Outside the Demon Slayer HQ — Ongoing Battle
Flames crackled. Blood painted the night. The smell of death lingered in the wind.
The courtyard was a graveyard of demons and slayers alike.
But still—more came.
Crawlers, dozens of them, screeched and leapt over the walls. Low-ranked demons spilled from the breach like a flood.
And then—he appeared.
A hulking figure—twice the size of a man, built like a tank of sinew and metal, stomping forward with two flame-spewing axes. Horns curled upward. Armor fused to his grotesque flesh.
The Baron of Blight.
He roared — a vile, guttural noise that shook windows and cracked tiles.
Behind him, a tide of screaming Hellspawn followed.
Elsewhere in the HQ — Interior Halls
Tanjiro, blade drawn, was shielding Nezuko, his body bleeding, breaths shallow.
Tanjiro (gritting teeth):"Damn it… too many!"
One demon jumped toward Nezuko's back—she didn't flinch.
She turned.
And something inside snapped.
Nezuko's blood boiled, her eyes glowing pink with fury.
She screamed—and then ripped into the demon mid-air.
Her claws sliced through flesh like paper. She tore it apart, biting into the heart, drenched in its black blood.
Tanjiro stared—stunned—but relieved.
Tanjiro (weakly):"Nezuko… thank you…"
Main Courtyard
Hashiras and Upper Moons stood together now, back-to-back, drenched in gore.
Kokushibo, in his six-armed form, impaled two Hell Knights at once.
Kokushibo:"They target the civilians. Push them away from the center!"
Akaza, bloodied, chuckled as he crushed a demon's spine.
Akaza (grinning):"Not bad for Hellspawn, but you're two thousand years too early to kill me."
Doma, meanwhile, gracefully danced through enemies with his fans, humming.
Doma (smirking):"My my, they're uglier than my last heartbreak."
He twirled, then glanced to his side—where Giyu and Shinobu were fighting in tandem.
Doma:"Still not talking to each other, hm? Giyu, you dog. And Shinobu, you're hiding a blush behind that poison, aren't you?"
Giyu (coldly):"I'm going to kill him."
Shinobu (deadpan):"Get in line."
Mitsuri was holding back a swarm of Crawlers with Obanai at her side, blade whirling in a flurry of pink light.
Doma (teasing):"Ooh~ and you two! Married already or still in denial?"
Obanai (hissing):"Doma… shut that filthy mouth, or I'll sew it shut."
Akaza (laughing):"I'm all for a good flirt, but Doma… you're pushing it."
Near the Main Gate
Kagaya was being escorted away from the chaos by Gyomei and Rengoku, the latter blazing with determination.
Rengoku (yelling):"I'll come back once I ensure his safety!"
Gyomei (calm):"This war has only begun. Stay focused."
Slayer stepped into the moonlight.
Armored. Armed.
His boots echoed like war drums as he strode forward, through ash and ruin, toward the Baron of Blight.
The Baron saw him — and paused.
The ground trembled beneath them.
Baron of Blight (growling):"You… I've heard of you. The Ghost of Mars. The Flayer of Demons."
The Baron raised his axes.
Baron:"You're not welcome here, old man."
Slayer said nothing.
He just stepped forward.
Then faster.
Then—a sprint.
BOOM!
The two titans clashed, a shockwave ripping through the battlefield, blowing debris and corpses across the field.
Elsewhere — Muzan Watches the Clash
From a broken tower's remains, Muzan stood, his form still monstrous from his previous slaughter.
He stared at the fight.
His gaze narrowed.
Muzan (to himself):"So that's your soldier, King of Hell. And this…"
He watched the Slayer tackle the Baron, slamming him through a wall.
Muzan:"…is ours."