I create distance between the two of us, because my body is telling me to move. My legs scream in unison with my nerves, so I obey their will and leap backwards.

The space I was stood in changes. Lower Moon One stands in it with his hand outstretched. That hand would have coiled around my neck if I had not moved. He's fast, I couldn't see the movement at all.

Not even Upper Moon Two moved like that, but there is something different here. It wasn't as if he crossed that distance in an instant, it was more like the distance itself disappeared.

There was no noise when he moved, his trenchcoat did not rustle and the sound of his arm moving could not be heard.

"Yer fast, looks like old Mogura was right."

He speaks again, sighing as he does so. He rolls his eyes, as if this is too much effort for him. Mogura? Is that the name of the Lower Moon Six?

I can feel the acid destroying my skin, it burns the skin of my fingers and forearms. The pain is lighting up my nervous system, but it helps me concentrate.

"Yer a Hashira, right boy?"

He brings his hand to his chin and strokes at as he looks at me, the gesture is something that has been rehearsed over and over.

I'm wary of his every movement, because this is his territory. From the way he moved earlier, I can assume that he has full control of it. If he can move like that, then I need to react instantly.

"Doesn't matter much. Yer not the first Hashira to stand before me."

He smiles now, a sickening grin that splits his thin lips into two crescents. The smile doesn't reach his eyes, they remain fixed on me.

I grip my sword as hard as I can, my grip is weakening because of the acid. I can't afford to drop my sword, because he will definitely take advantage of that situation. As long as I can feel the hilt, I can hold on.

He has killed Hashira before, if his words are to be believed. This demon has slain the strongest swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps. I can't believe it, because those people are so strong.

"Cat got yer tongue?"

He licks his lips, wiping up the leftover blood from his meal. It is my fault that the man died, because I did not pay attention. A family has lost a father, a brother, a son, an uncle. That life is something that can never be returned.

I can feel the familiar wave of hatred wash over me, a baptism of fury that courses through my veins. This bastard has stolen more than that one life, he has taken at least two hundred.

Unforgivable. I cannot stand it, he slaughters indiscriminately and has the gall to smile and laugh. He is free from judgement, murdering everyone that crosses his path.

For everyone that he has killed, I will carve him into pieces. His death will atone for every one of their lives. I don't care if he was once human, he is far from it now. So I will send him to the deepest pit in hell.

I can feel a vein in my forehead bulge and my grip tightens even further. I shift my feet and level my blade. If he comes near me, I'll bisect him and then sever his head.

"Thas a nice stance."

He whistles in appreciation before speaking, he stretches both of his arms and looks upwards. His black hair is glistening under the moonlight, the tips of his hair are a deep red. It hangs down and around his shoulders, unkempt and greasy.

He disappears from sight. I can't rely on my hearing or sight for this one, this comes down to experience. The place he is most likely to strike is my blind spot, but that is incredibly obvious.

With that in mind, I dip a shoulder and lean left, feinting a pivot. It looks as if I am turning to swing at my blind spot.

He falls for it, instead appearing directly in front of me. My blade is already moving as he does so and it removes his arm from his body, sending the discarded limb upwards into the air.

Before I can slash at his neck, he disappears again. I have no idea where he will reappear next.

"Tha fuckin' hurt."

Twenty metres away. I cut his arm off at the elbow, but it has already regenerated up to the wrist. This is the power of Lower Moon One. But I don't understand how he was able to kill a Hashira if this is all he has.

"Was a clean cut, yer skills are the real deal. Yer speed is nothin' to laugh at either."

He scowls as he speaks, his hand has already regenerated completely. The blood that poured out of the wound joins the already saturated ground. The ageing crimson seeps into the earth, corrupting the soil as it taints everything it touches.

The twenty metres between us disappear as he appears on my left, his leg already swinging as he aims to annihilate my body in a single blow. The gloves have come off, Lower Moon One has had enough.

"Hinokami Kagura: False Rainbow!"

I twist as fast as I can, his leg meets empty air and I reply in kind. My blade seeks his neck, but he reacts and leans backwards. The coloured edge slashes his throat, but it is not deep enough.

As soon as my swing is finished, he attacks again. A sweeping kick that aims to catch me off guard, but I am two steps ahead of him. I have gotten the measure of him, he will not beat me in martial combat. He is not fast enough to outclass me, his technique is clumsy.

I parry the kick with the back of my blade and move inside of his reach. This is the opening, it is his fault for underestimating me. I'll damage his body as much as I can in a single instant.

"Flame Breathing, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger!"

The first three forms chain together brilliantly, my sword is moving so fast that I can't even see it. I can feel my arms and wrists moving but the blade is a blur. The tiger roars into existence, asserting it's dominance over the demon as the true predator.

Left arm, right arm, chest. Those three places have been slashed. He tried to move away, but he couldn't escape entirely. Each of those cuts are thorough and deep, I felt my blade sink deep and bite clean through the bone.

His body has been obliterated, it should take him some time to regenerate. But he isn't screaming or cursing. Lower Moon One is looking at me, and chills flood down my spine. Both of his arms have been removed at the shoulders, his torso has been almost entirely bisected.

But he is smiling. The damage I dealt to him can only be called annihilation. But he is smiling. His grin widens even further, until his lips are stretched thin. His teeth are sharp and still stained with blood.

His blood splashes down onto the ground, seeping downwards into the soil. He stands there, smiling whilst breathing heavily. His calm demeanour has disappeared, replaced by an expression of insanity. To smile when you have been damaged so badly, that is insane.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

His smile devolves into a wicked laugh as he almost doubles over, he laughs and laughs and laughs. He clutches at his sides with hands that are not there. The noise sends shivers along my nervous system, dousing my hatred completely.

Unlike Upper Moon Two, this emotion is genuine. This laughter is tainted with hatred, malice oozes from every echo. He intends to kill me with his next blow, a blow that I should not see coming. But I can hear it this time.

The familiar sound of soil shifting, but there is something that accompanies it. The trickle of blood as it moves within the soil. The telltale sign that something is about to happen. Every fiber of my being is warning me, right down to the hair on the back of my neck.

I leap upwards, pushing myself as high as possible. I soar up above the street, which is when I see the attack that I should have never predicted. Six foot long spikes have risen from the ground, they are blood red and thin.

My body would have been skewered over and over by them, there are at least eighty spikes. They are less than an inch thick, the holes would be almost unnoticeable. The death would have been instant, I can see how he has managed to kill so many people.

His laughter has been replaced by fury and confusion, because I avoided the attack entirely. The spikes moved the same way that he did, appearing out of nowhere. But they had to grow to six foot long, they started as mere droplets of blood.

It was the sound of the spikes growing that alerted me and I was able to react ahead of time. My body and mind were in perfect sync as I leapt above the fatal attack.

Now I am in the air, above the battlefield. I can see him, his torso is reattached and his arms are regenerating too. This next blow will be the last one, with this strike I will claim his head. This blade that has been by my side will bless the neck of Lower Moon One and deliver him unto oblivion.

"Yer not supposed to do that. Yer meant to die!"

He shouts up at me as I fall down towards him. The only thing he has to say is complaints. I might have been meant to die there, but I refuse. I will not die, not until every demon has been wiped off of the face of this Earth.

There is blood in the air. Droplets of blood that have been carried on the wind. I can hear them vibrating as they shift and adapt. Spikes explode towards me in mid air.

"Hinokami Kagura: Clear Blue Sky!"

I spin in the air and slash, the scream of my blade slicing the wind echoes before it meets the spikes. They are smashed into pieces as I continue my descent.

Spike after spike forms, but my blade smashes them all. They are brittle, so they break with a single swing. My blade moves tirelessly, cutting down every threat to my life. The look on his face is awful, I've never seen such anger before.

He leaps backwards and spikes rush up from the ground to meet me, but I knew that would happen. Everything has fallen into place, I am fighting at the best that I ever have. My body and brain are at three hundred percent and every movement is perfect.

"Hinokami Kagura: Waltz!"

The spikes are obliterated and I roll to avoid the barrage that form above me, impaling the ground that I had landed on. I leap towards him, I will not falter. I will destroy everything that he throws at me and I will take his head.

He screams as another barrage of spikes rain down upon me. With an execution of False Rainbow, they skewer nothing but air. I have never felt so alive, I can feel my heart pounding away within my chest and the blood pumping through my veins feels like lightning.

"Wha' the hell are you!"

He screams at the top of his lungs as I advance without faltering, he cannot break my defences. Spikes are not enough. I understand how he fights, so I can counter it.

Half of the battle is within the mind, Yoichi. If you can outthink your opponent, your blade will never fail to reach their neck..

Shinjuro-san was right. Because I understand it, I can overcome it. I have my hearing to thank for my ability to predict the attack, if it wasn't for that I would have died at the first attack.

"A monster."

I reply to him, speaking to the demon for the first time. Another barrage of spikes forms beneath me and I leap to the side, bringing my blade across in an arc to smash them to pieces. In this moment, I am the predator.

More spikes form where my trajectory is taking me, I destroy them without looking. My blade passes judgement on every attempt to take my life, defending me at all costs.

A singular spike shoots from the sky and I slash upwards to meet it. At the same time, ten spikes fire from every direction. An iron curtain of spikes relentlessly firing upon my position as the demon commands every drop of blood to fire.

"Hinokami Kagura: False Rainbow!"

I twist and avoid the mass of spikes, my afterimage is torn into pieces but I remain whole. I will dance for the entire night until I chop off his head. For everyone who believes in me, I will overcome the obstacle in front of me.

I notice it at the last second, but he has been leading me to a certain location. The place where the corpses are densest. He hopes to seal off my movement by forcing me inbetween the piles of the dead.

"Surely yer not gonna trample over the bodies of yer precious comrades!"

He has regained some of his prior calmness, but his voice is still tinged with anger. He is trying to goad me into retaliating. The spikes are growing thicker as the area is more saturated with his blood than where we were fighting before.

A singular large spike falls towards me from above, about a foot wide. My breathing slows and I swing my blade upwards with all of my might. It is tiring, fighting so hard for so long. I can feel the strain on my body, but I can't let it get to me.

"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!"

My blade burns through the spike, reducing it to fine shards that fall around me in a rain of red. Every step I take has been calculated so that I will avoid damaging the corpses of the fallen, but it is making it harder to fight.

I have to avoid crushing the outstretched hands of the dead, hands that reached for salvation but grasped nothing.

I'm sorry. I'll take on all of your wishes. I'll beat him so that all of you can rest in peace.

I swear a silent oath to the dead as I weave between them. Glazed eyes stare up at me, but they do not see me.

I don't know exactly how many people he has killed, but I'm sure they all begged for their lives. Some of their faces still bear the tear stains. Some of them are frozen in terror.

It only compounds the fury that circulates through my veins. With every beat of my heart, the inferno swells. Before I knew of demons, I would find myself angry at criminals. People that hurt for the sake of hurting have always made me furious.

The time that I saw a husband smack his wife in the town, I could barely control myself. It took every ounce of restraint to avoid breaking a lump of charcoal over the top of his bald head. It would have made trouble for Tanjuro and my family, so I forced the anger back down.

Yoichi, you are someone who feels anger for the sake of others. Because of that, life will be twice as cruel to you. You will sow twice the seeds and reap half of the harvest.

My mother was the person who said that. A noble heart will always fall apart. That is something that she liked to say too. But that doesn't matter. If my heart falls to pieces, I'll pick up what's left and set the world ablaze.

I dance among the dead, deflecting blow after blow. Their lives rest upon this blade, with that I must not falter. I close the distance time and time again, but he disappears.

My reflexes are slowing gradually. We have been fighting for what feels like hours now. In this neverending street, we clash time and time again.

He is one of the most powerful demons that I have come across, but I still don't understand how he can defeat a Hashira. He must possess a trump card that I still don't know, something that can wound and kill outright.

If that is the case, I must not drop my guard. I will outthink him and destroy him. I have two roads ahead of me. I can keep fighting until my strength wanes, or I can lull him into a false sense of security.

If I continue to fight aimlessly, then I will slow down. I can conserve enough energy for one final flurry, if he becomes careless enough. But that is a gamble, one that might not pay off.

I miss a step, having to overextend to avoid planting my foot on the head of a dead Mizunoto. His tattoo has remained burned into his hand, the wisteria failing to fade away.

He will not miss that mistake. It allows him a second longer to prepare a barrage and there are more spikes than ever. They fire down from every direction, thicker and wider than before. He thinks this will be the blow that settles it.

"Hinokami Kagura: False Rainbow."

I spin out of the barrage and behind it, out of his view. The spikes massacre my afterimage, destroying the ground as they pound into it relentlessly. A cloud of dust rises and I let out a strangled cry.

I drop my haori and katana on top of the dead Mizunoto, the haori lands on his back and the katana falls slightly in front of his hand. Before the dust cloud can fade, I leap onto the pile of corpses.

The Mizunoto is smaller than I am, but not by a large margin. His hair is brown, but stained with blood so that it sports a dark reddish look like my own. He is facing downwards, so his face is hidden.

The dust settles and the demon observes the situation. I remain deathly still, subduing all signs of life as I wait to see if he realises what has happened. It isn't the best plan, but it is the only thing that I could think of. If it buys even a second, it will be worth it.

I can hear a slight chuckle, before he stops immediately.

"Tha' body was already there, yer clever aren't you?"

It bought just enough time, he has fallen for it hook, line and sinker. Swallowing the bait, he has unknowingly fallen for the double ploy. I seize a nichirin blade from the hands of a Slayer, it is white in colour with a black diamond handguard and a blue handle.

I roll off of the pile of corpses as spikes decimate it. The pile of corpses turns into a tornado of flesh and blood. The blood stains everything, some of it landing on my face. It has soaked through the left side of my face, over my scar.

I've only seen this stance once before. On that night, but it is not something that I should use.

I'm exhausted, all the fighting has taken it's toll on me. But it can be used with the last embers of strength remaining. Even if I should not know it, I do.

I'm sorry, Shinjuro-san. Please, forgive this intrusion.

A silent apology to somebody who is already gone. My stance tightens and I raise the blade behind me, angling it along my body.

The mist of blood is so thick that I can't see anything. I can hear it all though, I can hear his bated breath as he waits to see if I was annihilated.

I breathe as deep as I can and strength floods my fatigued muscles.

"Flame Breathing: Esoteric Art."

The secret of the Rengoku family, dirtied by an outsider. A betrayal of the trust that Shinjuro-san bestowed upon me. But I will die otherwise, because I have nothing left.

The mist begins to lighten and I shift my stance slightly. He has reacted already, he can sense the change in the air. Everything opens up and a myriad of possibilities present themselves to me. This is the world that Shinjuro-san saw.

"Ninth Form: Rengoku!"

I pull the memory from my mind, the sight that was burned into me. It is not Upper Moon Two, but it is a threat that could claim my life. The oxygen floods into my legs and I move faster than I thought possible.

A dragon that cannot be stopped, the unstoppable force meets the wall. The wall is not immovable, so it will crumble under the pressure of the force.

I burst through the bloody mist and strike my target. I can unleash two slashes with this burst, so I will use everything that I have left. Even if it means getting struck at the same time.

My first cut is a horizontal blow that splits Lower Moon One in two, separating his torso from his legs. The blade cuts through the spine like a blade of grass. I move with it's momentum and unleash the last slash. It is so powerful, I can feel the weight of the world resting upon the edge of the blade.

The lives of these people, their hopes and dreams. All of it sits upon this swing, I will avenge all of them. He cannot move in time, the look of surprise is plastered upon his face. My blade meets his neck and begins to pass through it.

He knows that it is the end. I can see it in his eyes, the hatred that he exudes meets my own fury. Hatred is not the only thing I see, it is clashing with fear. His eyes do not leave my face, he is terrified of me.

The borrowed sword slices everything in it's path. Tendons, flesh, bone and gristle all fall victim. But he will not go out with a whimper. I can hear them already, the spikes that seek my death.

There are at least three hundred of them, all of the spikes that he can muster up with what he has left. He intends to take me with him, but I cannot let that happen.

The pure white blade reaches it's terminus and severs his head. It falls from his shoulders as the barrage of spikes reach me. False Rainbow alone will not be enough to save me, because there is not enough time to avoid them all.

They are firing from every direction. This is certain death. The feeling of spikes penetrating my flesh is awful. The longest of the spikes are pushing their way into my shoulders.

Yoichi, do you know when a human exceeds their limits? It is when the only other option is to die or when they are protecting something that they value more than their own life. In these moments, you will feel it within your core. That fire that burns so hot, the will to fight on. Let that fire consume everything in front of you, give everything to it and it will save your life.

The fire rages as my death approaches. If False Rainbow can not save me alone, then I will unleash another technique at the exact same time. The best defensive technique blends with the best evasive technique to form an immovable wall.

The simultaneous release of two separate techniques from two different Breathing Styles. I can feel the pressure enacted upon my lungs, it feels as if they will burst. A fusion of forms, an ultimate technique born from the desperation to live. Forged within the fire of life, it bursts forward in this moment.

"Hinokami Kagura: Shimmering Sun!"

My movements are linear, because of the spikes in my shoulder. My wounds are opened further by movement, but it is far better than death. But I can move, and that means I can survive.

I twist and swing my blade in a circular motion. My body follows the False Rainbow, the technique hammered into me by Father. My blade follows a different trajectory, one that was practiced over and over. Blooming Flame Undulation, the fourth form of Flame Breathing.

I spin and my blade moves too. I leave an afterimage whilst deflecting any spikes that I cannot evade. My movement is ethereal, I dance on the border between life and death in this moment.

The spikes that tear the flesh of my shoulders are gone, but the damage remains. I won't be able to lift my arms in a moment. Shimmering Sun is the most demanding form that I have ever used, one that I have created myself.

The spikes fall down around me. I was unable to deflect or dodge all of them and more wounds have opened up across my body. I can no longer move, but all of the spikes have fallen. I avoided suffering a fatal wound, but I cannot move.

Spikes have damaged my arms and legs, I am left helpless. But I succeeded in what I came here to do, I defeated Lower Moon One and Lower Moon Six. I fulfilled my mission and I avenged the lives of everybody that they had killed.

The ultimate defensive technique, Shimmering Sun. If it wasn't for Shinjuro-san's words that day, I would never have survived. My mind chose the forms and my body meshed them together. It is far from perfect, but it saved my life.

My mouth fills with blood and I cough violently, my lungs were almost destroyed in that instant. I have pushed myself so hard that I think I almost hit my limit. Everything feels far away. The Blood Demon Art has begun to fade. The street returns to normal, the corpses returning too.

The Kakushi will be on standby. They will clean all of it up and ensure that nobody stumbles upon this grisly sight.

"Yoichi-san!"

An angelic voice calls out to me. I recognise it from somewhere but my consciousness is dimming far too fast, the vestiges cannot identify it.

"Yoichi-san, hold on!"

It's okay, I won't die. But I will lose consciousness, I have lost so much blood and I am exhausted. My muscles scream out in pain and my nerves join the crusade against my mind. At least I won't feel this pain when I'm unconscious.

"Yoichi-san, don't die!"

Something falls down onto my face. Droplets splash against my cheeks. Tears, someone is crying. I can't see them, but I can feel them. I give in to the waning of my mind and fall into a deep slumber.

Well... all I have to say about this chapter is holy shit. I basically juggled between several concepts and went with this one in the end, but it was a damn tough choice. Shimmering Sun was always going to show up, but there were a few different ways it could have happened. I sat down and wrote it all in one sitting (I do that with every chapter) and I had so much fun writing this. I was tempted to wait a bit longer before writing and posting, but I wanted you guys to get this as soon as possible. I seriously appreciate each and every one of you. Your kind words make writing this worthwhile and they put the biggest smile on my face. Seriously, thank you guys so much! As always, I would love to know what you guys think about this chapter! -TheGrailsVoice

batmanuchiha: You really do love your cliff hangers don't you

I feel like a cliffhanger can set up the hype for the next chapter fantastically, although I'll try my hardest to avoid going overboard on them.

rp9976955: the story is even more interesting with shinjuro's death, I just wish there was more dialogue between the characters.

There will be more dialogue centric chapters soon, a lot of this early stuff is 90% action but we are progressing now. The next few chapters will feature a lot of dialogue and some character interactions, with less focus on action. I'm happy to hear you find the story interesting though!

Echonic:Immersed as fuck, you're doing a great job at describing old japan. With the oiran and stuff, good shit.

For once I get to flex my normally useless knowledge! I love history, especially Japanese history. The Meiji era (1868-1912) is fantastically interesting, as is the Taisho period that Demon Slayer itself is set in. We are yet to hit the Taisho period but we are not far away. Also, I wanted to portray an oiran in a good light to contrast with a certain bitchy Upper Moon.

Sythe-elda: Oooo two lower moons, things got even more interesting. You did have me thinking the oiran was daki not going to lie lol

I like him switching between the two styles. Makes him unique and powerful in just that alone. Hashira Yoichi shall be one of the strongest ones indeed

And you make a good point with his age compared to the canon pillars. Something I totally over looked was just how young they actually are as well as Yoichi not being the same age as them. But it'll still be interesting to see his relationship in general will be with any of them considering how Demon slayer has a lot dealing with how relationships between people is what make them strong. I have so many thoughts but I shall have to read and find out :D

Again, great chapter my friend! Can't wait until the next

I plan to stick to that core theme of relationships between people. It is surprising just how young the Hashira are, Yoichi will be 30 during the events of the main story so a big gap between them. Hashira Yoichi will indeed be powerful, especially when he reaches his peak! I'm really really really excited to write that when we get there in an undisclosed amount of time! I look forward to your reviews on every chapter, they always put a smile on my face!

RedBurningDragon: Been watching Trails of Cold Steel streams so when i saw Leaf Hashira I immediately went to Eight Leaves One Blade style with the main character using a Tachi

I looked at that style after you mentioned it, it does look quite interesting! Leaf Breathing is a unique Breathing Style derived from Water Breathing, you could call it a counterpart to Flower Breathing!