Chapter 97 97: Decisive Battle Arc
"I will handle the matter of leaking information and drawing Muzan Kibutsuji out."
Kagaya Ubuyashiki could no longer hide the emotion in his voice.
For a man who had spent his entire life walking toward death with a smile, that faint tremor was enough to show how deeply this moment had shaken him.
"Tanjirou," he said gently, "I will leave the rest to you."
Tanjirou lowered his gaze to Asuramaru at his waist.
His fingers brushed the sword hilt.
"I will slay Muzan," he said.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
With that, the two reached their agreement.
The Demon Slayer Corps began moving at once.
Under Kagaya's orders, carefully selected members were dispatched to leave traces in places where demons might notice. Not enough to look obvious, but enough to guide Muzan's eyes toward the headquarters.
At the same time, the evacuation began.
The elderly, the weak, the women, and the children were moved out first. Servants who could not fight were sent away. Those who remained were all swordsmen prepared to die before dawn.
The headquarters, once quiet and orderly, gradually emptied.
Yet the air did not feel deserted.
It felt like a battlefield waiting to breathe.
Former Hashira were also summoned back.
The former Water Hashira, Sakonji Urokodaki.
The former Flame Hashira.
The former Thunder Hashira.
The three of them were entrusted with one task.
Escort Nezuko away and protect her at all costs.
Before she left, however, Tanjirou went to see her.
In a brightly lit room at the Butterfly Mansion, Nezuko lay on a hospital bed with her eyes tightly closed. Her body trembled faintly beneath the blanket, her skin damp with sweat.
Tanjirou stood beside her, his brows drawn together.
"Is she really all right?"
Shinobu Kocho, who had personally administered the medicine, smiled at him.
"This reaction is normal. Her body is resisting and adapting at the same time. You don't need to worry too much, Tanjirou."
Her tone was light, but her gaze was focused.
"However, Nezuko should be moved from here as soon as possible. The next battle will be too dangerous."
Tanjirou looked at Nezuko again.
The Kakushi had already prepared a stretcher nearby.
Shinobu's smile softened slightly.
"I wish you victory in advance."
Tanjirou nodded.
"I will win."
He took one last look at Nezuko, then turned and pushed the door open.
At that exact moment, Sakonji Urokodaki walked in from outside.
It had been a long time since Tanjirou had seen his master.
The old man still wore his tengu mask, and his posture was still straight. Yet when his gaze fell on Tanjirou, a quiet pride showed through the cloudy eyes behind the mask.
"Tanjirou," Urokodaki said. "I have heard everything you have done."
Tanjirou's eyes warmed.
"Master Urokodaki..."
Before he could say more, Urokodaki reached up and removed his mask.
A weathered face appeared beneath it, lined by age and hardship, marked by scars left behind by a life of battle.
His voice was low but steady.
"Go and do what you must, Tanjirou."
Tanjirou froze.
"Leave Nezuko to us. Just as I believed in you back then, believe in us now. Believe that we will protect her in your place."
Urokodaki looked straight at him.
"Do not hesitate. Do not carry unnecessary worries into battle. Give everything you have."
His voice softened.
"You and Giyuu are both my pride."
Those words struck Tanjirou more deeply than any command could have.
He had been afraid.
Afraid of failing.
Afraid of losing Nezuko.
Afraid that this battle would claim too many lives.
But now, his wavering heart settled completely.
He was not fighting alone.
And because he was not alone, he could entrust what was precious to him to others and move forward without looking back.
The uncertainty in his eyes vanished.
"I understand, Master Urokodaki."
Urokodaki smiled faintly and put the mask back on.
"That is good."
Under Tanjirou's gaze, Urokodaki left with the others.
The Kakushi carried Nezuko away.
The former Hashira followed.
Soon, the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters became almost empty.
Even Kagaya Ubuyashiki had temporarily moved to another location. With Yushiro's assistance, he would command the coming battle from afar.
Everything was ready.
Tanjirou stood alone along the corridor outside the Butterfly Mansion, watching the sun slowly sink beyond the trees.
The last red light of evening stretched across the courtyard.
Night was coming.
"Asuramaru," Tanjirou said softly, "I'm counting on you again."
Inside the sword, Asuramaru's reply came without patience.
"Stop getting sentimental. The demons are already moving."
Tanjirou's eyes sharpened.
Asuramaru could clearly sense demon auras appearing near the outskirts of headquarters.
They were strange, unstable presences.
Nakime's Blood Demon Art.
At the same time, beyond the boundary of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, countless grotesque eyeballs sprouted limbs and crawled across the ground. They scattered through the earth like insects, spreading outward and anchoring themselves into hidden points.
One by one, passages connected to the Infinity Castle.
Inside that warped fortress, Muzan Kibutsuji stood above a dense army of demons.
His gaze swept over them like a king looking at disposable tools.
A single wave of his hand was enough.
"Go."
His voice echoed through the castle.
"Annihilate the Demon Slayer Corps and the Ubuyashiki clan."
Among the gathered demons, Upper Ranks and Lower Ranks had appeared once more.
They were not the same as the former Twelve Kizuki. Most had been hastily strengthened by Muzan's blood, their bodies distorted, their strength greatly increased compared to ordinary demons.
But Kokushibo and Akaza did not spare them so much as a glance.
To them, these creatures were nothing more than fodder.
At Muzan's command, the demon army surged through the passages like starving wolves.
They poured out onto the plains outside headquarters, then rushed toward the forest under Nakime's guidance.
The ground trembled beneath their charge.
Then the night exploded.
Buried gunpowder detonated across the forest in deafening succession.
Fire bloomed among the trees. Earth and wood blasted upward. Demons were torn apart before they even understood what had happened. Flames swallowed shrieks, and severed limbs scattered across the burning undergrowth.
Before the smoke cleared, Demon Slayer swordsmen emerged from the forest.
At their head stood the Hashira.
Sanemi Shinazugawa stepped forward with his sword in one hand. Wind screamed around the edge of his blade as his fierce eyes locked onto the tide of demons ahead.
"So Muzan finally dragged out this many pieces of trash."
His grin was sharp enough to cut.
"Fine. I'll kill every last one."
He lunged.
"Wind Breathing, First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!"
Sanemi became a storm.
His body twisted into a violent tornado, tearing straight through the demon horde. Flesh was shredded. Bones snapped. Demons caught in his path were ripped apart before they could regenerate.
Blood sprayed through the forest like rain.
Not far away, Mitsuri Kanroji clasped her hands, eyes sparkling despite the carnage.
"Eeh, it's so bloody... but Mr. Sanemi looks so cool when he's being brutal!"
Beside her, Obanai Iguro went silent.
Then he began cutting down demons with even greater intensity.
Mitsuri noticed none of it.
The battlefield rapidly turned one-sided.
The Demon Slayer Corps had prepared for this night with everything they had. Their formation was tight, their traps were effective, and the Hashira at the front were monsters in human skin.
Demons fell in droves.
Before long, more than half of the invading force had been killed or maimed.
The difference in combat power was overwhelming.
Then, from the right side of the forest, the ground shook.
A giant demon leaped into view.
It resembled a monstrous toad, its bloated body covered in slick, uneven skin. Its tiny eyes swept across the battlefield, searching among the swordsmen.
Numbers were engraved in its eyes.
Upper Rank Five.
The toad demon opened its mouth, and its tongue shot out like a whip.
A Kinoe-ranked swordsman had no time to dodge. The tongue wrapped around his waist and dragged him backward.
The demon's mouth split wide.
"Hahaha! Eating you will make me even stronger!"
Just as the swordsman was about to be swallowed, thunder tore through the battlefield.
Zenitsu stood with both feet planted on the ground, golden lightning crackling around him.
The earth beneath his sandals fractured.
His eyes were clear.
His hand rested on his sword.
Then he vanished.
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami."
A dragon of lightning roared through the night.
The toad demon never even saw the sword.
Its tongue was severed first.
Then its neck.
The massive head rolled away, eyes still frozen in confusion.
Zenitsu landed lightly, sheathing his sword without looking back.
His gaze had already moved elsewhere.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Twelvefold."
Twelve flashes of lightning crossed the battlefield in a single breath.
A dozen demon heads flew.
Behind him, Inosuke charged through with both swords raised.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!"
He slammed into the demon ranks like a wild beast.
"Beast Breathing, Fourth Fang: Slice 'n' Dice!"
His jagged blades tore through flesh and bone, carving open anything that stood in front of him. His laughter rang across the battlefield, half battle cry and half pure joy.
The Demon Slayer Corps pushed forward with unstoppable momentum.
The demons finally began to break.
Fear spread through their ranks faster than fire.
The weaker demons turned and fled toward the passages, wishing they had more legs to carry them away.
.....
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