Muzan roared, his demonic form swelling with rage and triumph.
The battlefield lay in ruins—twelve warriors, once the last hope of humanity, now knelt, broken and bloodied.
"This is what you call hope?" Muzan spat, stepping forward.
"You cannot kill a curse with conviction. You are nothing but insects crawling toward death."
His twelve tendrils rose like serpents, pulsing with deadly energy—each one aimed to pierce the hearts of the fallen.
"DIE."
The tendrils shot forward—
The end had come—
Or so it seemed.
CRACK.
From the rubble of the fallen Infinity Castle, a blinding light burst forth—not white, but golden.
The debris exploded into the air like feathers on the wind.
In a flash—SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
All twelve of Muzan's tendrils were severed mid-flight—cleanly, effortlessly.
The air fell silent.
Muzan's eyes twitched.
Footsteps. Calm. Measured. Certain.
From the smoke and light emerged a figure in black and violet, a golden dragon pattern embroidered across his flowing haori, a black conical hat casting shadow over glowing scarlet and violet eyes.
His presence was heavy.
Too heavy to be ignored.
He stepped forward.
Sahiru Orasawa.
The Fallen Flame. The Facade Blade.
The warrior who walked with wrath and sorrow.
He stood between Muzan and the Twelve.
A barrier of flesh, spirit, and fire.
"What are you finding so amusing?" Sahiru said, his voice calm and cold, like steel in snow.
Muzan's grin twitched.
"You... You should be dead—"
"I've heard that before," Sahiru interrupted.
He slowly removed his hat.
His eyes burned—not with anger, but with something sharper.
Purpose.
Behind him, the twelve slayers looked up, blinking through blood and dust.
"Is that...?" Tanjiro whispered.
Zenitsu's lips parted.
"Sahiru..."
Giyu clenched his fists, heart pounding with impossible hope.
Muzan stepped back.
Not in fear—
But in calculation.
For the first time since the sun fell, he hesitated.
Sahiru raised his sword.
The blade shimmered, not with steel—but with a fury older than demons and a will sharper than death.
"Let's finish this."