"I can't fucking believe it. A fucking demon, Tsukumo. A fucking demon living alongside us."
"I heard it from Shinobu-chan. Oyakata-sama approved of it though, right? She even said that the demon managed to resist eating your blood."
"Tch. Demons are all the same." Sanemi spat as they continued to walk ahead to their next destination in order to slay more demons creating trouble somewhere. "I cannot agree to this. There is nothing normal about it."
"But if it is possible for a demon to survive without eating humans… you have to admit that it might be a turning point in our fight against demons. If demons don't kill humans then there will no longer be a need for us to continue fighting. We can focus more of our efforts on turning them back into normal instead of trying to kill each other."
"I'll fucking rip the heads of any demons I see. That demon was lucky that Oyakata-sama spoke for her." He said with a venomous voice. "That won't fucking happen again. Wait till we fucking find Muzan. I will rip his head off too."
"Yes, yes, because you totally can beat Muzan all on your own."
"Shut the fuck up."
"Be nice, Sa-kun. This is why you don't have any friends other than me. If it wasn't for me you would just be like Tomioka-san, disliked by everyone."
"Shut up."
"You know I'm right."
"Shut. Up."
"Awww, so you're Nezuko-chan! How cute!"
"Mm!"
"Huh? You want to play with my umbrella? Only if you promise not to damage it, okay?"
"Mm Mm!"
"Hold it like this… yep! Just imagine that you are wielding a spear! And then you swing it like this… yeah! That's it! That's how you do it! Aww~ You are so smart!"
This was the scene Tanjiro returned to the moment he got back from his rehabilitation training. A woman with long silky black hair and grey eyes laughed happily alongside his sister, her fair skin radiating the sunlight shone on it. The white haori she wore over her uniform gave her an elegant and ethereal look, making her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The woman is still playing with his little sister, teaching her how to twirl and swing a white umbrella around like it is a spear.
Considering that the woman is also wearing the uniform of the Demon Slayer Corps, the umbrella may very well be a real weapon.
"Nezuko! You cannot just play with other people's weapons like that!" Tanjiro quickly ran up to his sister, plucked the umbrella away from her hands, offered it back to the woman and quickly bowed to the woman in apology. "Sorry about this! It won't happen again!"
"It's fine. I had a lot of fun playing with Nezuko-chan! Ain't that right, Nezuko-chan?"
"Mm Mm!"
Tanjiro mentally heaved a sigh of relief. At least this woman does not seem to hold a grudge against Nezuko simply for her being a demon against her will.
"So, you are the Tanjiro-kun that everybody's talking about?"
"T-That's me." Tanjiro stuttered a little, not knowing where the conversation was heading to.
"I apologise for Sa-kun's behaviour that day." The woman apologised in a bow which Tanjiro quickly returned even if he doesn't know why. It just felt wrong to be receiving a bow from her. "I heard what he did to your sister during that meeting."
"Mm?"
"Sa-kun?" Tanjiro mirrored his sister's confusion. Who's that?
"Oh, my bad. I forgot you wouldn't know that is how I address him because you are new here. He's the Wind Pillar. You know, foul mouth, bad temper, many scars?"
Oh, him.
"I-I-I-It's fine!" Tanjiro squeaked out. "E-Everything turned out fine so-"
"TANJIRO!"
The three of them had their attention drawn to the source of the voice. Tanjiro saw Zenitsu running at full speed towards them with Inosuke behind him. The look on Zenitsu's face is one of utter fury and determination.
"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME, TANJIRO?! HOW COULD YOU?! WAS KANAO-CHAN NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?! HOW CAN YOU TALK TO A PRETTY LADY LIKE THIS WITHOUT INFORMING ME?!" Zenitsu yelled out while shaking Tanjiro violently by his shoulders before turning around to face the woman, his attitude and behaviour taking a complete hundred and eighty degree turn as he took her hand in a gentlemanly manner. "Good morning, beautiful lady, my name is Agatsuma Zenitsu. PLEASE MARRY ME!"
"Ah, saying something like that right out of the blue… I'm a really shy person, you know?" The woman said in a somewhat dreamy manner with a hand on her cheek. "But you really shouldn't shout those three words out like that because if Sa-kun happens to be nearby and heard what you said and sees you taking my hand, he will-"
"Fucking rip you into two."
The only other warning that told them that danger was imminent was the sound of a blade being thrown their way. Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Nezuko all ducked to the ground on instinct while Zenitsu can only scream in fright, still holding onto the woman's hand for dear life. The woman simply pointed her umbrella towards her left with a smile still resting on her face and opened it, letting the canopy of the white umbrella blocking the green Nichirin Blade that was hurled at Zenitsu. The blade was knocked upwards from the impact and spun in the air for a second before stabbing itself down into the ground, coming to a standstill.
"Sa-kun~ Play nice!"
"The fuck will I want to play nice when there's a fucking scum holding your hand like that?!" The unpleasant voice which Tanjiro had the chance of hearing once before rang out from the direction which the sword was thrown from and Tanjiro spotted him, the Wind Pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi. "Unhand her, bastard! Or I'll fucking kill you!"
"Hiieeeek! Please don't kill me!"
"FIGHT ME!" Inosuke declared as he pointed at Sanemi. "The mighty Lord Inosuke challenges you to a duel!"
"Ain't got the fucking time, pighead." Sanemi sneered before casting a glare at Tanjiro and Nezuko. Tanjiro instinctively used his body to block Sanemi's vision of his sister, not knowing if he would try to attack them as well. Nezuko is busy fuming and releasing a string of 'MMPHS!' behind his back, the memories of their first encounter still fresh in their minds.
"Ah, ah, we talked about this, Sa-kun."
Their saviour came in the form of the woman with the white umbrella as she pinched on his ear with that same smile still on her face. Sanemi grunted in annoyance but settled for simply picking up his sword and sheathing it.
"Come on, we gotta go. Another demon to slay."
"Aw, so soon? Not even a break?"
"FIGHT ME BEFORE YOU GO!"
"Uwah, we have a fiesty one here." The woman said with a tease and patted Inosuke on the head like he is a little boy. "Sorry, boar-kun, but daddy and mummy have to go work so be nice and wait at home, okay? We won't take long!"
"What the fuck?! Daddy and mummy?!"
"Eh, don't they feel like our little kids or something?" Without warning, the woman managed to catch them all by surprise with her speed and caught them all in a hug from behind. "Look, Sa-kun! So cuuute! Ah, I know! We should have four kids too! Three boys and a little girl!"
"Fuck that." Sanemi walked off in a grumpy manner. "I'm leaving."
"Sa-kun~"
The four of them could only watch in silence as the woman skipped along to catch up to the Wind Pillar, leaving the four of them behind.
"Gonpachiro? What happened? How did she get behind us?"
"I… don't know." Tanjiro stated lamely. "She just did."
"Ahhh! She's so beautiful and strong! My heart! I think I just found my wife!"
"Mm!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, Nezuko-chan!"
"Mm!"
"She said she's my mummy. Is she my mummy, Gonpachiro?"
"Uh…"
"Mm! Mm Mm!"
"She is?!"
"No, Inosuke, I don't-"
"Mm Mm! MM!"
"So I have a mummy and daddy?!"
"MM!"
Tanjiro ended up spending the next hour trying to convince Inosuke that no, they are not his parents and to also tell Zenitsu that no, that woman is definitely off limits for him unless he wants to get killed by the Wind Pillar. And no, Nezuko is definitely not his wife.
Things had started to go downhill fast. First, Rengoku, then Uzui. Within a few months they had lost two Pillars in their ranks and only got to kill an Upper Moon Six for it.
There's a need to quickly fill up the missing vacancies to boost the morale of the Corps. Tsukumo could not be allowed to sit out on the promotion any longer even if she wanted to. Oyakata-sama made her the new Pillar, bringing their numbers back to eight.
She is now the Cloud Pillar, Fujimura Tsukumo.
It's about damn time she took the rightful position she deserves. She should have been a Pillar years ago. She's more than capable of being one. He knows it. Everyone knows it.
Ever since his reconciliation with his younger brother, any time that wasn't spent outside hunting demons was spent honing his skills together with Tsukumo and Genya. Like he promised, he repeatedly grinded his brother into the dirt until he could no longer stand. Genya really has no talent in using any form of Breath Styles but that doesn't mean Sanemi could not train his brother. He can still train his brother how to properly use a sword instead of swinging it mindlessly like an idiot.
Time passed again. A lot had happened in this period of time. His brother had faced an Upper Moon Four in the Swordsmith Village and came back alive. Sanemi blew his top out of worry when he first heard that Genya had to fight an Upper Moon Four, but he is still proud of him. That still really doesn't change the fact that Genya is still lacking in many areas of combat. He's lucky to have come back alive because the irritating Kanroji was there to help and luck won't be there with him a second time, so he trained his brother hard. Like Genya promised, he never complained about his training methods and constantly pushed himself further, wanting to be better, be stronger.
Tsukumo and him are all working hard to get their Demon Slayer Marks. They don't know if they would really get it or not but they have to try. Their final battle with Muzan is finally coming. He will rip Muzan's head off without fail. He won't fail with her by his side. He won't fail his brother again.
This time, he will protect everyone he cares about. He won't fail. Not again.
They were taking a break after doing some intense training together. They lay down on the grass beside each other, watching the clouds drift past them along with the wind. They had finally perfected their Tenth Form, their killing move that can execute even an Upper Moon. They are as ready as they can be.
"Sa-kun?"
"What?"
"If… If we really win our battle against Muzan and survive to see the next day, then what's next?"
"Got no clue. Never thought that far."
"Oh."
He heard the slight disappointment in her voice that she tried to cover up. He knew what she's trying to ask him, he's not that stupid, but he cannot make such a promise with her, not when they are going up against a foe as powerful as Muzan.
"I ain't got a damn clue on what I want to do after we killed Muzan, but having four kids doesn't sound too bad. Three boys and one little girl."
There was a brief silence. He didn't dare to turn to face her. He isn't sure if he wants her to see the blush he is sure is on his face right now.
"And… I'll be the mother of those kids, right?"
"Who else would it be, airhead?"
He heard her giggling out loud in that happy manner and he cannot really hide the upward twitch of his lips no matter how hard he tried.
"Then no dying. No dying on each other until we killed Muzan."
"Fucking planned on doing that in the first place. You better not fucking die before me."
"I promise, Sa-kun. I won't die before you."
"DIE!"
He slashed at the Upper Moon One in fury the moment he spotted the damn demon cutting his younger brother into two. Fucking hell. A powerful demon with abnormally high regenerative ability and physical strength is using a Breath Style to further increase his speed and striking power.
No wonder even Tokito lost.
What the fuck. There's nothing else he could say about this demon other than this is a demon worth killing.
He's buying time. Tsukumo is busy trying to get Tokito out of his bind and to reconnect Genya's severed body. Genya is able to temporarily change his body into a demon's constitution if he is able to eat a piece of it. That means that currently, there is only one way to save Genya.
He will have to cut off a piece of this bastard demon and feed it to his younger brother so that he can heal from his wounds.
Don't worry, Genya. Nii-chan will find a way to save you!
"Second Form: Claws-Purifying Wind!"
With a howl, he released four powerful slashes so fast that it appeared as a single strike. The Upper Moon One uses a powerful sword style that unleashes many chaotic slashes in a single strike, each of different length and angle and moving at different speeds. It's taking all he has to fully concentrate on the battle.
"Third Form: Clear Storm Wind Tree!"
At the same time, he felt a familiar presence beside him as a pointed tip made of the same metal as his Nichirin blade thrusted rapidly at the demon in rapid succession. Tsukumo wielded her umbrella like a spear as she began a dance of metal with him, the two of them battling against the Upper Moon One in complete sync. Whatever Forms he chose to use, she will be there to supplement it with her own corresponding one. There's no need to talk, no need to communicate. Everything they need to tell each other is in their actions and the look in their eyes.
"A Breath Style specifically created to complement the Breath of Wind?"
"Why, thank you. This is my Breath of Cloud. Even the smallest piece of cloud can possibly cover the entire moon if the wind blows it into the correct position, no?"
"Interesting. I could not even find a single weak spot to exploit when both of your attacks are used together. Let's see if your Breath of Cloud is as good as you claim it to be."
Even as it said that, they are still far from being able to cut this demon down. The fact that it is still standing and talking like this while fighting them speaks volumes about its skill.
"SA-KUN!"
"I KNOW!"
Fifth Form:...
"Any resistance the two of you put up is pointless."
Cold Mountain Wind!
Clouded Vision!
Sanemi released a multitude of arched slashes from above as Tsukumo went in from below, opening her umbrella to deflect the Upper Moon One's blade and block his line of sight in its entirety using the umbrella's canopy when she got close. It allowed his blade to land a few cuts onto the Upper Moon One's body before they were forced to retreat when the Upper Moon One used yet another Form. Just how many Forms does he have?!
Still, they succeeded. Just right before they were forced to retreat Tsukumo had distracted the Upper Moon One long enough for him to nick off a small piece of the demon's sword and he had swiftly kicked it in Genya's direction, making sure that piece of demon meat landed within his reach. That should be enough to save his younger brother's life. Now, they can focus on killing this demon for good.
Sixth Form: Cloudless Morning
She led the charge this time and he responded by using the corresponding Form in his Breath of Wind. The Upper Moon One slashed at her with his demonic blade, only for her to forcefully redirect all of his slashes with a single movement when the tip of her umbrella came into contact with his sword. The demon lost all strength behind his strikes the moment that happened as she somehow forced his blade to follow where her umbrella went, guiding its blade astray with circular motions and leaving the demon momentarily defenceless because it could not pull its blade back, feeling as if his blade got sucked into an endless vacuum.
Sixth Form: Black Mountain Wind
Seizing the opening she bought for him, Sanemi unleashed a vertical sideway slash from the bottom up and cut off an arm from the demon. He would have gotten the neck if the demon didn't shift its body out of the way in time.
Seventh Form: Gale- Sudden Gusts
He immediately followed up by doing several quick slashes that generated blasts of wind in the demon's direction. She caught on and opened her umbrella while pushing forward, forcing the demon to take a few steps back into the path of the trajectory of his wind blasts and keeping him in position long enough for his attacks to reach it. She leapt upwards at the very last second and let his winds carry her up to prevent friendly fire. They saw how her efforts managed to hold the Upper Moon One long enough for his wind blasts to hit its target accurately and she immediately closed her umbrella and did one powerful thrust where the demon was at.
Seventh Form: Stormy Afternoon
Her thrust was forcefully redirected by the demon with his blade. The demon's missing arm had now fully regenerated and he is about to slash at her. Sanemi rushed ahead, determined to not let that happen.
"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"
He created a circular torrent of wind around him that shredded everything in his vicinity using his Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash. It bought enough time for Tsukumo to leap upwards and do a backflip before slashing her umbrella downwards at such a fast speed that it produced afterimages of her weapon. His Eighth Form will bisect their enemy sideways and her Eighth Form will cut their enemy vertically top-down. There's no running from this.
But this demon did the fucking impossible and blocked their weapons with his blade, even if it meant splitting it into two.
"TSUKUMO!"
Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon
He leapt up in a backflip and created a circular violent torrent of raging winds capable of ripping everything into shreds as it roared in the demon's direction. She stood in front of the demon and charged ahead, opening her umbrella slightly and began to spin it rapidly like a deadly drill, piercing it at the demon while aligning the demon along the spot where his winds could not blow so that the Upper Moon One could not exploit that to make its escape.
There was a brief flash of panic in the demon's eyes before it calmed itself down. He leapt upwards towards where his winds could not blow, trying to escape from her drill before it could find him as its target. His broken blade is beginning to regenerate but Sanemi let out a predatory grin. The demon fell for it, just like he did when he was first on the receiving end of Tsukumo's Ninth Form.
Ninth Form: Night of Red Clouds
There was a flash of white and demonic blood spurted out from the demon's neck. Sanemi's eyes widened. Tsukumo had gotten him, but her slash was not deep enough. The demon's neck is too thick for her to cut through alone.
First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
He used a nearby pillar as a springboard and dashed towards the Upper Moon One in a cyclone of slashes, intending to finish the job. Tsukumo pressed on with her unsheathed Nichirin Blade trying to cut further into the Upper Moon One's neck, desperately trying to buy more time, even if it's just a second, for him to reach her.
At the same time, the demon swung his blade at her, targeting her neck as well.
"TSUKUMO!"
"FORGET ME! GET HIS NECK!"
Several more things happened all at once.
There was the sound of a gunshot ringing out and the previously incapicitated Tokito faded into view, his Nichirin blade turning red and skewering through the arm of the Upper Moon One that was holding the demonic blade, forcefully redirecting the trajectory of the demonic blade away from Tsukumo's neck. There was a spurt of blood from Tsukumo and Sanemi yelled in worry. Tokito still wasn't entirely successful. Tsukumo still got herself injured.
A gigantic spiked flail smashed down from above the Upper Moon One just as Sanemi slashed at the demon's neck and pulled Tsukumo away from there at the same time. Himejima and Tokito took over their places and quickly engaged the Upper Moon One in combat. They had succeeded in destroying a large part of the demon's body but it is quickly regenerating. Trees began to erupt from the Upper Moon One's body, a sign of Genya using a form of Blood Demon Arts.
"SA-KUN! DON'T MIND ME, JUST KILL IT!"
He doesn't have time to care about her injuries or to even visually assess the extent of it. Her words spurred him to action as they both leapt towards the Upper Moon One together to join Himejima and Tokito.
First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter
First Form: Gathering Clouds
The only thing she had left in her hands was her unsheathed Nichirin blade, her umbrella had stuck itself to the ceiling when she had used her Ninth Form earlier. Even then, that did not stop them from executing their Forms together.
There was a desperate inhumane roar and all of them were blasted backwards by slashes too fast for any of them to see or comprehend. Sanemi barely managed to redirect one possibly fatal slash away from him and Tsukumo, who is visibly slowing down from the pain and blood loss. It was also by sheer luck that Genya was directly behind him, so he managed to uphold his promise and protect the two of them this time.
He won't let them die. This time, he will protect time.
Himejima had managed to get Tokito to safety, who had already lost an arm even before he and Tsukumo arrived onto the scene. All is not lost yet, they can still fight. They have four Pillars to fight against this abomination.
"Swords… from his body!"
True to Tokito's words, numerous swords emerged from the body of the Upper Moon One. Just one sword alone earlier was giving them so much trouble and now they have countless of those to deal with that could appear at anyplace and anytime. The sword that the demon was wielding earlier had elongated even further and had three further bladed protrusions along it, giving the demon a greater reach.
"Sorry… I'm sorry… If I could hang in there longer and cut off its neck… This-"
"Shut up, airhead." He shut her up quickly. "You did your best. It's my fault for not being fast enough."
"Shinazugawa's right, pointing fingers won't do us any good at this point. Shinazugawa, Fujimura, Tokito, I'll take the lead from here. The three of you are too injured and exhausted to continue leading the charge."
With that, Himejima charged headfirst into battle, flail and axe swinging at great speeds and flexibility as though they had a life of its own. Sanemi managed to finally catch a glimpse of Tsukumo's injuries and grimaced when he saw it. There's a nasty gash along the left side of her face across her left eye. There's also a deep one across her back and it is what is causing her to bleed profusely. There's also a stab wound on her left thigh, which explains her previously sluggish movements.
"You sit here." He instructed before she could go back into fighting. "I'll handle the rest."
"No, I can continue." She shook her head vehemently and struggled to stand. "I'm a Pillar too, Sa-kun. I can still fight."
She didn't give him a chance to continue because she had rejoined the fray. He could only go after her in hopes of protecting her. He gritted his teeth as his frustrations made his volatile temper rise to an all time high. At this rate, she will die of blood loss. Her loss of sight in one eye is going to affect her sense of perception. The stab wound in her leg might mean that she might slip up and get herself killed.
In that case, he will fucking cut the demon's neck off before that happens.
He leapt upwards towards where her umbrella was stuck at and yanked it out of the ceiling in which it was embedded in. Time comes to a standstill at this height where he's briefly suspended in the air. From here, he has a good view of what is happening below. Himejima is drawing most of the Upper Moon One's attention to himself with Tokito supporting him. Tsukumo is helping to redirect the worst of the demon's slashes before it could harm the other two Pillars. His younger brother is standing at a far corner, the gun in his hand pointing at the demon and his face is one of utter concentration, determined to get another good shot in when the chance presents itself.
He saw it. Himejima had managed to temporarily match the Upper Moon One blow for blow all by himself through activating his Demon Slayer Mark, giving the rest of them some breathing space to recollect themselves. Tokito had pushed himself through the gaps of the demon's erratic slashes and skewered his blade through the Upper Moon One's body, trying to hold him in place for as long as possible, his Nichirin blade turning into a bright crimson red.
Sanemi knows full well what it means to turn a Nichirin blade red. Their chance had come.
"GENYA, SHOOT! TSUKUMO, TENTH FORM!"
He armed himself with his blade in his left hand and Tsukumo's umbrella in his right, dropping himself down from above as he kicked at the ceiling to propel his charge. There was another ring of gunshot and huge trees began to erupt from the Upper Moon One's body again, constricting its movements and exposing his neck. Himejima took this opportunity and swiftly tore off both the demon's arms with his weapon, leaving it open for him and Tsukumo to use their Tenth Form.
Sanemi began to descend in a violent spiral with both blades in his hands, a stark contrast with how smoothly Tsukumo is dashing towards the demon from opposite him in such an elegant manner, her pristine white blade glinting under the light. The Tenth Form is all about speed. It is a Form that can only be achieved when they are both at their peak and have utilised the effects granted by their Demon Slayer Marks. In this Form they will attain a speed so fast that no demon could possibly avoid or defend against it. Even if they managed to do so, Tsukumo will guide their neck right back into his trajectory. His only job is to rip the neck off into shreds.
As expected, the Upper Moon One tried to shift its neck away but Tsukumo's slashes forced it to keep its head still in one place unless it wanted to be prematurely beheaded by her. The moves she utilises with her Breath of Cloud are based on redirection and positioning her target where she wants them to be at. Any demons she wants to pin down she could easily do it. Any powerful strikes sent her way she can easily redirect it elsewhere such that the force behind it is dissipated and felt as if hitting nothing. It's the perfect complement to his violent Breath of Wind style because she can pin his targets in place for him to help him hit where it hurts the most. She can help him maximise the damage he inflicts on those bastard demons.
He dropped down in a violent cyclone, hands gripping onto his blade and her umbrella spear tightly. With Tokito's red Nichirin Blade preventing the demon from using any Blood Demon Arts, Genya's own Blood Demon Art to restrict it, and Himejima disabling both the demon's arms to prevent any form of counterattack, he can do this.
"TENTH FORM: CLOUDY CYCLONE!"
He drilled their blades right through the demon's neck while she slashed at the demon's neck at an angle, the clashing of their blades producing the temporary crimson red of their Nichirin blades and cutting the demon's head off before grinding it into dust.
"IT'S NOT FULLY DEAD YET! SHINAZUGAWA! FUJIMURA! DON'T EASE UP ON THE ATTACKS! DRIVE HIM INTO A CORNER!"
Himejima's words got them to really look at what is happening. True to the Stone Pillar's words, the bleeding from that stump of a neck had been forcefully stopped. Tokito gave a desperate shout as he used all his strength to push his blade in further and pinned the demon against a pillar. Tsukumo used her Breath of Cloud to redirect all the attacks that would have fatally wounded Tokito while he was defenceless and getting in some slashes of her own. Himejima is not letting up on the assault as well. So is he.
BREATH OF WIND, EIGHTH FORM: PRIMARY GALE SLASH!
His blade tore through the body of the Upper Moon One but it is still not enough. It is still regenerating. He turned back around in midair and threw her umbrella spear like a javelin. She jumped up, caught it and in one smooth motion, flipped it into a reverse grip and stabbed the pointed end down into the meaty stump of a neck together with her Nichirin blade. That seemed to work as the demon's body began to writhe and thrash about painfully. A few more gunshots rang out and more trees sprouted out from the demon's body, threatening to consume it whole.
"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY! I'LL FUCKING HACK AND SLASH UNTIL YOU FUCKING DISAPPEAR FROM THIS EARTH SO JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!"
He shouted in fury as he continued to hack at the monstrosity with vengeance. Tsukumo's blades had turned a crimson red as she drove her blades further into the demon together with Tokito, hoping to hasten the process of the demon dying from the loss of its head. Himejima's weapon obliterated any exposed parts of the Upper Moon One not yet consumed by the tree Genya grew from afar using his newly acquired Blood Demon Art.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! JUST FUCKING DIE! DIE!"
Their prayers were answered as the demon's body began to crumble, starting from the area which Tokito's blade was stabbed into. Even then, Sanemi did not stop. He continued to hack and slash at the abomination because he feared that the moment he stopped, the demon would find a way to harm Tsukumo, who is currently defenceless when she chose to stabbed her weapons deep into the demon's body in an effort to restrain it from using its Blood Demon Art at all.
"SHINAZUGAWA, STOP! THE DEMON ISN'T REGENERATING ANYMORE!"
He was too deaf to listen as he continued to slice up the crumbling body of the Upper Moon One. It's only when Tsukumo's body wobbled and fell did he really snap out of it and rush to catch her.
"Airhead! AIRHEAD! Answer me dammit! Answer me, Tsukumo!"
"Sa… Kun…"
Her breaths were getting lighter as she wheezed in discomfort. He held her close to him, his hand in hers and his eyes wide in panic.
"Don't fucking say anything. Don't fucking say a word. Focus on your breathing, airhead. Fucking focus on using your breathing techniques to concentrate on contracting your muscles to prevent yourself from bleeding out. I fucking taught you how to do it, you know how to do it. Don't you fucking dare die on me, you hear me?! YOU FUCKING PROMISED ME THAT YOU WON'T DIE SO DON'T YOU DARE DIE BEFORE ME!"
"I'll go find the Kakushis!" Genya yelled out as he exited the room. "Hang in there, Tsukumo onee-chan! I'm going to go get medical help! Stay awake!"
"I'm… trying… but I'm so… sleepy…"
"DON'T FUCKING SLEEP!" He roared out as he gave her a light slap on her face to get her to focus. "WE MADE A FUCKING PROMISE, DIDN'T WE?! AFTER WE FUCKING KILL MUZAN WE WOULD SETTLE DOWN AND HAVE FOUR KIDS! THREE BOYS AND ONE GIRL! I HAVEN'T FUCKING MARRY YOU YET SO DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME ALONE LIKE THIS! FUCK! WHERE ARE THE FUCKING KAKUSHIS?! SHE NEEDS FUCKING TREATMENT RIGHT NOW! FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK! ARGGGHHH!"
"Sa… kun… I want to dance… for you… one more… time…"
"Do it after you fucking live through this!"
"Sa…"
His heart dropped when he couldn't feel a pulse. Her eyes are staring at him blankly.
"Airhead?" He shook her body and lightly slapped her on her cheek a few times, hoping that she would respond. "Airhead? Hey, this isn't funny. Come on, don't scare me. Wake up. Tell me this is just a damn poor joke. Hey, don't you fucking dare space out now. Wake up! WAKE UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"