Author's note: I apologize for the slight delay. I've had several things come up which took my time but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter regardless, it was a blast to create!

The blood swamps by Andrew Hulshult

The Slayer and the Marauder charged towards each other as the former threw a very quick right hook towards the demonic night sentinel who managed to block the punch and quickly draw the Super Shotgun with his other hand in response, aiming it towards the Doom Slayer's head at point-blank rage. Flynn managed to swat the double-barreled devastator away from him before it discharged and the shells flew past him. He went to draw his makeshift double-barreled shotgun but couldn't with the Marauder pushing the man's arm down in retaliation. The Slayer placed his foot on the demon's torso and pushed himself away from his opponent as he launched himself into the air and knocked the Marauder back slightly. The Hellwalker channeled his spiritual energy and extended his doom blade before muttering the name of his attack, "Blood Breathing: Second Form, Flash Blood." as he whipped around and slashed towards the Marauder, creating a sharp projectile of blood that shot towards the Marauder.

The demon had a split-second to react as he drew his argent axe and swung it towards the Doom Slayer, creating a slash-based projectile that intercepted the Slayer's attack. Both attacks crashed into each other but the Argent was more powerful than the Slayer's blood as it smashed through the warrior's attack and rapidly approached him. The Slayer twirled out of the way of the projectile before pointing his shotgun towards the Marauder to fire his meathook. The Marauder dashed backwards quickly as he watched the meathook dig into the ground in front of him and pull the Slayer forward. The warrior landed in front of the meathook and without delay, began throwing punches towards the Marauder who was backing away quickly.

Xernex needed to end this fight quickly, a prolonged match was not in his best interests. He was currently being monitored by the scientists of Immora who were carefully observing the battle unfold before them and rapidly taking notes as fast as possible. Xernex barked at the scientists, knowing they would be able to hear him, "How much longer until I can use it?!"

The Scientists were quick to respond, activating their microphones as they answered, "We need more battle data, just keep on fighting, Marauder." Xernex nodded in acknowledgement as he decided to stop dodging and catch the incoming attack of the Doom Slayer to hold him still before using the thrusters in his legs to deal a devastating side kick into the Hellwalker's side and blasting him away. The demonic night sentinel crouched down, igniting all of the thrusters built into his body and taking to the sky as he chased after his target.

The Doom Slayer was launched across the area before rolling into a nearby forest and obscuring himself within the shadows of the trees. Fortunately, he was quickly able to regain his footing as he carried his forward momentum and continued advancing in the same direction he was launched in. He looked behind him to see if the Marauder was chasing after him but saw no sign of the demon. He needed to bait the Marauder towards him, he had a plan.

From above the forest, the Marauder soared above the trees as he continuously scanned the forest below him to find any traces of the Doom Slayer and upon locking onto his target, the demonic night sentinel swooped down low to catch the Slayer off-guard.

The Slayer heard the Marauder coming towards him like a jet racing towards his opponent. As soon as Xernex broke past the branches, he hurled his argent axe like a boomerang as it rapidly spun towards the Doom Slayer, sweeping around the side to hit him. During this, the Marauder continued to hover above the ground as he zoomed through the forest, dodging all of the incoming trees he nearly smashed into as he kept his pace with the Doom Slayer who continued to charge forward. The Hellwalker narrowly slid underneath the axe as it flew past him and returned to its master exactly as intended as the Slayer sprung himself forward so as to not lose his velocity.

The Marauder dashed towards the Doom Slayer and swept down low in an attempt to knock the warrior off his feet but the Slayer was well-prepared for another strike as he leaped forward to evade the strike. The Marauder drew the Super Shotgun once more and fired it in the direction of the Slayer who dashed forward to evade his own weapon. Xernex dug his feet into the ground to briefly stop and realign himself with the Doom Slayer who was still running ahead. Xernex launched himself forward and activated all of his thrusters to catch up to his opponent.

The Slayer saw his chance as he side-stepped the Marauder and guided the demon into the ground in front of him at an angle which would make the demon roll forward. The Slayer dashed forward with his doomblade extended and began rapidly spinning as he muttered his next attack, "Blood Breathing: Third Form, Bleeding Drill." Blood released from the tip of his blade as it trailed his movements and followed him as he sliced the Marauder multiple times, cutting the demon's skin and grazing Xernex's armor.

The Slayer emerged from the other side of the forest onto a steep hill he began to descend. As he slid down the hill, he could see the Marauder take a massive leap forward and land several dozen meters in front of the Slayer. The demon began slashing his axe towards the Doom Slayer multiple times, creating several projectiles that quickly closed the distance between them and the warrior. The Slayer crouched just slightly to give himself more power before jumping over the projectiles and dashing towards the Marauder.

The Marauder prepared himself for the incoming Doom Slayer who was heading right towards him with his doom blade still extended. Once the warrior was close, he threw a punch with his extended doom blade, jabbing it forward in an attempt to pierce the demon but the Marauder managed to catch the Slayer's punch in the nick of time. This pushed the Marauder down the hill as his metallic soles began grinding against the ground.

"Blood Breathing: Fourth Form, Blood Fang." The Slayer managed to get an extra push with his praetor suit's thrusters and forced the tip of the blade into the Marauder's chest. As he did this, several humongous blood fangs formed behind the Doom Slayer as they all sank into the Marauder's body and damaged him in the process.

The Marauder grunted in pain as the fangs pierced his exposed skin, causing him to bleed profusely but this would not slow him down, nothing will. He brought his knee upwards, boosted by the thrusters built into his legs, into the Slayer's abdomen and making the warrior cough out in surprise as he was knocked behind the Marauder and the two fighters began rolling down the hill until they reached the bottom of it. Xernex and the Slayer were quick to pick themselves back up before re-engaging in combat. Their battle was fierce, their reaction times were equal as well as their speed. However, the Marauder worried about the Slayer's ferocious power he displayed against the Super Doom Hunter. It's imperative that he manages to end the fight before the Slayer has a chance to even tap into that power. However, his victory wasn't guaranteed at the moment. He needs to gather more battle data for the scientists of Immora to confirm his new body's maximum capacity. Once they have figured that out, victory will be his. For now, he must continue in his drawn out battle against the Doom Slayer and his strange techniques until the time is right.

The Slayer hated to admit it but the Marauder was as persistent as he was. Neither warrior was about to back down without a fight, he knew this. Xernex said to the Slayer, "For someone who wasn't willing to kill his own friend, you sure are ready to destroy me this time around."

The Slayer argued, "You aren't the same man I respected. I tried to reason with you before but you didn't listen, you were already a slave once we crossed paths again."

Xernex stood triumphantly as he accused, "So you gave up. You abandoned me then and continue to do so now. I once believed that the friendship we shared was genuine, but I realize that it was all a lie in the end."

"You made your choice, I won't tolerate anyone who sides with the demons, much less become one which is precisely what you did. You are a coward, you turned your back towards your own people and enslaved them!"

The Marauder threw his hand out towards the side as he exclaimed, "I fought for the people, not against them! You were the ones who rebelled against Argent D'nur and wreaked havoc across our kingdom!"

"If you still believe in that lie, then there is no hope for you."

The Marauder angrily charged towards the Doom Slayer upon hearing the last statement, activating all of the thrusters in his body to go as fast as possible. He slammed into the warrior and pushed against him. The Slayer attempted to hold the Marauder back but his efforts were futile as he was removed from his position and carried along by the demonic night sentinel who tried to choke out the Doom Slayer. The Hellwalker tried prying the Marauder's hands away from his neck but couldn't muster the strength to do it so he decided to flip the Marauder upside down and utilize his suit's thrusters to push the demon into the ground with enough force to make him let go.

The two combatants tumbled across the landscape until the two of them skid off the edge of the cliff they were on and into a deep ravine. As the two warriors fell, they dashed towards each other and wrestled in the air as they constantly adjusted positions and threw vicious punches towards one another. After a brief scuffle, the two backed off as the Slayer tried to get out of the ravine before they both fell to the bottom. He shot his meathook towards the top as he began swinging along the side of the ravine and pulling himself upwards. However, the Marauder was directly behind him as he had done the same thing in pursuit of the Doom Slayer. The Slayer realized he needed to get the Marauder off his tail so he quickly retracted his meathook and turned to face the demon as he discharged his shotgun towards the demonic night sentinel. The Marauder retracted his meathook as well as he evaded the array of shotgun shells heading towards him.

The two of them pointed their shotguns towards each other and released their meathooks. As a result, the two metallic chains intercepted each other and got tangled up upon making contact, allowing the Slayer and the Marauder to yank each other closer. After pulling at their meathooks, the two chains began to unwind as the two warriors approached one another and struck each other with a powerful punch which knocked them towards the opposite walls of the ravine. The Slayer began sliding down to slow his descent as his fingers furiously dug into the stone he held onto as the Marauder used his ignited argent axe to slow his descent. They glanced towards each other and pushed off their walls so they could continue fighting. The two warriors rammed into each other, throwing several fast punches which were quickly blocked while engaging in a brief hand-to-hand exchange until they crashed into the bottom of the ravine.

It was pitch black even as the smoke and debris cleared from their landing. The two warriors breathed heavily as they continued to stare at each other. The only sources of light in the dark ravine were the circuitry in the Marauder's body, his axe, and the source of light in the Slayer's chest piece. They charged towards each other to continue their fighting.

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Kanao carried Tanjiro in her arms as she, Zenitsu, and Inosuke continued racing back towards the Butterfly Mansion. Tanjiro seemed lost in thought which caught his partner's attention as she decided to call out to him, "Is something wrong, Tanjiro?"

Tanjiro answered, "I hope they'll be okay…"

They all stopped as Zenitsu cried out in disbelief, "Seriously?!" while Inosuke cursed:

"Are you fucking serious?!"

Kanao realized that she needed to desperately address this issue. She decided to lift Tanjiro in front of her and asked him, "Tanjiro, what is with your infatuation with those two? Why do you keep risking your life for them?"

Tanjiro frantically answered as he stared into Kanao's eyes, "There's just a grave misunderstanding between those two! They just need to understand-"

"No! You are the one that needs to understand! Tanjiro, you don't know these people! You've only ever heard about Xernex through Mister Flint's stories and have known him for only a day! He's clearly not the same person you've heard about, you have to let go of that image of Xernex in your head, he's gone!"

"N-no! He's still there, I know it!"

"You know?! You can make an assumption like that based off of him kidnapping you and holding you hostage?! Tanjiro, he could've killed you! He got what he wanted the moment he kidnapped you and drew Mister Flint out! He could've easily disposed of you right then and there!"

"B-but he didn't!"

"You didn't know that at the time, did you?! How can you risk yourself for a demon hellbent on revenge?! For that matter, how can you even trust Mister Flint still?! He lied to you about the fact that he killed his own friend! He's clearly not afraid to turn against his own 'comrades' if they got in his way! What's to stop him from doing the same to you if you got in his way one day?!"

"I-I… don't know…" Tanjiro's expression drained of energy as he looked towards the floor in shame and embarrassment. Kanao broke into tears as she saw Tanjiro's distraught expression as she pleaded:

"Then why? Why do you still believe in them? Why are you disregarding your own life for their sake?"

There was a pause before Tanjiro spoke, "...After I heard what the Hellwalker went through, it really put into perspective, for me, how pointless my struggle is. The demons he fights, the Dark Lord, Xernex, they're bigger than anything we can imagine. My struggle against Muzan and finding a cure for Nezuko is miniscule in the grand scheme of things. There is more going on than my personal vengeance against Muzan. That's why if I can help Mister Flint get back to his world and stop the Dark Lord, then everything will be fine, that's more important than anything else I'm going through. I don't have to worry about Nezuko anymore, she can lead a normal life and she has a strong and dependable guy to look out for her, she doesn't need me watching her all the time. I'm just a kid that can't fight anymore, surrounded by people who are much more capable than I am. The least I can do is sacrifice my life for the greater-"

Kanao had enough as she furiously slapped Tanjiro across the face, leaving a burning red mark on the boy's cheek. His senses were on high alert as his eyebrows were raised as high as they possibly could. He made eye contact with his girlfriend who was crying. "So you just don't care about how I feel or anyone else for that matter?!"

Tanjiro was shocked by Kanao's actions as he denied, "N-no…! I-"

"Tanjiro! Just because Mister Flint has suffered more than you doesn't mean you have to as well! You don't have to carry that burden, that responsibility! Don't disregard your struggles in the face of his! He's chosen to put that weight on himself but you don't have to! Tanjiro, it's okay to be a normal boy, no one has a problem with you being unable to fight! You can settle down now, leave the fighting to everyone else and just relax! I can't afford to lose you like I did my sister! You're- the only- thing… I have left…!" Kanao couldn't maintain her composure as she dropped to her knees and embraced the boy as tightly as she could. She sobbed into the boy's shoulder while Tanjiro stared into the distance past her. He was left perplexed at the realization that he has been disregarding his own life and everyone else's feelings.

Zenitsu couldn't afford to watch anymore as he decided to pitch in as well, kneeling down next to the two of them as he caught Tanjiro's attention and explained, "Look, man, you're a good person. You're always trying to see and understand other people's struggles, it's just who you are. But man, there is just some stuff you can't fix no matter how hard you try! I understand how much you want to help them but one thing you keep forgetting is the intense hatred those two have for each other right now! I don't think it's something you or I could even fathom no matter how hard we tried to understand their feelings and honestly, that's a good thing. Think about it like this, Tanjiro, no person should go through what either of them have. Just because they went through all that shit doesn't mean you have to as well because you think your suffering is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Everyone has a different story, you have to acknowledge that, dude, and whatever those two are going through right now, they have to sort things out themselves even if you want to help. It's their problem, not yours. So stop trying to make it your problem as well. You've done all you could, you've risked your life to try proving your point to them but it hasn't worked. The rest is up to them. Tanjiro, be honest with me, can you look me in the eye and say with a straight face that you COMPLETELY understand what they're going through and how they're feeling?"

Tanjiro looked Zenitsu in the eyes for a brief period of time and attempted to muster the words he wanted to speak but he couldn't. He knew Zenitsu was right as he shook his head in response and admitted, "I- thought I could understand them… but I can't. I'm scared to understand, I'm terrified of the anger they feel and though I try to put up a brave face, it's just a constant reminder of what I don't want to be. I thought that- by using the anger I've felt as a reference.. I could understand Mister Flint or even Xernex but I guess I was too naive. The truth is, I don't know how to feel about either of them anymore. I can't look at either of them the same, they aren't the people I thought they were… I wanted, so desperately, to believe that I was wrong about them, to believe that they were the people I really thought they were… All I wanted to do was help because I was desperately clinging to my ideal image of them. That's partly why I'm willing to risk my life, not just because of my delusions but because I know I can't do anything but dammit, I have to try! I can't just sit around and watch other people suffer while I can still do something! That's why- that's why I'm okay with sacrificing myself because it's better than sitting around and doing nothing!"

Kanao finally regained her composure as she separated herself from Tanjiro and explained, "That's what I adore about you, Tanjiro, your willingness to help others.. but please don't forget about how we feel! Tanjiro, I don't want to lose you, none of us do! Please don't lose yourself trying to help others! I get how much you want to help other people but you have to take care of yourself as well. I don't think you realize how much pain you cause us when you get hurt! I know that you feel small and insignificant in the 'grand scheme of things' but you aren't! You're more valuable than you realize! So please! Don't be so willing to give up your life, keep fighting! Live on!

Tanjiro's eyes widened in realization once he processed Kanao's speech. He finally understood what kanao was talking about and he realized how much he has been making everyone worry. He was truly thankful to have someone like Kanao by his side to support him. He gave her a warm smile and stated, "You're right.. I was too willing to die, never considering my well-being in the process or how it would hurt the people around me… I was too focused on leaving an impact, I thought that sacrificing myself would be the only meaningful thing I could do in my current state but I never realized how selfish and short-sighted that was. You're right, I need to keep fighting no matter what. Sacrifice isn't the only way to make a difference, I realize that now…" Tanjiro placed his hand on Kanao's face and apologized, "I'm sorry, Kanao, I really didn't mean to make you worry. I promise, I won't let myself die."

Kanao smiled back towards her boyfriend as she said to him, "Thank you." Before closing her eyes and allowing the rest of her tears to roll down her cheeks.

Tanjiro took a deep breath as he had a request he would like to make but was embarrassed to make it in spite of the argument they just had but he wanted to regardless, "Youguysaregoingtohatemeforaskingthis buuuuut… could you guys go back? I promise I won't jump in this time! I just want to see how this ends, that's all." The three demon slayers looked towards each other and nodded in agreement. Kanao picked up Tanjiro and as she did so, Inosuke felt the need to mention to Tanjiro:

"Fine, but if I see you jumping in like an idiot, I'm gonna kick your ass! You hear me?!"

"Loud and clear, Inosuke, loud and clear."

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The trial of Maligog by David Levy

Many hours have passed since the duel between the Marauder and the Slayer began. It was in the middle of the day when they first started. Now, the sun was beginning to set as it descended out of view, giving everything an orange tint while the shadows grew darker. The warrior and the night sentinel were both filled with energy as they fought one another on top of a tall cliff that stretched across several miles. The Slayer was covered in several bruises with his armor scratched while the Marauder had sustained more injuries throughout their battle. Xernex pushed forward while swinging his argent axe, giving the Slayer no chance to counterattack as he was losing ground and brought towards the edge of the cliff. The Marauder brought his axe down upon the Slayer to finish him off but Flynn decided to leap off the cliff before the Marauder could strike him. As a result, the demon ended up slamming his axe into the edge of the cliff with enough force to shatter the foundation he stood upon, causing him to fall down along with the Doom Slayer.

The two warriors dashed towards each other as they rapidly descended with the Slayer slamming his fist into the Marauder with enough force to make the demon spin uncontrollably. The demon began careening towards the Doom Slayer as he spun wildly. Xernex seized the opportunity to strike the Slayer as he clasped his hands together and smashed them into the warrior.

In the distance, the two of them could hear the whistles of an approaching train as it was preparing to pass underneath them. They both could see it approaching, a large coal-fueled, black passenger train racing along the tracks. Both combatants used their thrusters to stabilize themselves mid-air before they both plummeted towards the ground. However, without a second to spare, they smashed through the roof of one of the passenger cars and crashed into the floor of the train. The impact of them landing on the train had enough force to shake all the cars, alerting the passengers on-board to the disturbance. The ones in the car both the Doom Slayer and the Marauder crashed into began to scream in shock as two, large giants began to stand on their feet and dwarf the people around them in size. The attendants in the car began evacuating the people from the car as quickly as possible while passengers in the other cars tried to take a look inside the one everyone was fleeing from.

The Marauder rushed towards the Slayer, unleashing a right hook so fast his arm blurred from the speed it travelled. The warrior ducked underneath the attack and threw a punch of his own which the demonic night sentinel blocked. The two warriors continued dancing around each other's attacks until the Marauder performed a wide, sweeping kick that smashed through the wooden seats of the train before getting to the Doom Slayer. The warrior dashed backwards to evade the kick but as he did so, the Marauder dashed forward to meet him and continue unleashing his onslaught of attacks. The warrior blocked an incoming punch and countered with his own. Xernex elegantly redirected the attack away from him in response and used his newfound opening to land a powerful side kick against the Slayer which blasted him out the side of the train.

The Slayer wasn't caught by the slipstream of the train so he had to quickly draw his makeshift shotgun and fire it's meathook at the rapidly passing train. The hook smashed through one of the windows, hooking behind the framing of the same window it destroyed. The nearby passengers screamed upon seeing the meathook shatter the glass next to them and nearly impact them. The Slayer pulled himself forward using his meathook until he was slammed into the side of the train car upon re-entering the slipstream of the vehicle. He was only a few cars back but he'd easily be able to return to where he was. The passengers inside watched in awe as the green giant positioned himself against the side of the train and dashed forward.

Once he was close enough, the Slayer slid right back into the car, fists-raised as he expected the night sentinel to be waiting for him. He was surprised once he realized the car was empty and he frantically looked around until he noticed the opposite side of the train he was blasted from had a hole in it as well. The Slayer immediately knew what the demon was planning but didn't have time to react as he turned around to see the Marauder swing down from behind him and dive-kick into the Doom Slayer, knocking him into the wall in front of them with the warrior's head smashing through the wall of the car.

The Slayer pushed against the wall he was lodged into and quickly yanked his head back inside. Without delay, he immediately started throwing several punches towards the Marauder who continued to weave around his attacks. The Slayer suddenly dashed forward and headbutted the demon with all of his might and used Xernex's staggered state to land a ferocious uppercut that launched the demonic night sentinel through the roof of the car.

Xernex quickly regained control of himself in the air and used his thrusters to push himself down before the train passed underneath him. He ignited his argent axe once more as he watched the Hellwalker smash through the roof of the same car and land several cars away from him. They advanced towards each other and traded blows once they were close enough. They circled around one another, constantly shifting their footing and position in response to each other's actions. The Marauder swung his argent axe diagonally towards the Slayer who evaded by performing a quick back-handspring which took him much further back than he anticipated due to the slipstream of the train pushing against him. Fortunately, he didn't fall off the train as he managed to dig his fingers into the roof of the car he was on to stop himself.

By the time he stood back up, the Marauder was already in front of him ready to slice him to bits with his argent axe. The Slayer avoided several slashes from the Marauder's axe until the demon ducked down low and delivered a powerful shove kick that blasted the Slayer away from the train. The vehicle sped away from him as the distance between the Slayer and the Marauder grew by the second. The Slayer fired his meathook into the back of the train before it was too late and began reeling himself back in to continue the fight.

The Marauder rushed towards the front of the train after shoving the Slayer off and dropped down into the front car where the operators were. The train operators yelped in shock upon seeing the metallic demon land in front of them out of nowhere. Xernex took a look at the connection between the two cars and raised his argent axe high in the air. The operators immediately understood what was about to happen and tried to stop the Marauder from interfering but their strength was the equivalent of an ant when compared to the demonic night sentinel. The Marauder effortlessly sliced through the connection between the two cars with a single swing of his axe..

The Slayer climbed back on top of the train and quickly surveyed his surroundings to make sure the demon wasn't attempting to flank him once more. By then, the front car was beginning to accelerate ahead of the rest of the following cars which were slowly losing speed. The Marauder placed his foot upon the sturdiest part of the car behind him and shoved it backwards with all of his might.

The Slayer was running towards the front until he abruptly lost his footing due to the train cars he stood upon being blasted back in the opposite direction. The force of the train cars stopping and advancing in the opposite direction, instantaneously, was powerful enough to give everyone on the train a mix of a concussion or whiplash as they slammed into the nearest object. Heads were busted open as several dozen necks were snapped in the process. The Slayer, however, slammed to the floor and began rolling forward uncontrollably as the rest of the cars slid underneath him until all of the following trains cars had rolled past him. The Slayer hit the floor and continued tumbling forward uncontrollably until he finally stopped on the train tracks. The warrior lifted his head up to see the Marauder descending down with his axe raised high. The Hellwalker wasted no time in getting out of the way as he dashed towards safety and scrambled to his feet.

The amount of power the Marauder was able to build astonished even himself as he slammed his axe into the ground where the Slayer was at. The ground caved in, forming a crater around him with his axe at the very center of it. Xernex chuckled as he ripped his axe from the guard and exited the crater he formed and prepared to re-engage the Slayer who was assuming a fighting stance until he was cut off by the scientists of Immora who spoke through their comms, "We've finished our calculations! You are clear to use it, Marauder."

Xernex muttered under his breath, "Understood." before he hooked his argent axe onto his belt and slightly bent his knees in anticipation. Flynn didn't understand why his opponent would sheath his weapon but he was soon about to discover the truth.

AGL LR Full Power Frieza theme from Dragon ball Z: Dokkan Battle

Electricity erupted from the Marauder's body as he was soon surrounded in a sphere of static, blue electricity. All of the circuitry in the Marauder's body grew brighter and shined within the darkness of the slowly approaching night. The bubble of electricity that surrounded the Marauder burst open as large tendrils of electricity snaked around the demon and crawled towards the Doom Slayer who took a step back in surprise. Steam began to radiate from Xernex's body as his circuits began to heat up but this didn't matter to the Night Sentinel as he announced, "Systems at 200% capacity, Overdrive activated." The Marauder vanished as the loose dirt surrounding him spiralled around where he previously was.

The Slayer flinched, he couldn't see it coming, the Marauder smashed his fist into the Hellwalker and blew him away. As the Slayer soared through the air, the Marauder easily caught up to him as he began relentlessly thrashing at the warrior with consecutive punches and kicks before knocking the warrior into the cliff wall next to them. Large chunks of the wall broke free from the impact and crashed into the Doom Slayer, burying him underneath the debris. The Marauder was not done as he zoomed towards the Slayer, effortlessly charging through the debris with a single strike and drove his fist towards the warrior to shove him deeper into the wall. The Slayer coughed out in pain but the Marauder offered no mercy as he grabbed the Hellwalker by the face and activated all of the thrusters in his body which generated flames twice as large as before. The Marauder began ascending the cliff edge while dragging the warrior through it as easily as a hot knife going through butter.

The Slayer's body rattled from grinding against the hard rock as he wasn't given a chance to fight back, the demon was moving faster than the warrior could comprehend, he needed to get a read on the demon's new strength if he wanted to fight back. After being dragged through the wall for an extensive period of time, the Hellwalker was hurled to the ground from high above the surface, smashing into the dirt below as his body was submerged in the grass. The Marauder wasted no time in catching up to the Slayer as he drove the Slayer into the ground with a powerful kick that forced the warrior deeper into the ground. The Marauder paused for several seconds, awaiting for the warrior to respond which didn't take long as the Doom Slayer emerged from the ground, fueled by his evergrowing rage as he shouted briefly and unleashed a powerful punch. His fist struck the Marauder's face yet the demon was mostly unphased by the blow to his head as he remained standing. The warrior stood, perplexed, for a brief period as he watched his full-power strike barely leave a scratch against the demon. The Marauder threatened following the Slayer's attack, "My turn."

Told you so by Drowning Pool

The Marauder moved faster than the Slayer could respond as he knocked the Hellwalker far away with a powerful strike that sent him crashing through several trees. The Slayer eventually came to a stop once he dug his fingers into the ground and continued to slide backwards for several meters. After stopping, he quickly stood back up only to see the Marauder flying towards him at an incredible speed. The Slayer summoned upon his rage to muster more power and threw a punch the moment the Marauder was within range. However, as the Slayer threw his punch, the demon faded in front of him like an afterimage. The warrior had to do a double-take as he swore he made contact with the Marauder but before he had a chance to ponder what just happened, he was struck from behind with enough force to send him flying. The Slayer tumbled across the landscape, skidding, until he rolled onto his front side, facing the ground.

The warrior growled intensely as he angrily bawled up his fist in fury. His eyes widened in anticipation once heard the slowly-approaching metallic footsteps of the Marauder come closer to him. Hee knew it was his moment to strike back as he quickly climbed to his feet and threw another rage-fueled punch that struck the Marauder's face. The demon was pushed back slightly by the attack but remained standing, blood trickling from the point of impact on the Marauder's forehead. Xernex scoffed as he uppercutted the warrior into the sky and watched as he crashed into the ground far away. The demonic night sentinel took to the sky before diving towards the Doom Slayer feet-first and activated all of the thrusters in his body for extra power.

The Hellwalker got back up only to be smashed into the ground once more, coughing in pain as Xernex proceeded to drag the Slayer across the landscape by force. The Slayer desperately whaled on the Marauder in an attempt to free himself from the creature's grasp but he was too late as he was then thrown into a large rock which swayed backwards after he crashed into it. Xernex proceeded to smash his fist into the Doom Slayer and completely obliterate the stone the man was lodged into, blowing the warrior further away.

Flynn skidded across the landscape until he finally came to a stop and stared at the Marauder who was climbing over the remains of the rock he had just destroyed. The Slayer was scrambling for solutions, he couldn't just brute-force his way out of this encounter. He was going to have to figure out how to deal with a stronger opponent: a realization that infuriated him even more as he despised being put on the back foot. Xernex was now much stronger than he was before due to his Overdrive. The only solution that could come to the Slayer's mind to tackle this new issue would be to tap into the strange power he and Tanjiro discussed about before. However, he's not sure how he would tap into it to begin with!

The Slayer blinked and the Marauder disappeared from his sight. He quickly surveyed the area as he looked in all directions but didn't find the demon anywhere. The Slayer took a step back and felt himself bump into the Marauder who had managed to sneak up from behind. The warrior decided not to question how the Marauder was able to pull off such a maneuver as he quickly twisted around to throw another punch. His fists passed through the demonic night sentinel as if he was merely an apparition. Without delay, the Marauder reappeared next to the Slayer and unleashed a ferocious side kick which launched the Slayer across the landscape. The Marauder boosted towards the Slayer with no time to spare and began forward somersaulting rapidly to build up momentum before striking the Slayer down into the floor with his foot. The ground shook slightly from the force of the impact before settling down. Xernex looked upwards before rapidly ascending into the sky and rocketing back towards the ground with an increased velocity. Just before he was about to crash into the Doom Slayer, he spun forward and horse kicked the warrior to submerge him into the ground even further. The earth caved in around the Doom Slayer as he was buried underneath all the debris, obscured to the point where only his arm was sticking out from the ground.

Xernex chuckled as he exited the crater, using his thrusters to levitate above the ground which blew away the cloud of dust generated from the demonic night sentinel's strikes. After a moment of hovering in the air and awaiting the Slayer's resurgence, he allowed himself to touch the ground as the heavy weight of his mechanical body slammed into the ground underneath him. Xernex crossed his arms in anticipation, knowing damn well that the Slayer isn't down for the count. As if on cue, the Slayer erupted from the ground as he blasted debris in every direction to reveal himself standing in the center of the crater that was formed with his hand over his stomach and breathing heavily. Xernex made a "hmph" sound as he expected no less from the Hellwalker, he would've been disappointed if the Slayer died from a pathetic attack like that.

Flynn was still struggling to find a way to tap into his latent power. He reflected on the conversation he and Tanjiro had regarding the strange power and remembered a vital detail in their discussion. Their heartbeat! It was that and their rage. Flynn closed his eyes as he began channeling his spiritual energy and forcing his heart rate to speed up. The Slayer let out a deep breath before opening his eyes and raised his fists so he could keep on fighting.

Xernex commented while staring down the Slayer, "You said I was a slave when we reunited, that may be true. Perhaps there was no saving me in my previous state but the fact remains that you abandoned me. You left me to die in Exultia and continued to slaughter my brothers and sisters. Tell me, will you do the same to that boy if he ever gets in your way as well? Would you just kill him then and there just as you did with me? WELL?!"

The demonic night sentinel vanished before reappearing right in front of the Doom Slayer as he shoved his knee into the Slayer's abdomen and blew him out of the crater. As the warrior was knocked back, his descent was stopped by the Marauder who caught him in the air. Immediately following this, the Marauder grabbed the Slayer by the throat and legs before dashing towards the ground. After building up as much momentum as he could, the Marauder raised the warrior above him as he landed in a kneeling position. The momentum he generated caused the warrior's back to slam into the man's leg, bending the Slayer backwards in a maneuver that would've shattered anyone else's spine in the process. The Doom Slayer gasped for air as it escaped his lungs which left him writhing in pain. After holding the position for several seconds and continuing to bend the Slayer backwards, Xernex finally stood back up to toss the warrior in front of him like a piece of trash.

The Marauder began taking slow and deliberate steps towards the Doom Slayer as he mocked, "That's what happens to everyone around you. They die because of your selfishness, your hatred. If you had given up on your pointless crusade, the Khan Maykr would have returned you to your family and all of this could've been avoided. Instead, you chose to abandon them as well, your rage has made you abandon all those you cared about! They died without you, your abandonment is what led to their deaths! Fortunately, I'm feeling merciful. I will end your life right now and allow you one last chance to reunite with your family. I'm sure they're eager to hear about your countless tales of genocide, perhaps they may disown you after hearing of what you've done. Now wouldn't that be a sight to see!"

The Doom Slayer slowly stood up, hunched over silently as he continued to breathe heavily, letting his arms lifelessly hang from his body. The sun had finally set and darkness soon encompassed the sky. Perfect timing in the Marauder's opinion, the moment the sun falls is the moment the Doom Slayer dies. Xernex has had his fun thus far, but it was time to end this fight once and for all with a decisive strike. The Marauder ignited his argent axe before raising it up high and bringing it down quickly to silence the Doom Slayer once and for all.

Monster by Disturbed

Xernex flinched once he saw the Doom Slayer grab him by the wrist, stopping the attack effortlessly with one arm. The Marauder panicked once an elegant, red, symmetrical pattern encompassed the Slayer's body, covering his skin. The Slayer generated an intense heat from his body that caused the ground underneath him to boil as his feet slowly sank into the ground. Entire chunks of dirt around them tore from the ground as they were raised into the sky, levitating off the ground due to the Slayer's presence. The Hellwalker snapped the Marauder's mechanical forearm arm like a twig with a simple flick of his wrist, causing the argent axe to drop to the floor in between them. The Slayer let go and allowed his arms to hang from his body as he let out a prolonged and husk growl that only intensified the longer it went on. He slowly lifted his head to reveal his blood-colored eyes locked onto his target.

Xernex quickly snatched the Argent axe and took several steps back away from the Doom Slayer who remained stationary. The Marauder had difficulty breathing, he couldn't believe that this was happening. This had to be a bad dream! He stared into the eyes of the Doom Slayer and the realization of how similar he looked to the Dark Lord shook him to his core. Just what was he? Who was the monster standing before him?!

The Slayer simply stayed in place as he curled his arms, his growls intensifying by the second before evolving into shouting. The man's muscles expanded greatly as the veins within his body began to jut out and reveal themselves. The heat emanating from the Slayer's body exponentially grew as the Marauder could swear he was able to see an ominous red aura surrounding the warrior.

No! The Maruder wasn't out of this yet, not while he can still fight! Xernex rushed towards the Doom Slayer and activated all of his thrusters to give himself an extra boost as he struck the Slayer with all of his might. Despite this, the Slayer remained as still as a statue while the demonic night sentinel continued to try drilling his fist into the Slayer. The Marauder's heart sank once the Hellwallker finally moved, bringing his arm back before snapping it forward to

unleash a vicious strike with enough force to send the demon flying. The force of the punch created a shockwave that blasted against everything in the area, blowing away all of the loose dirt surrounding them and directing the wind forward. Several bits of the Marauder's circuitry was removed from his body with that punch alone as electricity spewed out from the open wires jutting out from his destroyed left arm. The demon was left wide-eyed in pain as he was still trying to process what had just happened.

The Slayer wasted no time in pursuing the Marauder as he vanished like a ghost, kicking the dirt underneath into the air like a mortar shell striking against the ground from his rapid acceleration. The Marauder could feel it again as the Slayer's fist made contact with his body. The Marauder felt every millisecond of pain as he physically felt the kinetic energy of the punch transfer into his body and launch him even further back as his body soared above countless forets. The wind was guided by the force of the Slayer's punch as it blew against the forests the Marauder passed by with the force of a hurricane.

There's no way that Xernex would be able to survive another hit, he has to get away from the Doom Slayer! The loose circuits in the Marauder's metallic body began to burst with electricity as some of his systems were beginning to fail on him. Xernex could see a large mountain up ahead which he could use to escape from the Slayer. The demon quickly regained his composure as he began dashing towards the mountain as fast as he could. Xernex wasn't a fool, he wasn't going to be able to feat the Slayer in raw strength, he can admit that much which was nothing new for him. He might still have the advantage, if he's able to place a well-timed swing with his argent axe, he may be able to end this fight yet! He just has to survive long enough to see that result. The Marauder flew past the mountain and boosted away as fast as he could. He wanted as much distance between him and the Slayer as possible until he could figure out a way to outsmart the Hellwalker. He looked back at the mountain he had just passed, hoping the Doom Slayer wasn't close by.

At that moment, the mountain that Xernex had just passed erupted like a volcano as it burst like a balloon following a massive explosion. The eruption sent a massive shockwave across the entire country, blasting against the Marauder who raised his arm for protection. The shockwave rattled his insides and made his ears ring intensely as it quickly traversed the lands, rupturing the eardrums of all those unfortunate enough to be near the explosion. The ground shook intensely like an earthquake, further intensified by the hail of rock chunks that smashed into the landscape below. Rocks dropped from the sky like rain within a several dozen mile radius of the explosion. The Marauder wasn't given a chance to process what he had just witnessed as he saw something move past him at incredible speeds. The Marauder snapped his head forward to see the Doom Slayer in front of him.

The Slayer punched the Marauder towards the ground, sending him flying like a bullet into the Earth below as the impact caused the ground to cave in and convulse wildly like a tsunami. Every tree surrounding the Marauder was torn off their roots as the ground formed tidal waves like an ocean.

The Marauder's body was falling apart as the metallic plating that covered the circuity of his body was either destroyed or had fallen off. The demon was frozen in shock, unable to muster the will to move. He was only able to regain his focus once he felt the ground tremble from the Doom Slayer's landing. The demon picked himself up using his remaining organic right arm and saw the Doom Slayer slowly walking towards him like a zombie. Xernex quickly got on his feet and nearly fell over due to the lack of proper support for his mechanical body. He backed away quickly as the Slayer slowly approached him. Xernex's knees threatened to buckle every time he took a step back. However, it didn't last long as the Marauder finally fell backwards and proceeded to start pushing himself away as his body dragged across the ground but he couldn't outrun the Slayer. His arm began shaking tremendously with fear once the Slayer stopped a few feet away from him, glaring at the broken night sentinel before him.

Years ago, this would've been a normal training session for the Slayer as he trained under Xernex's tutelage at Taras Nabad. The two have sparred one another countless times and each time Xernex won, the Slayer improved in each encounter. Eventually, they became equals who fought alongside one another in the heat of battle. Unfortunately, time has taken a toll on both of them and now the Marauder lays on the ground, defeated, where the Slayer used to be years ago while the Hellwalker stands above him triumphantly where he once stood, just like Exultia.

The Marauder spoke, fighting through the hesitation and fear in his voice to muster his words, "So.. history repeats itself… I lay here, broken and defeated just like last time… So what's next? You're going to finish me off? Wait for me to resurrect so I can die again? I hate to break it to you but it ends tonight. I sacrificed my physical body for more power, I don't plan on coming back, NOT UNTIL I'VE FINISHED YOU OFF!"

Tragic by Yasuharu Takanashi

Xernex forced himself to his feet, grabbing his argent axe and igniting it before activating all of the thrusters in his body to push himself towards the Doom Slayer. The demonic night sentinel yelled as loud as he could towards the Hellwaker, "FLYNN!" The Slayer leapt towards the Marauder in that moment as well, fist drawn back to deal the finishing blow. Whoever struck first would end the fight once and for all. It was a moment that lasted an eternity for both warriors as their adrenaline, anxiety, and excitement slowed down time immeasurably for them. In a split second, it would be decided. In a split second, one of them would die. Realizing this, all they could do in this window of slowed time was reflect on their history together and remember how it all came down to this.

"I like to reach out to people and bring them into my little circle. We're kind of like one, ragtag family in a sense… consider yourself a part of our group now."

"Just helping out the next generation. They're the most important thing in life. It's our responsibility to raise them up so they can surpass us. They are our future… I don't care about leaving my mark in history or any of that, I just want to help make sure the next generation is safe and prepared…"

"...We have to do what we can for the next generation so they can be safe while we deal with the difficult stuff."

"In the name of Argent D'nur, I accuse you of treason against our kingdom! I will not turn my back against my people, no matter what! You are all traitors to Argent D'nur and you will be treated as such!... Their belief is our belief, we fight for our people till the very end!"

"I… thought you were one of us…! You… were supposed to be an IDOL… to bring hope to the people of Argent D'nur… but I suppose I was blind to the truth… You've helped me see that…"

"You were never one of us. You were nothing but a usurper, a false idol. My eyes have been opened, let me help you to see, Slayer."

"...That grotesque creature was no longer the friend I once knew, he was just another demon. Maybe that rationalization is what made it easier for me to put him down a second- in a second…"

The Slayer planted his feet on the ground, adjusting his position as he threw a punch towards the Marauder. The Slayer was filled to the brim with unyielding dread as so many emotions were flowing through both warriors at the same time. He wished the demon would've just listened to him, he hoped that Xernex of all people would be willing to understand him but it was futile. He was never as optimistic as Xernex was about the future of the next generation but it haunts him knowing that the man he respected so highly has become so twisted by the emotions of their past to the point he's willing to discard his own ideology for revenge. The Slayer understood quite well how it feels, to be so consumed by so much rage you discard the very things that shape your identity. However, the Slayer's time here has taught him many things, things he has forgotten and truths he begrudgingly accepts.

Despite these feelings, the Slayer couldn't express them towards the Marauder. All he could offer now is the sweet embrace of death and the peace that comes with it. The Slayer reaffirmed his resolve to himself before dealing the finishing blow, "Xernex, I didn't want it to turn out this way but I have no other choice. I failed you and betrayed the trust you put in me. Only now I begin to see your faith in the next generation. I have found someone that I can put my faith in, a future I want to fight for… and you're in the way of it. For his sake and yours, I will fight for the future you sought for. Until then, I'm sorry, my friend…"

The Slayer rammed his fist through the chest of the Marauder without a second thought, coating his arm in the blood of his best friend. The red marks on the Slayer's body began to wither away as the Slayer winced in pain from the blade of the Marauder's agent axe digging into his shoulder, searing his flesh and cauterizing his wound. The warrior's eyes cracked open to look at his friend who was left wide-eyed in shock from the pain of having the Slayer's arm go through him. The demon could barely groan, letting out a small whine of pain as the Hellwalker grabbed the demon by the shoulder before ripping his arm out of the demon's chest, allowing Xernex to hit the floor like a lifeless corpse. The Slayer forcefully removed the argent axe from his shoulder as well, tossing it to the side as he began panting for air.

Flynn flinched once he heard the reserved breaths of the Marauder clinging to life. He rushed over to his comrade and knelt down next to him before lifting the Night Sentinel's head and pleading, "Stay with me, don't go!"

Xernex barely managed to move his eyes to look at the Slayer as he muttered, "Don't waste my time… Just kill me…"

"I'm not going to abandon you, not this time."

Xernex let out a broken chuckle spliced with several coughs before mocking, "So.. you've come to watch me bleed out, then… I would rather you destroy my power core to make it quick, I won't stand for this humiliation…"

The Slayer let out an exhausted sigh as he went to remove his helmet with his free hand and tossed it to the side as before explaining, "I won't do that, Xernex, you're my friend."

"Don't give me that-…!"

"You were right about me… I gave up on you without trying. I had allowed my rage to dilute me for so long that I stopped caring for the people around me…" Xernex remained silent as he listened to the Slayer speak, "I did what I had to when we both chose our sides but I regret not reaching out to you. Leaving you to die on that day was one of the biggest regrets of my life. I resigned myself to this life of bloodshed, never thinking about anyone else in the process… Until I met Tanjiro. As much as that kid gets on my nerves, I can't deny the influence he's had over me. He started to give me hope again, made me think that there was a chance for things to go back to the way they were before… However, I'm done fighting for the past, it cannot be changed… but the future can."

The two warrior's heard the sound of approaching footsteps which caught their attention, silencing their conversation as they waited for the individuals to reveal themselves. Inosuke peaked into the crater and exclaimed, "There they are, fucking finally!" The boar boy was carrying an unconscious Zenitsu on his back. Their entire group was fortunate enough to still have their hearing in-tact but due to Zenitsu's keen sense of hearing, the explosion of the mountain caused him so much pain that he passed out.

Kanao revealed herself as well as she was still carrying Tanjiro in her arms. Tanjiro's eyes curled upwards in distress upon seeing the state of the two warriors and understood that the conflict was over. Tanjiro looked towards the girl and nodded, she understood what he wanted and carried him towards the bottom of the crater where the two warriors were and set Tanjiro down.

The Slayer cursed, almost ready to yell, "Kid…!" Tanjiro understood right away why the warrior was upset which made him wince while exclaiming:

"I know! I know! But… I wanted to apologize about before.. Or.. everything for that matter…" He opened his eyes to look at the two warriors who were staying still to listen to the boy talk. Tanjiro slowly breathed out, gathering the appropriate words for his apology as he began speaking, "I was naive.. I kept forcing myself into your business without any understanding of the situation or consideration for your feelings. What I did was stupid and selfish…" Tanjiro had difficulty keeping his eyes open as he felt them get warm from the tears he was holding back. He couldn't hold it back for long as he started to shed tears before continuing his explanation, "It's just that- I wanted to help…! I look up to you both, you guys are my role models for the person I want to be! I'm weak, I'm inconsiderate, I'm foolish but I want to be like you guys but I can't! That's why I'm okay with helping in any way possible because it's better than doing nothing!"

Tanjiro turned towards the Marauder as he continued, "Mister Xernex, I get you're mad at Mister Flint but he's not like that anymore! I've seen him change! Sure, he did all those things that he may have regretted but his loyalties were still towards Argent D'nur in the very end! For him, he was fighting to protect Argent D'nur, not destroy it! He was rebelling against the Khan Maykr for using and manipulating your people for her own selfish gain! I understand now why Mister Flint hesitated to tell me about the civil war because it was a period of time he had to turn against his own brothers to fight for the greater good! I can't even begin to imagine the amount of trauma that came with the fighting. So please! Mister Xernex, try to understand that the Slayer was never against you, he never wanted to fight you in the first place!"

The Slayer raised his hand to silence the boy before speaking, "I'll stop you right there." Flynn turned towards the Marauder as he explained, " I did want to fight you at the time but only because I was so angry at the fact that you turned your back towards your own people. In my eyes, you chose the path of a coward and abandoned everything you stood for. All I wanted to do was beat some sense into you until you finally understood what the hell you were doing. Unfortunately, I had already given up on you by the time we reunited on the battlefield, I was consumed by my own rage." Tanjiro decided to remain silent, realizing he was going back to his assumptions about other people and decided to pay more attention to their stories and listen. He felt as though he had already said and done more than he needed to.

The Marauder managed to laugh, albeit with extreme difficulty before responding, "You wanted to beat some sense into me but you gave up and killed me instead?" The demonic night sentinel laughed some more before admitting, "Ah.. you're ridiculous, Flynn. However.. you were right about me as well. I was a coward, I understood the Khan Maykr's intentions but I was afraid to rebel against her. I soon found myself fighting against my own comrades. I think the person I was angry at the most this entire time was not you… but myself… I was infuriated by my cowardice, I was too afraid to fight for my kingdom. I deluded myself into believing that I was still fighting for Argent D'nur. I tried to desperately justify my cowardice by shifting the blame onto you so I could forget my shame. In the end, I was the one responsible for bringing our kingdom to ruin, not you. I see now that you were a true Night Sentinel until the very end, unlike me…"

Flynn and Tanjiro raised their eyebrows in shock upon hearing the sound of sobbing coming through Xernex's mask yet the demon was unable to shed tears. The night sentinel placed his hand over his face as he quietly sobbed, pleading his guilt, "I was so angry…! I watched my people suffer! I destroyed lives, I destroyed the future! Before I knew it, I was no longer fighting for the future, I was stuck reliving my shame in the past… How can I ever attone for the horrible things that I've done…?"

Tanjiro cleared his throat to speak, "W-we can start again…! Get you back on your feet, we can help save the future, together! It's not too late!" the boy was giving it his all to stay as composed as possible while the tears flowed down his cheeks. His chest throbbed in pain as he shifted his attention to the slowly growing pool of blood underneath the Night Sentinel. He knew it was too late…

Leave out all the rest by Linkin Park

Xernex took a deep breath as he stared into the starry night sky. He felt at peace when he looked into it, all of his anger slowly washing away from his body. There were so many planets across the universe, there were too many to count, each of them with their own civilization. He began to imagine a world where civilizations across multiple stars began joining together, cultivating new life with the next generation leading the advance into the next era. The demonic night sentinel smiled underneath his mask as he raised his hands towards the stars in an attempt to grasp them within his hand. He muttered, "It is too late… for me… But you two.. Can still save the future. It's not my place to do it, but rather, to cultivate the next generation so they can surpass us. Tanjiro, you are a part of the next generation! You will lead us into a new era of peace and prosperity, together, with the Doom Slayer…!"

I dreamed I was missing

You were so scared

But no one would listen

Cause no one else cared

After my dreaming

I woke with this fear

What am I leaving

When I'm done here?

So, if you're asking me, I want you to know

"That's why… I will sacrifice myself for the next generation!" As Xernex plunged his fist into his mechanical body, Flynn and Tanjiro let out a gasp in response as they reached out instinctively to stop him. They were both baffled by the Night Sentinel's action, watching in horror as Xernex grunted in pain while grabbing onto the power core in his chest, slowly pulling it out.

Flynn angrily raised his voice as he questioned, "Xernex, what are you doing?!"

Xernex let out a powerful shout of pain as he finally ripped the power core out of his chest which was still connected to his body through a heavily damaged cable that was leaking electricity. "Argent D'nur- no… The universe… needs you…!" The bright lights of the Marauder's circuity began to dim by the second as the glowing red eyes of the Marauder slowly flickered like a dying light. He continued, "Do not fret over my death for it is my desire… to see the next generation prosper!" Tanjiro couldn't contain himself as he was profusely crying at this point, his head hanging low as he was listening to his idol's final words. Flynn had his head hung low enough for his eyes to be obscured by the shadows of the night. The warrior was biting his lip to keep himself centered despite the thunderstorm of emotions he was feeling. "Promise me this: restore Argent D'nur to its former glory and bring peace back to the universe! I entrust my mission… to you..."

When my time comes

Forget the wrong that I've done

Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed

And don't resent me

And when you're feeling empty

Keep me in your memory

Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

The lights of the Marauder's circuity shut off as the glow in Xernex's eyes faded to black and his entire body fell limp, causing his arm to drop to the ground with his power core leaving his hand and rolling away. Tanjiro yelled as embraced Xernex's body and continued pouring out his tears as they spilled onto the demonic night sentinel's pale skin. The Slayer simply sat in silence as he listened to Tanjiro's cries of despair.

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Author's note: And that's a wrap for the Marauder arc! Thank you guys so much for sticking around to this point in the story. I'm honored that you guys have been willing to read this far into the story. With the conclusion of the Marauder's arc, we are now left with The Ancient Gods Part 2, starting next week. I'll see you guys once more in the following celebration post but until then, I thank you guys for your continued support and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

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The Slayer sat on his workbench, modifying the beacon he had created as he attempted to adapt the power core of the Marauder into the beacon so he could power it. He had a candle lit next to him so he could see his work as he tweaked the machine in front of him. Behind him was Tanjiro who sat on the Slayer's bed next to Kanao who had already fallen asleep. Tanjiro already had his prosthetic legs repaired which allowed the warrior to focus on his contraption. Both Tanjiro and the Doom Slayer had been silent to each other following the events surrounding the Marauder and his night sentinels but the boy decided to finally address the elephant in the room as he expressed his concern:

"Mister Flint, what would you do if I were to get in your way? What would you do with me then?"

The warrior stopped to turn towards Tanjiro and face him. The two of them stared at each other for several seconds before the Hellwalker removed his helmet and gently placed it on the workbench next to him before he let out a sigh and explained, "Kid-... Tanjiro, I hate to admit this but I've changed because of you. I suppose that's because you remind me of my daughter. In a sense, you've helped me rediscover my old self that I discarded. You've proven yourself in my eyes as someone worthy of my respect. You've risked your life on my behalf and helped me mend an old wound. You have my gratitude for what you've done." The Slayer turned towards his machine before continuing, "I promised myself that I won't lose anyone close to me ever again, I will protect the people I care about, no matter what."

Tanjiro blinked several times in awe of what he had just heard before he decided to get up and walk up to the Doom Slayer who had his back turned to the boy. Without warning, the boy wrapped his arms around the Slayer and said, "Thank you, Mister Flint." The Slayer froze once more as he felt the boy squeeze him tightly. The man wasn't sure how to respond so he stood still until the boy let go. After Tanjiro released the Doom Slayer, he told the warrior, "Anyways, I'm going to bed now, have a good night, Mister Flint." before returning to the Slayer's bed where Kanao was sleeping while leaning against the wall. The boy closed his eyes and rested his head on the girl's shoulders. The warrior decided to put down his equipment and blow out the candle light to his room before grabbing the blanket of his bed and covering Tanjiro and Kanao with it. After making sure they were okay, the warrior decided to sit against the wall next to his Super Shotgun which was leaning on the wall beside Xernex's argent axe. Flynn decided to shut his eyes and fall asleep. Tanjiro kept one eye open to watch the Doom Slayer and after seeing the man finally close his eyes, Tanjiro decided to close his as well while cracking a smile.