Kimetsu no Yaiba doesn't belong to me. I decided to continue this story, so, here it is the seventeenth chapter!
Douma abruptly stopped when he encountered two demons in a clearing of the forest. He unsheathed his sword, instinctively adopting an offensive stance as a demon hunter. The murderous aura emanating from those two beings was exaggerated, too much for Lower Moons.
One of them, the one with hair that reminded Douma of flames, turned around, facing him for the first time, and the Ice Pillar suppressed a shiver upon seeing the kanji in both eyes.
"The Upper Moon Four," Douma thought, barely noticing that Hantengu arrived and stopped behind him in complete silence.
"Are you Douma Shabana?" the other demon wanted to know, finally deigning to pay attention to the two hunters. Douma's grip on the hilt tightened as he realized it was the Upper Moon Six.
"And what if I am?" the Ice Pillar asked, preparing for battle. He glanced sideways at Hantengu, finally taking notice of him. The Wind Pillar also wielded his sword, the man noticed. "And what brings two Upper Moons here?" Douma asked, serious, fixing his gaze on the Upper Moon Six.
He lunged at that demon with his sword poised to decapitate him. But the demon pulled out a wooden flute, brought it to his lips, and played it. Douma let out an exclamation of surprise when suddenly he found himself pushed to the ground. It was as if something was exerting pressure on him.
He gritted his teeth and tried to get up as best he could. But the demon played the flute again, and Douma felt how the pressure increased. He fell to the ground on his knees and looked back, confused. Hantengu was still standing there, katana unsheathed and a fixed gaze on him. He was smiling in a strange way, as if he found amusing what was happening to his companion.
"Don't finish him off so quickly, Tengen," Kyojuro said, bored. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"
The Upper Moon Six observed the Ice Pillar thoughtfully and chuckled a little. "You're right, after what he did to Kanae, it's the least we can do."
Douma immediately stood up, furrowing his brow. "Kanae? Who are you talking about?" he asked, bewildered. That was a mistake, as the murderous aura of both demons noticeably intensified.
"Let's make him suffer as much as we can, don't you think, Kyojuro?" Tengen asked, no longer smiling, a dangerous glimmer appearing in his eyes.
Douma lunged at them. Kyojuro pushed Tengen aside and used his right forearm to block the blade. Douma tried to slice through the limb but was forced to dodge the claw swipe aimed at his eyes.
He withdrew his weapon and jumped back, creating some distance. He watched attentively as the Upper Moon Four's wound closed within seconds. He exchanged a glance with Hantengu and furrowed his brow.
"Why is he just standing there doing nothing?" he wondered, starting to get frustrated. But he contained it as best he could. "I'll take care of the Fourth, and you handle the Sixth, alright, Hantengu?"
"Yes, of course."
Kaigaku screamed in pain as one of Zenitsu's lightning bolts hit him directly. The electric current surged through every muscle in his body, leaving the demon slayer immobilized, and he fell to the ground semi-conscious. White smoke rose from his body, and some parts of it showed severe burns.
Nezuko stopped by his side and quickly checked if he was still breathing as best as she could. She let out the breath she had been holding when she felt his weak pulse. She nodded quickly, looking at Enmu and Rui, and the two boys relaxed slightly.
The blond demon had not given them any respite since they had gotten separated from Ume's squad due to the fog. And the situation had only worsened when that demon, who was none other than the Lower Moon Five, appeared.
They were unable to get close; they were constantly dodging his electric attacks. Nezuko gritted her teeth. The girl was trembling with fear, but she was not willing to give up.
She began to run towards the demon, but before reaching her enemy, another demon appeared, and Nezuko abruptly stopped. The sword slipped from her hands and fell to the ground with a loud clang. The demon looked at the girl, confused.
"Why are you letting go of your sword?" Tanjiro asked, not understanding. "Is that your way of saying you surrender?"
"Tanjiro..." Nezuko murmured, starting to cry uncontrollably.
"How do you know my name?" the demon demanded, furrowing his brow and showing his fangs, annoyed. "We haven't met before."
Nezuko froze upon hearing that and blinked several times, processing what she had just heard. "You... You don't remember me?" she asked, incredulous. "This has to be a nightmare! It can't be true!"
"Nezuko, watch out!" Enmu's shout snapped her back to reality, and she narrowly dodged a lightning bolt from the other demon.
Nezuko stumbled and fell to the ground. She continued to gaze at her older brother, tears streaming down her eyes.
Enmu positioned himself in front of her when he realized she wasn't reacting and urgently forced her to stand up by grabbing her right arm and pulling her.
"Grab your sword, Nezuko, please," the boy pleaded, turning around and focusing all his attention on the demons.
The girl turned her eyes back to Tanjiro. The demon hadn't averted his gaze from her, but he still wore that threatening expression. Nezuko swallowed hard; this wasn't the kind and caring older brother she remembered. He would never have looked at her like that. Nodding, albeit hesitantly, she took hold of her weapon.
Ume let out a frustrated scream and glared at the demon in front of her. The woman effortlessly dodged her attacks, almost as if she were dancing, and the patience of the hunter began to wear thin.
"Will you just stay still for once?" she shouted, launching a series of attacks that Mitsuri easily evaded.
"Why? I'm having so much fun," Mitsuri commented, laughing playfully. "Aren't you?"
"Shut up!" the girl snapped. " Beauty Breathing, First Form, Restful Dream!"
Mitsuri dodged the vertical trajectory of the katana, somersaulted, and delivered a last-minute kick to Ume's stomach. The girl, who took the full blow, spat out some saliva and took several steps back. She looked angrily at her enemy, but quickly recovered and attacked again, not giving Mitsuri any time to react.
"Beauty Breathing, Third Form, Eternal Beauty," she said, aiming directly for the Lower Moon's neck. Mitsuri stopped the blade with her right hand, which immediately started bleeding, staining the katana, but Mitsuri didn't mind at all.
Ume pulled her weapon back forcefully, trying to make Mitsuri let go of her sword, but her grip was firm and she achieved nothing. There was a crunching sound, and the pink-colored blade broke. Ume's eyes widened in horror, but before she could utter an insult, Mitsuri appeared behind her and knocked her unconscious with a precise blow to the neck.
The young woman fell to the ground, unconscious, and Mitsuri crouched in front of her, making sure she was out of the fight. She smiled broadly when she saw that it was indeed the case. She brought her right hand to her face and lightly dug her nails into her cheek, making sure to leave several deep scratches. The mere idea of leaving scars made Mitsuri's smile turn cruel. However, she quickly thought about much more important things.
"Should I just leave her like this?" the Lower Moon wondered. It wasn't that a broken sword would pose a problem, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. She took the katana and made sure to completely destroy it until it was unrecognizable. She knew that perhaps it would have been wiser to kill the unconscious girl. But Mitsuri disliked that kind of action; she hated such cowardly behavior, according to her own criteria. Not to mention the fact that, if she could avoid it, she preferred not to kill women. And then there were the orders she received from Kagaya. Her sole objective was the Ice Pillar.
"This will do. I'm going to see if the others need help," she said, satisfied, and stretched a bit. It had been a while since she had fought in that manner. It had been quite enjoyable.
During the battle, they had separated from the others. Leading that girl to a secluded area had been easier than Mitsuri initially thought. It had been enough to make her feel frustrated enough. Mitsuri turned around one last time to make sure Ume was still lying on the ground where she left her. When she saw that was the case, she ran back to where she had left Muichiro and Kanao dealing with the other three slayers.
Susamaru let out a groan of pain when Kanao, who had transformed into a bear, scratched her left arm. Blood gushed out, and the hunter staggered back several steps, trying to stop the bleeding with Total Concentration Breathing. However, Kanao, this time in the form of a puma, didn't give her the chance. She launched another attack, and Susamaru narrowly dodged it.
At that moment, Yahaba managed to cut off one of the animal's front limbs, providing Susamaru with the necessary time to stop her wounds from bleeding.
"Thanks... Yahaba," the girl murmured, struggling to speak. Yahaba, who kept his gaze fixed on the shapeshifting demon, nodded slightly.
The two slayers charged at the demon, but Kanao transformed into an eagle and flew straight toward Gyutaro.
"Damn it!" Yahaba exclaimed. He swiftly changed direction and, with a leap, managed to sever the bird's right wing, affecting its flight and causing it to crash to the ground. "Water Breathing, First Form, Water Surface Slash," he said, attempting to decapitate the demon. However, before the blade could make contact with its neck, Kanao transformed into a fly and easily escaped.
As if things weren't complicated enough, a third demon appeared. Susamaru held her breath, anxiously waiting for Ume to appear. But seconds passed, and her companion showed no signs of life.
"Where is Ume?" Susamaru murmured, unable to hide the fear in her voice. Yahaba, who was in a similar state, didn't respond and ran towards Mitsuri.
The demon woman simply laughed a little and dodged the boy's attack. Yahaba's eyes displayed the anger he felt at that moment. "What have you done to Ume?" he demanded.
Gyutaro, who had been fully focused on exchanging blows with Muichiro using his scythes, abruptly stopped and stared at Yahaba with bloodshot eyes. "What did you just say!?" he growled.
"You shouldn't get distracted," Muichiro said, kicking the slayer against the tree to his right. "Our only objective is to kill the Ice Pillar. That Ume person will be fine, I assure you."
Gyutaro gritted his teeth and endured the impact as best he could. But Muichiro didn't give him time to react and knocked him unconscious with a kick to the head.
Susamaru was too busy fighting Mitsuri to come to her partner's aid. The woman continued to effortlessly dodge her attacks, frustrating the young slayer more and more.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of not seeing the shapeshifting demon anywhere, Yahaba decided to help Gyutaro. That was his mistake, as Kanao was still present and immediately guessed his intentions.
She positioned herself behind the boy, maintaining her diminutive form. As Yahaba started running toward his comrade, Kanao transformed into a lioness and swiped at his back, tearing through his uniform and skin. Yahaba screamed in pain and quickly turned around to face the feline.
But the sound of something hitting the ground distracted both combatants, and when they looked in the direction of the sound, they saw Mitsuri on top of an unconscious Susamaru, who lay face down on the ground. Susamaru's head was stained with blood, as was the left foot of the demon woman.
Getting distracted by this was Yahaba's second fatal mistake, and Kanao took advantage of it, rendering him unconscious with a precise strike.
"Well... I think we're done here," Muichiro commented, satisfied as he approached the two women.
"Yes, we should go find the others," Kanao agreed immediately. "I hope Tanjiro is fine and nothing has happened to him," the young woman thought, worried.
Nezuko howled in pain when, while dodging one of the energy balls thrown by Tanjiro, it grazed her back. But it was enough to ignite that area, forcing the girl to roll on the ground to extinguish the flames, but the damage was already done. Her back was completely exposed, and her skin had turned an unpleasant reddish color.
Tears, caused by the pain she felt, welled up in her eyes, but Nezuko, gritting her teeth, forced herself to stand up. She staggered a bit and almost lost her balance, but at the last moment, she managed to stay upright.
She was the only one left standing at that moment. Rui lay sprawled a few meters away, his uniform stained with blood. Enmu was in a similar condition, while Kaigaku hadn't regained consciousness after being struck by Zenitsu's lightning.
She locked her gaze on Tanjiro and wiped away the tears from her eyes as best she could. All the times Kokushibo warned her about this scenario came to her mind. And how she, blindly trusting her older brother, had refused to believe him.
"Tanjiro... Do you really not remember me?" Nezuko asked in a faint voice. "I am your sister, Nezuko."
Upon hearing that, the demon displayed an expression of annoyance and looked at her, irritated. "Should I remember you? I already told you that this is the first time we meet, so I doubt what you're saying is true. I don't have any human family," the boy said. He began forming another energy sphere and threw it at the girl.
Perhaps due to the severity of her previous injury, Nezuko couldn't dodge properly, and it hit her right arm head-on. The girl screamed in pain, and the sword slipped from her hands. "Is this the end for me?" Nezuko thought, terrified. "Am I going to die here? I... can't go on anymore."
Her legs, unable to support her any longer, gave way, and Nezuko fell to the ground. She tried to maintain consciousness, but her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and she soon lost consciousness.
Tanjiro approached her and stopped in front of the young woman. He brushed some hair away from her face and observed her features thoughtfully.
"Is something wrong, Tanjiro?" Zenitsu asked, approaching.
"It's nothing," the other demon dismissed, stepping away from the human. Zenitsu looked at her with some curiosity. "Shall we go find the others, Zenitsu?"
The boy shifted his attention to Tanjiro and hesitated. The logical thing would have been to finish off that squad of demon slayers, but those weren't the orders they had received. Their sole objective was the Ice Pillar. "Yes, let's go. We've done our part."
Douma spat blood from his mouth and took several steps back. He cast an accusing look at Hantengu but said nothing. The Wind Pillar's sword was stained with blood, and the man grinned cruelly and ruthlessly.
"Please, Douma, don't tell me this comes as a surprise to you," taunted Hantengu, finding it all very amusing.
Douma quickly assessed his options, ignoring Hantengu's words. It was evident that he wouldn't make it out of there alive; his injuries were too severe. Hantengu had cut off his left arm, and although he had stopped the bleeding, it was not a wound he could ignore. Not to mention the multiple burns and injuries scattered across his body.
The two demons watched, smiling, at the Ice Pillar, confident that the man wouldn't leave that forest alive. Despite being clearly outnumbered, Douma was not willing to surrender. He would die fighting.
He dodged the fire attack launched by Kyojuro, but in doing so, he exposed himself to Hantengu, who managed to make a deep cut on his left side. Douma gritted his teeth, the blood loss taking its toll, and his vision momentarily blurred. That was all Kyojuro needed to finish him off.
He pierced Douma's chest with his left arm, at the level of the solar plexus. Before Douma could take advantage of the situation, the demon withdrew his arm and jumped back, watching with a satisfied smile as Douma fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
Hantengu approached Douma with his sword unsheathed. The Ice Pillar locked eyes with his companion.
"Can you tell me one thing, Hantengu?" Douma muttered, aware that his strength was starting to leave him.
"What do you want?" replied the Wind Pillar, pressing the blade of his weapon against the injured demon slayer's neck.
"Why did you betray the Corps?" Douma mumbled, with no trace of remorse in his voice and eyes.
"Isn't it obvious?" sneered Hantengu, a look of disgust on his face as if Douma were the most repulsive thing in the world. "After how you all treated me all these years, did you expect me to remain loyal?"
"I see. And what will you do now, Hantengu?" Douma inquired, his voice and eyes void of remorse.
"I will join the demons, of course," Hantengu responded, furrowing his brow. The hand holding his weapon began to tremble, but he refused to move it away from Douma's neck.
"You're more naive than I expected if you think they'll accept someone capable of betraying their own," Douma warned, smiling bitterly.
"OF COURSE THEY WILL ACCEPT ME!" Hantengu screamed, losing his composure. He decapitated Douma suddenly and watched, smiling with satisfaction, as his head rolled until it came to a stop at Kyojuro's feet.
The demon observed the head for a few seconds. He lifted his right foot and stepped on it until the skull broke and was completely crushed. Tengen watched it all with a smile, while Hantengu couldn't help but look away, disgusted.
"Well, I'm off to find the others," Tengen said. "You two wait for me here."
Ubuyashiki smiled widely as he saw the seven demons return with Hantengu to the Infinite Palace. The smiles and apparent good humor they displayed were all the answer Kagaya needed. He stood up and walked towards them, making no effort to hide his pride.
The human let out a choked exclamation and knelt before the demon king, keeping his head bowed, not daring to look him in the eyes. Kagaya observed him and furrowed his brow slightly.
"You've done very well, Hantengu," he said in a velvety voice. "It wouldn't have been possible to avenge Kanae without you."
Hantengu timidly raised his head and looked at him. "W-Will you fulfill your part of the deal?" the Wind Pillar murmured nervously.
Kagaya's smile disappeared upon hearing that, and his eyes turned cold. "Are you suggesting that I will break my word and not fulfill my part of the deal?" Kagaya inquired. Hantengu paled and prepared to murmur an apology, but before he could do so, Kagaya gripped his face with his right hand, exerting more force than necessary. "How can I know that you won't betray us?" the demon asked.
"I would never do such a thing!" Hantengu exclaimed, sounding almost indignant at the accusation. However, that response did not convince Kagaya at all, who tightened his grip.
"You have already betrayed your own kind, and you felt no remorse," the demon king pointed out. "Nothing assures me that you won't do the same to us, you know?"
Hantengu's complexion grew even paler, and he tried to think quickly of what to say in his defense. The atmosphere was becoming increasingly hostile for him, and he didn't know how to escape that situation.
He attempted to protest, but the pressure Kagaya exerted on his face became too much for his skull to bear, and an unpleasant sound was heard as the bone broke. Kagaya released the body in disgust and let it fall to the ground haphazardly.
He wiped his right hand and stopped in front of Tanjiro. The demon returned his gaze, puzzled.
"How did it all go?" the demon king asked, once again sporting a warm smile.
"The only slayer who died was the Ice Pillar," Tengen informed him, serious. "The two squads that accompanied him sustained injuries of varying severity, but none were lethal."
Kagaya nodded, satisfied. They would need witnesses to tell what had happened. Muzan needed to find out what had transpired. He would have liked to see the expression on his face once he knew what had occurred.
"Perfect, you all did very well," he congratulated them. He looked at Tanjiro again, and his smile widened. "I've been thinking about something for a few months. Tanjiro, would you like to be part of the Lower Moons?"
The boy, who hadn't expected that question, blinked several times, taking in what he had just heard. But it didn't take him long to decide. "Of course, it would be a great honor," the young man murmured.
Kagaya brought his right hand to Tanjiro's right eye, and the next thing the boy felt was excruciating pain. He couldn't help but let out a scream of agony, but he remained steadfast, not pulling away.
Nezuko stared at the wall in front of her, showing no reaction. After the fiasco that had been the mission in Hokkaido, the kakushi had transferred them to the Eternal Paradise for the eight of them to receive medical attention.
Several days had passed since then. And, as the women working there had told her, the burns she had suffered during the battle would leave scars, never fully healing.
The young girl turned her gaze to the three adjacent beds. Enmu and Rui were sleeping peacefully, recovering from their injuries. But Kaigaku, who had burns on his face and arms from the lightning strike, felt her gaze and met her eyes.
"How are you?" the boy asked with a hoarse voice. It immediately triggered a coughing fit, and it took him a moment to recover.
Nezuko hugged her knees and took a while to respond. "I don't know," she admitted. She closed her eyes and suppressed her tears. "My brother was one of the demons there," Nezuko finally confessed. It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she couldn't turn back now. "I joined the Corps after a demon killed the rest of my family and took him away," she told Kaigaku, who listened in silence.
"He's no longer your brother," the boy said, serious. He coughed a little more but didn't stop. "What has happened is proof enough."
Nezuko sighed. "I know you're right, but I don't want to give up so easily. He's my only family; I have nothing else."
"You are wrong, we're here for you. We are your new family, Nezuko" Rui interjected, serious. He had been pretending to sleep and had heard the entire conversation. Nezuko and Kaigaku looked at him in silence, though Kaigaku nodded, fully agreeing with his words.
"Thank you," Nezuko murmured, bursting into tears, releasing all the anguish and pain she felt in that moment. Rui slowly got up, wincing in pain but not stopping. He walked towards Nezuko and, with some effort, embraced her, and he too began to cry.
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