Ch.458 Final Battle Begins

Boom boom boom.

The 'Infinity Castle' soon echoed with a series of massive explosions, the nearby city districts trembling as if struck by an earthquake.

Gazing toward the source of the tremors, the mysterious figure with a lamp at their waist let out a sigh.

The enemy's strength had exceeded their expectations.

In their earlier clash, they had thought victory was assured. After all, to suppress the opponent's 'lamp,' they had been steadily expending their precious 'embers.'

Yet, despite using one of their trump cards—the Ω-grade restraint device—not only had they failed to gain the upper hand, but they had also landed themselves in trouble.

Even now, they weren't certain whether the figure restrained by the Ω device was the true Akatsuki leader or the 'Lampbearer' guarding the shinobi world.

Nakime, clutching her biwa, appeared behind them. "My lord, the enemy is relentlessly destroying the city districts."

"I understand. Step back."

The mysterious figure gave a slight nod.

Nakime said no more, retreating silently and vanishing into the shadows.

Her Blood Demon Art, capable of controlling the vast 'Infinity Castle,' was undeniably powerful. However, this came at the cost of her direct combat abilities, which were noticeably weaker than those of the other Upper Rank demons. Thus, the mysterious figure had no intention of involving her in the fighting.

After Nakime withdrew, the mysterious figure closed their eyes and slowly raised both hands.

If Uchiha Shinji were present, he would have been shocked to see the mysterious figure bite their finger, using their blood as a medium to skillfully perform hand seals.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a soft shout, the mysterious figure pressed one hand to the ground.

Poof poof poof.

In an instant, a series of white smoke clouds erupted before them.

Moments later, figures emerged from the smoke—some grim, some cold, some indifferent, some disheveled, and some injured.

The mysterious figure scanned them and sighed, "So, only you remain?"

It was clear that those summoned by the 'Summoning Technique' were none other than the demons scattered across the Grass Country, including all the 'Upper Rank demons' and demonized swordsmen.

However, their numbers were significantly fewer than expected.

Among the 'Upper Rank demons,' only the gravely injured demonized Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' and the somewhat battered Kokushibo, 'Upper Rank Two,' were present.

The newly promoted 'Upper Rank Five' giant demon and 'Upper Rank Six' Kaigaku were nowhere to be seen.

Of the demonized swordsmen, only the Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima, Wind Hashira Sanemi Shinazugawa, Serpent Hashira Obanai Iguro, Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito, Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui, and Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji remained.

The Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho was absent.

The horde of demons previously kept in the Hidden Grass Village, combined with those later brought from the Demon Slayer world—numbering over a hundred—had dwindled to a mere twenty-some.

Gyomei Himejima, the Stone Hashira, stepped forward, pressing his hands together. "The shinobi of this world are far stronger than us. Over the past few days of fighting, they've analyzed our capabilities. If we continue this conflict, our losses will only grow."

The mysterious figure replied, "It doesn't matter. Today is the final battle!"

Kokushibo, 'Upper Rank Two,' asked, "Have you found him?"

As 'Upper Rank Two,' Kokushibo was privy to the mysterious figure's plan. He understood that being summoned meant the deeply hidden 'Lampbearer' of the shinobi world had been located.

The mysterious figure glanced at the 'lamp' at their waist and nodded. "I can sense him within the 'Infinity Castle.' However, he likely possesses some secret technique, creating multiple clones, so I can't yet determine which is the real him."

Kokushibo said coldly, "Then kill them all!"

The mysterious figure nodded slightly, their gaze sweeping over the assembled demons before settling on the demonized swordsmen. "So, I ask you all to show no mercy. If we win this battle, our world still has a sliver of hope. If we lose…"

At that moment, the demonized Tanjiro, 'Upper Rank One,' who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Enough with the useless talk!"

The mysterious figure turned to Tanjiro.

Thanks to their possession of the Demon King's power, they were fully aware of everything Tanjiro had experienced. They knew he had single-handedly stalled the Hidden Sand army led by the Fourth Kazekage, killing numerous elite Sand shinobi.

He had then engaged in fierce combat with two Akatsuki members and, in the chaos, nearly killed the Fourth Kazekage, drawing out the Akatsuki leader.

These feats lived up to his title as 'Upper Rank One.'

However, the continuous battles had left him in a dire state, nearly devoid of combat capability.

And he wasn't alone—many of the summoned demons were in poor condition, with most having only a fraction of their chakra reserves and little combat strength remaining.

Glancing toward the direction of the ongoing explosions, the mysterious figure pondered briefly before spreading their hands.

In an instant, countless tentacles shot out from beneath their haori, precisely piercing each demon and infusing them with chakra.

This chakra had been recently siphoned from Mōryō and Shennō, and now it was being used to rapidly restore the demons' combat strength.

After transferring a portion of the chakra to the demons, the mysterious figure said, "There are still plenty of shinobi within the 'Infinity Castle.' You can feast on their flesh to further replenish your chakra."

"Excellent!"

A cruel smile spread across Kokushibo's face, 'Upper Rank Two.'

The demons, excluding the demonized swordsmen, grew restless at the prospect of hunting prey to restore themselves.

The mysterious figure commanded, "For the sake of our world, go and slaughter!"

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

With a series of rushing sounds, the 'Upper Rank demons,' demonized swordsmen, and the demon horde transformed into blurs, scattering to every corner of the 'Infinity Castle.'

The mysterious figure, meanwhile, concealed their presence and went into hiding.

In the first round of their clash, they had clearly miscalculated. To trap the Akatsuki's Mōryō and Shennō, they had expended two tools. Against the suspected Akatsuki leader, the Deva Path, they had played the Ω-grade restraint device, one of their trump cards. Now, they had few cards left, and they still hadn't confirmed the enemy's identity. They would need to tread carefully in the battles ahead.

Of course, time was running out.

Whether it was the 'embers' in the lamp at their waist or Nakime's chakra, which sustained the 'Infinity Castle,' both were steadily depleting.

If they couldn't end the battle before the 'embers' ran out or before Nakime's chakra was exhausted, the tide would turn against them.

After all, their opponent was also a 'Lampbearer.'