the last flash

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The Infinity Castle moaned under its own weight. Its shifting walls groaned like wounded beasts. A soft wind blew through the blood-soaked halls, carrying whispers of those already lost.

Zenitsu stumbled forward.

His yellow-and-orange haori was shredded. Cuts covered his arms. His breathing was ragged. Every step felt heavier than the last. The echoes of battle still rang in his ears.

His sword dragged beside him, leaving small sparks each time the chipped blade scraped against the floor.

"I should have died with them..." he thought, blinking through the sweat and blood stinging his eyes.

"Why... why am I still alive?"

The thought hit him harder than any demon ever could.

Tanjiro. Inosuke. Nezuko. Giyu.

All of them had gone ahead, deeper into the castle, chasing Muzan’s presence. But when the castle shifted... Zenitsu was separated. Trapped. Alone.

“I was never supposed to be the strong one,” he whispered to no one.

The hallway split open ahead of him — wide, cold, and silent.

Then…

Mist rolled in.

A laugh. Elegant. Careless. Cruel.

From the left, a figure emerged through the frost, twirling a bloodstained fan. Layers of robes fluttered like silk in the breeze, and his smile could’ve belonged to a doll carved from ice.

Douma.

"Ah~ What a surprise," Douma said, amused. "A little sparrow fluttering through this twisted maze?"

Zenitsu froze.

His pulse quickened. Not from excitement. Not from rage. From raw fear.

He tried to lift his sword — his body wouldn’t respond.

"You're trembling," Douma noted, almost kindly. "Cute."

And then—

A rumble.

Footsteps. Heavy, exact. Confident.

From the shadows to the right stepped Akaza.

Muscles coiled with killing intent. His red tattoos glowed faintly under the flickering light.

“You’re the Thunder Pillar’s apprentice,” Akaza said coldly.

Zenitsu didn’t respond.

He couldn’t.

His legs screamed at him to run. His lungs couldn’t find air.

His hands? Still trembling.

“I can’t beat them,” he thought. “Not both. Maybe not even one.”

Then — a voice echoed inside his skull.

Old, broken, but steady.

“You don’t need to be fearless. Just choose to move. Just once.”

His master’s voice.

Jigoro’s voice.

Zenitsu took a breath.

The air around his feet sparked.

Douma chuckled. Akaza tilted his head, intrigued.

Zenitsu vanished.

“Thunder Breathing… First Form…”

In a blink, he appeared in front of Douma.

“Thunderclap and Flash — SIXFOLD!”

CRACK.

BOOM.

The hallway exploded in golden light. Dust shot up in all directions. For a moment, the mist parted — revealing the storm inside.

Douma’s cheek bled.

Akaza's arm was slashed.

Zenitsu stood between them. Blood in his mouth. Knees shaking. But his blade was steady.and bit broken

“I’m afraid,” he whispered, eyes locked on the two Upper Moons.and was full form aggression in his eyes

“But I’m still here.”

Far behind them, deep in the shifting castle, something ancient stirred.

Six eyes blinked in the dark.

Kokushibo had begun to walk.

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