Before Akaza could finish speaking, Roa's right hand moved.
The moment Roa moved, an overwhelming sense of danger engulfed Akaza.
Akaza instinctively dodged to the side, but the terrifying sense of danger persisted.
The immense fighting spirit erupted, all of it concentrated into a single slash. The force was like a tidal wave, vast and swift.
Only the sound of thunder was heard, but no sword was seen.
The Nichirin Sword in Roa's hand effortlessly cut into Akaza's neck, the sword halfway through. But at this critical moment, the unprecedented sense of danger finally made Akaza react.
He swung his arms with all his might.
But his target wasn't Roa—it was the sword in Roa's hand.
Destructive Death: Disorder.
This was a rapid series of strikes aimed at the same spot. Even the residual energy after the Blood Demon Art was severed still had destructive power.
Roa's movement paused, and he ultimately failed to decapitate Akaza.
Roa raised an eyebrow, sighing in admiration of Akaza's experience.
The Nichirin Sword in Roa's hand was actually damaged. When Roa first received the sword, it was a fine weapon. But no matter how good the sword, it couldn't withstand Roa's brutal usage.
When Roa fought Gyokko, the claim that its body was as hard as diamond wasn't entirely an exaggeration.
Although Roa had effortlessly bisected Gyokko's body, it came at the cost of the Nichirin Sword's durability.
During the fight, Roa had secretly infused a bit of magic into the sword to protect it. But in reality, this had limited effect.
Roa's speed and strength were immense, but they also placed a heavy burden on the weapon. Akaza had noticed the Nichirin Sword's durability was nearly depleted and struck it several times.
Akaza's strategy was clever. If Roa insisted on decapitating Akaza, he would have to gamble on whether the sword would break.
In fact, the Nichirin Sword was more damaged than Akaza realized. If Roa had persisted, the sword would have undoubtedly snapped.
Roa smirked, abandoning the idea of decapitating Akaza. Although the Nichirin Sword was no longer usable, Roa still delivered a powerful kick to Akaza's lower body.
Akaza was sent flying once more, crashing through several trees. But this time, Akaza laughed maniacally, "Roa, you're strong. But not strong enough. If you had more time, if you reached that higher realm, you might have actually decapitated me. How about it? Join us, become a demon? There are many benefits—eternal life, an ageless body, immortality. Join us, young warrior."
Roa glanced at Akaza, unimpressed, "Is that all you can say?"
Akaza fell silent again. The bones Roa had broken with his kick cracked as Akaza realigned them. He said to Roa, "Fine. If you won't become a demon, then I'll have to kill you."
Akaza assumed another stance, the snowflake array around him glowing.
Then Akaza disappeared.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type: Explosive Flurry."
Akaza's speed was not slow—in fact, it was faster than Gyokko's. His right leg transformed into a streak of light, aiming a series of rapid kicks at Roa.
This was a technique where a single leg delivered multiple powerful kicks to the same spot, like a flash of light exploding.
Unfortunately, Akaza didn't know that Roa's physical prowess was just as formidable as his swordsmanship.
Roa smiled, his golden eyes locking onto Akaza's.
In the next moment, Roa's aura became wild, his entire body expanding.
Dragon blood began to boil within him. With both hands, he grabbed Akaza's kicking leg and slammed him into the ground.
Upper Moon Three's regeneration was fast. Despite Roa's strength, Akaza only stumbled before charging at Roa again.
Akaza grinned ferociously, "So, you have a special constitution. I can smell it—the scent emanating from you. My instincts tell me that by devouring you, my strength will reach new heights. Since you won't become a demon, become my nourishment."
Roa raised an eyebrow, finally unable to hold back, "Why are you so confident? Is it the immortality of being a demon?"
Seeing Roa finally speak, Akaza stopped attacking and assumed a stance, looking pleased as he began to chat with Roa.
Akaza spoke as if it were obvious, "Isn't it natural? Human strength is limited. Even with your powerful slashes, how many times can you swing that sword? We demons, even if our hearts are pierced, our arms severed, or our bodies bisected, as long as our heads remain intact, we retain our strength. But you humans? So fragile. Any injury affects your combat ability. That's humanity—fragile humanity. Join us. If you become one of us, I won't devour you."
Roa tilted his head, his blood surging. His handsome face broke into a smile.
"Join you? Become one of you flawed beings? Besides, who told you I'm human?" Roa's smile made Akaza uncomfortable.
Akaza raised an eyebrow, his golden eyes filled with confusion, "What do you mean?"
Roa didn't explain further. As usual, he charged at Akaza.
Akaza prepared to fight, delivering another kick.
"Destructive Death: Leg Type: Explosive Flurry "
This is a continuous barrage of kicks that creates a chaotic wind of attacks, with trajectories as elusive as wandering meteors.
Roa, expressionless, effortlessly parries each of the opponent's kicks.
Then, with a single punch to the forehead of Akaza, he begins the most savage and violent onslaught.
The force is almost impossible to resist. In an instant, Akaza is slammed hard onto the ground, and Roa sits on top of him, unleashing a torrent of punches like a storm, relentlessly pounding every part of Akaza's body.
But the more Roa attacks, the more excited Akaza becomes.
The immense force nearly shatters the ground, yet Akaza still smiles and says, "Roa, you can't kill me. Your Nichirin Sword can't cut off my head. You simply can't kill me, even with such a powerful body."
Roa glances at the Nichirin Sword hanging at his waist, draws it, and slashes fiercely at Akaza's neck.
As expected, the Nichirin Sword breaks, only piercing a third of the way into Akaza's neck.
Akaza's smile grows even more triumphant. He reaches out with one hand to grab Roa's left arm, but the force is so great that his arm is torn off and slammed into his own face.
Roa looks at Akaza with confusion. Akaza feels a bit embarrassed but then laughs again, "The Nichirin Sword is broken. What's the point of using so much force?"
Roa stabs the broken Nichirin Sword into Akaza's head. The broken sword easily pierces through.
Akaza's smiling face darkens, and he says to Roa, "Kid, are you provoking me?"
Roa pats Akaza's cheek, a handsome smile on his face, and says, "What if I am?"
Akaza suddenly tries to get up but is immediately punched back by Roa.
Another round of relentless attacks follows.
Meanwhile, Roa shouts at Akaza, "Say it! You want to be human! Say it, being human is good!"
"Damn it, you bastard!" Akaza roars, but another punch greets him.
After about half an hour of this, the sound of a crow is heard in the dist. It's Shinobu Kocho's crow.
When Shinobu and Giyu Tomioka arrive, they see Roa sitting on Akaza, relentlessly pounding him.
The ground has already sunk a foot deep, surrounded by the aftermath of the battle—fallen trees, shattered Nichirin Swords, and craters everywhere.
Roa smiles at Akaza and says, "I was waiting for reinforcements. What were you waiting for?"
Akaza: "..."
Shinobu and Giyu are speechless at the scene.
Roa says to Shinobu, "Throw me your Nichirin Sword. Let me use it."
Shinobu looks at the shattered Nichirin Sword fragments around Roa and the sword stuck in Akaza's face. She gulps, nods, and throws her Nichirin Sword to Roa.
Shinobu's sword has a four-leaf clover-shaped guard, with a mint-green handle and a white sheath. The sword is slender, with a hook at the tip. On both sides of the sword are engraved the words "Demon" and "Annihilation."
Roa weighs it in his hand, feeling it's a bit light, but it's indeed a good sword.
Shinobu looks at the broken Nichirin Sword and can't help but add, "Don't break it."
Roa's mouth twitches, and he nods. Then, as Akaza takes a deep breath, Roa's Nichirin Sword, wrapped in lightning, cleanly severs Akaza's head.
However, the severed head doesn't quickly turn to ash and disappear. Even with the head cut off, the lower body struggles fiercely.
Roa frowns, stabs the chest, and the lightning-wrapped Nichirin Sword pierces the heart like a bolt of lightning.
The body gradually stops struggling, but Roa's frown remains. He feels that Akaza isn't truly dead.
He stabs a few more times and asks Shinobu, "Aren't you the Insect Hashira? Do you have a way to turn the body into ash, something that ensures it's completely dead?"
Shinobu silently looks up at the sky and points to the sun.
Roa is momentarily stunned, then understands and nods. He places Akaza's head in front of him, throws the torso to Shinobu and Giyu, and casually sits on the ground. He glances at Tanjiro Kamado hiding in the distance and calls out, "Come here, Tanjiro."
Tanjiro nods and walks over to Roa.
Roa pats Tanjiro's forehead and praises him with a smile, "Your support was timely. Fortunately, you delivered the sword, or I might have had to fight a bit longer. My arms are a bit sore now."
Shinobu and Giyu fall into silence, looking at the surrounding devastation and wondering what the point of their hurried journey was.
Upon hearing the news of an Upper Moon, Shinobu and Giyu's hearts nearly jumped out of their chests. They rushed, fearing that even a second's delay might result in Roa's death.
The Demon Slayer Corps is severely lacking in top-tier fighters, and now that they finally a powerful Hashira, if Roa were to die due to delayed support, Shinobu and Giyu would feel guilty for the rest of their lives.
But fortunately, Roa is so strong that even with a shattered Nichirin Sword, he can still dominate the fight.
But what was the point of their long journey? Just to deliver a Nichirin Sword?
Shinobu and Giyu exchange a look, both showing a helpless expression.
Tanjiro, however, asks curiously, "Who is this?"
Roa adjusts Akaza's head and points, "This is Upper Moon Three. He's a bit tricky. Oh, before he arrived, I killed another Upper Moon, Upper Moon Five. It was during that fight that my Nichirin Sword was ruined. Next time, I'll ask the Master for a better Nichirin Sword. It's a good thing it was me; if it were someone else, this guy might have escaped."
Shinobu and Giyu fall into deep thought.
Tanjiro gives Roa a thumbs-up and says, "You're amazing, Roa."
Roa looks proud and continues, "Right? I think so too. You know, at first, Upper Moon Five was almost killed by my sneak attack. If he hadn't reacted in time, my sword wouldn't have been so badly damaged, and then my Nichirin Sword wouldn't have shattered. Upper Moon Three wouldn't have been a match for me."
As Roa chats, Akaza is filled with intense resentment.
The humiliation, the pain in every part of his body—all caused by this guy.
He's just a human, just a piece of bread, yet he dares to insult me!
Akaza's strong desire is to kill Roa, to kill him no matter what.
This intense desire, along with his resentment, allows Akaza to cross that boundary.
Normally, when a demon's neck is severed by a Nichirin Sword, they die. This is the limit of a demon. But if a demon has an extremely strong desire before death, they might break through this limit, regenerate their head, and even if their head is severed again, they won't die.
Akaza has now reached this state. But when he regains consciousness, he sees that smiling face.
Akaza looks up, confused, at Roa. Roa, who was speaking, pauses, his golden eyes meeting Akaza's pale golden ones.
Roa says with surprise, "I was just guarding the body. I didn't expect you to still be alive."
Akaza falls silent. He looks back and sees his body surrounded by Shinobu and Giyu.
Akaza wants to curse. Now there are two more Hashira-level swordsmen.
He could barely handle Roa alone, and now two more skilled Demon Slayer Corps members have appeared.
Roa looks up at the night sky and says to Akaza, "It's midnight, the darkest time, but also the time when the sun is about to rise."
Akaza remains silent.
Roa continues, "Speak your last words."
Unexpectedly, realizing that even after breaking the demon's limit he still can't survive, Akaza instead feels relieved. He turns his head to Roa and says, "Human swordsman, you're strong. To achieve such a level at such a young age, I can't compare to you."
Akaza doesn't resist. His strong desire and the clarity before death awaken his past desires. He lies quietly on the ground, unusually calm.
Roa is surprised and asks, "You're not going to resist? Maybe you have a chance to escape?"
Akaza sighs deeply and says, "I've done many wrong things. When I realized it, I had already become like this. What was I becoming for? In the end, I realized it was all for her."
"After she died, everything became meaningless."
"My Blood Demon Art's snowflake pattern is the shape of my human fiancée, Koyuki's hairpin. The peach-colored hair is the same as Koyuki's kimono. The names of my techniques are taken from the fireworks Koyuki and I watched together."
"I remember all of it now."
After saying this, Akaza's head begins to turn to ash and burn.
Akaza broke the demon's limit due to intense resentment, but he gave up being a demon due to the awakening of his memories.
This is an extremely ironic situation.
---
Muzan Kibutsuji is furious. He flips everything on his desk, his blood-red eyes flashing with cold light.
"Roa, Roa, very good, very good!"
Muzan has never been as angry as he is today. It's not just because he lost two Upper Moons, but more importantly, he sees a threat in Roa.
If he lets Roa continue like this, Roa will eventually grow into a swordsman like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
The swordsman who nearly killed him with a single strike.
The swordsman who forced him to hide for nearly a hundred years.
No, he must nip this in the bud. This can't go on.