Wow, another chapter so soon? Well, yeah. I want to get this story moving along.

Anyways, enjoy!

Setsuna had sprinted down the stairs quickly, Riko, Maki, and Umi chasing down after her. But Erena walked deliberately slowly, taking her sweet time and Nico matched pace with her. It was obvious Nico wanted to say something, but she was hesitating, occasionally glancing in Void's direction. When Erena picked up on this, she giggled.

"My, do I capture the eye of the Prince so easily? Even if you are royalty, it is rude to keep throwing those looks my way. May I help you, Prince?" Every time she said Prince, Nico internally cringed but decided that if they got started on that subject, it would never end.

"A blade that removes curses, huh?" Nico said instead. "No, a blade that makes objects forget they were cursed. I can't say I remember the Void having such a blade and my ancestors have worked fairly closely with them in the past."

Erena smirked. "Curious about the Void? Unfortunately, revealing the secrets of the Void is something I will not do. Let us just say that this blade has been… a work in progress for quite some time now, long before my time as Master or heir. Who would not seek a way to remove curses? HQ would certainly love to hear about it, would they not? I may need to remind those down there, but I trust you with you limited contact with the demon slayer world will not talk about it anyways. I doubt you find a reason to speak with HQ nowadays."

Nico snorted but nodded. "I won't tell them. The Yazawas have never been on friendly terms with them, we just tolerated them. Unfortunately, the world needs demon slayers and if HQ wants to take on the job of managing them, more power to them. Prior to their formation, it was very difficult for demon slayers to share information, so organizing against anything wasn't going to happen. Maybe that's why Demon Lords didn't begin to die until much later."

They walked in silence for a bit, both gauging the other. It wasn't like either of them were about to slash out at the other, but there was some tension that arose from unspoken words.

Nico finally broke the silence. "Tell me, what do you think about this?" Before Erena could give some sarcastic remark, Nico continued. "The First Demon Lord's body being sealed away. It looks like the others didn't even question it. But the fact that it is leaves only three realistic options in my eyes."

"Do tell, Prince."

"Tch. Let's start by thinking. The thing that made me suspicious at all is that a curse was used to seal it. Curses are extremely rare nowadays and not easy to replicate or destroy, even for a Demon Lord. So, that brings us to the first possible explanation: First seals himself away here while he uses his false body in the Underworld. I highly doubt that based on what I just said. Even for First, destroying and recreating the curse every time he wishes to seal away his body is absurd."

Void nodded at that. "Quite true. It would take far too much time and effort even for him."

"Exactly. So, second possible explanation: First is not here at all. Though this is possible, Devour smelled a Demon Lord here. So, if First isn't here, then another Demon Lord is and they're waiting for us in ambush. I doubt the likelihood of this as well, so I'll move onto the third option." She paused and glanced Erena's way, the girl's knowing smile telling Nico she already knew what the third possible explanation was, so Nico waved her hand as if to say, 'go on.'

"Lastly, the First Demon Lord may be dead. In which case his body was sealed away, most likely by another Demon Lord. And we're still walking into a trap." Nico nodded. "It is possible, I admit. But the likelihood… it would be quite a feat to hide the death of a Demon Lord, especially First. I'd say it's near impossible."

"I understand that. But we have to be prepared for every situation. What would concern me…" Nico turned a glare her way. "I'm concerned that you may already know what lies ahead from glancing into the Void. You told us that you've seen First's body. So, why even entertain other theories? If the Void doesn't lie to you, then we should find First's true body at the bottom of these stairs. Am I wrong?"

"Haha. My, my, calm down, Prince. While it is true that I have witnessed the true body of First… that is all I have witnessed. The Void does not wish me to look past that and so I will not force it to show me. Whatever happens from here on out is truly fate, a fight against the unknown. While I would like to say that makes me uneasy, going into everything knowing what will happen would bore me. Even I like some surprise in my life."

Nico frowned. "The Void is hiding things from its Master?"

Erena shrugged. "In some sense, it is true that we are Masters of a style. On the other hand, we are only their masters because we are allowed to be. There is nothing that stops them from dropping us, stripping us of our power over them. It is not my place to question the Void."

"You think differently than they used to then."

"Hm? What is that?"

"Memories from the previous Yazawas. I know of the old Masters from hundreds of years ago. They believed that they truly controlled their styles. After all, it comes down to a master or heir to change a style." Nico shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter either way. It's not like it makes a difference in my life how you demon slayers see your styles."

"Hmph. Unfortunately, not everybody is capable of coming to the level of a Yazawa, even those of your line before it was cursed. Your ancestors slew demons with ordinary katanas, surpassing the limits of what should be possible for humans. And now look. With the knowledge and skill they pass on, any current Yazawa who inherited the curse is able to stand up to any style."

"Tch. We didn't ask for this shitty curse. I don't want to be involved in the demon slayer world. I'm only even helping now because Honoka is involved. That idiot would dive straight into the Underworld to save me if our positions were reversed."

Erena shook her head. "I would say that I don't see the value in thinking that way, but I suppose I'm guilty as well. I did truly befriend Tsubasa and Anju after all. Not that I could ever tell them of my true position."

"Does it matter? It's not like I ever planned on telling any of my friends the truth about me. There was no reason for them to know. Honoka will know, I guess, soon enough. It's not like it's something I need to hide or anything anyways. I don't think you particularly need to hide it either. I guess you have HQ to worry about but… it's not like they'll do anything now that you're a master."

Erena started to speak again but a scream from below them cut her off. The two looked at each other before picking up their pace to a sprint. The stairs were almost unbelievably long, but they did reach the bottom.

The stairs opened up into a massive chamber, the ceiling of which was so high that all they could see was darkness. The stone walls were covered in strange symbols that glowed with a faint blue light. Riko stood near the base of the stairs with Umi and Maki in front of her. Setsuna was closer to the centre of the room. Eight pillars rose into the darkness, all set around a dais with a… throne? That was the only way Nico could think to describe it. It was plain, carved from stone as well, but it was definitely in the shape of a throne. And on that throne sat a figure clad in only a black cloak, every feature of it obscured except for pale hands that rested on the arms of the throne.

Setsuna had her sword out, striking at the figure but her sword bounced off some invisible barrier every time. She yelled out her frustrations but no matter how many times she struck, she couldn't break through. Her nose twitched and she turned to look at Nico and Erena.

"Oi! Prince, Void! One of you get to work! Take down this damn barrier!"

Nico took a few steps forward and stared intently at the figure. It leaned on one arm but seemed to not move at all. At the least, it was unresponsive to Setsuna's attempts to strike it. She looked Riko's way who jumped a bit at her gaze.

"Hey, Sun's partner. What do you see?"

"H-Huh?"

"You can see things we can't. What do you see there?"

"Eh? I-It's just a skeleton, right?" All eyes snapped to her and she jumped again. "W-What? Eh? What's wrong, everyone?"

Nico slowly turned back toward the figure. The hands that were visible were definitely not skeletal. They looked just like normal human hands with flesh. But if Riko saw a skeleton…"

"An illusion, huh? Maybe from this barrier. Tch. Step aside, Devour." Setsuna seemed a bit hesitant even though she was the one who asked for help, but she moved aside. Nico slowly drew her katana. "A barrier from a Demon Lord? Don't make me laugh." With one swing, the barrier shattered, the image before them changing. There was no hood on the figure, just a human skull. The hands were definitely skeletal as well. Just like Riko had said. It was just a corpse. "Looks like one of our theories was right, Void."

"What…? No!" Setsuna yelled, still pointed her sword in the direction of the corpse. "I smell it! I smell the Demon Lord!"

Nico started to tell her that it was a Demon Lord's corpse so obviously it would smell like one, but she was cut off as something tugged at her. A voice? It sounded like someone was calling her name, but it was so distant that she couldn't quite make it out. Setsuna started to speak again but Nico silenced her with a glare and held a finger to her mouth to tell everybody else to be quiet. The voice was getting louder, just slightly. She saw Erena twitch and looked over to her.

"The Void…" Erena mumbled. "Yoshiko is reaching out to us with the Void." She crossed her arms and turned to Nico. "Answer it. It won't get through if you don't."

"Answer…?" Nico listened closely. The voice was becoming clearer. And she definitely recognized it. "Honoka?"

As soon as she called out, a burst of wind sent everybody in the room except for Erena and Umi into a defensive stance. A mass of darkness seemed to appear from nowhere in front of Nico and it expanded until it was almost her size. Everything was quiet for a moment before Nico hesitantly spoke up again.

"Honoka?"

"Nico-chan!" It was definitely the boisterous ginger and Nico felt herself smiling. Knowing the girl was alive was some reassurance at least.

"Honoka, I…"

"It's alright, Nico-chan. I already know everything. I don't blame you for hiding it. It's the same thing as me not reaching out to all of you sooner. We both had our reasons." Nico just nodded even though the ginger couldn't see her. "Eh? Ah, Yoshiko-chan says we don't have a lot of time. We need to tell you something."

"I should probably give you a summary of our situation as well."

"Eh? Uh, sure. But that can wait!"

Erena stepped forward and called out. "It would be prudent of you to speak quickly then, Four Seasons. As my heir has told you, the Void cannot remain open in such a state for long."

"Eh?" It sounded like Honoka said something to someone else and waited for a response before she turned back and cleared her throat. Was this a cellphone conversation or something? Nico thought with a snort. "Right! I'm glad the Master of Void is there too. I spoke with Autumn who told me something very important."

Everybody in the room tensed at the mention of one of the Four Seasons. Honoka had spoken with her?

"You spoke with…?" Nico started but shook her head. "What is it?"

"She told me…" There was a pause and Nico could picture Honoka swallowing from nerves. "The First Demon Lord is dead."

Everybody in the room simultaneously sucked in a breath. All eyes were wide and they glanced between each other before looking back at the darkness. It was silent but Nico had no idea what to say. That meant…

"It looks like one of our theories was definitely true… Honoka, I―" Nico started but the Void suddenly closed, leaving nothing behind. "Eh? Dammit. Void, can't you…?" Nico turned to Erena, but the girl's Demonbrand had appeared at her hip once again. Nico put her hand to her own sword and turned to follow Void's gaze.

The hand, that skeletal hand, was raised towards them. Everybody in the room stared as it slowly lowered back to the throne. The skeleton shifted and stood. Even Setsuna was stunned to silence for a moment before she realized what was happening and struck out with her sword. The skeleton just lifted one arm and struck out, faster than anybody could see, and sent the girl flying across the room to slam into the wall next to the stairs.

"Guh!"

"… Haha… Ah, this… this was not how I expected it to be at all…" A soft voice reached out and the skeleton started to shift. Red swirls reach out from under the cloak, shifting around the body, forming around it. And then there was a girl. Short greyish-brown hair fell to her shoulders. Deep blue eyes scanned over the room. She took a step forward, a calm smile on her face. "Ah… So many visitors. So many interesting guests."

Nico tightened her grip on her sword. "Who are you? First? Second?"

"First… Second…" A small laugh escaped the girl's lips before she set her eyes on the girl. "Do those numbers really matter? I am… a Demon Lord, yes. For so long, I have existed. So long. Why?" She continued to glance around the room until her eyes rested on Umi. "Ah. You look so different. Oh. You share the body? I see. I see. Speak with me, won't you… brother?"

Umi shook a bit but stood firm. "Second. So you really are the one behind this mess."

"Mess…? Mess? Did I cause a mess?" She took another step forward and it was then Nico noticed how cold the room had become. A white mist existed the girl's mouth as she spoke. Nico spared a glance at the ground and saw the stone under the girl's feet freezing as she stepped. "No. It was the humans that cause this mess. It was their ignorance. And it was your ignorance, brother. You gave them the ability to slay us. Did we have a choice but to act?"

"I gave them a chance to fight. I've regretted asking Seventh to send me to this world. It is my fault that so many humans have died due to our savagery."

"… Savagery? Haha… that is an interesting way to put it…" Another step forward. Nico cautiously took a step back. The girl's eyes drifted back between her and Erena. "The Prince of Blades… the Void. It is a great honour to meet you… Ah, well… I met a Prince long ago… very long ago… Do you not remember me, Yazawa Nico?" Nico scanned her brain but had no memory of a Yazawa fighting the Second Demon Lord.

"I can't say I do, Second."

"A shame… I even gave your ancestor such a nice present." Second put a hand to her chin in thought. "Who else could give such a luxurious gift as the eyes of a Demon Lord?" Everybody in the room once again tensed. "And she was not even grateful. Foolish, right?"

"The eyes… of a Demon Lord?" To Nico's surprise it was Erena who spoke up. Void narrowed her eyes. "There had always been a pair of eyes unaccounted for. Are you telling me that you gave them to a member of the Yazawa line? Why?"

"A gift, of course. I hoped that they would understand and help me… but that did not go well. I suppose it is hard to blame them." She directed her gaze to Nico. "It is partially my fault that your line was cursed after all." The smile remained and now Nico was starting to feel pissed. "We truly meant for your line to work with us, not against us. I suppose you did not appreciate the thought though." Another step forward, the temperature dropping even lower and the ground still freezing beneath bare feet. "Second swept out her arm. "Now, Void, tell me. Show me your plan."

Silence ensued as Erena glared at her and Second let out a short chuckle.

"Of course, you have nothing. Because you only see what the Void wishes for you to see. Like a mouse running into the trap for cheese you foolishly follow the Void only to fall. And now your road comes to an end. For soon I will have all I need." Second turned her gaze slowly back to Umi. "Soon I will secure what Fourth sought to hide from me."

"Fourth…" Umi spoke slowly.

"Fourth was willing to work with me, to help me. But… in the end, he betrayed me. For some reason, he took to your preachings, Sixth. He wished simply to stop the end of humanity. But… it was not that simple. Of course I would not let him. But he stole it from me… And he hid it away in a place that he was sure would be protected. A place where First would stake his life for."

Umi's eyes widened. "You don't mean…!"

"Indeed. Inside Kousaka Honoka, the heir to the Four Seasons." Nico struck out but Second moved aside, far faster than the girl would have imagined her could move and her sword took out the stone throne. "How rude, Prince. I do not wish to fight you." Second shrugged. "Besides, even if you manage to destroy this body of mine, it would mean nothing. I am not foolish like First. This is simply a borrowed body, nothing more. I have long since returned my true body to the Underworld."

"Impossible. There is no way to undo the bind on your body."

"Unlike you, Sixth, I have not sat by idly for hundreds of years. I have worked hard, so hard. I have overcame the very limits that the world itself set upon us. And now I have reached this point." She looked around at everybody. "Go ahead. Attack me. Kill me. It's meaningless. Soon I will have Kousaka Honoka in my hands and everything will be at its end. All demon slayers are content to just sit around and kill demons that there is not limit to. Foolish. Truly foolish. It is foolishness like this that led to First's death."

"Hmph. So what Four Seasons said is true." Erena shook her head. "And if you're telling us this…"

"That is correct. First has long been dead by my hand. What you know as First is nothing more than a puppet, a piece for me to play in this game."

"Devour style…" Everybody's head snapped to Setsuna who was slowly standing. "2nd blade…"

"Stop, Devour, you're not match for him." Nico called out. "I'll handle t―"

"Quiet, Prince!" Nico's mouth snapped shut before she even realized it. The anger in Setsuna's voice was unlike anything she had heard before. Pure rage. "You're wrong, Second. Demon slayers have not sat by idly for years. We just waited. Waited for you to make your last mistake."

"A mistake? Please do tell, Devour."

Setsuna sniffed the air shook her head. "Showing your face… in front of me." She got down on all fours and her breathing picked up. "Long has the Devouring Sword waited to taste your flesh." She let out something like a growl and dropped her sword. "And now…" She spoke through gritted teeth. "Consume!"

Setsuna shot off the wall and Second barely spared her a glance as he struck out. But Setsuna was faster, moving around that hand and going straight past her, stopping on top of the dais, next to the destroyed throne. An audible swallow sounded from the girl who slowly turned, now on back on just her feet, and smirked.

"Amazing. I never thought a Demon Lord would taste so disgusting… so why is it that I want to taste more?"

Second narrowed her eyes. "It was my soul you were after. To think that the Devouring Sword had the ability to touch the very soul of demons, and Demon Lords at that." The temperature dropped even lower, the girls beginning to involuntarily shiver. The walls started to freeze, ice slowly travelling up them, spreading out along the floor as well. "This became a lot more interesting. It's true that my soul is connected to this body… perhaps I will have to defend myself."

"Void style…" Erena started to speak, but she was smacked away as if she was nothing more than a fly. She slammed into the wall, similar to the way Setsuna had but she stood immediately and sighed. "Even if this illusion feels no pain, that's annoying." She turned her eyes to Nico. "Without my body, I don't believe I'll be able to help here much. I'll do my utmost to reach Four Seasons in the Underworld quickly."

Nico nodded. "Leave it to me. Maki, keep Umi safe. Devour and I will handle this." Nico struck out again, this time carving a line down Second's arm. Red blood spurted out, but it quickly closed up and Second just sighed.

"Perhaps you have become too confident, Prince. I guess I'll have to show you your place." Then a sudden pause. "Hmph. It looks like I'll have to let the owner of this body handle you. I need to attend to Four Seasons for a bit. Without my full attention there, I might well be in trouble. I do bid you all a farewell for now. Please have fun."

And just like that, in an instant, the air of the room changed. The temperature immediately returned to normal and the ice simply vanished as if it had never been there. Second hung her head, simply standing there. Nico cautiously approached, her sword ready to strike. And she almost did when that head snapped up.

"Yosoro!" The voice echoed in the room as silence and shock took over everybody. "Watanabe You at your service! Let's have fun, okay?" She winked and everybody's mouth just fell open another inch. "Eh? Did I mess up my intro? Second told me I could do it however I wanted to…"

"What? You… Who the fuck are you?" Nico asked.

But Erena stepped up next to her, her usual confident smirk back on. "Watanabe You, is it? It's certainly been a long time since I've heard that name."

You tilted her head in confusion. "Um, do we know each other?"

"No. But I have heard much about you from the previous Master of Void and the Void itself. A girl forsaken because of the treasonous act she committed."

"Haha! Are there rumors about me now? Well, I guess that would be a given. HQ managed to hide details about me pretty well, I have to say. Well then, let me reintroduce myself since one of you already knows who I am." She cleared her throat and put her hands on her hip, a confident smile radiating energy from her. "My name is Watanabe You, the former Master of Stars." A katana appeared by her hip in a deep blue sheath and she drew it, pointing it at Nico and Void. "Let's have fun, alright?"

A bit of lore for those interested. You was originally supposed to appear as a rival to Seira. But that timeline was one I ended up ditching very early on. So, in this story, she's taken on a completely different role than originally intended. Neat, huh?

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed.

Till next time. Be seeing you.