Tomioka Giyu was well prepared for Akaza's surprise attack. After blocking a punch with his blade, he quickly retreated and adjusted his stance.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!"
The wave-shaped slash severed Akaza's arm—but Giyu himself sustained a shallow cut across his temple. He didn't flinch.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Tomioka had no intention of retreating. He knew—against a monster like Akaza, relentless pressure was the only option.
But Akaza quickly adapted to Giyu's rhythm and soon gained the upper hand.
"So, you're the Water Hashira? Not bad! I haven't fought one of you in fifty years! Come again! Come again!!"
Tomioka remained calm, channeling the fluid grace of water to redirect Akaza's crushing blows. But Akaza's ferocity only grew.
"Hmph. Let's see how you deal with this!"
Akaza suddenly leapt high into the air and roared:
"Destructive Death – Compass Needle: Eight-Layered Willow Flash!"
Giyu's eyes narrowed. He leapt backward without hesitation—he knew not to take the blow head-on.
A thunderous crash erupted as Akaza's fist smashed into the earth, blowing the ground apart. Dust and debris filled the battlefield.
Giyu braced himself against the shockwave, but Akaza came flying through the smoke, fists flashing like lightning.
Tomioka sharpened his senses. He focused—searching for the void.
The air exploded with invisible shockwaves.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang!
"Yes! Yes! That's it! Do it again!" Akaza roared in ecstasy.
Giyu had no time to breathe.
A fist shot toward his skull—
"Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust – Curve!"
The fastest thrust of the Water Breathing forms shot forward, piercing Akaza's forearm clean through.
Giyu gripped his sword in both hands and drove it upward with all his strength!
He followed through instantly, twisting and slashing at Akaza's neck—but Akaza caught the blade with his remaining hand!
And in the same instant, his severed arm regenerated—the palm now thrusting straight toward Giyu's face.
Giyu's feet shifted subtly, his silhouette rippling.
Akaza's palm passed through Giyu's head—but it was only an afterimage.
"Water Breathing – Thirteenth Form: Mirror of the Moon, Reflection of the Water Flower."
Giyu's voice was low, serene.
Akaza's strike had failed—but he didn't frown. He grinned wider.
"Oh? A form I haven't seen? I've never fought a Water user who's developed this far!"
He lunged again, fists hammering—but none found their mark. His blows passed through ripples and shadows.
Frustration crept into Akaza's grin. Again and again, his punches missed. The smile faded.
"If you've got guts—stop running!"
He anticipated Giyu's next move, swinging a feint before turning and kicking upward in a sudden reversal!
"Destructive Death – Leg Technique: Crown Splitter Kick!"
It was a brutal combo: feint the punch, then follow with the upward strike. Akaza believed even if it didn't kill Giyu, it would at least land—
—but the reality shocked him.
Tomioka was unharmed, already countering with a blade aimed at his neck.
For the first time, Akaza retreated voluntarily, leaping backward to put space between them.
Tomioka didn't pursue.
He alone knew the truth: the sword swing toward Akaza's neck was a feint—a distraction to mask the weakness of the Thirteenth Form's reset.
He once thought it too vulnerable. But now, Akaza had dodged on instinct.
"I don't believe you can dodge everything forever!!"
Akaza's fists surged with energy.
"Destructive Death – Annihilation Type!"
The blow landed like a meteor, tearing the earth open, sending shockwaves through the battlefield.
In the distance, Rengoku Kyojuro carried Tanjiro and Inosuke out of harm's way.
"Stay here. I'm going to assist Tomioka!"
Without waiting for a reply, Rengoku dashed toward the fight, heart pounding. His strength hadn't fully recovered—but he'd fight regardless.
The moment he reached the battlefield's edge, he heard Akaza shout:
"Destructive Death – Leg Technique: Flowing Flash Formation!"
Smoke exploded again—dust spiraling upward.
Through the storm of blows, Giyu Tomioka moved like a specter—gliding slowly, gracefully, his afterimages flickering.
"Those overlapping images…" Rengoku muttered in awe.
From a distance, Tanjiro and Inosuke gasped.
"Giyu-san…!"
"Amazing!! He's moving like water!"
But Tomioka was not at ease. The Thirteenth Form was ending. And with Akaza, even a second's hesitation could mean death.
He made his decision—he would end it himself.
As Akaza's flurry ceased, Giyu countered cleanly, his blade flashing toward Akaza's neck.
But Akaza smirked.
"Your state is finished, isn't it?"
He twisted and threw a powerful punch directly at Giyu's sword!
CLANG!!
Steel and fist collided—equal in force, both deflected backward.
But Akaza used the momentum to spin and launch a blinding flurry of kicks:
"Destructive Death – Leg Technique: Flying Star Thousand Wheels!"
The meteor-like kicks struck Giyu's torso—blasting him into the air!
Blood spilled from Giyu's lips, his breathing strained.
Akaza chased, fists drawn back—
"Die! Destructive Death – Annihilation Type!!"
In midair, Tomioka twisted.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!"
He spun like a vortex, blade whirling in defense—
And then—
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!!"
A roaring blaze surged from the side—Rengoku Kyojuro had joined the battle, his blade roaring with fire.
***
With a loud bang, the attacks of the three fighters clashed in midair, causing a violent explosion.
The shockwave from the impact even reached Tanjiro and Inosuke, who were far from the center of the battlefield.
Slowly, the smoke and dust cleared. Akaza's wounds were already regenerating at an alarming rate. He once again tried to persuade them, his voice filled with excitement.
"Sure enough, you two should just become demons!"
"What a waste! Such superb swordsmanship—become a demon and continue fighting me forever!"
Tomioka Giyu ignored his words, standing protectively in front of Rengoku Kyojuro.
"Be careful. Protect yourself first—then think about how to cut off his head."
"Yeah! Don't worry! I'm fine now!"
No sooner had Kyojuro finished speaking than he erupted forward with explosive force, eagerly rushing to meet Akaza's next assault.
Tomioka Giyu didn't immediately follow. He and Kyojuro had never trained together for coordinated combat.
While their battle experience was strong enough to allow some forced cooperation, that would only work against opponents of equal or lesser strength.
Against a foe like Akaza, their lack of synchronization could be deadly—he would exploit it in an instant.
I'll need to find an opening and strike when Kyojuro's not attacking. If we don't get in each other's way, we'll be fine.
There shouldn't be much time left. If we can just hold out until dawn, this will be a success!
Thinking this, Tomioka Giyu dashed like flowing water, circling around to Akaza's blind spot and launching a surprise attack!
But there was no way such a move could escape Akaza's keen perception.
Just as Tomioka closed within two meters, Akaza sent Kyojuro flying with a punch, then used the recoil to flip midair and deliver a spinning kick aimed at Tomioka's head!
But Giyu responded perfectly—he shifted his weight back and dropped into a knee-slide, narrowly avoiding Akaza's kick.
Of course, Giyu never expected a surprise attack to work.
With Akaza's instinctive technique Destructive Death: Compass Needle, he could read the will to kill.
Unless one had mastered the Transparent World, Akaza was nearly impossible to deceive.
"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!!"
Right on cue, Rengoku Kyojuro leapt into the air and brought his blade crashing down.
Although Giyu had created a momentary gap, Akaza still avoided a fatal blow—the killing intent had been too strong to miss.
The demon twisted away from a slash to the neck, taking the blow to his torso instead. As he landed, he retracted both arms defensively.
But Kyojuro wasn't finished. Just as he prepared to follow up, Giyu grabbed the back of his uniform and yanked him back.
At the same time, a surge of water pressure spiraled around Tomioka Giyu.
Akaza attacked.
"Destructive Death: Eight-Layered Demon Core!"
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm."
Slash after slash after slash—
Akaza's furious barrage was completely neutralized by Giyu's Eleventh Form, his calm cutting through the chaos.
"Oh? Another move I've never seen before. Interesting! So interesting!"
Tomioka remained silent, focused only on giving instructions to his ally.
"Don't trade blows recklessly. You'll die…"
Before he could finish, flames shot into the air behind him.
"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!!"
The corner of Giyu's eye twitched. Delay him! Delay him!
I need to explain this to Kyojuro or he'll never stop telegraphing his attacks!
"Destructive Death: Disorder!"
Akaza met the combined pressure of Giyu and Kyojuro head-on. The battle grew fiercer.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rengoku was knocked back again. Giyu stepped forward, his voice low and commanding.
"That's enough, Kyojuro. It's my turn."
As they passed each other, Giyu noted Kyojuro's breathing had grown ragged.
He barely rested earlier. His stamina's recovered maybe 20%—no wonder he's starting to fade again.
Kyojuro said nothing, instead focusing on regaining his breath through regulated breathing, eyes locked on Giyu.
If anything went wrong, he was ready to step in—no matter the cost.
Tomioka's gaze sharpened. Against Akaza, the Twelvefold Striking technique would be too wasteful—it consumed too much energy.
Right now, conserving strength was more important.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Akaza gave him no room to breathe, hammering him with relentless blows.
Rengoku couldn't even find an opening to assist.
"Become a demon, Tomioka Giyu!"
"Your swordsmanship will vanish when you die. Isn't that a waste?!"
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Tomioka gritted his teeth, staying just barely ahead of Akaza's tempo. He couldn't afford even a single lapse.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
The heat from Giyu's body began to rise. Unknowingly, steam began to radiate from him.
Akaza's speed increased again, and he began to fully suppress Giyu.
But in that moment of crisis, Giyu's mind became perfectly calm.
Rengoku, watching from afar, almost rushed in—but then stopped, stunned.
Akaza, who had held the upper hand, suddenly had both arms severed!
Shock flickered in Akaza's eyes, but he didn't falter. He spun instantly, launching a brutal upward kick toward Giyu's chin!
"Destructive Death: Leg Type – Crown Splitter!"
But Tomioka reacted faster.
"Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
He blocked the kick and instantly countered. Akaza wasn't far behind.
Clash! Clash! Clash!
Man and demon exchanged blow after blow. Akaza hadn't felt such exhilaration in ages.
But Giyu had begun bleeding from the mouth—he was reaching his limit.
"HAHH!" Tomioka roared, swinging his blade with force and sending Akaza flying backward.
The demon scraped across the ground but managed to recover quickly, his body healing instantly.
He narrowed his eyes, staring at Giyu with wild excitement.
"Ahh… that fighting spirit…"
"Become a demon, Giyu Tomioka! Fight with me forever!!"
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!"
A massive force surged toward him—but Giyu didn't back down.
A water dragon burst from his blade as he charged in to meet the attack head-on!
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
The moment the two techniques collided, a massive explosion split the sky!