared at the burning form of Muzan, hope flickering in his heart.
But then, from within the flames, Muzan's voice echoed once more, cold and filled with hatred.
"You think this is over?" Muzan's voice rasped, his body slowly beginning to reform. "You are fools… I will never die."
The flames around Muzan began to fade as his regeneration kicked in once again. His body, though weakened, was still standing, still defying everything they had thrown at him.
Tanjiro's heart sank. Despite everything, Muzan was still alive.
And as Muzan's blood-red eyes locked onto them, filled with fury, the battle was far from over.