[On The Brink - Part 3]
Hanako stood at the edge of a village, an expression of confliction decorating her face as she stared meaningfully at the place she once called home. Small wooden buildings, all constructed by the residents of the town. Community-driven market places, a town hall for meetings with the elders, and a school for the children to learn.
There was a sense of nostalgia in the air, something that Hanako picked up on almost instantly. and yet, she had been here to destroy the town that had been so dear to her in the past.
Though no one would be able to tell that, as she had been dressed for the complete opposite of that very purpose.
Hanako wore a red Haori with pink dots decorating the outer portion of the Japanese-style jacket, while the inside was a solid shade of red. Underneath, she wore a simple pink V-neck shirt with a black belt hoisting up her white baggy pants. She wore her sister's old black Zori, with a golden blue necklace around her neck—something that used to belong to her mother.
The reason for why she was wearing this specific set of clothing was because Mukago wanted to match in terms of colours and overall theme, that theme, in particular, being: Cute on the outside, Evil on the inside. While Hanako didn't think she was evil, it was true that her Haori, and overall get-up, was cute.
However, the same could not be said for what it was she was about to do to the town she stood at the entrance of.
The town itself was a peaceful trading town, with a population of around 400 people. It was a place where people could thrive without having to stress about or fear wild animals, or hell, even monsters, coming to attack the children or pets of those who lived within its border.
It also didn't help that Sagiri mountain wasn't exactly the most populated place. What that meant was simple, everybody within the village knew who everybody was. What that also meant, was that everyone knew who the bad people were, who the monsters were, and who to trust.
And, ironically enough, Hanako Kamado was one of the people the town trusted the most. This was obvious, at least to the townsfolk. But why? Well, that answer was also simple. She and Nezuko were considered the beauties of the town, meaning that most people tried to set up arranged marriages with the pair, and also sought advice from them, since they were considered wise amongst the youth.
If there was something that the people of the town believed whole-heartedly, it was that if any of the Kamado's were to turn bad, the one's that were least likely to turn bad would be, in the opinion of the chief and the people, Hanako Kamado and Nezuko Kamado.
Hanako saw past the irony in that and scoffed. While the town had been stuck in a peaceful stupor, there was a saying that had rung through her mind ever since she agreed to attack and devour the people of her former hometown.
"Peace only lasts if the world wills it to. Every place has its time to fall, and for some, that time draws closer than others." That was what Mukago had told her when the newly turned Demon had started to feel doubts about attacking the town.
The saying wasn't exactly a bad one either. It made sense… if you were a sadistic monster or warmonger, and as far as Hanako was concerned, she was neither of those things.
But, if that was the case, then why did it make sense to her? Why did such an awful saying make sense to her if she was neither of those things? If she wasn't a monster, and if she wasn't a warmonger, then why did the saying, the phrase that dictated that all things, good or bad, had to come to an end, make any sense to her, even remotely?
Was it because she was a Demon now? No, she refused to believe that was the case. However, even if she wanted to disbelieve such an obvious fact, it was chilling to think that the once peaceful, loving, and caring Hanako Kamado, could become such a fearsome monster.
A monster that could understand that no matter how good a thing is, once it has outlived its purpose, it must be destroyed, killed, or otherwise left to die.
But, that was beside the point, at least, for now, it was.
To Hanako's left and her right, Mukago, Lower Moon Four, and Enmu, Lower Moon One, stood. Mukago took to her left, and Enmu took to her right. The two Demons in question had decided to escort her to the edge of the town. However, that wasn't the only reason why they came. They wanted to kill and eat the people there too, but only after Hanako had her fill.
And while their master, Technoblade, told them not to eat any humans so long as they were with him, they figured that they could explain to him why they had to.
While Enmu wasn't too keen on that idea, the idea that Hanako got the town to herself until she was full, Mukago had practically bullied him into making it happen. Despite what most people saw, on the inside, Enmu was a softie. It was why his Blood Demon Art was about forcing people to a state similar to that of sleep, sleep paralysis, instead of something more brutal like Rui's.
Although, there was something else that had stirred up a sense of confusion within the newly turned Demon. She felt a strange, nostalgic air around them. It was almost as if they had been here before. Hanako thought that it could have been that perhaps they had once lived here before they became Demons.
While it was a nice thought, it was probably, and most likely, untrue.
The more likely, and the more truthful reason was that the look of the town caused the two higher-ranking Demons to feel a sense of Nostalgia. It didn't help the fact that the two Demons were easily over a hundred years old. And considering the town hadn't seen much progression compared to Tokyo in easily over a hundred years made that fact more apparent, but she digressed.
It was drawing close to midnight, the time of which Demons, such as herself, came out to hunt. Hanako had already pre-warned her closest friends that a monster was on its way to destroy the village. The unfortunate truth was that they didn't know that the monster was her.
When they asked about the markings on her face, I.E. the red scars littering her upper forehead and cheeks, she simply said that they were makeup her mother put on her, which they believed.
But now, knowing full well that her friends were gone, it was time for the hunt. Mukago looked over to Hanako, a proud smile on her face.
It came off as motherly, though she knew it to be for a completely different reason. At least the sentiment was there. "So, are you ready for your first hunt?" The Fourth Lower Moon asked as Hanako nodded.
"Yes, Four-sama, I believe I am," Hanako said as Enmu chuckled.
"I see you've gained the respect of our newly turned Demon, Mukago-kouhai, good on you!" Enmu congratulated as Mukago smirked for a split second, though her expression shifted back to its more serious look afterward.
"Thank you, One-Sama," Mukago said as she shook her head. "Alright, we'll give you the first thirty minutes with this place by yourself. After that, One-Sama and I will be joining you to finish off any stragglers, m'kay?" Mukago explained as Hanako nodded.
An immense pressure hit her like a brick, and despite her brain telling her to stop and to go home, she knew that she had no choice. It was either get stronger and survive, or leave and die.
And the last thing that Hanako wanted was to die.
Taking in a deep breath, she let a wave of tranquillity fill her soul before breathing out. Exposing her claws, she got into a lunging position, and then, she pressed down on the floor, a crack appearing within the ground as she took off.
The two higher-tier Demons stared in confusion at the speed at which Hanako had left. Most Demons who were weak and starving didn't have the strength to run that fast, yet here Hanako was, averting expectations.
"Do you think anyone will be left with a show of power like that?" Mukago asked Enmu as the Demon in question hummed.
"It's possible. But, for all we know, there could be a few people left over or glanced over by her once her 30 minutes are up. Plus, with a population of nearly 400 people, I don't think Hanako-chan will get through them all. For now, we shall wait.
As soon as Hanako burst into the town, her first stop was at the school within the town. A part of her felt the warmness the school brought to her, however, she wasn't going to let it cloud her judgement. After all, Mukago said that all humans, aside from those you care about most, were food.
The reason why she decided to stop by the School was that she knew that a few of the students stayed overnight. Not many people went to school, aside from herself, no one else in her family did. Staying overnight at the school was commonplace, especially when you live in the forest, tucked away from society.
While it was usually only a handful of people and maybe one or two teachers, it would be easy pickings, and it might have been easier for her to do so without having an emotional breakdown.
The moment she entered the school, she was met with two children that she recognized walking down the wooden halls, both of whom looked tired. As soon as they saw her, they turned to face the Demon, smiles on their face as Hanako felt her heartbreak.
No.
Why them?
Why were they here?
The two kids were friends of hers. How could she have missed them! But… it didn't matter now. She was too late. The only safe exit was at the front of the village, and One-Sama and Four-Sama were there, and they wouldn't let anyone past them.
She screwed up.
And now they had to pay for it.
"Hanako-chan? You're here! We've missed you!" One of her former friends said, a smile on his face as the other tilted her head.
"Why do you look so different, Hanako-chan?" one of her former friends, the girl one, asked as Hanako clenched her fist.
"Stop, Stop it! Don't look at me like that!" Hanako thought as the girl raised her eyebrow.
"Hanako-chan? Are you… okay? Why are you crying?" the girl asked, her expression oozing innocence, an innocence she didn't want to see. As Hanako looked up at her, her cat-like eyes stared into her old friend's eyes.
And then, Hanako flashed her claws. "Don't look at me like I'm your friend! I… I'm going to kill you! Why can't you not see that!" Hanako thought as she shook the tears out of her eyes. No more crying. No more excuses. She had a job to do. She had to survive.
She had to kill them.
"I'm sorry, Tatsuba… please, forgive me for what I am about to do," Hanako said as Tatsuba's eyes went wide. In that split second, her head had been plucked off her shoulders.
It was at that moment that the boy, Matsuda, went to scream, only for his lungs to be ripped out within the same second of Tatsuba's head being sliced clean off of her neck. Within that second of killing her two friends, she could feel her animalistic instincts kick in as she began to eat the now corpses of the pair she once called friends.
Her teeth bit into the flesh of Tatsuba, pulling her head back as it came right off the muscle. Blood coated her teeth as she tore apart the skin within seconds. She continued to rip into the muscle, eating the raw meat as if it were the first thing she had eaten in years.
By the time she was done, nearly half of her head and been picked clean off of the bone, as she occasionally ripped chunks of meat off of Matsuda's chest and lungs.
And all of this took place in seven to eight seconds. But how? How was that even possible? Well, the answer was quite simple. It all came down to how Demon Biology worked, compared to that of a human.
The teeth that a Demon had were akin to that of a great white shark, allowing it to shred through the skin, muscle, and even bones easily. This was because of the fact that Demons, such as Hanako, only had a limited amount of time in the night to eat before needing to hide in a cave.
Having a super-fast metabolism, paired with a super-fast way of shredding through food, made it easier for a Demon to rack up kills and survive through the day without having any issues.
However, even though she was fast at eating, that didn't mean she had a lot of time with the pair. She might have had a few more seconds, maybe a minute more if she was lucky. But that was all she needed.
As she worked her way through a decent portion of her first-ever kills, a teacher that had been staying overnight to monitor the student's activity had walked into the foyer and caught her red-handed, literally.
Hanako shot a glare at him, his mortified expression saying it all as blood dripped from her mouth. A portion of Matsuda's chest had been completely devoured, as well as one of his arms, leaving mostly bones.
Tatsuda's head was nothing but a skull, and her neck and shoulders had been eaten almost in their entirety, give or take a few bits of muscle remaining.
The teacher pointed at her, taking a step back as he shouted to the heavens. "M-Monster! Everyone, HIDE!" The teacher cried out, but it was already too late, as Hanako stabbed her claws into the teacher's neck, piercing through his vocal cords as Hanako bit down on his cheek, tearing the flesh off of his face.
Blood caked the walls as she ripped out any organs she could get her hands on and, without any hesitation, ate them. When she was finished, Hanako wiped her mouth from all the blood and viscera that had splashed on her face. After she was done, she sighed, taking in a few deep breaths before looking down at what she had done.
Looking down at what she had done, she shifted in place, letting out one last breath of air before turning her attention to one of the halls. There was still so much more to do, with so little time to do it.
And with that little thought in mind, she got off of the teacher's body and charged down one of the halls, hoping, praying that she didn't find anyone else, and if she did, she prayed that it at least it be someone she didn't know.
As she ran, she tore open doors, ravaged the classrooms within to search for people, then left the room when she turned up empty-handed. She continued to do this to every single room, each one of them containing nothing but desks and chairs within its walls.
However, as she made her way through the school, there was one last hallway she had yet to check, and it was there where she could smell something. With her mind now set on whatever that smell was, she tore down the hallway and wasted no time in tearing apart any door she came across, ripped apart the rooms past those doors, yet still coming up empty-handed as a result.
Even after checking almost every room, she still had nothing to show for it. But even if that were the case, there was still, One. More. Door.
At the end of the hallway, there stood a lone door. The scent was stronger than ever before, and so, as the smell of fear and dread filled her nostrils, she gripped the handle and proceeded to tear the door off of its rails. Within the classroom, a group of four little children sat huddled together, big, teary eyes looking up at her manic cat-like iris'.
With her teeth bared, and her claws sharpened, the children within the room screamed.
But it was all for naught.
The caring, gentle, and sweet Hanako had been thrown to the wind. It had been replaced by an animalistic Demon, driven to kill and eat any human it saw as a potential meal. And so, with that mindset replacing the rational, human side of her, Hanako lunged forward and tore them all apart, feasting on their bodies, dead or alive.
If there was one thing that would forever haunt her dreams, it would be the screams of the children filling her ears as she devoured them.
It didn't take her long to finish up within the classroom, wiping the blood from her mouth. She could no longer smell anyone else within the school, and so, she left. Driven by primal instinct, she jumped from house to house, killing and eating anyone on sight.
It was ruthless.
It was merciless.
It was senseless.
But it was necessary.
After fifteen minutes passed, nearly a quarter of all of the humans within the village had been partially eaten or outright devoured.
And not once did she feel full in the slightest.
However, as she stopped to catch her breath, a gunshot echoed out into the streets. The Demon, not bothered by the nuisance stood still and inspected herself. A bullet had passed straight through the center of her chest. Hanako stuck her finger within the hole and inspected the dark-coloured blood before licking it off her finger.
She turned around and came face to face with the perpetrator. A woman stood still, her blond hair frazzled, her cerulean eyes manic, and her hands and body shaking. She looked around to be no older than 17, and yet, she had been the one to shoot her. The evidence was right within the palms of her hands, that being the revolver, the barrel smoking as the woman slowly lowered it.
The woman now only had one question to ask what she saw as an unkillable beast who took the shape of the beautiful girl she knew to be Hanako Kamado. To the woman, the Demon looked to be an imposter, a shapeshifting being that took the form of the girl the town loved, as, in the woman's mind, she refused to believe that Hanako was standing in front of her, the blood of the innocent soaking her fingers and mouth. And with that in mind, she screamed out the question that had been on all of the minds the monster had killed. "WHY!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"
The woman's words were filled with passion, conviction, but also fear. A part of Hanako, the human side of her, wanted to answer, but the Demon side refused to let her. After all, it was feeding time. The Demon had no reason to answer the woman's questions, the only thing it wanted to hear was the gurgling of the woman's blood as it cut her throat.
But even still, the Demon part of her had been curious. It may not have had the ability to speak, but it could think. And its thoughts were interesting, to say the very least.
Why didn't anyone understand? It wasn't like Hanako wanted to do this, she had to do it. Otherwise, she would die. It was part of her survival. Yet, despite her animalistic instincts filling her mind, the human side of her screamed out and called the woman stupid for not running away.
"I… am… sorry…" Hanako managed to croak out before dashing past the woman, taking her place behind her. The Demon's index finger was pointed outwards as a small slash mark appeared over the woman's neck.
It took a single second for the woman to realize what had happened. A gasp escaped the woman's lips as her head fell off of her shoulders, the woman's body collapsing instantly as Hanako lowered her finger, then her hand.
She could feel a surge of power flow through her bloodstream. Her stomach no longer cried for food, rather, it craved blood. Hanako didn't know why her stomach now craved blood, but she would have to ask Mukago that after everything was done.
As she glanced behind her and over to the woman, she could feel her more human instincts shine through, when, suddenly….
"FIRST FORM: WATER SURFACE SLASH!"
Hanako only had a split second to dodge, jumping back and away from the attack as a man stood in front of her, his weapon drawn, a serious expression on his face as Hanako snarled, her demonic instincts taking over at full.
The man wore a split Haori, one side red, the other side yellow and green. His hair had been black and messy, and his eyes were a sharp blue. He wore baggy pants with a pair of white Zori. Underneath his Haori, he wore a black top, matching his baggy pants in colour.
Rage. That was all she could feel. She had let her guard down, and someone attacked her again. The difference, however, was that the man before her had a sword, and not a cheap gun like that last woman did.
"I'm glad I stayed behind. I heard rumours of another demon stalking the forests, I just didn't think it would be so young," the man spoke. His tone was filled with a tinge of anger and spite, though it was reigned in, almost practiced, and it was that which caused Hanako to narrow her eyes in disgust.
From what Mukago had told her, it was cowardly to attack from behind, or when an enemy had their guard down. It was also an insult, so, with rage in her voice, she growled out the only thing she could use as a response to such a cowardly tactic.
"You. How dare you!" Hanako growled, flexing her claws as the man closed the distance, no words spoken at all, only another attack.
With the same straight shot as last time, the man came close to striking her neck, only for Hanako to bend backwards, narrowly dodging the blade. She took this opportunity to recoil her arms back and do a backflip. Her legs smashed into the boy's chest, knocking him back some as she became airborne. As she floated in the air for a split second, she began to spin in the air, afterward, she landed back on the ground directly on her feet, taking a low stance.
She breathed heavily, surprised at her acrobatic skills as she stared the man down. The power that had flowed through her veins slowly started to fade away as her eyes widened. She took a step back as her mind raced, why, why now?! Why was she losing all of that power that she had just gained from eating those people! The man, after he had finished recovering from the blow, saw The Demon in their staggered and confused state and took his chance.
"FIRST FORM: WATER SURFACE SLASH!" The man thought, dashing forward, however, The Demon had been aware enough to dodge once more, sidestepping the strike meant for her neck as the Demon stared at him with wide eyes.
However, the man gave her no reprise, curving his blade in an arc as he went to cut her neck again, this time seeing it to be an easy kill.
"SECOND FORM: WATER WHEEL!"
The sword's edge came far too close for Hanako's liking. Almost as if it had been instinctive, she reached her arm out, and suddenly, everything began to slow down within her mind.
Panic filled her senses as the blade inched closer. It started to slowly cut into the base of her neck, pain surging throughout her body as she felt the urge to scream force itself through her mind.
She was going to die!
She didn't want to die!
If she died, then who would tell Nezuko that she died at the hands of some man with a sword?!
She refused to die here!
"NO!" As soon as she screamed that out, a wave of red smoke poured out of her fingertips. The man paused for a half-second, and then, the gas erupted into an explosion, the likes of which would've been enough to rip through the pavement.
The man removed his blade as he jumped back as far as he could, the wind pressure knocking him back as Hanako looked surprised. Immediately, she grabbed the part of her neck that had been cut, blood leaking down to her shoulder as the wound began to close.
However, that wasn't what was on her mind. The pain she had felt from the initial cut had now long since subsided, and now, all she felt was confusion.
"What… what was that…?" Hanako thought as then, without warning, the same voice from when she had been inside that room with her comatose brother spoke to her once again.
"Ah, it would seem as if you unlocked your Blood Demon Art, specifically, my Blood Demon Art! Since I did give you my blood, it only makes sense that we share one," A voice in her head spoke as Hanako blinked. "Stay focused, that guy over there, the one you just blew away? Yeah, him, he's a Hashira, meaning he is WAY out of your league, so it would be best if you wait for me to get there. I shouldn't take long, I'm close by, so, yeah, see you in a bit!" Then, without warning, the voice cut out, and Hanako was left with this so-called "Hashira."
Speaking of which, the Hashira got up from the blast, glaring at her. Without saying a word, the Hashira dashed forward, closing the distance between him and Hanako, and as soon as he did…
"FOURTH FORM: STRIKING TIDE!"
A multitude of slashes hit Hanako all at once, blood spewing from the wounds like a fountain as a pained expression filled her face. With the final slash, a deep cut now dawned itself across her face as she stumbled backward. Tripping over her own feet, she hit the floor. As soon as she did, she looked up at the Hashira, blood pooling down around her as she scrambled backwards in a vain attempt to get up.
"P-Please I—"
"Silence, Demon," the man started. "Do you surrender?" The man asked as Hanako grit her teeth. Where was Four-sama or One-sama? Why haven't they come yet? Did they know about this? Did they flee? Were they watching her? What was going on!
The Hashira's eyes were cold, and he seemed to be getting impatient. "I'll ask only one more time, do you surrender?" The Hashiara asked as Hanako placed her palm on the floor. She didn't know what to do. She was scared, she was confused. She vaguely remembered what had happened.
She was told to go kill some humans to get more powerful, as said to her by Four-Sama, then, after she killed Matsuda, she blanked out, only waking up when that voice spoke to her. All she knew was that she killed nearly 100 people by the time fifteen minutes had been up, and it made her feel disgusting.
"I…I…" Hanako paused, and then, her eyes narrowed. A figure stood in the darkness of an alleyway just behind both her and the Hashira. As soon as her eyes met with another pair of blood-red ones, the same red smoke she had created started coming from the alleyway, then, out of nowhere, the same voice that spoke in her mind echoed out into the main street, uttering a chilling phrase.
"Combusting Vengeance."
As soon as The Hashira heard that, a massive explosion ripped through the street and to the man, who only barely dodged out of the way by jumping upwards. While he was in mid-air, Hanako grabbed his leg, catching the man off guard as she jumped just underneath him. Then, with an angered expression dawning her face, she threw him into a nearby window, sending him flying into a family's home.
The family within gasped as one of the children screamed. They had already known about something running around and killing things, seeing as screams had been echoing out into the night for the past ten minutes, only recently followed by a set of explosions.
"W-Who are you?" The mother of the family asked the Hashira, who simply sat up, glaring out the window. He had blood streaming down from his forehead, along with a few cuts and other surface wounds, but nothing life-threatening.
He hadn't expected there to be two Demons out in the town tonight, meaning that the situation just got worse. Did the Demon he had been fighting somehow call for backup? Or had that other Demon, with a similar Blood Art, might he add, been there since the beginning, and had been waiting for a chance to strike?
Whatever the answer had been, Giyuu didn't have it. All he was focused on now was slaying the two Demons, and reporting back to the headquarters. He glanced over to the two civilians and spoke in a careful, calm tone.
"You need to get to safety. Be quick about it, you don't have much time left," and with that, Giyuu attempted to leave, only for his leg to refuse to work due to the pain it had been dealing with.
"Damnit," the man thought, taking a deep breath as he activated Total Concentration Breathing. So long as he did that, it would be easier for him to walk. However, he had to wait a few seconds, and by that time, the Demon he had been focusing his attacks on would've already healed, and most likely would come to finish him off.
He just had to hope he could get the feeling back into his leg before the Demon had the chance to realize what was going on.
Meanwhile, outside of the house, Hanako landed on the ground, her legs nearly giving out on her as her wounds healed. If she were to be honest with herself, the only reason why that worked out as well as it did, was that what had been done was only a reflex. And thankfully, it worked out and allowed her the chance to get rid of the Hashira for the time being.
As the final wounds healed themselves, she stood up to her full height, clasping her forehead. She felt exhausted. Losing that much blood, while also using whatever energy she had stored up over the course of the past day had been almost entirely used up for this whole fight with that annoying swordsman.
Thankfully, however, he was out of the way now. But, that didn't mean everything was over, yet.
"Nice combo, newbie!" It was the strange-sounding voice again, but this time it was coming from the alleyway. Hanako looked over to the direction of where the voice came from, and when she did, a man wearing a brown trench-coat, white shirt with a tear in the chest, black pants with ripped knees, and some sort of strange hat stepped out.
His skin was pale white, his hair was brown and messy, and he had the same red scars as she did over his face. He wore black fingerless gloves on his hands and ankle-sized boots. In his right eye were the words Upper Moon, and in his left eye, the number Six.
It was at that point that Hanako felt her heart race. She had only met two of the Lower Moons, Four and One, and now she was meeting with an Upper Moon, who were supposedly more stronger than any of the Lower Moons combined, at least according to Four-Sama.
"What's next, I'm going to meet the leader of the Demons?! I'm not ready for that, hell, I'm not ready for this right now!" Hanako thought as the Upper Moon, almost as if he could read her thoughts, chuckled.
"Hey now, no need to freak out! Besides, I can feel other Demons nearby, speaking of which, if they don't come out, I'll gut them like pigs for leaving my pupil to die." It was at that point when Mukago and Enmu walked out from the shadows, Mukago's face full of fear, while Enmu stared with restrained confusion.
"Upper Moon Six-sama… We—"
"Spare me your petty words, explain to me why you—Hanako LOOK OUT!" Upper Moon Six shouted as Hanako turned around. The Hashira, who had jumped out of the window, came charging for her, his blade out, with its destination being her neck. His face displayed a calm, yet anger-filled expression as his sword came inches away from her neck. Hanako looked like she was about to scream, when suddenly—
"Sleep."
And then, just like that, The Hashira came crashing to the floor, groaning. Enmu stood over top of the Hashira, a sadistic smirk on his face as he chuckled. "My Blood Demon Art shuts down specific parts on a person's body, specifically the muscles, allowing for easier kills. It takes a lot of energy to shut down an entire body like this, so, you should feel lucky that you get this experience, Demon Slayer," Enmu explained as Upper Moon Six smirked.
"An interesting power indeed. However, you still haven't explained why you didn't help out my pupil earlier when she clearly needed help. And don't bullshit me with the "we were too far away," excuse either, or else I'll devour you right here, and right now," Upper Moon Six spat as Enmu cleared his throat, his expression now switching from confused and cocky, to alarm and worry.
"Ah, yes, about that. We were on our way to do so, however, you got here before we could," Enmu started as Upper Moon Six glared at Enmu, the Lower Moon scrambling with his words until he figured out what to say next. "U-Uh, um… we heard her scream out 'NO' in a dramatic fashion, which caught us on to what was happening. We were about to step in, till of course, you showed up," Enmu explained as Upper Moon Six huffed, dissatisfied, but also content with the explanation, even if it was stupid.
"You better be telling the truth, or I'm going to kill you myself, got it?" Upper Moon Six spat, causing Lower Moon One to look away in shame.
"Ugh…" The Hashira groaned, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him. Hanako was still amazed by what Enmu had done, however, a part of her refused to believe his explanation. Despite that, however, it was clear to all of the Demons present that they had won, and it was at that realization that caused Upper Moon Six to smirk.
"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in. A Hashira? How long have you been here?" Upper Moon Six taunted as The Demon Slayer looked up in confusion.
"An… Upper… Moon?" Giyuu asked, his expression shifting into one of fear as the aforementioned Demon chuckled.
"In the flesh! Now, right about, oh, I don't know, a few seconds ago, I would've killed you, but I have this gut feeling that if I do, I'll piss off someone I know is here. Well, maybe not in this town, but somewhere nearby it, about a ways away up that mountain if I were to guess. I can sense him all the way up there, and I believe he's with the Former Water Hashira as well," The Demon explained as the Hashira with the split haori's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"No offence, Upper Moon Six-Sama, but… shouldn't we just devour him?" Mukago asked as the Demon shook his head.
"Not unless you want to piss off him. If you catch my drift? I know you two now work for an old friend of mine, and chances are he needs this Hashira for something. So, Lower Moon One, release the Hashira from his ethereal binds, will you?" Upper Moon Six asked as Enmu snapped his fingers, allowing the Hashira to move once more.
Upper Moon Six picked the boy up by the back of his Haori and sneered. "Now, you listen to me, boy. I don't care if you hate my guts, the fact that I've let you live is not only a sin on my behalf, but it is also a great honour. So, this is how things will go. You climb up that mountain to meet with your former teacher. However, if you so much as speak a word to anyone else as to what happened in the village, well, I'll have you know that my Blood Demon Art is more than just a red cloud that can be ignited to create explosions, got it?" Upper Moon Six threatened, throwing the boy to the floor as he got up almost seconds after he hit the ground.
"Besides, it's a four against one. Four extremelypowerful Demons against one Hashira who is injured after getting thrown around like a ragdoll. Believe me, when I tell you that you wouldn't survive, I'm underestimatingwhat would happen. So think of this as me sparing you from a fate much worse than death, m'kay?" Upper Moon Six stated as The Hashira regarded him coldly before sheathing his blade and running off.
Despite the fact that he felt like utter garbage for letting a town die, Giyuu Tomioka knew far too well that Upper Moon Six was referring to being turned into a Demon. He'd rather be forced to commit seppuku for his crimes than being turned into a disgusting creature.
Hanako looked up at Upper Moon Six with sparkles in her eyes, and it was at that point that she knew… he needed to teach her how to use their shared power.
"U-Uh… Upper Moon Six-san?" Hanako spoke, only just realizing she forgot to refer to him with the "Sama" prefix. She went to correct herself, only for Upper Moon Six to put a finger on her lips, catching her off guard.
"It's okay, I'm not mad that you didn't call me "Upper Moon Six-Sama," it doesn't matter. Now, what is it that you wanted, Hanako-chan?" The Demon asked, putting his hands behind his back as Hanako blushed from the way the Demon had acted towards her.
On the other side of things, the other two Demons were shocked, especially Mukago. Why wasn't he scolding her for speaking his name so casually?
"Uh… can you teach me how to use… the Blood Demon Art that we share…?" Hanako asked as Upper Moon Six smiled.
"Of course! You're my Pupil! Why else do you think I came here! Though, I can't exactly go back with you. So, here's what I'll do. I have a few friends who can teach you how to fight, one of them being extremely good at it, and in the meantime, I'll tell you everything I know about my Blood Demon Art, 'kay?" Upper Moon Six stated as Hanako's eyes gleamed in the moonlight as she nodded frantically. "Oh, and one last thing, just refer to me as Wilbur-Sensei, but my other friends, you have to refer to them by their title, then add the Sama prefix at the end, okay?" Wilbur said as Hanako nodded.
It was at this point when Enmu felt an innate sense of concern for Hanako. It was clear what Upper Moon Six meant, and it was also obvious what Upper Moon Six was trying to do. He was trying to get Hanako to either become an Upper Moon or, try and become something similar to that of Daki and Gyutaro.
And he was going to do so by having the rest of the Upper Moons train her, along with himself. Of course, he did not comment on it, but, if he was right, the amount of training and devouring that Hanako would have to do would be insanely difficult for her.
Every Demon had their limits. For example, Lower Moon Six, Kyogai, could only eat one or two humans a day before his stomach had a bad reaction to human flesh. He didn't know what Hanako's limits were when it came to devouring humans, or if she even had a limit, but he was still concerned.
"Wait a second, uh… Upper Moon Six-sama, we were in the middle of devouring this village. It would be an honour if you joined us, but I can understand if you're busy," Mukago said as Wilbur smirked.
"And miss the chance to eat, you gotta be kidding me. I'll join you guys in a heartbeat. Let's finish up this place, then we'll part ways," Wilbur said, his tone as casual as possible as Mukago and Enmu bowed.
"Thank you, Upper Moon Six-sama," the pair said at the same time as Wilbur snickered. People, acting formal to him, now that was a joke and a half, but he couldn't exactly say he hated it.
But now, a question lingered in the air, especially one for Enmu, and while it would go unanswered, he still wanted to ask Upper Moon Six…
How did he know about Technoblade's meeting with Urokadaki Sakonji?
-To Be Continued
Wow, this was… lowkey, the longest chapter I think I've ever written for this fanfic. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it does fit, considering this was a battle chapter, even if the fight itself was extremely one-sided, and also meant as a way to further develop Hanako and her relation as a Demon.
Now, onto the big thing, Wilbur, and his added screen time within this chapter and in the last one. If you've been reading this periodically, according to my upload schedule, you would've noticed that Wilbur had only one fight and one extra interaction with Muzan.
This arc is going to fix that. Also, as for the question raised at the end of the chapter, the next chapter will explain that in its first half, then, well will move on to what Dream, The other Lower Moons, and Nezuko are up to.
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Peace!