The Dancing Star
Chapter 21
12Thirtypain03
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature-rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering make you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into a demon/human, or more will be labeled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.
With Tanjirou and Nezuko
Tanjirou eyed his sister who was struck by the Hand Demon (HD), and almost immediately, his vision turned red.
"You bastard! I'll kill you for hurting my sister!" Tanjirou yelled out at the HD.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux
Tanjirou began to slice down towards the arm that was holding Nezuko. For the most part, the HD knew what Tanjirou was trying to do. He made it evident with his remark of anger.
With a mighty swipe of his blade, Tanjirou began to slash and decapitate the demon's arms, as he focused on wanting to get Nezuko free.
He couldn't let Nezuko either be crushed by the HD, or eaten.
Tanjirou continued to slash, leaping over a hand slam from the HD, before twirling and landing underneath using his blade to stab upwards.
The HD growled and backed up, as Tanjirou continued his onslaught.
However, just like that, Tanjirou disappeared.
"Where did he go?" The HD asked, clearly confused.
That was until the HD heard some rustling from behind him.
Spinning around, the HD managed to strike Tanjirou on the side, his figure hitting the tree.
Tanjirou groaned as he forced himself up, despite a bit of a headache.
"You're still standing? What a resilient boy you are. I can understand why Urokodaki picked the both of you." The HD smiled, "All the more reason to kill you both!"
Tanjirou gritted his teeth.
He needed to get his sister back.
Tanjirou continued to slice and dice the HD.
Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow
Tanjirou continued to rush towards the HD, avoiding the strikes and slams that the demon attempted. He saw another large arm come towards him from the right, Tanjirou clenched his body.
He then twisted his sword right at the incoming arm, knowing what he would do now.
With a large swipe of his wrist, allowing his blade to extend the strike, Tanjirou managed to cut deep into the HD's hand to the point of allowing his figure to charge right through, destroying the HD's arm in the process.
He quickly saw another coming down to slam into him, and he rolled out of the way, closer to the HD.
Another came to his left, and he skillfully jumped over, slashing the upper portions of the arm. Quickly landing and continuing to maneuver, he saw another arm, this time trying to grab him.
Tanjirou eyed it closely and planned his next move.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust
Tanjirou quickly stabbed his blade into the thick arm of the demon, carrying himself into the air. Because of the thick muscle density the HD had on this arm, he was unable to feel the blade being embedded, as Tanjirou purposely did not put a high amount of strength inside it.
When the HD raised an eyebrow, questioning where Tanjirou just went.
His eyes realized a bit too late when he saw Tanjirou hanging from his arm.
"I got you now!" The HD yelled out, as he tried to grab Tanjirou's hanging figure, but the boy quickly got his blade out, stabbing it once again into the incoming arm, before twirling and running up alongside his arm towards the HD's neck.
The HD seemed to know what was going on and quickly prepared to protect his neck.
But he didn't anticipate for Tanjirou to bite deep into his neck.
The shocking pain caused the HD to growl in pain as he felt the sinking teeth inflict a different kind of pain onto him that felt way different than that of a nichirin blade.
"What the hell is this kid? Why does his teeth hurt?!" The HD asked questioning it as he was panicking.
He tried to grab Tanjirou out from him, but it was futile.
Tanjirou quickly made it to the arm where Nezuko was, and because the HD's muscles had all gone to his neck, this gave Tanjirou an easier time slashing the arm connecting to the hand holding Nezuko captive.
Nezuko's body fell to the ground, with Tanjirou in front of her.
"Nezuko, you alright?" Tanjirou asked, but she only nodded.
"I'm alright… Let's make sure this demon is gone…" Nezuko told her brother, who nodded.
"I have to say, you are formidable, almost like you are holding back surprise after surprise." The HD remarked before he sprouted out eight arms. The previous number of six was added with two, and Tanjirou and Nezuko knew this would be more difficult.
Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel
Water Breathing, First Form, Modified: Serene Waves
Nezuko used her own modified form to blast away the incoming arms of the HD, whilst Tanjirou quickly ran up the HD's body yet again, he then twirled in the air and spun around decapitating a couple of the HD's arms.
But as Tanjirou continued to fight, he noticed something strange.
"I'm having a progressively easier time slicing through these arms… When before I struggled…" Tanjirou thought. "Why is that?"
Tanjirou asked himself, whilst Nezuko was too focused on not getting struck, or hit by the HD as she engaged in a close battle with the arms, all trying to push her into a tree, but with her using just a blade, she was holding her own.
Tanjirou used Water Wheel once again to slash off all the arms that the HD had tried to use to overpower Nezuko, and he was able to cut through half of them.
"Still can't cut it like butter, but at least I can cut them with the high muscle density… Makes me wonder why…" Tanjirou asked.
"You two are getting on my nerves! I'll kill you! I don't need you to be like Urokodaki again!" The HD called out, as his body once again morphed.
Except this time, arms protruded out from all around his body.
It was disgusting, and now all the arms came out from separate places, meaning both Tanjirou and Nezuko would struggle to effectively end multiple arms with one single strike.
"This will be a problem…" Tanjirou thought, as his eyes realized a hand was coming for him.
He quickly dodged, before trying to slice it away.
But before he could hit it, the hand immediately shrunk back into his body, reappeared from another area, and slammed Tanjirou to the ground, catching both him and Nezuko off guard. Tanjirou once again had his blade above him as he tried to hold his own, but even he knew he was struggling.
"Tanjirou!" Nezuko yelled as her brother was struggling.
Water Breathing, First Form, Modified: Serene Waves
With a quick upward slash that first knocked the handoff of Tanjirou, she then concentrated her next strike towards the now fleeing hand of the HD.
However, the HD immediately retracted his hand, before another came out lower from his body, trying to swipe Nezuko off her feet.
But the hand instead hit a blade, and a loud clang echoed in the forest.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth as he quickly maneuvered around to the left side, as the HD noticed. But despite the HD retracting his arms to try and catch Tanjirou off guard, it seemed to not be good when he was on the defensive.
All this time, Tanjirou continued to hold onto the burden of the arms targeting him.
"If I can at least give the opening for Nezuko to decapitate him, then it's probably for the best." Tanjirou thought to himself, as he saw a large swath of the hands coming towards him.
Tanjirou quickly dodged before he reflectively struck back.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash
A simple single strike was all Tanjirou needed to cause some damage to the HD, but some he reflected, and others the HD quickly reflected, and Tanjirou realized two of them had retracted back before coming out on two sides of Tanjirou.
His eyes widened, as he felt himself being struck by one of them. He was launched a bit before he regained his footing. He was at least glad that the arms didn't grab him.
But why…?
His eyes widened in realization as he watched the rest of his arms try and subdue Nezuko.
He cursed. In managing to split him far enough away from being a threat, the HD used this to focus his entire reservoir on Nezuko.
Nezuko's eyes widened before she tried to slice them all away.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux
Trying to slice down as many of the arms as she could, using a multitude of strikes, Nezuko tried to continuously slash down. She did manage to slice down a couple of arms, but she eventually got herself caught and held down tightly.
"Ah! Let me go!" Nezuko yelled in rage and panic.
"This time I'll consume you without an ounce of hesitation!" The HD called out.
"No!" Tanjirou yelled out in sheer desperation at the sight of his sister being close to the HD's mouth.
And just like what the HD said, Nezuko disappeared in the mouth of the HD.
Tanjirou's eyes widened at that.
His vision must have been deceiving him.
"No… He didn't eat Neuzko… He didn't…" Tanjirou mumbled, as his perception of the world began to distort.
In the end, acceptance and reality came back to him. No amount of delusions or denial would alter what just happened.
Tanjirou didn't want to admit what he saw, but he had to accept.
Nezuko… She was eaten by the demon…
She was gone…
And it was all Tanjirou's fault…
"What a failure… You couldn't even protect your sister? The only family you had left? What would your family say to you if you meet them again?" The voice of Tanjirou's biggest fears began to envelop his mind.
"No… I failed… Am I this useless…?" Tanjirou asked himself, clearly going back to his mind.
"Of course, you are! You failed to impress your family! Through your inabilities, you deserved what happened to you! If you were more useful and could be more proactive you would have been able to save Nezuko! She wouldn't have been eaten like that!"
Tanjirou gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, as his anger and thoughts continued to cloud his mind.
"So worthless… So weak… Why did I ever worry about you?" The voice of Muzan came upon them as if the very individual was behind him.
Tanjirou shivered at the sound before he heard the voice of his father and mother.
"Is this all you could do? Why cannot you perform a proper breathing style?!" The voice of his father echoed in his mind, further dragging Tanjirou down the rabbit hole.
"Maybe I should just let him get married to one of the girls in the village. That way he would live a life away from us." The voice of his mother, Kie, was evident in Tanjirou's mind.
Tanjirou raised a hand to his head, as he was gaining a headache.
He didn't like this.
"How…" Tanjirou mumbled, "How did things come back to this…?" Tanjirou asked himself.
"You useless punk!" Tanjirou heard the intensity and anger that was coming from his father, as the sounds of his younger self crying and begging for his father to stop.
The sounds of the hissing, burning coal before it was pressed on his skin felt very real to Tanjirou, even in the present.
"Damnit… I am useless… Even though this all… I'm still of no value… No worth… My only worth was to protect Nezuko, and I failed at that…" Tanjirou thought to himself as he looked down.
"How can you expect to be of value when you can't protect those you care for?! You can't even perform a breathing style!" Tanjirou sighed, as he looked down.
He felt useless right now.
He felt like he was nothing.
Once again, was he going to lose everything? The very thing he had, the only thing he cared for, Nezuko.
Was she gone?
"Of course, she is! And it's all your fault!"
Tanjirou shook his head in angst.
He couldn't do this…
He was useless. Why did he ever think he could be something?
Even back when he was on the missions, it was all because of Nezuko that he was able to get this far…
And now she was gone…
Why was he like this…?
Tanjirou hates himself.
Not only because he saw himself deserving of the punishments he got to an extent because of his inability to perform any actions to his family's approval,
But also because he couldn't even protect Nezuko. He was the elder brother, and he couldn't even do a simple job that he had…
Tanjirou looked down.
It was all his fault.
Always his fault. It always was…
Why couldn't he be useful?
Why couldn't he be seen as worthy or of value…?
"I'm a man of no value anymore…" Tanjirou looked down, clearly saddened by his new reality.
"I have no reason to continue…" Tanjirou added as his thoughts continued to go down a sinkhole.
"Damnit… I'm such a terrible person…" Tanjirou looked down.
He couldn't bear to look up.
At this point, he didn't care if the HD ate him too. He was no longer willing to fight.
"You worthless being of a child!" The sounds of being thrown on the ground stomped in his stomach, kicked out of the house, in a ragged attire that was damaged by being grabbed in a feeble attempt to escape.
The numerous cuts and injuries on a young Tanjirou, as he was forced to go down the mountain, holding a book of the Hinokami Kagura, with a blizzard present sometimes.
The sounds of his younger self crying in pain before he could no longer cry. Of course, he blamed his father and mother for everything.
But once his siblings actively stayed their distance from Tanjirou, he eventually began to believe everything was his fault.
He began to think that he was the problem.
And he was…
Because of him, Nezuko got eaten and killed…
How could Tanjirou forgive himself…?
He couldn't. His family would never forgive him, so how could he?
He sighed as he remained down. He had no will to fight anymore.
Why else could do?
If he was this weak to protect Nezuko, how could he defeat this demon?
Tanjirou punched the ground in anger.
Anger is something uncharacteristic within Tanjirou.
He was always able to hold himself down with his emotions.
Always able to smile slightly and keep a tone of tranquility and seriousness. He still showed kindness to those, especially demons who were regretful of their actions.
He was very nice. Almost too nice.
Perhaps that was his downfall. Even to his parents, which neglected, abused, and made his life hell. Even to his siblings, who abandoned him when he needed them the most.
It would have been fine if Tanjirou was alone.
But he never wanted to feel alone in front of other people, especially in a family setting.
But throughout it all, Nezuko was always the shining light for him. She was the only kind one to him.
The only one who made Tanjirou believe he was worth something.
He was worth protecting her.
And now that she was gone, Tanjirou had lost that worth.
He was back to being nothing. A black sheep.
The kid you would tell others to not be like, for he represented everything wrong with the Kamado family.
He was the figure nobody wanted to be, in his family.
When he grew up, he was just the child everyone could point at, and at least be glad they weren't like him.
Tanjirou was the standard to not be in the family.
And so, Tanjirou was nothing.
"Tanjirou." The voice of Nezuko came back to him, as his mind went blank.
"Brother! Help!" Nezuko yelled to Tanjirou, as he was eyeing Nezuko, her face full of panic,
Right now, Tanjirou was ordered to sweep around the house, at least the outside, since he was told to just give up with sword practicing for the day.
His father seemingly was disappointed but would forgive him if he had the place cleaned up by the evening.
Tanjirou looked up and spotted a crying Nezuko, which worried him greatly.
"What happened, Nezuko?" Tanjirou asked his little sister. He was around eight years old, and Nezuko would have been seven.
Even then, Tanjirou had the sight of some injuries that were underneath the clothes he wore, such as his shoulder and torso.
Despite this and the pain he felt, he had to continue going, for if he stopped, he would get hurt more and continue to suffer.
"It's F-Father…" Nezuko mumbled, as she was crying, "I messed up badly…" She revealed as she held onto her brother tightly.
Tanjirou sighed, "Can you explain what you did to make him enraged?" Tanjirou asked.
It was somewhat frightening, but for the sake of his sister, he had to man up and face his father, to keep his sister safe.
It was all he had to do.
"I accidentally spilled some glass on the ground where father and mother were… I saw the two of them stare down at me before I ran…" Neuzko revealed, as her knuckles turned a bit white.
Tanjirou could tell here that fear had gripped his sister. He had to do something, to protect her.
"Do you know what their faces looked like?" Tanjirou asked.
"They didn't show any…" Nezuko explained and responded.
"Alright, I'll do what I can to protect you," Tanjirou answered back.
This was not the answer Nezuko wanted, for she worried for her brother, "But brother! They'll hurt you again! I don't want to see you get hurt again!"
"It's fine, Nezuko. As long as you are alright, then I'll be fine." Tanjirou smiled sadly at his little sister.
"No! You've already been hurt yesterday! I can't let you get hurt when I had time to heal!" Nezuko exclaimed.
"Then why did you come running to me?" Tanjirou asked.
This caused Nezuko to remain still, as she didn't know. "I panicked…"
"That's normal Nezuko, and I'll do what I can to protect you." Tanjirou gave Nezuko a warm pat on the head.
"No brother! I can't let them hurt you again!"
"It will be fine, Nezuko. I'm the eldest brother for a reason. I'm strong enough to take this…" Tanjirou explained, clearly lying.
Regardless, he had a role as the eldest brother to make sure his siblings were safe.
Even if most of them didn't really like him, or just stayed away from him, Tanjirou would still protect them, because they were all family.
Or at least Tanjirou hoped and thought at the time.
While he did lose the idea of a family and loved ones in the future, as his treatment and abuse became worse and worse with every day, he held onto a bit of hope, that maybe he could find out.
That hope later snapped when Tanjirou grew older.
Like a thread snapping, something broke in Tanjirou, and ever since then, he lost hope. Going into adolescence, Tanjirou had lost his hope and reasoning.
All he cared about was finding purpose, and he did everything he possibly could.
He cooked, cleaned, tried to teach, go down to the village to focus on selling coal, dancing, and everything.
And besides dancing, and maybe selling coal, Tanjirou didn't have much luck in anything else.
Unfortunately for Nezuko, she never got the time to retort, for the two individuals in question, Kie and Tanjurou stood outside, clearly staring out and looking at Tanjirou and Nezuko.
Tanjirou couldn't smell the scent of anger on either of them, which confused him. It was the very same scent they had when they always looked at Tanjirou. It was never a scent of anger despite the anger tone they had, meaning they never were truly angry at him, despite what they would remark.
Tanjrou could only face the two figures of his parents eying them, all the while Tanjirou motioned for Nezuko to move.
But Nezuko remained still with a bit of uncertainty. "Nezuko, go, I will take care of this, go inside," Tanjirou told his sister, with a more serious tone.
"N-No! I won't let you go! I won't let them hurt you more!" Nezuko whispered to her elder brother.
"Nezuko, go. You will get yourself hurt." Tanjirou boldly told his sister, with a tone that left no more room for arguments.
Nezuko only looked on, a bit unsure of what to do.
"Go." Tanjirou once again pursued Nezuko to go, and being unable to do anything, Nezuko ran inside the house through the back door.
Tanjirou, with his broom, watched both of his parents outside.
Of the most time, he was unsure of if he could handle this. He was terrified of his parents, the feeling of what was to come, was something he could only prepare by clenching himself.
"Nezuko… Just be there for me in the aftermath…" Tanjirou told himself, as he saw his parents coming closer to him.
"Brother, no!" Nezuko called out before Tanjirou stared back.
All he did was smile. A very sad, small smile as he once again motioned for his sister to go inside the house, and to not go back.
"Please, brother! Please!" Nezuko begged.
"I'm sorry, Nezuko." Tanjirou sighed, as he stared down at his parents. Tanjirou stood in front of the door so that both his mother and father would have to get through him to go inside and catch up to Nezuko.
Tanjirou knew he was in for another night of pain. Just like before, he would have to see the face of horror and pity from his younger siblings.
Once again, he was going to have to be the one who would be humiliated and downed by his parents.
Even if his body was telling him to run, once he got to where he wanted to be, he held himself firm.
He wasn't going to let himself run this time. Not when he needed to protect his sister.
It was the only thing he could perhaps do well, and that was to prevent his sister from being hurt.
Even as he felt the pain striking across his body, only raised his arms to protect his head from the blows and injuries.
Unfortunately, that only made his torso exposed, and Tanjirou felt himself in pain, specifically on his side, back, and hip.
But despite the pain he was feeling. Even when he knew it would hurt, and the pain was the only thing he could feel, at least he thought, his siblings were safe.
He didn't care if he was in pain, or if his body became scarred. He didn't care if he would be labeled ugly for the scars he would accumulate, or any side effects of what could happen.
All he cared for, was protecting his siblings. It was his only worth.
But through it all, Tanjirou could smell the sense of regret and hopelessness within both his parents. And even though that was the case, at least he protected his siblings.
Before Tanjirou could try and fight back, the HD gargled, as if a sign that his body was not going to accept what was being presented.
The HD eventually threw up Nezuko, this time her figure hitting the ground, herself unconscious.
Tanjirou's eyes widened in relief and shock as he immediately went over to her unconscious figure.
She was sleeping, but alive.
Alive.
Nezuko was miraculously alive.
Tanjirou wanted to cry if he could.
His sister miraculously was rejected by the demon's body.
"Gross…" The HD mumbled, but the unconscious figure of Nezuko was enough to get Tanjirou angry.
"You bastard…" Tanjirou growled.
The HD eyed the demon he was now facing.
"You will pay for hurting my sister." Tanjirou threatened.
"You've tried before, and you failed to slice me down. What makes you think you can slay me down?" The HD asked.
Tanjirou remained silent, but internally he was debating letting it out.
"No, I will defeat this demon with the breathing style and fighting techniques Urokodaki himself taught me. It only makes sense that I defeat this demon accordingly." Tanjirou thought.
Before he knew it, the HD brought something up.
"This boy might be different… The girl was most definitely a demon, that's why I couldn't eat her, but the boy… He was able to eat me… Is this boy a demon, or a human? He acts like both! He might be a… hybrid?" The HD asked himself before his eyes widened at Tanjirou approaching him.
Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel
Tanjirou quickly launched himself into the air to advance the distance between him and the HD. All the while the HD looked somewhat enraged and confused.
"Why is a demon fighting for the demon slayers?!" The HD asked, eying Tanjirou, and the sleeping Nezuko.
Tanjirou landed, striking the demon in the arm, but even though then, the HD was continuously asking Tanjirou.
"I could tell from how she tasted! You both smell and taste disgusting! If she's a demon, you are too! You both give off the scent of a demon, even though yours is fainter than the girl's!" The HD remarked.
"What kind of demons are you?! Demons trying to live in a human world?! Look at the hypocrisy you both are living on! The farce!" The HD exclaimed.
Tanjirou wasn't having it.
He was going to kill this demon right here and now.
But even then, he needed to do something that would help him get close to the demon's neck. He needed strength, but he didn't want to use his demonic form.
"I must do this… I must slay this demon…" Tanjirou thought before he heard the noise of his father once again.
"Tanjirou, look." The voice of Tanjirou's father encompassed Tanjirou's mind, causing him to freeze up.
All this time Tanjirou was gritting his teeth upon hearing his father.
"What is it now?" Tanjirou asked internally towards his father. He did not want to communicate with him, after everything.
Tanjirou held somewhat of a hatred between his parents, for everything they put Tanjirou through discriminately.
"Tanjirou, whenever you are feeling uncertain and in a state of panic, remember to pray, and breathe like Hinokami. Only then will you be entered by his blessing, and become Hinokami." The sounds of his father echoed in Tanjirou's head.
Tanjirou's eyes widened in realization.
"That's it! Total concentration breathing constant!" Tanjirou exclaimed, "I was supposed to do it, I'm not even breathing properly!"
Tanjirou sighed, as he carefully fixed his breathing.
Almost immediately, he felt himself feel stronger and more at ease.
Of course, he would have to try and maintain this for around twenty-four hours before he could feel an even greater boost.
But for now, this was all Tanjirou needed.
Both his vision and smell felt amplified, as his entire body felt at ease, with speed quicker than before, Tanjirou rushed towards the HD.
The HD was shocked at the sudden speed at which Tanjirou was coming to him.
Tanjirou immediately saw four arms coming towards him.
"I see, the first two are meant to trap me, and the other two are designed to capture any time I dodge." Tanjirou deciphered, as he planned.
Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance
Tanjirou first struck the two hands to his right, before jumping over the arms to his left, swinging his body and bending his blade to be able to be as flexible as possible.
The main difference here was that he was much faster. He was taking in the breathing that Hinokami blessed him with. After all, he was the one who would dance to Hinokami, and now he was gaining the blessing of the Hinokami.
It was the only way why his sister was alive, and how he was able to make it this far.
He couldn't give up now. This was the Fire God's message to him.
Even if he didn't believe in himself, he had people believing in him. Nezuko did, so he would continue.
Slicing through the other arm the HD had, he maneuvered himself across to avoid the other arms that were heading toward him.
With a mighty jump, Tanjirou gripped his blade, ready for what he was to do next.
Water Breathing, Eight Form: Waterfall Basin
Flipping in a circular motion, he tumbled to the ground, slicing the remaining arm that the demon had used to try and slam him down.
"That's four arms down, four more to go…" Tanjirou thought, as his smell and eyes picked up something.
More so, his nose.
He could smell the muscle in his body moving away from his neck.
"I see, so he has to move his muscles to the sites where new arms will protrude. So he's vulnerable whilst regenerating." Tanjirou thought.
Unbeknownst to Tanjirou, Nezuko's eyes had woken up, and she was now eyeing the demon, growling as she remembered what the HD had done to her.
However, Tanjirou was giving the HD a run of its money, or rather his life.
Eventually, the HD was sick of it.
"That's it!" The HD roared before he began to use his remaining four arms to dig into the ground, shocking Tanjirou.
But that did not stop him.
Tanjirou was around, smelling the demon, as he debated whether he jumped into the hole.
Eventually, he knew the demon was eventually decided to climb up.
This was Tanjirou's time, and he quickly jumped into the hole.
Water Breathing, Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust
Blade first, Tanjirou jumped in, which confused the HD as to where Tanjirou was.
But his eyes widened before he realized the smaller figure jumped into the hole and stabbed right into the body of the HD.
"Alright, that was a bad idea…" The HD mumbled as he felt the blade deep inside his body.
Tanjirou panted, as he ran to the left now, to dodge the strikes of the remaining hands.
To Tanjirou's dismay, the HD had used his time on the ground to regenerate his limbs.
But that was something he was fine with, for he could just strike them down once again.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux
Going much faster now, Tanjirou controlled his breathing just like how he was taught and waltzed through the field, maneuvering through the HD's attempts at pushing him down.
"Perhaps if I am the one to slice down the rest of his arms, then I can rely on Nezuko to deliver the decapitating strike." Tanjirou thought as he noticed Nezuko eying the demon, clearly eyeing the muscle concentration present on the HD's neck.
She was like a predator, waiting for her time to strike.
Besides, Tanjirou was fighting the HD well on his own. He had plenty of stamina and was able to elongate the battle to his advantage.
But Tanjirou didn't want that. He wanted to defeat this demon for the human lives he's taken away. He couldn't allow this demon to live.
Slash after slash, Tanjirou continued onwards, not giving this HD any room to flee, such as to dig or the likes, for if the HD tried to dig, he would use that time to regenerate his arms.
"But then that means the HD's neck would be easily reachable for a point when he's about to dig, which he may do when a decent amount of his arms are cut off… That's when to strike!" Tanjirou thought to himself, identifying the pattern the HD was fighting.
He just needed to cut apart the arms of this demon, and then the rest could fall in line when it was time.
And so, Tanjirou continued onwards with his strikes. He first sliced an arm of the HD, and then a hand, before he sliced rapidly inside and deeper into the second arm, effectively severing it for the HD.
The HD tried to retract his hands back just before Tanjirou struck, but the boy was now too quick and unpredictable for the HD to even react and retract accordingly.
Any attempt the HD tried to make to retract and then shoot it back up from a different direction was negated, either by Tanjirou slicing the arm before it could do so, or by the fact that Tanjirou could smell where the arm would come from, and thus slice it there.
Even the HD's counterattack wasn't working.
And the HD could see Urokodaki's reflection in Tanjirou.
No, not even Urokodaki…
Some other being… Judging by the reaction of the HD's blood, was a being more powerful than Urokodaki. A being that even the master feared. A being everyone feared.
"W-What is this feeling?!" The HD asked nervously, "Is he a demon?!"
The HD panicked as his third arm was broken, a surprise bite from Tanjirou that replenished him a bit, especially with the high muscle content of the demon.
Tanjirou continued to maneuver, deciding to try another thing.
Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool
Because Tanjirou was now close to the HD, he could easily slice apart a large chunk of the HD's arms, as he circled his body, twisting it as fast as he could to slice apart more of the HD's arms.
He managed to rid the HD of three more arms.
That left two more, one on his right, and one on his left.
The HD for his part began to panic.
"Shit! This kid's gotten much stronger! I have to dig to let myself heal for a bit! He's cutting off my arms way too quickly!" The HD exclaimed as he began to crawl back down into the ground.
"Now!" Tanjirou called out, seeing the opportunity. "Oh no you don't!"
Tanjirou yelled as he quickly sliced apart the demon's remaining right arm, greatly slowing down the HD's digging speed.
He quickly appeared and maneuvered above the HD's body to stop his remaining arm from digging down.
That was when Nezuko decided to take the chance.
She had been resting, and now she could unleash one last bout of strength for now.
Water Breathing, First Form, Modified: Serene Waves
With a twist of her blade, and the neck of the HD exposed, Nezuko first slashed upwards at the neck, managing to slash it quite a lot.
But it wasn't enough.
That was where the next strike would finish.
But the HD realized his error and sprouted another arm from his neck where Nezuko was.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth as Nezuko quickly slashed the arm back into his neck, as Tanjirou managed to slice apart the remaining arm.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash
With no arms remaining, the HD was vulnerable and was only left to concentrate all of his muscles on his neck.
Both Tanjirou and Nezuko were trying to push through and slice the neck, but it wasn't working as they hoped.
"At least if the demon wants to regenerate his hands, he'll leave his neck vulnerable! It's a game of attrition now!" Tanjirou told himself as he forced himself to keep hold of his blade, and breathe, as he knew soon the demon's neck would be cut off.
That was, as Nezuko did something drastic.
She jumped away from the hand sprouting and quickly twirled to the left, opposite Tanjirou.
The HD realized his error before trying to redirect his arm to grab Nezuko and throw her away.
But it was too late.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash
Now that the HD's arm was away, both Nezuko and Tanjirou concentrated their strength on slicing through the HD's neck,
Until it came off.
However, in that time, the HD managed to grab Nezuko and throw her away, but by that time, she had already sliced through his neck enough for Tanjirou to finish the quarter left.
The Hand Demon was defeated.
"Urokodaki!" The HD called out in agony and pain, clearly frightened.
Nezuko's figure struck the tree, and coupled with the fact she was now tired from using too much energy, she had fallen into a sleeping state now.
Tanjirou was panting, catching his breath, before he noticed the current predicament and condition of the HD.
"Damnit, I'm going to die! I can feel my body falling apart! I-It's too late to stop it… I was able to move my hands for a bit after my head was cut off, but now I can't move anything…" The HD thought as he saw his body fall.
"All because of those two demons… Those two… That boy was so annoying…How did he get so strong like that?" He asked himself, "But that doesn't matter…"
"All that will matter is I'll be scorned… Just like how Urokodaki scorned me for my actions… It's all hopeless…" The HD mumbled to himself.
But what the HD saw, from the face of the individual who slain him, wasn't that at all…
The boy had taken off his mask, showing his face to the HD.
"He looks so human…" The HD thought to himself, "How can he be a demon, and yet be so human…?"
And the face the boy had on him… It was one of sadness and sorrow.
"Why… Why are you showing such a sad expression on your face…?" The HD asked.
Tanjirou meanwhile was sensing grief and sadness from the HD.
"He must be remembering his past… Poor guy…" Tanjirou responded, "He holds such sadness in him…" It was heartbreaking for the burgundy-haired boy, who had no choice but to start and consume parts of the hand demon.
However, he chose to retain some important parts of the body.
He had already gotten a lot from the demon's flesh, and with the large muscle concentration, it was nutritious and filling for Tanjirou.
Therefore, aside from a few bites, he didn't need to eat the HD anymore.
And what Tanjirou saw was the HD begging for someone to hold his hand.
And who was Tanjirou to deny a dying person, a final wish?
Tanjirou walked over and gently grasped the larger, remaining hand of the HD. This caused the HD's eyes to widen in shock. This act, coupled with the sad face Tanjirou was giving him… It all seemed familiar.
The HD began to have a flashback to his past.
The image of a small, frightened boy in the dark, crying.
His tears and wailing echo in the dark room.
He wasn't sure where his parents were, but he had heard they were no more.
A tragic accident to befall such a young boy.
He was scared, alone, and in the dark.
Where was he to go?
He was alone in the dark.
And scared. He didn't like this.
And so, he cried.
Cried until someone found him.
That was when someone patted him on the shoulder, before gently holding his hands that were covering his face.
The boy looked up, surprise on his face with tears still falling out.
It was someone whom he remembered. Someone he felt like he knew.
"B-Big brother…?" He asked, and the older boy nodded, named Sugawara Gina.
"Yes, I'm your older brother…" The elder brother, Sugawara admitted, with a sad smile as he helped his younger brother up, Yamane Gina.
He held his hand out of the dark, and into the light.
The Yamane's eyes widened in shock, as his tears were wiped away by his older brother, Sugawara
"B-Brother? Where are we going?" Yamane asked, clearly terrified of the future ahead.
Sugawara for his part smiled, "We're going to a place where we can live our lives normally."
Yamane looked down, clearly terrified of the whole ordeal, "W-Will you hold my hand for me?"
Sugawara smiled, and without any form of hesitation nodded, "Of course, I will, for you."
The humanoid HD's eyes widened, as he was being brought over to a building.
He was scared and didn't want to go. He clenched the hand of his elder brother and began to not move.
"What's wrong?" He asked, and the human HD shook his head. "Yamane…"
"It's too scary, I don't want to go in there!" Yamane called out, almost crying. "Please! Don't leave me here!"
At this point, the older brother looked on in worry. Sugawara had to be there for his little brother, for they were all they had left.
"Listen, I know it's rough, ever since they died, but I promised them during prayer that I would look after you… Even if this is scary, you will be by my side, alright little bro?"
The smaller boy looked at his elder brother in awe, clearly hoping that what he was saying was true.
"Big brother, whenever I'm scared, will you hold my hand…?" He asked, timidly.
"Until death do us apart, little bro until death does us apart."
Sugawara was not lying. He was someone who would keep the promise, not just for Yamane, but also for the promise he made for his parents.
Whenever he was in a rough situation that resulted in him crying or being afraid, the warm sense of his elder brother, Sugawara's hand holding his own was enough to get him to stop crying.
It was almost therapeutic, and yet, the HD of the time never wanted to leave his elder brother.
He wanted to stay and be with him. He was all he had left, and without him, who else would hold his hand, and help him when he was down?
He couldn't survive, he thought. He wouldn't even be able to function properly, he thought.
"Brother…?"
The elder boy turned to look at his younger brother, "What's wrong, little bro?"
"Will you be leaving?"
The elder boy for his part remained silent, unsure how to respond.
"I don't know… You know how I'm older than you by two years… There will come a time when I cannot hold your hand…"
"But you said until death does us part!" The human HD exclaimed in shock, "You promised you would help me out of the darkness whenever I found myself underneath there!"
The elder brother sighed, "That was a promise we made as children, we're getting older…"
"That doesn't matter Sugawara! I still love my brother, and I still want him to hold my hand whenever I'm feeling low! Who else will help?!"
Sugawara looked on, clearly confused and so unsure of what to do.
He didn't want to leave Yamane behind, but there would come a time when this would be the case.
Even Yamane knew at the time.
It was only a matter of time before he would be left alone, once again in the dark. Back in the place he was cursed to be. He had his parents, then they were gone. He had some friends, now they were gone. All he had left was his elder brother, who through their holding hands, maintained an inseparable bond that neither wanted to break. Even the elder brother appreciated and cared for his little brother. Who wouldn't?
But alas, even they both knew they had to prepare for the worst. It wasn't anything either of them wanted to do, but it was life.
A part of life to go separate ways.
The human HD did not want this, and so he did something unthinkable.
He ran away from the orphanage he and his brother lived in, and followed him.
Of course, his brother was shocked. "You are supposed to be back in the orphanage!"
"I DON'T CARE!" The distressed boy yelled before he panted heavily.
"What's wrong? Have you been worried ever since I was about to leave?"
"Yes… I don't want to be alone…" The timid boy Yamane was back.
Just like before, the Sugawara was seeing his younger brother in the dark, alone, and scared. The elder brother sighed, clearly not knowing what to do.
Who was he to leave his brother alone again? He knew what it was like, and yet he still had someone…
"I'm sorry, you're right… I promised you we would be together, supporting each other…"
But Yamane just hugged his brother, "Don't apologize, just be here… Just hold my hand… When I'm scared… I don't want to be alone anymore…"
"Of course, little bro, until death does us part…" The elder brother smiled sadly.
Then, that night came.
The little brother woke up, never to be the same ever again. Of course, he didn't know any better. He was a mindless, feral being now, that was transformed against his will.
He wasn't sure what happened.
The HD's eyes widened, as he roared like a newly feral being, and immediately, despite his elder brother trying to hold his hands, Sugawara was eaten by the newly transformed HD.
That was the fate the HD had set for himself, as he continued down his path of lustful hunger, killing any unfortunate human that got in his way.
He was for a time, deemed a monster that was impossible to kill.
That was until he met Urokodaki… It wasn't even close in any way. That bastard was the current Hashira, and thus it wasn't even close.
The masked individual struck him down in one blow, and the next thing he knew, he was sent to this place
He had never seen a strong human since him, and being defeated humbled him, but it also enraged him.
He didn't know how it happened, but in the end, he was stuck in a forest of demon slayers.
His anger at Urokodaki persisted, until the very end, for he had made sure he had haunted Urokodaki for the rest of his life, as revenge for putting him in this hellhole.
"Take that, Urokodaki." The HD smirked as he felt a sense of euphoria in killing the demon slayers of the man who brought him here in the first place.
But through it all, the HDs felt the warmness of his elder brother's hand, reaching out for him, and now he saw it.
"W-Why did I devour my brother… Why…?" Was all the HD could ask.
When he saw himself, in his human form, he hid himself after spotting his human, elder brother.
"I-I'm sorry… Sorry for eating you…" The HD responded.
"Don't be sorry little bro… Please… Don't… I'm sorry for not caring for you more…"
The HD's eyes widened, as he remembered everything.
"I… I don't want to die… I don't want to go to hell… I just want to be with my brother… I don't want to be alone…" The HD begged.
The figure of Sugawara immediately came to the HD's mind as he grasped his hand. The HD's eyes widened as he felt the warm tug of his brother, helping him walk into hell.
As the HD, or Yamane began to fade away, he felt the hand of the demon slayer grasp and hold his tightly, comforting as he died.
Tanjirou looked at him with a sad expression, "May you be born a human in your next life, full of gentleness, and without the tragedies of the demons there are." The HD's head nodded to the best of his abilities.
"Thank you, brother… and I'm sorry, Sugawara… Sorry for eating you…" The HD apologized, the final words he could think of before they became nothing.
As Tanjirou held the HD's hand, watching the giant demon fade away into the air, all Tanjirou could do, was mourning the deaths of all the subordinates of Urokodaki.
"Sabito… Makomo… And all the other children that were killed by this demon, Nezuko and I won… At long last, your deaths have been avenged…" Tanjirou thought, seeing the vision of around fourteen children, all fallen because of the demon that targeted them for training under Urokodaki.
Tanjirou looked down.
He was consuming everything. Both the bits of the HD that he took whilst fighting him, but also the tragedy in everything.
Was what he was fighting for, really worth it? If all this sadness he could tell? Could he keep going?
What purpose was he doing by hurting other people and making them sad?
Was he truly a good demon for killing people who were never given the chance to live a good life?
"Amidst the darkness and hellscape one may find themselves in, the bond and feelings of someone close beside you can give someone the catapult they need to reach the sky…" Tanjirou told himself as he got up.
"Sabito… Makomo… I hope you are at ease, knowing Nezuko and I killed the HD…"
"Urokodaki… Giyu… You both no longer have to be guilty of the circumstances this would put you in. They are all at peace, and they would want the same for you…" Tanjirou told them, "I hope you all can find peace with this demon's death…"
With that, Tanjirou got up and quietly mourned the tragedy of the Hand Demon, before he picked up Nezuko's sleeping figure.
"You did very well, Nezuko… Better than me as always… Sorry for almost letting you get killed there… Your brother was worthless and useless as always…" Tanjirou looked down.
"Next time, I'll make sure I'm stronger so that I can protect you more…"
All the time, Tanjirou continued to conflict with the thoughts of his father's voice inside of his head, telling him to breathe like the Hinokami.
Of course, he had done that before, but to think he could use it to boost his performance in the battle, Tanjirou perhaps underestimated the potential of the breathing.
"Urokodaki told me to breathe it nonstop, which I did… But ever since this mission, my emotions have been causing my body to alter its breathing a bit differently. I must make sure that I keep my emotions in check so that my body's breathing is at its peak…" Tanjirou told himself before he lifted Nezuko on his back and began to walk away.
For the two of them, their mission was complete.
They had not only intervened in the Final Selection, but they also survived and defeated the Hand Demon, the strongest of all the demons inside of the Final Selection, not counting any external demons.
But even then, they weren't that much of a threat. The HD was the strongest demon the two of them fought.
Nezuko deserved a long nap after that.
However, Tanjirou, unfortunately, picked up the smell of something disturbing.
Despite the smoke still in the air, which was slowly getting less and less annoying, either because Tanjirou's nose was adapting to the smoke, or that the interventions of the kakushi had allowed the smoke to not be as prevalent, he wasn't sure.
What he was sure, was the smell.
"A demon, and a human!" Tanjirou thought.
Quickly placing Nezuko in a clearing away from any threats, both from the sky or by the fire, Tanjirou quickly identified what he saw.
The demon was tall. He had a muscular body, with a smile of lust and fake emotions. His hair was platinum blond, seemingly asymmetrically across his head. Tanjirou could tell this demon, but how close he smelled compared to the monster back home, Muzan must have been comparable to the strength of that man.
The other one, a human girl, was rather tall for a girl, even taller than Tanjirou himself. she had long, straight, black hair reaching below her waist. Her eyes were pale violet, slanted towards her face, with some noticeable white dots on her eyes. She also wore two butterfly haori on the sides of her head, which made Tanjirou think that this girl was related to the other girl he previously bumped into, giving Genya the kakushi that surrounded the girl for healing.
It seemed they both were fighting, and many demon slayers remained, Meaning Tanjirou knew he couldn't go that way without being deemed suspicious.
But to his horror, the demon boy was chuckling as he was pursuing the human girl, with her doing a relatively good job at fending for herself and the others.
"They're so fast… I can barely keep up with their movements!" Tanjirou exclaimed in his mind, however, after keeping up with the breathing, he supposed it could use some more work. Besides, his sense of smell was able to keep up.
He could smell wisteria and ice…?
But Tanjirou knew if nothing happened, then the girl could get hurt, and that was something he couldn't allow.
Once the human girl began to cough out blood, after using a blitzing move that Tanjirou barely could see, Tanjirou leaped towards the demon, not caring for the consequences.
He would protect humans, for he would want others to do the same for Nezuko.
But Tanjirou knew if he let this girl die, then more suffering would come.
And so, he charged forward.
Hinokami Kagura, Tenth Form: Fire Wheel
Tanjirou quickly twisted his body, unleashing a vertical slash that cut both of Douma's arms.
"Eh…?" Douma questioned at the sudden feeling of his arms being sliced apart. "What is this?" The demon turned to his side, and even the girl looked shocked at the second figure.
The individual in question was shorter than the human girl known as Kanae with burgundy hair, and a mask, with flaming marks and katana-like drawings.
"Thank god I got here in time…" Tanjirou mumbled as he breathed in tightly, trying to avoid inhaling the ice.
"What a nuisance, boy can you move? I have some unfinished business with this woman." Douma explained.
Tanjirou sheathed his place, choosing not to speak. He didn't want even his voice to be deciphered by anyone.
Douma got the message, and so he prepared his fans, knowing he would have to get rid of this pest before he could get back to Kanae.
"No matter I'll just have to strike you down before I get back to you, Kanae." The demon boy smiled evilly as he launched his fans out.
"Such… A same to be such a creature…" Kanae mumbled, with a struggle to breathe, "Isn't that right, Douma…? I pity you…" Was all Kanae responded, as she was breathing from her left eye.
Blood Demon Art: Wintry Icicles
As quick as Douma could, he launched out some sharp, lotus-like icicles to impale Tanjirou.
"Remember Tanjirou. Remember to control your breathing, and then you can dance nonstop. Just breathe like Hinokami, and you can become Hinokami…" The voice of Tanjirou's father continued to play in his mind for some reason.
Even though Tanjirou was trying to suppress his father's memories, whether it was because he could see more of Tanjurou's genuine side, Tanjirou couldn't get this particular memory out of his mind.
As he gripped his blade, he adapted himself to the breathing that he would use when he danced the Hinokami Kagura.
The very breathing he had built up, and learned more regarding his training with Urokodaki.
"If I can breathe during the fighting, then at least I can stall and allow the others to rescue her." Tanjirou thought. "Perhaps I should spend more time developing total concentration breathing constant, for it is very similar to the dance…"
Hinokami Kagura, Third Form: Raging Sun
Tanjirou spotted the icicles that were fired towards him, right when they were about to strike and impale him, Tanjirou lashed out his sword to his right, then left, causing two arcs of flames to deflect and stop the icicles from reaching him.
Once that was finished, Tanjirou quickly closed the distance between him and Douma, clearly not going to let him get the offense.
Hinokami Kagura, First Form: Dance
As Tanjirou continued to tempt his way toward Douma, the demon did not seem threatened whatsoever, and he maintained his stance, swinging his fans, as a blue and ice color embedded them.
Blood Demon Art: Frozen Lotus
As Douma launched his fans in a crescent-like forward fashion, causing a large number of icy trials of blue and white wind to surround him, it clashed with the flaming slash that Tanjirou let loose.
It was enough to completely negate each other's strike.
Douma looked at Tanjirou with a bit of intrigue.
"This boy certainly is interesting…" Douma mumbled.
"Say, you are strong for a supposed demon slayer of your ranking, tell me, you can't just be a new demon slayer?" Douma asked, trying to get a word out of Tanjirou.
But the boy remained mute.
Hinokami Kagura, Twelfth Form: Flame Dance
Tanjirou quickly coupled up his strike with two more, and even if Douma for once tried to move away from the boy, Tanjirou only danced his way closer, as he struck across.
He barely missed, but Douma was forced to dodge and move now, which annoyed the demon a bit.
Blood Demon Art: Cold White Princesses, Freezing Clouds
Douma quickly manifested two female human-like figures that both began to generate a large icy wind that threatened to engulf the forest.
Douma further complemented this with his fans, another large wave of cold wind threatening to strike Tanjirou.
The burgundy-haired boy was a bit intimated by the sheer amount of wind particles. If what he knew was right, just breathing in the air was enough to harm a human's lungs.
Tanjirou gripped his blade before he knew what to do.
"I'll have to strike the center for it to perfectly strike the rest… That's the only way…" Tanjirou thought to himself as he started.
Hinokami Kagura, Eight Form: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance
Tanjirou exploded forward, moving in a slithering form that represented that of a dragon. Of course, this allowed him to harmlessly wash away many of the icy winds that Douma had produced.
"This kid… His breathing style is perfectly complimenting to combat my blood demon art…" Douma thought, as he eyed this kid, "What is this kid?"
Tanjirou wasn't done. He was still progressing to finish off the rest of the clouds.
Hinokami Kagura, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky
Once he was close enough to Douma, he twisted his body in a perfectly circular motion, a 360-degree flaming arc surrounding him as his blade made contact with Douma's body.
This surprised Douma, who was slashed across his torso directly.
He smirked, "I'm impressed. A boy of your rank is not supposed to even be able to touch an Upper Moon like me, allow me to repay you."
Tanjirou narrowed his eyes. He was unsure what to expect.
Blood Demon Art: Barren Hanging Garden
Douma charged himself towards Tanjirou, with his fans enveloped in a hue of icy-cold blue once again, as he began to slice and strike at Tanjirou's figure.
Tanjirou's eyes widened at the speed Douma was approaching him and forced himself to move. However, Douma kept it up, not to mention the ice shards that were forming as Tanjirou dodged.
Some of them managed to cut Tanjirou slightly considering the element of surprise, but he managed to counterattack the rest after the first two strikes.
He quickly caught the fifth fan strike of Douma, his blade clanging with Douma's fan.
"Oh, you were able to stop that? Alas, by this point, you will be hacking and coughing up a storm, for you've gotten enough wind in your lungs to kill an adult human." Douma smiled evilly. "You won't survive for more than a couple of minutes."
This would have worried Tanjirou, if it wasn't for one thing.
"Don't underestimate the Kamado lungs…" Tanjirou growled, but it was more of a mumble.
"So you decided to talk for the first time, huh kid?" Douma asked, clearly smirking.
"Because it's just us right now," Tanjirou mumbled. He did feel the icy air in his lungs, making it harder to breathe normally, but it didn't hurt as much as Douma probably anticipated.
Blood Demon Art: Crystalline Divine Child, Lotus Vines
Douma seemed to have had enough, as he summoned a couple of smaller versions of himself, before each of them including himself began to launch out icy lotus-shaped vines threatening to impale and slice Tanjirou up.
Tanjirou gripped his blade, as he could smell the icy aura around them all. They were accumulating to the point that the smell alone was getting to his lungs.
"Perhaps having a strong smell has its downsides…" Tanjirou grumbled as he heaved with a bit of difficulty.
He had to eliminate all of the replicas.
He gripped his blade.
"Guess I'll have to slice them all, one by one," Tanjirou told himself, as he launched forward, running across to avoid each of the vines.
He leaped over one before he acted.
Hinokami Kagura, Tenth Form: Fire Wheel
Already off the ground, Tanjirou swung himself around to slice apart one of the replicas, and the icy vines that had tried to strike him.
Tanjirou quickly landed down, eyeing the five other replicas that were also trying to twirl the vines across to strike Tanjirou.
Tanjirou's eyes widened at the sheer amount of vines that were coming towards him.
"Shit! I can't dodge them all!" Tanjirou panicked. He wasn't sure what he could do.
Unless…
"I must combine some of my forms into one if I want to get rid of all of these attacks! Even Raging Sun won't be able to get rid of it! There's just too much!" Tanjirou realized.
Hinokami Kagura, Ninth Form, Modified: Solar Flare Dance-
Tanjirou breathed in whatever energy he could that was not enveloped in Douma's icy wind.
All the while he retained a stance, preparing to perform something he could perform.
Just as many of the icy vines began to surround Tanjirou's figure.
That was when Tanjirou began to spin his body, swinging his blade elegantly, as each spin and swing Tanjirou performed getting stronger and faster, as flames shrouded and expanded out from Tanjirou's body, with them all managing to maneuver harmlessly around Tanjirou.
Douma's facial expression showed a bit of confusion, at the fact that the boy was seemingly dancing, but he put it beside and blew more vines across, using his replicas to overwhelm Tanjirou.
Tanjirou, unfortunately, felt some of the vines strike and impale him as a result of the sheer numbers, and the new form he picked up was his first time using it, but if he could master it, he felt it would be worth it.
He panted, as he felt his figure fatigued. His lungs were starting to ache from the icy air that he had inhaled, and the vines had managed to slash part of his body.
Of course, being a demon, he could regenerate.
"That's it!" Tanjirou thought. "I should try and eat his flesh! If he smells close to Muzan, then I can get powerful enough!"
And thus, Tanjirou clenched his blade, despite the blood that was falling off his body and the pain, he crouched down, slowing his spinning and dancing.
And Storm!
Tanjirou suddenly thrust himself forward towards Douma, as he swung his blade incredibly quickly to his sides, as he sliced apart any vines and replicas that were present by Douma's.
All this time, Douma's eyes widened as he saw the boy charge towards him, thrusting through all the haze of icy clouds that were present.
This was especially present, as since the burgundy-haired boy was now close to him, he could see the hanufuda earrings that encompassed the boy's ears.
Immediately, Douma's entire body began to shake, for reasons he wasn't even sure why.
"Oh my, why is this happening right now?" Doum asked the question, clearly unsure of what he was feeling towards this boy. "Wait, from what I know, this is master's blood making my body shiver but why?"
Douma eyed the boy, as he quickly spun his body, with the momentum causing him to spin incredibly, as he twirled his arms inwards to spin faster, almost like a figure skater.
Douma was intrigued by this boy but also questioned why this boy was triggering a response, from what appeared to be his master's blood.
Before he could act, Tanjirou was getting very close to him. Not to mention the sun was coming out in the hour.
"Shit! I have to get rid of him now!" Douma exclaimed, no doubt somewhat fatigued from the fight he had with the Flower Pillar, and now this boy who seemed very much a nuisance to Douma.
As Tanjirou got closer to Douma, his body spun faster and faster with every strike and move he made.
But as Tanjirou got closer to Douma, the less time he had to dodge Douma's fans.
So, he had to plan to do this as quickly as possible.
Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotuses, Ice Wind Variant
With Tanjirou striking him straight towards him, Douma took this time to swing his fans.
However, instead of focusing on the ice shards, Douma focused on the icy wind that he had.
As a result, despite Tanjirou managing to spin himself quickly to dodge and keep himself safe from Duma and his replicas, he found himself being sprayed with a large swat of air and icicle shards at point-blank range.
Douma sighed in relief and was somewhat intrigued by that boy, but mostly annoyed.
"That boy annoys me…" Douma mumbled, as he tried to get out, displeased that he couldn't kill that Flower Pillar, all because a mere new demon slayer had gotten in the way, and terrified his master for some reason.
Tanjirou grunted in pain as he felt himself being pushed back into the air, before he struck a tree, his figure breaking a dozen trees before he lost momentum.
Tanjirou coughed, as he heaved, the air finally catching up to him. His body felt fatigued, as his arms, shoulder, chest, and thigh were all slashed by the strikes. His lungs were fatigued but he could recover.
However, instead of ending Tanjirou right there, Douma sighed in relief, the shakiness of his body getting to him, as he tried to find out why.
However, Tanjirou was able to stall enough to help that girl, and that was something he had completed.
All he had to do now was find Nezuko and get out of the Final Selection, once and for all. He sighed in relief, feeling his wounds start to close.
And with that, what Tanjirou didn't realize, was that the air he inhaled from Douma's blood demon art, too gave him some strength similar to demon flesh.
A.N / Before any of you think otherwise, no, Tanjirou is not a fighter capable of defeating an Upper Moon, for multiple reasons. One, Douma was somewhat fatigued by fighting the Flower Pillar Kanae, who manage to tire him out. Second, Douma had no intentions of killing Tanjirou, but rather just getting him out of the way. And third, the advanced lungs of the Kamados make it so that the air is not as strong as the others, but also the Demonic Consumption Tanjirou has made Douma's blood demon art redundant since Tanjirou's technique consumed his blood demon art.
But we're finally done with the Final Selection arc! Surprise Upper Moon's appearance is a nice one, and everybody survives, except for many demon slayers. I don't usually give an estimate on the demon slayer count, but I do know the HD over 47 years has killed 50 demon slayer trainees. So I will say that usually, around 30-50 demon slayers try out every Final Selection. So yeah, and I would also say until recently, there is a steep decline in demon slayers that pass, but considering the events that happened this year, it makes sense why only 4 demon slayers passed this time around.
Anyways, we'll see what happens next for chapter 23, see you all later!
Hand Demon (Yamane): Male, 50 years old.
Status: Dead, Demon
Douma: Male, 135 years old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 6'2" (188cm)
Weight: 192Ibs
Abilities:
Tanjirou Kamado:
Hinokami Kagura, Ninth Form, Modified: Solar Flare Dance and Storm: Tanjirou starts by elegantly dancing, swinging his sword and body accordingly, increasing in speed and strength, which is the dance portion of the move. Then the storm aspects involve a dash, alongside multiple strikes across his body whilst maneuvering.
Kamado Lungs: Because of the Kamado ancestry of living on the mountains and burning coal, Tanjirou and the rest of his family have lungs capable of taking in more air, holding it for longer, and in the case against Douma, being able to better handle his icy air. In addition, the demonic consumption allows the air to act as a catalyst to strengthen Tanjirou's demonic strength.
Douma:
Cytokinesis: Douma's blood demon art involves his ability to generate and manipulate ice and frost. This ice can be used for a multitude of reasons, which all stem from his utilization of the fans he holds. These include a wide host of abilities, such as creating ice shards that can impale opponents, large swats of wind, and replicas of either humanoid females or children's versions of himself. These can all range in their flexibility, all deviating from his fans.
Wintry Icicles: The user can spawn icicles towards the target to impale them.
Frozen Lotus: Using the fans to slash towards that target, creates razor-sharp ice shards and ice lotuses to overwhelm the target.
Cold White Princesses:The user creates the upper bodies of two female humanoid figures using the ice from them to create and blow the icy air towards the target. The wind has a long reach, and is extremely cold, freezing the surroundings and the air from inside humans.
Freezing Clouds: The user creates a large wave of cold wind with the help of his fans. The technique is very cold and can be thrown out by Douma's clones.
Barren Hanging Garden: Douma unleashes a series of fan attacks, generating ice shards each to slice into the enemy. These are the quickest of Douma's attack, but it requires the target to be very close to him.
Crystalline Divine Child: The user creates miniature ice replicas of himself, up to six clones at once. These require a lot of coordination and concentration to maintain functionality, but they all also can utilize blood demon arts on their own, causing a large cascade of waves of dangerous, cold wind.
Lotus Vines: Similar to frozen lotus, lotuses are made of ice and long frost vines that extend their reach to capture and slice the opponents. Are maneuverable, and cuttable.
Scattering Lotuses, Ice Wind Variant: The user can swing his fans to create a blizzard of various ice-themed projectiles, which in this case is an icy wind concentration to blast enemies away at fast speeds. The move was capable of throwing Tanjirou out at fast winds, with him only being alive due to him being a demon.
