Fox Demon: Heaven rewards diligence; I will eventually achieve divine mastery of martial arts.

No, to be more precise, Akaza's arm exploded and disappeared the instant the two made contact.

Akaza's expression was frozen on his face.

He never expected that Tanjiro Kamado would defeat him with such a powerful punch, without even trying to dodge, and with such ease.

It seems that Tanjiro Kamado has become even stronger than before.

How can this be?

Akaza's expression was one of utter shock. Putting aside the fact that it was incredibly difficult for them to improve at their level, even if Kamado Tanjiro didn't have any bottlenecks, how could his improvement be so significant in just two months?

During the previous battle, he could already sense that Tanjiro Kamado was fighting with all his might.

But now, Tanjiro Kamado has taken a punch from him and his expression is still so calm, which means he has plenty of energy left.

Is this boy really human?

In the instant his arm exploded, countless thoughts flashed through Akaza's mind, but more importantly, Akaza realized that the Kamado Tanjiro before him was definitely not someone he could resist.

So without any hesitation, he turned and ran.

Tanjiro Kamado didn't rush to give chase, but instead turned to Sanemi Shinazugawa and Tengen Uzui and said:

"Go and clear out the rest of the ghosts; he won't affect any of you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tanjiro Kamado vanished from the spot. When he looked again, he had already landed on the roof and easily caught up with Akaza, who was fleeing at all costs.

He also threw a punch at Akaza.

Akaza looked at Tanjiro Kamado's fist, which was many times faster than his full running speed, and could only grit his teeth and take it.

Before his right arm had fully regenerated, Akaza could only use his left hand to punch, but it was clear that Akaza's left fist was no match for Tanjiro Kamado's fist.

However, Akaza had anticipated this and did not linger in the fight. Instead, he used the terrifying power of Tanjiro Kamado's punch to fly away into the distance.

Tanjiro Kamado followed closely behind.

"In that case, it seems like there's a reversal of the two extremes."

"Uzui Tengen spoke up."

"Yes."

Sanemi Shinazugawa sighed, recalling how they had faced Akaza before, and now the one they were fleeing from was Akaza himself, which made him quite amazed.

However, what impressed him most was Tanjiro Kamado's strength.

How could he not see how much stronger Tanjiro Kamado had become compared to two months ago?

He initially hoped to narrow the gap between himself and Tanjiro Kamado by mastering emotional power.

In retrospect, it was nothing but wishful thinking. (End of Chapter)

Chapter 290 Tanjiro Kamado's Compassion

Kokushibo had already noticed Akaza's situation, and when he saw Akaza being defeated in his direction, his eyes narrowed.

Although Akaza's overall strength was not as great as his own after receiving Muzan Kibutsuji's gift, he was still unable to withstand Tanjiro Kamado after only a few exchanges.

Could it be that the opponent didn't use their full strength last time?

Kokushibo shook his head. The other party must have used all their strength at that time, otherwise he couldn't think of any reason why the other party would hold back.

So, does that mean the other party has become stronger after such a long period of time?

The thought arose in Kokushibo's mind. Although he thought it was impossible, after eliminating all the wrong answers, the last answer, no matter how outrageous, must be the correct one.

Kokushibo couldn't help but sigh, thinking that if Tanjiro Kamado had been given time, he might have grown to an unimaginable level.

But that's where it ends. No matter how strong Tanjiro Kamado is, he can't possibly be stronger than he is now.

With Muzan Kibutsuji's help, he felt he had taken two big steps forward.

As the saying goes, brute force can overcome any skill.

Skills are sometimes important, but absolute strength is the right path.

The reason he was defeated by Tanjiro Kamado was precisely because of this. Otherwise, how could he have lost to his opponent with the skills he had honed over hundreds of years?

With this thought in mind, Kokushibo raised his Nichirin Blade, his eyes immediately becoming serious, and the aura around him noticeably changed.

Then he suddenly swung his knife.

A thick blade of light suddenly appeared in the air, rapidly extending until it transformed into a black curtain that blotted out the sky.

Type 8: Moon Dragon Tail

Kokushibo used this move again, but it was completely different from before.

This move covers a larger area and is faster than before.

Visually, the blade of light, like a black curtain, appeared suddenly and instantly descended upon the four pillar-level swordsmen around them.

The four people, led by Himejima Gyoumei, were immediately terrified and shouted:

"Rewind."

The four of them sped off, clearing a large area around Kokushibo in no time.

After repelling these beings who seemed like flies to him, Kokushibo ignored them and flew towards Akaza.

Regardless, he still thought highly of Akaza, and naturally couldn't just watch him die in front of him.

The other three Pillar-level swordsmen, seeing Kokushibo's appearance, wanted to give chase.

However, he was stopped by Beimingyu Xingming:

"There's no need to follow them anymore; the battles that follow are beyond our reach."

Himejima Gyomei's expression was somewhat complicated. After experiencing Kokushibo's attack just now, he understood that Kokushibo had basically been just going through the motions when fighting them before.

The other party was actually always concerned about Tanjiro Kamado.

The power they had just casually displayed was enough to prove that the other party was capable of killing them, but they were just being careful to guard against Tanjiro Kamado.

They also had to thank Tanjiro Kamado. If Tanjiro hadn't defeated Akaza in such a short time after appearing, Kokushibo might have had to turn his attention to dealing with them.

Speaking of this, Gyomei Himejima couldn't help but marvel at Tanjiro Kamado's strength. The fact that he defeated Akaza before Kokushibo even decided to unleash his full power was proof of the latter's strength.

Now, with their current strength, rushing in would prevent Kamado Tanjiro from using his full power. In that case, they might as well clean up the demons that are rampaging in the headquarters first.

Perhaps after the cleanup is complete, we can gather everyone's strength to help Tanjiro Kamado.

Gyomei Himejima paused for a moment, sighing inwardly, realizing that he could only rely entirely on Tanjiro Kamado.

He and the three pillar-level swordsmen beside him then rushed towards the demons in other areas.

Thus, all the Pillar-level swordsmen, as well as the team members who had participated in Tanjiro Kamado's lessons, were involved in this great battle.

Swords flashed and shadows danced everywhere, and the situation became extremely chaotic.

However chaotic the scene was, it could no longer affect the one person and two ghosts standing at the very center of the battlefield.

The moment Kokushibo arrived at the battlefield, Tanjiro Kamado had already stopped.

After saving Akaza, Kokushibo stopped and looked at Tanjiro Kamado from afar.

Although neither of them spoke much, there was an invisible energy clashing between them.

As their energies collided more frequently, it was as if two heavy punches were colliding in the air at any moment. Gusts of wind surged around the two of them, and finally exploded between them, stirring up layers of dust.

At this moment, Kokushibo finally spoke:

"Tanjiro, I didn't expect you to have made another step forward in just two short months."

"Is that so? Even if we humans don't have the ability to devour others like you demons, we still have unlimited potential."

Tanjiro Kamado said coldly, naturally having no intention of explaining so much to Kokushibo.

Kokushibo completely agreed with what Kamado Tanjiro said, because he had indeed met someone like that.

“I agree with what you said, but I think the probability is too small. Talent is something that only belongs to special people. I should have stopped two hundred years ago, but now I am standing at a height that I never dared to imagine before. This is an infinite possibility that only a ghost can have.”

"Kuroshibo sighed."

"None of these are reasons for you to become a ghost."

A hint of pity flashed in Tanjiro Kamado's eyes.

This instantly irritated Kokushibo, because at that moment he felt that Tanjiro Kamado's eyes were familiar and glaring.

He will never forget that many years ago, someone also gave him that same look.

That was Ji Guoyuan's compassion for him.

This pity puzzled him, and years later it turned into anger.

His anger transformed into a spirit of not giving up and not wanting to lose.

Kokushibo felt a fire ignite within him, instantly setting him ablaze:

"So what? As long as I'm better than you, that's enough."

His deep voice echoed in the air, and then without hesitation, he drew his sword:

"There's nothing to say; only the survivors have the opportunity to tell the story."