Breath of the Rifleman

by Masked Spider

Subaru Genjirou was a peaceful Matagi hunter who lived in the mountains with his father and family friends, the Kamados. But when tragedy strikes and takes nearly all of them away, he vows to do what he must in order to save his two remaining friends. Thus, the hunter of beasts shall become a gun-slinging slayer of demons.

79. Shooting Star Into the Future

Shooting Star Into the Future

Hello everyone, at last it is here, the finale you've all been waiting for! Now first I apologize for the wait, but as you'll soon see I think I just broke another record on chapter length with this one. Despite that, I hope this'll turn out to be worth the wait for all of you and contain and ending that'll at least make sense. Now of course, I must give my shout outs to LoneTaker, groche9655 and Noble Eight for their contributions to this chapter and this story as a whole and of course a shout out to all of you, my fellow readers, for your support which has motivated me to make it all the way to the end with this story. Now then I've rambled long enough and it seems we've no review questions this week, so on to the finale!

Onigashima: The Throne of Shuten Doji

The situation was looking more and more grim as time wore on. While a large number of slayers and soldiers had managed to land on Onigashima and fight their way through the motorcycle Kasha demons, the crow demons and even the Oni demons who served as Shuten's personal guards, they were still only just now making it close to the urban area of the island domain. But they found their progress was being halted by what appeared to be a large tornado, the domain of Kazuki. And the ones who survived going around the urban district and the trek to the Drunk Demon's mansion were further hindered by a mass of blackness that seemed to lead underground, blocking the way to their objective. Topping all of that off, the possibility of any more reinforcements arriving on the island were slim to none.

The reason being that Mizuki, and her demon underlings, had inflicted a mass amount of damage on the fleet in the time since the battle had begun. In the span of less than an hour they'd lost sixty percent of the fleet and would've lost more if not for the efforts of Zenitsu and Jinora holding Mizuki's attention. Though that was also becoming increasingly difficult as the now massive sea serpent demon kept spraying high powered jets of water out of her mouth while also manipulating the waves and other aquatic demons to converge on the two Breath of Thunder users. The most recent unfortunate of her wrath was the last of the destroyers as she capsized it with several waterspouts, forcing Jinora and Zenitsu off of it as they countered with slashes from Thunderclap and Flash.

But the cuts Mizuki received from the electrifed, crimson blades only enraged her more as she caused a mass of water to raise from the sea before coming down in a deadly shower of hard-hitting rain. "Rumble and Flash!" Exclaimed Jinora as she tried to bat away as many of the high-speed raindrops as she could, but was quickly overwhelmed before plummeted down to the deck of the Haruna below.

"Jinora," said Zenitsu, just managing to keep ahead of the vicious raincloud with his speed before turning and readying his next attack. "Honoikazuchi No Kami: Godspeed!" The Blond Slayer rocketed forward through the rain, the heat radiating from his body evaporating many of the smaller droplets as he reached Mizuki's body and carved a line up her stomach with his technique. The demon roared in anguish as he leapt back into the air. But using such a powerful technique with Godspeed affected his ability to jump and he didn't go as far as he'd hoped, leaving him still within range as Mizuki's head swatted him back onto the deck of the Haruna where he landed with a resounding thud that dented the metal beneath him.

The sea serpent gazed on her now nearly motionless prey with hunger in her eyes. Meanwhile on the beach of Onigashima, the gathered slayers were busy dealing with the domain of Hizuki. "They explode," said Ozaki as she slashed off the heads of three ash clones before leaping back just in time to avoid their bodies blasting apart, "why in the world do these things have to explode on top of being ugly?!"

"Now that's not very nice," said Hizuki, managing to overhear despite trading blows with Giyuu, "some of these ashen clones belong to your fellow fallen slayers. I'd of thought you'd have a bit more respect than that."

"Don't you dare talk about respect when you're the one defiling the dead!" Exclaimed Shinjuro as he cut through several more ashen clones, the flames of his blade more or less protecting him from the resulting blasts. He would've moved to help Giyuu by now but he was busy keeping the other clones off his back while also occasionally blocking the blasts of some of the other clones who got too close to Ozaki and Murata.

"Right, less talking and more ripping each other to shreds!" Exclaimed Hizuki while her spine-made weapon clashed with Giyuu's flowing blade as it had been for several minutes. But the question was becoming, just how much longer could they hold out against the demonic feline? A similar question would also be playing out within the mind of Sanemi the Wind Pillar, or at least it would if he wasn't so pissed off about the situation.

"Quit scurrying around!" Exclaimed the Wind Pillar as he sliced through another large patch of bamboo, narrowly missing his quarry.

"I told you," Said the voice of Kazuki as his shadow moved nimbly through the bamboo, "I am a shinobi. You'll only know I'm coming when I announce mys-HEY!" He was interrupted by Sanemi slashing through even more of the bamboo with his seventh form, causing bits and pieces of the plants to fly everywhere. "I was talking! And it's pointless to try cutting down all of this bamboo. As long as I maintain this domain, the bamboo stalks will always regrow and at a rate much faster than you could chop down."

"Oh we'll see about that," said the Wind Pillar with a sly grin on his face as he took another stance. "Breath of Wind Fourth Form: Engulfing Dust Storm!" He began sending out numerous wind slashes from his blade that weren't only directed up, as they'd normally be, but also directed straight out and downward. It was a three hundred sixty-degree onslaught meant to cover a whole area, much like the massive dust storms that inspired the initial technique.

And it indeed covered a wide area as the wind slashes cut through rows and rows of bamboo, flinging parts of the cut-up stalks into the air while others were swept along the ground with the wind motion of the slashes. This would go on for several moments until the Wind Pillar finally halted his technique and looked around, waiting for the debris to settle before he made his next move. "You are absolutely awful at hide and seek," said the Kamaitachi as he rose from some of the fallen bamboo, cuts healing on his body, "we're supposed to be running through the bamboo and clashing whenever we meet. Like an actual ninja battle!"

"I've told you already," said Sanemi as he readied his sword, "I ain't a damn ninja!" He sent the cyclone-like attack of his first form at the weasel demon then, who promptly dodged it by flying up into the air.

"Well I am, believe it," said Kazuki as he held his scythe out, "now witness my sacred ninja art: Bamboo Blade Crosswind!" He swung his weapon then, causing all of the fallen stalks of bamboo to rise up into the air before pointing towards the Wind Pillar. The stalks moved down then and assaulted him from both sides like a type of obscure rain.

"Breath of the Wind Third Form: Raging Storm Wind Tree!" Exclaimed Sanemi as he swung his blade around his body, the variant form creating an even more intense whirlwind than the usual form. It was almost a cyclone as shoot after shoot of bamboo was deflected or redirected. The annoyed weasel demon decided to add even more bamboo to the onslaught and summoned several stalks that broke into sharpened pieces and rained down on his foe from all directions. It was a contest of endurance vs supply now as the white-haired slayer attempted to hold out until Kazuki either got bored or ran out of bamboo.

The problem with that was, the Kamaitachi hadn't been joking about how fast the bamboo shoots could grow. For every one he chopped up a couple more seemed to take its place. Pretty soon, a gap or two began to appear in his defense and a piece of the sharpened projectiles would get through. The Hashira grit his teeth as he suffered one cut, then another and another and another. Sanemi didn't even attempt to count the number of cuts he suffered before the barrage finally ended and he collapsed down to one knee while using his sword to support himself.

"You're pretty tough, I'll give you that, Slayer," said the Weasel demon as he floated back down to the ground, "most pillars who encountered that technique got turned into Swiss Cheese. So tell ya what, if you surrender I might agree to make you a fellow demon and train you in the art of ninjitsu. It's been forever since I had a protégé, the last one got taken out while fighting one of the previous Mist Pillars. I was certain I covered fighting in smoke with him but I guess not."

"Oh will you just shut up," said Sanemi as he forced himself back to his feet, ignoring the bleeding wounds on his body, "I ain't got time for your way of the ninja bullshit! I was luring and trapping demons before I was even a slayer and I've come up with a mountain of tricks over the years to deal with assholes like you!"

"Well that's just too bad," said Kazuki as he readied his scythe, "then at least try to feel honored that you were taken out by a powerful shinobi, believe it!" Sanemi simply growled as the two charged at each other again. And at the front gate of Shuten Doji's mansion, another similar scene was playing out, or at least a scene just as dramatic.

"Pig assault!" Exclaimed Inosuke as he jumped and slashed at Chizuki who moved his hand along his palm to shift the earth beneath him to avoid the Boar Fighter's twin blades.

"It's impressive that you can still target me so well in this cavernous darkness," said Chizuki as he dodged around Inosuke's follow-up attack, "you must be one of those slayers with an enhanced sense of touch."

"Even if I couldn't feel you I'd still smell you out," said Inosuke as he threw his blade, "no one can hide from the boss of the mountain!" Chizuki simply leaned his head to the side, avoiding the blade. But when he didn't hear or feel it hit the ground, he immediately raised a small stone pillar to protect himself. No sooner had he done that than the pillar was sliced to shreds by Kanao who was using a new technique.

"Breath of Flower Eighth Form," she said while swinging both blades, "Goldband Lily!" Chizuki moved the earth beneath his feet to dodge out of the way of Kanao's attack while also throwing up a blast of sand in an attempt to overwhelm the Flower Hashira. It succeeded in driving the slayer back but her powerful slashes kept her from being smothered completely. Chizuki might've made another move if not for the fact that Inosuke was charging in from behind him.

The Earth demon moved around to face his other opponent while keeping Kanao in his peripheral. This turned out to be wise as he was forced to move his head to the side again in order to avoid the same thrown blade from earlier which was caught by Inosuke without even breaking his stride. "Breath of the Beast Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting Insanity!" He again swung wildly at the demon general while he summoned up a storm of rocks to throw at the boar fighter.

This again succeeded in slowing Inosuke down for a moment, that is until he managed to find a gap to leap through the earthen assault and dislocate the joints in his arm once more to swing his blade at Chizuki. But the demon was ready for the unorthodox technique this time and brought up two small pillars from the ground which trapped the dual wielder's dislocated arm. "OW, ow, ow, ow, ow," cringed Inosuke as he tried desperately to free his limb. Thanks to the rock's hold on it, though, he quickly discovered he couldn't free it nor pull his joints back together.

Thankfully, Kanao leapt in with an attack of her own to distract the earth demon. She succeeded in pushing him back a few feet with each skillful swing of her sword as Chizuki seemed more than a little surprised at her ability to locate him in the dark despite only having one good eye. But that quickly faded as he dodged back near Inosuke and drew his finger across his palm once again. Kanao made to jump in order to avoid his next attack, only to find that his next attack was rapidly swinging the rocks holding Inosuke's arm.

The Boar Fighter was flung from his position and into his ally with a surprising amount of force, sending them both tumbling and rolling as Chizuki brought a fist to his hand. The ground exploded with several pillars then, two of which launched his foes into even more pillars which pinned them against the still rising formations. Kanao and Inosuke did their best to bear the pain of the hard rock sliding against their backs, but eventually they let out howls of pain that seemed to echo throughout the cavernous domain. "That should do," said the demon general as he removed his fist from his palm, dropping the two slayers back onto the ground, "I imagine master Shuten and Ibaraki will be a bit hungry when they're done disposing of your friends. So hopefully they'll like two tender morsels such as yourselves."

Kanao and Inosuke grunted in response to that as they tried to rise to their feet. "Inosuke," groaned Kanao, "I think it might be time. We'll have to use the last resort." She also took that moment to send a silent apology to her friends and the boy she loved as their faces passed through her mind. And at the mansion of Shuten Doji, a similar scenario was playing out as Subaru emptied the last of his clip in midair before getting swatted to the ground by another one of the snake heads.

"I must admit, you are frighteningly persistent," complimented Yamata No Orochi as his now seven heads stared down at the Matagi, "I was hoping to have crushed, eaten or dissolved you away by now. But to think you were capable of fighting for this long against me without having your demon abilities."

"The slayers have been killing demons without the use of their abilities for centuries," grunted Subaru as he pushed himself back up, supporting his battered body with his rifle. "Aside from the occasional exception, most of us are just humans who're either very talented or gone through the most rigorous training the world has ever seen. From a purely combat perspective, all the loss of my demon abilities meant was that I had to work a bit harder."

"Hmph, how admirable," said Yamata No Orochi, "but it still hardly compares to the power I wield. For centuries I've manipulated events behind the scenes and once I got everything set in motion for one war or demon creation, all I had to do was sit back and reap the rewards, hardly lifting a finger."

"Well I imagine lifting a finger seems nigh impossible for you when you don't have any," snarked Subaru as he stood up fully and readied his next attack, "and I can't help but notice that despite your so-called manipulation of events, your scaly ass always winds up going back in the hole from where you crawled out of."

"Oh so you're still trying to be clever," replied Yamata No Orochi as the heads moved a little closer to the slayer, "it's true, I've been made to retreat in the past. But it's always little more than a temporary setback. There's always another hole for me to crawl out of and this time, I won't be put back by a band of so-called heroes or warriors with a conscience. With Shuten Doji as my vessel, even your little army is useless to stop me, BEHOLD!"

All seven of the heads turned then and opened their mouths as a mass of red energy built up in them. After another moment, seven massive red fire balls were released, each one from a different head as they went soaring away from the island domain at incredible speed. "What did you just do?" Questioned Subaru as he moved his gaze from the fireballs back to the serpent demon.

"Just a little demonstration of my true might," replied Yamata No Orochi as his serpent heads grinned, "I sent those fireballs all the way to mainland Japan, China and Italy. I believe some of your allies come from there. While I didn't really aim, I imagine the ones that do hit a major population center will easily rack up a kill count in the hundreds to even thousands."

"BASTARD!" Exclaimed Subaru as he tossed out every last explosive he had left at the demon for one of his most powerful techniques yet, "Fifth Form: Obsidian Blizzard!" The following explosion that went off was possibly as powerful as the impact of a Kongo class ship's heaviest cannon if not more as the ground shook slightly and the air was filled with deafening noise. Subaru didn't let up, however, as he fired every last remaining round from his rifle before switching to his Webley and firing it too. He reloaded it a few times as he continued to fire until finally, all he heard was the clicking of the hammer and the cylinder, signaling the last of his ammunition had finally been expended.

A large cloud of smoke now hung in the air where his target had been, but Subaru kept his eyes trained on the area while switching back to his bayonetted rifle. Even if he couldn't shoot it anymore, he could always wield it like a spear. And in this case, his caution was warranted as an eighth head emerged from the smoke and tried to snap its jaws shut on him. The Rifleman jumped back and then dodged side to side in order to avoid the follow-up bites from the serpent head before it reared up with all of the other heads, and roared.

But this was no ordinary roar as the Matagi soon found out. Each head was unleashing a blast like a whirlwind from their mouth and it hit him like the winds of a powerful hurricane. He was easily picked up and sent skipping across the mansion grounds into the surrounding wall, cratering it. He gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of him and his head was spinning from the pain of the impact as he tried to regain his senses.

"A valiant effort," said Orochi, "I certainly felt that one. But it seems you've finally run out of little tricks to throw at me. What will you do now, I wonder? Not that it matters, any plan you come up with shall fall short against my might."

"That's…..funny," coughed Subaru as he struggled up to his knees, slowly regaining his ability to breath properly, "you make it sound…..like our current plan….is already over. Far from it."

"Oh," said Orochi as he actually quirked a nonexistant eyebrow, "and how's that?" The Matagi didn't answer right away, but he did give off a smirk as he recalled a few certain memories at that moment.

Nearly Two Years Ago: Demon Slayer Headquarters

"So, all of the preparations for the new training regimen have been completed," noted Kiriya as he read through the latest report.

"They have," affirmed Giyuu who was present with Sanemi, Subaru, Tanjiro, Kanao, Shinobu, Ozaki and Jinora. While most of them hadn't been officially designated as Hashira just yet, they were already basically considered Hashira and thus were allowed into meetings with the head of the Corps. It was as much out of necessity as it was out of recognition for their skills and accomplishments, though that was hardly the greatest concern on everyone's mind at the moment. "We should be able to start training new and current recruits within the week."

"I'm still wondering if this timetable we got is all that accurate," said Sanemi as he glanced at Subaru, "are you really sure we should be listening to someone who was once among the worst of the worst demons in the world?"

"Tamamo's past does leave a lot to be desired," admitted Subaru, "but I at least believe her when she says she wants her descendants to continue. That won't happen if Shuten Doji succeeds in his plan."

"Honestly if it wasn't for some of the weird shit I've gone through, I'd be asking you to get your head examined," said Sanemi, "we're basing our whole plan for readiness on the words of a ghost."

"It would not be the first time we've allowed the spirits to guide our actions," Kiriya pointed out, "I myself felt the presence of my own departed father telling me to let Nezuko go to the battlefield. That decision proved to be quite beneficial in bringing down Muzan once and for all. If they are warning us now, then it's a warning that's best heeded if even just a little."

"It's honestly not a bad plan," said Ozaki, "but it does have a bit of a hole in it. Subaru's got this star thing in his eye now and Tanjiro's gonna go get that weapon from the treasure vault on the island. But what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

"Part of the training is to determine whether or not you have a demon mark," said Kiriya, "that will prove fairly beneficial in the battle to come."

"There is still the problem of those of us who don't possess a demon mark," said Shinobu, "given that we don't know the exact scale of the upcoming battle, I feel it would be prudent to discover or devise another type of training that could quickly increase an individual's strength."

"Maybe there's some sort of clue in the Slayer's archives that could help us," suggested Tanjiro, "some of that ancient knowledge helped us out a lot against Muzan."

"You're both right in this case," said Kiriya as he produced a scroll from his sleeve and unrolled it, "I had planned on bringing this up a little later in the meeting, but now should serve just as well." He held up the scroll then, allowing the gathered slayers to take a better look at it.

"The way of the Zero or Zeroth Form," read Kanao, "from the teachings of…Raikkou?"

"Indeed," said Kiriya as he turned it around and read through a few of the lines, "according to this, with enough time and training one can enter a state of mind that ignores the body's physical limiters. In a way, it's like the demon mark for those who didn't naturally inherit it."

"So those of us who already have a demon mark don't need this?" Questioned Sanemi. "But I have to ask, Oyakata, how long have we had this information in our possession?"

"We only acquired it recently," said Kiriya, "the Japanese government gave us access to some of their more secure records, specifically those pertaining to us and the demons. I don't believe they quite understood what it was that they had in their possession."

"Since we have it now, what exactly does it say," questioned Subaru.

"It says that in order to acquire the Zeroth form," read Kiriya, "the user must enter a state of concentration that greatly increases the flow of blood to the brain. Much like the Breath of Flower's final form, but instead of increasing just the vision it releases the brain's natural limiters on the body. Pain and fatigue are no longer felt and one's physical abilities will increase exponentially."

"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me," said Ozaki, "a temporary power boost without a curse on it."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," said Kiriya, "this style of fighting was inspired by the great Raikkou, who many believe was born without a physical limiter. His body had years to adapt to his condition, but we have at best two. Since most human bodies, even the extraordinary ones that some Hashira possess, have physical limiters on them it means the recoil from such a state is devastating."

"How so," questioned Jinora. Kiriya rolled out a bit more of the scroll to give a better answer to her question.

"The body has limiters for a reason," he explained, "going beyond them also means going beyond what your body can withstand. You'll move far faster and hit far more powerfully at the cost of tearing your muscles or tendons due to the stress on them. Using this form for too long might result in permanent damage to your bodies or, should you push yourself too far, result in reaching your life limit. So even if you win with this technique, you could die shortly afterwards."

"Death has been a possibility for us ever since we became slayers," said Giyuu, "it won't frighten us now."

"Your resolve is most certainly noted," said Kiriya with a nod, "but you also have a demon mark and are therefore exempt from needing this technique. It would be best if we heard from the others who might end up wielding it." He looked at Shinobu, Ozaki, Kanao and Jinora then. "What do you all think? Would this technique be worth the risk to employ?"

The four girls turned to each other, a few looks passing between them as they seemed to have a silent conversation. Before long, Shinobu nodded her head towards Kanao who stood up to address their leader. "As Giyuu said, we are demon slayers and death has been a possibility for us the moment we took up such a mantle. In the coming battle, a half-hearted resolve will not carry the day and we can't afford to leave any possible advantages unexplored. So we shall make use of this method even despite the inherent risks of it because this time our loss, could mean the loss of the entire world."

"Well said," complimented Kiriya with a nod as he signaled Kanao to sit back down, "now that we have that issue settled, let us move on to the next one: the Dojigiri."

"If what you told us is true, Subaru," said Giyuu as he turned to the Rifleman, "Tamamo told you it was on the island domain manifested by Shuted Doji, Onigashima."

"I've little reason to doubt what I was told was false," said Subaru, "I've had the Izayois out investigating all known rumors and sightings of it, and from what they can gather the blade disappeared shortly after Raikkou's death, save for popping up once or twice more throughout history. Shuten Doji idolized Raikkou as the person who came the closest to killing him and isn't above robbing graves for souvenirs. While we should still try locating it as part of our preparations, my money says it's on Onigashima and won't be found until it appears."

"So just to clarify," said Sanemi, "the Dojigiri is supposed to be an old weapon of sorts. How do we know it'll even work once we get ahold of it?"

"One very simple reason," said Subaru as he held up his finger, "it's no ordinary sword, even by demon slayer standards. It had to be made for someone who was born without a limiter, a one of a kind instrument that can only be wielded by a select few."

Now: Shuten Doji's Treasure Vault

'Sword of Raikkou,' thought Tanjiro, sweating profusely as he grasped the handle of the sword he'd been looking for, 'my friends are in trouble, the world is in trouble. So please, lend me your strength and help me save, EVERYONE!' He pulled hard on the sword then, the blade sliding out of the sheath that was trapped under the pile of meat. The next thing Tanjiro knew, a roar of flames erupted from the blade that resembled his Breath of the Sun style but a hundred times more intense.

The blastwave from it was strong enough to throw the meat off of him while also cutting and charring some of it in the process. Tanjiro stood up then, staring in awe at the black-bladed tachi as it seemed to pulsate with power. "Hinokami Kagura," said the Swordsman, remembering that he had a mission to complete, "Scorching Crimson Mirror!" The entire giant 'pot' that was Ibaraki's domain filled up with the powerful flames of his breath form, pushing against the walls with incredible force.

"What in the world," said Ibaraki upon noticing the disturbance, "those aren't my cooking flames going off in there. Did that little brat get loose from underneath the meat?" She made to remove the lid portion of her domain, intending to drop even more summoned meat upon her captive. But just as she grabbed the handle, scorching flames erupted from the pot, blasting the lid off while also slicing the container to pieces.

Ibaraki yelped in surprise as she was thrown back onto her Ushi Oni mount. "My domain," she said in shock, "that can't be. If he had that kind of power all along then why did he….no, not possible." But even as she said those words the flames were clearing, revealing Tanjiro holding a black-bladed sword with a tsuba resembling a large lightning bolt and a handle wrapped in blue cloth. "The Dojigiri, so that is what you were after."

"Yes," said Tanjiro as he pointed the blade towards Ibaraki, "one of the few weapons that Shuten Doji fears, and for good reason. So I'll give you one last chance, surrender or be destroyed along with Yamata No Orochi."

The Slayer Fleet

"I was already over this when I had to take my sea serpent form to begin with," growled Mizuki as her wounds slowly healed, "but to think you two would be able to survive this long is beyond irritating. What in the world is driving all this resistance?" She was referring to the fact that even after experiencing her Blade Rain of Agony, the two slayers were still struggling to their feet.

"That should be obvious," grunted Jinora as she got up to a standing position. She'd lost her sword in the process of deflecting Mizuki's last attack and was quickly scanning the area for another weapon while she spoke. "I'm not done with life just yet. I've got an idiot to take care of, a family I want to have and all kinds of memories I still want to make. Not a single one of those will happen if we lose here."

"Of course," said Mizuki with a sigh, "that would be your driving force. I've long forgotten what it is to desire a family as all the long-lived people I know are dysfunctional. All I have left is this job, and that's why," her tail suddenly emerged from the water and coiled around the Haruna, threatening to crush it as she used the ship for leverage to raise herself even closer to her opponents, "I can't lose here either."

"That's fine by us," said Zenitsu as he stumbled up next to Jinora with his sword out, "so let's finish this, with our next attack!"

"Zenitsu," said Jinora, generally surprised by his attitude at the moment, "are you really thinking of-?"

"We have to use it, Jinora," he said as he turned to her with a look of reassurance on his face, "you and I are both running on fumes at this point. I know it'll hurt, a lot, later on. But it'll be worth it if we can save even a few lives and if we survive too, that's a bonus." The Breath of Thunder Girl couldn't help but smile as she put a hand on Zenitsu's before the two of them got into a ready stance.

"One last technique it is," agreed Mizuki as she began forming a mass of water at the tip of her mouth, "know that I hold you two in high respect. I'll remember you when the world is in ruins."

"Same to you," said Jinora as she and Zenitsu concentrated, using their breathing technique to influence the flow of blood in their brains. The duo felt the pain from their injuries supposedly fading and fatigue seem to fall away as a sense of strength welled up inside of them. Externally, their eyes turned white and veins became visible as they bulged on their arms and legs. The air was charged with electricity, sparks radiating from their mouths as they readied their technique, both taking ahold of the nichirin blade.

In the next instant, the two slayers seemed to disappear as a crater formed in the steel hull where they'd just been and a sonic boom resembling the sound of thunder followed shortly after. "Breath of Thunder Zeroth Form," Exclaimed the two slayers as they flew like an actual lightning bolt towards the demon general, "Blade of Raijin!"

"Tempest Spear!" Countered Mizuki as she fired the blast of water she'd been concentrating at the tip of her mouth. It was a solid stream of water which formed an ornate spearhead on the end and let out a deafening ring as it met the oncoming attack. For just a moment, the two attacks seemed equal in strength, and then the water steamed and parted. From an outside perspective, the beam of water was being slashed down the middle as the massive bolt of lightning turned much of the passing moisture into steam, creating the illusion of an approaching thunderstorm.

Mizuki was shocked at this development and responded with the only defense she had left at that moment. "Domain!" The area a short distance around her began to morph then, taking on the appearance of the open ocean miles and miles from shore. 'This will stop them,' she thought, 'keeping one's momentum while crossing the water on foot is nearly impossible.' She felt the tug of a smile on her serpentine face as she watched the duo's feet impact the water, and continue running on it.

'No, that can't be,' thought the Demon General in astonishment, 'how can two injured humans maintain that much momentum despite having practically no solid surface?!' She responded in a panicked state then, attempting to form another attack with water rising up around her body. Then a flash occurred like the strike of a lightning bolt. The Demon General looked around in an attempt to piece together what had just happened, noting her domain was quickly dissipating.

That's when she saw it, the rest of her giant sea serpent body down below. "They…..cut my head off," she realized, not fearing near as much as she thought she would, "my life is over. At long last, my life as a demon is over." She closed her eyes then as her head landed in the ocean, its cool embrace welcoming her as she sank to the dark depths below. The final thought that went through her mind was a simple one: 'Congratulations, demon slayers Jinora and Zenitsu, you've defeated me. I wish you luck with the others.'

A Similar Time: The Beach of Onigashima

"How many of these things are there?!" Exclaimed Ozaki as she decapitated another line of ashen clones with her whipsword, moving back just far enough to avoid the follow-up explosions. None of the blasts had been large or terribly painful on their own, but the sheer number of them had made the damage pile up over time. It was especially difficult considering how little breathing room they had to fight due to forming a circle to avoid any sneak attacks from behind.

"Oh I've been collecting graveyard ashes for decades now," said Hizuki as she tried to leap in with a strike of her weapon that was, thankfully, deflected by Giyuu. "And once I collect a little bit of those funeral ashes, I can summon my replicas for all time. Sure I have to wait a little while once they're destroyed before I can reform them, but with a small army like this it hardly makes a difference!" She continued to cackle as she leapt around her domain, striking whenever she saw a potential opening.

Most of her attempts were easily blocked, but they would create an opening for one of the ashen clones to try grabbing onto them and exploding. "Breath of Water Third Form," said Giyuu and Murata, "Flowing Dance!" The two swordsmen quickly cut through several of the ashen clones who'd tried attacking Giyuu in a pattern similar to a twisting river before leaping back to their circle of friends to avoid the ensuing blasts.

"This makes me glad I kept to Breath of Water," said Murata between breaths as he noted another couple of bleeding cuts, "it's the only thing that seems to dampen their explosions so far. Even then, we're still taking the occasional bit of shrapnel."

"Speak for yourselves," said Ozaki as she also leapt back, noting a fresh burn on her right leg, "my style is probably the worse one here despite being an off-shoot of yours. It's designed to slither around opponents but slithering around explosions is a bit harder." Murata might've commented on that if not for a sudden blast of flame on his left side.

"Breath of Flame Fourth Form," Exclaimed Shinjuro, "Blooming Flame Undulation!" He sliced off the heads of several ashen clones with this technique, the flames that trailed his blade providing some protection from the explosions before he too leapt back into the formation. "These fires aren't anything special for one of my breath style, but I really am getting old. Some of the shrapnel is starting to get through."

He, like the others, was also sporting injuries from the explosions with the most notable one being a bleeding wound on his chest. "We're starting to run out of room," said Murata as he decapitated another clone and kicked it away where it exploded against the others, "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up."

"The only way to end this is to take out Hizuki," said Giyuu as he sliced apart more of the clones while using the trailing water from his blade to dampen the blasts that followed, "that's the only way this'll end."

"Any ideas on how to get through this small army that she keeps hopping around in?" Questioned Ozaki as she grabbed and tossed a clone into several others.

"I'll use my ninth form to approach her," said Giyuu, "these clones can't keep up with my footwork so I should be able to close the distance relatively easily."

"That's a good plan," admitted Shinjuro, "but what'll you do if she detonates several of the clones at once?"

"I'll just move faster," said Giyuu, "once I chase her down, the battle will be over."

"That's what you hope," said Shinjuro, "but one misstep out there and you're done. And if she's able to keep evading you for a long period of time, it's the same difference."

"If you have another suggestion, I'd be willing to listen to it," said Giyuu as he dodged and kicked away another ash clone.

"I'll use our secret weapon," he said, "if it's as powerful as we suspect, I'll cut through all of those clones and chase her down in a matter of moments."

"That still leaves the problem of the clones detonating," said Giyuu, "your way is probably more suicidal than my own plan."

"But it's got a higher chance of saving the rest of you too," said Shinjuro, "and I ain't about to have a bunch of kids perish under my watch. So here goes!" He left no more room for argument, having already begun concentrating to change the blood flow in his brain. The next thing any of them knew, he was taking off and circling around them. "Breath of Flame Seventh Form: Setting Serpent Sun!"

A blast of flame erupted around them then in the shape of a large snake as it circled the group protectively, sending several of the ash clones flying back where they exploded while also creating a lot more breathing room. "Now Eighth Form: Path of Amaterasu!" Fire seemed to follow in the wake of his footsteps as he switched to a one-handed grip on his sword, slashing through the numerous ash clones in his way as he approached Hizuki.

"Throwing caution to the wind," said Hizuki as she leapt back and from side to side while signaling more of her ash clones to attack Shinjuro, "fine by me, bring it on!" The demon-controlled duplicates began to pile on then with more and more explosions that slowed the former Hashira's progress as they started breaking through his flames and tearing into his flesh. 'This is nothing,' thought Shinjuro as he felt some shrapnel strike his ribs, likely breaking one or two, 'my son kept fighting after losing an eye, after sustaining broken bones, and even after having a demon's whole arm shoved into his abdomen, he still fought on!' And so the father of the Flame Hashira planted his feet and readied himself for his final attack.

"I don't know what they called this back when it was created, and I don't care," said Shinjuro, his eyes completely white as he appeared to actually be breathing out bits of flame, "I'm giving it a new name which'll live on throughout the ages!" Nearly half the clones were upon him now and were attempting to dogpile on the older swordsman. And that's when it happened, the largest explosion yet as a practical humanoid flame burst forth out of the pile of ash bodies while the swordsman himself rocketed towards Hizuki. "Breath of Flame Zeroth Form: Kyojuro Rengoku!"

The flaming figure seemed to swing its sword at the Demon General, sweeping all opposition out of its way as the blow neared the master of the domain. "Now that's what I'm talking about, give me all you've got!" Exclaimed Hizuki as she ignited her own spine-o'-nine tails and whipped it around, causing a mass number of ash clones to lose their form and gather on her person. The result was a massive ash warrior resembling a samurai with Hizuki in it's stomach and a sword whose blade clashed with the flaming figure's. The following explosion was momentarily blinding as the grey setting of the domain was torn asunder.

Everyone had to blink their eyes at the sudden change in light before looking over to see what had happened. "Holy shit," said Hizuki, her ash warrior gone as the Kasha's head fell off her body and slowly dropped towards the ground, "that was pretty damn awesome." The last things she saw before her head caught fire was her own burning corpse, the dissolving ash clones and the former Flame Pillar completely collapsing to the ground. He had won, but at the cost of burning out his own body.

About the Same Time: Onigashima Urban Area

"You're pretty good," admitted Kazuki as he and Sanemi stood across from each other, breathing heavily, "the last wind pillar I faced didn't last near this long once I set up my domain. Though my aim's been off a little bit today." For some reason, Sanemi grinned at the Weasel Demon's statement. "What's so funny?"

"Oh just learned something useful, that's all," he said dismissively before resuming his stance, "I'm feeling like my luck's about to change."

"Tch, we'll see about that," said Kazuki before rushing at the slayer again. Their weapons clashed in quick succession as sparks and blades of wind flew from them, chopping up more of the bamboo around the two fighters. The Kamaitachi attempted to use his wind powers to throw some of the bamboo at the Hashira but he was ready for it this time and quickly diced them to pieces before closing the distance between the two of them. Kazuki's scythe met his blade again as the ninja weasel hopped and flipped around his opponent, striking whenever he thought he saw a blind spot.

During one of his landings, however, something strange happened. The well-balanced and self-proclaimed great Shinobi stumbled. 'What in the world,' thought Kazuki as he tried to regain his balance, 'why am I dizzy?!' He was just barely able to get his blade up in time to block the Wind Pillar's next series of strikes before taking a powerful punch to the face that sent him flying back. The Demon General grit his teeth before spinning in midair and sending out a wind slash that Sanemi dodged around.

Kazuki quickly took to the air to avoid the next attack and retaliated with a small cyclone that Sanemi cancelled out with his Gale, Sudden Gusts technique. "You bastard, what have you done to me?!" Questioned the Kamaitachi angrily.

"Ah what's the matter," mocked Sanemi with a shit-eating grin, "can't handle being a little tipsy?" He then sent out his Rising Dust Storm technique, forcing Kazuki to dodge around several wind slashes as the self-proclaimed ninja surmised what was wrong with him. 'There's a smell in the air,' he realized, 'I can't believe I missed it before. That's marechi, a whole load of marechi is flowing through his veins! It's so intoxicating that I actually got drunk off the smell of it!'

"It all makes sense now," said Kazuki as he flew down and locked blades with the Hashira, "you have a rich amount of marechi in your body. That's how you were able to hunt and trap demons before even becoming a slayer!"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Affirmed Sanemi, again mockingly as he broke their weapons lock and proceeded to trade a few more blows with the demon. "Every wound you've managed to inflict on me has put more and more of that sweet marechi scent in the air that you demons love so much. So let's see how you do fighting drunk!" He increased the ferocity of his blows, forcing the Demon General backwards thanks to his imbalanced state.

"I guess you just didn't quite learn the first time," said Kazuki before leaping back and disappearing into a clump of bamboo. "Your little trick was unexpected I'll admit that much. But I have a few more tricks of my own! Manji Formation!" A collection of wind blades emerged from different sections of the bamboo then, forcing Sanemi back as he dodged or cut through them. "How's that, can't take advantage of me being drunk off marechi if you can't reach me!"

"Quit acting like you're being all that clever," said Sanemi while deflecting more wind blades, "all you did was run away and hide again. A real shinobi would've stopped talking a long time ago and used the silence along with the terrain to their advantage. Even I know that and I'm not even a ninja!"

"You're only saying all of that because that's what you've heard," Kazuki barked back from the bamboo, "but you've never met a real shinobi in your life, so what would you know?!"

"Oh I've met some real shinobi," said Sanemi with a grin as a source of movement caught his eye, "and the only reason I even knew they were shinobi is because they told me. And if they did their job right, I'd only have known it if they'd wanted me to know."

"That just sounds boring," said Kazuki, "there's no glory or fame if people don't know your deeds. What would be the point in being a shinobi if you just disappeared?"

"Because what they do ain't all that nice and people would come after 'em if they knew," replied Sanemi, "but don't take my word for it." Kazuki was about to ask what he meant by that when the sound of something being lit and thrown reached his ears. The demon turned around and his eyes widened to see a grenade coming at him. The Weasel demon backed up quickly to get out of the explosive's range, only to discover that it wasn't enough.

The moment the grenade exploded, several other smaller explosions went off which engulfed the Kamaitachi in flame and shrapnel as he was forced out of his bamboo hiding spot. 'Impossilbe,' he thought, 'there were others in my domain? How did they hide their presence long enough to set up such a trap?!' "Ya get it now," said Sanemi as he came flying up towards the Demon General, "shinobi are smooth operators who'll take you down before you even know what hit you! But in this case, I'll be merciful and tell ya what's coming, it's the Breath of the Wind Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!"

Circular torrents assaulted the wind demon then, tearing into his body as he was sent flying higher into the air. "You annoying assholes!" Exclaimed the Kamaitachi after finally regaining control and floating in the air on wind currents, "have you no respect for a one-on-one fight?!"

"You want this to be a fair fight then you should dispel this domain of yours," said Sanemi while pointing his sword at the Kamaitachi, "can you really call it fair when you control the home field?"

"A domain is the mark of an exceptionally powerful demon," replied Kazuki, "it represents those of us who have persevered and reached a height of demonhood that few others have. But if your wannabe ninja friends are gonna mess around in it, then I suppose now's as good a time as any to show you the true magnificence of a shinobi!" He held his scythe above his head then as wind began to move through the bamboo forest and start circling around the area. Sanemi took his stance as well, putting all of his concentration into preparing for the next move as wind also began to swirl outwards from him.

The two swirling winds seemed to join together, creating a cyclone around the area of the two fighters, almost as if the wind itself was preventing any interference for what was about to happen next. Above the weasel demon, a swirling series of blades appeared with one set going one direction and another set going the opposite direction. "Now let's see how you handle the ultimate technique of the ultimate ninja! Behold: Rasengiri Tachikaze!" Sanemi planted his feet before launching himself upwards to meet the attack head on.

"Breath of Wind Tenth Form: Howling Fujin Cyclone!" The Wind Pillar swung his sword in numerous, circular patterns that produced a charging cyclone headed right towards his foe. The Difference between this one and his Dust Whirlwind Cutter was the excess number of wind blades on the inside that seemed to give shape to a rampaging being in the center of the storm. The two attacks collided, shaking the air with thunderous noise as windblades were sent out in all directions, dicing up the bamboo and anything else unlucky enough to take a hit from them.

The barrage of blades was so intense that it actually started to tear into the 'sky' of the domain, ripping one hole after another after another until finally, the domain collapsed. At the same time, the sound of snapping metal accompanied it as a third of Sanemi's blade broke off. The slayer's eyes widened as he was blown back towards the ground by the end of their clash with several grievous wounds on his torso and stomach. "Hah, you see that," exclaimed Kazuki as he raced towards Sanemi with his scythe ready to taste blood, "my power as a shinobi is practically unmatched! No one can-BOOOM!"

The Weasel's rant was cut short by the sound of gunfire going off as he felt several pellets enter into and tear up his neck. Kazuki's eyes widened when he realized the shot had come from the Wind Pillar, who'd somehow produced a double-barreled sawed-off shotgun?! The Kamaitachi reflexively reached for his throat to examine the damage, leaving the Wind Pillar the moment he needed to spin around and slash with what was left of his sword, putting every last bit of strength he could muster into the attack.

Thanks to some of his neck already being severed, the Hashira succeeded in pulling his blade the rest of the way through the Kamaitachi's neck, decapitating him as they both crashed to the ground. "Unbe…..unbelievable," Kazuki finally said as the Wind Pillar slowly struggled to his feet, "you were hiding that gun on the back of your waist this whole time?!"

"A memento from my brother," said Sanemi in annoyance as he returned the weapon to its holster, "I couldn't protect him in the end, so I'm going to save as many of his friends as I can instead."

"Just answer me one question before you go," said Kazuki as his body and head started dissolving, "you realize what'll happen if you win here today, right? The slaying of the last demons means there won't be a need for demon slayers any longer. No more fame, no more glory will come your way if all the demons are gone so what'll you do then?"

"Fame? Glory," spat Sanemi as he gave a nasty glare to the demon weasel, "do you think we all slay demons for bullshit reasons like that?! Yeah we got a few morons who think like you and want to be known as the greatest or richest slayers ever. But then there are those of us who actually take this job for the pain in the ass profession it is. Just take a look at my face and tell me, what amount of fame and glory is worth all of this? I became a demon slayer for one reason and one reason only, to protect my brother by slaying every last one of you bastards and even though he ain't here to see it now, I know he'd want me to end all of this so no more brothers have to go through what we went through!"

"Huh," said Kazuki as his head was dissolving, "and here I thought fame and glory was the only thing that ever drove someone on the battlefield. Guess I never really…thought about it." His voice faded then along with the rest of his body. Sanemi simply scoffed at the demon as he began the trek towards the Drunk Demon's mansion, stopping only once to acknowledge the small group of Izayois hiding in the shadows.

The Gate of Shuten Doji's Mansion

Kanao and Inosuke rose to their feet shakily as Chizuki waited patiently to see what they'd try next. He could tell they were near their limits but was in no hurry to end them. After all, whether he killed them now or waited for Yamata No Orochi to gain his full power, it was all only a matter of time. His eyes shifted to Kanao as she started to step forward, only to be stopped suddenly by Inosuke who put a hand on her shoulder. "You're really gonna use it, that original form trick?" He asked with actual concern in his voice, which Chizuki found honestly surprising given all of the yelling he'd been doing up to this point.

"We're out of time and options, Inosuke," said Kanao while pushing some of her now loose hair out of her eyes, "the longer we spend here fighting him is less time we have to help Subaru. I'm already somewhat disabled ever since our fight against Muzan, so it only makes sense that I be the one to use this tech-."

"That's a crappy reason and you know it," interrupted Inosuke, surprising Kanao, "you nearly sacrificed both eyes to beat Doma and save Tanjiro, so why should you go and sacrifice more now? Do you think that would make Tanjiro happy? Just let me handle this, I'm used to doing weird things to my body."

"But that's the point, Inosuke," said Kanao, "you're in better shape than I am, you'll be more capable of fighting Yamata No Orochi."

"You're fine," said Inosuke, "and I'm not letting you make Manjiro sad. Just give me an opening and I'll do the rest. After that, we'll both go help Sukafu and Wanjiro." Kanao couldn't help but shake her head at Inosuke's still apparent inability to get their names right consistently but decided that now wasn't the time to argue.

"Alright then, I'll lead and you move in when you see an opening," said Kanao as she began to walk towards Chizuki. The Earth Demon took a relaxed but still ready fighting stance while Inosuke concentrated on using the Zeroth Form. The Flower Pillar picked up the pace little by little as she approached, readying her sword for her next technique. Chizuki responded by using multiple pitfall attacks that Kanao dodged or jumped over as she gained even more speed.

Chizuki, however, wasn't forming the pittraps at random. In fact they were in exactly the formation he wanted as he clapped his hand over his palm, causing the sand from the pit traps to leap up and start closing in on Kanao like a shrinking sphere. "Breath of Flower Ninth Form: Red Spider Lily!" Announced the Flower Pillar as she swung her sword outward and downward in multiple directions, striking the sand sphere with enough force to disperse it. Kanao then planted her feet, breathing heavily from the exertion of the technique as the area was now shrouded in dust.

Even in the darkness, she surmised that the earth demon might not be able to see through a cloud of dust too easily. "Impressive," said Chizuki, "but don't think that little distraction will work. I know you intend for your friend too-." His speech was interrupted as Inosuke suddenly moved behind him at a far faster speed than he'd been moving previously. "What," exclaimed the Earth Demon as he reflexively threw up a barrage of rocks to defend himself.

"Breath of the Beast Zeroth Form," said Inosuke with a growl as hot air seemed to emerge from the nostrils on his mask and the muscles on his body bulged to an impressive degree, "Assault of the Mountain Boar!" He rocketed forward, slicing through several of the larger stones while flat out ignoring the rest hitting his body as he continued to charge forward without a break in his speed. Chizuki moved the earth beneath his feet and rushed backwards, summoning pitfalls, jagged earth spikes and even pillars to use as obstacles against his foe. But these measures which had proven effective up to that point were no longer enough as the Boar Fighter leapt, rolled and twisted around the pillars and pittraps while slicing through the earth spikes as he continued to close on the Demon General.

In a last ditch effort to avoid the slayer, Chizuki raised himself up on another pillar while pulling up and raining down several earth spikes at the Boar Fighter. Inosuke's response to this was to actually race 'up' the pillar in a spiraling pattern while dodging, deflecting or, in some cases, barreling right through the obstacles being thrown at him. The Earth Demon growled in rage at this development as he formed a sharpened earth javelin which he attempted to jam into his pursuer. Upon feeling an impact, the demon smiled for a moment, before the flash of several blades suddenly appeared in his vision.

Chizuki blinked then as he noticed what he'd stabbed was actually the boar skin cape that Inosuke had been wearing and that the swordsman himself was behind him. As the Earth Demon turned his head to view his adversary in midair he suddenly felt his body collapse. Or to be more precise, his body fell apart, the result of being carved into pieces by the Boar Fighter. "Have I just…lost this battle," questioned Chizuki as his dismembered head and body fell to the earth below, "it seems I have."

Despite his imminent death, though, Chizuki smiled. "Hmm, maybe he really is the boss of the mountain. Regardless, I suppose I should thank the two of them. I can at last become one with the earth." And become one he did as his head and body turned to soil upon meeting the ground. As for Inosuke, his body fell limp with more than a couple of its joints dislocated. While it was a victory, only one of the two slayers would be going ahead.

Shuten Doji's Treasure Vault

"How, how is this possible?!" Exclaimed Ibaraki as she was forced to levitate her whole body off of her Ushi Oni mount mere moments before the beast was obliterated by the most powerful flaming slash she'd seen in centuries. "Everyone who's tried to wield that sword since Raikkou died has been mutilated by it, so how are you still standing?!"

"I said that Tamamo told us about this sword," replied Tanjiro, his breathing currently labored, "she's watched her descendants for generations now and seen it work. And like any weapon, you just have to know how to use it properly."

"Ah that damn fox again," seethed Ibaraki, "can't leave us in peace even after she's dead!" Ibaraki sent both of her giant feet at the eldest Kamado then followed up with her hands. Tanjiro rolled and flipped out of the way of the first couple of limbs before batting away the other two with a flaming slash. Ibaraki grit her teeth as she sent all four limbs coming in from multiple directions at the swordsman, attempting to cut off all forms of escape. She even divided up and enlarged more parts of her body to accomplish this task.

"Hinokami Kagura," said Tanjiro as he readied his stance, steam emitting from some of his earlier wounds, "Bone Burning Sun!" He unleashed a familiar circular slash of flame all around him, but the difference this time was that it was a hundred times more powerful, succeeding in not only cutting up but incinerating the body parts trying to crush Tanjiro.

"Damn Raikkou," said Ibaraki as she quickly regrew her entire body below her neck, "and damn you Tamamo! When you die you're supposed to stay dead!"

"Their bodies might die," said Tanjiro as he prepared his next attack, "but their feelings, their spirit, their memory will always live on."

"Well we can erase one of those," said Ibaraki as she summoned her domain again, "starting with you! Hell's Hotpot-Eternal Perdition!" Once again a giant pot was formed around Tanjiro with massive slabs of meat raining down on him, only this time the heat was already at high intensity. The Breath of the Sun user quickly realized he didn't have much time and charged forward.

"Solar Halo Dragon Dance!" He proclaimed as he cut through one slab of massive meat after another. Ibaraki attempted to close the pot then with the massive lid from before, but Tanjiro was just the slightest bit faster as he cut it in half. "As long as we carry on the memories of those we love," said Tanjiro as he emerged in front of the giant version of Ibaraki, "as long we never forget the lessons they taught us and the part they played in our lives, those we love will never be completely gone. Even you won't be forgotten as you'll be a lesson for everyone who comes after you, so let's end this! Hinokami Kagura Fire Chariot!"

Ibaraki could only watch as the powerful vertical slash split her down the middle, shattering the remains of her domain while also cutting through her real body. 'Shuten,' she thought as her body split down the middle, 'I'll be seeing you….soon.' The two halves of her body caught fire then and burned up in quick succession, leaving nothing behind except for the barest trace of ash. "May you finally find peace," said Tanjiro with labored breathing as his body was expelling a large amount of steam.

That was the cost of wielding the sword; it increased the power of any sword technique by a hundred times. Quite often, though, it was difficult to control the backlash of such power and many users had been consumed by the power of their own styles. In Tanjiro's case, his breath style was threatening to burn up his body and it was only by venting some of the excess heat out through his wounds that he wasn't completely overwhelmed by it. Ibaraki's attempt to make him overheat had taken its toll, however, forcing Tanjiro to take several recovery breaths before he could adequately move again.

"I…can't rest yet," he said, "Subaru still…..needs my help." So despite needing just a little more rest, the slayer pushed himself onward and headed towards Shuten Doji's mansion. He, along with a few others, would soon arrive to witness the culmination of the final battle.

Now: The Mansion of Shuten Doji

"Your current plan," said Yamata No Orochi with what passed as a raised eyebrow for a snake monster, "you make it sound as if you have anything…..what?" His heads looked in multiple directions along the path the slayers had taken to get there. "I just felt Mizuki pass, and is that Hizuki fading away? Now that I think of it, I don't feel Kazuki's presence either and Chizuki's gone too. Even Ibaraki is, how is that possible?!"

"I told you," said Subaru as he pushed himself up to his feet, "we came here prepared to give everything, even our own lives to stop you. If I had to guess, the others are probably using an old and very dangerous technique to bring down your followers, or at least Shuten Doji's followers. And you're wrong on one more account because I do have one last trick up my sleeve."

"Tch, don't think I'll let you pull anything funny now!" Exclaimed Yamata No Orochi as his other heads charged up far less powerful but still lethal versions of the fireballs he'd used earlier. Subaru had just enough time to pull off his eyepatch as the heads struck, covering the entire area he was at in destructive red flames. "You see now, my increasingly strong power is unstoppable. You only lasted as long as you had because I was still gathering my pow…WHAT?!"

The reason for his surprise was the sudden dispersal of his red flames as a smaller but still very powerful blue flame now surrounded his foe. "No, that power, it can't be," exclaimed the Snake Demon as he noted the source of the flame was Subaru's left eye.

"Tamamo's gift," said Subaru, "the star Kagatsuchi. It's taken a bit to get used too, but it'll be worth it if it brings you down!"

"Don't think it'll be that easy!" Declared Yamata No Orochi as all eight of his heads lunged at Subaru. The Matagi responded with his Bayonet Dance, his weapon now greatly augmented by the blue flames from his eye as he knocked away all eight of the attacking limbs.

"No, it won't be easy," admitted Subaru while taking another stance, "but it can clearly still be done!" The Matagi charged then, wielding his bayonetted rifle as he dodged around the first couple of fireballs and knocked away one of the heads before another curved around and tried to blast him in the back. This head was stopped, fortunately, by the timely arrival of another.

"Crimson Hanagoromo!" Said Kanao as she slashed at the eye of the head attacking Subaru.

"Kanao, you made it," noted the Matagi as he leapt over another head and slashed its eye before dodging a blast of acid.

"I did and Inosuke's alive, more or less," she said while dodging and slashing at another head, "but he won't be able to make it."

"That won't matter anyway," said three of Orochi's heads as they readied to shoot fire at Kanao.

"Solar Halo Dragon Dance!" Yelled Tanjiro as he suddenly flew in, slashing the necks of the three heads which cancelled out their attacks as they recoiled from the shallow but still painful cuts.

"Tanjiro! I was starting to worry," said Kanao and Subaru as they leapt over some of the other heads with Subaru kicking one away.

"Sorry I'm late," he said while using Bone Burning Sun to block another attack. Thanks to the Dojigiri, it was able to deflect even the acid and flames, "I had to take out Ibaraki."

"One less problem to deal with," said Subaru as he fired a couple of blasts out of his gun that greatly burnt one of the heads while Kanao was busy flipping over another couple of heads. She couldn't deal much damage to the heads herself save for taking out their eyes repeatedly so it was up to Tanjiro to watch her back as Yamata No Orochi redoubled his efforts to end them. It would be a solid couple minutes of them trying to approach the body while getting repelled by acid and fireballs before something else happened. One of the heads got past Subaru and feinted an attack towards Kanao before changing its target to Tanjiro when he moved to protect her.

"Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" Exclaimed Sanemi as the horizontal cyclone technique rammed into the mouth of the attacking head, causing it to gag before veering off. "Are you guys still not done with this bastard yet?! What's taking so long?!"

"Take a guess," Subaru shot back as he jumped around another head and knocked it away with his rifle. Sanemi simply scoffed at that while attacking his own serpent head. Naturally this irritated the demon even more as he started flinging increasing amounts of acid at them.

"Breath of Water: Waterfall Basin!" Yelled both Giyuu and Murata as they leapt in from out of nowhere and deflected one of the larger streams of acid.

"Giyuu, Murata," said Tanjiro happily as he deflected a couple blasts of flame, "you made it all the way here!"

"Focus on the fight at hand," said Giyuu while using striking tide to try and cut into the neck of one of the heads and finding at best little success.

"I'm here to ya know," said Ozaki as she twirled in with a winding slash against another one of the heads.

"I'd say I'm happy to see you but I know you'd hate that," quipped Subaru as he slammed the butt of his rifle against a head trying to bite down on him.

"Just focus on killing this bastard!" Ordered Sanemi as he narrowly avoided a fireblast.

"Then work on giving me an opening," said the Matagi as he started moving towards the center. The others used their breath styles to keep the majority of the heads away as best they could, but there was a problem. His weapon was about to burn up, leaving him only one option. As Tanjiro was using his Beneficient Radiance to hold off the two heads in front of him, Subaru ignited his weapon in even more blue flame and threw it like a spear.

Yamata No Orochi and all of his heads roared in agony and rage as the projectile impacted against his main body, tearing off a good chunk of it and exposing, a blue heart? 'Shit,' thought Subaru, 'that wasn't good enough. I need to hit the heart directly.' "I can't help but notice that he's not dead," said Ozaki, managing to run beside him as they continued to dodge around the heads, "tell me you can still kill him if we just give you another weapon."

"It needs to be good enough to survive these flames," replied Subaru as they rolled to avoid another attack, "the longer I wield Kagatsuchi the more it hurts and the more my control will slip."

"Then perhaps I can help," said Izayoi as he emerged from a cloud of dust that had been kicked up by the battle, "I was instructed to carry some extras by Hidan, he recommended this one." The Shinobi tossed Subaru an almost fully metallic version of his Jaeger rifle. "It was made in case your current rifle couldn't resist Kagatsuchi."

"That's good," said Subaru as he turned back towards Yamata No Orochi, "now we just need to get a clean shot that's charged up to full power."

"How long will you need?" Questioned Ozaki as she ran slightly ahead.

"About two minutes at least," Subaru said back, "and in that time we have to make sure that hole stays open. Kagatsuchi will only eat away at him for so long and he's getting stronger by the minute. If we don't stop him before sunset, he'll be practically unstoppable!"

"Out-fucking-standing!" Exclaimed Ozaki as they jumped out of the way of a blast of acid and fire. To make matters worse, the demon was starting to shoot blasts of lightning and cyclones too. Naturally it was a tense situation as Subaru bided his time, now focused on only dodging attacks while simultaneously focusing his flames into his rifle.

Problem was, he'd only have one shot with this. After that, he'd have nothing left to use and his already worn friends were starting to move slower. Giyuu and Murata got a couple of acid burns to add to their already numerous burns, Sanemi took a mild shock from being too close to a lightning blast, Kanao got a broke rib from taking a hit by one of the heads, Tanjiro's body was getting that much closer to completely overheating and Ozaki's arm was heavily bruised after narrowly avoiding one of the snake's cyclone blasts. 'Come on, just a little longer,' thought Subaru as he barely dodged a fire blast, trying not to take notice of the new burn on his knee.

The seconds seemed to tick by at an agonizingly slow pace as more and more blue flames entered into the action and barrel of his weapon. Then, after what felt like an eternity, the flames stopped and remained swirling around the barrel. "It's ready," he announced, "cut me a path!"

"You got it," said Tanjiro as he and the others all managed to join up and started their advance against Yamata No Orochi. Ozaki and Murata leapt out first, slashing the eyes and neck of the heads reaching towards them. Another of the heads was above them and started raining down ice which Kanao blocked using her Honorable Shadow Plum. The Next two heads fired acid and flames respectively which Giyuu and Sanemi countered with an extra powerful Waterwheel and another Powerful Dust Whirlwind Cutter.

Tanjiro moved in front then using his Flame Waltz technique to counter the blast of lightning sent his way. Subaru rushed past him and that particular head, his target in sight as he readied to fire. But as he did, he realized one miscalculation he'd made. There were two heads left, one blocking his shot and another right above him about to fire the same attack that had reached all the way to the mainland. 'No time to think,' realized the Matagi as he aimed his rifle, 'just take the shot!'

"Dance of the Hornet," came a voice that Subaru had never expected to hear on the battlefield again, "Sting of the Queen!" Shinobi came flying through the air then, twirling gracefully as she plunged a two-handed thrust into the eye of the snake head before bursting out the other side. It recoiled in agony as the Insect Pillar came to rest on one knee. 'I'd kiss you right now if I wasn't married,' thought Subaru as he turned his attention back to the final head which was charging up a blast of lightning.

"Falling Star: Kagatsuchi!" Yelled Subaru as a spear of flame erupted from the barrel of his gun. At the same time, Yamata No Orochi fired a blast of lightning that made contact with the attack as it became a battle of wills. 'For Nezuko, for Tanjiro, for father, Giyuu, Shinobu, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Jinora and everyone else in this world!' Thought the Matagi as he let out a roar.

The stalemate was slowly but surely broken then as the Star of Kagatsuchi burst forth through the attack, tore apart the head in its way before impacting against the closing hole of Shuten Doji's former body, striking the blue heart. Orochi recoiled as his heads began to thrash about violently, feeling intense pain from the blue flames that were spreading quicker and quicker. "NO, NO, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Declared Orochi, "I am the first of all demons, I am the bringer of the end! This cannot be!"

"Whether you believe it or not," breathed out Subaru as the last of the flames left his now normal left eye, "it's happening. This is the end of the line, Yamata No Orochi."

"You think so," he replied, "but this is only a minor setback. Another vessel will come to take my place."

"Are you sure about that," said the voice of Shuten Doji suddenly, "why not reach out and see how many vessels are left." The Snake Demon didn't answer immediately as he'd been trying to do just that and found, that there were none. All the demons currently on Onigashima had been created by Shuten and Ibaraki, and with their death came the deaths of all of them. All the demons created by Muzan or other demons, were gone.

"I went on a bit of a demon-killing binge before you started to consume me," said Shuten, "you always played on my want to have a glorious final battle. So I made sure this was the absolute final battle, winner take all. If you won, the world was yours and very much done for. And if they won, it'd be the final victory for the slayers and the end of demonkind."

"You must think you're awfully clever don't you, drunkard," seethed Orochi, "don't think demons are the only method by which I can influence this world! I will always exist, in one form or another! This is not the end!"

Most of the rest of that sentence was also heard by the slayers as his body burned up with more and more blue flame. "Maybe you will and maybe you won't," said Subaru, "but one way or the other, this battle is done." Yamata No Orochi let out one final roar as his form exploded then, releasing blue flaming ash into the air as the exhausted slayers looked on at the spectacle. 'It's over,' Subaru thought, daring to smile just the slightest bit, hardly believing what he was seeing, 'it's finally over-.' And then he fell back as darkness clouded his vision, with the last thing he felt being the shaking of Onigashima as it broke apart and disappeared into the sea.

A Couple Weeks Later: The Butterfly Mansion

Subaru groaned in pain as his eyes opened annoyingly slowly. He recognized the ceiling of the Butterfly Estate almost instantly, the medical building basically being a second home to him at this point. The next thing he saw, was the most beautiful thing he thought he'd never see again. "Good…morning….Nezuko," he managed to groan out.

The Kamado girl dropped the book she'd been reading upon hearing his voice. "Subaru…..SUBARU!" She cried happily before throwing her arms around her husband, getting another pained groan out of him. "You're awake, you're finally awake!"

"And still in a good bit of pain," grunted Subaru while hugging his wife back, "but I'm a lot better now after seeing you. How's our child doing?"

"The baby's fine," said Nezuko as she felt a noticeable bump on her stomach, "and I'm also doing a lot better now that I see you're okay."

"What about Tanjiro and the others?" Questioned Subaru as he slowly sat up.

"Well I've been better," said Tanjiro who the Matagi now saw was in a bed next to them, "that sword really did a number on me, but I'll be alright."

"You really should be more honest about your condition," said Shinobu as she entered the room. Subaru noted she didn't have as light of a step as before. "When you say a number what you really mean is that it burnt your hands and other parts of your body to the point that you no longer have much in the way of feeling in your hands and possibly other areas."

"Well I was already lacking feeling in one hand," said Tanjiro, "so this isn't much different. But what about you? I thought you weren't supposed to be in fighting shape anymore after your battle with Doma?"

"I believe I said I'd never be able to fight quite like I had before," corrected Shinobu as she held up her right hand, the one that had been damaged fighting the Upper Moon. Unsurprisingly, it was covered in scar tissue. "But I could muster a few minutes, and given what was at stake I felt I had to do something." Her smile turned into a more serious expression, though, as her gaze shifted to Subaru. "Your condition is rather serious too."

"How bad are we talking?" Asked Subaru, half-expecting something dire.

"The Star of Kagatsuchi is no longer within your body from what I can tell," Informed Shinobu, "but what's more troubling is that your breathing is different now. You're no longer using Total Concentration Constant, and I don't believe you'll ever be able too again."

"So I've got a lung problem of some sort?" Questioned Subaru, still not grasping how serious it might be.

"Your lungs function properly," assured Shinobu, "with two exceptions. One, your insides are now more akin to a man in his late forties and two, they're no longer strong enough for you to use Total Concentration Breathing. Put simply, you'll never be able to use a breath form ever again." The Matagi took a moment to absorb this information, thinking on the consequences of his current condition.

But try as he might, he didn't feel as bad about it as he expected. "So the Breath of the Rifleman is no more," he said, "that's…..not as bad as I expected. Will I still live a relatively full life?"

"You're not going to keel over and die any time soon," said Shinobu, "and while I can't speak to to long term effects right now, you should make a full recovery in just a couple more weeks. Provided you don't do something stupid and hurt yourself."

"I can only promise so much," quipped the Matagi with a shrug, getting a laugh out of Nezuko.

"What about everyone else?" Asked Tanjiro, "I've seen Zenitsu, Inosuke and a few of the others walking around, but no one's been able to tell me quite everything that's happened." Shinobu closed her eyes and let out a short sigh before continuing.

"Part of the reason for that is it's just taken us that long to account for everything," replied Shinobu, "since Subaru wasn't awake at the time, I'll go over the full casualty list. To start, Zenitsu tore his achilles tendon using the Zeroth Form. The damage is permanent, and he'll walk with a limp the rest of his life. But he's not complaining because now he doesn't have to do slayer training anymore. Inosuke is better in that he can move and even fight much like before, but use of the Zeroth form has rendered him unable to use his flexibility any longer. He's upset about it being that he can't crawl into small spaces anymore."

"Shinjuro tore a number of tendons in his own body and has been advised against doing anything too strenuous. He can still work if he needs too but he's been advised against drinking large amounts of alcohol. He too will never be a slayer again, but he's acknowledged that it's time for the family to find a new purpose."

"Man he's gonna hate that no alcohol part," Subaru couldn't help but say. Shinobu shook her head at that but couldn't hide the look of amusement on her face.

"Moving on, Jinora's use of the Zeroth form greatly affected her arms and while she'll recover her full movement, it's likely that she'll never be able to use them at one hundred percent ever again," continued Shinobu, "Murata, Ozaki and Giyuu suffered numerous burns from both acid and fire. They'll heal in time but they're going to have more than a few scars. Kanao is actually coming along nicely and will be back to full strength in just a few months. Sanemi is….."

Shinobu had to pause for a moment to take a steadying breath, "Sanemi Shinazugawa succumbed to his wounds. He used the last of his strength to help get you and Tanjiro to the nearest ship once you both lost consciousness. The cold saltwater wound up aggravating his wounds and he'd never had time to tend to them before heading over to fight Orochi, leading to massive blood loss. Naturally there are some who are pointing to his use of the mark as part of the reason for his death too."

Subaru didn't say anything at first as he tried to absorb the fact that someone as stubborn as Sanemi Shinazugawa was actually dead. Sure, he never completely saw eye to eye with the Wind Pillar, but they'd finally built up a grudging respect for each other ever since Muzan's defeat. "How many," he said after a minute, "what were the total casualties, and that's including those who were killed on the main land."

Shinobu took a moment to figure out how best to word it before speaking. "We lost seventy percent of the fleet in battle along with numerous slayers and soldiers on the island. If we add the reports of civilian casualties from Yamata No Orochi's attack on the mainland of China, Italy and Japan, the total comes to at least twenty thousand lives lost."

"That many," said Tanjiro as he sunk back into his bed, "we lost that many because we weren't-."

"Don't you even start that line of thinking!" Ordered Nezuko surprisingly loudly, "You, Subaru, Kanao, Inosuke, Zenitsu and everyone else fought with absolutely everything you had, you even gave up the possibility of ever being fully capable demon slayers again! And everyone knows you'd have given your lives if that's what it would've taken, but think of how much worse it would've been if you'd failed. That monster killed thousands without even being at full power so even if you had been faster there's no guarantee it would've been any different. So don't start blaming yourselves for something that you couldn't have possibly prevented!"

She stopped to take a breath then as she looked at them with pleading eyes. Shinobu had a similar expression as she waited for one of them to respond. "She's right," Subaru finally said, "we gave it all we had, and in some cases then some. All we can do now, is to keep them alive in our memories and never forget what they sacrificed for the world."

"It still won't be easy," said Tanjiro with his head hung low, "this feeling won't go away in a day. But I suppose there's not much else we can do now, but live."

"We'll live," said Subaru while placing a hand on Nezuko's stomach, smiling slightly as he did so, "and we'll pass on everything that we've learned. The demons may all be gone now, but we can't forget the trials and tribulations they put us through. The ones who come after us will be able to experience something that hasn't been experienced in over a thousand years: a world without demons." A chorus of agreements came in answer to that statement.

One Year Later

Much like the time after Muzan's defeat, Subaru and the others visited the graves of the fallen slayers which now numbered hundreds more. It would prove to be a long couple of days for them, but they eventually visited them all. A memorial service was also held though this one was much larger and included representatives from Italy and China along with Emperor Taisho himself, and all of the remaining soldiers and slayers who'd survived the Battle of Onigashima. The port from which the majority of the ships launched was dedicated as a national landmark, looking out over the ocean where many of them had met their end.

The IJA salvaged what they could from the wrecked ships while bringing in the survivors under either their own power or by a tug including, and amazingly, the Haruna. They'd later learn that the IJA's efforts would be directed towards building up military equipment and personnel in case another threat like the demons ever appeared again. Suffice it to say, there'd be a very different use for all of that equipment in a little over a decade, but that's a whole nother story. Afterwards, they'd visited several of their friends while using the Butterfly Estate as a temporary residence. It would be there that Nezuko would give birth to twins: Takasuke and Kagerou.

They'd be back a few months after that where Shinobu would again assist them in delivering her third and final child: Kaiji. Naturally Subaru's father and some of their friends were concerned about two parents who weren't even tweny years old having three children, so they'd get several visits from that point on from their numerous friends, and in many cases relatives, in the slayers, the people of their hometown and even the female Izayoi popping up from time to time. It was an odd and happy time, one that Subaru often couldn't believe after spending a total of five years training and fighting demons. A thought he decided to voice one day as he and his wife sat in a clearing on the mountain with a wonderful view of the blue sky and the clouds above.

"You know," he said while cradling his son, Takasuke in his arms, "taking care of kids is hard work, but it's different from training. You never know what sort of exercise you'll be doing with kids."

"Still finding it hard to fight old habits," said Nezuko playfully as she held Kaiji in her arms while Kagerou was asleep in her lap, "this is the longest period you've gone without extensive training while not being injured. Though I still wonder if I should be letting you take even one of our sons on those training runs you still do?"

"I might not be capable of being a slayer anymore, but I can still be strong enough," said Subaru, "and you realize one of these days I'll be taking them hunting too."

"Well let's at least let them get up to walking and talking first," said Nezuko as she looked up at the endless sky, "after all, we have a lot more time on our hands now. So let's enjoy the peace while we've got it."

"Nothing would make me happier," said Subaru as he pulled his wife into a hug. She rested her head contentedly against his shoulder then as they sat in comfortable silence and gazed upon the new world they'd fought for, one without demons.

100 Years Later: Tokyo

According to official records, Subaru and Nezuko Kamado would go on to raise three capable sons, having no others over their thirty years of marriage. The family would have a number of other adventures dodging the Japanese government during the second World War before managing to settle down at their home again. A decade later, Subaru Kamado would pass away at the age of fifty, the result of his worn internal organs. Nezuko would join her husband soon after that and the two would be buried at the resting place of the rest of the Kamado family.

Their children would go on to have families of their own, with one moving to Tokyo where they've resided into the modern day, never forgetting their Matagi or Kamado roots. Currently within Tokyo, the streets were bustling as the city was waking up. The already large metropolitan area had grown even more, now containing buildings that reached towards the skies and countless more people moving to and from their various professions. Among this crowd was a boy with dark hair and piercing grey eyes that roamed about the streets, making note of the occasional bird or mammal that flitted in and out of view. He'd been complemented more than once on his eyesight, though he attributed it more to his being raised as a Matagi alongside learning about the modern world.

Walking next to him was a girl with dark pink eyes and long dark hair that ended in red highlights. Though what was most unusual about her was how she was carrying a loaf of bread in her mouth. Both of them were wearing a school uniform that consisted of a light blue, long-sleeved button-up shirt with a tan-colored wool vest over it. The main distinguishing feature between the two was that the boy's uniform had dark pants while the girl's uniform had a black skirt and long black socks.

Currently they were headed to their school and passing by a place called Hidan's Tool Shop. It was at that point that the girl took the bread out of her mouth to speak. "Subaru," she said, "I've been reading Great Grandfather's journals again and I was wondering, how true do you think it all is?"

"Honestly it's hard to say," replied Subaru, "Great Grandfather wasn't known to be a liar and there's more than a little historical evidence and sources to point to the way things were back then. And even if he's not being entirely truthful there's still Great Grandmother and Great Uncle Tanjiro who were known to be horrendously bad liars. I guess it just seems surreal to some people, knowing that demons were once a part of life here in Japan."

"I guess when you put it like that…oh look it's old man Kiriya!" Nezuko rushed over to a nearby window which had a television in it. On it was a reporter who was interviewing the oldest living person in Japan, Kiriya Ubuyashiki. "I didn't know he was going to be on TV today!"

"Maybe we should see if Mom and Dad want to go visit him today," suggested Subaru as they continued walking to the school, "we could ask him some more questions about back then, assuming he's able to answer today. It's honestly amazing he can even sit up at his age, over a hundred."

"He was friends with Great Grandad and Grandad and even Mom and Dad," said Nezuko, "it's like he's living all the years his father and their fathers couldn't."

"That's right," remembered Subaru as they walked through the school gate, "for multiple generations the heir to the Ubuyashiki family would be ravaged by poor health and usually wouldn't live long past twenty. Then after the date in Great Grandad's journals marking Muzan's death, it stopped. Either way it's quite something that we're friends with the oldest person in Japan."

"Great Grandad was friends with lots of odd people," said Nezuko, "A guy raised by boars, a loud blond guy and his wife with a lightning bolt in her hair, a pharmacist, guys with missing limbs, Matagi and Ainu people, weapon makers and even shinobi! Grandfather never knew what in the world was going to show up on their doorstep during the week."

"Remember that we're Matagi too," Reminded Subaru as they entered the school, "and as much as I'd like too, we'll have to pick up the rest of this conversation later. Time to get to class."

"Are you sure we shouldn't stay and wait for cousin Kanata and Sumihiko?" Questioned Nezuko.

"Kanata's probably already here and Sumihiko," Subaru shrugged, "he'll come parkouring along in a bit. Honestly it's amazing how athletic he is despite sleeping all the time. Either way we'd best get to class."

"Okay," said Nezuko, "just remember that you've got music club after class today!" She put the bread back in her mouth then and hurried off to the floor that had her classes. 'Oh yeah,' he thought, 'I wonder if the rumors about us getting a new member are true or not.'

Later That Day: School Hallway

Subaru stretched a bit as he walked along the hallway towards the school's music room which also served as the space for the music club. He was early yet and decided to get to work on tuning his instrument, a lead guitar. It was something he'd picked up from an American friend of the family who went by the last name of Garand, yet another group of folks his Great Grandfather had apparently gotten well acquainted with. And speaking of acquaintances, the Matagi stopped short as the pointed end of an epee was suddenly stuck out of one of the doors in the hall.

"If it isn't Subaru," said a female voice as the owner of the epee stepped out into view, "out of class already, are we?"

"Had an English quiz for the last class of the morning and that was about it," replied Subaru, "what about you, Shinobu, I thought fencing club was off today."

"Just getting some extra practice in before heading home," said the girl as she brushed aside her dark-haired bangs with purple tips at the end, "and speaking of practice, I hear the rifle team's recruiting again."

"They've already sent me two invites," said Subaru with a sigh, "I've turned them down so far."

"Given your ability with a rifle I'm surprised you're not making more use of it," she said, "you outshot the whole team last year."

"I learned to use a rifle for hunting," said Subaru, "it's a part of Matagi tradition. If I'm being honest, it just feels kind of wrong for me to use it for something else. I only shoot recreationally because it keeps my skills sharp."

"Well if that's how you feel," said Shinobu, "just know that they've started to pester me too because they seem to think I'm good at convincing you to do things, so this probably won't be the last time I bring it up."

"At least you're warning me about it ahead of time," quipped Subaru, "anyway, I need to get going. Don't want to be late for practice."

"If you see that sourpuss gym instructor, Giyuu, tell him I said hi," teased Shinobu with an amused expression on her face.

"I'll see what I can do," he said back with a wave before continuing on to the music room. It didn't take him long to get his stuff stowed away, pull the tie off his neck and get out his guitar for tuning. He sat down then and got to work on turning the knobs while strumming the occasional note. The Matagi was at this for about a good two minutes before the door opened to admit someone else.

"Excuse me," said a voice that sounded oddly familiar to Subaru for some odd reason, "is this the room for the music club?" The male student looked up then to see a girl with dark hair that went down to her shoulders if not a little longer, piercing blue eyes and very light skin. Like every female student at the school, she was wearing the black-skirted uniform. She also had a small case in her left hand, the type of black case that would be used for carrying a flute.

"Yeah this is it," affirmed Subaru, "the club won't start for another ten min-." He was interrupted by the sound of music coming from his phone. "Hold on." He pulled it out and read the text message sent to him, grunting in mild frustration as soon as he was done.

"What's wrong," questioned the Girl, "did something happen?"

"What happened is our assistant manager and occasional Shamishen player is a pervy idiot," said Subaru while setting his guitar aside for a moment, "apparently he went into that large sweet shop that serves overly large portions, you might know the one, with that pink-haired lady and her husband who's always got that surgical mask on. Obviously, he stared at that large rack of hers for a bit too long and pissed off her husband because he threw him out into the dumpster. After he regained consciousness, he found out he missed school, which won't let him on the premises until he smells normal again."

"So the long story short is," said the blue-eyed girl with a questioning tilt of her head.

"Club's been delayed for at least thirty minutes if not more until that moron smells better," answered Subaru, "so you might as well get comfortable Momo-."

"Momiji," she corrected, "you can call me Momiji. Though you got pretty close, have we met before?"

"No, not that I recall," said Subaru, "though there is something naggingly familiar about this. Déjà vu is a strange thing."

"It is," she said before taking a seat near the Matagi, "so why don't we talk about something else while we wait. Do you know any good stories?"

"My head's full of stories about my Great Grandfather right now," said Subaru, "he had a colorful life, at least if you believe in demons."

"I do," said Momiji, sounding oddly sure about that fact, "are you saying your Great Grandfather fought demons?"

"I guess it'd be best if I started from the beginning," said Subaru, "though I should tell you, this story will probably take more than one club meeting."

"It's another reason for me to get here early then, Subaru Kamado," she said with a smile. The Matagi might've commented on the strangeness of her knowing his name, but decided he'd let it slide this time.

"Alright then," he said, "This story starts a hundred years ago in the mountains during Winter, with a young Matagi on the hunt."

The End

And at last we have arrived, the ending! Or rather Ending A. Whew, this one took a bit but hopefully it was worth the wait for all of you and was at least a fairly entertaining ending that makes a degree of sense. Now I know I still got another ending to write up but I'll go ahead and say this story has been quite a ride, one that I couldn't have done without all of your support. So as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for the alternate ending. Be sure to stop in next time as we explore Ending B: Demon King Subaru! 'Til then.