I'm literally going insane with this lockdown thing, so oh boy. Yes, I still have a ton of college work. No I'm totally not procrastinating, whatever gave you that idea? Anyways, the usual response section is below, there are some details pertaining to actual history if you who I'm not responding to want to read them... hmm, what else... oh right, be safe, everyone!
Tempest-Rage: Yeah, I guessed so, but the attacks in her extra attack do damage so there's some sort of sword beam stuff in there somewhere. Musashi does fall under "Sabers who Use Sword Beams" whilst Yagyu or Okita would not. The Susanoo I believe is actually a four-armed Nio, which are statues that are seen in front of Buddhist temples. In Nio Buddhism, they're noted to be protectors, which goes with Musashi's actual historical record of studying Buddhism and her Fate self worshiping Kannon— the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. Not to mention how Musashi's Book of Five Rings is heavily influenced by Buddhism. I went off on a tangent, but that's okay! Anyways, I'm still flipping the coin to see if its more illusion or physical being. I don't think I use the beams outside of the phantasm, but hell if I know what I'm doing half the time (lmao).
Tashio: Like I said before, I do want to keep some semblance of balance. Musashi is very much a compassionate person, so if she's fighting alongside of someone, she's going to be keeping an eye out for them. There's also the fact that Range vs Close Combat is going to be an obstacle. I want there to be struggling in certain cases so it's not boring. I read OP Servant fics and sometimes cheer because hell yeah, but sometimes you want realism. Are Servants stronger than Demons? yes. Can every servant kill a Demon? no. There's the Nichirin factor to take in, but that's beside the point since Musashi has four of them now. This is as much of a story-building and fun read for you guys as it is a character study for me. How will Musashi fare against beings that are regarded as the same as Demonic Swordsmen but aren't at that par yet? How will Musashi deal with the emotional attachment of being in one place for years? How do other characters react to it? How does one battle effect many in the future? How to emotions factor into the battles ahead? I definitely want to have Musashi and Kokushibou face-off, but I'm also planning on one more fate character to show up (ao3 has them spoiled already but they weren't a character option in FFN for some stupid reason) right before the Pillar Training arc. Musashi and Muzan will fight though, that was the goal from the start. How I plan to work around everything else is still up in the air. If I had to rank the Demons, I'd say that Kokushibou is at least on par with Musashi. Muzan is as well, but only because he's a bastard who doesn't die when you kill him. Provin' Shirou wrong all up in here, isn't he? Anyways, TL;DR? The canon's gonna get smashed around some, there's gonna be fighting and a certain Upper Moon's gonna get a taste of The Divine Figure of Kurikara, and Mystery Servant is also gonna wreck some canon.
Reversus12: Thank you!
Z: There will be battles, please understand that the first chapters are going slow because I'm setting up world-building. There will be some sparring, but I want to reserve those moments for other things. Oneshots mainly. There are two fights in this chapter (though one isn't really a fight) and yeah. Please understand.
It was a week later when Musashi got her first orders.
She had been mostly hanging around the Butterfly Estate in the meanwhile, helping Kocho out where she needed her. The smaller woman had helped her in turning her cloak into a Haori and Ubuyashiki had sent her a message telling her not to worry about uniform for now. She had also sent the exact measurements of her swords along with the basic design of her hilts to the swordsmith village for the Nichirin blades. Creating four would be a task, and Ubuyashiki said he wasn't sure how long it would be.
She would have to rely on Muramasa's blade until then, though it wasn't that big of a deal. She could use the other four, as long as the killing blow was dealt with it. Musashi was just excited to try out new swords.
That excitement didn't fade when her crow arrived, cawing about how she had to head west to investigate strange disappearances in a small town. So she had grabbed her newly made haori, ruffled Aoi's hair, bid Kocho and the other girls goodbye and left as soon as the crow had ordered it.
The walk to the town had taken the entire day, not that she minded. The townspeople were wary, giving her looks full of suspicion as she walked past their homes. Her kasa was tilted down over her face as she glanced around, taking in every detail of the town as she walked and the sun dipped low over the horizon. Night would fall very soon, meaning the demon was going to be out soon as well.
The townspeople quickly ushered their children inside, closing their doors and locking them tight. Their windows were also shut tight as well, but Musashi knew that if a demon were to attack, it wouldn't deter them in the slightest. They would simply rip the door open and if that failed then they would tear the coverings to the windows off or simply break through the walls.
She wasn't offended though, as the villagers gazed at her before closing up tight, she figured that they would act that way with what had happened. Four adults and two children had gone missing in the last few days would make anyone cautious of a stranger in their town. She shifted the sword at her side as she gazed up at the moon, standing still in the center of the town and waiting.
Her eye narrowed suddenly and she gazed back at the town's homes. A thick fog had started to descend upon it. curling around her ankles and clouding her vision. She could feel herself starting to get drowsy despite being fully awake moments ago.
Was this the demon's… oh what did they call it? 'Demon Blood Art'? Was that what this was?
She felt her skin spark as she shook the drowsiness off and a figure came out of the fog, approaching her. She kept her head tilted towards the ground, giving off the impression of someone sleeping while standing as footsteps got closer.
"Ufufufu…" a woman's voice cooed. "A traveler who didn't get inside in time? Must be my lucky day…"
Footsteps came closer to her and she kept still until a set of bare feet stopped in front of her. A hand entered her vision and in a flash, Musashi lopped the arm off. The demon, a woman in appearance, screeched, stumbling back and Musashi lunged after her, visible eye shining bright in the night.
"How!?" the demon screeched as she made a swipe to slash Musashi with her nails. Musashi dodged, slashing that arm off as well.
"Your 'Demon Blood Arts' you mean? Yeah, stuff like this doesn't affect me!" she said, grinning as she continued her advance on the demon, who continued to retreat. Her arm was slowly forming back, but it seemed as if it wouldn't be fast enough as Musashi leaped forwards, drawing another sword and cleanly slicing through the demon's neck with the two blades. She turned on her heel, spinning Myoujingiri in her hand and stabbing it downwards and into the demon's head. The demon let out a cry and Musashi raised a brow, watching as the demon disintegrated. It hadn't put up much of a fight, but then again, she had crossed blades with Shuten Douji and Tomoe Gozen before.
Still, it was a bit melancholy to see what became of demons. The monsters of Shimousa also disintegrated, but it still made her sad.
How many were made involuntarily?
How many demons were made because they thought they were saving their friends and family? Because they didn't want to die?
She sighed as she stood, putting Myoujingiri away and glancing back at the spot where the body had been. She gazed at it for a moment longer before she turned her gaze back to the village's homes. A few people were peering out of their homes warily, but she paid them no mind as she sighed, looking up at the sky.
She would stay the rest of the night, making sure there wasn't a second one lurking around. Better to be safe than sorry, she reasoned as she scaled up the tallest building and onto the roof.
(x)
No other demons arrived before daybreak and by then, Musashi's crow was causing a ruckus, telling her to head south to meet with another Pillar in order to complete a different mission.
Gyoumei Himejima, the Rock Pillar.
She had left the town with a hum and a bounce in her step, munching on one of the rice-balls that Kocho had sent with her. She didn't feel too tired yet, which she knew was just a side effect from her already weird nature and sleep schedule. It worked in her favor, at least.
So she headed south, looking for anyone who looked like they were from the Corps.
At her usual speed, it took her only a couple hours until she reached a town that made the crow quiet and stop telling her to move south.
The town was on the larger side, bustling and busy in the late morning and more than a few gave her smiles and greetings as she walked through the main road. With her kasa and bag, she appeared to be nothing more than a traveling woman to them, her swords hidden under her haori.
She waved to a child who ran past as she glanced around. So far, no one looked like they stood out to her. No definite "that's a Pillar!" vibes from anyone just yet.
Musashi sighed as she contemplated where to look next. The town had a shrine, she could head there and send her crow with a message to tell the other Pillar that she was there. Maybe that would be the best course of action.
She hummed, waving to another townsperson and walking towards the town's shrine.
It was still a few hours until sundown, she could rest at the temple while she gave her thanks to Kannon-sama for guiding and protecting her.
Stretching as she walked up the shrine steps, she blinked, seeing a tall man with a scar around his forehead. He seemed to be waiting for someone, though his eyes were blank and Musashi knew instantly that the man was blind.
A green haori adorned his shoulders and red prayer beads were wrapped around his neck and hands. A black uniform—
Wait. A black uniform?
She blinked as she walked over.
"Morning!" she greeted and the man seemed to startle, turning his head over to her immediately and his sightless eyes widened a bit. There was a long silence and Musashi frowned.
Had she gotten it wrong after all?
"Are you—"
"You are—"
They both spoke at once, stopping as soon as they started and Musashi stared. There was a beat before she laughed, making the man frown a bit.
"Sorry, sorry!" she apologized, "You're Himejima, Gyoumei, right? Demon Slayer and, ah, Rock Pillar?" she asked and the man nodded.
"Yes," he said, "Meaning you are the new Pillar, Miyamoto, Musashi."
"That's me. You can just call me Musashi," she hummed, "Orders said that we're working together? Mind, telling me what's going on?" she asked and the man nodded.
"From what I can tell," he started, "There are three demons. They've been taking people from the shrine at night, and if there's no one to visit the Shrine at night, then they've been creeping to the outskirts of the town to take people. Upon entering the shrine, though, there is no one but the priests."
Musashi nodded, tilting her head back as she gazed up at the sky. "Have you heard any movement from inside the shrine?" she asked him and he blinked.
"Oh, sorry, was that too assuming?" she asked, frowning. "Just, I can see that you uh, can't?" she fumbled a bit, forcing an awkward laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck. The man seemed to stare down at her before his lips twitched upwards.
"It's alright," he said before he shifted, his sightless gaze moving back to the shrine. "To answer, no I haven't heard anything, but the priests have not reported anything unnatural."
She frowned again, tugging a bit at her bangs as she thought. "Hm… Himejima, how well can you detect lies?" she asked and he hummed.
"I like to believe that I can detect deception quite well," he said after a moment, "So I don't believe that the priests were lying."
She nodded, gazing at the shrine as she thought. "Then we wait for nightfall," she said after a moment, walking towards the shrine. "We still have a few hours, I'm gonna go give my respects and then take a nap somewhere."
(x)
Himejima had left Musashi alone for the most part, only asking her which deity she prayed to after she had finished at the shrine.
She didn't mind, Himejima seemed like he was the quieter type, after all.
She had explored the town and gotten a bit to eat before meeting back up at the shrine with Himejima. Apparently the man had spent the entire day up there, though hadn't been shooed away because people mistook him as a monk.
Somehow.
Musashi chose not to dwell on it as she stood in front of the haiden with Himejima nearby. The noise from the town slowly faded as night fell and a majority of the residents returned to their homes for the night.
She remained standing still, one hand holding onto Myoujingiri loosely as she listened. Himejima was also still, so still that she could barely hear his breathing.
Still, nothing out of the ordinary arrived as an hour passed.
Musashi had moved from the haiden and ended up perched on top of the torii gate, looking out over the town with a frown. Something was moving in the streets despite the late hours.
She squinted, taking note of the strange gait. It could just be a drunk, but if that was the case then someone had to make sure he got back to their home safely.
"Himejima! I'm going down to the town to look around again!" she called over her shoulder. Not hearing a response, she hopped from where she had been perched, heading down the stone steps.
She walked with a slight bounce in her step, heading through town t where she saw the strange individual. There were a few others out and about, but most were heading home and told her that she should think about finding a place to stay the night as well. She just smiled and told them that she planned on it.
Throughout all her interactions, though, she kept her senses alert. So far, no sign of demons and no noise was coming from the temple.
By the time the streets had cleared out fully, another hour had passed and Musashi was starting to wonder if the vanishings were just that— people leaving town without a word.
That was, until a loud noise at the shrine made her look up. She turned instantly, taking off towards the stone steps quickly. A few light sleepers were peering out their windows, startling as she ran past as she made it to the shrine's steps. She climbed them in leaps and bounds, reaching the top quickly and quickly took in the sight. Two demons were fighting with Himejima while the third was scrambling to its feet nearby.
She didn't waste any time, her kasa flying off as she lunched at the downed demon. It screeched as she planted her foot in its chest, sending it flying back again.
"Sorry I'm late!" she told Himejima, drawing Myoujingiri and another one of her swords. The large man just grunted, dodging a swipe from one of the demons before he grabbed something on the ground. Musashi swung her sword out, cutting through the arm of one as the third leaped into the fray again. The rattling of chains made her tense a bit before Himejima jerked his arm up and pulled on a chain that had been laying on the ground.
Musashi leaped up and out of the way as a spiked ball and axe were pulled up and towards the other Pillar. The axe was caught easily by the man as Musashi slashed the arms off of a second demon. She landed behind Himejima, grimacing as the two she had struck regrew their limbs.
There seemed to be a beat of still before the demons launched at her. She felt Himejima shift, the third one leaping at him before the two Slayers leaped away from each other. Her swords cleaved into the demons as she swung them, kicking one back with ease.
Scenarios ran through her mind as she dodged a swipe from one, slashing at the other's chest. She needed to take their heads off as fast as possible.
They attacked in mirrored movements, always relying on each other as they fought.
Slash. Block. Parry. Pass forwards. Slash again.
A deadly dance but in a spark of realization, Musashi tossed the second sword into the sky. Gripping Myoujingiri tightly in both hands, she swung upwards, cleanly slicing the first demon's head off. The second demon screeched, rushing at her and she leaped up, catching her other sword as she flipped back. She brought her swords together while she was still in the air in an 'x' shape before slashing them downwards— cutting cleanly through the demon as she landed.
Upon landing, she turned, seeing the demon fall into four pieces. She swung her sword through its neck in the next second and it joined its brother in crumbling to dust. Musashi glanced over to Himejima, watching as he pulled his axe back to him. The third demon had been dealt with easily.
The Rock Pillar hefted his weapons over his shoulder, silent as Musashi walked past him and picked her kasa back up. Cawing from above made them both glance up as two crows descended on them.
"CAW! CAW! ROCK PILLAR HIMEJIMA GYOMEI! VOID PILLAR MIYAMOTO MUSASHI! RETURN AND WAIT FOR FURTHER ORDERS, CAW!" the two birds both cawed and Musashi chuckled, placing the kasa back on her head and holding her arm out. Her crow landed on it, hopping up to her shoulder.
"Caw! Return to wait for further orders!" the bird cawed, though much softer as it settled on her shoulder.
"Yes, yes, we'll be heading that way," she told it, patting its head with two fingers. She glanced back at Himejima, humming. "Ready to go?"
"I have a few things I must attend to first," the Rock Pillar said after a moment, "Please go on without me."
The other crow seemed a bit huffy at that, flying in circles above them but she nodded.
"Suit yourself. Stay safe!" she told him before she headed down the shrine stairs, her swords sheathed at her sides.
"Oh, I wonder if Kocho will let me cook today…" she mused, petting the crow again. "And you need a name."
The crow just clicked its beak, nuzzling her cheek again.
So, Musashi's not going to be heavily affected by demons whose blood arts are nonphysical. Putting someone to sleep, for example, or putting them under hypnosis. This will play a larger role later in the story, but only for a certain arc. This is mainly because Demon Arts are sorta similar to magic in a way, and Musashi as a servant has magic resistance. As a human, Fuuma notes that Musashi just brushes off magical attacks without a problem, so that's what's going on here.
Translation notes:
Kannon-sama: Kannon is the Japanese name for the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, also known as Guanyin. She's the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion. Musashi apparently worships her, as she mentions her a number of times.
Haiden: The large, front building of a shrine. Usually the first building you see.
Torii: the red Shrine Gates everyone knows and loves
I'll try and do translation notes for new terms if I remember to. Fun fact, the original draft for this had Gyoumei finding Musashi, but then I changed it. Gyoumei and Musashi are still gonna be Buddhist Friends though and I have another role for Gyoumei to play instead. The chapter after next will actually have KnY Plotline in it. Obviously, large time skip because I personally think that ten chapters of Musashi going around and killing demons is a bit repetitive, so exposition and then content! Meeting the Pillars! Meeting Tanjirou! Yay! Shinazugawa might get smacked!