Chapter 51: Rift of Endless Carnage
The battlefield was eerily silent for a heartbeat — just the whistle of wind rushing through the cracked earth and broken trees. Above them, the sky still shimmered with that unnatural rift, a tear between worlds that should never have touched.
Muzan — or what used to be Muzan — stood in the center of it, his body a shifting nightmare, constantly warping between different forms. One second he had dozens of writhing arms, the next his torso became a grotesque mass of demon faces, all screaming silently in agony.
Saitama glanced up at him. "Man, you got even uglier."
The corrupted Sun Breather, still clutching his broken Nichirin Blade, sneered. "The power you mocked… has only just begun to awaken."
But before anyone could respond, Muzan's shadow tendrils shot down, spearing the ground, the trees, and even the sky itself. Reality seemed to bend wherever they touched.
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A Riftborn Muzan
Tanjiro staggered back, his head pounding from the sheer malice pouring off Muzan. It wasn't just demon energy anymore — this was something beyond their understanding, like the abyss itself had infected him.
"He's not just Muzan anymore," Shinobu said, voice tight with fear. "He's fused with something from… the other side."
"The other side?" Zenitsu's voice cracked. "What does that even mean?!"
"A place where logic breaks down," Giyuu said quietly. "Even demons feared what lurked there."
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Saitama vs Both
Without warning, Muzan's twisted form lunged at Saitama — faster than anything even the Hashira had ever seen. His tendrils tore through space, appearing from angles that didn't even make sense.
Saitama's head casually tilted to the side, avoiding a spear of writhing flesh by a hair's breadth. "That's new." He swung his fist, shattering three tendrils at once.
But the corrupted Sun Breather wasn't going to sit still either. Using the opening, he dashed forward, his blade infused with both Sun Breathing and dark demonic flames.
Their blades and fists collided, shockwaves flattening the forest around them. Saitama's punch was met with a swirling blast of Sun Breathing: Tenth Form – Black Nova Sunburst, flames both holy and cursed exploding outward.
Even Saitama's sleeve caught fire. "Okay, you're getting a little annoying now."
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Hashira's Plan
The Hashira huddled together, watching the chaos unfold. "We can't just stand here," Mitsuri said, gripping her sword tightly. "We have to fight too!"
"But what are we even fighting?" Sanemi snarled. "Muzan's a glitching nightmare, and that corrupted guy can go toe-to-toe with Baldy."
"We fight smarter," Tengen said. "Saitama can handle the heavy punches. We cover his blind spots and keep the corrupted Sun Breather from interfering."
Tanjiro nodded, gripping his sword. "And I'll… I'll find a way to push Sun Breathing further. It's the only thing that can truly burn away evil like this."
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Three-Way Battle Begins
The battlefield turned into a swirling maelstrom of destruction.
Saitama vs Rift-Muzan: The bald hero soared through the air, punching apart spatial distortions, cracking Muzan's mutated flesh, and casually dodging dimension-breaking attacks. Each punch caused rifts of light and sound to ripple across the sky.
Hashira vs Corrupted Sun Breather: With Saitama keeping Muzan occupied, the Hashira launched a coordinated assault on the corrupted swordsman. Rengoku led the charge, flames roaring brighter than ever, while Giyuu's water carved