Ritsuki contemplated his options should the demon initiate an assault. He could dodge the initial strike and use his blade to counter-attack, his favoured technique to dispatch opponents quickly.
But he had only fought against the supernatural once when he used a shovel, and things did not go smoothly for him on that occasion.
He could still feel the searing phantom pain in his upper back as he adjusted his gaslamp hung from the bow of his fishing boat.
"But I have my father's sword with me now..." he reassured himself, padding on his father's blade that sat beside him, "Would be hard to keep my balance on a boat though..." he muttered as he nodded to himself.
He had relinquished his rowing and returned to play with the fishing net, humming a tune again after adjusting the thatched mantle he wore as part of his "Fisherman Disguise".
His thoughts once again drifted to the demon. How had he himself not noticed the disappearances sooner? There were many able-bodied young men in town and surely they would not hesitate to help him on this stake.
"Which simply will not do..." Ritsuki quickly halted that train of thought, "Tonight, I shall put this demon away. No one has to be in danger, no one except for me..."
Gripping tightly at the fishing net, he wondered if he could perhaps use it in some way for the coming fight.
A sound came from the water, a splash Ritsuki quickly turned behind him as he unconsciously unsheathed his father's tachi.
"It is near...?" he mused to himself with a gulp as he made out a dim light in the distance rocking above the waters.
He could just make out the silhouette of another lone fishing boat before he frowned. Was there a fisherman out here with him?
Squinting his eyes as the light softly grew brighter, he realised exactly who was on the other fishing boat.
"No..." he croaked out, "No, that boy-!" he cursed as he reeled in disbelief.
Ritsuki had no idea who the other individual behind Hiroki was, but he could still scarcely make them out to be a lot younger.
"He never listens to me...!" He pinched the bridge of his nose.
He saw a hand rise from the distant boat to awkwardly wave at him. Ritsuki gave a deep sigh as he raised his sword to wave back.
"That's it then, I won't teach him that technique he's been nagging me about, I simply won't..." he disclosed solemnly but smiled nonetheless when he thought of a suitable punishment, "Perhaps that'll teach him a thing or two about respect and honesty, and huh-? Hah-!"
Ritsuki's words were abruptly halted when something lurched from the silent midnight waters. The boy turned just in time to bring his chained gauntlet to block it.
He briefly caught sight of pale skin and a distinctly hairless head, the figure was bald and even had no eyebrows. Its prominent and large, yet blunt set of vaguely human-shaped teeth glistened from the orange light of Ritsuki's gaslamp.
"Hoh!" The boy cried as the demon bit down on his chain-wrapped forearm hard enough to produce a spark, biting down with so much force that Ritsuki winced.
The demon's jaw seemed disjointed and hung so vast that he could swallow an entire human head in one bite.
"Aha! This one is feisty!" the demon laughed, biting down on Ritsuki's chain-guarded forearm with his jarring white teeth.
The boy took notice of the ornaments on the demon's neck and arms, retching jewellery fashioned from human bones and tendons. Clearly, this demon was one that took pride in his unruly sport.
"I had hoped we could be more civil!" Ritsuki quickly yelled out as he readjusted and made a move, this demon deserved no further words either of goodwill or charity.
Taken by surprise as the boy lifted his chained arm over his shoulder with incredible strength, Ritsuki made to slam the demon's back onto the floor of his boat.
Seeing this, the demon swivelled his neck at an unnatural angle, making it so that he landed on his arms and legs. He gave Ritsuki a sadistic smile when the boy gasped in surprise.
"Oh, ho ho... This one is strong also..." The demon cackled, biting down harder on the chain wrapped around the boy's forearm.
Ritsuki held onto his father's sword with his left hand, and as such was unable to retaliate with his right hand which was free.
The boy seemed to be out of options to attack before he took in a sharp breath, balling up his empty fist as he reared back his arm.
The demon saw this and decided to do nothing, only responding with a smirk. Even if the boy was strong, he was still a human. How hard could a mere human possibly punch?
"Hah!" Ritsuki's fist turned into a blur as it flew for the demon's exposed nose bridge, the boy tugging back on his chained left forearm as he threw the punch.
The demon quickly released his bite as he reeled his head in blaring pain, stumbling back. Blood sprayed from the fresh open wound before it healed, trailing a crimson line from his nose to his chin.
As he regained his balance, the demon's eyes refocused just in time to see Ritsuki rear his sword arm, clearly aiming to strike for his neck.
Pushing off his feet, the demon plunged the stern of the boat into the water and made the boy stumble in his steps before he could take the swing.
Diving back into the water with a flip, Ritsuki was left alone on top as he regained his balance.
"Ah, as I feared... it's so hard to keep my balance..." the boy grumbled and shook his head.
The boat's rocking had made it difficult for him to gain a firm foothold.
Readjusting his grip, he levelled his father's tachi with his eyes and swivelled on his heel, scanning the rippling waters around his boat.
It was with a sudden jerk, the front of the boat plunged down while the stern lifted itself out of the water, the boy's balance was compromised further but he was quick to catch himself.
Ritsuki heard a ripple in the water and managed to trail with his eyes the line of foam moving for the boat's rear.
With a sudden jerk again, the back of the boat plunged down while the front end lifted, catapulting Ritsuki onto his back with a heavy thud.
"Ough..." The boy groaned as he gripped the boat's wooded brim, pushing off the floor as he got onto his feet.
Looking around rather frantic, the demon had once again disappeared into the depths of the bay. From the corner of his eye, Ritsuki's expression strained when his thoughts once again drifts to the other fishing boat in the bay with him, Hiroki's.
He couldn't guarantee the younger boy's safety if the demon decided to switch targets.
"I suppose the fault is mine, I should have seen him home..." Ritsuki mumbled to himself as he adjusted his stance once again, he only wished Hiroki would get the hint and go back to the fishery. He could think of no ways his self-proclaimed disciple could be of help other than as a distraction or bait.
"Alright then, that's what I'll do..." he said to himself with a firm nod at the mention of the word 'bait' in his mind.
Using Hiroki as bait was so very morally reprehensible, but to ensure the boy's safety Ritsuki instead decided to use another subject.
"Hark, white-toothed bald one!" Walking over to the edge of his boat he yelled at the waters, "Don't tell me you're hiding in the water because you're afraid of me!"
Trying to aggravate the demon, Ritsuki only hoped it would only focus on him now instead of taking notice of Hiroki in the distance.
"That's right...!" He actually smiled when the fishing boat's stern lifted immediately after his provocation of the demon beneath the waters.
"Hoh-!" Ritsuki was flung again, but he was prepared now to account for the boat's sudden jerks, and with a nod the boy waited.
Like a rowdy ox, the boat's long ends dipped and lifted, flinging Ritsuki around like a ragdoll; but this was all part of Ritsuki's new bid.
Giving your opponent the illusion of an easy opening was one of the final tenets his father taught him, and when the demon leapt out from the water with a splash, Ritsuki was ready.
Swivelling his body mid-air and using his legs as counterweights, the boy managed almost perfectly to slash at the demon's exposed neck.
The demon only saved himself at the last moment when he craned his neck at an unnatural angle and caught Ritsuki's strike with his resilient teeth.
Pushing each other away from the heavy blow, the boy and the demon quickly recovered their footing on the rocking boat.
Ritsuki swiftly reared his sword behind his right ear, the edge facing upwards while the tip of the blade pointed towards the demon. The boy's stance was firm when the boat's rocking settled.
He saw the demon sitting slacked on the opposite end of his raft, lazily rubbing the spot where Ritsuki almost lobbed his neck.
"What speed... immaculate. Are you perhaps a Demon Slayer...? Come to put me down?" his sudden and casual inquiry startled the young man quite a bit.
He cleared his throat and tightened his grip on the ivory blade.
"I've come to put you away," he corrected with a rigid stare, "I don't want to kill you. But you're a bad person, and you have a lot to answer for."
The demon cracked a smile at the boy's steadfast and stubborn naivety.
"Like what? And why bring a blade if you didn't want my head?" the demon's head slacked to the other side.
The boy remained silent for a moment before he allowed his eyes to roam down the demon's pale and exposed body.
"Who's bones and hair did those belong to? Did you even know their names?" Ritsuki's voice grit through his teeth.
"Ah... so these are what's got you so vexed..." The demon stood up from his seat with a chuckle, "You don't have to worry, I've heard drowning is a gentle way to go."
The demon took pleasure in the young boy's barely restrained anger, the fury behind his beautiful peach-coloured eyes.
"I... see, you shall not seek absolution... You crave the sport, you are a hunter; a hunter of men... it's a shame..."
It was when the demon heard Ritsuki's genuine sadness behind his words, a flash came from the distance behind him.
Too stunned to move as a slug whistled past the Ritsuki's left ear and crashed into the demon's lower jaw.
"Huh-! H-Hiroki...!" Ritsuki quickly realised and turned his head over his shoulders just in time to see another flash go off in the distance, it was quickly followed by another slug-shot whizzing past the boy's chest to blow a sizeable portion of flesh off of the demon's lower hip.
"Haaaah!" The demon bellowed in response, taking note of the distant gunshots before he attempted to dive down into the waters.
Ritsuki acted quickly and unfurled his chain gauntlet, snaring at the demon by the neck and pulling back hard.
The young man was almost flung off his feet but he managed to hold, pushing off of the fishing boat's walls to keep himself and the demon from entering the water.
"Ha hah! Your backup?" the demon smirked at Ritsuki as he pulled on the chain to relieve some pressure and allow himself to speak.
"I suppose he is!" he pushed off the wooden rim and took one step back, the demon moved back slightly as well.
"Aw... and we were getting along, alone together so swell, no matter... soon as I'm finished with you, I'll go give him the 'gentle passing' too..." His threat made Ritsuki clench his teeth, he tried to pull the demon back and force him to the floor of the boat. Only for another slug to obliterate the demon's right hand, consequently chipping away part of the wall Ritsuki was pushing off of with his feet.
"Ah-haha!" the demon cackled, even as another slug tore through his jawbone. He pushed off with his remaining hand and brought Ritsuki with him down into the bay.
On Hiroki's boat, the young boy fired off slug-shot after slug-shot, never missing his mark as his baby brother cheered him on from the side. Shota was on ammo duty.
The Model 1887 could hold seven shells but his father taught him to load in six at a time. Hiroki had already fired off four shots.
The young boy had already brought a handful of additional shells in an odd brown paper box before he discovered that Shota brought with him a full box of shells himself, swiped from their father's emergency stash. Since they were in a dire situation, they had ammo to spare.
Two more shots and the gun was dry. Hiroki quickly handed their father's gun to his baby brother.
"Shota, just like I told you!" He pulled out a knife and looked over the edge of their raft, almost daring the demon to jump out of the water.
The demon had pulled Ritsuki under the water and they had been gone for a while now. Hirko was beginning to worry that his intervention may have cost the life of his mentor.
"Come on, Momota-san... where are you...?" He squinted at the dark midnight waters, trying to spot any signs of fighting for he knew Momota would still fight, even under water.
Seconds ticked by like hours for Hiroki who could not even spot signs of activity from the demon through the pitch-dark waters.
"Nii-chan... I'm done." Hiroki felt Shota nudge him on his shoulder with the stock of their father's gun. "What hap... what happened to Aniki?"
Hiroki opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't find the appropriate words that might bring comfort to his baby brother. That was until a shimmering light flickered to live from under the water.
"Wha... Hey, Sho! Take a look!" He quickly pointed to it the light that seemed to be burning at the bottom of the bay, Shota peered over the edge and saw it too. The younger boy began to beam, and Hiroki smiled as well.
"T-That's gotta be Momota-san! He's pulling off some crazy technique with his sword, I-" He stopped when he felt a wave of heat wash over the hand he used to point at the light. It felt like a wash of steam.
Shota's beaming smile fell when Hiroki stopped so suddenly. He watched his older brother poke his head over their boat before quickly reeling it back.
"Hot!" Hiroki cried before the sound of bubbling became apparent to both the occupants of the boat.
"It's... it's boiling... the Katakami Bay is boiling." Hiroki says with a shaky voice. He noticed that the light from the bottom of the may seemed to have grown brighter, its yellow rays made apparent by the steam from the boiling waters.
It was then that a sudden weight pulled down the stern of their fishing boat.
"Gaaaghhh-aaagh-!" A gurgling and agonised scream erupted from behind them, startling the brothers immensely as Hiroki quickly went in front of Shota, aiming down the barrel of the Model 1887 to a mass of putrid flesh.
It was the demon that pulled Ritsuki into the bay, but Hiroki almost felt pitiful for him right now with how painful his cries sounded.
The boiling water had raised the demon's internal body temperature to such an elevation that his blood turned to steam, bursting out from painfully bloated pockets of flesh before his flesh could even repair itself. The demon was panting heavily, its jarring teeth almost sounding like wind chimes colliding in a steady rhythm.
The demon raised his head and immediately caught sight of Hiroki and Shota.
"H-humans...? Humans!" he cried and immediately dashed for the two brothers, "I need your flesh and vigour, now!" he declared, plain and desperate.
They fell on their backs as Hiroki did his best to keep the gun barrel levelled before he fired off. The slug blasted away the demon's left eye but it seemed he was undeterred.
Hiroki tried to load in another slug but the awkward position of his hand made it impossible to flick the lever in time.
The brothers closed their eyes and waited for the impact.
But no impact ever came, the delirious demon's manic wails and screams were now also silent...
Shota opened his eyes first and Hiroki heard his younger brother gasp. Opening his eyes to look as well, the boy immediately noticed a soft yellow light coming from above his head.
Hiroki looked up and instantly paled.
Sitting cross-legged on the bow of their boat, a flaming demon with hollow eyes stared silently at the bloated one who remained completely still in fright.
Across the flaming demon's lap was an ornate sword where he rested his skeletal hands on the sheath and handle.
The ghost rider released a low growl as he shifted his sights to the frightened young boys beneath his feet, and then he turned back up to the bloated demon.
"Amaki Daigo... son of Hibiki, your sins are innumerable..." his voice was a resounding whisper.
Daigo would gasp at the mention of his name.
"How pleads the demon of Katakami Bay...?"
The bloated demon's dislocated jaw twitched as his thoughts turned vain.
"N-not fair! T-this is-!" the demon wouldn't finish his defence, because as soon as he opened his mouth to protest he lurched forward.
Standing up with such speed and might, the ghost rider used his immense strength to push down the front of the boat, thereby lifting the stern and catapulting the bloated demon into the air.
"You have pleaded poorly..."
Daigo could not stop himself as he soared towards the Spirit of Vengence, his terror and fright grew such that he became paralysed.
Hiroki and Shota, who stood between them were relatively unaffected by the sudden jerk as they watched in awe as the bloated demon flew over them.
In a flash, and with excellent skill and precision, the ghost rider unsheathed his blazing sword which burned bright red.
And with a baleful jet of righteous flames, he pierced clean through the wicked demon's head and body; then he was silent.
In a golden blaze, Daigo's final words died on his flayed lips.