Legend Of Timere

by Victor Soul

In 1918, Michael travelled to Japan in search of his missing father, only to discover a world of demons who kill and eat humans. To fight against them and to find his father, he joins a team who devote themselves to the slaying of demons. In order for him to succeed, he would have to become a symbol that all demons will fear. He will be known as the Timere. (OC x harem) Fem Tomioka

14. The Kodoku

Hi Guys!

I want to make an apology to those who read the latest chapter of 'Voyage Of The Cavalier'. I was reading through it and I realised something awful…

I completely missed a scene!

I wrote it, had it saved in my files, but, for some reason, didn't put it in the published version. I've updated it now so it should be up now. It wasn't a massively important scene that was essential to the plot, but I just wanted to put it in. So, if you want to read it again and read the missing scene then please do. If you're not bothered…well, that's fine as well.

Anyway, sorry about that. Thanks, bye! Love you! Bye!

---

Here's the next chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it.

MasterDarkElf - Oh no, no. I perfectly understand. It is just something that Michael has to work on and to improve himself.

I see what I can do about Michael and his interaction to the ladies. I always like writing little romantic scenes. It's just a shame that he's such a massive tsundere…but please don't tell I said that. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as much.

nexusplayer - Haha! I see you have strong opinions on Zenitsu. Hmm…maybe he and Michael could go on some missions together. That would be interesting.

Spedyalarm - And I really appreciate it :D

Guest - Haha! I love the idea that Michael had just been considering Inoko as some wild beast for all this time. I wonder what would happen when he senses her face.

Thank you so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Ara will be looked after Michael as he promised and she'll have a more peaceful life under his care so she could work through her trauma. Michael's accidental group will continue to grow over time, much to his disbelief, but I'm sure he'll come around to the idea…eventually. Thanks again.

Guest - I'm sure Aoi wouldn't allow Inoko to do that. I'm sure she'll hammer it into her thick skull to always fight fully or mostly clothed. And, you know what, I support her.

djinn - Aha, you're pretty much spot on. It'll be interesting to see how it progresses over time and to see them interacting with each other in order to get stronger. I can't give away too much, but the Chino Kumi will definitely be a pinnacle part in Timere's legend.

phillyitalian - Well, he can't see them, but he can definitely sense them. I explained a few chapters ago how he can use the wind to sense his surroundings like echolocation. Blimey, Highschool DxD, that takes me back. Michael will certainly not get boosts from breasts; he gets his motivation from slaughtering demons and the drive to take Muzan's head.

Bromega2477 - Yep, they are certainly big. That's the beauty of fanfiction, isn't it? Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Foxfire573 - Sí, algo me dice que no lo olvidará pronto.

Me gusta la idea de que Michael tenga su propio grupo de seguidores (aunque nunca lo pidió). Le molestan, pero él los entrena de todos modos. Gracias por leer

wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, thanks for reading.

Thanks for reviewing :)

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Chapter 14: The Kodoku

Unknown Place

Several Days Ago

Something was very, very wrong.

They should have known as soon as they appeared. They rarely come here and so the chance of being summoned for good intentions was near impossible.

The place that had summoned was confusing; it looked the inside of a mighty palace full of the furnishings you would find like tatami floors, sliding shoji doors, lanterns and antique pots displayed to the side. However, this palace deified the laws of physics; walls were not in the place they should be, wooden staircases were upside-down, rooms would end suddenly into a deep drop which went on endlessly. A person could stand on the ceiling or on the walls as comfortably as they would on the floor; entire rooms could detached from themselves and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. It didn't make sense to a rational mind, but, to the occupier who made it their home, they were more than comfortable and reveled happily in its insanity.

The demons were all summoned by force. The Lower Ranks of the Twelve Kizuki, the second strongest rank of demons, were now prostrating themselves on the floor and trying their best not to show their fear. There were five if them at first, but now that number had dropped to three by the hand of the menacing creature that they called their master. First it was Kamanue, the Lower Rank 6 demon, he made the mistake of merely thinking doubts thoughts and had his head bitten off and his body consumed before he could apologise. Then it was Wakuraba, the Lower Rank 3 demon, who tried to escape and was swiftly decapitated. The three remaining were the first, second and fourth Lower Ranks and they were determined not to make the same mistakes as their stupid colleagues.

Lower Rank 4 was a demon known as Mukago. She was a short female demon with grey skin, short white hair and blood red eyes with the left pupil etched with the kanji for 'Lower 4'. She had two short shorts protruding from her forehead and two red horizontal marks on each cheek. She wore a simple red kimono that had a black and white furry collar.

Lower Rank 2 was a demon known as Rokuro; who took the form of an older man. He had pale skin and long, dark purple hair accompanied with a jagged beard around his jawline. His eyes were bright yellow with the left eye containing the kanji for 'Lower Two' etched into his pupil. His only attire was a simple green gi that was worn loosely.

The last of the Lower Ranks was a demon known as Enmu who took the form of a young man with a rather feminine features. He had greyish skin and blue eyes with horizontal goat-like pupils; the left eye contained the kanji for 'Lower One'. He had three square-shaped markings on each of his cheeks, each separated by a smaller square and straight, chin-length dark black hair the ends of which were a reddish pink colour. He wore an long, black button-up coat and a white dress shirt. He also wore a pair of pinstriped pale grey trousers and grey heeled shoes of a similar colour. Unlike the other two, Enmu seemed rather relaxed about this entire situation and his calm smile not once left his lips.

Before them, staking on a raised platform, was their master Muzan. Instead of his usual appearance, he took the form of a beautiful, young woman with long black hair tied up in an elegant braid and his face touched with a few hints of make-up. He wore a sleek, elegant black kimono with some floral patterns and a black obi with golden motifs on it. However, despite her new appearance, she still had the same deadly, cold look in her eyes that sent shivers down their spines.

"Well," Muzan spoke with venom in her voice, "You have not answered my question. Why are the Lower Kizuki so weak?"

None of her demon subordinates uttered a word. They tried to keep their minds clear of any thoughts as she could easily read them, however, remaining silent may invoke her wrath even more.

Muzan's eyes narrowed down at them. Her neatly clipped nails scratching her palms in irritation.

"Very well," she finally said, "I have no need for your petty excuses anyway. If Rui's failure has proven me anything is that you are all worthless. I may as well have to dispose of all of you."

The demons were shocked to hear her say that. She was going to kill them and that was that; nothing could change her mind.

'Damn it,' Mukago thought desperately, 'I'm going to die! I'm going to die! But my project is incomplete! I need to think of something fast! Something to prove I'm useful!' her eyes darted around back to her fellow Kizuki. Rokuro looked to be as panicked as her while Enmu seemed to calmly thinking about something as well, 'They're useless! Shit! Shit! Shit! What am I-' she paused for a second in thought, 'Wait a minute…what did that demon say a few days ago. Somebody called Chino Kumi! That could be useful inform-'

She suddenly found a strong hand gripping her throat, causing her to choke and gasp. She was lifted off the floor and was raised until she was eye level to the enraged face of Muzan.

"What was that?" she hissed, "You pathetic little thing! Don't you ever think of that wretched name in my presence again!"

Mukago gasped out a reply as her throat began to be crushed by her strong grip, "Please…my Lord! There's…a reason…why….I mentioned…it…let me…explain…I beg…of you…"

Muzan glared at her for a few more seconds before she released her and allowed her to drop onto the hard floor painfully.

"Well, then. Explain."

The female demon took a much needed deep breath before he turned around and kneeled before her master, "As I was continuing my project, one of the lesser demons mentioned that name. He said he met him and survived. Michael Timere is what he called him."

"I know who he is? What relevance does he have to why I should keep you alive?" Muzan sharply questioned.

Her mind went blank for a few seconds…before she got an idea.

"I can kill him, my lord!" she declared desperately with sweat pouring down her face, "I can track him down and kill him within my Kodoku!"

Muzan glowered furiously, "I don't want him dead! I want him alive! Do you know how dangerous his blood can be for me! I need to drain every single drop from his body without spilling any of it!"

"But my lord, that's the beauty of the Kodoku!" Mukago insisted, "Chino Kumi's blood will become one and shall become stronger and more potent then ever before. Not only will he the threat will be gone, but that power will be delivered to you as if it were a gift for you to enjoy. It will be easy and simple. Just give one more chance, my lord."

"My lord," Rokuro spoke up for the first time, "She cannot guarantee that it will work," he said, earning a glare from Mukago, "She is obsessed with this ancient practise that is based off out-of-date knowledge. She had sacrificed many of our kind already to it and she has yet to provide any sort of tangible results."

"I have results!" Mukago yelled, "It is successful! My lord, his words are nothing but slander!"

"Allow me to trap Chino Kumi," Rokuro pleaded, "I'll do anything in order to bring him to you."

"Shut up! What are you doing!?"

"Enough!" Muzan snarled, silencing them both. Her eyes looked up towards Rokuro who shrunk under her gaze, "I presume that, since you are willing to dismiss the idea, you have provided a much improved one."

Rokuro remained silent and stared at the ground; gulping slightly in fear.

Muzan gave a thoughtful hum before she closed her eyes, "I admit, Kodoku is an archaic practise even for me, but I am intrigued with the prospect of acquiring the potency of his blood without interference from the Corps," she said before her eyes snapped open, "Very well. Do as you plan, but if the results are unsatisfactory then I will punish you with a fate worse than death," she said, making Mukago shiver in fear. Her eyes snapped to Rokuro who flinched at the sudden attention, "I'll let you live for now just in case. But if you still cannot prove your worth then I will end your misery life without delay," her eyes trailed towards the last demon in the room, who was simply smiling blissfully as if he was slightly amused about something, "Well, have you anything to say?"

Enmu hummed thoughtfully, "Of course, my lord. I too have one dream."

---

Butterfly Mansion

Present Day

With his new sword on his hip and his jingasa balanced securely on his head, Michael was ready to leave. That morning, Angellos had returned to inform him of a new mission and he was eager to ride away from the Demon Corps HQ and get back into action. He was told the previous day that he had increased by one rank from a Mizunoe to a Kanoto and was pleased with this discovery; not because he'll now get paid ¥25,000 annually (he couldn't care less about the money and took Oyakata's offer to give it all to charity), buy because he could go on more advance missions.

More advance missions means stronger demons to practise on.

(For all you nerds out there, after some rough calculations ¥25,000 in 1920s Japan is about $150,000 or £117,000 in today's money.)

He headed for the main door to the Butterfly Mansion, his aim was to leave as quietly and quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for him, some people were having none of that.

"Please don't leave, Miku-chan!" Kiyo whined.

"You can at least stay for a little longer!" Sumi said.

"We can make you sweet treats if you stay!" Naho promised.

Michael sighed as he continued to limp towards the exit as the Butterfly Sisters were clinging on to his left leg for dear life in a desperate attempt to get him to stop. Being much stronger and taller than them, their efforts of slowing him down were futile.

"I can't stay," he grumbled in slight annoyance, "I already told you that I am leaving as soon as Kocho says I'm fit again. I will only be using up resources needlessly if I'm here. Now let go of my legs already. That goes for you too Tanjiro."

On his other leg, Tanjiro sniffed sadly as he too clung onto him, trying to drag him to stop, but having as much success as the sisters.

"But you haven't said goodbye to Nezuko, Zenitzu or Inoko yet," he wailed as tears flowed from his eyes.

"I don't need to. Now all of you get off," he ordered.

"Keep going girls! We can get him to stop if we try really hard!" Tanjiro encouraged.

"Right!" the girls chorused, causing Michael to groan.

"3! 2! 1! Pull!

He stopped mid-stride, reached down and grabbed Tanjiro by the scruff of his gown and ripped him off his leg. He then did the same with other three until all four of them were hung up by the scruff of their clothes within his grasp, making them look like a litter of kittens being carried by their mother. He gave each of them a miserable look before he dropped them gently onto their knees on the floor beside them.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," he sighed as he turned to the door.

"Aw! Come on! At least stay for the night!" Tanjiro moaned, "We can make you a farewell dinner!"

"Tanjiro, thank you, but no. I've been here far too long," he stopped in front of the shoji door and called back to him, "Oh, and Tanjiro, you better have mastered the constant Breathing Technique. That's going to save your life someday."

"I promise! I'll do my best!"

"Don't promise me. Just do it. And make sure you look out for your sister."

"I promise!"

"What did I say about promising!" he yelled at him before he sighed and slid open the door, "Finally, I can get out of here."

However, as soon as the door fully opened and he took one step outside…

"TIMERE-SENSEI! YOU'RE LEAVING!"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" he yelled as he was met with eleven or so members of the Chino Kumi who had gathered right outside the mansion.

Using his Breathing, he could sense them surrounding the main entrance with tears in their eyes with Ozaki standing right in the front. Each one had practise wooden swords in their hands and they were slightly sweaty as if they had been recently practising; he could even sense one of them holding up a sign reading 'Don't Go Timere' which is a little stupid considering that he couldn't read it.

"How did you lot know I was going!?"

He heard a small awkward cough behind him and turned his head towards an uncomfortably-looking Tanjiro who was staring at the floor as if it had some interest to him.

"I thought they would like to know," he said, earning a small growl form Michael.

"For goodness' sake," he grumbled before he frowned when he noticed something, "Wait a moment. There are more of you now since the last time I checked."

Ozaki cleared he throat and stepped forwards, "Well, a few more people decided to join yesterday, Timere-sama," she sheepishly said as she rubbed the back of her head, "I thought, since we already got so many already, they can join as well. Maybe, I should have asked permission first."

Michael shook his head and sighed deeply, "Fine," he said before he looked to the crowd, "All of you, you have made the decision to become stronger. That's the easy part. The hard part is following through with it. Hundreds of hours drills and constant training is the only thing that will stop you all from getting slaughtered out in the world. There are many innocent and defenceless men, women and children in this country who depend on how well you fight and battle. Don't let them down and don't let yourselves down. Get stronger, get better and someday you'll look back on your decision and be proud you made it!" he finished as a sudden breeze blew wildly around him, whipping his long hair in a way that made them look up at him in awe.

The Slayers gasped in astonishment before they raised their practice swords into the air.

"So cool!" they cheered simultaneously, "We will, Timere-sensei!" they yelled triumphantly before they cheered and cried out in excitement,

'Why are they calling me sensei? I've hardly taught any of them,' he thought drearily before he stepped forwards and patted Ozaki on the shoulder, making her squeak and blush, "You know enough to teach them, Ozaki. Lead them well. I trust you," he said, offering her a small smile.

Ozaki's face blushed even harder as she nodded in determination, "You've got it, Timere-sama! I'll make you proud!"

"Good…I suppose," he said, "Now has anybody seen my horse?"

"I saw a horse earlier," one of the Slayers called from the crowd, "I think it was outside the gates."

"Thank you," he calmly said as he walked towards the gate with the crowd of Slayers parting a way for him to get through, "Farewell all of you."

"Goodbye!" they as well as Ozaki, Tanjiro and the Butterfly Sisters called to him, "We promise to get better!"

"DON'T PROMISE! JUST DO IT!" he yelled furiously back at them.

---

Venturing through the gate of the Butterfly Mansion, he used his Breathing to search around for Kaze. It didn't take him long to find the horse several meters down the road that led past the mansion, hut he was somewhat surprised to see another figure standing beside him. With one hand she was scratching the horse's nose gently while in the other she carried a plate of, what Michael assumed was, a rice cake wrapped up in a sakura leaf. He raised an eyebrow in intrigue and walked over to them.

"Aww, you're such a pretty horsy," Mitsuri cooed as she lovingly petted his head, "You're so gentle and well behaved," she plucked a single rice cake from the plate and offered it to Kaze, "Here, have some sakura mochi."

"Are you sure you should be giving those to horses?" Michael asked, making Mitsuri jump in surprise and look around

"Michael," she gasped happily as Kaze happily took the mochi and began to chew on it. She skipped over to him and stood right in front, "I managed to find you before you left. What a relief, I thought I was going to miss you," she said before she pouted adorably as she gave him a glare, "Why are you sneaking away like that for, huh? That's really mean," she said as she gently slapped his chest.

Well, it looked gentle, but it was actually powerful enough to knock him back two steps. He quickly recovered from the strong accidental attack and cleared his throat sheepishly.

"I…just didn't want to make a big deal of it," he muttered, "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine!" she chirped, her mood turning a 180 degrees in an instant before she held put the plate full of mochi to him, "I made you these as a going-away gift. I hope you like them. They're my favourite treats in the entire world."

"Oh…" he uttered in surprise as he took the plate, "…err…thank you…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I'm just happy giving them to you."

"I…I…see."

He was a little spellbound by this. The only other person who had given him food as a gift was Ami and he hadn't seen her in a while. The fact that she put all this effort into giving this to him made his heart pound a little harder.

He shook of those feelings, grabbed a hold of Kaze's reins and led him towards the forest that bordered the HQ as Mitsuri walked beside him. He heard a humming sound coming from her and sensed her staring at the plate in his hands with a longing look. If he focused, he could even see a little drool seeping from the corner of her mouth. He gave a small amused smile and held the plate out to her.

"I don't think I'll be able to eat all of them. Would you like to share with me," he offered.

Mitsuri's eyes lit up as she gave an excited gasp, "Yes, please!" she cried out before she reached out, grabbed one and ate it in a single bite, Yummy! These are so tasty!" she happily giggled.

Michael ate one himself and nodded in agreement, "Yes, these are delicious," he said as she grabbed two more from the plate and scoffed them down, "You really do like them, don't you?"

"Mm-hmm!" she agreed with a nod of her head, "I love them! My parents always said that I ate so many of them when I was younger that my hair turned pink because of it…"

'What? Like a flamingo?' Michael thought in bewilderment.

"…I was given several servings of them as a reward every time I won an arm wrestling match," she continued brightly, "I must have beaten so many sumo wrestlers then to make my hair turn a different colour, huh?"

'Sumo… wrestlers?'

He was a little perplexed by her. She was hardly as tall as his shoulder and yet she was strong enough to battle sumo wrestlers when she was younger; not only that but the fact that hair colour was unusual made him even more confused….

…but then again, considering that he now lives in a world full of demons, talking crows and strength beyond that of a human should have…this was rather tame in comparison. That's why he decided to shrug it off and not question it.

Suddenly, Mitsuri eyes widened as she remembered something before she grew rather bashful and put down the mochi she was about to eat.

"Sorry, that wasn't very ladylike, was it?" she softly said as she sadly looked away.

Michael raised an eyebrow at her mood change, "Don't worry about that. I'm not repulsed or anything. You can have one if you like," he told her as he offered the plate out to her.

She looked at the plate hungrily, but she was still hesitant, "Are you sure? You don't think I'm being disgusting or anything?"

"Of course not. Who would think that?"

"My ex-fiancée did."

"Your ex…" he trailed off slightly as he recognised the sadness in her words. He hesistated slightly before he turned his head down at the ground, "Oh…" he muttered before he frowned crossly, "…well, he's an idiot. Don't listen to him. Clearly, he didn't deserve you."

Mitsuri looked up at him in surprise; her eyes sparkled a little bit in joy as a bright smile appeared on her sweet face. Feeling better, she took another mochi from the plate and ate it instantly.

"Hmmm, yummy!" she cried out cutely, which made him smile a little.

Reaching the edge of the forest, with the path leading on through the thick trees of Wisteria, they stopped as Michael swept half of what was left of the sakura mochi into his saddle bag and then handed the plate back to Mitsuri.

"Thank you…that's really kind of you," he told her earnestly, "I'll have the rest on the way."

Kaze suddenly gave a snort and scrapped his hoof on the ground.

"What? You want some too?" Michael asked before he was alerted to the flapping of wings before something landed on his jingasa.

"Want some too- CAW!" Angellos cawed as he perched on his hat and tapped it with his beak.

"Alright fine," he sighed before he turned to Mitsuri, "You don't mind me sharing with these two, do you?"

She shook her head and grinned cheerily, "Nope! It makes me happy to know that they want to try as well!"

"Well, then," he said before he mounted Kaze and sat on his saddle, "I guess this is goodbye for now. What about you? Are you going on any missions?"

"I'm setting off tomorrow to the west," she chirped in reply, "But I'm glad I got to see you off before I left. Now I'm extra pumped!" she cried as she raised her fist into the air, "Yeah! I'm going to do my best!"

Michael gave a small chuckle before he tapped Kaze's neck; the horse instantly began to trot off into the forest.

"Good to hear," he told her, "Farewell, Mitsuri!"

"Bye!" she cheered as she waved him away before she she got an idea and called out to him, "Michael! Hey, Michael! When we meet again, let's do an arm wrestle! I want to know how strong you are in comparison to me!"

Michael waved to her over his shoulder, "Yeah, sure. I'm interested!" he called back to her as he rode into the forest and away from the Corps HQ.

Leaving Kaze to take the lead, Michael reached his hand up and allowed Angellos to jump and perch on to it before he raised it down he was face to face with his crow.

"Did you manage to deliver it?" he asked.

"I did- CAW!"

"Good boy," he told as he brought out one of the Sakura Mochi from the saddle bag and allowed the crow to eat from his hand, "I'm sure she will like them."

---

Ara's House

A Few Minutes Earlier

Ara reclined on her tatami mat in the darkness as she tried her best to read the book that she held up in front of her. She had never learned to read back when she was a human and she had never took it up when she was under Rui's control, but considering that there are very few things to do; other than to watch the forest outside from the safety of the shadows, making tea, taking naps and going hunting for animals to eat; she decided to give it a try. After all, Michael had gone out of the way to get these for her. However, the kanji was far too difficult and there was nobody else she could ask to translate, so she opted to just gaze over the characters lazily. Still, it could be worse.

She could be dead. Or worse, still under Rui's control.

She shuddered at the thought and flipped the page over. Suddenly, there was a light tapping noise from the door.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

She looked up and frowned curiously. She got up, making sure to mark the page she was on and made her way to the front of the house before she carefully opened the door. On the porch in front of the door was Michael's crow who she was introduced to not too long ago. He was stood perched on a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied all around with string with the ends of the string within the crow's claws. Angellos gave a slightly tired caw, from having carried the parcel all the way here, and jumped next to it before nudging it towards her with his head.

"Deliver from Timere- CAW!" he announced, "He said that he will be going away for a while on missions, but he'll be sure to keep in contact:"

Ara couldn't help but sighed in disappointment. She was rather hoping he would visit again, but she knew that he had duties to do and so couldn't blame him too much.

"Thank you," she said to the crow as she took the parcel inside and sat down in front of her.

She unwrapped it and was surprised to find a collection of objects inside. There were books with pictures and writing that was easier to read, a canister full of tea, biscuits and baked goods, a pocket watch, a hand mirror…a bag of seeds and grain?

"Payment!" Angellos squawked, "Payment- CAW! -for me!"

"Oh," she uttered as she gave the bag to the crow who ate its contents hungrily.

She looked at the last thing in the package and was shocked to find a small glass vial full of blood. It was unmistakable; the way it moved, the smell, the colour; it was human blood. It almost made her drool on sight. How long had it been since she's consumed human blood? Far too long. Her stomach gurgled hungrily and her tongue licked her lips. She was about to break into it and cosume ever single drop…but she forced herself to stop.

"Who…whose blood is this?" she nervously asked, "I don't want Timere-sama to be angry at me."

"CAW- It's Timere's blood which has been diluted," Angellos answered, much to her shock, "He says that it should tied you over- CAW -He says not to drink it all at once."

Ara looked down at the vial. Hunger and desire burned in her eyes as she licked her lips once again. Human blood was right in her hands and she was free to consume it. She wanted nothing more than to break it and lick it clean as sate her burning hunger…but she stopped herself at the last moment.

She closed her eyes and turned her head away from the vial; ignoring the beautiful sight, the tantalising smell and the delicious taste. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

"No…stop it. Timere-sama wouldn't like it," she muttered to herself.

She opened her eyes and saw the cup of tea she had beside the mat she was resting on. After some thought, she reached for the cup and brought it back to her before she raised the vial of blood over the cup. Carefully, she tipped a few droplets into her tea before sealing the vial back before she could be tempted to consume it. She raised the cup to her face, swirled the blood around with the hot water and drunk from it. She could taste the droplets of blood mixed in with the tea leaves and felt a small amount of power surge within her, but she felt more in control of her actions. She had no desire for any blood lust or killing, nor did she have the urge to consume on human flesh.

She was satisfied. Simple as that.

She gave a content hum and closed her eyes peacefully as she sipped her tea, enjoying the sensation more and more. She would look over the other gifts in the package later. Right now, she wanted to concentrate on this.

However, unaware to her, the place around the base of her neck was beginning to flake away in small chips of dry skin. The white snow white skin was starting to fade away to reveal the normal greyish skin of a common demon.

---

Forest, Northern Nagano Prefecture

Two Weeks Later

Through the valleys and the mountains just north of Hakuba, where proper roads and towns were sparse, Michael rode through the calm forest and played his shakuhachi as the breeze flowed over him.

It had been around a fortnight since his departure and it had been strangely calm. He had completed five missions in that time. They weren't too arduous; in fact, they were very simple. Some minor, weak demons who had been terrorising villages in the area and were easily dealt with a single swipe of his katana. He would say that they were hardly worth his time, but, really, it was worth it for the safety of the villagers. They offered him gifts, a place to stay and, in one place, somebody offered him their daughter's hand in marriage. He politely declined all of them, (especially the marriage one) and swiftly left before they could insist.

He continued to play a soulful tune on the wooden instrument, maintaining his Breathing as he did, when he suddenly sensed something coming towards him from the trees on the right. He stopped Kaze and placed his hand on his sword in preparation.

Bursting out of the tree line and onto the path, was a man who looked to be in his late twenties with short dark brown hair, small brown eyes and a round freckled face. He wore a simple yellowish peasants garment and zori shoes and a string of red beads around his neck. He stumbled on the path, his eyes wide in panic and his his face covered in sweat, and turned to him with a gasp of relief.

"Thank the Kami. I need help!" he cried out as he ran to him, "Please! I know I sound crazy, but there's a yokai that has attacked my family!" he said as he pointed to forest that he ran out from, "He dragged my wife in a pit not too far from here! You have to help me, please, stranger!"

Michael frowned and immediately leapt of his horse, "Take me to them now."

"Of course, follow me," the man said as he led him into the forest where the demon had attacked him.

Through the thick bushes and densely packed trees, Michael followed the man deeper and deeper into the forest as fast as they could. The man didn't stop for a single second and kept his gaze focused up ahead.

Michael couldn't help, but sense something was off about this. The man was nervous, he could tell in his movement and his speech, but it wasn't the type of nervous that is associated with the concern for his family. It was a type of nervousness that is associated with the fear of being caught. He kept his thoughts to himself for now and focused on the mission ahead of him.

They soon came out of the tree line and found themselves standing on a clearing in the middle of the forest. There was little vegetation here; the ground was made of rock with blades of grass poking out and an old tree that was clinging to what life it had left. The only notable thing on this clearing was a dark hole that was cut into the ground; it was half a meter in diameter and was so deep that the sunlight couldn't even reach the bottom of it. Curiously enough, Michael did sense something else right next to the hole. A boulder, about a tall as his shoulder, rested on the side of the pit and, to the side of it, was a plank of worm wood. He frowned in intrigue as he sensed it, but the man ushered him closer to the pit's edge and pointed frantically down at it.

"Please! It went back into there! It might look deep, but the floor is not too far away," he urgently said, "You have to help, please! Quickly!"

Michael cautiously made his way to the pit's edge and turned his head down towards it as if he was inspecting it for any signs of demon activity.

The man took a step back until he stood behind him and took a deep breath. His eyes focused onto Micheal's back with a steely gaze. His fists balled into tights fists, his teeth ground together in determination before he lurched towards him with his hands raised and ready to push him into the pit.

However…Michael reached back and grabbed the shocked man by the front of his clothes and swung him forwards. The man gasped in surprise as he suddenly found himself dangling over the pit; he reached out and grabbed ahold of his arm for extra support as his legs kicked the air in panic. The man looked up as he struggled to cling on and gasped once again as he saw the tight bandages over his eyes which had been previously obscured by the brim of his jingasa.

"You're…you're…blind…how can…you-"

"I don't think you're in any position to be asking me questions," Michael coldly said, "I should have realised earlier, but you arrived so suddenly that I was caught briefly unawares. That path that I was travelling on has been talked a lot in the local towns. Apparently, some travellers have been reported missing whilst travelling along it. I was about to camp out to see if there were any demons at work here so I wasn't expecting for you to arrive. It turns out it wasn't a demon…just a serial killer."

"No! Please!" the man begged, "There is a d-"

He suddenly stopped talking and his eyes darted to the forest behind him. Michael didn't see the look, but the pause in his speech was enough."

"If there was a demon then you ought to know that they don't come out during the day," he told him before he nodded towards the boulder and the plank of wood, "And they certainly have enough strength to move a boulder that size over the entrance of the pit without the need of a lever," he glowed down at the man with a terrifying snarl, "Now. Explain yourself."

The man shook in fear and closed his eyes. Terrified tears formed in his eyes and flowed down his cheeks as he gritted his teeth to prevent himself from sobbing.

"I…I can't…" he whispered, "…She'll…she'll kill me."

Michael grunted in annoyance and was about to demand more answers when he sensed something from deep in the pit. He turned his head down to it and used his Breathing to sense what was down there in the foreboding pit, but the air was still down there and brought him no results. He listened carefully and heard something; a scuttling noise and dark voices muttering in the darkness. He hummed thoughtfully and tossed the man away from the pit's mouth to safely on the solid ground. The man landed on the rough terrain hard and groaned in pain, but then he looked up at Michael in confusion.

"W-what are you going to do?" he uttered.

Michael calmly drew his sword and held it down at his side, "I'm going in," he answered, "Make yourself useful and seal the entrance up as you intended."

The man looked at him in disbelief, "You what!?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Just do what I say."

"B-but…why!?"

The Slayer turned back to him and rested the blade of his sword against his shoulder, "There are demons down there," he told him, "It would be rude of me to postpone their deaths any longer."

To his shock, Michael turned away and leapt feet first into the pit and disappeared down it in a split second.

The man's eyes widened as he scrambled to the pits edge and looked down at the abyss below, hoping to find any sort of way of bring him up, but it was too late. He lip quivered as he tried to suppress a sob; he held his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he whispered to himself, "Please forgive me for my crimes."

"Don't bother," a cruel, sinister voice drawled, "As if there is anybody who would after what you've done."

The man's eyes open wide and his face turned deathly pale. He looked around and saw, to his horror, the monster who had control over him.

Mukago smirked down at him with a malice glint in her red eyes. In one hand, she held aloof a paper umbrella that she used to conceal herself from the sun and her other hand was drenched in blood that dripped frequently onto the ground. She gave a sinister giggle as she licked the blood from her hand with her black tongue; it made the man very ill just looking at it.

"Well…" she said, "You heard him. Seal the entrance. The Kodoku can't begin with it still open."

The man looked at the boulder and then back to her, "I…I…I've done what you asked. Now please let me go," the man uttered anxiously, "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Huh? What was that?" she snapped, "You, a lowly human, are demanding things from me," she giggled.

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, she was face to face with him. Her eyes blazed with fury and disgust as she looked down at him as if he was nothing but scum. Her smirk was pulled back into a disturbing grimace and her body seemed to be shrouded with a dangerous aura.

"You should really know your place," she slowly said, making him shiver in fear, "I am the great sorcerer whose Kodoku will bring your little world to an end. My power is immeasurable compared to your strength, so either do what I say or will consume every…little…bit of you," she licked her sharp teeth with her disgusting long tongue, "This Slayer that you just lead to his death is an important one and his demise will surely win favour to my master. My Kodoku will earn his respect and I'll show those other bastards the power it holds," her eyes widened crazily, "You known what, I might even send my best down there with him to get the job done even faster. By tonight, Chino Kumi will no longer be a problem for us," she cackled gleefully.

The man looked down at the ground in shame and closed his eyes. He then said a little prayer for the person he had killed as that was the only thing he could for him now.

---

Michael fell into the darkness.

It seemed like he had been falling for hours, but it couldn't have been more than ten seconds before he landed on the cold, hard ground on both feet. The sound of his boots scraping on the rock floor echoed endlessly from within the cavern before slowly petering out; the air was thick with moisture and the coldness made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. However, it was the smell that was unbearable. It reeked of blood and decay to the point that it made him reel back in disgust. It was such an ungodly smell; had never experienced in his life before.

He fought down the urge to be sick and took a few steps forwards in the pitch black caverns until his foot kicked into something which clattered ominously. Reached down and felt the unmistakable cool touch of dry bones. There were hundreds of them of all shapes and sizes piled up right in front of them; not a single strand of flesh was left on them, even the marrow had been crudely picked at through sharp claws and teeth.

He growled in anger. How many victims have been brought down here over the years? Hundreds? Thousands? He gripped the hilt of his sword tighter and his jaw was clenched in rage.

"It's been a while since I felt this much anger," he whispered to himself as he cruel grin spread across his face, "I can use this to my advantage," he said as he kicked the pile of bones and listened to them clatter.

"Ah!

He stopped and turned his head down to the pile of bones as he heard a fearful yelp come from it. Michael frowned thoughtfully and gave it another hard kick.

"Ah! I…I…I mean…clatter, clatter, clatter…bone sounds…bone sounds…bone sounds…"

He recognised the voice from under the pile.

Michael reach down, grabbed the person by the scuff of his garment and dragged him out with one powerful pull. He gave a scared yelp and dropped to floor beneath Michael, rolling up to a ball in sheer panic.

"DON'T KILL ME! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'D DO ANYTHING YOU WANT!"

Michael gave a weary sigh, "Hello Kessen."

Kessen, the useless, cowardly demon who Michael encountered not too long ago, stopped his sobbing and turned to where he was. He could not see the Slayer because of how dark it was, but there was no mistaking that cold, intimidating voice.

"Lord Timere?" he uttered before he got onto his knees and hugged his leg, "I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU! HELP M-ack! he suddenly cried as Michael grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off his feet.

"What did I say about me catching you harming another human," he darkly threatened as he loomed over him terrifyingly.

"Wait! I'm the victim here! Honest!" Kessen said, "I haven't hurt anybody, promise."

"How the hell are you the victim."

"Please let me explain! We're both in danger!"

Michael sighed and dropped him roughly to the floor, "Fine. What's going on?"

"You could be nicer to me, you know," Kessen grumbled as he rubbed his aching back, "After all, if it wasn't me, you wouldn't have found that demon that was stealing those brats."

He suddenly felt a cold, steel blade pressing against his neck and gulped nervously.

"You are awfully bold for a demon who is close enough to be decapitated," Micheal growled.

"Sorry, sorry," Kessen hurriedly apologised, "Look, these caves are not what you think. They are not designed for humans. Sometimes they throw them down here so we don't starve too much."

"We? Who's we?"

At soon as he said that question, he heard a noise from behind him. It was a scuttling type sound; the sound of long sharp claws scraping across rock He turned his ear towards it and frowned when he heard it suddenly stop. However, Kessen whimpered in fear.

"They know we're here. We're doomed," he whispered in fear.

"Who are they?" Michael demanded, "Stop your crying and spit it out!"

"Err…well…have you heard of Kodoku…"

…

…

…

"…no? Don't blame you. It's an ancient practise. Nobody does this anymore. It involves putting several species of venomous animals into a pot and sealing them for months. The animals, in that time, will consume each other until there's only one left. In theory, that last animal would become the obtain the other creatures poison and become the most venomous of all," he explained anxiously, "Well, think of this place as a demon equivalent."

Michael gritted his teeth and took a step back in realisation, "You mean…"

"Yes," Kessen said as they heard another scuttling sound coming from somewhere, "It's that Lower Moon demon's big project. She thinks she can create strong demons by throwing us in here and consuming each other. She traps us in here; either by pushing us here or using some human lackey to trap us," he said, causing Michael to hum in realisation, "Then she seals up the entrance and makes us eat each other until the strong ones remain. She's insane, I tell you! Insane! She think that this is going to the tip the scales in our favour."

"And does it work?"

"I don't care! I just want to get out of here before I get eaten!"

Suddenly, they froze as they heard a wet clicking noise from somewhere in the darkness. Kessen whimpered while Michael gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. He used his Breathing and sensed a disturbance from behind him as cold air was inhaled and exhaled into the lungs of a creature poised and ready to attack.

The creature growled and lunged at him with its teeth bared as it aimed directly at his neck, but Michael dodged the attack and swiftly decapitated it with a flick of his blade. The creature gave a startled cry as its head fell from the rest of its body before it fell onto the ground with a heavy thud with its body following shortly afterwards. Michael didn't have time to sense where its decaying body laid as he sensed two more creatures coming towards him. The first creature jumped at his head to which he swiftly ducked under before the second creature scampered on the ground like an animal as it aimed for his stomach. Michael waited until it was close before he swung his sword down and cleaved the creature's head in half, separating the left from the right. It was stunned and gave a startled yelp in pain; he used the opportunity to spin around and chop off his head before it could put the two halves of back together. He heard the first creature that attacked him coming towards his back and sensed it jumping at him again, but he spun around and grabbed it by the throat, making him choke and gasp, and slammed it into the cold, hard ground. Michael used the heel of his boot and stomped on its face hard enough to hear a loud crack noise before he cut off his head.

Michael grunted as he picked up the freshly chopped off head the creature and ran his hand over its face. It felt like a demon's face, but it was narrower and its horns were smaller. It had shallow cheeks and shape cheekbones like that of a starved person, thin slits for a nose and its eyes were much smaller. On the other hand, its ears were much larger and sharper like that of a bat. He tossed the head away and turned towards Kessen who was cowering not too far away.

"What are these things? They don't look like normal demons."

"I wouldn't know anything about that. I can't see a damn thing down here," he muttered, "But some of these demons have been down here for ages and continuously feasting on each other."

"I understand," Michael hummed, "It's seems that they have adapted to living down here. Not only that, but the fact that they're eating each other must be effecting them mentally."

"Damn, I hate it if that happened to me."

"Kessen, I can assure you that would never happen as long as you remain so weak."

"…You're mean, you know that."

A chilling shriek came out from the darkness, causing Kessen to yell out in fear. Michael sensed another of these demons scampering towards them and swiftly decapitated it with a swing of his sword.

"Ah! More are coming!" Kessen cried as two more came rushing at them.

Michael dealt with them with two swipes. They were much easier to kill, but there were a lot of them and they were starting to surround them. He couldn't rest for a single second; if they overwhelmed him then he was good as dead.

"More are coming from there! And there! And there! Ahh! This is insane! Why are they coming for us!" Kessen shrieked in panic before Michael kicked him hard in the face, sending him skidding across the floor.

"They're coming because of you screaming, you idiot!" he roared at him as he cut off three heads in one go.

But now, Michael could sense more and more of them. Tens and dozens of demons surrounding them on all sides. There was no way he could take them all individually. He took in as much air as he lungs could take and readied his sword, waiting for the right moment to carry out his attack. When he was ready, and the demons were almost on him, he swiped his sword low, and then whipped back over his head and down and swiped once more as fast as he could.

"Forth form: Rising Dust STORM!" he bellowed as the wind swirled around his sword.

The whirlwind that was produced from his attack grew larger and more powerful that the demons were swept away by it. Green slashes appeared within the vicious hurricane and attack the swarm and lacerated them to shreds of flesh and bone. As soon as it died down, the demons had been annihilated with only the splattering of blood and various body parts around Michael left to prove that they once there.

Michael spat in annoyance as he whipped the blood of his sword, 'Damn it, that attack wasn't nearly as powerful as it should have been,' he thought bitterly, 'The air down here is too still. If only I could break through these caverns'.

He heard growling noise from behind him and turned around to face it. It sounded like one of the demons had survived and was trying to regenerate. Michael grumbled to himself in annoyance at having missed one and went to cut his head off...when he suddenly sensed something much, much larger right behind it.

The sound of a struggling cry rang out through the pitch black caverns from the demon which was followed by a sickening crack of bones and the ripping of flesh; the larger creature had raised the demon by its large claws and shovelled it into its terrible, sharp jaws before swallowing it in its entirety. From what he could sense, the larger creature was another demon that had undergone a change from being in the Kodoku for too long. It was twice the size of him and walked on its feet and knuckles like a gorilla. On its head were its horns which had curled around like that of a ram, on its back were a row of sharp quills and its jaw was larger in order to eat more of the lesser demons; its eyes were almost completely gone and its ears had enlarged to at least four times its size. It was not the only one, he could hear more of them around him licking up the remains of the lesser demons with their long tongues, using the opportunity to feast before they settled on consuming on him.

"They must have been down here for a decades. They seem more like wild animals then demons,' Michael thought as he readied his blade in front of him. A deadly smirk appeared on his face, 'Now this is what I call practise,' he thought before he whistled and called out to it, "Oi! Over here!"

The larger demon's head turned up and growled at him; it charged on all fours towards him and snapped his jaws down at head. However, Michael had leapt up into the air before it could snap his jaws around him, causing the demon to roar in anger, and aimed to cut off his head from above. Before he could, he heard something coming towards him and raised his sword up in defence. The demon had launched several of its quills at him, aiming to piece his body and rip him to shreds, however Michael, as quick as lightning, deflected every single one of them and leapt back before any more could be fired at him. He landed on the ground and instantly had to dodge another vicious bite from the second demon from behind him; in response, he raised his leg and slammed his foot into the side of his jaw and making it snap off. He leapt onto the creature's head, took out his dagger and stabbed the top of its skull. The demon shrieked in pain as its brain was stabbed right in the centre and tried to throw him off, but Michael held on firmly. Unfortunately, the first demon had already recovered, charged towards them, and slammed the top of its head into the side of the second demon; Michael was thrown off by the collision and landed into a roll before standing onto its feet once again.

He dropped his sword and raised his hands as he heard the demon charge at him with its jaws opened once again. He grabbed onto the jaws and pushed back, keeping them open and fighting the larger demon with all its strength. It struggled and tried to break out of his grip, but Michael held on; not allowing it to get away for a second. He heard another demon charging towards his back and so, with all his power, twisted his body around forced the demon's jaws to come with him and flung it off its feet towards the other demon. Both demons collided with each other, causing them to shriek and cry out in pain. However, before they could untangle themselves, Michael grabbed his sword and swiftly cut their heads off in two strokes.

He grinned as he defeated two of them, but resting was a mistake. Another of those demons had ran up to him and attempted to slash him with its claws. He managed to get away in time, but not before it had nicked his cheek and cut into his right arm.

"Bastard!" he spat as he sprinted towards the demon.

He cut off both his hands in one swift motion and pointed the tip of his katana at where the demon's lungs should be. He locked in to the air flow entering its lungs and sensed the wind within its body; he focused with all his might before he jabbed the tip of the blade into the creature's chest.

"Special Move: Twist!" he yelled.

The demon gave a gurgled yell as the air inside its lungs whipped around like a hurricane and tore its organs up in an instant. It reared back its head, gurgled and spat and vomited a stream of its own blood into the air. Michael used its weakness against him and chopped off his head in one stroke, allowing it to fall into a heap of blood and torn guts.

Another yell came from behind him. He listened to last of the creatures was charging towards him with its head lowered and its spiky back exposed to him; the sharp quills pointed towards him and ready to skewer. He took a deep breath, turned around and focused on his Breathing; building more and more power in preparation. He readied his sword in front of him and waited...and waited...and waited until it was close enough.

He swiped his sword from left to right through the demon's back. Not only did he break through the vicious quills and the hard back, but he managed to cut through the creatures neck in one clean cut. The demon's decapitated body slowed down and lumbered about for a few seconds as it tried to process the fact that it had no head. It finally collapsed on itself and began to slowly turn to ash, signifying that Michael had won this battle.

"Damn bastards," Michael muttered as he brought out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off his cheek, "Alright, who's next."

He listened for a growl, a scratch or a hiss, but heard nothing of the sorts. He frowned in annoyance and bellowed out into the darkness.

"OI! COME OUT, YOU FUCKING COWARDS! I'M RIGHT HERE!" he yelled before he smirked, "I'm only a weak, defenceless, little human! Surely you're not scared of me! Any of you! I know you're out there!"

He waited, but there was no reply. He snarled in annoyance and lowered his blade slightly; clearly taunting them wasn't doing the trick.

However, that's when he felt something land on the brim of jingasa, making him raise any eyebrow in intrigue. He felt the place it had landed with a gloved hand and found something…sticky had landed on it. It studied it in his hand before smelling it; as soon as he smelt it, he grimaced in disgust and flicked it off his hand. It smelled like the sweet smell of rotting flesh and dirty blood. Almost instantly, he understood what it was: It was saliva.

He leapt back just as the jaws of the monster snapped down at the place he once stood. The monster gave a deep growl that sounded like thunder before it let go off the ceiling where it had been hanging from and landed on all four legs.

The demon, if you could actually call it that, was giant; at least four times the size than the previous type and walked on four clawed hands like an animal. Its face, that looked human like with its long black scraggly hair and its sharp cheekbones, was stretched out into a sort of snout and its jaws was long like an alligators and displayed a row of sharp fangs through its lipless mouth. It had no eyes and its nose were merely slits on the monster's snout, but its ears were large and round in order to pick up as much sound as possible. Its torso was long snd ended a sharp tail that flickered excitedly as detected fresh meat before it. It had been so long since it had human.

Michael smirked up at the monstrosity, "Finally, I've been waiting for you," he calmly said as he raised his sword, "Are you even a demon anymore? You're just some sort of twisted monster that nobody would ever care about. An abomination. Still, sneaking up on me like that, that was pretty smart," he said with a practise slash of his blade, "Let's see if it wasn't just a fluke, hmm?"

The giant demon gave a fierce roar as it raised its claw and slammed it down on top of Michael. He raised his sword up and blocked the claw with the edge of his blade, fighting against it with all his strength. His knees buckled slightly, but he gritted his teeth and pushed back and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he heard something coming towards him from the right. He couldn't sense it in time and so the giant demons other claw slammed into him and knocked him off his feet; he skidded for a few feet, but rolled back onto his feet and charged towards he monster.

He bounded high up, avoided its vicious jaws, ran up its leg before he landed on its back between the demon's shoulder blades. He took a deep breath, got into a stance and focused on conjuring an Wind Style attack.

"Special Move…" he declared before he swung his sword low and spun himself around, allowing the sword to take the lead, "DEADLY WHIRLWIND!" he bellowed.

He spun rapidly around in a circle and ran down the spine of the demon; with each strike the blade cut into the demons back, making deep gashes and lacerations along the way. The demon roared in anger, but Michael knew there was nothing it could do. But suddenly, he heard something up ahead.

He stopped his attack and raised his sword up as something clamped down on it. Michael was surprised; it seemed like the demon had much more defences then he was expecting. The monster's long tail had rose from behind to meet Michael; the tip of the tail had morphed into human like mouth that was filled with vicious fangs that had now clamped down on his sword.

Michael growled in anger, "Get off now!" he snarled before he reared back his head and slammed the sharp edge of his jingasa against the mouth tail.

The edge cut in deep and allowed him to pull his sword out of his jaws before spinning around and slicing the tail of in one fell swoop. He turned around as he heard the sickening sound of skin cracking and flesh moving on its own. The demon had now grew more of the mouth tails all over his back, surrounding him in a sea of sickening smiles on flesh tails.

Michael crouched down and got into a battle stance. He took a deep breath and built up as much power as he could before he unleashed his attack.

"Third Form…CLEAR STORM WIND TREE!" he bellowed as he unleashed a flurry of slashes around his body.

The slashes cut through the tails around him easily, but to his annoyance more of the tails appeared around him.

'Damn it!' he thought as he charged forwards, swiping left and right at any of the tails that got close to him, 'I have to chop its head off now!'

He reached its shoulder blades and leapt with his sword raised above his head. He was about to cut downwards when one of the tails suddenly slammed in his side, sending him flying off and falling to the ground.

He crashed on the ground painfully, causing him to grit his teeth in agony, but he had no time to stop. The demon's jaws opened wide as its head shot down towards him, aiming to eat him in one go, Michael rolled onto his front and onto his feet. He was about to run when he heard something come towards him from the front; one of the lower demons was trying their luck at taking a bite out of him before the larger one can. He grinned as he ran up to the weaker demon, grabbed it by the throat and the arm and threw it behind him and into the jaws of the stronger demon.

The smaller demon shrieked as it was chewed and crushed between its fangs before the larger demon reared back its head and swallowed it whole.

Michael had a plan. But it was going to be difficult.

He reached the cavern walls and, placing his katana's hilt between his teeth, he began to climb up the rocky face as quickly as possible. He needed to get to the cavern ceiling before the demon can catch him. Although, his hopes were dashed when he heard the thunderous growl of the demon as it lumbered towards him with its fangs bared. Michael growled in anger as he only made it up halfway up the cavern wall. With one hand, he clung onto the wall while with the other he grabbed his sword from his mouth.

"Second Form: Claws Purifying Wind!" he yelled as he unleashed several air slashes at the incoming demon.

But the form was weak and the attack was not as effective as it only made a few small cuts that healed almost entirely. The great demon rose his claw up to where he was before it slammed down on top of Michael, crushing him between the rocky surface of the wall. Michael cried out in pain as he felt himself squeezed like a grape in a person's fingers. He spat up a little bit of blood as a result. The demon loomed dangerously over him with its fangs bared and ready to consume him.

But Michael wasn't having any of it. Nothing gets in the way of him killing a demon. Even this monstrosity.

Michael grunted as he began to push back against the claw with his legs, pushing him away enough for him to properly swing his sword. Once he was free enough, he raised his sword, inhaled deeply and gave the first attack that came to his head.

"First…Form…Whirl…wind CUTTER!" he roared as he swung his sword and shot forwards at blinding speeds, slashing continually until he was nothing but a blur.

He cut through the demons hand, tearing it pieces, and he ran up its arm whilst still continuing his attack. As he reached its shoulder, he jumped upwards towards the ceiling of cavern and performed the same attack again…but this time at the place that entered.

"FIRST FORM: WHIRLWIND CUTTER!"

His body became a blur of green wind once again as he rocketed to the ceiling and hit the boulder that was concealing the entrance way.

BOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The boulder exploded into hundreds upon hundreds of small rocks and fell away to the caverns floor. The entrance had opened and suddenly the entire caverns was bathed in beautiful, radiant daylight…

…and the demon's face was right in the spotlight.

SHHHHHHRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!

The demon roared as its face burst into flames; screaming in agony as the gentle sunlight began to burn and melt its skin away. It tired to move away from the sunlight and escape back into the darkness, but Michael wouldn't allow that to happen.

He fell towards the demon's back and raised his sword above his head. With the cold, icy air of the caverns and the hot, warm air that now entered the caverns, he began to conjure a powerful attack. One that he had only used once a few months back. This time he knew his limit and won' be making the same mistake again. He fell closer and closer towards the demon's back, the wind whirling around his blade faster and faster until it became nothing but a pillar of wind that he brought down upon the monster's back.

"SPECIAL MOVE…." he yelled at the top of his lungs, "WEATHER BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMBBBBBB!"

BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

An explosion erupted throughout the caverns as he unleashed his ultimate attack, shaking the walls and the ceiling around him to the point that it seemed like it was going to collapse. The demon's back was hit by the attack and it gave a choking scream of pain as it felt its organs rupture and burst from the pressure. Its spine shattered and fractured to pieces, its skin tore and flayed, its underbelly exploded from under it and released a tidal wave of blood and organs onto the floor.

Michael fell onto the floor and grunted as he felt his muscles began to seize up from using his attack.

'Don't stop!' he thought to himself as he turned towards the shocked demon and its exposed neck, 'Rest after this thing is dead!'

Ignoring the pain, he leapt up and raised his sword above his head and swung it down on its neck.

"CLAWS PURIFYING WIND!' he roared as three wind slashes were made from his blade and hurtled towards the demons neck…

…and sliced through it like a hot knife through butter.

The demon gave one last strangled cry before it shut its jaws and whimpered in pain.

The giant melted head of the demon fell and crashed into the ground, shaking the entire cavern to the point that pieces of stone fell from the roof and cracks appeared in the walls. Michael landed roughly as well and, despite his muscles screaming at him in agony, leapt out of the way before he could be crushed by the demon's body and landed a safe distance away. Slowly, but surely, the giant demon began to rot and decay away, filling the cavern with a dreadful smell as the burnt embers floated out of the hole. The monster, that head feasted on other demons and dwelled in these caverns, was dead; never to consume a single soul ever again.

Michael took a deep breath and crawled to the side of the cavern and propped himself up against the wall. In exhaustion and pain, he lowered his head and rested as there was no more demons for him to kill.

However, Kessen, who was awoken from unconsciousness from the roar of the Weather Bomb, crept towards the Slayer as he slept and hid behind a stalagmite. He peeked out behind the stalagmite and watched at Michael's resting form before looking around the large caverns that he had been trapped in for the past several weeks. Now that light was pouring through the entrance at the roof, it had been the first time he had properly looked around and noticed how enormous they were. It must have been fifty meters high and wide. He turned his attention back to Michael and gave a thoughtful expression; he hadn't moved at all.

"Mmm…this might be a good time to get a quick meal," he hummed as a cruel grin, "I'm sure he won't care if I take an arm…or a leg…or-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw one of the weaker demons climb out from its hiding place and scamper towards Michael as he slept. His jaws dripped with saliva and its tongue hungrily licked his lips in anticipation.

"Damn it," Kessen muttered, "It got there before me."

The demon gave a hungry hiss as it stood over Michael before it attacked…

…but before it could feast…Michael's hand reached up and grabbed him by the throat, making the demon squawk and cry out in shock. The Slayer calmly tightly squeezed its throat until its neck snapped with a solid crack. He then stood up, with the strangled demon still hanging limply in his grip, and tossed it into the light that was coming in from the cavern ceiling. The demon screamed and flailed as it body was set aflame. Its skin began to peel away and the stench of brushing flesh filled the air. Eventually, the demon became nothing but ash in the sunlight.

Michael grumbled in annoyance, sat back down and laid his back against the wall.

"I'll deal with the rest of you later," he snarled darkly, "Kessen!" he called out, making the demon yelp from behind the stalagmite, "Don't be an idiot. If you want to live then don't piss me off!"

Kessen gulped and hid back under the stalagmite as Michael rested once again, "On second thoughts…maybe I should let him go."

---

Outside

Far from the entrance to the pit, the man stood on the cliff and looked down at the valley below. His toes stuck out over the edge while his heels kept his balanced on the loose crumbling ground. His face was stoic and calm; hardly showing any emotion except for the hint of despair in his eyes. He gripped his hands into tight fists and steeled his nerves for what he was was about to do.

There were no villagers or roads down below. Just miles and miles of forest and woodland as well as animals like foxes and other large predators. They will never find him here. One step and he'd be gone from this world. Would it hurt? Quite likely, but it won't last for long. Would be go to hell? Possibly. After leading so many to their deaths it was what he deserved. Anyway, it can't be any worse then how he was living in this world at the moment. The only difference would be that he would not be under Mukago's thumb any longer.

It was simple. One step forwards and he'll be free.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath…and stepped forwards…

…but something grabbed him by the back of his clothes and pulled him back away from the edge. He fell onto his back with a painful grunt and looked up at who did it…only to be surprised to see the blind swordsmen standing over him.

"I-It's you!" he exclaimed as he got up to knees, "You survived!"

"I told you I wouldn't be long," Michael calmly said, "But never mind that now. What the hell do you think were you doing?" he snapped.

The man gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the ground, "Death is what I deserve!" he yelled, "Do you know how many people were down there! How many lives I ruined because I was afraid! I'm a coward! I should have let her kill me!"

"If wouldn't matter. That demon would have found somebody else to use," he told him honestly.

He was not going to waste time lying to him to make him feel better; Michael knew perfectly well that he knew what he did and telling him everyone was going to be alright wasn't going to work. Not only that, but he wasn't exactly great at encouraging people. That was more of a Tanjiro thing.

Sorrowful tears flowed from the man's eyes as he bowed his head and wept, his grief and guilt eating at him from the inside out. Michael sighed tiredly and adjusted his jingasa on his head.

"What's your name?"

The man, through his tears, managed to whimper out a response, "It's…Sasaki…"

"You've got family, Sasaki?"

"J-just my mother and father…they live a few miles south of here."

He was surprised when something heavy fell onto the ground in front of him, creating a metallic clattering noise as it landed. Sasaki looked up and saw a small money pouch in front of him and frowned in confusion. The pouch contained part of Michael's salary that Oyakata insisted he should keep just in case. It was only a mere fraction of what he earned as the rest of it was donated to various charities in the capitol as Oyakata had promised.

"That should be enough. Hire somebody to take you back to your family," Michael told him, "I'm sure they're worried about you."

"But what about-"

"Don't worry about that demon. After she see what I've done to her project, it'll be a good idea to use the opportunity to get away as quick as you can. Get some rest. It's all over now," he told him as he turned and began to walk away, "What's done is done. Killing yourself isn't going to help with anything and it's not to get them back...you just have to accept it."

As soon as he said that, his mind thought back on those he knew that had died. Chen, all those humans that had turned into demons…Henry.

Because of his actions, that were all dead.

Sometimes, he does wonder what would have happened to them. Would Chen still be living in Hong Kong alive and well, would those human souls still terrified of him because of his cruelty and would Henry still be living his own life back in London with his mother and father. In his head, he gave a weary sigh. In a way, he could relate to Sasaki.

The older man looked down at the coin purse with some interest before he looked away again, "I...I don't know if I can accept it...this will haunt me for the rest of my life."

Michael stopped and turned his head back over his shoulder towards him, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell that everything is going to be alright or that you'll get over it somehow. The world doesn't work like that. I wish it did, but if wishing actually worked then I wouldn't need to talk to you right now" he told him frankly, "Go home Sasaki while you still can and be thankful for the things you have."

"And...then what?" he asked desperately, "What do I after that?"

Michael shrugged, "Do what I do. Keep living."

At those simple words, Michael turned back around and walked back into the forest, leaving Sasaki alone on the cliff's edge.

---

The Pit of Kodoku

Meanwhile, Kessen sighed in relief as he saw the hole in the ceiling still open. Some sunlight was pouring in, but, judging by its angle and the red sky above, it won't be long until the night arrives. He can escape now and get to the forest before Mukago comes back. Despite this, he muttered bitterly and kicked a stone that was on the cold, cavern floor.

"Lousy Slayer. He could have at least stayed behind to help me out. I did, after all, told him what a Kodoku is anyway," he grumbled before he shrugged, "Still, can't complain. I managed to survive another Slayer encounter. Not many demons can say that, ha!" he laughed proudly, "Looks like I'm going up in the ranks. Before I know it, I'm going to be as strong as the Upper Ranks! Haha!"

"Excuse me?"

Kessen screamed in horror as he heard a voice whisper to him and a hand placed on his shoulder. He collapsed to the floor, hugged himself into a featal position and began rocking back and forth.

"DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME! DON'T KILL ME!"

"I'm not going to kill you," the male demon who tapped his shoulder told him, looking down at with his red, glowing eyes in confusion.

Kessen stopped his panicking and looked up at him, "Oh…right," he jumped back onto his feet and took a deep breath, "Careful there. I'm still on edge after all of that. I could have accidentally killed you."

"Yeah…sure," the demon grumbled, "Have you any idea what happened here? We're all very confused."

"We?" Kessen questioned before he noticed the three other demons standing behind him.

There were two male demons and one single female demon; they all looked to be starved almost to death from having not eaten human flesh for several years. Not only that, but each had suffered several serious injuries: jagged cuts all over their bodies, ripped off limbs, missing eyes, one of the male demons has had a huge chunk of his face beaten off to reveal his dark skull and his sharp teeth. Their injuries were regenerating themselves, but it was a slow, painful process due to their lack of strength. They're horns were small and their eyes have lost their murderous animalistic glint due to exhaustion.

Kessen blinked at them in bafflement as he took a step back away from them, "Huh? There are more survivors? I thought I was the only one."

"We managed to hide ourselves in small caverns in the walls," one of the other male demons explained tiredly, "When it's calm out, we leave and drag back any sort of flesh we happened to find. We've been living on scraps for years now."

'Caverns…why didn't I think of that?' Kessen thought in astonishment.

"Hey, do you know what happened here?" the female demon asked, "Where did they go? Kao said they a demon killed all of them, but that's impossible."

"It's not. I swear I saw them," the demon with a half-eaten face insisted, his one eye darting around crazily, "It was insane. I never seen something so far before. Maybe they were a Upper Rank or something."

"If it was a demon then they would surely be dead up there," the first male demon said as he pointed up to the hole in the cavern roof, "Let's not make rash decisions."

"Then where did they go then, huh!?"

Kessen listened as they all began to argue and scratched the back of his head, "Err…it wasn't a demon. It was a Slayer."

The demons fell deathly silent at that. They shared unsure looks (the best they could ) before looking back at Kessen.

"You mean…a Hashira was here."

He shook his head, "No, he's just a regular Slayer…" he trailed off slightly when an idea formed in his head, "…but…he's definitely a powerful. Much more powerful than the tiny humans they usually send out. I should know. I've encountered him before," he told them with a proud smirk.

"You…what!?"

"And you didn't kill him!?"

"No, unfortunately not," Kessen sighed dramatically, "I battled Chino Kumi…that's what he's called by the way, did I mention that?"

"No."

"Well…I have now- Ahem! - I battled Chino Kumi before and yet our strength was evenly matched. So, we partied ways, in hope that we will fight another day."

"Well, that's certainly something," the first demon said, "So, either the human is as strong as demon or you're as weak as a human."

"Yes…" Kessen said, before his smile fell as he realised what he said, "…wait, what?"

"So, who is he?" the female demon asked desperately, "What sort of human could have done this if it wasn't a Hashira?"

Kessen cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well…I can tell you all about him while we wait for the sun go down," he said with a grin, "He goes by the name…Lord Timere…"

---

Forest

Mukago was in utter disbelief.

The bolder that had kept the caves sealed for all these centuries was nothing more than pieces of broken rock. Parts of the pit's edge was broken and shattered and there was a strong scent of death that lingered in the still night air.

She cautiously approached the cave and looked inside. The light of the full moon illuminated its cavernous interior, revealing to him that not a single demon remained inside. All of them, including the ones that had been there for centuries, were dead and decaying to ash.

She gave a choked cry and fell to his hands and knees; her long, sharp fingernails scratched the ground and her teeth were gritted together in fury.

"It's…it's…gone…all of it…is gone," she uttered before her slammed fists on the ground, "DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL! YOU STUPID SLAYER! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

Rokuro sighed as he leaned against a nearby tree and watched his fellow Lower Moon scream and cry as she hammered and punched the earth beneath her; cursing the name of the Slayer who had caused her so much pain. He shook his head, pushed himself off the tree and walked over to her.

"Will you shut up. You're being really pathetic right now," he muttered.

Mukago snapped his head towards her with tears in his eyes, "Are you retarded!? Are you completely brainless, you bastard!" she yelled, causing him to growl in anger, "My Kodoku was going to bring the utter devastation to the Slayers! They will all be wiped out in seconds if I unleashed my venomous creations on them! But now that's it's all ruined! Several decades of work and careful planning AND THAT STUPID SLAYER DESTROYED IT ALL!" she bellowed. Her eyes bulged in their sockets and her teeth were ground together so hard that they were going to break, "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM! I'LL RIP HIS THROAT OUT AND FEAST ON HIS ENTRAILS! I WILL KILL HI-"

And that was all she had said before her jaw snapped wide open with a loud cracking noise; a powerful, muscular black arm came shooting out form her gaping mouth and its hand gripped the top of her skull in its powerful grip. She screamed as the claws dug into her skull harder…and harder…and harder until…

SCHLICK!

Her head caved in and exploded into a shower of blood, bone and slimy, pulpy flesh. Rokuro leapt back in shock as the demon's lifeless body slumped forwards and collapsed into a bloody heap on the edge of the pit. He grimaced and shivered at the sight; Muzan's curse that he put on all of his demons was hard to watch and made him feel to the stomach. Not because of her violent death, but by the fact that it might happen to him.

"She made a lot of mistakes."

Rokuro gulped in fear as he heard a soft, but dangerous voice enter his head. He froze in terror for a few seconds before he got onto his knees and bowed to the invisible entity that was his master.

"Master-"

"Be quiet," Muzan snapped, "I am starting to lose patience with you Lower Ranks. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

Rokuro's eyes shot wide open in sheer panic. He had not thought up of an idea to get Micheal Timere; this will surely get him killed.

"Well? Don't waste my time," Muzan's cold voice snarled.

The demon stared at the ground and focused on something. On anything.

Until he eventually, thought of something.

"My lord," he croaked out before he cleared his throat and spoke in a more confident voice, "I know a way that will compel him into your hands. But it will take a while for me to establish it."

"How long?"

"Possibly….six or seven months, but it will be worth it, my lord! And I will have to travel overseas!"

He could feel Muzan's eyes burn into his very soul at this point, causing him to whimper in fear but he still stood strong despite it

"And for what reason…would you want to do that?" Muzan's icy voice questioned.

Rokuro's raised his head slightly and he gripped his clawed hands into tight fists, "Because I heard that is where he is from," he replied cautiously, "It would be impossible for him not to go back, knowing that his home will be under your influence."

---

That's it for now.

I hope you enjoyed it. I was trying to think of what the Lower Moons could be involved in. Each member seemed to have something going on that made them worth of being part of the elite ranks of demons; Rui had his family, Enmu had the Mugan Train etc...etc and I wanted to do something similar with the others. I was searching online on what I could use when I happened to come across an ancient Chinese practise known as Gu which involves putting several venomous animals in a jar and having them eat each other in order to become the most venomous of all (kind of sounds like the concept to 'Love Island', to be honest) It turns out that the Japanese had adopted the practise as well in the Nara period which is the period before Muzan was born. I don't know whether this practise was actually used or it was fictional as there doesn't seem to be a lot of information about it and I only mentioned a mere fraction of what the practise was and what it was used for. If you want to find out more than I recommend reading up on Gu magic and ancient sorcery...but please don't do it yourself at home as you would probably be arrested.

Anyway, thanks for reading and I'll see you next time :)

---

Omake - A Scene Cut Out Because It was Far Too Silly

Michael walked out of the forest and stepped onto the dirt path that he had previously been on. He used his Breathing to sense for Kaze...but he was surprised when he couldn't find him.

He tried again...and again...and again...until...

Neigh!

He frowned in confusion and turned his head up to where the neighing sound was coming from. To his astonishment, he finally found Kaze standing on the branches of a nearby tree several meters off the ground. The horse didn't seem all that bothered at all and was currently munching on some nearby leaves.

"Oh for God's sake!" he yelled, "How did you get up there!"