— — — — — — —
As dusk settled the next day, Renzo and the others were still having dinner at the Butterfly Mansion when Rengoku Kyojuro and the others arrived.
"You're seriously just sitting here eating dinner? Aren't you even a little nervous?" Kyojuro asked as he plopped down in a seat, grabbing a bowl and chopsticks from the table. Without hesitation, he started shoveling food into his mouth.
"Mmm! Delicious! So good! This is amazing!" he exclaimed between bites.
Seeing Kyojuro's reaction, the others grew curious and gathered around.
"Is it really that good?" they asked.
Renzo sighed and shook his head. "Fine, I'll make some more."
With a casual wave of his hand, he conjured two more tables full of food. Since everyone was here, they might as well eat together before setting off.
"What kind of meat is that?"
"Subarashii!!!"
Once they finished their meal, they departed toward their destination.
— — —
"We'll all ride this to get there faster and catch Muzan off guard!" Renzo said, revealing his personal mid-sized aircraft from the Butterfly Mansion's backyard.
He had spent the last few months gradually crafting the parts and assembling them.
"Whoa! What is this thing? It can fly?!" The others were immediately captivated by the aircraft, crowding around it and chattering excitedly.
"Heh, just sit tight!" Renzo smirked.
---
One Hour Later – Outskirts of Kyoto
A barren wasteland stretched before them.
"This is it. Step back, everyone! I'll flush out the rats hiding underground!"
Renzo led the group a few hundred meters away before signaling them to stand back.
Once everyone had moved to a safe distance, he clapped his hands together and activated Sage Mode. Then, pressing both hands against the ground, he unleashed his technique.
"Sage Art: Earth Release - Moving Earth Core!"
A deep, rumbling quake echoed through the ground as the hidden fortress of Infinity Castle, buried hundreds of meters underground, began to shake violently. The surrounding soil and rock forced it upwards at an incredible speed.
— — —
Inside Infinity Castle
"What's happening?! Nakime, report! Why is Infinity Castle rising to the surface?!" Muzan demanded, his crimson eyes narrowing as he turned to Nakime.
"Lord Muzan! The Demon Slayer Corps is above us! It seems to be the work of the Cloud Hashira, Renzo!" Nakime answered as she used her spatial abilities to assess the situation.
"What?!" Muzan's expression darkened. The Upper Moons in the room exchanged glances, their surprise evident.
"That bastard dares to come knocking at our door?" one of them sneered.
"That's not the main issue here! How did they even find Infinity Castle?!" Kokushibo, the strongest Upper Moon, frowned.
Before anyone could answer—
BOOM!
The entire structure trembled violently. The demons standing were suddenly thrown to the floor as the forceful impact sent them crashing down.
Muzan, despite his incredible agility, was also caught off guard and slammed into the ground. There was no avoiding it—Renzo's Sage Art had forcefully dragged the entire fortress to the surface in mere seconds.
---
Above Ground
"So this is Infinity Castle? As expected, it reeks of demons!" Wind Hashira Sanemi scoffed in disgust as he sniffed the air.
"It was underground this whole time? No wonder we could never find it! But now, it's time for the final reckoning. I'm so moved I could cry...!" Himejima Gyomei clasped his hands together in prayer, tears streaming down his face even as his expression remained fierce.
"Shouldn't we be more amazed at Renzo? He just casually yanked Infinity Castle out of the ground without damaging its structure! That's insane! What kind of technique was that, Renzo?" Sabito asked in awe.
Renzo didn't turn around as he replied, "Sage Art with Earth Release. I'll explain later. For now, stay sharp! The enemies are coming."
He slowly drew his sword from its sheath, whispering under his breath, "Shatter… Kyoka Suigetsu."
With that, he released his Zanpakuto's Shikai. Then, he turned to the others and said, "Everyone, I'll handle Muzan. The rest of you—be careful. If you can't win, stall them as much as possible. Don't fight recklessly."
"Once Muzan is dead, everything else will fall into place."
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from sight.
— — —
Inside Infinity Castle
Renzo instantly appeared within one of the many rooms of the massive structure. Muzan and Nakime were still there, looking around in confusion.
"Damn! We're under attack!"
Nakime instantly sensed the spatial disturbance caused by Renzo's teleportation. Without hesitation, she waved her hand, shifting herself and Muzan to another location within the castle.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Renzo's blade slashed down at the spot where Nakime and Muzan had been moments before, carving a deep scar into the ground.
"Nakime, huh?"
Missing his strike, Renzo immediately realized what had happened.
If Nakime could sense his spatial movement, then naturally, he could sense hers as well.
"You can't escape from me!"
"Dojutsu - Takamagahara: Domain Projection!"
Activating his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Renzo unleashed Takamagahara, expanding his projection domain over a range of several hundred meters.
In an instant, Muzan and Nakime were both trapped within his technique.
"You little brat, take this!"
"Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon - Evening Palace!"
Without warning, Kokushibo appeared behind Renzo, slashing toward his back with a vicious grin.
He had heard much about this so-called genius named Renzo.
The Demon Slayer Corps even rumored that Renzo possessed talent surpassing Yoriichi himself.
Kokushibo scoffed at the idea.
Today, he would cut down this arrogant brat and show him his place.
"Sun Breathing: Clear Blue Sky!"
It was as if Renzo had eyes in the back of his head. In an instant, he spun around and met Kokushibo's attack head-on with a single swift strike.
Clang!
A tremendous force surged through Kokushibo's blade, numbing his hands.
Before he could react, Renzo's Kyoka Suigetsu easily sliced through his sword.
And with terrifying speed, his blade continued downward, splitting Kokushibo in half from head to toe.
Kokushibo froze in place, his eyes filled with disbelief. The next moment, his body fell apart, sliced cleanly into two.
Regeneration? Immortality? None of it worked.
In that instant, it was as if his demonic resilience simply ceased to exist.
"What... what the hell just happened?! Why isn't he regenerating?! How did Kokushibo die so easily?!"
Muzan, who was watching from a neighboring chamber through Kokushibo's perspective, was in utter disbelief.
That was Kokushibo—second only to himself in power!
Yet, he had been obliterated in a single strike!
"No... it must be his sword! That blade isn't a Nichirin Blade, yet it possesses such devastating power against demons! What kind of weapon is that?!"
"No... this isn't the time for that. I need to escape! This brat is far more terrifying than Yoriichi!"
"Yes! Escape! I'll outlive him!! Nakime!"
Panic-stricken, Muzan turned to Nakime.
Nakime understood immediately, activating her spatial abilities to teleport them away.
But nothing happened.
"What?!"
Nakime was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Renzo leisurely stepped into the room, his blade glinting under the dim light.
His footsteps echoed—Tap... Tap... Tap...—growing ever closer.
"Nakime! What the hell are you doing?! Do you have a death wish?! Hurry up and teleport us out of here!"
Muzan roared in sheer terror.
How dare she fail him at such a critical moment?
If she weren't so useful, he would have killed her on the spot!
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