The Final Battleground: Onigashima

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Breath of the Rifleman! We got our final setup chapter here before we hit Ending A but that doesn't mean it won't have some neat stuff. Also, apologies for getting this out a bit later than usual. Not only is it a bit longer than the others I was also on vacation with the family. But hopefully it'll still be worth the wait, and as always a shout out to LoneTaker, groche9655 and Noble Eight for their contributions to this story. And with not guest review questions this week, lets waste no more time and dive right in!

Nighttime: The Former Home of Tokitou Muichirou

"Yamata No Orochi?" Questioned Nezuko as she clung to Subaru and the blanket that was currently covering their bodies. "Have you heard of a demon like that, Subaru?"

"I haven't," replied her husband as he kept his revolver leveled at Tamamo, "but if I had to guess, it's another ancient demon like Shuten Doji and your great grandmother here."

"'Ancient' is an understatement," said Tamamo, "Yamato No Orochi could be said to be the first demon who ever walked, or rather slithered on this world. He goes by countless names like Jormangdur, basilisk, Yato and many others. He has slithered from one era to another, always appearing to try and cause chaos by manipulating others into giving up their humanity or tempting them with rich spoils. His ultimate goal is to bring destruction to the entire world, leaving nothing behind but an empty, dead wasteland."

"Fantastic," said Subaru with a sigh, "though I shouldn't be so surprised given that a spirit is warning us about his plan. Though I don't get why Shuten Doji is reviving him now, he always seemed like he was too busy messing with the world to want to destroy it."

"To understand that, you must first understand a little bit about Shuten Doji himself," said Tamamo, "you see, he was born over twelve hundred years ago in what you know as the Nara Era. His original name was Gedoumaru, referring to the brownish skin he received from his Indian mother, whom his deadbeat of a father abandoned a short time after he was born. He became a thief after his mother died of stress because no one else would take him in. He stole and caused trouble in an effort to get the people to notice him, but they wrote off even his most notable acts as a work of a deity or evil spirit."

"It would be at age twelve that he began to hear the voice in his head, the voice of Yamata No Orochi. He exploited his want for companionship and as he continued to do what the snake demon asked, he himself slowly became a demon. At the age of fifteen, a Hanya mask was grafted onto his face, turning him into a full-fledged demon where he then took the name 'Shuten Doji'. He would go on to commit many terrible crimes as the drunk demon until he reached the same height as me and Otakemaru in the Heian Period, a calamity. But after Otakemaru's death at the hands of two thousand slayers, my reversion to being human, and Shuten Doji's defeat at the hands of Raikkou, he decided to simply wander the world. That is until now, which is why I came here to warn you of his plan."

"About that," said Nezuko, "is there a reason you picked right now of all times to tell us this? It's been a few months since Muzan's defeat. And also, my husband and I are not at our most decent right now."

"Well now that Subaru's back to being human, he can no longer cast a domain that might allow my presence to manifest," explained Tamamo, "and while you and Tanjiro can both see me, Subaru here requires a bit more, intimate, contact to also see me."

"So you absolutely had to appear on the first night of our honeymoon," said Subaru with a sigh, "can we at least get something on?"

"Time is of the essence right now," said Tamamo, "I can only appear to the living for so long. And besides, I wanted to see what my reincarnate's new husband had below the belt. Not bad, by the way."

"You are welcome in our home and you have our thanks for your help now and against Muzan, but you are not touching my husband," said Nezuko as she clung tighter to him.

"I mean in a way I'm already touching him," said Tamamo with a playful smile, "you are my reincarnate, after all."

"HUUUUUUUHH!" Said Nezuko as her cheeks flushed red at the implications.

"Why don't we stay on track here," said Subaru, "how exactly does Shuten Doji plan on reviving this age-old pain in the ass serpent?"

"He is making preparations now," explained Tamamo, "he is gathering other age-old terrors who have slumbered for ages. When he feels the moment is right, Shuten shall reveal his domain, Onigashima. It shall appear in the form of an island, so it won't be hard to spot when it does."

"Well that part's easy enough to understand," said Subaru, "but even with a lot of time to make preparations of our own, Shuten Doji is the most powerful demon left in this world. It took practically all the Demon Slayer Corps had just to kill Muzan, and Shuten is stronger than that."

"Much stronger," affirmed Tamamo, "while he was the weakest of the calamities in our time, his potential is and always has been enormous. His power has grown and grown over the centuries to the point that very few are capable of stopping him. He thought that you, Subaru Kamado, would've been capable of doing so had you become the new demon king."

"But Momiji sacrificed herself to permanently stop Muzan," said Nezuko, "it also turned Subaru human again, so Shuten Doji feels there's no longer anyone capable of killing him and he's despairing because of it?"

"Precisely," said Tamamo, "he has come to learn a lesson that I myself struggled to learn centuries ago. He's grown tired of living, that which once brought him joy does little for him now and even his wife, Ibaraki, can no longer pull him back from the void. This attempt to summon Yamata No Orochi is his final attempt at creating his death by drawing in as many powerful fighters as he can. But Yamata No Orochi cannot be allowed to be revived or the world as you know it, shall end."

"But what can we do against him?" Questioned Subaru, "given time we can all become stronger with more training but only if we have enough time."

"That is the other reason why I'm here," said Tamamo as she summoned an orb of blue flame, "this is the star, Kagatsuchi, the most powerful demon art I can produce. With it I have burnt even Otakemaru himself and it is more than capable of destroying Shuten Doji. However, you'll have very little time to use it."

"How long will we have before it disappears?" Questioned Subaru.

"A lot of that depends on you," said Tamamo, "I had years to cultivate it and grow my demon body strong enough to wield it. Some might say my power now is on par with a deity. But because it's so powerful, Kagatsuchi will burn and tear at your body as you use it. If your battle with Shuten Doji is prolonged, you'll most assuredly die."

"You want to give him an ability that'll kill him?!" Said a shocked Nezuko, "Great Grandmother, there has to be another way! We've already lost so many lives slaying Muzan!"

"Believe me I want nothing more than for the newest member of our family to live," said Tamamo, "He stuck by you and your brother through hardship after hardship and never once did the thought of abandoning either of you ever cross his mind. In all honesty I've grown to like him, as has the rest of your family."

"The rest of the family?" Said Nezuko and Subaru at the same time.

"Oh of course, I almost forgot," said Tamamo before waving her hands. In the next moment, Tanjuro, Kie and all of Nezuko and Tanjiro's siblingings suddenly appeared around Tamamo. A couple of other people appeared as well, one with long hair in a ponytail with the same mark as Tanjiro's, two apparent slayers with fox masks that Subaru recalled were called Sabito and Makomo, and a final person who greatly resembled Tamamo, though he was a man and had no fox features.

"Congratulations on getting married!" Cheered the Kamado family as the newly weds could only stare dumbstruck for a few moments.

"M-Mother, Father," said Nezuko as a few tears fell from her eyes, "Takeo, Hanako, Shigeru, Rokuta? You're all here and…staring at me and my husband while we're naked!"

"Now there's no need to be embarrassed," said her father, Tanjuro, "how do you think your mother and I had you, Tanjiro and your other siblings?"

"I know you didn't do it while the rest of your families were watching!" Exclaimed Nezuko, "and this isn't the sort of thing the children should be learning about so soon!"

"You make it sound like we're getting any older," said Takeo, "we've passed on, remember. Besides, Mom, Dad and Ancient Grandmother Tamamo already explained stuff like that too us."

"That doesn't mean I want you all looking at us while we're trying to get intimate!" Said Nezuko, "believe me I am happy beyond words that we're able to see each other again, but did it have to be like this?"

"I think what my wife is trying to say is, could we have some privacy for just a little bit," said Subaru, "Or if that's impossible, can we be allowed to get some clothes on? And who are those two anyway?"

"Oh, my apologies," said the man with the demon mark, "you may call me Yoriichi. Many refer to me as the creator of the original breath style, the Breath of the Sun. No doubt Tanjiro has mentioned having a vision or two of me."

"And I am Abe No Seimei," said the other, "the son of Tamamo No Mae. Perhaps you've heard of me in a legend or two."

"I've told more than a couple of your stories to my siblingings," said Nezuko, "though you probably already knew that. Your tales helped them fall asleep many times when they were restless. Though now that I mention sleeping, my husband has yet to sleep with me tonight because we still don't have any privacy!"

"Well we can give you some privacy," said Tamamo, "but there's still the matter of how Kagatsuchi is to be transferred to you."

"You can't just transfer it with your power?" Questioned Subaru.

"I technically am transferring it with my own power," explained Tamamo, "Nezuko is my reincarnate, after all. With a few years of training, she could learn to transfer Kagatsuchi to you safely. But alas, we have at best two years, not near enough time. So, we'll have to opt for the quicker approach."

"And what's the quicker approach?" Questioned Nezuko with a tilt of her head. Tamamo's answer to that was to snatch Kagatsuchi from the air before shoving it into Subaru's left eye in an extraordinarily quick, fluid motion. The Matagi grasped his left orb while grimacing in pain, only barely managing to catch himself from collapsing on top of Nezuko.

"Subaru, Subaru are you alright," she asked as she put her hands on his head to examine his possible wound. Her husband's breathing was fast and erratic for several moments before eventually returning to normal as he slowly moved his hand off of his left eye, revealing a symbol was now present in the pupil.

"Kagatsuchi is now within your body, Subaru Kamado," explained Tamamo, "it will take some time for you to adapt to it. In that time, you and the others will need to continue training yourselves to be ready for the battle to come. A whole lot of sex will also help relieve some of the pain."

"I honestly won't complain about that if my wife won't," said Subaru, "anything else we might need to know?"

"Well I do need to instruct you on how to use Kagatsuchi," said Tamamo, "but, there is also one other method for fighting Shuten Doji that you'll need to know." She began to explain to them that as well as several other bits of information. It would prove to be quite a tale for the head of the Demon Slayer Corps when they sent word to him.

A Couple Days Later: Hidden Fortress of the Ubuyashiki Family

"This is assuredly troubling news," said Kiriya as he sat with his sisters on either side of him, "from your reports following the Kume Island and Hokkaido incidents we expected the possibility that Shuten Doji would still be active after Muzan's downfall, but to the extent of endangering the world."

"I honestly never did think what the guy might do if things didn't go his way," said Subaru as he and Nezuko sat facing the leaders of the Demon Slayer Corps, "I mean I knew he might throw a tantrum or something, but he always seemed like he wasn't interested in causing too much mass destruction. But based on what we heard, from beyond the grave, this was apparently the last straw for him."

"And now the world is in danger from a threat even greater than Muzan Kibutsuji," said Kiriya with a sigh, "the only bit of good news about this seems to be that we have some time to prepare."

"Two years is a lot of time," admitted Nezuko, "Subaru and Tanjiro were able to become skilled slayers in that time. And now that you have the backing of the government, resources shouldn't be a problem."

"That all depends on how many they're willing to supply," said Kiriya, "with the threat of Muzan ended, it may prove somewhat harder to convince the government to lend us its full support. That being said, they can no longer deny the existence of demons like they have for so long before. So the first step should be gathering all available slayers who are still willing to fight and going from there."

"It won't be easy for some of them," said Subaru, "Sanemi will be onboard, more than likely, but Giyuu and Shinobu sustained some pretty serious injuries. Heck, Giyuu's missing an arm now."

"That is a matter best suited for the leader of the Corps to handle," said Kiriya, "you just focus on your own preparations for now. With luck, it won't take us long to form a new training regimen for the upcoming battle. And one last thing before you go."

"Yes Oyakata-sama?" They both asked in anticipation.

"Do try to enjoy yourselves when you can," said Kiriya with a smile, "you both just got married, after all. We might be in a situation right now, but that doesn't mean you need to put your happiness completely on hold."

"Of course, Oyakata," they both said with a smile before bowing. The two of them headed home then, making plans for their future battle, and the future of their lives.

Two Years Later: Near the Ports of Shanghai

"This sucks, this absolutely sucks," groaned Zenitsu as he and Jinora walked along the semi-crowded streets near Shanghai's fish market. Even at this hour of night, there were still plenty of people roaming about. Though that didn't stop Zenitsu from voicing his complaints about the situation. "We do all of that work and nearly get killed at least a hundred times to bring down Muzan. That should've been the end of it, but no, we have another demon who's even more powerful than Muzan roaming around keeping all of us from retiring!"

"Oh pipe down, Zenitsu," said Jinora, "after two years I thought you'd have gotten used to the idea that our job as demon slayers isn't quite over yet."

"That's what I'm saying, though," argued Zenitsu, "Muzan was supposed to be the end, the big boss that needed to go down. Do you have any idea how heartwrenching it is to hear that even though all of our hard work paid off, there's still more hard work to do?! Two more years of it!"

"Given that I'm also a slayer, and the one who's been listening to you go on about this for nearly two years, yes, I think I have a pretty good idea," replied Jinora, "but on the other hand, I don't see what you're complaining about. After all, you'll have more chances to impress your fiancé if there are demons to kill." She flitted some of her hair out of her eye to add to the effect of her words.

"What are we waiting for?!" Exclaimed Zenitsu, "come on out already demons!" He took off running then, going from one person to the next asking if they were a demon before quickly moving on. 'Ah it's just too easy sometimes,' thought Jinora, 'though getting him worked up like this might not be the most subtle approach. Then again, maybe they'll come out if they think they're dealing with a complete idiot, which, isn't entirely untrue.'

As they continued, the two eventually turned down a much darker street with fewer lights, and practically no people. 'Now this might be something,' thought the Breath of Thunder girl as she put her guard up, waiting for the tiniest bit of a bad vibe to hit her. Zenitsu, likewise, was listening intently as he tried to pick up any sort of odd noise that might point them in the direction of the demon they were looking for. When they started getting close to the water is when they heard the first thing that sounded off, a type of gargling noise.

It wasn't the type of noise one would make while washing their mouth out, but rather it sounded like someone was drowning! The two slayers hurried over to the location where the noise was coming from and found what appeared to be a body washed up nearby. As they approached, however, they noted how the body's grey skin and gaunt fingers didn't entirely resemble that of a regular human. Both of them remained on guard as they got within arms reach of it, and then leapt back the moment it lunged at them.

"Ah shit, what in the world is that?!" Exclaimed Zenitsu as the demon stood up, revealing its shriveled face and a dripping, wet mouth full of sharp teeth. Its growl also resembled the sound of someone gargling water as if they were drowning.

"Breath of Thunder First Form," said Jinora as she quickly drew her sword while passing by the demon before sheathing it again in the blink of an eye, "thunderclap and flash." She then wrapped her wrist on the handle of her weapon as the demon's head slid off. Its body collapsed shortly after that and began turning to ash. "That appears to be one of the Chinese demons that reside here, a drowning demon. If we had been normal civilians who didn't know about demon identification, we'd probably be dead right now."

"So I guess those reports about demon activity occurring here were true after all," said Zenitsu, "do you think that was the only one?" The answer to his question came in the form of several bubbling sounds from further out in the water. The next thing they knew, several more drowning demons were rising from the water accompanied by another form of demon carrying axes. "AAAAAAHHHH! Those guys don't have heads! What do we do now?!"

"Might be a good time to use that new move of yours," said Jinora as she readied her stance, "you said it hadn't been combat tested, right?"

"Yeah you're right," said Zenitsu, readying his stance as the demons slowly crept closer from their spot in the water, "here goes, Breath of Thunder First Form: Thunderclap and Flash Prime!" He launched himself forward then as electricity trailed behind him, cutting through six drowning demons before leaping backwards as the trailing lightning electrocuted all the other remaining demons in the water. "Did it work?" The answer to his question came in the form of several of the demons starting to turn to ash as they sank back into the water.

"Wow, it looks like it did," said Jinora, "and that move is even more effective than I imagined."

"Aww thanks," said the blond boy bashfully, "I worked really hard on it. By the way, what in the world were those headless guys?"

"I think they were called Xingtian, headless demons with faces on their stomachs," replied Jinora, "they're strong but slow and they don't usually regenerate if they suffer too much damage or get cut in half horizontally."

"That's good news for us," said Zenitsu, "they actually sound easier to kill than some of the demons we usually deal with."

"Well the problem is, they usually have shields," recalled Jinora, "and they usually appear as guards for other demons."

"Guards for other demons?" Repeated Zenitsu as he realized there were even more demons where that one had come from. And they turned out not to be too far behind as several doors and windows were suddenly busted open, allowing even more Xingtian to walk or crawl out, and this bunch did have shields. They were also accompanied by some type of leopard demons with five tails called 'Zheng' if Jinora was remembering correctly.

"So the stories of demon hunters from the island of Japan are true," said a higher-pitched male voice as a demon in black and red robes wearing a round cap with a tag hanging on the front came riding into view atop another Zheng, "and your so-called 'breath forms' also appear to be real."

"Ah, a Jiangshi demon!" Said Zenitsu, "how can he see us with that big tag on his face?!"

"I'm more surprised you actually know its name," said Jinora, "how come this one stuck with you?"

"Well I thought the tag hanging from their face meant they were a less scary demon," said Zenitsu before suddenly freaking out again, "but I was wrong, they're still scary!"

"And you are by far the loudest demon slayer I've ever encountered," said the Jiangshi while cleaning out one of his ears, "are you new at this, perhaps?"

"We're veterans, actually," replied Jinora as she placed a hand on her sword, "though since you're in such a chatty mood, mind telling us if this is all the demons here?"

"Not just here," said the Jiangshi as he did a sweeping motion with his hand, "you are looking at all the remaining demons in China. We are the last remnant of Shuten Doji's old Chinese guard, which might by the only reason we were left alive."

"What are you talking about?" Questioned Jinora with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, so it seems you're a little behind on the news," said the Jiangshi, "Lord Doji has been on a tear over the last two years, killing any and all demons that are either superbly powerful or not under his direct command. It's honestly frightening, I haven't seen him sober in centuries. What in the world happened to him over in your country?"

"Beats me," replied Jinora with a shrug, "apparently he saw some sort of potential in one of our slayers who he expected to become a demon. Instead, he wound up turning back to a human which seems to have wrecked that drunk demon's plans so bad that he's gone off the deep end. Well, whatever classifies as the deep end for a psychotic demon."

"Ah of course, his plan to find a new Raikkou must've failed," said the Jiangshi as he stroked his goatee with his clawed hand, "it all makes sense now, why he left us. We are to be a message."

"Message, what kind of message?" Questioned Zenitsu as he tightened his grip on his sword.

"Master Doji intends to make his move very soon," said the Jiangshi, "so he's been leaving one or two pockets of demons here and there, likely aware that the demon slayers are more active again. What's more, he no doubt intends to test the current stock of slayers."

"I imagine when you say test," replied Jinora as she flicked her thumb up on her sword, making it easier to draw, "you intend for us to fight our way out?"

"Precisely," replied the demon as the others surrounding them began to move in, "if you survive this fight, tell your leader that Shuten Doji shall summon Onigashima soon and set his plan in motion, to bring the world to its knees." He raised his hand then, signalling the other demons to start attacking as Jinora and Zenitsu leapt into action. The once dark and quiet corner of the docks was lit up with lightning and thunder then.

A Few Days Later: Slayer Safehouse in Japan

"He's coming," said Yushiro as he put the finishing touches on a painting he'd been working on for the last few months, "this location won't be safe for very long once he arrives."

"What makes you so sure?" Questioned Mukago as she looked up from her revolver carbine. Ever since she'd heard Shuten Doji was going around killing other demons, she'd made it a habit to check and make sure all of her weapons were in working order. She knew they probably wouldn't do a whole lot of good, but she intended to go down fighting this time instead of cowering. She was done being afraid of the other big bad demons.

"I received a report not too long ago from one of the Kasugai crows while you were out in the garden," explained Yushiro, "they say what might be one or more of Ibaraki's limbs was spotted along the coast before disappearing into a strange mist. That same strange mist that's been rolling in since yesterday. No doubt, Shuten Doji will soon make his move."

"Well he'll have the Demon Slayer Corps and the IJA to deal with when he arrives," said Mukago as she set her weapon down and turned to Yushiro, "we're a lot more prepared than we were two years ago."

"Perhaps," said Yushiro, "but the best of the Corps is still honing their techniques. They wouldn't be able to get here in time if he did suddenly show up."

"Well we're supposed to be moving out from this location tonight anyway," said Mukago, "though I can't say the mountains is a favorite destination of mine."

"As a demon, a trek through the mountains shouldn't be a huge problem for you," said Yushiro as he turned away from his painting, apparently satisfied with it, "or at least, that's what I'd like to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Questioned Mukago with a raised eyebrow, "last I checked I was still a demon. I might've given up the sun but I never really went outside a lot as a kid anyway."

"So you told me," said Yushiro, "though now that I think about it, I need to thank you."

"'Thank me'," repeated Mukago as a confused expression crossed her face, "you and I have been doing alright to tolerate each other ever since the Corps put us under protective custody. I don't really see what in the world you'd be thanking me for."

"Well I spent a lot of time listening to you talk," said Yushiro, "but you also listened to every last thing I said about Lady Tamayo. By now you probably know as much about her as I do."

"Hard not too," said Mukago, "she was the only subject you loved being a chatterbox about. Everything else I had to drag out of you to one degree or another."

"Yes, I realize I'm not the easiest person to get along with," admitted Yushiro, "to be honest I really just wanted to spend the rest of my days alone with my memories of Lady Tamayo, though you already knew that too. But that's why I'm thanking you, because now there's someone else to carry on her memory."

"Okay, you're not making a lot of sense here," said Mukago, "I'm glad, I think, that I've been able to help you, but I'd really like to know what brought this on?" Yushiro answered that by pulling a vial out of his kimono.

"I made this after reading Lady Tamayo's notes," explained Yushiro, "since we've had no demons to test this on, there was no telling if it'd be effective against Shuten Doji. I'd have made more but there just wasn't enough time, not with all the running around we've had to do from one safehouse to the next. Most of them were ill-equipped for concoting this."

"Why haven't you given that to the demon slayers?" Questioned Mukago.

"The main reason is I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it at first," explained Yushiro, "given what Subaru told us, Shuten Doji is stronger than Muzan and quite possibly incapable of being returned to a human form by a drug like this. Naturally I considered splitting it between the two of us but then the dose might not be strong enough to cure us both. But I think I've finally decided what I want to do, though it's a bit selfish of me." He produced one of his eye tags from his sleeve then. "You see, this blood that flows in me, that made me a demon in the first place, came from Lady Tamayo. I couldn't possibly bring myself to wipe out the last of her essence from this world, so instead I'll do what I wanted to do when she sacrificed herself to stop Muzan and die with her."

"'Die with her,'" said Mukago, "wait a second, don't tell me you're just going to go out there and let Shuten Doji kill you?!"

"I do remember what Tanjiro said to me," said Yushiro as he placed the tag on his head, "that if I die then there'll be no one to carry on Lady Tamayo's memory. But you know about her now and everything she did, so there's just one favor I have to ask of you." He disappeared then as Mukago stood up, looking around frantically as she tried to figure out where he went. The next thing she knew, there was a prick in her neck as the contents of the vial was injected into her veins. She fell over in pain then as she heard Yushiro's voice one last time saying: "Take care of that painting for me."

Near Sunrise: The Japanese Coast

The slayers, Kakushi and Izayoi had been looking around frantically for Yushiro ever since he'd disappeared from the safehouse. At first they'd feared Shuten Doji had gotten to them when they found Mukago passed out in the room. But a quick examination revealed that her body was actually changing in a similar way to how Nezuko's had changed when she became human again. Shinobu had quickly surmised that Yushiro had injected her with his own take on the anti-demon drug and was now likely wherever Shuten Doji was going to show up.

The problem was, no one knew exactly where he was going to show up, a frustrating issue a couple of the Kakushi were currently voicing their thoughts on. "Jeez, we spend all of that time moving them around to keep them safe and what does that irritable guy do, throws it all right out the window," said the taller of the two Kakushi.

"I just wish he'd told us he'd made another demon cure," said the shorter of the two, "no doubt Lady Shinobu would've been able to analyze it and come up with another one without any problem. We could've turned them both human again and not even bothered with the safehouses. I mean, that demon drunk or whatever he's supposed to be was only killing demons, right?"

"Which is something I don't get either," said the taller kakushi, "why in the world is a super powerful demon going on a demon killing spree? It doesn't make a lick of…..sense." The reason he'd stopped speaking was because the fog had suddenly started moving inward. The two Kakushi stopped walking as they stared out at the coastline. Suddenly, an immensely loud clap was heard as a large portion of the mist suddenly split apart from a massive blast of wind which knocked the two Kakushi over.

It also succeeded in knocking the tag off of the head of Yushiro as he seemed to suddenly appear on the beach. "Hey, isn't that….oh shit." Said the shorter Kakushi upon noticing a figure walking onto shore from the dissipating mist, Shuten Doji.

"I'm impressed you were able to find me so quickly," said Yushiro as the drunk demon approached, "I'd honestly hoped I'd have at least a few more minutes."

"When my nose isn't clogged by alcohol and other fumes, I can actually smell quite well," said Shuten Doji, "and I know a spell when I smell one." Yushiro noted that the demon looked tired with bags under his eyes and the supposed spring in his step he'd heard he usually had was gone.

"Well my fate will be the same regardless," said Yushiro, "I might've been able to muster up the strength to continue without Lady Tamayo, but I haven't got the heart to watch numerous people die protecting someone who's not even sure they want to go on living. I'm sure you understand where I'm coming from on that."

"I've been tired of living for a couple of centuries now," said Shuten, "my last hope, or at least my most prospective, didn't pan out as you should know at this point. Now all I have left is this path that I'm on now to obtain my desire. Unfortunately, that means I can't have any demons running around that aren't under my control, so I'm afraid your journey will have to end here."

"That's fine, I've made my peace anyway," said Yushiro, "I just thought I'd try to get a glimpse of the sun before my time. After a century or so of being a demon, I've about forgotten what it looks like. Would you grant me just enough time to see that?"

"I don't have a lot of time," said Shuten Doji, "but I can spare a couple of minutes before setting the final steps in motion."

"That's about all I can ask for," said Yushiro as he turned his gaze towards the horizon where the sun was rising. "Perhaps in the next life, Lady Tamayo and I can watch the sun rise on the beach, together." His skin began to burn quickly then as the sunlight hit him, though he only cringed slightly. In comparison to losing Lady Tamayo, this kind of pain was nothing. "It's too bad you chose to do this now. It looks like it was going to be a beautiful day."

Yushiro burnt up then, his body crumbling to ashes which were quickly swept away by the ocean breeze. Shuten Doji simply shook his head before continuing into the city. 'A beautiful day,' he thought as he stopped in the city center, easily noting the Kakushi and Izayois who'd been tailing him, 'it'll be the last beautiful day you'll all see.' "Hear me now Demon Slayers!" He shouted, "Your reprieve is at an end! For today marks the final day of peace in your lives and all the rest of the world!"

He took a low stance then and raised his fist. "So if you wish to see your future, come at me with everything you've got!" He slammed his fist on the ground then, causing a massive number of cracks to spread out all through the city as the land itself began to quake. "Now witness my domain: ONIGASHIMA!" The blow he landed would reverberate throughout the land and in time would come to be known as the great Kanto earthquake of 1923.

Shortly after that, an island was spotted off the coast that was crawling with demons. Japan sent out word to all of its allies asking for aid as the order to mobilize slayers and the military alike was given. In just a few days time a fleet of ships made up of Japanese, Italian and Chinese ships converged on the island of Onigashima. The final battle for humanity against demonkind, had begun.

And thus, all the pieces are in place. Shuten Doji has revealed his hand and the world intends to respond in kind with our fellow slayers at the helm. No doubt you've already guessed that the next chapter is gonna be a long one, so it'll take a few extra days to get out. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as the final battle with Shuten Doji rages on the island of Onigashima! 'Til then.