I hope you guys are as ready as I am for this next chapter! Anyway, let's get to it!

"Are we there yet?" Nikki whined for nearly the sixteenth time that afternoon as the group walked down a light forest path far from their home village.

"Nikki, for the fiftieth time: NO!" Neil exclaimed a little annoyed at the teal-haired girl.

"I still don't get why Kirara can't just give us a ride," Max grumbled, looking up at the fire feline perched on Erin's shoulder.

"Max, come on, I've told you that Kirara here is an important member of our team who needs to preserve her energy for battles like the rest of us. She's our friend, not some pet or slave," Erin said to the boy firmly as she scratched the little cat behind the ears.

Max sighed. "Okay, fine. Sorry, Kirara," the boy said to the little cat, who simply meowed and jumped onto Max's head, nuzzling his hair.

Max let a small smile cross his face. "Yeah, I like you too," he said, taking Kirara off his head and hugging her as she continued purring.

"Aw, Max does have a heart," Nikki cooed.

Max blushed. "No, I don't, shut up!" he snapped as he handed Kirara to Neil, who walked beside him as he turned away, crossing his arms.

Erin smiled softly at the scene. "It's alright to have a soft spot, Max. That's part of what makes a slayer a good slayer; our hearts,"

Max rolled his eyes as he placed his hands in his hoodie pocket. "Yeah, whatever"

Suddenly the group heard a twig snap from among the trees behind them. Erin immediately positioned her Hiraikotsu. "Who's there?!" she questioned as she stood with her three human teammates behind her with their samurai swords out at the ready, while Kirara stood on Neil's shoulder, grooming herself in a calm state.

"Come out of your hide-y hole, or we'll make you dirt ball!" Nikki demanded as she and the team held their ground… only to have 'David' come out from behind the bushes and trees with his hands in the air. He wore a green shirt, shorts, a brown hiking vest, and boots. He also wore the same yellow bandana around his neck. Finally, he wore a sturdy brown backpack filled with supplies.

"David?" the four human slayers questioned while Kirara jumped off Neil and ran over to purr against David's leg.

"Are. You. Fucking. SERIOUS!" Max exclaimed angrily, stabbing the ground with his sword.

"First of all; Language, and secondly; it's not what it looks like, I swear-" David started, only to have his son cut him off.

"Oh really? Because it looks like you lied to me when you said you trusted me enough to let me go on this mission without you and stalked me since we left the fucking village!" the boy shouted, face reddened with anger.

David sighed in defeat. "Okay, you've got me, but I have the right to protect my son!" the doctor said defensively.

Max's frown deepened. "You asshole! When will you get that I can protect myself? I don't need you to protect me, so go home!" he yelled as he continued down the forest path stomping.

"Max, it's dangerous to travel on your own unless you can fight, so it's just better if David comes with us," Erin said as David handed her Kirara.

"Fine, just stay away from me and don't talk to me, traitor!" the boy grumbled, giving David a cold stare as he walked a little ahead of the others.

David sighed as he watched Max angrily stomp ahead. "He's furious at me, isn't he?" he questioned sadly.

"No offense David, but I can't blame him. You lied to his face about trusting him. That can hurt a person and in some ways more than any battle wound can," Erin said.

"I'm with Max on this too. If my dad did that, I'd probably stop talking to him for a month or so," Neil added.

David sighed again. "I'll go talk to him," he said as he tried to walk up to Max, only to have Erin grab his shoulder.

"Don't, we all know how Max is, if you try to talk to him after a blow-up like this, you'll only make it worse. Just give him some time to cool off, okay" she advised.

David looked down sadly. "Yeah, okay,"

"Well, now that that's taken care of, should we get moving?" Nikki asked as the group around her nodded as they followed Max up the forest path.

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"We're relieved you're here, Demon Slayers," the village headman said with gratitude when the demon slayer group and their doctor arrived at the large livestock village.

"It's no trouble, sir. We understand this is a giant centipede you're dealing with?" Erin asked as the headman poured some tea for her and the team. David was tending to an injury on the man's arm.

"Indeed, it destroys our houses and eats our people and livestock. My people and I are worried that we'll have to relocate," the headman said in an anxious voice.

"Not to worry, my teammates and I are the best Slayers in our village; we'll take care of this beast. You said in your transmission that it only comes at night, is that correct?" Erin asked as Kirara sat on her shoulder. Her young teammates could only stare at her in wonder as she held her boomerang bone firmly as it hung from her back. It was no lie that Erin took her duty as a Demon Slayer very seriously, which was just one of the things that made her one of the best Demon Slayers. Many in the village (including Max, Nikki, and Neil) aspired to be as good as she was at protecting others to the bitter end.

"Yes, that is the fact of the matter," the headman replied.

Erin stood up from her seat on the carpeted floor. "Then that's when we'll strike," she stated determinedly, turning to Max, Nikki, and Neil. "Slayers, prepare for the battle. We've got an hour and a half until nightfall. Use that time wisely. As for you, David, I want you to tend to any of the villagers with injuries from previous attacks," the lead Demon Slayer said as she turned from the doctor to the headman. "Sir, please lead your fellow villagers into your home for their safety,"

"Of course, miss Slayer, right away,"

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Max, Nikki, and Neil's armor had the same design as Erin's, only instead of green; Max's armor plates were light blue, Nikki's was pink, and Neil's was yellow. Other than a samurai sword, they all had different weapons; Max had two faded blue automatic handguns equipped with collapsable blades that could detach as grappling hooks, Nikki had a giant hammer that could fold into a grenade launcher, and Neil had a silver jet pack that could shoot fireworks and missiles.

"Okay, are we ready?" Erin asked after she had changed into her armor and put on her posion protection mask while Kirara still sat on her shoulder.

"Ready!" the three kid slayers quipped as they placed their posion protection masks on their faces.

"Alright then, let's do this," the slayer leader stated as she and her team walked outside the headman's house.

"Alright, remember your training and-" Erin started, only to have the three kinds cut her off.

"Be careful!" they said, finishing their leader's sentence.

"Sheesh, we may be ten, but we're not some helpless kids; We're badass demon slayers, so we've got this," Neil said to her confidently with his arms crossed. Their conversation was interrupted when they heard an insect-like cry in the distance approaching fast.

"It's here…" Erin trailed off as she positioned her weapon like the rest of her team, while Kirara growled and transformed into a much larger version of herself with long fangs. That was when a giant green and blue centipede the length of a tall building came charging through the village, destroying anything and everything in its path.

"Spread out!" Erin demanded as she got onto Kirara's back while the rest of her team did as told. "Keep it away from the headman's house!" Erin ordered as she and Kirara flew beside Neil, who was using his jetpack to get a better vantage point.

"I'm on it 'E'!" Nikki shouted in reply as she jumped up and whacked the giant centipede in its hideous face. "Come and get me, ugly!" the teal-haired girl challenged with a wild laugh as she ran away, leading the beast away from the headman's house.

"We have to wear it out! Erin yelled as she patted Kirara on the shoulder, who flew as fast as a bullet toward the monster. "HIRAIKOTSU!" she shouted as she threw her boomerang bone near the forest, cutting down some of the large trees onto the centipede, trapping it underneath. "Max, Neil, NOW!" Erin instructed, making the two boys give her a nod as they approached the centipede from the air and the ground.

"Say goodnight, bitch" Max stated as he pointed his guns at the beast's eyes and shot them both out so it couldn't see. "Neil, it's all yours," Max said, letting the other boy step before him. Neil then used one of the two handles on his jetpack to shoot an explosive at the centipede's head, blowing it up instantly.

"Great job, Kirara, you know what to do," Erin said as she and Kirara landed beside the three kids and breathed fire onto the monster's body setting it ablaze. Erin then patted the fire feline on the head. "That should stop it from regenerating," she stated.

"Welp! At least that's done," Nikki stated with her hammer over her shoulder as she and the other slayers took off their masks.

Max then kneed down to get a better look at something he had caught sight of on the centipede and frowned at what he saw.

"It's not over yet… look at that," the black-haired boy said, pointing to a bite mark on the beast's neck. "That's a fresh mating mark…" he trailed off, waiting for his team to catch on.

"Well, shit," Neil stated. "That makes our job a lot harder,"

"Yeah, and unless we want this to get worse, we have to find the mate and the nest," Erin said as she got onto Kirara's back. "Nikki, Neil, tell David and the headman what's happened. Max, you're with us; we have a monster to find," the team leader stated.

"Roger that," Max replied with a salute as he followed Erin onto Kirara's back, sitting behind his team leader.

"Let's go, Neil," Nikki said as she ran back to the headman's house with Neil flying behind her on his jetpack.

"It's probably hiding out in the forest, be on your guard?" Erin said to Kirara and Max as they flew into the forest.

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"So, Max went with Erin and Kirara?" David asked as he was packing up his medical bag.

"Yep!" Nikki chirped as she inspected her hammer.

"I'm guessing he's still mad at me?" the doctor asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Well, I wouldn't say mad I'd say he's most likely seething-" Nikki started as she looked up from her weapon, only to have Neil quickly cover her mouth.

"Ha! Ha! What she means is Max is on the job with Erin and Kirara. It has nothing to do with you. Erin asked him to come, that's all!" he said as sweat dripped down his forehead while he laughed nervously.

David sighed. "It's fine. I know Max is still mad at me. I just wish I knew how to make it up to him," He said sadly.

"Maybe just try talking to him?" Nikki suggested after removing Neil's hand from her mouth.

"Or you could give him more space on your part. You're pretty smothering when it comes to parenting David, no offense,"

David stared at Neil, but then he thought about what he had just heard from the two child demon slayers. "Then what about this; I talk to him after he, Erin, and Kirara return?" He offered.

The two kids looked at each other, back at the doctor, nodding at him.

"Good plan, but try not to go all 'overprotective parent mode' on Max; he's seen enough of that from you," Nikki clarified.

David let out a small chuckle s he then patted the girl on the head. "I promise to remember that,"

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"Do you see anything?" Max asked Erin as they rode on Kirara's back, walking through the forest.

Erin looked around with her small flashlight. "Nothing yet- wait! Look there!" the young woman said as she carefully jumped off the fire feline's back. She kneed down on the forest floor and took some of the soil in her hand to get a closer look while her other hand grasped Hiraikotsu tightly from her back. "guys look at this dirt. Do you see this glow?" she asked as she held the soil out to her teammates.

Max smirked upon seeing the dim green glow in the dirt. "This is slime from newly hatched giant centipede eggs. We have to be close," the ten-year-old observed, gripping his handguns tighter.

"Yeah, but that has to mean more flesh-eating centipedes are out looking for their next meal-" Erin stopped talking when she heard a faint rumbling beneath her and her teammate's feet. "LOOK OUT!" she shouted as she grabbed Max and held him close while Kirara picked them up using her fluffy tails, placing the two on her back and jumping into the air just before the ground burst open. Another giant centipede emerged from the ground from where the slayers had been standing only moments ago.

"Holy shit!" Max exclaimed as he positioned his weapons, waiting for his leader's instructions.

"Looks like momma is taking the kids out for hunting practice!" Erin stated as she and her teammates noticed a few dozen babies of the monster, the size of snakes, coming out of the split in the ground. "Max, you take care of the babies. Kirara, you and I are taking care of the mom!" Erin shouted as she took out an anti-insect gas bomb underneath one of her armor plates and threw it at the gang of centipede monsters to confuse them.

"I'm on it!" Max yelled as he jumped off Kirara's back, shooting some monsters while doing a cartwheel in the air. After landing on his feet with ease, Max turned his guns sideways in his hands, using the blads to cut off the heads of any centipede that came his way.

"Let's do this, girl!" Erin said to Kirara as she held on to the top edge of her boomerang bone while the fire feline charged at the mother centipede through the air. Once the distance was good enough, Erin swung her Hiraikotsu at the monster's neck striking it with the center corner of the boomerang and hitting the right nerve to kill it. As the mother centiped dropped dead. Erin and Kirara landed beside Max, who had just finished the rest of the baby centipedes.

"Nice job," Max complimented… failing to notice the last remaining baby centipede slowing coming up close behind him.

"DUCK!" Erin yelled as she threw her boomerang bone at Max, who dodged the weapon just in time, tripping on a tree root.

"Max, are you okay?!" Erin asked, catching her boomerang bone as it flew back to her once the monster was killed.

Max grounded as he got up, revealing a tiny scratch on his nose. "Yeah, I'm fine!" the boy insisted as he rubbed some dirt off his face.

"You're bleeding let's head back and let David disinfect that cut," Erin said. She always hated whenever someone got hurt involving a monster attack, even if it was the smallest affliction. It reminded her of dark memories she always tried to avoid remembering.

"'E', but I'm fine, I swear," Max stated in the kindest voice he could muster. "And no way in hell am I letting David know about this. He'll freak out, and besides, I'm still pissed at him,"

Erin sighed. Kirara whimpered and nuzzled her side while she patted her on the head. "Fine, we still have to destroy those unhatched eggs of the monsters, but then we have to go back and clean out that cut. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection," Erin said as she jumped into the pit where the monsters had emerged from, leaving Max and Kirara to follow her.

Max sighed. "Kirara, I know she's strong, but she carries more than she can handle, more than anyone can handle," he said as they went after their leader to finish their job.

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"Oh, they should be back by now. What if something happened to them?!" David wondered anxiously as he paced outside of the headman's house.

"David, relax Max, Kirara, and Erin are part of the best demon slayer team ever, they'll be fine," Nikki stated as she was polishing her hammer while Neil drank from a water bottle beside her.

David bit his lip nervously as he went back to pacing… only to see Kirara flying over to him with Max and Erin on her back.

"You're back!" Nikki cheered.

"How'd it go?" Neil asked.

David said nothing. He could only gasp when he saw the scrap on Max's nose. "Oh my gosh, what happened to your face!?" He exclaimed as he rushed over to his son, taking his face in his hands to observe the injury.

Max frowned while trying to swat the doctor's hands and away. "Calm down, idiot. It's just a small scratch!" the boy protested.

"How did this happen? please tell me!" David begged frantically.

"David, it's okay. Max here just tripped on the back from the forest. We completed the mission," Erin said as Kirara transformed into her little form and hopped onto the doctor's head, nodding at him.

David let out a relaxed breath. "Well, you're still in one piece, and that's what matters," he said, trying to pull Max into a hug, only to have the boy push him away.

"I can take care of this myself," Max sneered as he walked past David, brushing his shoulder as he passed.

"Are they gone, miss slayer?" the headman asked as he came outside the house nervously, along with a few villagers.

Erin nodded. "Yes, it's all been taken care of. You're all safe," she replied.

The headman let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you all so much, we wish we could repay you more, but we only have a small stack of gold bits," the man said.

"No need for money. All we ask is for some of the remains of the beasts," Erin stated.

"Oh, yes, take all you need,"

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The following morning, after gathering some of the remains of the dead monsters. Erin and her team waved goodbye to the village they had aided and began their three-day journey back home.

"Oh yeah, I can't wait to make more poison monster powder!" Nikki exclaimed excitedly as the team walked down the light forest trail.

Kirara meowed offensively as she frowned at the young girl as she sat on Erin's shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry, Kirara, it's for insect monsters," she clarified, holding her hands up in defense.

Kirara suddenly began to growl, making Nikki jump. "Hey, I told you-" she started, only for Erin to cut her off.

"SHHHH! Do you hear that?"

Max grinned. "So some bastards are spying on us and hoping to catch us off guard, huh? Fat chance!" he stated. Max, Neil, and Nikki took out their weapons. While David looked around nervously… Erin and Kirara, however, stayed still and on guard, listening closely to the fast footsteps coming from both sides of the road.

"There's only two of them, judging by how many footsteps at a time I'm hearing, and there's one on each side," Erin thought silently.

"You two are outnumbered. We aren't looking for a fight!" the team leader shouted as her eyes calmly glanced from left to right.

"Come out a surrender peacefully, but if you don't want to, that's fine. We'll just kick your ass!" Nikki snickered.

"Nikki, are you trying to make this worse?!" Neil whispered urgently to her.

"We'll you both shut up and stay focused? We don't know who or what we're dealing with. Stay on guard!" Erin said in a quiet but forceful tone as she grabbed her Hiraikotsu on her back, but the moment she did, two men jumped out from the bushes, one from the left and one from the right.

"Get them!" Erin shouted, but the two men didn't go for the slayers. They ran around them and went straight for David.

"David, look out!" Neil yelled, only to gasp when he saw the doctor strike the two men, punching them on the side of the head with his arms, going into a quick T pose, and knocking them out.

"Um… WHAT!?" Nikki exclaimed.

David chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "I 'was' a demon slayer in training before I trained to become a doctor," he stated.

"Nevermind that; are you okay?" Erin questioned. She and her team rushed over to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What was their deal?" the doctor asked, looking down at the two men.

Erin squinted at the two for a second. The unconscious man on David's right was bald other than the pointy platinum blonde mohawk in the center of his head and had fair pale skin. He wore traditional blue Japanese armor and a grey wolf pelt around his waist and was tall.

The unconscious man on the doctor's left had black hair with a dyed tuff of silver hair in the front and wore the same armor and pelt as the other man. He was the same height and had tan-fair skin.

Erin stared at them for a moment. She then let out a slight gasp. "I… know these two…" was all she could say.

Cliffhanger! Sorry, I know it took so long! See you next time!