Opening: Paper Moon by Tommy Heavenly6 (ROMIX Cover)

Several days had passed since Tanjiro uncovered the Blue Spider Lily for Tamayo to utilize as a cure for Nezuko. As a result, she had taken them back to her new hideout after her last one was destroyed by Muzan's minions a long time ago. The hideout was obscured by an illusion that made the building blend in with the environment due to Yushiro's blood demon art. She remained hidden inside of a forest far away from the Butterfly Mansion. Tanjiro, Kanao, and Nezuko had stayed there and aided Tamayo with creating the cure. Tanjiro had already informed Zenitsu and Inosuke of the good news and requested that they come to the building to watch the moment Nezuko was cured.

Once the two boys arrived,Tanjiro left the building to guide his two friends inside. Upon entering, the two boys were greeted by the sight of the brightly lit laboratory where Tamayo was creating her cure for demons. There were various bookshelves and chemical racks carefully sorted across the room for the woman to select her resources from. It was not at all what Zenitsu and Inosuke were expecting for a hideout for a demon doctor. Zenitsu stopped paying attention to the room once he saw Nezuko and nervously waved towards her to which she excitedly waved back. This put Zenitsu at ease as he wasn't sure how their relationship would be after the girl had rejected him before. Zenitsu carefully approached the girl as he asked her, "So, Nezuko, are you excited to go back to being human…?"

Nezuko excitedly nodded in response, turning her attention to Tamayo and Yushiro who were busy crafting the cure nearby. Inosuke had his arms crossed as he was suspicious of Tamayo and asked Tanjiro, "So, you're telling me that we can trust these two demons?"

Tanjiro responded quickly, "Ofcourse. They've risked their lives for us before. I have no problem trusting them."

Yushiro overheard the conversation and looked towards Inosuke with irritation plastered on his face as he mocked, "If you have a problem with us, boar-face, the door's right there. You're free to leave any time." Inosuke felt provoked as he stomped forwards and rotated his arm in anticipation for a fight as the boy asked:

"Is that a threat, little boy? I'll slice you to bits!" Tanjiro stepped in front of Inosuke, begging him to calm down as Yushiro dismissively made a "tch" sound and returned his attention back to Tamayo.

As Tanjiro held Inosuke back, Zenitsu called out to Nezuko who was next to him and explained, "Hey, Nezuko.. I thought about what you told me before about you being a demon and I just wanted to say that it's okay. I accept you no matter what you are, demon or not. I know you're terrified of hurting other people but know that no matter what you do, I'll still cherish you for who you are, flaws included." There was a pause before Zenitsu's face became tomato red as he immediately apologized, "I mean- it's not like you have any flaws because you're perfect! I was just saying-" He stopped once he saw Nezuko reach behind her head to untie her muzzle to release her jaw.

She smiled towards Zenitsu as she told him, "Thank you, Zenitsu. I suppose I shouldn't worry anymore after this because I'm going to be cured soon. After that, would you like to go on a date afterwards?" Zenitsu froze like a statue upon hearing those words leave Nezuko's mouth. His heartbeat sped up rapidly and his entire body turned red from excitement and embarrassment. The boy jumped with joy as he responded:

"Yes! Yes, of course I'll do it! Anything for you Nezuko~!"

Tanjiro walked up to Zenitsu and nudged his elbow into the boy's arm as he teased, "Careful, Zenitsu, I'll be watching you. You better not do anything to hurt my sister, okay?"

Zenitsu whipped around and pointed towards Tanjiro as he exclaimed, "See! I knew you were an overprotective older brother!" The group chuckled at Zenitsu's comment and patiently waited for Tamayo to finish the cure. Yushiro was disgusted by the events unfolding near him. He was partially jealous as he wished he could have such a relationship with Tamayo, the woman he loved, because she saved him years ago.

Some time passed by the time Tamayo was done, she turned towards Nezuko and asked the girl to come close so she could apply the medicine. Tamayo had poured the new cure she created into a glass bottle for Nezuko to drink. Tamayo warned the girl to drink it carefully but Nezuko's excitement overwhelmed her as she downed the drink as fast as she could. Tanjiro, Inosuke, Zenitsu, and Kanao stood around the girl, their bodies tense as they waited for the results to show.

Nezuko's pale skin started to regain its original color as her sharp nails shortened and her fangs retreated. The entire room felt warmer for Nezuko now that she was regaining her body's natural body heat as he commented, "I feel really warm, I think it's working!" Tanjiro teared up at the sight of his younger sister returning to normal. She looked exactly how she used to years ago as he rushed over and embraced her. Zenitsu hugged Nezuko as everyone celebrated the success of Tamayo's cure. Tamayo let out a sigh of relief as her hours of intense labor finally paid off and she can now focus on reproducing more of it.

Anakin's dark deeds by John Williams

However, their celebration was short-lived as Tanjiro detected a hideous odor approaching the building, compelling him to back away from Nezuko so he could protect her. Nezuko looked to her brother in surprise as he drew his blade and pointed it towards the entrance of the building. Inosuke's heightened senses alerted him to an incoming threat as well and Zenitsu's enhanced hearing was able to pick up the sound of heavy and rapid footsteps approaching the door. Tamayo got up and asked the boys, "What's wrong?" The boys had their blades drawn at this point and assumed a fighting stance as Tanjiro explained:

"Something dangerous is coming towards us…!" Tanjiro began to sweat profusely, understanding right away the possible threat he was about to deal with. The distinct smell of Immoran metal is etched into Tanjiro's mind and he could recognize it immediately. If this threat was anything like the Super Doom Hunter, none of them stood a chance. They heard the heavy footsteps stop at the door and there was a brief moment of silence before the walls to the building were obliterated in a single strike. The light of the outside world leaked into the room, causing Tamayo and Yushiro to retreat into the shadows and observe from the sidelines as everyone focused on the entity that stepped into the room, bathed in the light of the sun. None of them had ever seen a creature quite like this before as they were all taken aback by its large stature.

The Cultist Marauder ignited the argent blades of his axe as he dragged it across the floor, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter as he threatened, "Surrender the Blue Spider Lily and I may let you live."

Inosuke barked as loud as he could towards the Marauder, "LET'S GO, BOZO!" before charging towards him. Tanjiro reached out to the boy, shouting for Inosuke to stay back but it was too late as the boy was grabbed by the throat by the Marauder and quickly tossed aside like a piece of trash.

Zenitsu was wide-eyed with shock as he observed the fear in Nezuko's eyes and declared for everyone to hear, "I'll protect you, Nezuko!" before zooming towards the Marauder at blinding speeds. Unfortunately, he was too slow as the demon nonchalantly grabbed Zenitsu's sword, moving it so the demon's wrist was pointed at Zenitsu before two cables shot directly into the boy's chest and injected him with electricity until he passed out. The demon took slow and methodical steps towards the other side of the room where Tanjiro remained still and fought his fear by using the adrenaline flowing through him to grip his sword tightly.

Tamayo questioned as she placed herself in front of the Blue Spider Lily to obscure it, "Did Muzan send you?!"

The Marauder simply responded, "I serve Argent D'nur."

Tanjiro raised his eyebrows as he took in the Marauder's appearance. He began recalling the story that the Slayer told him. He drew his attention to the argent axe, the specific details of the Marauder's armor, the Slayer's Super Shotgun swinging from his hip, and the twin pair of horns protruding from his forehead. The boy knew exactly who was in front of him at that moment. In response, Tanjiro sheathed his sword and extended his arms in both directions as he pleaded, "Mister Xernex, stop! Lady Tamayo has managed to create a cure for the demons of this dimension using the Blue Spider Lily! Surely, this is something you would've wanted for the next generation, right?!"

Xernex stopped once the boy in front of him addressed him by name and asked, "How do you know who I am?" The demonic night sentinel sized the boy up, taking in his attire and face and remembering who he was. Yes, this was the same boy that saved the Slayer from the Super Doom Hunter by sacrificing his body. The boy has now recovered from that incident, most likely with the help of the Doom Slayer and his technological prowess. After figuring out who the boy was, Xernex stated, "I see, you're the Slayer's brat, aren't you? So, you are aware of who I am. If so, why do you drop your guard against me?"

Tanjiro lowered his arms as he explained, "Because if you're anything like the man that Mister Flint told me about, you wouldn't lay a hand on a child. You could've easily killed Inosuke or Zenitsu just now but you didn't."

The Marauder deactivated his argent axe and hooked it onto his belt as he praised, "You are observant. Correct, I would never abandon my principles. However, I came here to retrieve one thing. But perhaps, you will make a fine addition." Tanjiro took a step back as he wasn't sure what the Marauder meant by that statement. The demon leaned forward but still managed to tower over Tanjiro as he explained, "You have a connection with the Slayer, a connection I can exploit to draw him out." Before Tanjiro could respond, Xernex forcefully grabbed the collar of Tanjiro's uniform and pulled the boy closer to the point he could partially see the inside of the Marauder's sunken eyes. The demon stood straight as he looked towards Tamayo and threatened, "Surrender the Blue Spider Lily to me. I will let you live if you are able to produce the cure without it"

Yushiro angrily charged towards the Marauder but the demon was much quicker than Yushiro as the boy was face-planted into the floor and had his face disintegrated. The Marauder planted one foot on Yushiro's body to pin it down before drawing his argent axe once more and pointing it at Yushiro's body and threatened, "If you don't surrender the Blue Spider Lily, this boy will die." Tamayo and Tanjiro were sweating profusely as they were both left in a tough situation. Tamayo cherished Yushiro's life and didn't wish for him to die but she also knew it would be a terrible idea to hand over the Blue Spider Lily to this demon.

Tanjiro tried releasing himself from the Marauder's grip. As he did so, he could see Kanao trying to sneak up from behind to attack the Marauder. Tanjiro called out to the girl and pleaded, "Kanao, stay back! Don't try to fight him, just protect Nezuko for me, please!" The girl froze in shock, unsure of what to do as the tension was high and nobody stood a chance against the Cultist Marauder. Tanjiro winced in pain, calculating every possible scenario for how this would go down before looking the demonic night sentinel in the eyes and bargained, "You said you wanted to draw out the Slayer, right?" The demon turned his head slightly to look at Tanjiro, listening to whatever the boy had to say. Tanjiro had to fight himself to release the words he was about to say, he gambled on the best possible outcome in his mind but it required him to place his faith in the Doom Slayer. None of them could hurt the Marauder or escape him. However, if Xernex wants to bring out the Slayer, then Mister Flint might be able to stop the Marauder before anything bad happens. He had to put his faith in the Hellwalker as he informed Tamayo, "Do it, Lady Tamayo, trust me…!" Tamayo interjected but the boy gave her a firm nod of assurance.

Tamayo felt weak in the knees as she hesitantly revealed the Blue Spider Lily which was behind her and slowly raised it towards the Marauder. Xernex deactivated his argent axe once more, putting it away before snatching the Spider Lily from Tamayo. Without saying a word, the demon turned the other way and began marching towards the wall he bashed open while dragging Tanjiro behind him. Nezuko rushed over to her big brother but stopped once Tanjiro cried out for Nezuko to stay back. In that moment, the Marauder turned towards the group behind him and announced, "Inform the Slayer that I will be expecting him at the wreckage of the Super Doom Hunter in 24 hours. If he does not comply with my request, know that none of you will see this boy ever again."

A red-ringed portal awakened in front of the Marauder before the demon walked into it. Tanjiro tried resisting nonetheless, his pupils shrinking upon looking into the empty abyss of the hell portal before quickly turning around to call out to the two people he still loved, "Nezuko! Kanao!" before the portal faded away and disappeared from sight. Nezuko fell to her knees, balling her eyes out as she believed she was never going to see her brother again. Kanao could barely hold her sword anymore as she felt so ashamed of herself for being unable to save the person she loved. She couldn't save Shinobu and now she couldn't save Tanjiro, can she save anybody for that matter? What is she supposed to do now? She doesn't know, she's never acted on her own. She looked around in a panic, expecting her older sister or even Tanjiro to be there for her to explain what she needs to do but she was alone with her boyfriend's weeping sister next to her. Nezuko had already given up hope, Kanao shouldn't. She needed to stay strong for Nezuko and Tanjiro. She knelt down next to Nezuko, caressing her back as she assumed a composed and gentle voice for the girl, "It's going to be okay, Nezuko. We'll get Tanjiro back, I promise you. We have to find Mister Flint and tell him what happened, he'll take care of everything, okay?"

Nezuko sat up and dried her tears as she slowly nodded in agreement, following Kanao's lead as the two girls got up to check on Inosuke and Zenitsu and wake them up. They needed to hurry, there was no time to waste with Tanjiro's life on the line.

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A portal opened up into Muzan's dimension as the Marauder stepped through while dragging Tanjiro behind him. The demon forced Tanjiro in front of him and that's when the boy's eyes widened once he saw Muzan and his three Upper Moons accompanying him. Akaza turned around and his face morphed into that of disgust as he commented, "Oh, would you look who it is. It's the weakling from before." However, as much as that distressed Tanjiro to see Akaza, he was filled to the brim with rage once he saw Muzan turn around to face him and formed a sickly smile upon seeing the boy brought to his doorstep. Tanjiro could only pray that the Slayer can make it in-time to save him before things get worse from here.