Kagane, Gemini, and Muichiro with Kotetsu in tow hurried through the forest to aid Kozo and Hotaru.

"You're sure it's this way?" Muichiro asked.

"Yes! We're almost there!" Kotetsu said.

"There he is." Muichiro said as the four saw a demon fish clawing at a tree as Kozo was seen atop one of its branches like a cat in a tree.

"Mr. Kanamori!" Kotetsu cried.

Muichiro threw Kotetsu off his shoulder before charging in and cutting down the demon in one slice.

"Oh! He slashed it in the blink of an eye!" Kozo commented before climbing down. "I'm in your debt, Lord Tokito!"

"Mr. Kanamori!" Kotetsu called as he ran up to him.

"Young Kotetsu! Thank goodness you're safe! To be honest, I thought you'd be dead by now!" Kozo said.

"Same here, Mr. Kanamori!" Kotetsu said.

"So you're Kanamori?" Muichiro asked.

"Mr. Tokito, this is Mr. Kanamori." Kotetsu introduced.

"If you're a swordsmith, give me a sword." Muichiro stated bluntly. "I need it now."

"Oh my! Look at this! It's quite badly chipped!" Kozo said as he kneeled down and looked at Muichiro's blade.

"That's why I came to the village." Muichiro said.

"I see! I see! I do have a sword ready for you, so let me give it to you right away!" Kozo said.

"You don't waste time, do you?" Muichiro asked.

"I'm happy for you! You should be thankful!" Kotetsu said.

"Tanjiro asked me to take care of it. Your sword, that is. He also said I should be understanding toward you." Kozo explained.

"Tanjiro? Tanjiro said it, huh?" Muichiro mused.

"So, I checked up on the first swordsmith who served you-" Kozo started.

"Mr. Kanamori! Mr. Kanamori! We have to head to Mr. Haganezuka's! If he's under attack by those demons-" Kotetsu cut in.

"Oh, that's right! Come on, I'll show you the way to my work shed!" Kozo said as he lead the group to his work shed. "I'm worried about the village! Since you're a Hashira, I want you to take that sword…and go to their aid as soon as possible! It's that shed over there! Thank goodness! I don't see any fish monsters! I was working in that shed! The sword I'm supposed to give you is inside, too! Please take it and rush to where the chief is!"

"Wait." Kagane said, causing everyone to stop. "There's something there." he said as a vase rolled out of the bushes before sitting straight up.

"Hyo!" the vase said as Muichiro, Kagane, and Gemini readied their weapons. "I'm impressed that you noticed me!" it said before black fluid burst out of the top of the vase and formed into a grotesque being. It had the form of a pale white, abstracted, grotesque humanoid figure with a muscular upper torso that had no arms and resembled that of an armless statue growing from a porcelain vase, similar to a djinn. His midsection is red-violet, while his lower half, or his tail is black. He had multiple infant-like hands that line along his head and back which he can retract at will. His face was even more distorted, with large green-lipped mouths located where one would expect his eyes to be located, and his actual eyes were located vertically from one another on his face; one eye appeared in the constantly open bottom mouth and the other was seated at the center of his forehead. "Hyo, hyo, hyo! Is this rundown shed that important to you? What is it that you're being so secretive about, I wonder. Hyo, hyo!"

"Gemini, the Kanji on its forehead and in its mouth," Kagane said.

"Yeah…this guy's Upper-Rank Five," Gemini observed. "Bet they don't get any uglier than this fella."

Meanwhile back in the village, one of the villagers continued sounding the alarm as the fish demons rampaged through it before Mitsuri arrived on the scene and cut one of them down as she leaped into the air.

"Whoa! A Hashira showed up!" one of the villagers said.

"Sorry I'm late! I'll take care of this right away, everyone!" Mitsuri said as she landed and began cutting through the demons in a flash as she ran through the village.

"Wow!"

"So fast!"

"So strong! I'd forgotten because she's so cute…but the Hashira sure are strong, huh? The chief! Please look after the chief!"

At the chief's house…

A much larger fish demon with multiple vases on its back had manage to get in and had Tecchin in one of its hands and some of the villagers in others as Tecchin's aide had a naginata in his hands.

"Chief!" he called, trying to slash at the demon only to be slapped into a wall as he raised his head, a piece of his mask broken off. "Ch-Ch-Chief… Chief! The Demon Slayer guards who were stationed here have been killed. As the most highly-skilled person in the village, Chief… I can't let you die! This monster is…way too big! My attacks have no effect! And it's abnormally quick!" he said before Mitsuri landed down in front of him.

"You shouldn't move! You likely have internal injuries!" Mitsuri said.

"L-Lady Kanroji!" the aide said before noticing Mitsuri's Nichirin blade. "(What kind of sword is that? Did the chief… Did Lord Tecchin forge it? I've heard the rumors, but how odd it looks!)" he thought as the Nichirin blade looked to be a whip sword.

"Love Breathing… First Form…" Mitsuri began as she leaped towards the demon while spinning her blade like a ribbon before landing on the other side. "Shivers of First Love!" she finished as the demon was sliced into multiple pieces. "My heart would never flutter for those who needlessly hurt others!" she declared as the demon began turning to ash, causing Tecchin to be released as he began falling.

"Lord Tecchin!" His aide called as Mitsuri managed to catch him.

"Are you all right, Lord Tecchin? Stay with me!" Mitsuri pleaded as she teared up. "Lord Tecchin! Can you hear me?"

"Here I am in the arms of a young, beautiful girl! I'm on cloud nine!" Tecchin said.

"Oh my! Lord Tecchin! Please!" Mitsuri said as her cheeks flared a bit.

"I fell on my head, too!" one of the other aides said.

"What?" Mitsuri asked as she turned her head.

"Please hold my hand!" the second aide pleaded.

"Oh dear, forgive me! Are you okay?" Mitsuri asked.

"You back off!" Tecchin demanded.

"(Wh-What a relief.)" the first aide thought.

"Mitsuri… you must find the young demon slayers right away." Tecchin said. "And…take Nedris' Nichirin blade with you."

"O-Of course!" Mitsuri said.

Back with the others fighting Hantengu's other emotions….

"Go! Go! Go!" Nedris said as the group began running from Sekido, Urogi and Karaku, Nezuko carrying the still blacked out Tanjiro on her shoulder.

"Stop trying to flee…like pesty gnats!" Sekido said as he called down lightning to try and strike them.

"Why are we fleeing from this hellspawn's clones, woman?" Superbia asked. "We know their weaknesses, and we outnumber them. We should face them head on!"

"Even if they split into four they still share the same strength as they would as one being. Although he is Upper Rank 4, Hantengu has the most difficult Blood Demon Art to counter even with all of us fighting him." Nedris said.

"Yes, we got all that." Sectonia said.

A lightning strike managed to get Tanjiro and Nezuko as she collapsed to the floor while Tanjiro regained consciousness.

"Look out!" Nedris called as Urogi came swooping down before Tanjiro managed to grab Nezuko and roll out of the way before placing Nezuko onto his shoulder as he and the group kept running.

"Curses! Could they be any slower? Karaku! Blast it away!" Sekido ordered.

"Right!" Karaku complied as he leaped down and chased after the group. "I was just about to do that anyway!" he said, blowing a gust from his fan as the group narrowly avoided it.

"(Think! You've got to think! How to inflict massive damage on the enemy! An attack that they can't recover from right away!)" Tanjiro thought.

"Damn." Karaku cursed before continuing the chase as he saw the group in his line of sight. "Hey, brats… Die!" he called, blowing another gust as it hit the group. "It's all over for you all now!" he said, sending out another gust as it blew the group out of the building. "Hehehe. I gotta say I outdid myself here. Now there's no place for you pests to runaway and hide!" he said, looking at the many destroyed buildings in his path.

"Damn, he's right." David said.

"Come on. We need to get out of here." Tanjiro said as Nezuko gripped his blade as blood dripped on it. "Stop! You'll cut your fingers!"

Meanwhile with the others going to Haganezuka…

"Hyo, hyo! Greetings to you one and all. My name is Gyokko and I have a small request." the new demon said. "Before I kill you, might I have a minute of your time? If you will let me, I would like to show you my beautiful artwork."

"Artwork? What kinda sick game are you playing at?" Gemini asked.

"Oh I'm so happy you asked!" Gyokko said as bubbling up from a vase in front of him came the bodies of various swordsmiths, all compiled into one hideous-looking sculpture piece.

"Damn you. What have you done?" Kagane asked.

"Behold! I call it 'Death Throes of the Smiths.'." Gyokko presented.

"Wait…are…they still alive?!" Gemini said.

"Ah. You noticed. Isn't it magnificent? I forced their blistered filled hands to the forefront of the piece. I even left half of their masks on their faces." Gyokko said.

"Lord Kongouji! Mr. Tetsuo! Mr. Hagaike! Koutarou! Uncle Tetsuhiro!" Kotetsu noticed as he began crying.

"Yes! For this piece, I combined five swordsmiths to make it. And let me show you the best part. Twist this sword and…" Gyokko said, turning a sword as all five men started screaming in agony.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Kotetsu cried as Kozo held him back.

"So what do you think? Isn't it just marvelous?" Gyokko asked. "I perfectly captured their death throes."

"Hey. You'd better knock it off…you piece of crap." Muichiro said before appearing next to him like mist as he prepared to cut him.

"Hyo!" Gyokko said before leaping out of the jar he was in and into another one. "I wasn't done explaining my artwork yet. Please wait until the end."

"So he can teleport from one pot to another." Gemini said. "Kagane…are you…."

"I'm fine." Kagane said.

"You say that…but your face…tells a different story." Gemini said as Kagane's expression was one of pure rage.

"Demons like him…are no different to the ones back on my world. Cutting down innocent lives and doing this to them." Kagane said.

"Philistines. You wouldn't know good artwork if…" Gyokko said as Muichiro slashed the vase only for Gyokko to pop up in a different one.

"This guy moves fast. Though, this does tell us something. Since he has to rely on those vases, it means if his head gets chopped off, it's over for him." Gemini said.

"You have a lot of gall, slashing it! My vase! My art! You have no eye for beauty, you damn apes!" Gyokko said as he made a vase appear. "Blood Demon Art: Thousand Needle Fish Kill!" he said as two goldfish emerged from the vase before firing needles at the three as they dodged.

"Are these…" Kagane said, observing one of the needles. "Don't let it hit. They're laced with poison."

The fish soon turned their attention to the swordsmiths. They fired but Muichiro quickly took the hits for them.

"Muichiro!" Gemini said.

"It's fine. Now…you two, run." Muichiro said as the smiths ran as he worked to deflect any more incoming needles.

"Hyo, hyo, hyo! Look at you, riddled with needles… A comical sight, indeed! How do you like it? The poison must slowly be numbing your limbs, right? So very comical! You saved some worthless lives…and now you're going to die in a worthless place. So worthless, it doesn't matter whether they exist or not." Gyokko said as Muichiro widened his eyes a bit as he recalled something. "Still, you are a Hashira, even looking like that. What kind of artwork should I produce? Oh, I'm giddy!" he said before Muichiro appeared in front of him.

"Shut up. It's all your talk that's worthless." Muichiro said before swinging his blade into Gyokko's neck only for him to produce another vase that depicted waves as it launched out a blast of water.

"Muichiro!" Gemini called as the Mist Hashira was soon imprisoned in suspended water with her caught along with him.

"Gemini!" Kagane called out.

"Blood Demon Art: Water Prison Pot! Ah… suffocation…it's such a beautiful way to go, don't you agree?" Gyokko said.

"(I have to do something… Gemini and Muichiro are in danger. Muichiro doubly so since he was hit by those poison needles.)" Kagane thought, about to summon a demon before remembering when Gyutaro cut down Daisoujou when he had attempted to heal anyone affected by Gyutaro's poison. "(No, I mustn't be too hasty. He'll counter before I even have the chance to summon.)"

Gyokko laughed at Kagane. "Well? Are you just going to stand there and watch your comrades die? Or are you going to attempt to do something before I make you into my next masterpiece?"

Kagane racked his brain, trying to think of something…before he recalled a conversation he had before…

"Sometimes, I can't help but feel that I can't contribute as much as I should." Kagane said as he sat next to Lucy in the lunchroom. "I can only do so much with the demons I summon and the skills I inherit from the Demon Whisper."

"That's the problem, Kagane. You're too basic." Lucy replied. "A lot of us in the alliance like to learn new things to evolve and grow our styles of fighting."

"Like your Star Dresses?" Kagane asked.

"Yeah. As summoners, we mostly just let the spirits I summon or demons you summon do all the fighting. But…I wanna be able to fight by their side too." Lucy said. "Shouldn't you feel the same?"

"Fighting beside my demons…" Kagane pondered.

"Lucy Heartfilia… I owe you my thanks." Kagane said. "Because of you, the 15th bearer of the name Raidou Kuzunoha, shall now evolve our lineage."

"What are you babbling about?" Gyokko said.

"Look upon what I do next, and find out!" Kagane said. "Demon Assimilation! Yoshitsune!"

(Cue: Battle *Raidou*- Devil Summoner 2)

A light engulfed Kagane before dying down as he now wore armor similar to Yoshitsune's along with the red lines over his eyes, and in his hands were his twin blades.

"Yes….this is it…my new power!" he declared. "Now…I can fight like everyone else! The Demon summoning technique of the Kuzunoha has evolved. Now prepare yourself, Gyokko. I will avenge the swordsmiths you killed with your blood!" he said as a red light gleamed from his left eye.

(song cut)

Back with the others facing Hantengu…

"Nezuko! Please let go of my sword! Nezuko!" Tanjiro pleaded but Nezuko refused until pink flames from her blood enveloped her brother's blade, turning it red in the process.

"Incredible…" Nedris said in awe.

It wasn't long before Nezuko's blood, thanks to her Demon Blood art, made Tanjiro's sword burst into crimson flames.

"The boy's sister… it added its volatile blood onto his sword!" Superbia said.

"It looks just like his sword…like Yoriichi's…" Nedris said.

"This is…" Tanjiro said. "This sword…with this…I can…pay all of you back." he said as he stood before the three demons looking for the group.

"You're gonna need more than cheap tricks to beat us!" Karaku said.

"I'll slash you to pieces!" Urogi said, flying at them.

"Those three…they underestimate that boy." Nedris said.

Tanjiro was quick as he moved through them swiftly. "Hinokami Kagura!" he called out as he swiftly sliced off all three of there heads with a swift dancing movement that almost seemed like a dragon devouring its prey. "Sun Halo Dragon…Head Dance!"

"(Of course… why didn't I see it before in Onigashima?)" Nedris thought. "(Tanjiro, his whole family is…)" she thought before spotting Genya who was holding Aizetsu's head. "Ah! We forgot about Genya and Aizetsu." she said before sensing something off.

"Are you alright young war-" Superbia asked before he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.

Genya turned his head as everyone was shocked by what they saw. His eyes were black with yellow pupils as the tips of his hair were also highlighted the same color.

"No…" Nedris said.

"When…did he…" David said.