Akane drags her defeated body further deep into a forest, three hours after a Pillar overpowered her with sheer strength. Throughout the whole fight, she has been constantly regenerating from his attacks. Although Akane has faster regeneration compared to a Lower Moon, even her own strength is exhausted just from successfully escaping the Pillar.
"You look like you met your match. Just last week, it was a draw with the the Water Pillar"
Hirokuma, who resides deep within the forest and where he currently perfects his corpse puppets, sarcastically greet the weakened demon swordswoman. The calm and laid-back behavior only further irritates Akane's rough night.
"I happened to meet the strongest Pillar in this generation. I'm no Upper Moon level to take on two Pillars at once, so I had to flee" Akane retreats to a nearby tree
The demon with snow white hair wearing by a kimono patterned by morbid ink-painted jagged flowers snaps back her left shoulder in place without even flinching. Her eyes would usually be seen as sharp and uninterested with everything around her, but right now she's completely irritated at herself.
"Hahahaha! If you just take working hard and Akaza's advice seriously, you could have challenged either Upper Moon five or six"
"Shut it...!"
No matter how much Akane wants to shout, having to take on the strongest Pillar and escaping when another arrives push her to her limit. The sudden and hard realization that she doesn't even have enough strength to overpower the strongest Pillar of the current generation frustrates her terribly that she grits her teeth in response.
"The Rock Pillar beat me to a pulp with his weapon that isn't even a sword! Then the angry Wind Pillar came to help him"
"That's because you underestimated them. I'm sure...you didn't use the Breathing thought to you. You thought you could just brute force your way through just because the Pillars from previous generations can't be compared now"
Judging from Akane's irritated and threatening expression, Hirokuma's guess is completely accurate. Hirokuma removes the top half of his kimono, pulling out his arms and increasing his muscle mass as tattooes paint themselves on his body.
"Well, you'll have just to take your time and take them seriously next time" Hirokuma smirks
"Grr..." Akane clenches her fists and growls
"Hahahaha! Since you're in such a foul mood, I'll be on my way"
Akane plops down on the ground, the mark of her utter defeat still visible in her murderous and annoyed expression. The last thing Akane needs right now is someone mocking her in every minute.
"Stop telling Kazuto where I am whenever you two see each other. He's as annoying as you" Akane reminds her just as he turns away
"It can't be helped. Hearing your name just makes him curious"
"Just get the hell out of here..."
His childish and half-hearted behavior are two aspects that further pushes her into an unpleasant mood since she is barely interested with other people, let alone her surroundings. That's why seeing him increase his distance away from her sends slight comfort now that she's alone.
"I feel so tired for some reason. To think one Pillar was enough to exhaust my regeneration"
Akane lifts herself up and stretches her body, claiming to be exhausted despite being a demon who has honed both her sword and body.
"...!"
The small animal familiars she relies on for detecting any threats with how she is greatly weakened, have been cut one by one with only seconds in intervals. There are several humans in the forest with most of them pushing back corpse puppets. Two break off from the rest of the group and possess incredible speed.
"You have to kidding me!"
At that instant, she realizes there are demon slayers nearby. It's not just one demon slayer with the speed and simultaneous elimination of her extended radar. If they are merely common demon slayers, she can eliminate them with no problem even greatly weakened from an earlier fight.
"Should I escape? I barely have half of my full strength. If I face against a Pillar, I'm done for"
She weighs her options on whether to stand her ground or not take her chances and escape at once. Akane draws her sword, unusually lowering it to the ground due to the increased weight in her arms.
"Run away again? Like I'd run away...after being beaten to a pulp by one Pillar. If I keep running away, I won't get far. I have to get stronger...and stronger. There's no way I would..."
A selfish demon with little interest in others is overwhelmed by arrogance and obsession with improving herself. She discards her instinct to naturally flee after her earlier fight and furiously and foolishly stomps her foot at the ground, choosing to remain and face the demon slayers themselves.
"Huh?"
An insane speed breezes through the thick forest and Akane senses this abnormality even without the use of using her Blood Demon Art as sensors. Hurrying footsteps breezes through the air and ground.
"Wha-!"
A piercing speed flies through a single direction from the cover of darkness and trees. In a split second, Akane sees a going of a blade's tip, but she is unable to evade a simple first strike. Instead, she defends herself by lifting her arm to shield her neck, only for that blade to pierce right through her forearm.
"My, it's just one demon. How unfortunate~" Shinobu cheerfully smiles
Her unique blade penetrates the demon's flesh with little effort with the speed of her thrust. The demon staggers back as her body trembles and a nauseas feeling builds up.
"What's with this blade - guah! Poison?!"
Akane pulls herself away after seeing the impractical blade. Shinobu's nichirin sword is incapable of decapitating heads due to her weak physical strength and short stature. The poison quickly affects and has increased effects due to Akane's weakened state, causing her to almost collapse to the ground and cough out a large amount of blood. She continues to vomit her blood tainted by wisteria poison while suffers in excruciating pain.
"Master!" Kanao arrives at the scene shortly
"Oh, Kanao? Sorry for leaving you behind. I have to hurry before the demon could think of escaping...but I don't think that's a problem"
Shinobu and Kano turn their heads to witness Akane desperately counteracting the poison in her body. Akane screams in agony and irritation, having been almost incapacitated by a sword dipped in lowly wisteria poison.
"She's refusing to die. Master, this one isn't a common demon" Kanao draws her sword
"It seems so. I mean she has a sword and sensed my presence before I jumped at her"
The poison can kill other demons in mere minutes, but Akane proves herself to be not like the demons they face every night. Although the poison affects her senses and causes her body to tremble, she grits her teeth being more angry rather than fearing for her life.
"A poisoner who can't cut off heads? What kind off damn joke is this?!" Akane grows furious as she wipes the blood off her mouth
"You're still alive, huh. The fact that you survived it means you're not on the same level as a Lower Moon. I used a strong one to instantly kill you, but you're still up and standing"
Shinobu now views Akane as a threat due to her resilient body and the fact that she can still tightly grip her sword even if her body has yet to recover from the poison.
"The other demon slayers can take care of the corpse puppet. Kanao, we'll take this one down. If she escapes, she might just grow stronger"
Unlike the feral demons who has lost every bit of their sanity, Shinobu is surprised to see a demon who lifts her sword and positions her body similar to a trained and disciplined swordswoman.
(Damn this. I'm not immune to poison compared to Upper Moons, but I can resist it. I wouldn't be able to run away easily from this speedy Pillar)
Shinobu may be incapable of decapitating the heads of demons, but her speed is something Akane couldn't evade earlier even with the fact that she's aware of her approach. Poison can kill Akane without a doubt, but she loses the option of fleeing the moment she allows herself to be stabbed by Shinobu's sword.
The demon slayers scatter all around the red light district, tracking the demon's main nest before more humans are eaten. The night is near as the setting sun dictates, but the three have yet to catch the demon's tracks. The Upper Moon itself is within their reach, hiding among the humans. Right now, the one who is keeping track of their movements is the demon fearful of an Upper Moon's strength. Akane's serpentine shadows traverses the cracks, holes, and corners of each houses.
"The extensions I initially planted on those locations are moving more freely now"
Akane presses both of her hands on the tatami floor and closes her eyes to accurately sense the surroundings of where her extensions are. She spots the three demon slayers disguised as girls wandering around the houses.
(The one with the scar is Kamado Tanjiro and the whiny yellow one must be Agamatsu Zenitsu. Who's the other guy with a feminine face? I think Shinobu mentioned his name being Inosuke...or something)
While the Upper Moon continues to remain carefree somewhere in Kyougoku house, Akane is left with the tedious task of regularly tracking down other demon slayers. Her shadows can slip and conceal themselves in completely silence as long as there is darkness, and she only awaits for nightfall to freely move outside.
"Daki isn't scolding me for no damn reason again so that's good. Although once night falls, I'll be forced to join in the fight...with the demon slayers..."
Only when thinking about the inevitable clash against the demon slayers that Akane's concentration wavers and briefly disconnects with her shadows. She has no past connection with the demon slayers, only Shinobu.
"This is difficult...because of Shinobu. If I remain the way I am, I will have to kill the demon slayers...but if I prioritize Shinobu, then I will have to betray my own kind. What in the world is wrong with me? Thinking about what a former Pillar would feel"
As her concentration wavers, she completely loses sight of her three targets. Akane has yet to realize that with how buried she is of her own thoughts.
"I would ask Shinobu right now, but I forgot I pushed her back to prevent internal struggle..."
Akane dugs her fingers on the ground and rips a small section of the tatami floor, conflicted about her only two choices and frustrated just thinking about the result. As here shadows slips through the darkness ad avoiding every possible sunlight, she spots Tomioka Giyuu eating what seems to be dango while casually sitting on top of one of the highest houses in the district.
"Augh. I can barely see him with how little the space is..."
Rooftops are the least place her shadows can slip and spy on people, so she's force to rely on the nearest shade she could find.
"Wait! Isn't that...the tsuguko who almost cut my head off!"
The memory of the night where she is forced to confront the demon slayers after failing to retreat before their arrival refreshes into her mellowed down thoughts.
"The Flower Breath user with sharp eyes. She may be Shinobu's tsuguko, but I won't forget a grudge"
Right now, Kanao inspects alleyways in hopes of encountering the moving shadow earlier, even going through corners and turning over the smallest objects. Kanao bends and twists her head while scanning every corner and angle for any hints of demon tracks.
"Fighting her and the others are inevitable. I can't afford to set aside my top priority for someone else's feelings. At the end of the day, I am still a demon who had forgotten my human life That's why I..."
Akane has yet to make her direct move against the demon slayers due to the sun still being present and fearing Daki's wrath at the same time. She dislikes Daki's I'll temper and impulsiveness, but Akane knows her place is below an Upper Moon despite the skills she has been sharpening for two hundred years.
Meanwhile
Kanao rendezvous with Giyuu, who continues to spy on the area through high grounds. The Water Pillar casually sits on the tiles and munches on more dangos with a bored and vacant expression.
"Kanao, how's the search going?" Giyuu swallows the dango he is chewing
"I couldn't find the shadow I saw earlier" Kanao shakes her head
"It may be a Blood Demon Art"
"The demon knows we're here"
"We already expected that, but it's hard to draw them out in broad daylight"
Giyuu throws a stick to the side and continues to watch the red light district's patrons and prostitutes. No one would think a demon is using the loud and always active district as a hunting ground.
"Is that demon still here? The one the Sound Pillar said could be master..." Kanao sits besides him
"I don't know. Should it be strange that I'm still hoping the demon is here?" Giyuu softens his voice
"We both want to know with our own eyes. Tomioka-san, are you hoping it's indeed master?"
"...Perhaps" Giyuu lowers his head
"Maybe if I just followed master before she died, then this wouldn't happen. Her wounds were as bad as mine, but I let the pain of my injuries get the better of me. If only, I only focused on killing the demon..."
Kanao isn't at fault and everyone reminds her, but she continues to bear the guilt and regret of sealing Shinobu's fate by failing to decapitate the demon and following Shinobu when the demon escapes.
"I thought...perhaps I should have agreed to come along back then. If I was there, I would have finished off the demon without a second to spare, but I didn't because I believed that Shinobu alone is enough" Giyuu shares the a bit of regret as well
"If it turned out to be her...I don't think I'd be able to fight her"
"My wish is that it wouldn't be her"
Sunset nears and darkness grows, giving more freedom and area to cover for Akane's surveillance on the demon slayers. The shadows stretches on each locations due to the demon's strength imbued on each one of them.
"To think I would have this much thought - Kanao?"
Giyuu goes into a deep thought and consciously begin narrating his own thoughts, only to be interrupted by Kanao immediately standing and pouncing past Giyuu. She draws her sword and aims for the dark thread seeping on one corner. The thread forming what looks like a head desperately crawls out of the space between the tiles, but Kanao's enhanced eyesight alerts her of the sprouting shadow.
"...!"
A pitch black rat with four round eyes and jagged teeth attempt to evade the incoming swing. It fails to evade Kanao's precision and accuracy. The moment Kanao's blade severs its torso, the monstrous creature disperses into thin air, vanishing with a faint squeak.
"Tomioka-san!" Kanao calls out
"The demon is on the move. Kanao can you see anyone?" Giyuu immediately stands up and holds the sheath of his sword
"There's no demon, just humans. This may be a long range technique"
"The demon may be hiding in the shadows as well"
The two heightens their alertness and focuses their senses on narrowing down where the demon could possibly be hiding after activating its technique. Of course they're unaware the user herself is near the Upper Moon, concealing her very presence from the demon slayers outside.
Kyougoku house
Akane first senses her shadow rat being instantly eliminated by Kanao, but she only recognizes it as a swing of a sword cleanly severing it in half. The sensation reverberates in mere seconds, alerting her of the attack and causing her to jolt.
(They cut one...two more?! Those demon slayers saw my shadows. I couldn't tell who cut it first with how fast it was)
The shock of having one of her familiars severed returns to her and alerts her of the current events. To Akane's surprise, unknown demon slayers are limiting her vision of the district with more shadows being severed from her.
"What's Daki doing right now? It looked like she's just relaxing and leaving the annoying work to me..."
Akane ignores the demon slayers tracking and eliminating her shadows and focuses on the completely relaxed Upper Moon still inside the house.
"What is she doing - Oh..."
She uses one of her shadows to track the current whereabouts of the Upper Moon and stumbles upon an unfortunate scene. There's a commotion which she is fortunate to be not present there seeing the foul mood and murderous intent right through Daki's eyes.
"What's with this unsightly girl?"
Daki feels like she wants to spit at the disguised Zenitsu, who is comforting a crying girl with a bloody noise and bruises on her face. Zenitsu freezes in one spot and unable to speak with how the deadly silence of the demon's sound is indeed from an Upper Moon. He feels numb in his spot, unable to even turn his head to memorize the demon's face.
"What's an ugly brat like you doing in someone else's room? You make me vomit" Daki grunts
(That's too harsh! I'm ugly but not that ugly) Zenitsu feels personally offended
"I don't like that face of yours one bit"
Rather than interrupt, Akane wisely chooses to let the drama unfold. She wouldn't want to be the one to catch the fury of an Upper Moon even if it isn't directed towards her right now. She has her shadow slip into the corner of the room and sighs watching as Daki vent out her anger on the trembling girl.
"That's going too far!"
Zenitsu couldn't stay put and chooses to risk defending the girl being pinched and slapped by the still furious Daki.
(He's dead...) Akane shakes her head
There's deep fear coiling around Zenitsu, but he wouldn't allow himself to watch a crying and trembling girl be punished for no reason other than to vent out unjust anger and frustration. Akane doesn't even need to look at a simple smack from Daki sends the demon slayer on disguise flying to the other room, not even hiding her inhumane strength.
"Akane, you've been hiding there. What is it?" Daki takes a deep breath
The girls rush to Zenitsu's aid after the sheer physical impact from the snack immediately renders him unconscious despite the being a trained demon slayer. While everyone is occupied with aiding Zenitsu for possible injuries, an irritated Daki turns her eyes to one corner of the room where a shadow briefly sprouts out of the thin space.
"The demon slayers wandering outside are on the move. I couldn't who was cutting my shadows with how fast they move, but there are more than one" Akane reports
"Must be a Pillar then. If they sent runts as weak as this one, they wouldn't deal with your Blood Demon Art that easily" Daki scoffs
"Should I deal with them now?"
"Find the other brats because the Pillars are mine to kill alone. If I take down two in one night, that man will be pleased" Daki excitedly grins
(It doesn't really matter if you die by their hands. I can't really do anything because of Muzan) Akane thinks to herself
Akane might be behaving in a submissive manner towards the Upper Moon, but she isn't fond of her own kind. She is reluctant to rebel against all demons, having the instinctive fear of Muzan like the rest of the demons.
Nightfall
The sun disappears which finally signals the demons present to finally stretch out in their freedom. The sound woods and tiles breaking in the distance signals Upper Moon six ignites the inevitable conflict between the demon slayers and the demons themselves. The sound dies as soon as it reaches Akane, but the demon whose shadows attaches to her body in an ink-like state.
"Hmm, it seems Daki is fighting the boy with the hanafuda earrings. Even though she said she only wanted the Pillars..."
The ink-like Blood Demon Art spreads from her shoulder to the rest of her head, concealing her borrowed appearance and carefully shapes a grotesque wolf-like head with eerie white round eyes and bare jagged teeth.
"My concentration would be split in maintaining my Blood Demon Art and using Breaths, but as long as it's not a Pillar, I'll be fine"
Through her familiar observing the whole battle in the safety of a roof nearby, Akane connects her senses there as if she's present herself. Tanjiro has difficulty with adapting his body to the explosive speed and raw power of an Upper Moon while Daki herself is toying with him and lavishing in his struggles.
"Hahahaha! To think a Pillar would drag a damn weak runt like you here"
The cuts from Daki's sash is sharper than a steel blade, even able to cleanly slice nearby houses with no difficulty. It's only through breathing that Tanjiro can reduce the deep wound on his shoulder.
"Hey, brat! Don't just stand there and do you job!"
Daki briefly ignores Tanjiro who has difficult breathing or even moving his legs the slightest when she spots a cat-like familiar formed from a small patch of shadow. The cat tilt its head, acknowledging that it can hear the Upper Moon loud and clear despite the distance of the user.
"The two Pillars are nowhere to be found. Even the boar head" Akane reports
"Then find them! I'm itching to let that man know that I can take out two Pillars in one night!"
"Like that it even matters to him..." Akane mutters to herself
"What did you say?"
"That man will surely appreciate you for this...new milestone"
"Ha! You got that right"
Fortunately enough, Akane doesn't have to be in the same area as Daki since she couldn't mask how annoyed and uninterested she is with the affairs of the ill-tempered Upper Moon. It's only unfortunate, Akane is forcing herself to be in line with the demons despite her little desire to fight the demon slayers tonight.
(The shinobi Pillar and the boar head are underground, but that's not my problem. I can't find the Water Pillar and the tsuguko)
Shadowy rat familiars peak through one of the many tunnels in the underground nest where Daki stores her food within her sashes.
"Wahahahaha! Maggots! You creepy demon maggots!"
Inosuke screams proudly while mindlessly swinging her serrated blades the animated sashes designed to protect the stored humans in case an invader stumbles upon it.
"The Sound Pillar will reach the nest in a couple of minutes, and it won't take them long to go after Daki. Well, it's her problem and not mine..."
Akane swings her arm and retreats her familiars from the underground nest since the more she uses, the more concentration is thinned out. It dulls her senses to the point all of it are poured into observing rather than her own surroundings.
"I should-!"
As soon as her concentration returns to her real body, her instincts scream of approaching danger. To her complete shock, that danger is already behind her and preparing to decapitate her ink-stained head.
(Shit!)
In just about a fraction of a second before the blade even makes contact to her neck, Akane immediately sinks into a pool of shadow she releases beneath her feet. The weakness of her imperfect Blood Demon Art's ability is that spreading familiars also drags her senses along with it. The farther and more she uses, the numb her real body is.
"I missed..." Kanao clicks her tongue
"The Flower Breath using tsuguko. I think you're name is Kanao"
Akane is already aware of Kanao's presence in the red light district, but she couldn't stop her lingering grudge from spilling through her furiously shaking voice. Seeing Kanao up close wavers Akane's concentration in maintaining her shadows latching to her body, specially her head.
"How do you know who I am?" Kanao raises her guard further
"How could I not? You're the brat who almost cut off my head. I believe you were with the Insect Pillar that night"
"...!"
"It may sound an excuse, but if it wasn't for the fight with the Rock Pillar before we met, I would have killed you in that spot. Then again, it's my fault for not focusing on recovering my strength after I was beaten to pulp"
"You're that demon. The girl in a white kimono that can use a Breath!"
There may be a change in Akane's physique since it's secretly Shinobu's body, but Kanao is unable to see through the shadowy mask completely concealing the demon's head. Right now, all Kanao can see is a demon with a grotesque animal for a head.
"You survived...but my master...died trying to kill you..." Kanao's hands shake
"The poisoner who can't cut off demon heads? It's your fault for not going after her seeing how serious her wounds are"
"...!"
"You were lucky that time. This time? Not so much..."
"You won't escape this time, demon!"
Remembering the night where Shinobu's fate is sealed the moment she decides to pursue the escaping Akane, resurfaces painful memories and the guilt following her everywhere. It's believed the demon perished along with Shinobu, only for that same demon to re-emerge in perfect good health.
"...!"
Kanao is about to swing her arm and leap towards the demon, only for Akane to appear right behind her with her own sword raised.
(What the-)
Kanao pushes herself to avoid the swing, only for Akane to move in a speed that Kanao is only able to defend herself in time due to her keen eyesight.
(There's a lag in her movements. She moves faster than I can see her, but she slows down just as she is about it to cut me. It's like her speed is just a short burst)
That's what Kanao's conclusion while they're currently locking their blades. Kanao purposely distances herself to test Akane's speed. Through her observation, she instantly notices a flaw in Akane's pattern. Akane may have agility greater than Kanao, but her speed burns out as soon as she moves even for just a few meters.
"You've weakened. You're movements are sluggish" Kanao proudly points out after she pushes Akane away
"It can't be helped due to my current circumstances. Your eyes are sharp enough to remember my Blood Demon Art isn't this shaky or messy"
"It's your hands that are shaky"
Kanao shifts her sight from the shadow all over Akane's body to the hand gripping her sword. The blade makes an undeniable sound from the tight yet trembling grip.
(It's Shinobu. She's not conscious, but her body is instinctively refusing to fight this girl. No wonder I feel so heavy...)
Akane may have have regained an incomplete version of her Blood Demon Art, but Kanao is fighting her on equal terms due to Shinobu unconsciously restraining her own body against Kanao. The cold wind blows while each side await for the other to act first. Most of Akane's original strength is drained, but her skills haven't rusted even when she is restricted with Shinobu's weaker physique.
"Was it you who killed master?" Kanao grits her teeth
"...I didn't need to kill that Pillar" Akane briefly lowers her sword
"What?"
"That Pillar was heavily wounded and she further pushed herself by going after me. Her own wounds killed her before she can land any more blows"
"...!" Kanao widens her eyes
"That's why I told you if you had stopped her or go after her, she wouldn't have died a pointless death"
"What did you do with her body? Where is it, demon!" Kanao screams at the top of her lungs
"You're own two eyes can't see it..."
Akane briefly touches her head with shadow wrapped around it as her tone deepens and briefly changes into a completely different voice.
"...!"
Faster than Kanao's eyes can predict her movement, Akane instantly removes the distance when she reappears right in front of Kanao. A pair of empty white eyes stares right through her while she remains frozen in shock in that one second. Akane grabs Kanao by the face and slams her right straight to the roof below them and shatters through the tiles.
"It's already right in front of you..." Akane speaks in a folder and deeper tone
"What are you-!"
Akane doesn't even let Kanao finish her words after slamming her three more times and only stops seeing the risk of the roof breaking right beneath their feet. Even if Kanao is Shinobu's tsuguko, she has no intention of restraining herself since if she refuses to fight, she would either die at the hands of the demon slayers or the demon themselves.
"...!" Akane feels a stinging headache
Before the headache can overtake her, Akane tosses to another rooftop. The stinging headaches numbs the rest of her body, scattering her focus and senses that her Blood Demon Art is collapsing and turning into an ink-like state.
"Shinobu...is fighting back ..." Akane bites her lower lip
The Blood Demon Art deactivates with its user's mental and emotional state in complete shambles because of two contradicting consciousness. As a result, the shadow Akane uses to wrap around her body and head unravels and forcing her identity to be revealed.
"No...that can't be..."
The moment Kanao pushes herself back up and wipe the blood off her forehead, her own two eyes clearly spot and recognize the face of the demon she has been fighting. From the butterfly clip tying the short hair alone is enough evidence for Kanao to recognize what she is supposed to be expected yet unexpected at the same time.
"Kanao!"
Giyuu calls out for the mildly wounded tsuguko who could only utter incoherent words from the extreme shock of actually staring at the main reason why the demon Akane is deliberately protecting her head from being seen.
"Breath of Water first form: Water Surface Slash"
(The Water Pillar?)
Akane desperately regains her focus and control of the body right now since her body shivered at the murderous intent of the Water Pillar. Giyuu leaps from a nearby rooftop and grabs his sword with both of his hands and aims for the neck of distracted demon.
"Damn it!"
The shadows reforms and immediately wraps some parts of Akane's body and her head while preparing to prevent the single concentrated slash from reaching her neck.
"Breath of the Wind third form: Clean Storm Wind Tree!"
Akane barely defends herself with a flurry of slashes around her just for a simple yet impactful slash from Giyuu. The nearby rooftops gets involved with the violent howl of the wind and break apart sections of some roofs.
"A Breath using demon?" Giyuu is shocked upon jumping back nearby
"Ugh! What's with this unfortunate event? Why of all people are you two here? Is this what they call fate?" Akane laughs at herself
"Where did you learn that?"
"It doesn't matter where I learned it. I'll have to push my body to the limit because you're a troublesome Pillar"
Akane steels her grip and fortifies the rest of her body when her new opponent is the Water Pillar. The tsuguko is no threat to her, but facing a Pillar in her current state is a completely different story.
"Breath of the Moon first form..."
"...!"
Giyuu musters all strength in one foot and leap forward to perform multiple strikes in a flowing motion by twisting his body. He has no reason to wait for the demon to perform an attack when his instincts immediately pushes him forward. Kanao may be still in good condition, but she's somehow paralyzed and unable to even speak.
"...Dark Moon - Evening Palace"
Akane instantly draws her blade and releases a single slash which quickly overpowers Giyuu's Striking Tide and manages to land a cut on his stomach.
(It didn't cut deep? Shinobu's body is holding me back...)
Giyuu is sent flying after receiving a restrained blow from a powerful Breathing form. The slash on his stomach causes some blood to spill out, but it's too shallow to be critical wound. In fact, the slash may be an iaijutsu, but Shinobu's body forces Akane's hand to tremble and lose her concentration with each time she swings her blade.
"Are you angry again...?" Akane calmly asks herself
(The wound isn't a big a deal. I have to land a blow while she's spacing out!)
Giyuu takes several deep breaths and analyzes the wound on his stomach to be not threatening enough to be careful with his movements. He stomps his foot as soon as he regains his balance and prepares to unleash another technique.
(My arms feels heavy. Using shishou's technique is putting a toll on my body and Shinobu's resistance isn't helping either)
Akane's hand continuous to tremble due to Shinobu's desire to not harm her current opponent and possibly anger to Akane fighting Giyuu right now. Her body adapts to Wind Breathing, but Moon Breathing still has a toll even after unleashing the simplest technique.
"Breath of Water tenth form: Constant Flux"
"...!"
Her own carelessness leaves her vulnerable to Giyuu who twists his body about two to three times as aims to land a powerful slash with the build up strength from each rotation.
"Breath of the Moon second form: Pearl Flowers Moongazing"
In the last second just as Giyuu swings his blade towards the distracted demon, Akane desperately unleashes another defensive technique by creating multiple slashes which includes a barrage of crescent blades.
"Ggh!"
The Breathing is powerful, but Akane is yet to reach the physical level of Kokushibo who can unleash all forms with little to no difficulty as if his swings are light as paper yet and strikes like steel. The drawback reverberates to the muscles on her arms, but her regeneration being faster than any demon, undoes the damage in a few seconds.
"...Piercing Rain Drop"
"What?!"
Akane stumbles back only to meet an instant stab from Giyuu. The fastest thrusting technique in all Breathing forms catches even an experienced fighter like Akane off guard.
"...W-wait, Giyuu-san! The demon... the demon is...!"
Kanao shakes her head and snaps back to reality seeing the demon being distracted and staggering to balance herself while Giyuu pulls back his arm and is about to drive his sword right into the demon's skull.
"...!"
The sword pierces right through her shadow protection and towards her forehead. It may not be a decapitation, but the simple attack is enough to shock the demon and unintentionally cancelling her Blood Demon Art, unraveling the power protecting her.
"Shinobu..." Giyuu widens his eyes
As the demon steps back, the shadowy disperses from Akane's head and the rest of her body, revealing the demon Giyuu has been fighting is also Shinobu. The demon fights him with two different Breathing techniques Shinobu is incapable of learning, so his focus is entirely on eliminating the demon with no hesitation.
"...!"
Giyuu's sorrowful yet shocked tone causes Akane's focus to be in complete chaos, unable to have enough grip strength to hold her sword any longer. Akane howls in pain due to the shared consciousness with Shinobu echoing to her right now.
"Aah...aaaaahhh!"
Akane struggles to keep her own concentration intact with the amount of emotions flowing into her. She has no connection to Giyuu, so she should have no reason to be rendered vulnerable when he mentions Shinobu.
"I don't understand. Is this...is this Shinobu's emotions? That Pillar...is affecting me...because of her..."
Akane is already aware of that Shinobu views Giyuu as someone she values like Kanao, but the emotions she is forced to experience is completely strange to her. For so long, she has been living without viewing anyone as precious to herself. She has been wandering unsure about her own emotions until she discards them in one corner...
"D-dad. This can't be happening, right?"
"Look at me, Akane. It's going to be alright. It's going to be alright, okay?"
"It's not. It's not okay! I can see you're lying, dad!"
"Ggh! I don't have much time. You have...to get out of here..."
"I don't want to leave! Don't leave me behind"
"I'm sorry...but I would never forgive myself if I hurt my own child"
A child fuelled by self loathing for her own weakness is forced to watch her father fade away right before her very eyes. She refuses to abandon him out of love, but the parent needs her to be away from him out of love. Being a child incapable of fighting for herself, it frustrates her.
Shi...nobu...
"Who's...there...?" Shinobu weakly groans
...Shinobu...
"This voice...is familiar..."
Shinobu's consciousness, having been pushed back by Akane the moment she arrives at the red light district, drifts into the darkest corner of her mind. The demon pushes her into a slumbering state to prevent her from being aware of her surroundings, but Akane's control is wavering that Shinobu's senses start functioning normally again.
"Ka...nae..." Shinobu slowly opens her eyes
"It's me..." Kanae gently presses her hands on her cheeks
"It's...so dark. I can barely feel anything..."
"Shinobu, you have to wake up"
"Wake...up...?"
"That's right. You're hurting them and you're in pain"
Shinobu lifts her weakened body and senses her strength coursing back to her body again from Kanae's gentle and warm touch.
"I'm...hurting...who exactly?" Shinobu still feels dizzy
"Kanao...and Tomioka Giyuu"
"Giyuu and Kanao...?!" Shinobu gasps
"Your emotions are overflowing that child. You need to wake up before she destroys herself and Giyuu" Kanae tearfully pleads her
"I don't understand what's going on..."
"There's no time, Shinobu. You have to pull her back and regain control of your own body"
Kanae has no time to explain everything to Shinobu and continues to plead to her to leave the dark corner of her mind and back into the light of reality again. Shinobu is weak right now after being pushed back, but Akane lends her strength and shares warmth through her gentle touch.
"...!"
Shinobu's hand stops as soon as she sense it lands on human flesh, Giyuu's shoulder to be exact.
"...!"
Behind him is a heavily wounded and unconscious Kanao while Giyuu firmly stands in front of her, protecting the tsuguko with his bare hands after having his sword broken in half. Shinobu's sword sinks about an inch to Giyuu's shoulder before removing it out of the horror of her own action. He doesn't care if he has to use his bare hand in tightly gripping the sword to prevent it from sinking into his flesh.
"Tomioka-san!" Shinobu realizes what happened
Not only Giyuu and Kanao are caught in the rampage, but the surrounding are has become a wreckage of blindly furious storm. No matter jo much she rages, Giyuu follows the current and continuously flows. He is willing to take as much cuts and stabs if that's what it takes to prevent her from killing anyone
"Kochou...is that really you..." Giyuu's left leg falls to the ground
"Yes, it's me. I have returned...as a demon" Shinobu takes several steps back
"I see. So you really are alive...all this time. I was right to believe it..." Giyuu faintly smiles
Giyuu presses the left side of his abdomen where he has received a deep stabbing wound as part of Akane's blind and short rampage. He could subjugate a mindless rampage, but he doesn't want to risk
"Tomioka-san..."
Shinobu bends on one knee seeing Giyuu receiving more wounds than Kanao, an indication he has been using all of his strength to protect Kanao more than his own body.
"I don't care if you're a demon" Giyuu speaks out first
"Why...?"
"As long as it's you, I don't care. You're no longer human, but you still have your humanity"
"I killed people. I couldn't stop my demon nature...and ate people" Shinobu reminds her
"...but it's not up to me to judge you. I'm just glad...you're alive"
"You're glad, huh. I suppose those wounds are making you delirious"
Shinobu faintly smile and stands back up, refusing to believe the sincerity of Giyuu's words.
"My sanity is still here. I'm glad...you haven't given up on your humanity"
"Why is that? Shouldn't you kill me as a demon slayer?" Shinobu frowns
"If you want to die, then let yourself be burned into the sun - only you haven't done that"
"You really blabber things with a straight face, Tomioka-san"
If Giyuu chooses to eliminate Shinobu as part of his duty as a demon slayer, Shinobu would have no qualms with it knowing she would do the same if the situation is reversed.
"I don't care what insult you throw at me this time. I truly am just glad to see the same Shinobu I always knew" Giyuu stares at her right in the eyes
"Do you even know what you're saying? You're not acting like yourself"
Shinobu rejects how Giyuu is acting like he truly doesn't care what Shinobu says to him since the Shinobu he knows would openly tease him with an annoyingly cheerful smile and carefree attitude.
"What's wrong with you?"
Shinobu stands a few more steps back, utterly baffled at how Giyuu is expressing more not his emotions when he has always been stoic and unfriendly towards anyone. In fact, she's somewhat uneasy seeing Giyuu being honest with his words and emotions.
"...?" Giyuu blinks in confusion
"You finally met me again as a demon and you don't even faze" Shinobu widens her eyes in disbelief
"I told you that I don't care. You're still the Kochou Shinobu who has done nothing but tease me. Honestly, I kept looking back at that time-"
"Something is certainly wrong with you right now. You're just too...honest right now..."
"I'm not emotionless. That's why I was just glad you haven't lost yourself even as a demon"
"You're a troublesome person..." Shinobu shakes her head
Unlike a moment ago, Shinobu isn't upset or irritated with Giyuu suddenly being sincere with his words. Right now, she's unknowningly thankful seeing Giyuu still alive and grateful that Shinobu still has her humanity. She hasn't changed a bit even after becoming a wandering demon.
"You truly are..."
Shinobu slowly approaches the worried Giyuu and stretches out her arm and stops as soon as her fingertips are a couple of inches away from touching his cut and bruised cheek. Realizing what she is about to do, Shinobu reluctantly pulls her arm away and drags her feet backwards.
"I wanted to go back - I truly do, but I've become the one thing I loathed the most"
"Kochou..."
"I still hate myself right now, but I can't seem to hate your stubbornness at all. In fact, I find it a little funny that you're acting like you've missed me" Shinobu chuckles
"What's wrong with that?" Giyuu is surprised at her response
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The two stare at each other, confused at their responses. Giyuu isn't joking or slipped with his words which took Shinobu by complete surprise.
Ugh. My head...
"Look who woke up again. As soon as you sneakily push me back, you rampaged" Shinobu couldn't hide her genuine anger
"Kochou?"
"I forgot to tell you. The reason I became a demon because someone had another demon fused with me. That same demon is someone I'm sharing my body with"
"What?!" Giyuu doesn't genuinely expect that circumstances
"I can't explain right now, Tomioka-san. I have to leave..."
"Wait! I finally found you after you've been evading us and you're just going to leave? You just can't do that" Giyuu protests
"Tomioka-san...?"
"That's unfair. You're alive all this time and you're just going to disappear again" Giyuu raises his voice
It's as if Giyuu wants to pull her with his own hands, suddenly worrying where she will go and what would happen once she disappears again. There's a chance Shinobu might never reappear before them again.
"I can't stay much longer with a demon slayer. I'm a demon now, so I have somewhere else to be"
"That's..."
"It's alright. I'll come back for Kanao...and also you" Shinobu turns her back
"...!"
"I have no plan of dying. I...still have a reason to live"
Shinobu's eyes shifts from an unconscious Kanao to a confused and concerned Giyuu. Kanao is her tsuguko and adoptive younger sister while Giyuu is the Pillar she spends the most time with.
"Tomioka-san, please look after Kanao until then..."
"Kochou- Ggh!"
Giyuu forces to move his heavily wounded and exhausted body that the wounds open up again and blood spills out. The pain paralyzes him right where he stands as his legs surrenders to the ground.
"To think you've been longing to meet again. How strange..." Shinobu scoffs
Rather than be annoyed, Shinobu is glad seeing Giyuu again and somewhat appreciates him being honest with how he's been searching for Shinobu all this time.
"Kochou..."
Giyuu presses his abdomen to prevent more blood from spilling out as he helplessly witness Shinobu leaving again shortly after their somewhat bittersweet reunion. Giyuu is genuinely glad that Shinobu hasn't succumbed to her demon nature and manages to retain her personality and memories with little difference from her human self. Shinobu leaps out of the scene, unable to see the faint sorrow visible from her usually stoic expression.
Shinobu, I...
"What you did...made me furious. You were planning on overtaking me the moment we arrived here!"
Shinobu grits her teeth as soon as she lands on a spot where no other demon slayers are visible in sight. There, she freely expresses her clear anger and disappointment towards Akane's actions.
If you were present, any of the Upper Moons would have killed you. You've been telling me on how you don't want to die
"You should have told me first!"
You would have refused! If they see there's a struggle between us, Upper Moon six would have seen me as an enemy!
"Still, you lost control and almost killed Tomioka-san and Kanao"
It's your emotions that overwhelmed me. All he did was say your name and your emotions overpowered me. Shinobu, don't tell me that Pillar...
"...!"
For your body to be overwhelmed with emotions means you hold him in deep regard...
"I've spend a lot of time with him. I suppose...I'm a bit fond of him" Shinobu lowers her head
You cared about him that much. I'm sorry...for almost killing him and your tsuguko. I never intended to kill them, just get them out of the way...
"You're apologizing?" Shinobu widens her eyes
Yeah. I'm still at fault for what happened earlier. That's why your anger is justified...
"I'm still angry. I really am...but you're being apologetic that it's just doesn't feel right"
Shinobu admits to be still upset and mildly furious at Akane being the one in control without telling Shinobu and rampages to the point that Kanae appears just to have Shinobu reawaken in her own body.
I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, but feeling regret on my own actions is twisting my heart for some reason
"That's how regret feels like. It hurts people who has a moral compass. Although, I didn't expect you have any sense of morality"
Something happened that I can't explain. I was crying and in pain. Then I was angry...at myself
"I won't really understand since I blacked out" Shinobu frowns
I deserve to be scolded later. Right now, I need to go to Gyuutarou and Daki, the Upper Moon six siblings
"Are you saying you need to be in control again?"
I don't personally care about other demons, but they're beating your friends to a pulp. If you go there, they'll realize it's you...
"..." Shinobu is skeptical
It would be difficult for her to agree right now after the whole rampage and almost killing Kanao if it isn't for Giyuu protecting her. Akane realizes how much the two means to Shinobu from having Shinobu's emotions momentarily shared to her.
"Hahahaha! It's game over, brats. You won't be able to cut our heads off!"
Daki proudly declares as she enjoys seeings the heavily wounded Zenitsu and Inosuke struggling to sever her neck that transforms into a flexible sash. Gyuutarou is proving to be difficult for Tanjiro which further boosts Daki's confidence in their victory.
"Aaaaaaah! Damn sash maggot!"
Daki's sashes smacks Inosuke all over his body and bruising the noisy boar head with a freakishly dislocating bones.
"She still has this much strength!"
Their strength wavers from the exhausting battle while Daki has enough strength to fend them off while she relief on her stronger older brother to take care of the persistent Tanjiro.
"Let's see about that" Akane gracefully lands behind Daki
"Akane-!"
"Breath of the Moon fifth form..."
"You little brat!"
As soon as Akane moves one foot back and unsheathes her sword, Daki immediately realizes the attack is meant for her and not the demon slayers. Akane gazes at her with killing intent, something she has been concealing since from the beginning. She has no strength to directly overpower an Upper Moon on her own, so the current situation is the perfect opportunity for her.
"...Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy!"
Kokushibou can perform the fifth form without needing to move his arms or swing his sword, but Akane has to pour her strength in swinging her blade as she creates several curved slashes layering one after another as if she's creating a vortex.
"I knew it! You're a damn traitor!"
Her Wind Breathing would only deal superficial damage, but the more powerful Moon Breathing can instantly shred Daki's Blood Demon Art with a single form in the right timing. To her horror and shock, her sashes are instantly shredded. She sustains countless cuts piercing her flesh on her arms and torso.
"Now's the time boar head and sleepy one! Cut her head off!" Akane shouts at them
"Aaaaaaah! How can you turn against us? Weren't you loyal to Kokushibou" Daki is completely furious
"I wouldn't betray him if I was still his apprentice. I'm a demon on my own now and this is the decision I made"
"You good for nothing-"
Akane's attack surprisingly deals significant damage on her since Akane is willing to endure the drawback of her imperfect Moon Breathing just to incapacitate Daki enough to be decapitated.
"I'll rip your head off!"
While Daki's sash starts to recover from the earlier attack, she lunges out of blind fury for Akane's sudden betrayal to her own kind.
"...!"
Akane uses the first form of Moon Breathing to gather an explosive force while her sword is sheathed back. Upon unleashing it, both of Daki's arm are severed...while Zenitsu appears from the left and swings his sword at her sash-like neck.
"Inosuke-sama for the killing blow!"
Inosuke appears on the other side and swings both of his blades, drawing every strength to his arms with how difficult to sever her neck transformed into a sash.
"I'll never forgive you, traitor! You just sealed your fate! Everyone will be your enemy now!" Daki curses Akane
"I know that, but I prioritized myself over the pointless goals of demons. What can I say? I've been selfish since the very beginning..." Akane cheerfully smiles
Her cheerful smile and sarcastic tone make it seem like she's reflecting and mimicking Shinobu's behavior which only angers Daki even more.
"Don't worry. If I die, I'm sure we'll meet each other in hell. Perhaps by then, everyone else will be dead" Akane jokingly adds
"Aaaaaaah! Onii-chan! Do something, onii-chan!"
Daki desperately cries out for her older brother who she always rely on whenever she is in a battle she can never win on her own.
"I shouldn't have taken my chances on you, man. You're dumber than these brats!" Gyuutarou grits his teeth
"I've lived for a long time because I'm selfish. You two are dumb as shit for thinking I wouldn't turn against the demons. You'd honestly think I'm that submissive?" Akane mocks him
"You damn traitor! I knew you're cooperating with that Pillar"
Unfortunately for her, Tanjiro prevents Gyuutarou from pulling away his sickle piercing his chin. The demon siblings furiously scream at the blades sinking into their necks. Tanjiro sacrifices his poisoned body and drains every ounce of his strength to slide his blade right through Gyuutarou's neck while Daki's neck flies into the air at the same time as her brother.
"There they go..."
Akane sighs in relief seeing both of the holders of the Upper Moon six have been successfully decapitated simultaneously, thus confirming their defeat. On the other hand, the extreme exhaustion and critical injuries causes Inosuke and Zenitsu to collapse on the spot and roll down the roof, but Akane doesn't care much about them as long as they're alive.
"I fulfilled what I asked. You can have your body back...Shinobu"
Akane raises her head and closes her eyes, satisfied at the result despite her appearance only on the last minute and barely contributing at all, except for angering Daki by confirming her betrayal to her kind.
"Everyone pushed themselves tonight, huh. Thankfully none of them suffered mortal injuries"
Shinobu jumps down after seeing Tanjiro succumbs to the poison he's been enduring from knocking him out throughout the successful battle. Everyone but a tiny Nezuko and immobilized Tengen are conscious.
"Kochou...is that you? You really look like a damn demon now with those eyes and fangs. Not flamboyant at all!" Tengen coughs out blood
"Don't worry. I didn't kill any demon slayers tonight"
"Then what are you here for?"
"Nothing. I simply made the decision to be a demon loathed by both demons and demon slayers"
"You made yourself an enemy of other demons. That Upper Moon is cursing at you like hell right before he died"
"..."
"Did you happen to meet Giyuu tonight?"
"He's alive if you're asking"
"...I see"
"Well, I didn't really come here to have a reunion or anything. The demon fused with me decided tonight"
"What demon?"
Rather than responding, Shinobu ends the conversation and faintly smile at the heavily wounded Tengen before turning her back away. Shinobu shifts her focus on the unconscious Tanjiro being guarded by a puzzled and curious Nezuko. Nezuko, having the demeanor of a child, doesn't view as a threat the slightest and tilts her head as she approaches.
"A demon clinging on to your humanity. I suppose it will take time for me to completely understand it..." Shinobu gently pets Nezuko
"Mm-hmm!" Nezuko sparkles and gives a thumbs up
"I'm still angry even as a demon, Tanjiro-kun" Shinobu faintly smiles
As Tengen's three wives gather around Tengen as if to protect him from the non-hostile Shinobu, who is unsure at her own goal for reappearing only to make the demons her enemy despite being a demon herself.
"I'll continue what I've been doing even if demon slayers and other demons are against me. That's what I decided..."
Without looking back, Shinobu leaves those parting words to Tengen since he's the only demon slayer conscious right now. Other demon slayers will arrive at the scene to treat the wounded, so Shinobu springs her legs and leaped back to the rooftop.
"..."
She briefly glances at the surroundings below and turns away again, leaving the scene shortly afterwards. Although confused, Tengen is certain that the former Pillar turned demon hasn't changed the slightest. Although, Shinobu is adapting to her demon body and utilizing her new strength for her own goals.
Chapter 19: Having betray the demons, Akane meets with Tamayo regarding about what Hirokuma did to Shinobu and her. When Akane regains a fraction of her old self, Shinobu returns to the village - to where Akane's home once stood.