Tanjiro and Nezuko had been knocked unconscious by the Pleasure Demon when he rescued her from the Anger Demon's merciless electrical storm. They fell through to the floor beneath and he suddenly found himself slung over her shoulder running through the building and from the demon's bolts of lightning. It had hit them many times, his heart thumping and stopping repeatedly in his chest, but he kept going. Though, he couldn't any longer when the building exploded sending the two of them along with it.
He was outside and he took in much of the damage that was caused. It looked much like the Entertainment District during the battle between his friends and he, and Gyutaro and Daki; nothing was left to remain standing. To show life did exist there at one point. It was all rubble and debris. A thick fog of smoke and dust settled over the land giving the demons a harder time pinpointing their location but there was little precious time to pull Nezuko out from beneath the rubble she was trapped under. But it wouldn't be long before they would go searching. He needed to hurry!
"Dammit! The rubble!" He cursed to himself pulling and pulling as Nezuko held tightly to his blade. "Nezuko, it's okay! I'd never abandon you! Let go of my sword! I'll clear away the rubble, okay?" Even at his desperate pleas, she refused let go. Her grip tightened and her blood started to stain his blade instead. "Nezuko, stop it! You're going to cut your fingers!"
Tanjiro quickly bit his tongue. He heard the voices of the demons not too far away. From where he crouched, he could see them already searching for them. They were doing as he predicted; waiting for the smoke to dissipate so they could finish them off!
He turned back to Nezuko, gasping, distressed, "Nezuko! Stop! You have to stop!" but she didn't. Instead, she brought his blade closer to her body staring down at it in pure concentration and determination. The longer she held on, the more her blood started to line and thicken around the scarlet steel.
Saena couldn't keep the whimpers from spilling through her lips. The upper rank demon smiled viciously at her, Kotetsu, Mr. Kanamori, and Mr. Tokito. It stood in their path, its vase acting as an invisible barrier, preventing them all from entering the shed to protect Mr. Haganezuka and Mrs. Watanabe. Its multiple arms waved in the air around it as if it were underwater. Laughs spilled where its eyes should be and blinked where its mouth should be. It made her cringe with disgust and distaste.
"Hyo! Hyo! A pleasure to meet you! My name is Gyokko," It introduced itself with a small cackle. It bowed almost mockingly at them, its pale skin scattered with tiny scales glistening beneath the moonlight. "Before I kill you, might I ask for a minute of your time?"
Almost instinctively, all three crowded and held on to Mr. Tokito.
"Why are you closing in on me?" Mr. Tokito asked bluntly without the turn of his head.
"Because we'd be scared on our own," Kotetsu scoffed in his direction.
Saena gulped. Her grip on his uniform shook. "It's because you're the one with the sword, Mr. Tokito."
Gyokko didn't seem fazed at all by the Hashira's weapon still aimed in its direction. Its two mouths still smiled widely, unnervingly. "I'd be delighted to show my artwork to my four guests tonight!"
Mr. Tokito's eyebrow quirked up just slightly. "Artwork? What are you talking about?" He inquired.
At the question, the demon's mouths smiled wider. Two pairs of its hands clapped once after the other. A shiny bronze vase suddenly appeared from thin air sitting between the two groups. "Now then, let me start with this piece!" It started to recite as black sludge like before started to gurgle and boil from within its depths.
As it swirled into the air, it transformed into flowing crimson red, severed arms and legs, swords stained red glistening in the moonlight, and finally faces. Hyottoko masks cracked in half revealing familiar but emotionless, lifeless eyes from underneath. Saena's heart skipped a beat in her chest. Mr. Tokito held his ground but all three stumbled backwards, horrified gasps choking from their throats, and fell to the dirt. Staring up at what towered over their heads, she wanted to release a guttural scream.
"Behold, "Death Throes of the Smiths"!"
Saena was crying once more. Terrified cries spilled from within her. She was scared and shaking to the core. Five swordsmiths bodies were molted into one another. Blood stained almost every inch of their faces. Their limbs, their arms and legs, were stuck to different parts of their bodies; behind their heads, on their chests, replacing every other ungodly areas. Swords were stabbed into what remained of them; through their heads, their chests, and their necks. Their beautiful creations, the craft they worked so hard to perfect for the Demon Slayers, for the Hashira, were used against them in a disgusting sense of irony the demon was bathing in.
Mr. Kanamori held them both in his violently trembling arms wanting to shield them from the horror they were witnessing, but it was too late. Saena couldn't stop crying and Kotetsu was whimpering like a terrified puppy. Though, even through the blurry vision and the tears burning her eyes it was still perfectly clear in her vision. As well in the darkness beneath her eyelids.
"Please take a look! First, those hands! The hallmark of a swordsmith, those thick, blister-ridden, soiled hands! I intentionally pushed them to the forefront!" The demon continued to recite waving its arms and hands like it revealed an extravagant piece of art.
Mr. Kanamori's voice was nothing but choked gasps, speaking, "Lord Kongouji! Mr. Tetsuo! Mr. Hagaike! Koutaro!"
"Uncle Tetsuhiro!" Kotaro cried.
Saena gasped at the name and stared at the second swordsmith pointing toward the air. Every thought in her head was silenced. It became deathly still for a small moment. "Daddy...?" She whimpered mouth wavering wide open. Heart pounding in her chest, entire body quivering, nothing but her whimpers and quickened breathing filled the air.
"Yes! You're absolutely right!" The demon laughed clapping its multiple pairs of hands in pure delight, "For this piece, I used five swordsmiths to lavish, extravagant effect! I didn't expect you to be this moved! Moreover, I've truly brought out their swordsmith qualities by piercing them with swords! I left these hyottoko masks on to juxtapose emptiness and absurdity. Needless to say, this, too, was a deliberate choice! And this is the best part!" It reached forward and grabbed the hilt of an exposed sword. "Just twist the sword like so, and..." The sword twisted right, and a horrifying scream spewed from her father.
Mr. Kanamori barely had the strength to hold them back. Saena and Kotetsu had surged forward, screaming and wailing like dying animals, arms outstretched to her father, to his uncle, shouting, begging, "Stop it! STOP IT!" but he hugged them both to his side. They watched blood pool out of her father's mouth and eyes, staining the demon and the ground around them red. He was alive! They were all still alive! But they were suffering and in pain! And the demon was enjoying every second of it without remorse!
At Saena and Kotetsu collapsing on the ground, crying profusely to the dirt, the demon spread its arms widely out, boasting mercilessly with a maniacal cackle, "What do you think? Isn't it marvelous?! I've reproduced their death throes!"
"Hey."
Saena stopped sobbing long enough to hear a scoffed tsk coming from Mr. Tokito. She slowly lifted her head... and gasped at the thick mist rolling in from the forest and rising from the ground. It swirled and balled into large violent clouds, spilling and melting into each other relentlessly, around the Hashira. What had been an expressionless look on his face was replaced with one of pure rage.
There was nothing friendly into those lifeless pupils of his. His jaw was set tightly. "You'd better knock it off... you piece of crap," He scowled, and his foggy mist instantly engulfed him in a ferocious storm.
Mr. Tokito disappeared in a mere second catching all of them off guard. Enraged, he lunged forward, blade accented and sharpened by the tornado surging through the area, and slashed his sword outward toward the demon's neck. It almost made contact, but the momentarily frightened demon ducked back into its vase before it could. The empty force of the steel blade whipped through the air catching nothing but a ring.
Their eyes quickly flitted upwards to see another similar vase appearing and clattering atop the rooftop of the shed. "I'm not done describing my artwork! Kindly hear me out to the end," The demon's echoed voice exasperatedly demanded. It appeared from within its vase seemingly regaining its composure but Saena could see the annoyed face-lines stretching around its mouths and eyes. Though, a haughty smile replaced its annoyance. "What I especially take pride in is the vase's-"
Saena blinked, and Mr. Tokito flipped above the rooftop, sword raised, with the vase already slashed in half, but the demon was gone. The vase disintegrated into nothing and another popped up at the treeline of the forest. She could barely comprehend what was going on. Mr. Tokito was fast, but the demon was swifter. It ducked and popped back up every single time he made a move to kill it. Though, this time, it reappeared without a smile.
Its mouths were twisted into a terrifying snarl aiming straight at the Hashira. "You have a lot of gall, slashing it! My vase! You have no eye for beauty, you damn ape! You bastards with muscles where your brains should be! Clearly, you lack the ability to appreciate my artwork! Which, in a way, is fine!" It cursed up at him but Mr. Tokito didn't look fazed at all. In fact, he appeared to be thinking about something else.
The Hashira gasped at the new vases forming in each of the demon's hands. Large demonized goldfish sprung into the air, their orange scales puffy and bulging, cheeks drooping down below its bodies, and eyes protruding and rolling around its head. "Thousand Needle Fish Kill!" At Gyokko's command, the demonized goldfish's cheeks puffed out and sprayed hundreds of deadly needles toward Mr. Tokito!
"Mr. Tokito, look out!" Saena screamed.
He immediately jumped out of the way and flipped to the other side of the rooftop. As soon as he was out of their line of sight, the goldfish demons turned their emotionless gazes on to them; Saena, Kotetsu, and Mr. Kanamori! She screamed at the hundreds of needles shooting through the trees and directly at them!
"Saena!" Kotetsu screamed pulling her to his chest in a mere instant.
"Kids!" Mr. Kanamori then jumped in front of them using his own body as a shield.
Saena's hands smashed into her eyes, a new wave of fresh tears spilling forth, at the sound of flesh being pierced. It rung in her head and plagued her mind. All she could see in the darkness of her eyelids was her father's and friends mangled bodies melted together. When she dared to open her eyes again, she expected Mr. Kanamori's body to be slumped over with a dozen stab wounds. Instead, it was Mr. Tokito who towered over them!
"Lord Tokito!" Mr. Kanamori screamed in sheer horror.
Dozens of needles ran through his cheeks, shoulders, arms, and legs. If he was feeling any sort of pain, he didn't show it. There was not even a sign of discomfort from the Hashira. He kept his blade raised defensively, eyes boring straight ahead at the demon, and spoke, monotonously as always, "You're getting in the way, so go hide."
Saena wiped her tears free but more threatened to spill. "I'm sorry. I-I'm-" She wanted to speak, Kotetsu a sputtering mess beside her as well, but he wasn't listening. Mr. Tokito had to deflect and block the next spray of needles to defend them. They scattered all around the air, strays streaking across his skin drawing lines of red, and clattered to the ground with a screech.
Mr. Kanamori didn't hesitate to throw Saena and Kotetsu over his shoulders. He started to run as fast as he could, his breathing panted, heavy, and filled with immense fear, but he didn't trip nor falter. She reached out a desperate hand toward the boy, heart aching in her chest, as he squared off against the demon all by his lonesome. She cried for him. She didn't want him to be by himself. Sure, he was a Hashira. He is stronger and far more brave than she ever would be, but it must've been terrifying nonetheless! She wanted to do nothing but be there for him! Even if she is weak and useless, she doesn't want Mr. Tokito to be alone!
Saena's eyes widened at Mr. Tokito speeding forward and pivoting his blade into its neck. What should've sent its head flying only made his sword trapped within the confines of its flesh. A vase formed in the demon's hand. Before she could scream a warning, Mr. Tokito was instantly engulfed in a prison of water shaped like a vase. His body floated within its confines, little bubbles of air flowing from his lips and nose, his blood mixing with the liquid, with no way out. Even stabbing the point of his blade into the side didn't make the water pot prison budge.
Their only salvation, Mr. Haganezuka's and Mrs. Watanabe's only savior, was trapped! It was all her fault. If she had moved out of the way instead of standing there frozen in shock and grief, Mr. Tokito wouldn't have needed to protect her. Right then, he can't breathe! He can't fight! He's going to suffocate! She needs to do something!
"Please let go of my sword! Nezuko!" Tanjiro continued to plead with Nezuko but she refused to release his blade. The intense stare, the determined glare in her slit pupils, was unmatched by anything he's ever seen. Her hands had run from the hilt of his blade to the very tip. The very steel was soaked in her blood. It pooled frighteningly underneath her but she paid no mind to it. Instead, her grip tightened and his sword became ablaze!
Tanjiro gasped in sheer shock at the blade coming to life in a fiery hot-pink inferno. Nezuko's blood engulfed it in her flames! He had seen her use her Blood Demon Art a few times to help turn the tide of battles against demons, the first in Mt. Natagumo against Rui, but never in the way he was witnessing it right then! His sword, his blade, was changing color! Even at the miracle in front of him, glowing in his hand, he knew the science behind it. The rising temperature of her flames was turning his black sword red! Enveloped in exploding blood!
Becoming free from Nezuko's grasp, he hefted his new weapon high, Exploding Blood Sword!
"So, it turns red, right?"
Tanjiro, now in the sudden shield of darkness, heard a woman's voice speak in his head. In front of him glowing in an angelic aura of bright yellow forcing the darkness to recede from the depths of his mind was a woman. She smiled wide, sapphire blue eyes twinkling in delight in his direction, and asked again, as if he hadn't heard her the first time, "A samurai's sword turns red only during battle, right? Why is that? So mysterious! Even though normally it's pitch-black like obsidian... It's so beautiful, isn't it?"
Her voice was calm, genuine, and very curious. She giggled with the tilt of her head, closing her eyes in delight. She reminded Tanjiro so much of Nezuko, but he didn't know who that woman was. It took him a moment to realize it was an inherited memory, and the samurai she was talking about... It had to be the swordsman with the earrings. His earrings. Was his sword pitch-black as well? They were both the same. They both had pitch-black swords, and Tanjiro's own just turned red, too! It turned red thanks to the power of Nezuko's blood, so even if it was through a different method than that swordsman's, right then, his sword is just like that swordsman's. Yoriichi.
Tanjiro had to remind himself many times throughout the course of his life as a Demon Slayer; he may think he had gotten stronger, but there will always be even more powerful demons! He is only flesh and blood, so his body is scarred and battered, but every time, someone comes to his aid! Kagami, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Mr. Urokodaki, Mr. Tomioka, Miss Tenshi, Mr. Rengoku, Mr. Uzui...! They've all kept him alive! He must meet their expectations! He could feel the hands that molded him into the swordsman he is that day. Everyone who's helped him out had just one wish, just one desire! To defeat the demons! To protect human lives! He must come through for them!
His wrathful gaze landed on the Upper Rank demon manifestations cackling and searching the ground restlessly for them. Sprinting forth from the wreckage, he faced them without reluctance. They whipped their heads around. Their eyes landed on the sword held out in front of him. His jaw was set tight. His flames danced and rolled along the length of his blade, crackling and sizzling the air he breathed, lighting up the foggy darkness as a beacon. At the fear dissipating from within his core, at the determination and courage rushing through his veins, the flames roared higher into the sky.
The Pleasure Demon's smile widened wildly at the sight of him. "Even if you resort to cheap tricks, you can't beat me."
"You can slash me, but I won't feel a thing!" The Joy Demon cackled flapping its wings menacingly. Then it soared for him without any regard.
Tanjiro's fore-head burned hot, his body felt it was on fire, but it wasn't painful at all. In fact, it felt just like that night decapitating Gyutaro's head. Newfound and unbelievable strength and energy coursed through his body like a vicious and turbulent storm. In the moment, he allowed it to enter and consume his blood. Though, that time, right then, it wasn't exhausting his body. He wasn't pushing himself harder and harder. No, he wouldn't allow it. He was wielding it. He will be the one controlling the tide, not it. He won't allow himself to be exhausted after one strike. After one decapitation! He will decapitate them all!
For a split second, the Joy Demon gasped and stared at him in pure terror, but Tanjiro didn't let it faze him. Arching his blade high behind his head, inhumane growls falling from the corner of his lips, his eyes fixed and pinpointed every single demon manifestation in his path at light-speed. He screamed, hisses falling from in between his teeth, "Hinokami Kagura! Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance!" and blitzed forward.
Flames ferociously exploded forth from his blade matching that of his resolution. A trail of it followed after him leaving a hot pink inferno in his wake. Debris and rubble sprayed outward from the beaten path he created. Swift, in less than a split second, his fiery blade sliced through the Joy Demon's neck severing it from its body in one smooth motion. Beautiful embers of yellow, orange, and pink flew in his vision, the darkness that laid itself thickly over the destruction of the building receded in anger from his blade. He heard the surprised cough and choked gag as its head came free from its shoulders, but he wasn't done. Not yet.
Without losing a single ounce of momentum, without faltering or slackening his grip, he rushed toward the remaining demon manifestations. It happened one after the other, just as quick as the last. He bravely faced those who thought they could take him on without any backup. Without any fear. But just as he was right in their faces, sword already halfway through their necks, fire and flame spitting and encasing their flesh with no remorse, did they finally stumble back. Did they finally taste the fear so many humans had felt before their dying breaths at their hands.
No weapon could help them. Nothing, not even their powers, could stop the dragon that encased Tanjiro's entire being. With every swing of his sword, with every flowing motion of his body igniting in a gorgeous array of pink, yellow, orange, and red, he continued to move, to dance, to twirl, to fight, until none remained. Until only that of his dragon breathing flooded through their remains.
All color dissipated. The sound of the three demon's heads dropping to the ground echoed through the night. Tanjiro's breathing, strong and hard, continued. He needed to decapitate all of the demons. He just needed to do it one more time!
Just ahead of him, a demon without its head was pinned to the tree by a weapon. Standing in front of it was Genya!
"Genya! So you're okay!" Tanjiro gasped hurrying forward to meet him.
He noted the demon's head clutched in his hand and didn't recognize it as the Sorrow Demon he knew. There was another demon he didn't know about? Then he finally noticed its abdomen.
He faltered in his step. Its intestines and organs were dripping from its body and seemed to have been shredded viciously apart. Where should've been red blood was silver and it pooled like sludge from its wounds. It burned everything it touched; the tree, the ground, they all sizzled as if it were acid. He wondered... if Genya brutalized it.
Tanjiro swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head clear. He need to refocus on the mission at hand. "The Disgust Demon? You beheaded a demon! That's great! We just need to find the last one, and defeat this Upper Rank for good! Genya-!"
Something was kicked from the darkness of the forest behind Genya. It rolled with a sickening plop multiple times before coming to rest at Tanjiro's feet. His eyes slowly flitted down to meet those of the Sorrow Demon's. His nerves frayed at the sight. The hairs along his body stood on end. All five demons were decapitated, but... who defeated the fifth? Nezuko? No, she's still trapped underneath the rubble. Was it Mr. Tokito? Miss Kanroji? Miss Sato? Who could've done it?
Growls emerged from behind a tree to his right. A foot accompanied it. Slowly, step by step, almost methodical, two feet stumbled forward. They continued to walk forward until they were basking in the moonlight. In unison, Genya turned and met his gaze.
Tanjiro's mouth fell open in horror. His hands trembled holding his sword. His breathing heavied. A small whimper flew from his lips. He shook his head profusely at the sight, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing was true. It was as if his worst dreams, his worst nightmares, had come true. He knew staying by his side would have terrible consequences but... he didn't think of a different possibility something would happen to them. Would happen to her. They both revealed fangs protruding from between their lips. Their growls mixed together, hard and fast. He instantly knew what they were.
Black sclera, red irises, and black-slit pupils. Sharpened claws shining with red blood. Skin, jagged and patterned like a lizard's scales. Her wavering eyes stayed focused on him weary of what he'd do.
Tanjiro slowly took one step forward and held out a gentle hand. Tears brimmed his eyelids. He could only sputter one word. One name.
"Kagami...?"