Opening: Paper Moon by Tommy Heavenly6 (ROMIX Cover)
The Slayer angrily paced around the crater he had created during his moment of blind rage against the Super Doom Hunter. The sky was cloudy and the sun would occasionally leak through from time to time. The warrior had arrived at the location hours ago and had been impatiently waiting for the demon's arrival so he could destroy them. Kanao, Inosuke, Nezuko, and Zenitsu had arrived as well and were quite anxious about the situation but they couldn't fathom how impatient or frustrated the Doom Slayer was at that moment. They remained silent as they sat in the crater in silence until the demons finally showed up. The Doom Slayer quietly growled underneath his helmet, he couldn't wait any longer, he wanted those blasted creatures to reveal themselves already!
The Slayer's wish was fulfilled once he heard the distinct sound of a Hell Portal open from the other side of the crater. He whipped around and readied himself for combat, lunging towards the other side of the area to attack whoever stepped through. The other demon slayers quickly got up but were nowhere near as fast as the Hellwalker who was already charging towards the portal. He stopped once he saw Tanjiro step through the gateway, hands raised in the air as the Cultist Marauder emerged from the portal behind the boy with the Slayer's Super Shotgun pointed at Tanjiro's back. Xernex exclaimed for the warrior to hear, "Stay where you are or I pull the trigger." The Slayer angrily did as requested and watched as the rest of the Marauder's Night Sentinel squad emerged from the portal, weapons raised and pointed towards the Slayer.
Xernex stowed the Super Shotgun away by hooking it onto his belt and explained, "In honor of my demands, I return the boy to you safely." The Night Sentinel gestured with his head for Tanjiro to step forward. The Slayer kept his eyes on Tanjiro and noticed his spirits were low as if the boy was drained of hope. Tanjiro trudged forward and stopped until he was in front of the warrior. Tanjiro's friends and family quickly rushed over to him, embracing him as they all called out his name. They might have been more composed than the Hellwalker but they were just as fearful for the boy's safety as he was. They made room for the man as Flynn knelt down in front of Tanjiro and placed his hands on the Tanjiro's shoulders before asking:
"Are you hurt?"
Tanjiro shook his head as he explained, "No, he didn't lay a single hand on me the entire time. None of them did…" The Slayer glanced towards the Marauder before standing up once more and noting:
"You still have your soft spot for children."
Xernex crossed his arms out of annoyance as he retorted, "Don't mock me, Slayer."
Tanjiro looked back towards the Marauder as he pleaded, "Is this really necessary? Are there really no other alternatives?" The Slayer and Xernex agreed on something for once as no words needed to be exchanged between them to express their distaste for one another. Tanjiro understood immediately, disheartened by their response which made him look towards the floor as he was lost in thought. He raised his eyes towards the Marauder once more as he requested, "Before you guys begin, could I ask him about what you told me?"
Xernex was preparing for battle as he drew his argent axe and nodded in response to the boy's question, hoping the exchange would be brief. Xernex and his sentinels had been itching to fight the Slayer as well and were growing weary of the wait. Tanjiro then asked the Slayer, "Mister Flint, did you really kill Mister Xernex during the civil war?"
The demon slayers surrounding looked towards the taller man in awe, anxious to hear his answer. However, amongst the children surrounding the Slayer, only Kanao and Tanjiro knew his story and understood the question. It didn't take long for silence to consume the area as the Slayer stared straight ahead, not making eye-contact with the boy. There was a drawn-out pause before the warrior finally admitted, "...Yes. I was angry, no.. furious back then. He turned his back on his beliefs, he went against everything he stood for. Everything that I respected about him was cast away the moment he pledged his allegiance to the Khan Maykr and now the Dark Lord. When we met on the battlefield, I was blinded by anger once I saw him face me. I attacked without mercy, I treated him like I did any other demon. However, when it came to delivering the finishing blow, I couldn't do it, I couldn't bring myself to kill my only friend."
Xernex let out a triumphant "ha!" upon hearing this and continued, "Well, we are beyond that, aren't we? Look what has become of us. I still died and was forced to become a loyal puppet of the Khan Maykr. If you had never come to our world, the Khan Maykr would've never discovered the demons!"
"You know damn-well that isn't true. You're just too blind to admit it."
Tux attempted to charge forward to silence the Doom Slayer but was halted by the Marauder who was barely managing to maintain his composure in the face of such insolence. Xernex commented, "None of that matters anymore. Argent D'nur has fallen, the Maykrs are no more. All that's left is you and my burning vengeance for my fallen kingdom. I sacrificed my body for more power. Power that will let me avenge those who have fallen victim to your wrath." Xernex pointed an accusatory finger towards the Doom Slayer as he finished his statement.
The game by Disturbed
The Slayer ordered the others that were with him while keeping his gaze on the Marauder, "Get out of here and don't come back." Tanjiro winced as he was escorted away by the others but not without turning his head back to watch the events unfold behind him.
The Avenger (Tux) stepped forward while requesting, "Can I take a crack at him, boss?"
Xernex denied as he slightly bent his knees and the thrusters built within his arms, legs, and torso ignited as the flaming blue jets seared the ground underneath him. Xernex ordered, "I will handle the Doom Slayer. I will summon you when you are needed." The Doom Slayer popped his knuckles and his neck in anticipation. Xernex shouted as loud as he could for the Doom Slayer to hear, "There is no stopping the inevitable! YOU WILL DIE TODAY!"
Xernex zoomed forward, propelled by the thrusters built into his body as he quickly closed the gap between him and the Doom Slayer in a heartbeat. The demonic night sentinel threw a powerful punch towards the Doom Slayer who barely managed to catch it. The force of the Marauder's fist being stopped by the Hellwalker created a shockwave powerful enough to blow away all the loose dirt near them.
The Cultist Marauder hovered in the air, his jets becoming brighter as they continued providing thrust for the demon. The Slayer fought against the Marauder's strength, he was unable to push the demon back but Xernex couldn't push either. Once the Slayer noticed his arm shaking from holding back the demon, he quickly maneuvered himself underneath the demon as he quickly grabbed the Marauder and hurled him towards the ground. Xernex was very quick to react as the thrusters in his feet activated, allowing him to rapidly spin around and sweep the Slayer off his feet with a single kick.
Flynn managed to push himself back onto his feet with a quick handspring before he hit the floor as the Marauder twirled into the air before landing on his feet. The two warriors shoulder-charged into each other before quickly transitioning into rapid hand-to-hand combat. All of their experiences, all of their training with the Night Sentinels was being put to the test as they quickly countered each other's attacks and moved in for the next. Their speed, strength, and reaction time were practically the same. The Marauder had managed to become as strong as he was. The Doom Slayer had never fought against someone at his level of strength before so this encounter was going to require him to summon his full strength if he wanted to win.
The two combatants were completely even as they had anticipated each other's movements and reacted accordingly. However, Flynn managed to gain the upper-hand as he grabbed the demon by the wrist and pulled him closer. As Flynn did this, he dropped to the floor, onto his back, and kicked the Marauder with enough force to launch him out of the crater. As the Marauder was launched out of the crater, the demon pulled out the Super Shotgun and pointed it towards the Doom Slayer before firing the meathook of the weapon and successfully wrapping it around the warrior. He yanked the weapon back to pull the warrior with him as he landed on the ground near the entrance to a forest. He quickly looked back and devised a plan before turning his attention back to the Doom Slayer who revealed his makeshift Super Shotgun in response and fired its meathook towards the Marauder.
The Demon thrusted backwards into the forest and descended deep into it as the meathook dug into the floor where he was. The warrior pulled himself forward and angrily chased after the demon. He was quickly ambushed by the Marauder who descended from the trees with his argent axe fully ignited. The warrior ducked underneath the axe which whizzed past him and effortlessly sliced through a nearby tree. The demon elegantly swung his axe left and right in a combination of swift and precise movements in an attempt to cut down the warrior in front of him.
The Doom Slayer got down low and swept the night sentinel off his feet with a swift low kick. The Marauder used the opportunity to spin backwards while extending his leg to strike the warrior underneath his helmet with a spinning raising axe kick. This attack knocked the Slayer back but he was quickly able to position his body to land feet-first against a tree and propel himself towards the Marauder. Xernex swung his axe to intercept the warrior but the Doom Slayer anticipated this and extended his doomblade to redirect the axe away from him and leave his opponent open. With an opportunity to strike now present, the Hellwalker smashed his fist into the Marauder with enough force to launch the demon through several trees, knocking them over in the process.
Xernex was launched from the forest and rolled into a nearby lake. It didn't take long for the Hellwalker to catch up as he quickly dived into the body of water only to be met with a meathook heading straight for him. He deflected the chain with his doom blade, taking extra care not to damage his prized possession. Twin cables were fired from the Marauder's wrist which quickly made contact with the warrior's armor and began injecting an incredible amount of electricity into the warrior. They were both unphased by the effects of the electricity which compelled the Doom Slayer to rip the cables off of his armor and tear them off the Marauder's wrist.
Xernex's thrusters pushed him forward through the water as he approached with his argent axe drawn behind him. The axe boiled the water so intensely the blade was obscured in a humongous cloud of bubbles that skyrocketed towards the surface of the lake. The demon swung his axe several times with the Hellwalker narrowly doding each strike. Their mobility was restricted while underwater which caused them to be slower than usual. The Doom Slayer had already acclimated to this restriction and smashed his fist into the Marauder's abdomen before following up with a fast left hook. Realizing his efforts were futile underwater, the Marauder used his thruster's maximum power to ram into the Slayer and push the warrior out of the lake. Xernex didn't stop though as he continued ascending in the air. The Slayer quickly grabbed the Marauder's head and attempted to twist it off which made the demon release the warrior in a panic to free himself.
As the two fighters landed on their feet, Xernex knelt down next to a humongous rock several dozen times his size next to him and dug his fingers through the dirt to hook underneath it. With a minimal effort, the demon was able to lift the gigantic boulder over him and chuck it at the Doom Slayer. The Slayer responded by blowing the stone to smithereens with a single strike and through the chaos of descending rubble approached the Marauder who came in with a surprise attack. The Hellwalker managed to weave away from the axe and transition into a spin-kick that knocked the Marauder away several meters.
The demonic Night Sentinel was able to quickly prevent himself from being knocked back even further by using his thrusters to halt his momentum and hover in the air. He dropped onto his feet and toyed with his axe around for a period as he spoke, "You can't fathom the pain I had to endure to obtain this power. I allowed the scientist of Immora to mutilate my body and reconstruct it, all for the sake of destroying you. The results have proven to be worthwhile."
The Slayer still couldn't come to terms with the fact that the hideous creature in front of him was once his ally and best friend. He was a personification of how twisted one can become in their pursuit of revenge. Xernex sacrificed everything to achieve his goals and has lost himself because of it. This must've been what Tanjiro was talking about before regarding revenge. If Tanjiro took a step in the wrong direction, he could easily become as twisted and demented as the Night Sentinel before him.
Inferno by Mick Gordon
The Marauder kept his eyes on the Doom Slayer, awaiting his movements but it seems that the warrior was doing the same. He had to finish this fight quickly, though he may be equal to the Doom Slayer now, he mustn't become arrogant with his power. The Dark Lord warned him of the Hellwalker's power, it's imperative that the fight is finished quickly before the warrior has a chance to even tap into his latent power. Xernex nonchalantly stood straight as he commented, "I believe I've kept the others waiting long enough." before raising his arm above him and snapping his fingers. In that instant, Tux zoomed out of the forest with his argent rapier pointed directly at the Doom Slayer. Despite the Night Sentinel's large physique, he moved incredibly fast due to the jets built into his armor which propelled him forward. The Avenger jabbed forward multiple times in an attempt to pierce the Doom Slayer. Tux was nowhere near as quick as Xernex but he was still dangerously fast. The warrior dashed out of the way and as he did so, he was quickly intercepted by the Crusader (Vilsiff) who's broadsword emitted argent energy (similar to the chainsaw blades of the Super Doom Hunter). The Crusader brought her sword down upon the Doom Slayer who quickly leaped out of the way only to get knocked to the ground by the Marauder who snuck up from behind.
The Slayer collapsed to the floor but he quickly picked himself up and sprung away with the other demons approaching him. Before he could advance, he felt the ground underneath him give way and the Pillager's (Aegaeon) wings rose from the ground and wrapped themselves around the warrior's feet, holding him in-place. The Marauder uppercutted the Doom Slayer several meters into the air. Before the warrior knew it, a large argent bolt that impacted the Slayer carried enough force to launch the warrior into a nearby cliff. The Reaver (Ragnar) quickly went to reload his modified shotgun with another slug round and prepared to take aim and await the proper moment to fire.
The Doom Slayer forced himself out of the cliff only to be driven back into it by several argent bolts blasting into his back at full force. The Raider (Ragnar) repeatedly fired his sniper chain gun into the spot where the Slayer was buried underneath the debris, refusing to offer the warrior a moment of mercy. It didn't take long for the Slayer to erupt from underneath the rubble and blast the rock away from his body. He didn't waste any time in counterattacking as he launched himself towards the trees where he suspected the Reaver was hiding. He dodged an incoming sniper slug shot mid-air and was quickly able to ascertain the location of the hidden Night Sentinel. Unfortunately, the rapid-fire bolts of the Raider's sniper chain gun began to catch up to him so the Doom Slayer decided to shift his focus away from the Reaver and focus on the enemies below.
The warrior used the thruster built within his suit to propel himself downwards to gain momentum. He slammed his fist into the floor once he was close enough to make the area partially cave-in and form a crater around him. This disrupted the nearby Night Sentinels but didn't stop them as the Crusader blindly charged in while wildly swinging her broadsword like a psychotic serial killer. The Doom Slayer evaded several swings before finally catching the blade with his hands and tearing the weapon away from the woman and attempting to decapitate her with it. However, the Marauder quickly rushed in and shoulder-charged the Slayer out of the way as he exclaimed, "You won't be killing any of them this time!"
The Slayer regained his footing as Tux and Xernex charged towards him, constantly shifting positions in an attempt to throw off the Doom Slayer. The warrior danced around their attacks, grabbing Tux's wrists and redirecting the demon away from him. The ground shook slightly, catching the Slayer's attention as he noticed something burrowing underground. Similar to a dolphin swimming in the ocean, the Pillager began leaping out of the ground and burrowing back under using her wings like drills. "Focus on me, Slayer!" Xernex butted in while pushing the warrior back with his brute strength. Both the Slayer and Xernex pushed against each other furiously as they desperately fought for dominance until the Crusader began rapidly approaching with her broadsword. The Slayer managed to move the Marauder into position before shove-kicking him into the Crusader to stop her advance. He was struck against the head by another slug bolt from the Reaver who had repositioned himself by now.
The Pillager revealed herself as she emerged from the surface of the Earth and wrapped her wings around the Slayer's legs to hold him still. The Raider began unleashing his firepower against the Doom Slayer as he was riddled with argent sniper bullet striking against his armor. The warrior grew annoyed as he twisted his body backwards and stood on his hands before raising his legs up high to remove the Pillager from her secure spot underneath him and launch her away in a single movement. He began slithering towards the Raider by snaking around every single shot fired at him. Xernex interfered by dashing into the Slayer and sweeping the warrior off his feet. The Marauder continued pushing forward to separate the Slayer from the other Night Sentinels. Flynn extended his doom blade and prepared to stab the Marauder with it but couldn't once he was shoved through the ground and violently dragged along it. The Marauder continued for quite a distance before lifting the slayer from the ground and hurling him towards a rapidly approaching rock wall. Without delay, the demon slammed his fist into the Slayer's abdomen, forcing him into the rock as the man coughed out in pain and shock.
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Tanjiro was being dragged by his comrades but Tanjiro couldn't help but keep his head turned in the other direction despite the fact that they were far away from the fight. He was distraught by the fact that his two idols were fighting one another to the death. The thought of one of them dying made his heart skip a beat, making him raise his eyebrows in shock as he tore himself away from the tender grip of his comrades. Kanao, Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Zenitsu all turned towards Tanjiro and asked him what the issue was. The boy was breathing heavily and he was covered in sweat. He began explaining, "I have to stop them…! They're going to kill each other!" He had to stop the conflict however he could, he'll figure out how on his way back but until then, he needs to get moving!
Zenitsu complained as he barked at Tanjiro, "Are you serious?! Do you really want to go back and try to save the demon that kidnapped you?! Are you insane?! Can I make the assumption that you have Stockholm syndrome now?!"
Tanjiro repeatedly shook his head as he explained, "No! It's not that, but I know that this can be solved without violence. I just need to get them to stop fighting! You guys can go on ahead without me, I'll be fine!" Tanjiro began racing in the other direction with Inosuke furiously exclaiming behind him:
"We went all this way just to save you, asshole! Don't make us go all the way back!" Unfortunately, Tanjiro was too far away to hear Inosuke. "Damn, that guy pisses me off, sometimes!"
Kanao broke her silence as she turned to Nezuko and placed her hands on the girl before calmly explaining, "Nezuko, please go back to the mansion without us. We'll keep Tanjiro safe, I promise."
Nezuko nodded before expressing her gratitude, "Thank you, big sis Kanao!" and continuing on her way as the three demon slayers chased after Tanjiro to stop him.
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The Slayer ran along the stone wall to evade the incoming projectiles heading towards him, he was using his meathook dug into the wall so he could swing from its surface once he built up enough momentum. After swinging away from the wall and soaring through the air, he retracted his meathook and fired it once more towards the Raider who was realligining his chain gun to point it at the approaching warrior. Xernex took to the sky as well as he charged towards the Slayer, not planning on letting him hurt any of his comrades again. The demon drew the Super Shotgun and fired it at the Doom Slayer, forcing the warrior to throw his body backwards to narrowly dodge the array of shrapnel that passed above him. This left him open as the Marauder closed in and struck the Slayer towards the ground with a powerful punch.
The warrior crashed into the ground but he had to quickly get up as he wasn't given a chance to breathe, being quickly surrounded by the Avenger and the Crusader who were eager to finish him off. He rolled forward as the Crusader brought her sword down upon where he was and as he stood up, the Avenger jabbed at the Hellwalker, forcing him to quickly sidestep the attack and close in to deliver a devastating strike to the demon's torso and blasting him away. Tux entered a coughing fit as he attempted to regain his composure. These sentinels were fortunate they were wearing Immoran armor or they would've died very early in the fight.
The Pillager struck once more as her wings wrapped themselves around the Doom Slayer, he was growing tired of this game of whack-a-mole with the Night Sentinel as he prepared to ram his fist through the ground to end her life. He was interrupted by another slug round from the Reaver blasting the back of his knee, causing it to buckle as he lost his balance. Xernex took the chance to ram into the Slayer and pushed him forward before hooking his arms underneath the Slayer's shoulders and holding the warrior still in a full-nelson lock. The warrior growled intensely as he tried to rip himself free of the Marauder's grasp but the demon refused to let go as the Night Sentinel fought back with an equal effort to keep the Slayer still. Xernex shouted towards Tux who was slowly getting up, recovering from the blow dealt to him by the Doom Slayer, "Tux, I'll allow you the honor of skewering the Slayer."
"With pleasure." Tux commented as he began rushing towards the Doom Slayer, rapier-first. However, they stopped once they heard Tanjiro's cries:
"LET HIM GO!" This grabbed their attention as they all stopped to look at Tanjiro rushing towards the Raider who was caught off-guard by the arrival of the little boy charging towards him. Tanjiro attempted to tackle the Raider down despite the man being several times his size. He ended up slamming into the larger demon, desperately attempting to push him out of the way. Ragnar was perplexed because he wasn't anywhere near the Doom Slayer and didn't understand why the boy would choose to approach him of all targets. Tanjiro continued exclaiming, "Let him go! Let him go!"
Ragnar grew tired of this boy's childish whining as he prepared to brush off the boy with a simple backhand as he shouted, "Silence, boy!"
Both Xernex and the Slayer's eyes widened in shock as the Marauder quickly let go of the warrior and without realizing it, they both zoomed towards Tanjiro to save him. They moved as fast as they possibly could as their panic caused their bodies to be filled with adrenaline and they hurried like never before. The Slayer tackled Tanjiro out of the way while the Marauder smashed his fist into his comrade, blowing him several feet onto his back. Xernex would not tolerate such insubordination amongst his peers! The Slayer angrily barked at Tanjiro as he complained, "Kid, I thought I told you to go back!"
Tanjiro, however, was cheerfully laughing as he sheepishly explained, "I knew you guys would put aside your differences to save me!"
Xernex angrily balled up his fist as he began shouting at Tanjiro, "DON'T PLAY PSYCHO ANALYST WITH ME, BOY! My patience for your little mind games is growing thin!"
The Slayer gently shoved Tanjiro forward while quickly ordering, "Get out of here, kid! Now is not the time to be playing-!" The Slayer was cut off by the sound of the Reaver's weapon firing in the distance and destroying Tanjiro's prosthetic legs, forcing the boy to collapse to the ground and slam into it face-first. Tanjiro yelped in pain once his face struck against the ground but he quickly raised his head towards the Doom Slayer to reveal his bloodied nose and dirt-covered face. The Slayer felt his heart skip a beat in that moment as he briefly remembered what happened during his battle against the Super Doom Hunter. The anger he felt then began creeping back into his system.
Rip and tear by Mick Gordon
Xernex whipped his head towards the direction of the Reaver, furious with his squadmate's continued insubordination. As he did this, the Slayer clenched his fist tightly to the point his arms shook tremendously. The warrior slowly turned his head towards the Marauder and that was when the demon could see the Slayer's hate-filled eyes beyond his visor. Xernex's body twitched upon making eye-contact, he felt a tinge of fear in his body upon witnessing the Slayer's ever-growing wrath.
The Reaver fired another round towards the Doom Slayer but the man's heightened reflexes coupled with his intense fury allowed him to catch the round before twirling around and chucking it back in the same direction it came from.
The Reaver dropped his weapon in surprise before his head exploded from his slug round shooting through his helmet and killing him. The Night Sentinel dropped from a far away tree as his corpse collapsed like a ragdoll upon hitting the floor. The Crusader jumped into the air and slammed her broadsword into the ground where the Slayer was at. The warrior side-stepped the attack and blew her to smithereens with a powerful right jab. The Slayer's appearance didn't change yet he somehow became stronger. This was not the same power Xernex saw before with the Super Doom Hunter, this was the Slayer disregarding his body's limitations by utilizing the rage he has always summoned upon his entire life. Xernex attempted to stop the slaughter of his teammates but wasn't prepared to face the warrior's sudden increase in speed and power as he was effortlessly backhanded into the stone wall which was quite a distance away.
The Slayer could see the Pillager quickly digging through the ground and repositioning herself for a surprise attack. The Slayer had enough of her as he smashed his fist into the ground with enough force to make it cave in and force the demon out of hiding. Once she was revealed, the Slayer used his Praetor Suit's thrusters to dash towards her and tackle her to the ground. He wrapped his fingers around her neck and instead of choking her, the man decided to grab tightly and pull in opposite directions, splitting the demonic night sentinel in two like a piece of candy as the blood sprayed the warrior's armor. He bathed in her hellish essence as he felt himself rejuvenate and breathe new life and energy.
The Avenger quickly rushed in to avenge his fallen comrades but he, too, was unprepared for the Slayer's sudden boost as the warrior whipped around and smashed his fist into the Avenger's chest with enough force to blast it open as his guts shot out from his back and he was knocked away by the strike. The Slayer was immediately hailed by the rapid fire of the Raider's chain gun and instead of avoiding it, the warrior menacingly stormed through it as the argent shots slammed into his suit and dissipated. The warrior continued forward confidently as if he was merely being pelted by rain droplets.
Once he was close enough, the Slayer used a quick burst from his suit's thrusters to close the gap between him and the Raider and deal the finishing blow by ripping off the extra plate of armor protecting the Raider, exposing the man's bare skin and horrified expression. The warrior grabbed the man's head and with a simple squeeze, managed to make the demon's head explode like a watermelon between his hands.
After absorbing the Night Sentinel's hellish essence and allowing the body of his former comrade to drop to the floor, he was given a moment of silence as the wind blew over the area and gently brushed against the tall grass. The Slayer felt a whiplash of deja vu as he remembered this exact situation many years ago. He had been ambushed by these same individuals and he killed them then just as ruthlessly as he did now.
Tanjiro had watched the Slayer's rampage and was terrified of the anger he displayed. Was this the anger the Slayer felt when Tanjiro was incapacitated by the Super Doom Hunter? The boy couldn't tell but he felt disgusted and horrified by the sight of the Doom Slayer mowing down his former comrades as if they were nothing to him. He still couldn't believe that the Slayer would be so ready to strike down those he used to consider comrades. It was inconceivable for Tanjiro. Perhaps he misjudged the situation.
The Slayer walked up to the boy, kneeling down next to him to inspect his injuries. It wasn't as serious as the Slayer thought, but the sight of Tanjiro being injured sent him into a blind rage like last time. He didn't expect to get angry as he did but perhaps, he cares more about the boy than he's willing to admit. After inspecting the boy's injuries, he lifted his head to see Kanao, Inosuke, and Zenitsu rushing towards them to check up on Tanjiro.
By then, The Marauder had managed to free himself from the wall as he looked around the battlefield to see the corpses of his fallen allies surrounding him with the Doom Slayer covered in their blood. It was happening again, he was repeating the past. Xernex was filled to the brim with rage, he wanted to lash out just like last time but he remembered that it only got him killed. He may be strong now but he still wasn't strong enough to save his allies. Perhaps this is a task that he is meant to perform, he made the mistake of endangering his allies as he did. It's his fault, he put them in harm's way so the only person he could be upset with is himself. Despite their failure, he was proud of them all. They all fought valiantly against the Doom Slayer until the very end, they were true Night Sentinels to their dying breath.
The other demon slayer freaked out upon seeing the battlefield and was more surprised to see Tanjiro injured as well. Kanao profusely cried as she embraced Tanjiro and cursed towards him, "Darn it, Tanjiro! Stop throwing yourself into danger all the time! I don't want to lose you like I did my sister, please!" Tanjiro hugged her back and apologized for making her worry. The demon slayers didn't need the Slayer's que to understand that they needed to flee the scene immediately as they felt intimidated by the Marauder's presence.
The Slayer left Tanjiro in the care of the others as they quickly escorted the boy to safety, allowing the Slayer to redirect his focus towards the Marauder who was glaring at him angrily. Xernex felt insulted, his comrades were unable to slow the Slayer down, they were only a nuisance to him at best. Regardless, he was going to make sure their deaths weren't in vain as he expressed, "You're feeling it too, aren't you? The nostalgia, the memories of what you've done are haunting you. Back then, I was weak, so were they. They gave it their all to fight against you and they were willing to lay their life down if it meant destroying you. They may have died but I will avenge them along with the rest of Argent D'nur!" Xernex assumed a fighting stance while wielding both the Super Shotgun and his Argent Axe in both hands. He wasn't going to hold back against the Doom Slayer any longer, the rest is up to him. However, both warriors knew that the other wouldn't go down easily and they were prepared for the long fight ahead of them.