"Everyone! Charge ahead! Use yourselves as shields, protect the Hashira, and give your all to safeguard the swordsmen capable of fighting Muzan!" a buzz-cut man commanded, raising his Nichirin blade and charging forward.
Zenitsu and Inosuke stood beside Tanjiro. Tears seemed to shimmer in their eyes. Even in his severe injury and unconsciousness, Tanjiro hadn't loosened his grip on his Nichirin blade.
"Tanjiro, this time, I won't run away again. I'll be a brave man! Inosuke, let's go too!"
"Oink! Watch me slice this Demon King to shreds! Tanpachiro!"
Then, the two, along with everyone else, charged forward, knowing full well they might die.
Kanao, meanwhile, was tending to the Hashira. She rushed to the side and saw a man in a blue haori with a hole through his head, and immediately knelt beside him.
"Brother Lixing, what's wrong? Say something! Don't die! Didn't you promise to watch the cherry blossoms with me every year?" Kanao cried, stroking Lixing's face.
At this moment, two demons, a man and a woman, arrived on the battlefield. They were Tamayo and Yushiro.
"Lady Tamayo! It's Lixing! He seems to be dead!" Yushiro saw Lixing lying on the ground from afar and shouted to Tamayo.
"Yushiro, hurry and help the others. We need the Demon Slayer Corps' help to defeat Muzan." Tamayo went to Lixing's side and carefully examined his body. She found that although his heart had stopped beating, his brain seemed to be functioning.
"Little girl, don't worry. Mr. Lixing seems to be salvageable. He's a chosen human; he won't die so easily." Tamayo then administered the blood Lixing had given her last time. Fortunately, Tamayo had deemed the blood too precious to use carelessly, and it proved useful at this critical moment.
...
In a dark place, Lixing opened his eyes and saw a girl in red with white hair before him. He felt an innate connection, as if they were one.
"Are you Liyun? Am I dead?"
Liyun flew to Lixing's side, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Star, you're not dead. You're just on the brink of death. When you were hit just now, you didn't have time to use your demon power to heal yourself, so you're experiencing it with me and the Heavenly Dao again~"
"Is that so? It seems I haven't reached the limit of humans in this world yet. Yoriichi could instantly kill Muzan, yet I was instantly defeated. Perhaps I need to figure out my own path. Liyun, while I'm happy to see you, I must go. The battle outside isn't over yet." Lixing gently stroked Liyun's head, his eyes filled with joy, without any trace of panic from being near death.
"Mhm, go. Star is the strongest human in my heart. You are the only one who has touched the heavens with a mortal body." Although Liyun was reluctant to part with Lixing, she understood there were more important matters outside. She then lightly kissed Lixing's forehead.
"Here I come! Demon Power!"
Lixing's body in the outside world changed. His heart gradually began to beat, and the hole in his head started to heal. Seeing this, Tamayo and Kanao believed the blood had worked, and both smiled.
Lixing, opening his eyes again, found a girl crying on his face and felt a pang of heartache.
"I'm sorry, Kanao, for making you worry. I'm alright now."
Kanao, tears of joy streaming down her face, hugged Lixing and cried, "That's wonderful, it's wonderful! Please don't leave me again. You promised we'd watch the cherry blossoms together next time."
"Yes, I promise, and I won't go back on my word. You should stay behind and help the other members. Saving more lives is true victory." Lixing stood up, and a black sword appeared in his hand. It no longer resembled the Explainer; it had no hilt, only some bandages wrapped around it.
"Thank you, Miss Tamayo. Our cooperation is almost complete."
Lixing thanked Tamayo and then charged towards the rampaging Kibutsuji Muzan.
"Are all nine Hashira unconscious? Tanjiro is severely injured, Inosuke and Zenitsu are at the front. Let's finish this quickly and go back to take a bath!"
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Fire God!"
"Beast Breathing, Tenth Fang: Constant Twisting Fang!"
The two, one attacking and one defending, coordinated with remarkable默契. If Tanjiro saw this, he would be very pleased.
Muzan sensed something was wrong. Why hadn't he killed the Demon Slayer Corps' Hashira yet? Even these insects had been able to entangle him for so long.
"Something's wrong. The drug Lixing injected me with isn't just one substance. Am I aging? That's right, why didn't I notice my hair turned white? If I can't kill these insects soon, I'll have to self-destruct and split. That woman Tamayo! Playing tricks again!"
Muzan prepared to split into 1800 pieces and escape the battlefield. After all, demons had long lifespans, and he would eventually find Nezuko or the Blue Spider Lily.
"What? I can't split? What's going on? Tamayo's drug has another effect – it can prevent me from splitting!"
"Kibutsuji Muzan! Prepare to meet your death!" Lixing suddenly appeared behind Muzan and swung his sword, cutting off Muzan's head. Blue ice crystals were forming on Muzan's neck, freezing the wound and preventing it from healing.
"What! Lixing! He's not dead yet! After being infected with my massive amount of blood, he can still live? Even a demon couldn't do that!" Muzan had no time to think. He instantly moved to retrieve his head and reattach it.
However, the ice crystals on his neck prevented Muzan from healing and reattaching his head, and they even threatened to freeze his head solid.
This was the true absolute zero, the lowest temperature achievable in the world. Anyone who touched it would die instantly. Only a demon king like Muzan could endure for so long.
"Muzan, do you want to reattach your head? That's impossible. Absolute zero is a realm you cannot touch. You wouldn't understand the greatness of science." Lixing was very confident that Muzan could not reattach his head.
Seeing that his head could not be reattached, Muzan directly abandoned it. His body transformed into a monstrous form, with a gaping maw and numerous fangs opening from his chest, intending to swallow nearby members.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderbolt, Instantaneous!"
Zenitsu swiftly pulled the member away but was also injured by Muzan's whip-like appendages. As he moved away from Muzan, he couldn't help but faint.
Inosuke, in order to protect Zenitsu, took more damage and was severely injured, falling into a coma on the spot. Lixing picked up Inosuke and tossed him aside.
"Murata, catch him and protect them. I believe in you!"
Yes, our "everyman" only suffered minor scrapes. He was indeed someone who could survive to the very end unscathed.