"Oh really? You traitors think you can win? How amusing! You may be Demons, but you won't be able to escape us, you pieces of trash!" Gyutaro cried, as his sickles became covered in his own blood, "Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!" he slashed at them with his Sickles. The group managed to dodge the blows, but two blood blades came off the weapons and headed towards them. Tanjuro growled, igniting his Sword and evaporating the blood blades that he cut. The others weren't having as much luck. "Damn these things! They keep reforming!" Tengan cried in frustration. Shizu leapt in the way of two blades and dissipated them with her Blood Demon Art.
The blood splashed to the ground, normal Demon blood once again. "Hm? So, you can nullify Blood Demon Arts, huh little lady?" Gyutaro asked with a laugh. "How about this?!" he cried, appearing behind Shizu and stabbing her through the chest with his Sickle. "Shizu!" Tanjuro cried, as the small Demon woman fell to the ground with a cry of pain. The green-haired Demon cackled, "even as a Demon, the poison will still effect you! It won't kill you though. Just drain all your strength until you can break it down. But considering your size, it will have spread through your whole body in two minutes!" Gyutaro explained.
Shizu began convulsing on the ground, gasping for breath as her skin turned from pale white to a sickly purple colour. She began coughing up mouthfuls for blood, and whining in pain. "Shizu!" Tanjuro called again, growling at the suffering of the Shinazugawa Mother. No, the poison wouldn't kill her, but who knew how long it would take to nullify. Shizu was out of this battle. Tanjuro growled, leaping towards Gyutaro and slashing at him with Fire Wheel. Hakuji appeared behind him and punched off one of his arms. Tanjuro took the chance and went to decapitate him. Even if Daki was still fighting, it would at least buy them some time!
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Kie growled furiously at Daki as the Obi Demon snickered at her, "looks like you're all alone ugly! I'm going to enjoy ripping you to pieces and absorbing you into my Obi. Then, in the morning, I'll expose you to the sun, you weakling!" she cried, sending an attack at the Kamado Matriarch. Kie dodged each attack, and used the moonlight to form sickles of her own, to slice the Obi apart. "What the- I've never seen a Blood Demon Art like that before! But how?! I can tell that you haven't eaten any humans!" Daki cried in shock.
Kie ran down the road, dodging each attack, "Damn you, you bitch! Just die already!" the Upper 6 Demon snapped, trying to slice her opponent into pieces. But Kie just blocked the attacks with moonlight shields. Then she leapt above Daki faster than she could see and kicked her into the ground. "How the fuck is a weakling like you stronger than me?! This shouldn't be possible!" Daki ground out, before Kie slammed her harder into the ground, enraged at how she had hurt her Husband.
Memories began to fill her mind, of a man with bright red eyes forcing his way into her house. He slashed her across the neck, and she had thought she was going to die. Then she had heard her Husband scream, and felt furious. That man was hurting Tanjuro! She had to help him, he was too sick and weak to fight! She had to- red filled her vision and she blacked out. This Demon- this Demon felt the most like him than any other Demon she had faced. Which meant she couldn't let this bitch leave here alive.
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Sayuri carried the three little girls from the Kyogoku House in her arms. They didn't say a word or cry. In fact they seemed to be in shock. Finally, they reached the outskirts of the city, and the young Demon sighed, letting the children go. They shakily stood up, "are you three alright? Don't worry, we should be far enough from the battle to be safe" Sayuri explained with a smile, before looking back in the direction she'd come. The human children stepped back in fear, "what are you Sayuri? How did you do all of that?" one of the girls asked, her body shaking.
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I know you're scared, but you're going to be fine. Because Lord Tanjuro is fighting for your sake. And he'll protect every human in this city, no matter what" Sayuri said. The three girls slumped to the ground, shaking. Sayuri stared at them sadly for a moment, before kneeling down in front of them with a kind smile on her face. She remembered that this was how Lord Tanjuro had spoken to her back on Mt Natagumo when she was scared, "hey, I don't think we were properly introduced. What are your names?" she asked gently.
The three girls looked at each other, before the one with the swollen cheek spoke up, "I-I'm Aki" she said softly. The next girl, who had blue eyes spoke up, "Kisa". "And I'm Shiro" the last little girl replied. Sayuri smiled, "it's nice to meet you properly, Aki, Kisa, Shiro" she said cheerfully. The three girls smiled slightly, before they all sat down on the ground. Kisa sighed, "this night is crazy! I can't believe any of this is happening!" she moaned, burying her face in her hands. All Sayuri could do was watch over them, and hope that no one would die.
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Gyutaro growled furiously at Tanjuro, "so, you're the one who bullied my sweet little Sister? Something like that is unforgivable you know!" he yelled, slashing at him once more with his poisoned Sickles. Only feeling a slight sting, as his body broke down the poison instantly, Tanjuro moved to slice Gyutaro's arms off. The Upper Six Demon grinned viciously, "Blood Demon Art: Rotating Circular Slashes!" Gyutaro cried, as blood emerged from his arms and created tornados around them. Tanjuro felt his skin get shredded, along with his clothes as he was caught up in the attack.
'Not bad. But not good enough! Did you forget that I'm a Demon too!' Tanjuro thought, forcing himself through the whirlwind of blood, and clinging to Gyutaro. Then he lit them both on fire, causing the green-haired Demon to scream in agony. Daki turned to look at him at the sound of her Brother's scream of pain. "Big Brother! Don't lose to a wannabe Demon King like him!" she cried, before her distraction cost her her head. Tengan appeared behind her and sliced it off. An explosion rang out as he did so, blowing her body forwards, and burning it badly. Daki screamed in pain, before the Sound Hashira grabbed her head and began running away with it.
"Should have focused on your own fight weakling!" he cried with a laugh. "Damn it! Let me go already!" Daki howled furiously, trying to use her hair to attack Tengan. But he sliced it off, "you're gonna have to try harder than that! There's no way an unflashy attack like that is gonna work on me!" Tengan laughed again.
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Gyutaro continued to fight Tanjuro, when he felt something. The phantom pain of his head being cut off. His eyes widened and he frantically turned to look for his Sister. He found her head being carried away by the Hashira. "Daki!" he yelled, enraged. Suddenly Kie slammed into him, piercing him through with a lance made of moonlight. "Good timing Kie!" Tanjuro cheered. "You worthless traitors think this is enough to stop me?!" Gyutaro snarled. "Gyutaro! We don't have to keep fighting! You can be free of Muzan! You and your Sister!" Tanjuro called, his sword at the ready to continue fighting.
"And what?! Join you, like Akaza has?! Why would you give a damn about us! You're trying to kill us! You're just like everyone else, and see us as scum that doesn't deserve to live!" Gyutaro snarled, ripping himself off the lance with brute strength. He hurled his Blood Blades at Tengan's retreating back, but Shizu was suddenly there, and nullified them with her shield. "I don't see you as scum Gyutaro. You and your Sister are people, just like all of the other Demons I've taken in. You were people who were hurt or betrayed or tricked. I don't blame you for hating humans, even if I don't know what exactly you went through in the past. But what I do know is that you deserve better than this!" Tanjuro called.
For a moment the green-haired Demon looked vulnerable, before he shot towards Tengan in a massive leap. Then he was behind the Hashira and impaling him through the chest with one of his Sickles. Tanjuro's eyes widened in shock. He was so fast! Damn it! Suddenly Gyutaro was back and reattaching Daki's head to her body.
"We've always had to fight and struggle for everything we have. Everyone else just lived happy, comfortable lives. We'll never forgive anyone who has had a better life than us," Daki turned around, to reveal one of Gyutaro's eyes on her forehead, "that includes you, fake Demon King!" they said in a mixed voice. Tanjuro clenched his fists. How was this situation getting worse! And here he'd thought they'd had the advantage! Daki suddenly shot multiple Obi at them in a rapid-fire attack. The group dodged, and Tanjuro growled, as he glanced over at the unmoving body of the Sound Hashira.
Gyutaro attacked him with more ferocity, and Tanjuro was forced to engulf his body in flames to burn away the poisonous attacks. Even without it killing him, the poison would still slow him down- a weakness he couldn't afford right now. The Kamado leapt towards Gyutaro, aiming to decapitate him- "Big Brother!" Daki screamed, and suddenly the buildings were sliced apart like paper, Daki's Obi moving so fast they almost seemed like light. There was a moment of utter stillness, before everything began to collapse. The buildings crumbled around them, burying everyone under the sea of wooden debris. "KIE!" Tanjuro cried, as he lost sight of his Wife in the collapse.
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Sayuri gasped, and looked up at the explosion of smoke coming from the direction of the battle Site. "Lord Tanjuro! Everyone!" the young Demon girl breathed, worried. But he had to stay had look after these three girls- a hand touched her arm, and Sayuri looked back at the three children. "We know you're worried about your Papa. We'll be safe here, and you can come find us later. You should go help them Sayuri" Shiro said. Sayuri frowned, "but, I-" "It's okay" Kisa added, grabbing her other hand. The little Demon looked down at them, "please, go help your family. We'll be fine now" Aki agreed.
Sayuri took a breath and stood up, "thank you. I'll be back, I promise" she replied, before she turned towards where the battle was happening, and shot off towards her family.