Opening: Distortion by BABYMETAL

Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu made it to the edge of the crater, their eyes widening to the size of baseballs upon seeing the size of such a hole. They looked inside to find Rengoku in front of the Slayer, seemingly defending him. Tanjiro's heart sank upon seeing the Hellwalker on his knees in such a feeble state. He couldn't believe it, the person he deemed the strongest being on the planet was on his knees and there was a demon in front of him, unscathed. The boy couldn't make out the details of the demon too well but the prospect that there was something capable of bringing the Hellwalker to his knees shook him to his core. It sent shivers down his spine thinking what kind of demon the Slayer had to fight to be brought down like this. If the Hellwalker couldn't bring him down, who could?

Inosuke jumped into the crater immediately, snapping Tanjiro back to the current situation as he followed behind his comrade. Zenitsu nearly wet himself from the situation as he was already overwhelmed by the blood fields they just passed through, now followed up with a humongous crater unlike anything they've ever seen before, it was unnerving. Inosuke came charging down the crater as he shouted out, "Finally! A demon for me to kill!" as he lunged towards Akaza, blades first. Akaza disappeared due to his speed and he was suddenly in front of Inosuke, ready to ram his fist right through the boy. Fortunately, Rengoku intercepted the demon and sliced the arms off before kicking the demon away mid-air. The Hashira barked at Inosuke, "Boar boy, stand down! This demon is mine to handle."

Inosuke blinked several times, trying to process what nearly happened to him. Tanjiro soon caught up behind Rengoku, his sword raised to the demon before him. It took Akaza no time at all to regenerate his arm as he looked at the Demon Slayers in front of him with a bored expression. Tanjiro looked the demon up and down. So this was the demon capable of bringing the Slayer to his knees, the one thing that the Slayer couldn't destroy. If the Hellwalker couldn't bring him down, then how in the hell could he expect to do anything? The thought of fighting such a powerful demon made him tremble, he could only imagine how fast he would be killed off if they fought. Tanjiro couldn't process the demon's speed just now as it looked like he had just simply teleported in front of Inosuke. He couldn't track anything that had just happened. It dawned on him more than ever how inferior he was to everything around him and whatever courage he had faded away as his fear took over.

Rengoku glanced over to Tanjiro who was devoid of hope, his teeth slightly chattering and his legs were wobbly. The boy couldn't even hold his own sword straight anymore as it rattled left and right. Rengoku had to keep his eyes on the demon in front of him, he was simply far too dangerous to keep his eyes off of. However, he raised his voice for Tanjiro to hear as he encouraged, "Stay strong, Kamado, my boy. I will handle this demon." Tanjiro looked to his teacher, uncertain if even a Hashira would be able to take down such a strong opponent.

Akaza grew tired of being referenced as a demon and chimed in, "I have a name, you know, it's Akaza. That's pretty rude coming from a Hashira, to start spouting insults as if it's nobody's business without even introducing yourself, first." Rengoku was surprised that the demon was able to pick up the fact that he was a Hashira and asked how he knew. Akaza responded, "No ordinary demon hunter would be able to keep up with me, otherwise. I would've skewered that boy just now had it not been for you. However, compared to the Hellwalker, all of you are nothing but weak trash. Get out of my sight so I can finish off the Hellwalker."

Rengoku planted his feet on the ground, sliding his feet into position as he assumed a fighting stance. He proclaimed, "I refuse. The Hellwalker represents the hope and rage that all of us humans feel. I was uncertain in the beginning, however, that has changed. I've seen, firsthand, the results of the Hellwalker's influence and inspiration. To allow him to fall here would be a shame I could not live with. For this, I, Kyojuro Rengoku, will defend him no matter what!"

The Slayer had his eyes on the Hashira the entire time. He recognized the man from the Demon Slayer Headquarters from when Tanjiro and him were being interrogated. Rengoku was one of the ones heavily against the idea of the Hellwalker's existence and allowing Tanjiro to have a demon companion. What changed? Why the sudden flip of the switch to where he's so eager to throw his life down for the sake of the Hellwalker?

Akaza's expression lit up with excitement upon hearing the Hashira' speech. Akaza said to Rengoku, "Your battle spirit burns bright like the Hellwalker's. Alright, then, Kyojuro, let's see what you're made of."

Rengoku kept his eyes on Akaza and commanded the boys, "Get the Hellwalker away from here, make sure he's okay. Tanjiro, make sure the Slayer knows how to heal himself with the breathing just like I taught you, okay?" Tanjiro nodded his head, going to the Hellwalker and tried to grab onto his arm. However, the warrior swatted away Tanjiro's hand, still breathing heavily as he was catching his breath from earlier. He was in no way, injured, just sore. The kids probably think that Akaza did this to him. Little do they know that he ended up doing this to himself. His body ached immeasurably for the first time in his life. Whatever that last surge of power was, it pushed his body past it's already high limitations. He had no idea what it was but it was a mystery he was going to have to solve later. Unfortunately, Tanjiro and Inosuke started dragging the Slayer away, leaving Rengoku and Akaza by themselves.

The only thing I know for real by Jamie Christopherson

Akaza assumed a fighting stance which created a mystical snowflake pattern that surrounded him. He says to the Hashira before starting their fight, "Okay, let's dance."

Akaza zoomed forward with a punch but Rengoku was quick to block it with his blade, going in for an immediate decapitation of the demon before him. The Upper Moon twirled out of the way, bringing his fist down to strike Kyojuro. The Hashira was able to back away before the attack could hit and created some distance between him and the demon. Akaza charged towards Rengoku, not intending to let his opponent get away. The Hashira prepared his attack, "Flame Breathing: Eighth Form, Burning Whirlwind" Rengoku performed a quick spin with his blade fully extended to create a miniature fire tornado that slammed into Akaza. The demon brought his arms up in self defense as the skin on his body slowly melted and it was like he was being cut repeatedly across his body.

Rengoku used this opportunity to close in and go for the kill, but Akaza had other plans as the demon stated his attack, "Destructive Death: Crush Type: Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow" before smashing his fist into the ground, creating a massive shockwave that dispelled the whirlwind and stopped Rengoku. The demon proceeded to launch himself towards the Hashira. Rengoku dropped his sword before catching it with his feet as he rolled back and sliced upwards with the sword in the process. Akaza wasn't prepared for the maneuever as the sword cut through him vertically.

Rengoku grabbed the sword with his hands once he was back on his feet, wasting no time to launch into his next attack, "Flame Breathing: Fourth Form, Blooming Flame Undulation." as he went for another attempt at removing the demon's head. Akaza brought his arms up to guard the attack as they got sliced as a result and the flames created from the attack seared his flesh. With his opponent wide-open, Akaza shoved his knee into Rengoku's stomach, making it cave in as the man spat out blood. The Upper Moon followed up with a powerful shove-kick into the man's rib cage, blasting him backwards.

Rengoku managed to stop himself by stabbing his sword into the ground like an anchor. However, getting kneed in the gut followed with a kick to the ribs doesn't exactly bode well for anyone. He felt like vomiting due to the force of the kicks, he was fighting against his body's natural instincts. Those two hits really did a number on Kyojuro. Akaza, on the other hand, simply wiggled his arms a little bit before a set of forearm replacements shot out from the sockets, coated in his blood.

Rengoku forced himself to stand, pointing his blade towards the demon as he prepared another attack. He inhaled greatly as he said, "Flame Breathing: First Form, Unknowing Fire" zooming towards Akaza to close the distance between the two of them and performed several slashes.

The Upper Moon demon countered with an attack of his own, "Destructive Death: Disorder." With each slash that Rengoku performed, Akaza countered with punches that created a shockwave. The two warriors went back and forth for a brief period of time, constantly slashing and punching one another to get the upper-hand. As the Hashira performed a downward Slash, Akaza utilized the trick he learned from the Slayer and headbutted the sword as it came down. He used this opportunity to land a nasty uppercut against Kyojuro, blowing the Hashira back and knocking out several teeth in the process.

Rengoku landed on his back, panting for breath as he was getting exhausted with the fight. Akaza regenerated from his injuries, looking at Kyojuro with disappointment as it was sad to watch a strong opponent grow pitifully weak due to exhaustion. Akaza spoke up, "Kyojuro, I acknowledge your strength. I didn't think anyone besides the Hellwalker would give me a good time but you've proven me wrong. You're also pretty fun, but it's useless as it is. As you keep continuing to take more injuries and grow weaker as we fight, I will remain undamaged, untainted by the human weakness of fatigue. However, all of those injuries you've taken, all that exhaustion you feel can go away in the blink of an eye if you become a demon. Think about it, when you're immortal like me, you have unlimited time to hone your abilities to perfection. I don't extend this offer to just anyone, I offer this opportunity to the strong, the ones who deserve the right to grow."

Rengoku slowly sat up, barely muttering his words to Akaza, "You seem to be obsessed with the idea of the strong and the weak, why?"

"The weak are nothing but trash who use all the under-handed methods possible to get what they want. They have no strength, unable to do anything for themselves. They're the ones most likely to blame everything else but themselves for their problems, but really, it's their own weakness. It disgusts me, it revolts me, I hate the weak with every fiber of my body. That's why it intrigues me that you have those weak children with you. They're only holding you back. The one with the pig mask blindly charges in with no basic understanding of the world and freezes in fear when it turns on him. The one with the hanafuda earrings froze at the sight of me, how gutless, and don't even get me started on the blonde who didn't even want to jump in. So tell me, Kyojuro, with all of these weaklings holding you back, what's your justification for such hindrance?"

Rengoku got up on his feet, explaining to the demon, "My justification for such hindrance, you say? It's simple, it's because they are no hindrance to me. They are my students, and each of them are strong in their own right. You may define strength by raw power and sheer force of will, but these boys have something you'll never have: heart. I won't allow you to disrespect them. You speak of weakness, but you overlook the fact that nothing's perfect. Yes, us humans are innately flawed, we may not have a long lifespan nor can we regenerate our bodies like you. However, what defines each person is the actions they take throughout their life, the legacies they create. It is my responsibility as a person of power to protect the next generation, allow them to blossom like a beautiful flower and let them live their life to the fullest. That is my legacy. Your legacy is nothing but looking down upon others from a pedestal. A coward's version of glory and self-worth. Take away your strength and ability to take life, and what do you have? Nothing."

That last comment struck a nerve with Akaza as a strain formed on his forehead due to the irritation he felt. He raised his voice, almost to a shout, "You think this is about my ego?! Don't talk as if you know me! You're a fucking hypocrite! You belittle me for looking down upon the weak yet everything you just said was an attempt to belittle me. So you think you're above being a demon? Is that it?! I offer you a chance and you just spit right in my face. Unbelievable, you're no better than the people I despise. Perhaps you should die, Kyojuro."

The spear and shield match by Yuki Hayashi

Akaza got serious, reassuming his fighting stance with a more annoyed look than ever. Rengoku's legs slightly wobbled from how tired he was. His entire body was hurting like hell and his jaw felt like shit. Regardless, he needs to be able to finish off Akaza here and now, even if it means sacrificing himself. The Hashira baited Akaza, "Bring it." before both warriors charged towards one another again, bouncing across the area as they intercepted one another in repeated clashes.

Their movements were quick and precise and it was impossible for the boys to keep track of. Inosuke wanted badly to jump into the fray but he had such a difficult time keeping up with their movements his eyes hurt from watching. Zenitsu was scared shitless and could barely compose himself. Tanjiro was watching the entire fight and though he couldn't process it, he knows Rengoku is losing. Both the Slayer and Rengoku have been unable to kill this demon yet, so how can he expect to help? He's completely useless compared to the two strongest men he knows. He stands no chance against Akaza and he knows it. That shouldn't matter to him, though, he needs to jump in and help because that's the right thing to do. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was too afraid, he shook like crazy and he had lost all faith within himself. His self esteem was destroyed.

The only one tracking the movements was the Slayer who didn't have a hard time at all watching the fight. However, he could see better than anyone that Rengoku's going to die if they keep this up. No amount of tough talk on Kyojuro's end is going to change that. The man's got heart and tenacity, but that won't mean anything unless someone helps. The Slayer tried moving but his muscles were incredibly stiff.

Akaza threw a series of consecutive punches at Kyojuro like a gatling gun. The Hashira had little time to block each punch with his blade, his sword swinging from side to side to absorb the impacts. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it up for long as the demon smashed his fist into the Hashira's eye, wrecking it, before following up with a devastating gut punch and a kick to the side that knocked the man away. The sound of bones breaking could be heard with each impact.

Tanjiro quivered, he couldn't handle the brutal scene he was watching. The boy was at the verge of tears watching his master get dismantled like it's child's play. As he shook, he felt a massive weight on his arm drag him down. He looked down to see the Slayer using the boy as a support to get up as he called out with a hoarse voice, "Kid, give me your sword."

Doom is eternal by Striked

Rengoku was nearly crippled, that kick to his sides surely ruptured some of his internal organs. He could barely function anymore as he had a difficult time even holding himself up. Vomit and blood came out of his mouth, he couldn't hold it in anymore. He tried using his sword as a support but his vision became blurry and his sense of balance was distorted. Akaza disappointedly walked towards Rengoku to end his life. What a pitiful way to die, and not even standing too. This was probably going to be the least satisfying way Akaza's killed someone.

Akaza's instincts alerted him to an incoming threat, so he jumped out the way as a Meathook chain dug itself into the ground where he was. He felt an incredible battle spirit approaching and looked to see the Hellwalker leaping towards Akaza while wielding two swords. Both swords had blood shooting out from the blades as they trailed his movements. Akaza's sheepish grin returned once more as he kept his distance from the Hellwalker who slashed in random patterns with his two blades. He borrowed one sword from Tanjiro and the other from Zenitsu.

The Slayer was trying to throw off Akaza's predictions by swinging with inconsistent patterns and changing his weapon grips, going from underhand to normal grip repeatedly. The boys found it amazing how the Slayer turned the tides of the battle with his presence alone. Akaza went from being as equally ambitious as Rengoku to being evasive against the Slayer. They watched the Hellwalker move faster than their master, his strikes more ferocious as well. He really was leagues above everyone else. However, the Slayer's movements were restricted and sluggish due to how sore his body was. That burst of power from earlier strained his body more than anything else in his life so he was fighting his body's fatigue. He was slow enough to the point that Akaza was able to dodge a few of his attacks.

Akaza kept jumping back, unable to play riskyly like he did before. He had to carefully analyze the Slayer's movements. Yes, he sees each of them and can predict them. If the Hellwalker was at Rengoku's speed, he could dodge ALL of it. However, the Hellwalker is infinitely faster so there was no way in hell he'd be able to dodge the second or the third set of slashes. The demon can tell that the Hellwalker had grown slower after his last maneuver but the warrior was still faster than he was. Akaza was going to have to play smart and evasive if he hoped to escape the warrior's wrath.

The Slayer tossed his sword into the air, confusing the demon as he quickly glanced up to try and understand why the Hellwalker would toss his weapon aside like that. That's when the warrior jumped up, performing a vertical spin kick against the sword and launching the blade through Akaza's head, getting him stuck to the floor that the sword was lodged in. The Slayer seized the opportunity to close in and decapitate Akaza while he was stuck.

The demon became wide-eyed with panic, rolling to the side as hard as he can to twist his own head off to get out of the way. The Slayer cut through the ground where Akaza was, quickly retrieving the second blade as the demon regenerated his head.

Inosuke watched the Slayer fight, commenting, "Look at that guy go, he could probably fight for hours." Tanjiro took his attention away from the fight as he remembered the smell of blood coming from Kyojuro. He rushed down the crater to his master with his two friends following behind. Rengoku was on his back, breathing heavily and growing pale by the second. Tanjiro scooped the man in his arms, taking in the sight of his injuries. The three boys were devastated upon seeing the man's condition, each of them at the verge of tears as Tajiro cried out:

"Mister Rengoku…"

Rengoku was still disoriented but he could make out the cries of his students as he answered back, "Kamado… I don't think I got much left to live..."

Tanjiro shook his head, explaining, "No! Just use the breathing technique to heal yourself like you taught me!"

"It's all right, my time has come, anyway.…"

"No! Don't say that! Help will arrive shortly! they'll be able to help you!" However, Rengoku could barely keep his eyelids open as they grew heavier by the second, ultimately closing. Tanjiro kept calling out to his mentor, his two comrades behind him beginning shedding tears of grief like Tanjiro. However, something caught their attention as they mourned: the entire area started to light up and they looked behind them to see the sun slowly emerging from the horizon. The boys remembered the demon's weakness to the sun and returned their attention back to the nearby fight.

As Akaza barely evaded the Slayer's attacks, he noticed something bright out of his peripheral vision. He got out of the way to notice the sun start to emerge and his heart sank to his feet. It was time to run, as fast as he possibly could. There was no time to waste as he turned the other direction and darted towards the nearest forest. The Slayer wasn't going to let Akaza get away and chased after the demon. However, as he took a step forward, he heard the Tanjiro's cries of help nearby as the boy called out:

"Mister Slayer, Rengoku's going to die! Please help, I beg you!" The Slayer stopped in his tracks, staring down Akaza who was getting further away by the second. This kid wanted the Slayer to let a demon go?! That pissed him off. He clenched the swords tightly, any more pressure would've broken the blades. His entire body was telling him to keep going forward, he had to kill a demon. He couldn't allow one to get away from him, it would go against everything he stood for. That's when a realization hit him as the image of his wife flashed before his eyes. He made a promise to her, one he didn't intend to break. A promise to help others because it's who he is. The Slayer watched as Akaza retreated into the nearby forest and out of sight. The warrior winced in pain as he forced himself to turn the other way and go towards Tanjiro and the others.

The Slayer knelt down next to the man, assessing his injuries and figuring out the best course of action. Rengoku moved his head to look at the Slayer and smiled, glad to see everyone okay as he said, "I want to apologize about last time. I had allowed my arrogance to blind me to reality. I trust you, Hellwalker. Please take good care of these boys, that's all I ask." Dying wasn't an option for the Slayer as he scooped the man up in his arms. He needed to get going if they wanted to save this man. However, it seems help got to them first, as a large number of Demon Slayers arrived at the scene along with Kakushi who surveyed the area. A couple entered the crater with the Hellwalker and the boys, asking to take Rengoku off of the Slayer's hands. Shinobu arrived as she rushed to the side of her injured ally, her face filled with worry as it hurt her to see one of her trusted friends be beaten down like this. There wasn't any time for formalities or small talk as Shinobu immediately got to work at stabilizing Rengoku.

The Slayer's business here was done and he had no obligation to stay. He started making his way up the crater, still holding onto Tanjiro and Zenitsu's swords. Both the boys were too scared to say something as they didn't have any right to be ordering the Slayer around. However, as the warrior was scaling the crater, his entire body froze. He stared straight ahead as he felt he no longer had control over his body. What was happening to him? Why was his body doing this? It had to be that surge of power but why did it damage his body this much?! His eyelid became heavy as he was no longer able to keep them as he dropped his swords and fell forward, losing consciousness. The boys screamed in panic as they rushed to the aid of the unconscious Hellwalker.