Chapter 24: Clashing with the Upper Demon Moon Six
Notes: Part 3 of the Entertainment District Arc. A long chapter. I apologise for the wait. And for the fight scenes. I…am not confident with how I describe fights.
Tanjirou turned on the spot and ran back to Tokito House.
The scene that greeted him was terrifying.
A female demon had captured Koinatsu-san.
The demon turned to look at him
"Are you a demon hunter?" she wondered, "So you came. Indeed. How many of you are here? There was that ugly blond brat, right? Is the Pillar coming? He's coming soon, right? You're not a Pillar. You seem weak. You do realise I don't want any non-Pillars, right? I have no use for you. I don't eat dirty old people and abominations."
'What's…happening to her body?' Tanjirou didn't care what the demon was saying at the moment, more focused on Koinatsu-san, 'Koinatsu-san's body is gone! I can see only her head in the obi! It can't have been severed. There's no blood coming out. I don't even smell any blood!'
He gritted his teeth.
"Let go of her!" he demanded.
"Who do you think you're talking to?!" the demon growled.
She used the rest obi about her to attack Tanjirou, blowing him out of the house to the building across the street.
Tanjirou had barely enough time to pull his sword out and defend himself.
'She's…fast. I didn't, couldn't see her move. Upper moon. She's an Upper Moon demon. No strength in my limbs. Why are they…so weak? Getting numb. Calm down!' he tried to gather his thoughts, 'If my body didn't react like this, I wouldn't be alive. I'm not paralyzed… I can still move.' he stood back up, 'My limbs feel weak because I'm afraid. I'm feeling numb because I obviously took a strong blow to my back and that stunned me. The demon's weapon is her sash. It has an unusual power. She can trap people inside it. So that's why I didn't find any passageway, despite how hard I looked. If there's an opening big enough for the sash to pass through, if she can hide inside as well, then she can take them. It's just a piece of cloth; it could carry her anywhere she wanted to go!' he analysed.
"You're still alive. Hmm. You got more bone than I thought. Tougher than you look." she said, coming to the window, "You have pretty eyes there. I'll just gouge them out and eat them."
Tanjirou took a deep, calming breath, before taking his stance.
'Sun Breathing; Eleventh Form: Solar Halo Dragon Dance!'
He charged the demon and she accepted his challenge, attacking him as well.
He attacked and deflected her attacks, flipping mid-air, cutting off the edge that held Koinatsu-san.
He landed before the oiran in a defensive position, watching the demon land across from him.
"You're cute. But ugly. Now don't get too attached. You're like a rat who's about to die." she said with a hungry grin.
Suddenly a loud thundering sound echoed through the streets, calling their attention.
"These bugs are an eyesore." the demon said, "What was that sound? What are they doing? You scum have no subtlety. Where? Ogimoto House, huh? And now Hinatsuru…" she turned back to face Tanjirou, "How many of you came here? Four?"
"Not saying!"
"Listen, little one. If you tell me the truth, I could let you live. We clashed a little just now, and your blade is already chipped. Look at it. Whoever forged that thing must be a crappy blacksmith."
"No! The one who forged this blade is an amazing person! He's a super skilled blacksmith!" Tanjirou defended Haganezuka-san.
"Then why is it chipped, dumbass?" the demon deadpanned, "You're beginning to quiver all over the place again. Oh, forget it! You're getting on my nerves now, so I'll kill you with the next blow." she said.
'A blade only breaks because of its user. It's my own fault. Mine.' he thought, 'Maybe I really shouldn't combine Breaths like I do. Even if it makes Sun Breathing easier, my body isn't really suited for those techniques. I was never meant to be a user of any other Breath than Sun. I can produce more powerful strikes with Sun, because it is more compatible with my body. But…because of its raw strength, I couldn't use it consecutively in the past. It was too hard on my body.' his grip on his sword tightened, 'I didn't notice before, because most of my fights ended quickly. Fighting Rui so soon opened my eyes to the fact. It's different now. Things have changed. Now I should be able to do it. No. Now I will do it! That's why I trained so hard. Don't lose. Burn. Burn. Burn!' he watched the obi come closer and closer.
"Set your heart ablaze!" Rengoku-san's voice echoed in his mind.
'Sun Breathing; Third Form: Scorching Crimson Mirror.'
With two horizontal slashes, he intercepted the attack.
He closed in on her fast.
'Sun Breathing; Twelfth Form: Flame Waltz.'
He slashed at her vertically, but the demon avoided it.
'The Twelfth Form is a two-combo strike. If she dodges one, there's another…'
She used her obi to strike, aiming for his head.
'Sun Breathing: Fourth Form; Fake Rainbow.'
He vanished from before the demon, leaving her in shock.
'This Form specialises in evasion by using high-speed twists and rotations. The better your vision is, the more likely you'll be caught up in its afterimage.'
She turned her head behind, catching sight of Tanjirou flipped upside down in mid-air. The thread appeared.
'An opening! A slight opening! I can do this! Sun Breathing; Fifth Form: Fire Chariot.'
"So slow. Even your best move is too slow. You're making me yawn here." she said.
Suddenly the line snapped.
'The opening's gone!'
The demon struck at him with her obi, sending him back.
'Take the defensive. Brace yourself! Defen…'
He crashed on the road, skipping across like a stone. He was breathing hard, trying to get back on his feet.
'There's still some recoil from using Sun Breath techniques in a row like this! My muscles are slowly becoming stiff from the built up fatigue. Calm down. Keep your breath steady. Control it.' he took more deep, steadying breaths, watching the demon closing in on him, 'Hurry! Recover! Now! Recovery breathing!'
He took a deep breath, gripped his sword and used it to flip over the obi that was coming for his neck, standing up on his feet and facing the demon once more.
She attacked him and Tanjirou defended against her fast attacks.
'The obi is as tough as a blade. Even though I see the opening thread, it immediately disappears. My attacks are too slow. Raise the body temperature. That's it. Raise the heat some more!'
He defended from an attack and was pushed backwards.
'I can fight…an Upper Moon demon…I'm holding my own against her, using consecutive Sun Breath techniques. No. I can't just stop using it. It's not enough to fight to a draw. I have to win this. I'll win! I'll use all the strength I have and win.' he got ready once more, 'In order to save people…To protect lives. I won't let irrationality take hold of me ever again. Ever. I won't let her just casually take another life. And I won't let anyone else go through sad experiences, like my family did.' he promised, images of all his friends from the Demon Slayers passing through his mind.
The demon laughed.
"But repulsive things are still repulsive even when they try hard." she said, as Tanjirou attacked her.
In the middle of their fight, of deflecting and attacking, parrying hits that kept them in a tenuous stalemate, pieces of obi rushed towards the demon.
'What the? What is going on? Are the obi attacking her? No…! It had split off from her and now the fragments are returning to her body?' Tanjirou assessed the situation.
He attacked, but the demon had evaded.
'She disappeared…'
He looked up and saw her upon the nearby roof.
"Yeah, I knew it! A Pillar. Good thing a Pillar has finally come! His lordship will be so pleased!"
'She transformed. Her appearance changed… And that smell is horrible! Sinister. It burns the back of my throat numb and it hurts! But Uzui-san went over to Inosuke and the others, right? Then that's good… I hope Uzui-san and the others are with Inosuke and Zenitsu!'
"Hey! What are you doing there?!" a man suddenly shouted, "Don't go fighting in front of other people's stores!"
'Oh, crap! We caused a ruckus and now there are bystanders…!'
"How annoying."
"No! Stay away from here!" he called to the man, "Don't leave the building! You are safer inside!"
He barely has a second to react and stand defensively before the man as the demon slashes up the whole street.
The man loses his hand. He watched in despair the houses around get torn up and he can count four dead people. And there are at least three injured, himself included.
And all these cries, are killing him.
"Hi-Hi-Hiro-san! Noooo!"
"Stay calm. Y…You'll be okay. I can help you. Just… Bind your arm with a cord and make a tourniquet." Tanjirou said in a calm voice, walking forward, blood dripping from his open wounds, "Stop. Unforgivable. I won't let you…get away with this." he called out, "How dare you do this."
"What? Are you still talking? That's enough out of you and your plain existence, you ugly thing." the demon was furious, "An ugly, grotesque human's life has no value whatsoever. You'll get along well with the other rotting corpses. You can all have fun rotting in hell."
A strange calmness came over Tanjirou, upon hearing those words and the cries of pain and mourning from the people around him. The man behind him called to the others to stay inside, but at that moment Tanjirou's focus was sorely on the demon.
"Hiro-san, Hiro-san…! No! Please, someone save him!"
"Don't come out here… It's dangerous!"
'I haven't recovered completely from our fight, this respite wasn't enough to get my breathing totally under control. And getting hurt this badly isn't helping my position any, but even so, even though I am not at my best shape, or used to consecutively using Sun Breath, there are times in life when I can't back down from someone, no matter what. Because there are people who don't have human hearts, with no souls, in this world. They irrationally take lives and cause pain without hesitating, regretting it, or showing any remorse for it. And that kind of violence, is something I will never allow or forgive.'
He drew in a deep breath, got on top of the roof in the blink of an eye, grabbed the demon by the leg, pulled her in and went for the head, only for her obi to protect her and her to rip her leg off and jump away.
"A life that's been lost can never return. It's gone forever." he said, watching her regrow her leg, "Living, breathing creatures do not go the way of demons. A demon's body…isn't made of human flesh. Why do you steal people's lives? Why do you ruin them? What's so fun about it? What's so enjoyable? What is it that makes life interesting? What do you think life is? Don't you see? Why don't you know? How could you forget? Even you probably were human too…weren't you? Once. Surely you must have struggled against pain and suffering. And you must have shed tears."
The demon punched the roof, frustrated. Agitated.
"Don't you ever stop talking? Just shut up! I don't remember such things. The past is the past. It has nothing to do with anything. I am a demon now. That's all that matters. We don't get old. We don't need money to eat. We don't get sick. And we never die. We never lose anything. We never fade. We're eternally young and beautiful. And we're strong! Demons can do anything we want!"
Tanjirou stared calmly.
"So you say. Alright, I've heard enough."
And he charged.
She sent her obi at him.
'Sun Breathing; Sixth Form: Burning Sun.'
He cut the obi and closed in further.
Attack after attack, he reached her neck only to find it attached by the obi, making cutting difficult, due to its elasticity.
"Nice try, little pest, but…there's no way my head will ever be cut off by the likes of you…!"
'It's so soft that it won't cut. The cloth stretched and loosened up the slash by bending. I can't cut something with so much give.'
He drew back, backflipping away, as she countered.
'There are more sashes… Thirteen of them. If I avoid one the damage could spread. But what's this? They're moving so slow. Really slowly.'
He parried the attack easily.
"I won't let you cut me this time! It was pure coincidence that you were able to graze my neck earlier!"
He parried each sash, guiding them to one spot, getting them all in the same place one on top of the other. Then caught them with his sword on the roof, pulling them taut back and away from the demon.
"Is that supposed to stop me?! I'll send you flying!"
'It's simple. I just have to swing my blade as fast as I can. Faster than her neck can bend. I just need to finish my follow-through and cut her neck before she flexes… This time I can do it. For sure!'
He quickly pulled out his wakizashi, to keep the obi pinned down, flipped over the obi, running on top of them, then slashed them as close to the demon as he could with enough space to swing his sword and cut her neck.
Suddenly an image of someone appeared before him. He looked just like him.
"Breathe, young one." the man said.
"Onii-chan, breathe! Please!" a little girl, that bore an uncanny resemblance to Nezuko, said.
His free hand raised to his mouth as he staggered and fell down, started coughing.
He realised that he had let his anger carry him forward and now he was in trouble.
"You humans are truly miserable existences. After all, no matter how desperate you get, how hard you try, you can only go so far. How sad."
'I can't stop coughing. It hurts…to breathe… Especially since I've already passed my stamina limit a while ago… My vision is going dark. I can't hear anything other than my own heartbeat.'
His eyes were crying blood and now he was coughing blood. And he knew the demon was about to strike him, but he couldn't move, he couldn't move, he needed to catch his breath, he needed to raise his sword again, he had to do something or else he was going to die and that would make his family, Shinobu and his friends sad.
"Yeah, even your wounds won't heal easily. That's how it goes…But don't worry about that."
'Get up! Ready the sword.'
"You won't have time to notice. Because as payback for before I'll now cut your head off."
"Nii-chan. You and nee-chan are really similar. You're both sweet and kind, but you're both scary when you get mad. You remember, some time ago, nee-chan…got mad at a vulgar adult because he bumped into a little kid and injured him. She told him off, demanded he apologise. Things were okay back then because there were a lot of adults around, but I was scared. People who get angry for other people's sake show a lack of concern for themselves. And one day, because of that fact, you might lose something precious. That's what scares me. Wake up, nii-chan. You will lose yourself." he heard Takeo's voice.
He tilted to the side, just in time to avoid the attack, as the obi – having been reattached – opened a hole on the spot Tanjirou was kneeling moments ago.
"Concentrate!" Rengoku-san's voice said.
Tanjirou drew a deep, calming breath. Then he rolled to the side and fell through the hole inside the house. He heard people scream. He crashed on the floor. He drew another deep recovering breath. He could feel the demon approaching.
He drew in another breath.
His body moved on its own, barely avoiding fatal hits at the same fast pace as it's attacked, while Tanjirou used his breath to heal himself somewhat and regain control of himself.
Until he got punched upwards, forcing him up into a room through the floor.
"Look out! From…below?! What the?!… Someone came up through the floor…"
Coughing, Tanjirou rolled to the side. He drew in another deep breath.
The obi demon made a hole from the side and she walked inside.
"You're more aggravating than I thought originally. I can't believe you can even breathe still. You are half dead and you still manage to avoid my attacks. Are you even human? This pisses me off. Extremely."
'Oh no! Not good! There are innocent people around! I have to protect them. Think! Think and act. Her attacks will come any moment now. They can even cut through buildings! What should I do?' Tanjirou thought frantically, 'First the bystanders. Save them. I'll…!'
His thoughts were cut sort by a person coming to squat before him.
"Hey! You don't look too flashy." Uzui-san said.
Tanjirou's eyes opened wide.
"Uzui-san?!"
"Is that weakling giving you such a hard time?"
"A Pillar came here from that direction? He came here himself. This saves me the trouble of looking for him."
"So annoying. Shut up. I'm talking over here. I'm not talking to you. Buzz off." Uzui-san said, "You're not an Upper Moon demon, are you? Right? You're way too weak. You're not the demon I am looking for."
Her heard fell.
"Huh? What the–?"
'What?! He… He cut it! Her head fell off! Uzui-san cut her down!? Amazing…!'
"Hey. This fight isn't over yet. Do something about your breathing." Uzui-san said, "Dumb brats who grumble around have no place on the battlefield so I will worry about while I'm in battle."
And with that he picked up Tanjirou and dropped him out of the building to the street.
"Uzui-san!" Tanjirou called as he fell, "You meanie!"
Laying on his back and staring at the moon, Tanjirou's breath slowly came back to normal, his heartbeat coming back to normal, as well. He sat up.
'I went into a rage and stopped breathing.' Tanjirou thought, sheepishly, 'Shinobu is going to be really mad with me.'
Suddenly something flew out from the house Uzui-san was in.
'What are those…? Sickles? The sickles are spinning around as they're going back. They are a different weapon than the sash from the demon before. These aren't the obi demon's weapons! What's happening? Is there a new demon? I smell Uzui-san's blood! It must be another demon! I have to support him! I have to help!'
And that was the exact moment Inosuke and Zenitsu came along.
"Hey, stupid! I'm here, dammit! I made it! I've arrived, dumbass! Rely on me, dammit!" Inosuke was screaming from behind Tanjirou.
"Inosuke! Zenitsu!" Tanjirou called relieved, "Wait… He's sleeping?!" Tanjirou looked at his blonde friend in surprise, "Go back up Uzui-san! Please! Hurry!"
"Leave it to me and relax, dammit! I'll go on a super rampage! I, the great Inosuke-sama, will go flamboyantly!"
"I'm sorry about that! I need to get my breathing fully under control again. I'll be ready in a moment! Give me a bit of time!"
"I will!"
"Thanks!"
He watched them get close to the building, tearing a piece of cloth to tie his left hand on his sword, when explosions pushed his two friends back.
"Woah! That was close!" he heard Inosuke shout.
Tanjirou took a meditating position and breathed in.
'Focus on your breathing. Heal yourself. Focus! You can't lose control of yourself like that in the middle of a battle again.' he thought, 'You're almost ready, future Sun Pillar! I can still do this. I can still move. This time I'll stay in the fight 'till the very end!'
With another deep breath, Tanjirou opened his eyes. He ran towards Uzui-san's fight. He decided to use the opening the obi demon did to the side of the second floor and drop through the hole on the floor.
"Oh really, now? Are you sure about that? Don't forget us, buddy! Inosuke-sama and his underling are here!" Inosuke shouted, making his entrance.
"What? Who're they…?"
At that moment, Tanjirou jumped down from above, taking a defensive position before Uzui-san.
"Some of your underlings just came, but there won't be a happy future waiting for you, man. No matter how many low-rankers you bring, all your futures are bleak. You're all gonna die, so don't bother getting all worked up on me, man."
'Why are there two demons now? What's going on? And why the sash demon isn't dead. Which one is Upper Moon Six? Are they both Upper Moon Six? Are they joined somehow? Did they split off? If that's the case…the real body is definitely the guy. He is the core one. The smell is really strong and different. It's like my throat is getting numb. My hands are shaking. Maybe is fatigue. Or maybe it's fear. No, even so, either way, it doesn't matter. We–'
"Will win." Uzui-san spoke aloud, his words overlapping Tanjirou's thoughts, "We are Demon Hunters."
"No, you can't! That Pillar, your last ray of hope you're counting on will die from poison!" the obi demon shouted from atop the sickles demon's back.
'Poison…?!' Tanjirou turned to look at Uzui-san, shocked and worried.
"We'll win easily, you dumb underlings! There may be poison in my body, but I'm running high! I am still more than your equal! Don't look down on humans!" Uzui-san laughed, "These three boys are prized Tsugukos. The very best of all my minions! They won't ran away! They'll stand true to the very end! They got guts!"
"Hell yeah! That's right!" Inosuke laughed.
"Even if you cut our limbs off, we'll come biting at you! And besides, I've already figured out how to beat you guys! Just cut your heads off at the same time! You'll both die simultaneously! That has to be it. Otherwise, you'd just absorb your little sister and consolidate your powers! But that'd make you vulnerable! I have no reason to split you guys apart and take the weak little sister alive! Haaaaah! You guys are easy!"
"I see, how simple!" Inosuke laughed, "Of course we're gonna win!"
"That 'simple' task can't be done, because you demon hunters are dead, man. Many demon hunters died trying to accomplish it. As for Pillars, we ate a number of them. I got fifteen, my sister got seven." the sickles demon said.
"Yeah. That's right. Nobody's gonna be alive by sunrise. The long night will always be our ally. So why don't you all just give it up now? You're all gonna meet your deaths here!" the sash demon shouted, as she attacked.
In the blink of an eye, something run past Tanjirou and Uzui-san, caught the demon and shot up through the ceiling.
"Zenitsu!" Tanjirou called out.
He'd know anywhere this speed and scent of thunder.
"Leave maggot girl to me and sleepyhead! You get mantis boy!" Inosuke ordered, "Got it?"
"Be careful!" Tanjirou shouted back.
"Okay!" and with that Inosuke got on to the roof.
"My sister won't get put down." the sickles demon said, closing one eye, "That's wrong. We're just returning all the pain and suffering people did to us and collect what they owe us. The sufferings of our past were lessons on what to do to other as revenge! We have to pay our past misfortunes to those who are fortunate, cause equal misery to our own unhappiness, or we can never balance the scales. That's how we lived our lives. And we killed every single person who had a problem with that idea and tried to tell us otherwise, man. Just like you guys. So we'll claw out your windpipes in the same way, man." his voice got a haunting echo, as the female demon's voice came through his mouth, along with his.
'This is some intense bloodlust. I'm getting goose-bumps from my elbows to my head. Of course the opponent is Upper Moon Six here! Keep it together! Stand firm! Uzui-san is poisoned. I have to protect him. Swing the blade the moment he moves. The moment he moves, even if just a little, tiny bit…'
Tanjirou hadn't had the moment to blink before the demon was right before him, his sickle about to pierce his neck.
'Now! Swing! Swing the blade! Dodge! Dodge! Throw your head back! Throw your head…'
Suddenly something grabbed him and flipped him over Uzui-san, as the Sound Pillar countered the demon's attacks.
He landed bad and watched as Uzui-san fought the Upper Moon.
'What was I doing? I ended up holding him back because he had to protect me!'
Suddenly he heard a rumbling from above as the sashes from the other demon came crashing down, trying to hit Uzui-san and him, hiding them from each other.
'Countless sashes from above…'
"The whole successor thing is a lie, isn't it? They aren't nearly as good as you said. You guys don't have control over your movements. Totally incompetent." the sickles demon laughed.
The attacks from both the obi and the blood blades were fierce. Tanjirou was forced to defend himself most of the time.
Then he saw Uzui-san was open to the blood blades and he jumped in to cover him.
'Guuaghh, so heavy! This is one strong attack! Parry it! Deflect it away! If I actually take that attack head on, my blade will break! In a match of strength, the weaker one will lose. I must carefully observe the flow of power, sidestep and divert it away to even things out. In terms of defence, the flexible Water Breath is superior. If I just deflect the attack, my sword shouldn't break.'
Tanjirou drew a breath.
'Turn the Sun as fluid as Water.'
In a swift, flowing motion, the blood blades were deflected and Uzui-san got on the offensive, driving the demon back, outside from the house towards the open street.
Tanjirou concentrated on the obi, gathering them and pulling them away from Uzui-san, allowing him a clear battlefield.
'Be useful, damn it! Diminish his offensive, distract him, even if it's just a little. And find a way to win!'
He dodged an attack from the blood blades and the obi, flipping over them and rolling away.
'It-It hurts. I can't maintain my breathing under this ferocious attack… I'm losing consciousness… Recovery breathing! I have to preform my recovery breath somehow!'
He caught a barely familiar scent and then there was a rain of kunai. He managed to dodge them, and got back into the fray, watching Uzui-san cutting the demon's legs.
He quickly noticed the scent of wisteria and how the legs had yet to regrow.
He jumped from Uzui-san's left and aimed his blade towards the demon's neck, Uzui-san doing the same from the right.
He regenerated one of his legs, giving him leverage.
"Man, that was some strong poison. It actually worked." the demon said.
He used his Blood Demon Art around his arms, without moving them like before, the attack having a wide range.
Tanjirou wouldn't have been able to defend himself or avoid getting hit, his haori already caught in the attack's range, if Uzui-san hadn't kicked him out of the way.
He fell on his back amidst the rumble, but quickly got back to his feet, only to see the demon had vanished.
"Hina–!" Uzui-san called out.
"Tengen-sama! Don't mind me! Look for the demon!" Hinatsuru-san shouted.
Tanjirou saw the demon grab her, covering her mouth.
"You're the one with the poison. You sure did a number on me, man. And I do mind you, by the way."
"Hinatsuru!" Uzui-san shouted, moving to save her but getting cut off by the obi, "Stooop!" he screamed, as the demon started tightening his grip.
'Move, move, move, move! Someone's going to die in front of me. I can't watch someone else die! Get closer! Jump onto the roof! I can't stand being protected all the time! Just be a little useful! Return the favor of being protected by them!' he thought, getting closer, cutting away the sash in his path, 'He's not on guard against me now because I am weak. If I make an unexpected move I can help her. But I have no stamina. I can't plant my legs. What now?! Hurry! Hurry! What can I do now? What can I do now?!' he thought with a growing sense of urgency, 'Think, think, the best thing I can do right now. What's the biggest thing I have left? All I can do…'
He drew in a deep breath, realising.
'Just like I trained with Shinobu, incorporate the different Breath Styles into my Breath of the Sun. If I did that, I could manage to move forward faster and stronger. ' Tanjirou thought.
He gripped his sword and breathed.
'Sun Breathing; Combined Eleventh Form: Solar Halo Dragon Dance – Flux.'
He cut off the arm holding Hinatsuru-san and carried her away from the demon, taking defensive position before her, guarding her from the demon.
'I can do it… I can do it! By combining Sun with other Breaths, my attacks become stronger than using other Breaths alone. And I can move for longer periods of time than when I'm using Sun Breath consecutively. It gives me the speed and flexibility I need. Every swordsman who fought against the demons up to now did the exact same thing. Combining their own sword skills and breaths…into a form that could display their maximum power. They experimented and altered their moves and thought everything out. That's how the breaths diverged from one another and how they increased in number. No matter what form you change it to, make it light, flexible, stable and quick. Make it your own.' he watched the demon attack him and Tanjirou drew back, avoiding and deflecting, pushing Hinatsuru-san away from the demon's reach 'That's how everyone taught me. And I will not waste the things they taught me.'
"Kamado Tanjirou, I owe you one!" Uzui-san said, coming from behind the demon and aiming for the neck.
'Don't just idle around! Aim for his head too! We can do this!'
Tanjirou also aimed for it, trying to give one of them the chance to take the demon's head.
The demon caught their blades with its sickles.
"There's no way in hell you guys are cutting off my head, man. It's impossible."
Tanjirou made to pull his sword back, only to be unable, as flesh from the sickle started covering it.
'…The blade isn't moving!'
Uzui-san tried to use his second sword, only for the demon to turn his head around and catch it with his mouth, Tanjirou assumed.
"Kamado! Brace yourself!" Uzui-san called out, jumping off the rooftop with the demon, freeing his sword in the process, as the sickles demon released that same attack as before.
"Uzui-san!"
He fell back on the roof, as the attack of the demon destroyed the edge he was near.
"Watch out!" someone called out.
Inosuke and Zenitsu were pushed back by the obi.
"Inosuke! Zenitsu!" Tanjirou called to his friends.
"We're being forced to change our plans! We can't get to maggot girl at all! The three of us have to leave mantis demon to the old guy!" Inosuke replied.
"And this one is weaker than sickles demon!" Zenitsu continued, "Let's get the girl first. Can you still move, Tanjirou?"
Tanjirou looked down at the fight below, as he parried the obi that came his way.
"I can! But Uzui-san got poisoned by the enemy, so he's in danger! We have to settle this as soon as we can…" Tanjirou replied.
His answer got cut short, as he focused on parrying the obi and the blood blades.
'Whoa! That was really close! He's coming at me even though he's fighting against Uzui-san…!'
"Don't worry about me!" Hinatsuru-san called, getting on her feet and moving away, "I'll easily hide myself. Just focus on finding a way to win!"
"Your movements are getting duller!" the obi demon laughed, "Who should I crush first?"
"The demon's neck is too soft for us to cut! We have to either go at the right speed or get her head from multiple directions!" Tanjirou informed them.
"If we take the multiple direction option, leave it to my awesome dual wielding prowess, dammit! The three of us can beat this giiirl!" Inosuke shouted, taking the lead.
"Alright! Zenitsu, protect Inosuke!" Tanjirou ordered.
"'Kay!"
'Sun Breathing; Third Form: Scorching Crimson Mirror.'
The two of them focused on guarding Inosuke, as their friend rushed headlong towards the demon, shouting.
"We're settling this now! Sixth Fang!"
And in a swift movement, Inosuke cut the demon's head off.
"You did it, Inosuke!" Tanjirou exclaimed, happily, 'Awesome! He cut it off like a saw!'
Inosuke jumped in the air and caught it.
"Head head head! Now to take it far away from here so they can't put it back on!" he took off, "For now, I'll just take this head and run off into the distance! You guys back up the old man!" he called out to the other two.
"Alright! Got it!"
"Be careful, Inosuke!"
"Right!"
"Shithead Boar! Lemme go!" the obi demon's voice came back to Tanjirou, as he watched, while parrying the sashes.
"That attack was as dull as shit!" Inosuke laughed.
"What was that?!"
"You may not be dead, but you turned into a weakling, with weak tricks, after I cut your head, your vital point, off!" he laughed.
Suddenly his laughter died, as the sickles demon stabbed him.
"Inosuke!" Tanjirou called out, as he saw the attack, 'Oh no! Inosuke! Inosuke! Crap, the poison…! The wound! Did he get pierced in the heart?! It's so dark that I can't see…! Shit! Shit! Why is he here…Why is he looking at me? Uzui-san should've…' Tanjirou turned to look towards the Sound Pillar, only to see him on the ground, his left hand cut off, 'UZUI-SAN!'
"Tanjirou! Watch out!" Zenitsu suddenly called out, coming to defend him from the obi, as the roof caved in from under them and they both fell down.
'Dammit! Don't worry, Zenitsu, forget about me!' he thought, as he lost consciousness, 'Sorry, everyone…'
"Don't apologise, brother. Why do you apologise all the time? You are always saying you're sorry. Ever since Kanae-nee died, whenever something bad happened, you apologised as if it was your fault. Do you feel unworthy because you couldn't fight at her side? Is that why you are always looking to take the blame? You weren't even in the corps then. It isn't your fault. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. We're all only human beings after all, so not everything will go our way. It's your decision to be happy or whatever. You get to decide where it comes from. What's important here is 'now'. We should do our best and work hard together to face the future fight. That's what's important, brother." he heard Nezuko say.
Tanjirou gasped and opened his eyes.
'A dream…? Was that a dream? Huh? Where am I…?'
"Whoa, you're still alive, huh? You're one lucky bastard, aren't you, dude? Oh well, you got nothing else going for you aside from luck, though. How sad, man. Everyone else besides you is pretty useless, now. Boar got his heart stabbed. Yellow-head is writhing around, like a bug, after being crashed under the wreckage. So I'm just gonna leave him die there. How pathetic. And the Pillar there was weak as shit. He was strong and determined, man, but his heart stopped because of the poison, so he died. He's a goner. Each and every one of you, you're truly all so damn pathetic. You in particular, my man."
'Why isn't he killing me? What…? My arm's numb I can't get him even if I aim for his neck…'
"So pathetic." he said, as he snapped two of his fingers and hit his head.
Tanjirou gritted his teeth and noticed something right beside him.
'The kunai…!' Tanjirou thought, remembering, 'And that scent…!'
"Hey man, how do you feel now? You're alive, pathetic and alone. Your last ray of hope is pretty much gone now." he grabbed his head by his hair, "Hey, maggot. Fool. Dimwit. Coward among dunces. Loser! Why were you even born?" the demon kept talking, "What now? You've got your super-weak, battered, worthless, pathetic human body. Now cut my head off right here. C'mon, just give it a try! Do it, do it, do it!"
He looked the demon in the eyes, grabbed the kunai with his broken hand and staffed it inside a scented bag. Then he bowed his head, keeping the demon's attention away from his hand.
"Yeah, yeah! I get it!" the demon laughed, "So your mind finally gave in at the last second, and at death's door your spirit is broken. How pathetic, man. You're sooo pathetic!" he kneeled closer, "Pathetic, but I don't hate you. I happen to love wretched, pathetic and dirty things. You got a dirty wound on your forehead! Nice, man. I kinda like that. I know! How about you become a demon?" he asked, "Yeah, yeah! If you become a good demon, I'll help you out. 'Cause we'll be buddies. If you don't, I'll beat you to death."
"No, onii-chan! I absolutely hate that idea! This is a bad idea!" the obi demon shouted, siting on the roof.
"If you become a demon, you'll get stronger in a flash. Bid farewell to your crippled, fleshy, pathetic body. Hey, hey, hey, waddya say? How about it?"
Tanjirou looked up at the sky.
"Your own weakness sickens you, huh. When people grieve, they look up at the sky. Then the tears comes, my man."
"I…I…was preparing for this moment." Tanjirou gritted through his teeth and headbutted the demon, stabbing him with the kunai at the same time.
"Onii-chan, what're you doing?! Stand up now! Hurry!" the obi demon shouted.
The sickles demon finds the kunai and looks with shocked confusion at Tanjirou.
Tanjirou swung his sword down on him.
'Cut through! Cut through, dammit! Win. We're gonna win for sure.'
"Onii-chan!"
For a split second, Tanjirou saw himself in the demon's place, on the ground with his head about to be cut off.
'These circumstances never change. With just one difference, I myself might have been in this situation. It comes down to this…one mistake and this could be me. If I ever become a demon, then one of the Demon Slayers will definitely come cut my head off.'
"This can't be happening! No way! Your head can't get cut off by someone like that!"
At that moment, Tanjirou heard thunder striking and knew Zenitsu had freed himself and would deal with the obi demon.
'Shit! I can't cut it! It's too tough! His body should be weakened from the poison. So I still lack strength!'
The demon used that long-ranged attack, pushing at Tanjirou's sword.
'He's already recovered from the poison…! He's dragging me in and I'm getting diced…The blade's getting pushed back…' he thought, as the attack pushed him off the demon, 'I was so close. Almost there! I only just need a little mo– Don't give up! Don't give up! Don't give up, Tanjirou! Never give up! Hang in there. Keep fighting to the very end!' Tanjirou thought, deflecting the blood blade attacks.
"You little braaat!" the demon shouted, getting to his feet.
'The speed of the attack is increasing. The poison is wearing off. He is recovering from the poison. He's shaking it off! He'll go back to full strength. Don't give up! Can't give…'
The sickle was about to stab him through the neck when Uzui-san appeared suddenly, catching it with his sword, to the surprise of both Tanjirou and the demon.
The Sound Pillar proceeded to launch an attack against the demon,
"The score is complete! We're gonna go for the win!"
Tanjirou understood that Uzui-san's condition doesn't allow him to do anything more than handle the demon's attacks, driving him back. So he follows behind him, waiting for the opening. Uzui-san caught the demon's left arm and had his left eye slashed.
"Uzui-san!"
"Don't stop! Jump! Go!" the Sound Pillar ordered.
Tanjirou jumped over him, as Uzui-san tackled the demon, head-first, and stabbed him.
The demon stabbed Tanjirou with his sickle through the floor of his mouth.
'Do it! Finish this! Cut! Cut his head. Don't give up! You'll definitely cut off his head!'
Tanjirou swung his blade once more. He didn't feel any pain at that point anymore.
'I can't just use my arm strength alone. It's not enough. I'll have to cut him by using my whole body. Use everything from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Forget about the pain in your body. Stay focused. Bite at him. One body blow isn't enough. Summon and squeeze out a hundred times that strength!'
Tanjirou shouted as he put everything in him and then some into this swing of his blade.
"Don't underestimate the suppleness of my body!" Inosuke screamed, "Shifting the position of my internal organs is just child's play! Poison has no effect against a rugged mountain boy like me! I grew up on a dangerous mountain!"
The three of them shouted as they pushed their swords further.
"Onii-chan! Do something, onii-chan! Save me!" the obi demon screamed.
Both of the demons' heads were cut off.
"Did they get them!? They did! They cut it off!" someone shouted, enthusiastically, "They did it, Hinatsuru-san! Look while you're crossing over to the other side!"
"Do you even know what you're saying means?! Dummy! Eh?" someone shouted, angrily.
'P-Poison… I have to breathe. D-Delay the poison's circulation just a little….' Tanjirou tried to breathe, 'What? He's saying something. Neck. Did I not cut it? Uzui-san is say…ing…so…me…thing…'
"RUUUUUNNNN!"
Then the body exploded.