"What a lofty ambition!"

Kagaya felt a sudden pang throughout his limbs, and he collapsed onto the ground. He struggled to rise but couldn’t.

From behind him emerged Kokushibou, wiping the blood off his sword. Following Muzan's orders, he had severed the tendons in Ubuyashiki Kagaya's hands and feet, yet avoided striking fatal blows, and deliberately staunched the bleeding.

Daki had rendered Ayane and their two daughters unconscious, wrapping them in her obi sash.

A woman with striking crimson eyes stepped forth from the shadows, radiating an icy gaze as she smiled at Ubuyashiki Kagaya, the immobilized .

"It's so sad you won't have the chance to fulfill it. Today, right before your eyes, I will shatter your hopes bit by bit."

In the gaps of Muzan's words, the Demon Slayer Corps and the Upper Ranks had already launched into battle.

"Moon Breathing, Eighth Form, Moon-Dragon Tail!"

Kokushibou performed a massive long-ranged curved slash, which left along its path dozens of crescent moon blades, repelling all the Hashiras attempting to rescue Kagaya.

Akaza surged forth from the side, wielding his blood demon art against the humans.

"Destructive Death!"

At that moment, a nichirin blade sliced from the front, with Akaza nimbly dodging the strike. Flame Hashira stood before him, his flowing golden hair dancing in the turbulent winds of combat.

Doma also sought out Shinobu.

"This attire...it is from your sister, the female Hashira I killed several years ago, isn't it?" Doma appeared beside Shinobu, his tone bearing a sly grin.

Instantly, Shinobu's anger ignited. She exerted all her strength, lunging at the nearby Doma, only to have her attack easily caught by his fan.

"So weak. How did you become a Hashira?" Doma waved his hand dismissively, surprised by her performance.

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Muzan transformed his arm into a whip, launching unrestrained attacks. With Kokushibou's coordination, the Hashiras were gradually cornered, left with no room for evasion. Swordsmen bore injuries of varying degrees; even the Stone Hashira's meteor hammer didn’t work, and he could barely parry or dodge Muzan's whip strikes.

Were they that weak? Had she been overly cautious for the past hundreds of years? Muzan pondered.

The scene before her suddenly shifted, unveiling an alternate reality.

Her whip wasn't attacking the Hashiras, but was being swung haphazardly in an open space. Doma created a water lily bodhisattva and was fighting alongside Kokushibou, Akaza, and Gyutaro against the Demon Slayer Corps. The swordsmen, now all awakened to their Demon Slayer Marks, appeared to match their adversaries in strength. Daki, beside him, helplessly suffered from the indiscriminate whip attacks, limbs regenerating.

Could it be? It seemed like the ability of that little demon who was with Tamayo, capable of generating visual illusions. Could Tamayo, the traitor be here too?

Muzan's pupils constricted. A syringe materialized from the void, the needle darting towards her arm with lightning speed.

At the brink of disaster, a figure lunged forward, redirecting Tamayo's needle into her own chest – it was Daki! With her strong regenerative abilities, she had reacted swiftly, shielding Muzan from Tamayo's life-threatening attack.

"No!"

Tamayo cried out as Muzan casually swatted her away, her body disintegrating into fragments, only her head remaining intact. Yushiro emerged, cradling Tamayo's head, about to run away.

Yet he never had a chance. A colossal, moster-like arm attacked from behind, crushing him instantly, leaving only his head.

Two heads fell to the ground. Tamayo and Yushiro gritted their teeth in an attempt to regenerate, but their abstention from consuming human flesh left them as weak demons, slowing their recovery significantly.

Tamayo despaired. The drug she had invented for Muzan was capable of aging her nine thousand years in an instant, which would greatly weaken her. It was the only method she had devised to defeat her.

Yet the drug hadn't been injected into Muzan's body. Nobody could kill or even counteract her now. The fight was over.

Muzan reverted her arm to its normal form, crouching down as he observed Daki's countenance rapidly wither.

Gyutaro seethed, ready to charge, but his own body was weakening.

"Do you regret it, Daki?" She calmly asked Daki.

"I'm not Daki. My name is... Mei."

In her final moments, she had recaptured her memories of her human life.

After contemplation, Daki shook her head.

"What's there to regret? Thanks to you, I've experienced so much that I never had before. I’m glad I stood out to save you. We are clear now." The girl's radiant smile illuminated her final moments.

A finger pierced her forehead. Muzan incessantly absorbed Daki's old blood, infusing her with untainted new blood.

"Who said you would die, Daki?" She smiled.

Muzan gently touched Daki’s head, where the white hair regained a youthful luster. In contrast, a subtle web of wrinkles adorned Muzan's face. Her pace had noticeably slowed.

"Unlike you, I value my loyal subordinates."

She turned her head, casting a disdainful gaze at Kagaya.