Breath of the Moon
Chapter 4: Kenji's mission
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Blood Demon Art"
I felt the overwhelming urge to post early. Take a mental load off to help. This chapter will focus on side characters exclusively. So sorry if you wanted a continuation of the conversation between Koukoshibo and Ichigo. Just gonna have to wait for the next chapter.
Kenji hopped across trees. "Talk to me." He said to the empty forest. A moment later, a female appeared and began to keep pace with him. She wore a black uniform with the letter V on her back in gold coloring and a zanpakutō on her hip. What was striking was her hair, as it seemed like the colors of lava flowing downward.
"You get a mission?" The woman asked. Kenji nodded. "Where are you going?"
"New Zealand and the United Kingdom to look for possible demons. Which is an opportune time, as you were recently in the UK. Did you find anything useful?" Kenji asked.
"No." The woman's tone didn't betray her feelings. "Unfortunately, Soul Society West Branch, or Wing Bind as they call themselves nowadays, had nothing useful. The best I could find were the dragons."
"Dragons?" Kenji asked.
"Their version of hollows, at least, that's what I believe they are. At best, the Dragons would only be a minor distraction, as any half-competent captain could handle an easy ten without issue. And the hassle of moving the dragons wouldn't be worth the effort." The lava-haired girl said.
Kenji grimaced for a moment. "What about those spells they use?" He asked.
The woman tisked in annoyance. "Nothing more than pale imitations of true Kido."
"I see. That's a shame." Kenji began, "Have you had any contact with Copia Lobo?" He asked.
"No. I assume he's still in Hueco Mundo keeping an eye on that upstart Aizen and his army." The woman said in response.
"A shame then," Kenji commented. "Thank you for reporting, Kikōō. Say hi to Sōkyoku for me."
She nodded before changing direction. And not a moment too soon as Kenji arrived at the airport. The Oyakata had rented a private plane that would fly him from Karakura to Taiwan to refuel, then to the southernmost tip of the Philippines, followed by landing in Papua New Guinea and then a strait shot to New Zealand. Such a trip would take over 24 hours for the private plane, compared to the 15 hours a commercial flight would take for a direct flight from Tokyo to New Zealand. But Kenji needed his weapons, and fewer questions would be asked on a private flight.
He simply walked up, provided his name to the people maintaining the plane, confirmed who chartered the plane, and was on board. He reclined back in his seat and decided to take a light nap.
Kenji scowled. After running throughout New Zealand, from top to bottom, and over two days, no demons were sensed. And it's not like they were hard to find. Demons had spirit ribbons similar to humans but with splotches of sickly green dotting the pure white. Eventually, Kenji gave up and went to the site that supposedly had human remains eaten by a demon.
Only for the skeleton left behind to be revealed to have been a person who died years ago from falling, at least according to the broken leg and fractured skull. The person in question probably had a concussion before they died, and the reason why it was mistaken for a victim of a demon was because of all the animal bite marks on the bones.
So, Kenji returned to the airport a couple of days early, called the Ubayashiki mansion, and reported his findings through a quick word game to avoid anyone listening in on the call from overhearing about demons. The Oyakata quickly arranged for a new plane to take him to Australia, where he would then have more private flights to London in the UK. This trip on a private plane would bring him closer to 56 hours, while a commercial flight would only be a little more than a single day. Kenji was already feeling irritable, especially when they hit a bit of turbulence from Australia to Malaysia.
But, sooner or later, he arrived in the UK and began to get to work. He pushed his senses to the farthest he could but did not pick up on any demons within his range. So he started to move, keeping an unchanging pace as he raced to the northern parts. Curiously, he picked up on many strange signatures, but none were demons. He sensed and saw one of those dragons before a witch from Wing Bind showed up and took it down. Which was fine by him; he was actively keeping his spiritual pressure mute to avoid being detected by the West Branch of Soul Society.
And then, he noticed it. He was about 150 km out from Scotland's borders. A demon was moving further north and quickly. Which made sense; the sun was due to come up in less than an hour. However, its panic was a bit overactive. It was to be a very cloudy day that December with some snow all over. While Kenji was glad that something came out of the mission, the cold realization that Muzan had been creating demons outside Japan's shores meant that the demon slayers would have a much harder time. Hell, he might have to come out of 'retirement.' But the fact that there was only one demon in this entire island of 58 million was suspicious.
'What are you up to, Muzan Kibuzuji?' Kenji asked himself as he stepped into a field.
A sharp breath sounded out as he took a step forward. He started to run before speeding up to near inhuman speed. Every step he took left behind a burned patch of land. He kept this much faster pace, and at the rate he was going, he would be within visual range of the demon in an hour and a half at most.
A four-horned demon suddenly felt a chill, almost like he was being haunted. He quickened his pace in the snowy landscape of Scotland. He had been a little greedy in the small town he was hiding in and was forced to move before authorities with bigger weapons appeared. While the average gun might not kill him, a missile to the face would certainly come close. So close that it didn't want to test whether a demon could survive a missile strike.
After months of work, he couldn't let his master down. But this feeling. It did not bode well. It was probably best he find shelter nearby and move again once the sun had set. He started to run even faster. His high speed wasn't even his main Blood Demon Art, so he was especially proud of how fast he moved.
Soon, the demon came across castle ruins overlooking a lake. A giant sign out front said the place was unstable, but the demon didn't care. As a demon, the ruins could collapse over him, and he would be fine. It was the sunlight he had to worry about, even if it was a rather cloudy day.
He stepped forward on the overgrown path but suddenly felt the urge to turn around. 'Was this the feeling from earlier?' The demon asked himself. 'No, that was different.' The demon ignored the impulse to leave and ran into the castle.
It was dilapidated, dirty, and damaged. The three D's that described this place. Interestingly enough, he still smelled humans, so maybe a few nearby were working on the abandoned castle? It wouldn't be unfeasible to set up tents outside near the forest. Well, if he ran into them, he'd have some food; after all, even if they had a long-range communication device, there's no way help would arrive in time.
The demon slowed down and took a more leisurely pace. It dragged its claws across the wall. From what he could feel, this place was far more structurally sound than the sign out front would suggest. Which meant he didn't need to worry about any sudden collapse.
He came across a massive door and pushed it open. There were four long tables and many overturned wooden chairs. The wood must be sturdy to last this long in an empty castle. There was a fifth, much smaller table at the higher level in the back of the room. This castle probably served for some local government centuries ago for whatever village existed nearby.
The demon paused in its appraisal. Odd. There was a powerful scent of humans present, but he couldn't see nor hear any humans. "Humans?" The demon muttered. "But I can't see or hear any. Where is that smell coming from?"
The smell didn't seem old in the slightest; in fact, it was very fresh. Maybe the humans were hiding somewhere nearby. The demon could attempt to locate them with his Blood-BOOOOOM.
Suddenly, the castle shook as something large impacted the roof at a high velocity. "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" The demon called out in disbelief, his fangs bare.
Kenji left behind a trail of melted snow and burnt footprints as he ran. The pure energy emanating from him melted the snow before he could even step, and any water that touched him evaporated almost immediately. He grinned. In the distance, he could see a castle overlooking a lake and a forest. And he could sense a demon within.
He breathed and jumped far higher than any human should be capable of. He reached well above the castle heights and slammed on the roof in a large boom. "You can't hide demon." The former Hashira grinned madly. "And you're strong enough to entertain me for a bit."
Suddenly, a pulse of Reiryoku came off of him. "Grenze." A strong, blue-tinted barrier propped up around the castle, as well as under and over it. Until Kenji decided to remove the barrier, this place would be his hunting ground for the demon. After all, indulging in his bloodlust was one of the two reasons he became a demon slayer. It was time to put some fear into the demon.
He raised his axes and busted a hole in the ceiling that he was certain wouldn't destabilize the castle. He dropped to the ground in a bit of a crouch and blinked. Curious, were his senses failing him? He could feel hundreds of spiritual presences, most human, but many not. And they were within the castle. But the place looks like it hadn't been occupied for at least three centuries if not more.
Maybe he stumbled on some kind of invisible cabal. It wouldn't be the strangest thing the world had to offer. Oh well, it didn't concern him, as only the demon was of interest. And if he accidentally killed a few of these people, nobody who knows Kenji personally would also notice their deaths. And that was fine by him. Shinigami didn't typically care all that much about the living—only the dead.
Within a world of shadows, a pair of eyes opened. "Curious." They belonged to a man who sat on a throne. He was in a white uniform with a black cloak.
A blond man stepped forward. "Your majesty?" He, too, wore a white uniform.
The man with a large mustache looked at his second in command. "I sense something unusual emanating from the world of the living."
"May I ask what it is, Your Majesty?" The blonde's soft voice asked.
The man with dark hair leaned forward. "I sensed Quincy like power, but at the same time, it was not."
"Your Majesty?" The blonde tilted his head.
"This nearly identical Quincy-like power did not come from my source. I think it would be best to send some sternritter to investigate." The man on the throne proposed.
"Your wish is my command." The Blonde man said softly. "Who shall I send?"
Eyes closed in thought for a moment. "My power has yet to fully awakened, so I cannot accurately predict the outcome. But I feel that Sternritter E and J will be ideal for this task."
The blonde looked away for a moment. The Black-haired man raised an eyebrow.
"Do you doubt my choices, Haschwalth?" Yhwach asked his second in command.
Jugram Haschwalth looked away for another brief moment. "Permission to speak freely?"
Yhwach waved his hand. "Granted."
"I understand sending Quilge Opie, as his Jail could restrict this anomaly long enough to bring it back, but why Bambietta Basterbine? Whatever she provides to the mission, there are other sternritter that are stronger and have more self-control." The Grandmaster said.
"You make a valid argument, Haschwalth," Yhwach started, "But… where I'm sending her is a place she is familiar with. I feel that she would be the best to guide the mission due to her prior experience. Summon Sternritter E and J."
Jugram bowed his head. "As you command, your majesty."
Kenji whistled a merry tune as he slowly meandered towards where the demon was. It seemed to be hiding out in what Kenji assumed was the dining hall. He came to a rather large door. Kenji contemplated simply pushing it open, but where was the fun in that? Demolition has its perks.
He raised a single axe. "Breath of Strength: First form, Simple Downward Strike!" With a mighty downward swing, the large door was pulverized, sending bark chips flying into the hall. Breath of Strength was the most simplistic breathing style Kenji could devise. It was based on stone breathing and only had four forms. But those four forms were brimming with overwhelming strength in exchange for speed. In a way, it was the polar opposite to Breath of the Insect.
He stepped into the hall, noting all the scared eyes he could sense but not see. They were young, except for those at the back who felt far older. Especially the one in the center. Was he over a hundred? And then, he felt one of those older people, a squat woman from what he could sense, begin to walk up to him, but he wasn't interested in acknowledging them, only the demon. Let creepy cult do it's creepy cult thing.
"Deeeemoooonnn. Where are you?" Kenji called out in English with a sing-song voice. "Come out and play…"
"BLOOD DEMON ART: Distorting Winds!" A voice called from overhead.
Suddenly, Kenji felt himself being thrown into the side of the wall, not that he was the only one, as the older and shorter female signature near him also went flying. The demon quickly dropped from above and ran out. Kenji picked himself up and cracked his neck. "Alright. Let's play rough."
Kenji took a deep breath. "Breath of Hell: First Form, Nirvana of Hell." Suddenly, the entire castle spiked in temperature as Kenji's Reiryoku blanketed the area, making it uncomfortably warm for anyone other than him. "I'll make this painful, demon. Make sure to burn!" He ignored the sudden panic the other spiritual pressures were exhibiting now.
Kenji grinned as he grabbed both his axes and ran out of the hall, "GET READY TO SCREAM FOR ME!" His voice projected across the barrier encompassing the castle. Every step he took left a burn mark on the floor.
Suddenly, Kenji jumped forward, with his left axe about to hit the demon square in the back. "Breath of Hell: Sixth Form, Papiyas' Requiem!" Suddenly, the axe seemed to drill through the Demon's heart despite not rotating at all.
The demon screamed as its regeneration kicked in. "GAHHHH!" It kicked Kenji back before shouting. "BLOOD DEMON ART: Wave Motion Catastrophe!" The demon stomped his foot, and the ground began to ripple like a stone dropped into a lake.
Kenji jumped up into the air, avoiding the waves of earth, before coming down on top of the demon. "Breath of Hell: Seventh Form, Belezebub's Sins!" Both axes went down on either side of the demon, barely drawing blood. But that was the point; Kenji wanted to drag this out.
The demon started to feel and see thousands of tiny flies buzzing against his skin, causing burns to start to appear. He shook his head to dispel the illusion before jumping back and growling. The burns started to heal. "Demon Slayer! I thought you only operated in Japan!" The demon called out.
Kenji grinned. "So, the monster speaks."
"That's rich, as you seem to be interested in drawing out this confrontation." The demon growled, "But I intend to take my rightful place among the eight Kizuki, and I won't allow you to stop me."
Kenji laughed. "HA! Do you think you'll live past today? That's hilarious. I've killed Uppermoons far stronger than you; ergo, you'll fall even easier. But I can admit your strength. I'd say, maybe borderline Uppermoon 6. But certainly at the level of Lowermoon 1 at least."
The demon suddenly bolted and turned the corner. "Why does he speak as though he fought them? The Uppermoons lived over eighty years ago, and he doesn't look a day over thirty." The man-eater asked himself.
"Breath of Hell: Ninth Form, Lucifer's pride!" Suddenly, the demon's body had cuts all over. But Kenji wasn't even close to him. How!? The cuts burned fiercely as the demon kept running. "If you're going to keep running, then I'm going to start knocking down walls!" Kenji's voice projected throughout the castle.
The demons said nothing as they tried to put more distance between them. "BLOOD DEMON ART: Rapid Steps of Sounds!" The demon shot off quickly with a notable burst of sound right as Kenji turned another corner.
The slayer smirked. 'Interesting. Based on the attacks, his blood demon art has something to do with vibrations. Which means anything that vibrates is a potential weapon. Like water, air, the ground, sound, everything. It's a shame I was sent to take care of you because if you had a century or two to refine your Art, you would have been quite the opponent.' "You're not half bad. Too bad you'll have to die today, as I would have liked to fight you when you were stronger. Breath of Strength: Second Form, Simple Vertical Strike."
With a strike from one of his axes, Kenji collapsed a few walls and cleared the path of any rubble in the way. Sadly enough, it seemed that the attack caused one of the invisible people to be sent flying as well and hit their head. They should get that checked out; a concussion is no joke.
The Demon rushed to avoid the wave of destruction. Kenji's voice called out. "Looks like I need to take away your hidey-holes."
The Demon scowled. If the place came down, the slightest crack in the gloomy morning sky would expose him to sunlight. "All right, fine; if you want a direct fight, then I'll indulge you." The demon jumped over Kenji and put forth his arms from above. "BLOOD DEMON ART: Distorting Winds!"
Kenji suddenly felt himself being pushed down by heavy pressure. It only lasted a few seconds, but before the demon could crush Kenji's skull in with a punch, the axe wielder tilted his head back. "Breath of Hell: Third Form, Hades' Inferno." A wheel of fire cut through the demon's extended arm at the elbow.
The monster screamed and jumped back far away. However, as he looked up, Kenji stood above him with a demented grin. The demon slayer raised both his axes, "Breath of Strength: Third Form, Tiger Claw!" Both axes swung down, lopping off the demon's arms at the shoulders. The demon thought he saw a massive claw come down on him.
The demon ran off, his arms starting to regrow despite his immense pain, even if this attack didn't burn like the others. Clearly, guerrilla tactics would do no good against an enemy who was perfectly willing to bring the house down. So perhaps fighting in an open room would do it. The old hall should do. The demon's arms regenerated, albeit slower than usual, as he stepped into the hall. It turned around to see Kenji at the doorway.
"All we did was run in a circle, demon." Kenji said, "Why not take a break and chat? Maybe you can explain how a demon like you got here." He proposed.
The demon bared his fangs in a deep growl. "You arrogant slayer! I will say nothing that betrays my master."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "I never understood all the fanaticism demons give Muzan Kibutsuji. Yes, I understand he's the demon king, but really, he's not that great. Simply somebody who's been running from death for over a millennium now."
Veins seemed to pop out from the demon's face as anger overtook the monster. "HOW DARE YOU! MY MASTER IS THE GREATEST BEING TO EVER LIVE! YOU'RE NOT EVEN WORTHY TO LICK HIS BOOTS, LET ALONE SAY HIS NAME!" The demon stretched his arms back and breathed in. "BLOOD DEMON ART: SONIC DEATH!"
A massive burst of sound broke from the demon's mouth as Kenji felt his ears bleed and his internal organs rupture. A bit of blood trickled out of his mouth. And because the sound beam was focused on him, the invisible people in the hall barely felt it but did feel the reverberations. That entire time, Kenji's grin didn't falter at all as he started to channel Reiryoku to his damaged organs. "Reparatur."
A few seconds later, the damage was undone, something the demon gaped at. "You, what are you?! No human can heal like that!"
Kenji laughed. "You're abso-fucking-lutely right! But I never claimed to be a human, now did I? After all, humans don't live for nearly a millennium. Nor do humans age at a rate so slow that they could be confused for immortals. But explaining what I am would be wasted on you, as you'll die regardless. Breath of Hell: Second form, Kali's Overwhelming Will!" Kenji fanned his axes towards the Demon.
The predator of humanity suddenly felt like death had warmed over and started to scream. His entire front began to melt, flesh dropping off like liquid. Kenji could sense the horror of the invisible people as they watched the demon as he cackled. Oh, he had gone far too long without torturing a demon. Kenji raised his foot, and faster than the demon could see, he now gripped the demon's partially melted neck, slamming it into the ground.
'Why am I not regenerating as fast as I should?!' The demon asked himself as he felt Kenji's grip tighten momentarily. Then Kenji threw the demon into the wall, leaving a notable crack. The flesh was slow to rebuild, and the demon felt so tired despite being a demon.
Kenji's mocking voice bounced around the dining hall. "You're probably wondering why your regeneration is so slow or why you feel tired." The demon flinched. "Called it. You see, First Form, Nirvana of Hell creates a field around where the temperature notably spikes, making it rather uncomfortable for demons or humans. But that's not all; it also saps the stamina of a body, slowing down natural functions. Rather dangerous for ordinary humans. That may not sound like much for a demon, a being who knows near boundless energy, but by constantly forcing you to regenerate from my damaging attacks, your power has been whittled down to where I don't even need to worry about you escaping." He waved an axe around. "Now, I have some questions for you, and the sooner you answer all of them honestly, the sooner I send you to hell."
Kenji felt a few invisible people suddenly collapse after a few moments. They were likely the weaker ones of the cabal. Kenji pretended not to notice, keeping his eyes on the demon. Once the demon's body had regenerated enough, it bit out a curse at him. "You think I'll tell you anything? Even if I wanted to, my master would never allow me."
Kenji let out a low laugh. "I'm sure you've noticed the blue-tinted barrier around the castle. That barrier is mine, and I decided what goes in and out of it when I erected it. Supernatural spiritual communications, as well as physical entry and exit of the castle, are all disabled until I either let the barrier down or die. But you're not nearly strong enough to pose a threat to me." Kenji took a step forward. "Your master can't hear you here, so go ahead, speak."
The demon remained silent. Kenji tsked. "Okay, so you need motivation." Suddenly, Kenji's grip on his right axe tightened. The grip almost crushed the handle, but the black blade shifted red, and Kenji swung down without a form, cutting through the foot of the demon. It screamed bloody murder. "You want another one? I promised I'd kill you this day, but it's early morning, and Midnight is a long way away. Especially with the Nirvana of Hell active." Another slice, this time to the demon's hand. And a few more invisible people collapsed from the nirvana.
It screamed again. "The pain will stop the moment you start talking. And it better be truthful, or else I'll double the pain with my second axe." The demon still said nothing, so Kenji decided to slow down on the torture. "Let's go with fingers. And when you run out of those, we'll move to toes, then back to fingers. You're going to hate the fact you can regenerate."
One finger went off with very quick precision. "This little piggy went to market." A second dropped. "This little piggy stayed home." A third finger was now gone, very slow to regenerate. "This little piggy had roast beef…" A fourth finger lobbed off. "This little piggy had none," Kenji raised his axe. "And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, all the way home!" In a clean move, the thumb was cut off, followed by the wrist. The demon screamed such beautiful screams with each cut.
"Are you ready yet, or do I need to quote Mother Goose some more?" Kenji grinned sadistically. The demon was practically petrified in fear, pain wreaking havoc across his body.
"I'll talk, I'll talk. Please, just don't do anything else." The demon cried out in pain.
Kenji pouted. "Ah, pooh. You broke too quickly. Couldn't you have lasted at least an hour?" He paused and looked in a seemingly random direction. 'Odd, there are two people trying to gain entry into my barrier. Eh, they can wait. I have a demon to drain information from.' He turned back to the demon. "Now, tell me, why are you the only demon on this island? With the advent of commercial planes, I can understand Muzan moving without exposing himself to the sunlight, but why did he only create one demon?"
"To answer your question, a bit of context is needed." The demon proposed. Kenji gestured for him to continue.
Sternritter E and J appeared in the living world through a gate of shadows. "I'm honored that his majesty would consider me for this task." Quilge Opie said for the sixth time. "Although, I don't quite understand why you were put in charge, considering your temper."
Bambietta felt her eye twitch but said nothing. She was more worried about the area they were in, as it seemed familiar to her. The first thing she did was look around for any sign of their target and considering the fact there was a path of melted snow with burnt patches of ground in the size of footprints; it was a good sign they were going in the right direction. She knelt down to look closer.
"These burnt footprints go in that direction." She pointed her finger in front. "And considering the fact that we were deposited a kilometer out from the anomaly's location, we should need only to climb that hill to see where he's at."
"You seem to know these lands." Opie pointed out.
Bambietta paused, a bad feeling in her gut. "I'm somewhat familiar with the area, even if I never went this far out. It was before I was invited to His Majesty's army and before I became a sternritter."
Opie raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought you were from Italy."
"Parents were from Italy; I was born in Britain. Although that's all I know about them, as they both died when I was too young to remember, documentation was terrible in 1885." Bambietta said. "Stupid orphanage."
Quilge said nothing. "What, you going to make fun of my age?"
"Nope. I myself am over 200 years old, so I certainly have no room to talk." Bambietta raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. She simply started to walk, and Opie followed closely behind.
They were both silent as they climbed the hill. In the living world, they had physical bodies, so any humans around would be scared out of their minds to see two flying people, even if it was unlikely for them to run into someone out here. 'Unless…' Bambietta didn't finish that line of thought. She didn't want to revisit that old past of hers; it's why she had cut all ties the moment she could. It was a shame she couldn't keep the abilities, but they were reserved for those who resided in the living world.
Once they reached the top of the hill, they gazed in the distance when they noticed a large blue barrier surrounding a castle. A… very familiar castle. Bambietta clenched her fist in rage and started to curse in English, Italian, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish. She likes learning new curse words in foreign languages, one of her far less deadly hobbies. Opie looked at her in shock from her sudden outburst.
"What is the issue, Basterbine?" Opie asked.
"Just… some really bad memories of that castle." She bit out in a growl.
"That dilapidated old thing?"
Bambietta had to bite her tongue from saying the castle was still in use. Opie didn't know, nor could he see. Although she was pretty sure once you were in the know, you could see, regardless of the protections in place. At least, that is how she thought it worked. She certainly wasn't the most studious. She turned to the J. "You're the one with the unbreakable cage; you know what that barrier is?" She said, changing the topic.
Opie noted the shift but didn't point it out. "No. Of all the defensive Quincy techniques I know of, that one is unfamiliar. But perhaps getting a closer look will provide some kind of weakness." He offered.
"Why are you calling it a Quincy Technique? His Majesty pointed out that it is different." Bambietta said.
"To somebody as powerful as His Majesty, yes, but to people like us, we can't even tell the difference, no?" Opie pointed out, "This means with enough study, we should be able to use this technique for ourselves. An advancement from the outdated Gintō we usually use."
"Yeah, you got a point. Let's just go." They both began the short trek down the mountain, taking great care to avoid the dark forest nearby at Bambietta's word. It's best not to disturb what sleeps there.
"Have you heard what happened during the Taisho Period?" The Demon asked.
"Yeah, the Hashira had an all-out assault on Muzan's Lair. They took out all the Uppermoons present and nearly took Muzan's head with them; he only escaped due to a fluke. But what does that have to do with this." Kenji questioned.
The demon looked away. "In truth, my master did perish that day, but before he did, he pumped all of his blood, his memories, and his personality into a demon slayer, taking over the body while his old one crumbled under the sun."
Kenji blinked and processed that statement before his eyes went wide. "But wait, only one type of person could survive having all of the Demon King's blood infused at once while also surviving the sun. One of the lucky few who can use Breath of the Sun. Which means… Muzan Kibuzuji is now in a body that can survive the Sunlight." He paused. "Hold on, if that's true, why does he continue to make demons? The biggest reason he made demons was so that he could absorb one who could walk in the sun." Kenji raised an axe threateningly.
"His body is flawed!" The demon called out. "The medicine developed by the late Tamayo weakened his ability to control the body, so much so that the original individual still fights back from within. By creating demons, he has a two-fold use. The first is demons can be used to distract Hashira from hunting him down, as with his weakened body, even he can't take on all the Hashira combined if they had demon crests. The Second is to find any trace of the Blue Spider Lilly. Even a book pressed, dried out one would do. He would need some more in order to reinforce the connection and resume full control."
"I see. That's troubling." Kenji started. "But, why are you here in the UK? Specifically, why is there only one demon?"
"T-the first moon."
Kenji blinked and lowered his axe in confusion. "What? What does the second strongest demon alive have to do with this?" He asked.
"The first moon is someone who usurped the position from my master's control. They're providing moral and mental support to the original person whose body my master rules over. So, my master ran a test. By creating a single demon in a country where there are no Slayers to be found, could that demon eventually grow in strength well beyond what the first moon is capable of and then come to Japan to kill them? And the fact that you compared me to borderline Uppermoon six, despite the fact that I've only been a demon for seven months now, proves that fact to be true." The demon smiled. "Oh, how glorious; even if I failed, another demon elsewhere will succeed in taking the place of the First Moon." The demon suddenly gained a fanatic tone. "I can gladly walk into hell knowing that Demonkind's future is secure."
Kenji grimaced. "Blind fanaticism. Gross. But, one final question, and I lob off your head." Kenji squatted and looked closely into the demon's eyes. "This might be pointless to ask, but can a demon created from Muzan's new body walk in the sunlight?"
"N-no. The demon cells are still the same. But theoretically, some more Blue Spider Lily could make the body start to produce demon cells of its own variation." The demon said in a slight stutter.
Kenji tsked. "I see. Well, the demon slayers will simply have to kill him before he can get his hands on more of that flower. Thank you for being honest. Breath of Strength: Fourth Form, Death strike!" Kenji raised both his axes, and in a mighty swing downward, the demon's body was ripped to shreds, unable to regenerate anymore. What little remained turned to ash. And the moment the demon vanished, the nirvana stopped, and the invisible signatures that didn't pass out gave off relief. "May you find atonement for your sins in Hell."
"Now," Kenji turned to the side, "I have to deal with the two trying to gain entry." He jumped to the top of the roof and used his Reiyoku to anchor himself to the ceiling. With a pulse of Reiatsu, the barrier came down, which re-granted him the perception needed to analyze the two people.
"Shit," Kenji said after a moment. 'I'd been so worried about alerting Wing Bind to my presence that I completely overlooked the Quincy. And judging by their level of power, they're part of the elite fighters.' He could take them, but a fight would reveal himself prematurely. Although… such a prospect was interesting.
He stayed up there, keeping his signature as small as possible. Footsteps reverberated across the castle as they grew closer to the dining hall. A moderately tall male and a short woman walked into the hall, decked out in white uniforms with blue crosses all over their bodies.
"Man, this place has seen better days, although I haven't been here for nearly a century, so what I say should be taken with a grain of salt." The woman said, looking around. Then, she focused on the higher level of the room. "There's only one person I know with such a gaudy sense of fashion. I guess you're now in charge. Man, you certainly got hit with the old and ugly stick."
The tall man looked at the girl. "Who are you talking to, Basterbine?" He asked. Kenji silently thought the same.
"Just… an old acquaintance, Opie," Bambietta said. "Although, if you're worried about potential threats, don't be. The strongest among them would still pale in comparison to the weakest of the sternritter."
She paused for a few seconds. "Yeah, well, if I'm still considered missing, you can close the case or whatever. I willingly left." She scowled after a few more seconds. "Oh, don't talk to me like it was a wonderful time. For almost seven years, I was surrounded by inbred, misogynistic, arrogant lunatics. You had it lucky as the star pupil. It's why I long since renounced that all. Don't even have the magic anymore, not that I need it now." The word magic seemed to be more important, based on how her shift in vocal tone pointed towards it.
She rolled her eyes at something only she could hear. "Hard to believe we shared the same house, let alone the same year." She sighed. "Listen, my associate and I are after somebody who was just within the castle walls. Tell me where they went, and I won't blow you all sky-high. If I'm not wrong, they're responsible for all the destruction I can see."
What she heard made her freeze. "Get back, Opie!" She and the taller man jumped away. And not a moment too soon, as Kenji crashed to the ground with his axes aimed right where their heads would've been a moment ago.
"Darn, I missed," Kenji said in a bored tone. "Let me guess, there's something different about you that allows you to perceive and communicate with invisible people."
"Wait, you knew they were there? And yet you still put their lives in danger for whatever it was you were doing?" Bambietta asked, surprised.
"Well, of course I can. They all give off spiritual energy as everything with a soul does. But I pretend they don't exist and let creepy invisible cabal do as creepy invisible cabal does. It's not my business nor my interest. And if I ended up killing one of them, nobody important would care; it's an invisible cabal, claiming something like that makes you look insane." There was a sense of indignation from the invisible people. And fear. "As for what I was doing here, I was simply exterminating a parasite."
Quilge pulled out his sword, and a Quincy cross from the hilt guard appeared. "Yes, the qualms of the living have no influence on the realm of the dead." He said in a boisterous tone. Such a phrase seemed to shock the invisible people.
"Careful with that line of thought, or a nuclear bomb is going to change your mind," Kenji said, crossing his axes in front of him. "Before we duel, a name, Quincy?"
"Only if you give me yours." A nod was the response. "Very well, I am Sternritter J, the Jail, Quilge Opie, in service to his majesty, the King of Quincy!"
"And I am Kenji Shiba, former Inferno Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps." For a moment, the two men looked at each other. And then they blurred from existence.
The first crossing of blades caused winds to pick up within the dining hall. The various people who were invisible to the two men were thrown back into whatever wall was behind them from the high-speed rush of air. Kenji smirked. "Let's take this outside. It's easier to fight with nothing in the way." Without waiting for a response, Kenji knocked Quilge through one of the walls to the outside, with the demon slayer following through the hole.
Bambietta looked towards the hole before glancing around the room, grabbing a few hand-sized pieces of rubble. She turned to where her old acquaintance now stood after getting back up. She looked at him for a minute. "Don't give me a lecture. I serve His Majesty and will fulfill my mission. It's nothing personal, it's just business." She then hopped through the hole to the outside.
"Breath of Strength: Fourth Form, DEATH STRIKE!" Both axes came down on Quilge and seemed to spark. The skin of Quilge flashed blue before a slight trickle of blood began to leak from the cut.
"Fascinating. That strike had very little Reiryoku to it, but it was still powerful enough to overcome my Blūt Vene. However..." Quilge said, throwing Kenji off with a strike of his own, "If that's the limit of your physical capabilities, then I won't even need to use my stronger techniques."
Over by the castle, various young signatures rushed to get a good look. Bambietta rolled her eyes at their bullheaded eagerness. 'Dumbasses, you don't watch a fight that could end up killing you. Not that common sense was ever their strong suit.' She felt comfortable separating herself, as she lacked what was needed to be identified with them.
As Kenji and Quilge traded blows, Opie's mind raced. 'I know I've heard of a Kenji Shiba before, but from where? The name Shiba is that of a Shinigami family, hm…' It was on the tip of his tongue. Quilge's sword slashed against Keji's skin, which showed the unmistakable pattern of Blūt Vene as well. The Quincy growled at the flaunting of a Quincy Technique.
"Basterbine!" Suddenly, the male Quincy jumped back, and the girl appeared, starting to parry the axes with her bare hands. And faster than Kenji could react, a couple of chunks of rubble were by his head and exploded.
A simple wave of his axes showed Kenji was completely unharmed other than a bit of soot. He hooked his axes onto his sides. "You want a hand-to-hand fight? You got it." Suddenly, the two were duking it out in a strait fight of hands while Quilge stood off to the side.
He watched the fight with a smirk. 'As Bambietta keeps parrying you, she'll keep infusing your hands with a little bit more of her Spiritual Power. Until you reach a point of critical mass, and your hands go boom.'
Suddenly, as The Jail predicted, Kenji's hands detonated, causing the demon slayer to wince. However, he didn't seem worried about it as he stared at the mangled hands. "Interesting. You infused my hands with your Reiryoku and then detonated it. It isn't that you simply cause explosions, but anything your power touches becomes a bomb to detonate at will. Which means that getting into a fistfight with you is deadly." Kenji paused. "Usually. Reparatur." The mangled hands Kenji had glowed blue and repaired themselves, broken bones snapping back into place with sick cracks. All the burns quickly vanished as well.
And like a blur of sound, Bambietta saw an axe coming in from above. "If that's the case," Kenji began, "let's remove you from the field. Breath of Hell: Ninth Form, Lucifer's pride!" Suddenly, faster than Bambietta could see, the axe returned to Kenji's side, and Bambietta felt the thousands of cuts that suddenly appeared start to burn all over. She didn't even have time to infuse the axe with her power. And then an unexpected fist to her face sent her flying into the nearby forest. "Your biggest flaw is that if you're caught off guard, you can't infuse power into your parries."
And, almost like he foresaw it, Kenji raised one of his axes to block a strike from behind. "NOW I KNOW WHERE I HEARD OF YOU BEFORE!" Quilge shouted out loud as he struggled to push against Kenji, who had quickly flipped around. "You were in one of the previous Dottons! Former Captain of Squad 11, Kenji 'Kenpachi' Shiba! What's a soul reaper doing with the powers of a Quincy?"
Kenji felt a vein pulse from his head as anger flashed across his face. He kneed Quilge in the solar plexus and kicked the Quincy away. "First of all, don't you dare call me 'Kenpachi!' Second, if you know who I am, then you should already know the answer to that question; after all, haven't the Quincies been watching since their loss almost one thousand years ago?"
Quilge got up and started to rack his brain, trying to remember what Kenji's Zanpakto was and what special abilities it had. They rushed each other, and both parried, but Kenji had the advantage in strength and in reach. To compensate, Quilge had to keep moving using Heiranyaku, but it was starting to strain him.
"Look's like I have no choice in the matter. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Quilge kicked Kenji back and ripped off his glove to show a Quincy tool. "You face an Elite, Shinigami! The likes of you will not take me down! Skalveirei!" The tool glowed.
Kenji laughed. "Have you lost the plot?! This is the living world! There's no reishi to dominate." He pointed out.
Quilge chuckled back as a blue crown appeared over his head. "Oh, I'm quite aware," He paused, "But that barrier you erected earlier had a lot of Reishi to it, and that has yet to dissipate since you took it down. Enough for me to take on my Holy Form!"
Kenji blinked. "Huh. I did not see that coming. Well, hindsight is 20/20." He said in a deadpan.
"Now, bear witness to true greatness. Quincy: Vollständig! Peiskel!" Blue wings formed from his back as Kenji was forced to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. The signatures at the castle also had to look away. "Now, I certainly don't have the same level of power as I do in one of the realms of the dead, but it's more than enough to deal with the likes of you!"
A little bit of Reishi broke off from his wings and formed into a second sword, where he speed-blitzed Kenji. The demon slayer was barely able to block it with his axes. 'Fast, much faster.' "Breath of Hell: Third Form, Hades' Inferno." A wheel of fire attempted to take one of Quilge's hands but missed. 'I missed? Guess I'll have to step it up a notch as well.'
Quilge, meanwhile, was thinking to himself. 'Curious, he wasn't the least bit surprised when he saw my Quincy: Volständig, despite the technique only being in existence for nearly two centuries now. It's almost like he's seen it before. But… that's impossible. Only those who've been granted a Schrift by His Majesty can command such a power successfully, as mere incomplete forms are all the rest can do, and I know there wouldn't be a traitor among our ranks.' He parried a dual axe strike that was aimed at his head and jumped back. 'It couldn't be, right? There couldn't be another person like his majesty out there, capable of granting Schrifts, can it?'
"Kenji Shiba," Quilge asked, "Do you have a Schrift?" It was subtle, but Kenji's eyes reacted to that question. 'Well, that's certainly not good. If somebody else like His Majesty exists, then we'll have to eliminate them, or they might ally with the Soul Reapers. But…that begs the question, how can such a being come into existence without His Majesty's knowledge?'
"YOU BASTARD! YOU'RE DEAD!" A female voice called out as a blur ran straight toward Kenji. He quickly sidestepped it and aimed an axe toward the neck. Bambietta didn't bother to move out of the way as the Axes bounced off the reinforced skin. A few chips came off the axes.
'Dammit, should have used Breath of Strength instead of a simple swing. Would have certainly taken off her head.' Kenji chastised himself. He jumped back and observed the enraged female Quincy. She was covered in dirt, and her hair was messed up.
"I'm gonna seriously mess you up!" She aimed a strait haymaker at him, which he caught with the palm of his hand. She jumped back and grinned. "Say goodbye to your entire hand." Her grin suddenly turned to surprise as her punch did nothing.
Quilge stood behind Bambietta with a startled look on his face. 'Where did her reiatsu go? It's like it just vanished.'
"Something the matter?" Kenji asked in a mocking tone. "You're probably thinking, 'Where is the explosion?' Am I wrong?"
Both of the Quincies were silent as Kenji kept talking. "Now, normally, I'd be in a talking mood, willing to explain it all, and I'm certainly one to enjoy a good fight, but the both of you are starting to annoy me, and I have a schedule to keep, one that doesn't involve Sternritter. So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to kill you both and be on my merry way." A very heavy spiritual pressure descended on the area as the two Quincy struggled to remain standing. All of the young signatures by the castle collapsed, with only a few not passing out from the strain.
Fear was evident on the Quincies' faces as the only people they could compare this level of power to were Hachwalth, the Schutzstaffel, and Yhwach. It was only at that moment that they realized that they were far outclassed. Quilge realized that he had no choice but to use his Schift. He quickly and promptly pointed his glowing blue sword toward Kenji. "Behold, the power granted to me by the King of Quincies, The Jail!" He couldn't help but say, as a blue beam flew faster than Kenji could react and encapsulated him in a Jail of Reishi.
"It doesn't matter how strong you are; only a true Quincy would have any chance of breaking that," Quilge yelled out. "I shall personally see to your delivery to his majesty so that we may find whoever you're working for."
Kenji looked at Quilge quietly for an eerie minute. Quilge felt sweat drip down his face as he and Kenji stared at each other. It was creepy how blank Kenji's face was. And then, Kenji spoke. "Who I'm working for? I'm sorry to say, but I'm not working for anybody. At least not in any of these worlds. Everything I do, I do of my own volition." He grasped the bar of the Jail and started pumping power into it.
Quilge raised an eyebrow. "The only thing you're accomplishing with that is strengthening the Jail. But far be it for me to ensure your doom." He turned to Bambietta and undid his Volständig. "Let's get him to the Wandenreich."
Bambietta pouted a bit. "Aw, I wanted to kill him. To make him pay for humiliating me." There was this glint in her eyes.
"Hm, if his majesty permits it, he might just let you." Quilge offered in order to try to appease her, even if it was a very unlikely thing to happen. And then, he noted something: Kenji had stopped grasping the bar of the Jail.
"Finally accepted your defeat?" The Quincy couldn't help but boast.
Kenji smirked. "Nope. I just needed to feed enough power to do this. Auswählen." Suddenly, and without warning, the Jail began to fall apart, its energy being absorbed by the occupant within.
The two Quincy looked in horror at what Kenji had just done. They even took an unconscious step back. "No way," Bambietta said in a terrified voice, "The only person who could use such an ability is… is…"
"Yhwach." Kenji finished for her. "You know, you only have yourselves to blame for this. You're the ones who kept pushing higher and higher, all for the sake of your mission and your king's command." Kenji spat out the word "king" like it was rotten. "You lot could've simply ignored me and let me go about my day, but you had to butt in. Your whiny man-child of a king didn't like that he wasn't the only source of power, so he sent his disposable toys to find the other source."
Opie didn't hear the last part as his mind raced. Kenji's words confirmed a few things and made things worse. 'If he's like His Majesty, then that means,' "Your Schrift is the Epithet A."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "I will neither confirm nor deny that. Now, are you going to start running, or should I just kill you with no fanfare?"
Both of them shook, but where Quilge shook in fear, Bambietta started to shake in rage. "You think we're cowards!? You think just because you're some kind of powerhouse, that we'll just give up!?" Quilge's hand covered her mouth.
"We need to get out of here. And you need to learn to pick your battles." He whispered directly into her ear.
"Leaving so soon?" Kenji was suddenly a step in front of them. The Quncies never saw him as his spiritual pressure gave the pair visions of death. "But I was just about to kill you."
"B-bastard!" Bambietta threw a punch, which was caught, and Kenji dislocated her arm.
She screamed as Quilge rushed to get them out of there. But as taller Quincy threw Bambietta into the shadows, he was suddenly pierced in his head by Kenji's hand. He didn't even realize it happened. The shadows closed, and only Sternritter E made it back home.
Kenji looked down at the fresh corpse. While it wasn't useful at the moment, that could change later on.
"Epithet H," He spoke to himself. In less than a single second, a seven-year-old girl appeared before him.
"H, the Hyper, reporting for duty, boss!" Elizabeth Symech said, her pigtails bouncing with her giddy nature.
Kenji pointed, "Please take this body to keep in storage." In the blink of an eye, the body was gone, and Elizabeth was standing dutifully.
"Anything else, boss?" She asked.
"No. Tell everyone that they're free to do whatever they wish until it's time I call them." Kenji spoke.
"You going to use us to bust out your real self from the Muken?" She asked.
"No. That would be unnecessary and overcomplicated. I plan on doing it by myself; I just need the perfect distraction. Showing my cards too early will be disadvantageous." Kenji said. "Now run along."
She nodded once before vanishing at the speed of light.
Kenji turned back to the castle and jumped up to the hole, stepping inside. He turned to the back of the hall, where the oldest signature had not moved. He was still surrounded by a handful of people who seemed to be threatened by him. "You. The oldest one." He pointed. "I can't see or hear you, but I can tell you're the most powerful one in this castle after me, which means you're either the leader or close to them. So here's how this goes down. You pretend I don't exist. I pretend your cabal doesn't exist. And if you send anyone after me to 'Silence' me, then I will kill them. You know I'm perfectly capable of it. Understand?"
Kenji got the feeling that the old man understood. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my student. Oh, and if some people wearing face covers show up in a few days, don't worry; they're just here to assess the damage and payout to whoever owns this castle. So don't be worried about repair costs. Maybe have somebody ready to receive them."
Suddenly, before Kenji could turn to leave, he felt himself being bombarded by a mental attack. "Oh, hell no." In the blink of an eye, the offender, a male presence to the left of the old one, his neck was in Kenji's hand, and he was against the wall, choking. "Let this be a rule to you: never, ever, invade the mind of somebody more powerful because they will make you hurt." Once the man passed out from lack of Oxygen, Kenji dropped him to the ground.
"Keep your dogs on a better leash." He gave a two-fingered salute. "Sayanora." And with that, Kenji ran off, heading back to London.
Bambietta fell to the ground in front of Yhwach's throne. "You've failed. And not just failed, your inability to control your temper has cost us the Jail."
She cried from both the pain and the fear. "Your Majesty, I just…"
"Just what? Your mission was shown not only to me but also to the other Sternritter, who will learn from your mistakes. You were impulsive, reckless, and a detriment to this mission. I entrusted you with the success, and if not that, the successful extraction of both of you. The only upside is that I am now aware of an enemy just as great as the Soul Society." Yhwach said in a disappointed tone. "So, I shall not kill you, but I will punish you. Had you not acted impulsively as you did and not gotten Quilge killed, then I wouldn't have been forced to use drastic measures."
"I strip you of your title as Sternritter E and banish you from the Wandenriech. And to make sure you do not share any secrets you've learned, your mind will forget everything it knows, save for your name." He dramatically paused. "But, I am a benevolent ruler, so I will allow you to retain your basic Quincy Heritage if only to be capable of keeping the average hollow away. That is… if you can find a Qunicy to teach you in the living world. Auswäulen."
Bambietta glowed as she felt lightheaded and collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The letter E rose from her body before breaking into a thousand pieces.
"Your Majesty." Hachwalth spoke up, "If she were to simply be discarded in the living world, then questions would be asked about a fully grown woman with no identification. A child would be…"
"Yes, you're right." Yhwach interrupted. "Retreive Gremmy from his room. Through the combined use of the Visionary and my limited Almighty, her age will be reduced to a more believable number, where fewer questions will be asked. Then she will be dropped off in Japan."
"Why there, if I may ask?" The Balance asked.
"Simple. An experiment, if you will. She'll likely be pulled into the fray once more, and should she succeed at growing past her old limitations and redeeming herself in my eyes to make up for the loss of Quilge, I will not just restore her Schrift but also give her a promotion to a position amongst my Schutzstaffel." Yhwach explained.
"And if she fails?" Haschwalth asked.
"Then she fails. Bambietta Basterbine was never an exceptional anything, and no matter what happens, nothing will change in the end. The Shinigami will still fall, with or without her." The king said calmly.
The majority of the Sternritter, who had been watching from the shadows, were shocked at the punishment inflicted on Bambietta, but none were brave enough to fight it. Not that they really wanted to. Bambietta was a pain and had a rather short fuse. She was also quite incapable of not killing people when getting in the mood.
The Femritters were especially surprised, and while a bit sad, at least they no longer had to put up with Bambietta's tantrums. It was honestly freeing. However, Giselle was extremely sad at not getting an opportunity to make Bambietta a zombie.
A little girl with black hair dressed in white rags opened her eyes to see the moon overhead. "Where am I?" She paused. "Who am I?"
Suddenly, a young lady walked up, leaned over, and looked down at the poor girl. The most striking thing was the butterfly clip on the side of her hair and the Kanji for First Moon written in her eyes. "How sad for somebody to abandon a little girl. It reminds me of my childhood." When the woman with the butterfly clip talked, the little girl thought she saw sharp teeth. "Don't worry, I will not hurt you, unlike some other demons. I'll take you to the nearest hospital."
The last thing the little girl saw before passing out was the 'demon' leaning over to pick her up.
The Bambietta thing was unplanned, but the best stories can come from happy little accidents. Oh, and the two series that I referenced have no bearing on the main story. I just had HP on my brain when I wrote it, and I thought, how weird would it be for somebody to come crashing into the school on a random day? But I also realized when writing that Bambietta is bold and brash-headed. She's loyal, but not to a fervent degree. And she's definitely not studious nor cunning.