My Apologies for making everyone wait for so long. I was SUPER busy with moving and whatnot. I hope this chapter was worth it.

Also, for anyone interested, I got a p-a-t-r-e-o-n, so feel free to check it out if you're so inclined. Here's the link if anyone wants to check it out: h-t-t-p-s : / / w w w . p-a-t-r-e-o-n / g-o-b-b-l-e-g-u-m-2 (Remove the dashes and spaces)

Now, on with the chapter!

[Blood God - Part 3]

The sound of swords clashing against one another echoed throughout the snowy forest, emerald green eyes staring into ruby red ones as the two figures stopped moving. Dream gripped onto the hilt of his sword as he frowned, the light reflecting off of the netherite blade as he brought his center of gravity lower to the ground in a waiting position. On the other hand, Techno stood firmly, his upright posture unchanging as he put his sword on his shoulder.

Dream lunged forward, bringing his sword up and swinging it with might and passion. A blink of red light flashed in Technoblades eyes as he parried the attack with speed unmatched by anyone, ripping the sword out of Dream's hands, causing it to fling behind him and land in the snowy grass, a smirk coming across his face as Dream sighed.

"I have to say, that took longer than the last time we sparred. Two minutes, a new record, you should be proud," Technoblade complimented as Dream scoffed, standing upright as he looked up at the sky. The sun had only just barely begun to show itself, and yet, it felt like it had been the afternoon for three hours.

"Yeah, you say that, yet I still can't beat you. Every time I fight you, you seem to get better each time. What's the trick?" Dream questioned as Techno laughed, letting out a sigh as he took off his fluffy king's cape, throwing it at Dream, causing the Dream God to furrow his eyebrows.

"I'll tell you my secret when you beat me. But first, if you don't mind, could you give that to that Tanjiro kid. He's been freezing his butt off overnight. I think keeping him alive and without contracting hypothermia would be a good idea," Technoblade stated, crossing his arms as Dream rolled his eyes. The man grabbed his mask, putting it back over his face—a green glow came over him for a split second—before he turned around and made his way towards the cabin that Techno had built.

Dream had no idea why Technoblade was so enthralled with keeping the kids alive, but for whatever reason he might have, it must've been better than simply having other company around.

Inside the cabin, the Kamado siblings slept, the eldest boy still being strung up with rope after his attempted assault on Techno, and Dreams general distrust of the eldest Kamado boy. Don't get the green man wrong. He wasn't scared of the boy, but he couldn't be trusted, not yet.

Sitting down by the chest next to one of the beds, he brought out his netherite axe and began to clean its edge with his hoodie. It was a bit dirty due to it being recently lodged into Sam's head. He needed to make sure that the blade was clean. He also needed to make sure it wasn't damaged, at least not too damaged.

Judging by the way the sun was positioned when he last saw it, it would've had to have been somewhere around either five in the morning or just teetering on six in the morning. Usually, he'd be asleep on the floor of the prison, but then again, he never really slept in that crappy cell, so sleep was a luxury in that sense.

But now, he had a cabin, a bed, and a couple of prisoners. He wanted to see what made them tick, but Technoblade would most likely stop him from seeing what would break them. Then again, he also needed information about this continent, so he guessed he needed to keep them alive. For now, that was.

As Dream put his axe away, he could hear a groan off to his right, his masked eyes glancing over to the bed where the three younglings laid as the other one, Nezuko, sat up, stretching her arms out as Dream waved his hand at her, causing the girl to jump for a second before glaring at him.

"What do you want?" Nezuko asked, her tone suspicious as Dream shrugged.

"Nothing, honestly. I was cleaning my axe when you woke up. Don't suppose you could help Techno with hunting for some wild game?" Dream said, causing the girl to glare at him some more, making the green man raise his hands. "Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm not going to hurt your siblings." "Not unless they give me a reason to." The brown-haired man thought as the pre-teen crawled over her siblings and left the cabin without a word to the Dream God.

If there was one thing Dream didn't like about kids, especially girls, it was that they always had a stick up their ass all the time. The man glanced over to the little kids, who had snuggled up to one another, both holding each other, grimaces on both their faces as Dream couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness for them.

Dream may have been heartless, but children, young children, still had a soft spot in his empty chest cavity. He looked over at Tanjiro, then narrowed his eyes. Were those two the reason why the boy had attacked them? Did he fear that they were going to hurt them? Dream sighed, unsheathing his axe as he cut Tanjiro's binds as the boy snapped awake, his eyes widening with shock as Dream cursed mentally.

"Gah, h-huh, where am I-" as soon as the boy's dark red eyes made eye contact with Dream's mask, the boy glared. "YOU!" Tanjiro shouted, lunging for Dream as the man in question knocked the kid down, pinning him against the wall with his axe hilt, digging the blade of the axe into the wall, keeping the boy still as the boy glared at him.

"Calm down, kid. You need to stop jumping to conclusions. Deep breaths, slow, steady, got it?" As soon as Dream said that, the boy headbutted him, knocking Dream back as he grabbed his head. The kid had a sturdy skull; that much was for sure.

Tanjiro grabbed the axe that was lodged into the wall and held it, glaring at Dream as the man stood up. "You killed my family, I'll-"

"Oh for the love of sweet god above, if you don't put that axe down, kid, I'm going to make you wish that was the case," Dream interrupted, dragging his sword out from his inventory, then, he pointed it over to the bed, Tanjiro's eyes following it as his eyes widened.

"H-Hanako… Takeo…" Tanjiro muttered, his glare returning to Dream as he held the axe with two hands. "Don't you dare hurt them!" The black-haired boy hissed as Dream sighed.

"Kid, that is the last thing I want to do," Dream said, sheathing his weapon as Tanjiro raised an eyebrow. "Look, that pig guy, Technoblade, he's the guy who saved those two from dying, kid. We came across your house like that, your sister, Nezuko, I believe her name was, brought us there, er, well, we escorted her there, then we saw that bloody mess. After that, I don't know what Techno did, but those two are alive because of it," Dream explained as the boy dropped the axe.

"So… wait a second, I…."

"Overreacted, yeah, but it's understandable, seeing your family, dead, kinda drives a man to do things he wouldn't normally do. By the way, Technoblade and your sister have gone out hunting for some food. You, and by extension the remains of your family, are being supervised by us. I think Technoblade has a plan for you guys, I don't know what, but I bet it involves hunting down that monster who killed your family," Dream stated, crossing his arms as Tanjiro bowed, causing Dream to raise an eyebrow underneath his mask.

"I'm sorry for attacking you, Sir. Please, accept my apology!" Tanjiro shouted as Dream smirked. This kid amused him, which was a good thing. Brushing the kid off with a hand wave, Dream sighed, causing the boy to stand up straight.

"Nonsense, kid, you don't need to apologize. It's all good. Twas a mere misunderstanding, tis all," as Dream said that his expression turned sinister, a murderous aura filling the air, catching the teen off guard. "But if it ever happens again, I'll personally cut off your head and put it on a pike. Are we clear?" Dream said, causing the boy to nod as the aura disappeared, Dream returning back to his normal, casually flippant state.

"Great, now if you excuse me, I have a farm to start to produce. You watch your siblings. If they wake up, just give me a shout." And with that, Dream moved past him, Tanjiro turning around as he stared at the man's back and noticed nothing there. A part of Tanjiro wanted to ask how he sheathed his blade, but he just assumed it was in his clothing.

Tanjiro turned his attention to his younger siblings, relief in his heart that they were still alive. Indeed, if what that man had said was true, he, and by extension, the rest of his remaining family, were in his and that Technoblade person's debt for a long time.

However, Tanjiro felt a wave of anger in the back of his mind, unlike anything he had ever felt before. He wanted revenge on whoever killed his family, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop him from achieving said revenge.

Nezuko had to admit that Technoblade, despite his strange appearance, was a rather humble guy. Though he looked terrifying from a distance, up close, he was just a guy with pig-like legs. They had left the camp about an hour ago, and they had already gathered several rabbits and even a wild chicken. Technoblade even came prepared with a burlap sack, which he carried over his shoulder.

During their little hunting session, he slowly began to teach her how to wield a bow and arrow, which was fun, to say the least. It was actually how they were able to nab one of the rabbits and the chicken. A part of her felt prideful for doing it since it had been the first time she had hunted, ever.

"You know, you never answered my question about what you are, Technoblade-san," Nezuko spoke, causing Technoblade to glance at her as they walked.

"What do you mean, I told you, I'm a piglin. Isn't that explanation enough?" The warrior asked as Nezuko shook her head, though a slight smile found its way on her face.

"No, I mean, what's a piglin? Surely they're part of a species other than human, right?" Nezuko asked as Technoblade hummed. There was a moment of silence between the pair before Technoblade spoke again.

"Well. I mean, I guess, if I were to sum it up… a Piglin is a part of a subset of Demons. While they're more aggressive towards humans, Piglins are more… passive. If a human were to interact with them, they wouldn't be hostile, so long as you didn't have any golden possessions on you, aside from armour, that is. I'm… part of a royal bloodline of Piglins that exceed your normal piglin. Most piglins look more… well, pig-ish. I'm different because of the royal blood that flows through my veins."

As Technoblade finished his explanation, Nezuko was left awestruck. She was right to assume that he was a Demon the first time around, but he wasn't a violent Demon. But what made matters far more extraordinary was that he was royalty, kind of like the emperor.

"Ah, I see. But wait, does that mean…."

"If you're going to ask if piglins eat humans… the answer is yes. While we don't outright hunt them, you can't exactly just leave a corpse of someone who tried to attack you alone, can you? Piglins are still apex predators, far exceeding humans, so yes, if a human died, and I were given permission to, I'd eat that corpse and probably save more of it for later times."

At this, Nezuko felt conflicted. She supposed it made sense. She didn't know a lot about Demons. All she knew was that they were bloodthirsty, animalistic monsters who would attack would-be people and eat them. Technoblade was different, or so he said, which made things a bit better.

Suddenly, Technoblade came to a halt, putting his hand to his hip as he grabbed the hilt of his blade. Sounds of footsteps echoed on snow as Technoblade narrowed his eyes. With his free hand, he motioned Nezuko to get behind him, as she did, as Technoblade watched through the bushes as two people carrying katana's walked.

"I'm telling you, if that Hashira couldn't kill those Demons and had to retreat, we shouldn't be here, Sanji!" One of the people, a distinctly feminine look to the person as they spoke, their red Haori and black clothing underneath made them stand out in the winter wonderland.

"Hush, Chihiro, if we're going to kill these Demons, we need to sneak up on them while they sleep. If we could just find them, then we can cut their heads off and be done with it, we'd jump through the ranks faster than you or I could blink! Besides, I might still be learning my Water Breathing techniques and you your Flame Breathing techniques, but that doesn't mean we're weak. Plus, even a Hashira can get overwhelmed sometimes. Human error, you know?" The other swordsman said, his blue hair and grey eyes stood out the most, while his Haori was a deep yellow with a sprinkling of blue mixed in.

"Are they looking for you, Technoblade-san?" Nezuko whispered as Technoblade stood up straight.

"Well, let's find out," Technoblade stated loudly, catching the two swordsmen off guard as Technoblade walked through the bush, Nezuko staying behind the bush as he approached the two swordsmen.

Technoblade stood in front of the two swordsmen, his hand on the hilt of his blade as he stared. "So, what brings you two to my neck of the woods, eh?" Technoblade asked as Chihiro brought out her weapon and placed it between the two of them, Sanji doing the same.

"Back, Demon, or we'll kill you!" Sanji said as Technoblade mentally scoffed. He was in the middle of hunting when these two idiots came in the way, declaring themselves to be able to kill him and Dream. That was what he extrapolated from what they said, anyway.

"Sheesh, do you really think every Demon is hostile? Regardless, I don't want to cause trouble, so how about you leave, and we don't ever speak of this again. This is your only warning. If you ignore it, then…" suddenly, his eyes began to glow a dark red, and the same marking in his eyes appeared again as the other two stepped back. "I won't hold back," with his declaration, an aura of murderous intent exploded in the vicinity.

"Like hell, I'd listen to a demon! Water surface slash!" The boy took a deep breath before shouting at the top of his lungs the name of his attack, rushing at Technoblade. For his part, the piglin immediately unsheathed his sword, parrying it, knocking the boy to the side as he landed on his feet. "Chihiro, a little help here!" Sanji shouted as the other girl did the same thing.

Chihiro took in a deep breath before rushing forwards, closing the distance with Technoblade as she shouted the name of her attack. "Rising Scorching Sun!" Techno quickly caught the blade with his free hand, the blade sharp enough to cut through his skin, a fountain of blood covering Chihiro as Technoblade retaliated with a kick to her gut, knocking her back into a tree.

Techno was impressed. The skill these two kids had was something even Tommy lacked. Not to mention the speed of their attacks. They really were prepared to fight a demon, just not him.

"Chihiro—" before Sanji had the chance to react, he was grabbed by the neck, being hoisted off the ground by Technoblade before being slammed into the tree beside him. Sanji gagged and coughed, causing Technoblade to glare at him.

"What made you think, for even a moment, that you could waltz up in this forest, looking to kill my friend and me, eh? That's pretty cocky, don't'cha think?" Technoblade asked as Sanji smirked.

"Y-yeah, but t-that doesn't matter, you're outnumbered!" With a triumphant shout, Sanji smirked as Technoblade heard footsteps rushing behind him, and just before he was able to turn around…

"UNKNOWING FIRE!" As soon as Technoblade heard that, the feeling of a blade on the back of his neck surged as it slashed through his neck, stopping just before it could entirely cut his head off. Blood exploded from his wound as his eyes widened, pain surging through him only momentarily. The sound of a blade snapping echoed through the forest as a loud clanging sound filled the air. Skin and muscle began to regrow at unmeasurable speeds as Chihiro stepped away.

Sanji had a despair-filled look on his face, fear evident in his eyes as Technoblade glared at him. "N-No p-please I—"

Technoblade crushed Sanji's neck without a moment of hesitation, decapitating the boy as hot air blew out of his nose. The pigman turned around to see the girl look up at him in fear. Drawing his sword, and with a movement faster than anyone could see, using his netherite sword, Technoblade cut Chihiro's head off.

"I believe you meant to do that," Technoblade said to the now slumped-over corpse of Chihiro. Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. He was getting sloppy. He hadn't expected those two to overwhelm him like they did. The girl cutting his head off wouldn't have killed him, though it would've taken him a lot longer to regenerate and connect his head back to his neck.

Had he been back on the SMP, however, it would've been a completely different story. He looked at the two kids and scowled. Child soldiers. He hated those. They didn't deserve to die, but if he hadn't killed them, well, Dream would've been in danger, so would Tanjiro and those other kids. Taking the kid's swords, he flipped Chihiro over and moved her haori to look at the back of her uniform.

"Demon Slayer – Rank: Mizunoto. So, it's an organization, bastards. I'll rip them a new one," Technoblade spat, putting the blade that hadn't been broken into his inventory and the one that was back with the body of Chihiro. "You two both died valiant warriors. I'm sorry I was the one who cut you short…." Technoblade said, looking back at the bush he had walked out from, Nezuko looked at him with a tinge of fear in her eyes.

"Y-You… y-you killed them s-so easily. I-I—"

"I know, I… I didn't mean to kill them. I panicked." Technoblade lied, though it was partly sincere, he killed them because they were annoying him, and also, they posed a threat to their camp. So, instead of telling the young pre-teen that, he told her a half-truth. Letting out a forced sigh, he looked her in the eyes and spoke.

"But if I didn't, they would have attacked the camp and possibly injure your remaining family. I think since a whole organization is attacking us, we need to start training you guys now. Those techniques they were using, I'm going to do some research. Go back to the camp and tell Dream to put this away. I'm going to continue going until I get some answers to what those breathing techniques were," Technoblade stated, handing her the burlap sack as Nezuko swallowed her fear before nodding.

She swung the burlap sack over her shoulder and ran, leaving Technoblade all by himself. It was time to get some answers, starting with just what those techniques were and how he could make his own.

Two crows perched in front of the headquarters of The Demon Slayers, the first one to notice them being Shinobu Kocho. Her long black and purple hair with a butterfly-styled hair accessory was the first thing people saw when looking at her. Her haori was a brilliant white with a butterfly wing-esque pattern, as well as her traditional black Demon Slayer uniform.

The Insect Hashira had just returned from a meeting with the other Hashira's, discussing Giyu's encounter with the "so-called" Blood God Demon. To her, it was just another lower rank of Demon, outside of the Upper Moons. However, the two crows returning without their slayers attached to them gave her a sense of worry.

"Oh? What are you two doing here?" Shinobu asked, though not expecting a response. However, when one of the Kasuagi Crow spoke to her, she was caught off guard with what it had said.

"Chihiro and Sanji Tomodachi, Rank Mizunoto, have died in combat at Kumotori Mountain! Caw!"

To say Shinobu was disheartened was a bit of an understatement. She didn't know the two Slayers, but they risked their lives to kill a Demon, failed, and paid the consequences. She felt terrible, don't get her wrong, and their families would be informed that they passed away, but even still, she couldn't truly feel upset about their deaths.

"Oh… that's quite upsetting," Shinobu said, walking away from the crows, a downcast look on her face. Sometimes, it was hard for Shinobu to feel bad about the lower-tier Demon Slayers' deaths. Death was wrong, regardless of who it was, well, unless it was a Demon, of course, but the point still stood. So many Mizunoto died out in the field. It was outrageous. However, it couldn't be helped.

Demons were powerful. If you weren't quick on your feet, then you'd die faster than a person could blink if you fought one. The only way to kill a Demon was to cut its head off, specifically with a Nichirin Blade. Otherwise, killing the Demon would be impossible.

Currently, Shinobu was just about to head back to the Butterfly Mansion, when suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt someone slap her on the back, causing her to stagger for a moment.

"Ah, you gotta keep your wits about you, Kocho-san!" The unmistakable voice of Rengoku put her at ease as she turned to face the Flame Hashira. He was a tall, muscular man with bright, fire-red hair, and orange piercing eyes that would put fear in a Demon's heart.

"Thank you, Rengoku-san. However, please, not so hard next time?" Shinobu said as Rengoku smirked, giving her a thumbs up. Rengoku had just come back from a mission, exterminating a few Demon's who had taken refuge at an old abandoned cottage where a few children went missing. The mission was over in a few minutes, so it wasn't much of a challenge, which was a good thing.

As soon as the two met up, a voice clearing out their throat could be heard, snagging the pair's attention. Standing in front of them was one of the head's daughters—Hinaki Ubuyashiki—stood before them.

"Ah, one of Oyakata-sama's daughters, to what do I owe for this occasion?" Rengoku said, bowing, as the lilac eye-coloured girl giggled at his antics before motioning him to rise.

"Father wishes for the Hashira's to meet again. He has some important news to share with all of the Hashira. Be there at once," and with a simple command, and with the seriousness of the child's tone made the two Hashiras freeze before following the child to the front of the base. Upon reaching there, they were met with the rest of the Hashira's.

The Water Hashira—Giyu Tomioka.

The Love Hashira—Mitsuri Kanroji.

The Serpent Hashira—Obani Iguro.

The Wind Hashira—Sanemi Shinazugawa.

The Stone Hashira—Gyomi Himejima.

The Sound Hashira—Tengen Uzui.

And finally, the Mist Hashira—Muichiro Tokito.

Each Hashira knelt in front of their master as Rengoku and Shinobu joined them, entering a similar position. However, the lack of a smile on the master's face was something that unnerved them greatly. Specifically, it rattled Mitsuri, who had been worrying about their master's worsening condition over the last few weeks.

"I know that we have just finished a meeting and that I have already dismissed you all, my children. However, had it not been for one of my daughters reminding me of something important to share with you all, I would not have called you back."

As Kagaya started, the Hashira's looked at one another, confusion in their eyes as Kagaya let out a heavy sigh. "I had a vision the night prior, a vision of the headquarters in flames, bodies everywhere, and the Demon Slayer corp disbanded." The sudden statement caused a significant level of panic to rise in the Hashira, so much so that Mitsuri, who had already been anxious, jolted up from her spot.

"Oyakata-sama, please tell me you lived in your vision!" Mitsuri called out as she was sat back down by Uzui, who also had a worried expression on his face. Kagaya's head turned away from them, leading them all to feel a chill wash over them.

"I have no idea if anyone survives, nor do I know just how far away this event is from happening. However, what I do know, is that we must prepare for what is to come. For all we know, it could be Muzan who is leading the charge or rogue Demon Slayers. The fact of the matter remains, we will not go down without a fight. Prepare, train, find Muzan, do anything you possibly can. Do not, however, tell the lower ranks. We need as much firepower as we can get for the time being. Train your students, and make them the best Demon Slayers they can be. Meeting dismissed."

And with an air of uncertainty, the Hashira's left the HQ, returning to their respective places of teaching. A war was brewing, and nobody knew who the enemy was, nor did they know what said enemy was or when they were going to strike.

All that was for certain was that there would be a lot of blood spilt and graves dug.

-To Be Continued-

P-A-T-R-E-O-N-S

Weeze Freak