The Dancing Star
Chapter 31
12Thirtypain03
WARNING: This story is rated M for mature-rated content. If some acts of violence, blood, or anything easily triggering make you uncomfortable, please leave and do not read. Any change to a character, when introduced, killed, changed into a demon/human, or more will be labeled in the chapter of occurrence. If a character has died in a chapter, that chapter will give a cause of death to that character.
Nezuko and Yushiro
While Tanjirou went to fight with Yahaba, this left Nezuko and Yushiro to deal with Susamaru, who, without Yahaba to strengthen her own Temari balls, was a lot less dangerous than a demon to fight.
The most Nezuko found was that she would just increase the rate and power at which she threw the Temari balls.
The most important part about this, however, was Nezuko's ease of ability to now slice apart the balls without them even being able to move afterward.
Instead, she was now focusing on getting rid of the balls that were at most, just damaging the building of Tamayo's residency.
All the while, Susamaru, for her part, looked a bit concerned. She looked unsure of herself now.
This gave Nezuko herself the confidence that she would be able to handle this demon. Even then, if she struggled, at least Yushiro could make himself useful for once.
And that was exactly what he did. Yushiro immediately went invisible, utilizing his talisman to get close to the enemy.
However, since Susamaru already knew of this, it would be difficult for Yushiro to get in without being struck in the process. Just because he was invisible didn't mean he couldn't be hit.
And sure enough, Susamaru was already aware of what Yushiro was capable of.
Nezuko knew where Yushiro fell short of his capabilities, she had to step up to make it more difficult for Susamaru to get any form of advantage she had against him.
Susamaru immediately launched a temari ball in the way and direction Yushiro was, intending to strike him down before he could get closer to her.
Alas, Nezuko immediately intercepted with a simple horizontal strike, getting in the way, as she waited for Yushiro to pop out.
He did, and Susamaru immediately tensed as she was flipped by Yushiro after he struck her with an open palm to her abdomen.
"Put me down, you brute!" Susamaru exclaimed in shock as she summoned another Temari, and quickly struck it onto Yushiro's spine.
The boy yelped in surprise at the sudden feeling before he felt his legs fail him. Of course, his spine would regenerate, and with that, so would his functions, but in the meantime, Yushiro was vulnerable.
"Damn brat, didn't expect that…" He mumbled as he pushed himself away with his arm.
Susamaru was about to launch another set of Temari's at Yushiro.
Water Breathing, Second Form, Modified: Lateral Water Wheel
Nezuko quickly launched herself, twirling and spinning her body horizontally to successfully eliminate all of the Temari's Susamaru, having launched out at the fastest rate she could, Nezuko committed to one simple move and eliminated the entire barrage.
She panted, as that move was still something she had tried anew.
All the while, Nezuko hoped her brother was doing alright with the battle against Yahaba. Susamaru was more of an annoyance than an actual threat.
"Stop being such a know-it-all!" Susamaru yelled, and in her anger, she continued to throw the Temari's at a quick rate towards Nezuko.
Thankfully, she knew one of the most defensive forms and techniques of breathing. After all, water was specialized for this.
Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide
Nezuko quickly struck across multiple times in an angle, trying to remove all of the Temari's within her radius.
There were still a few more Temari's to destroy, but she saw that now would be the chance.
Water Breathing, First Form, Modified: Serene Waves
Striking softly towards the nearest Temari, it was still strong enough to properly slice it in half.
Susamaru looked on in confusion at the sheer calmness Nezuko was showing with her move, as the slash did not seem capable of slicing down something like her own blood demon art.
"What is she doing?!" Susamaru asked herself, a bit anxious at what she was witnessing. However, Susamaru's eyes widened at the next strike.
Or strikes, rather. Nezuko barraged with a large, curved strike that was angled to strike the remaining of her Temari's. A large tsunami of waves from around Nezuko's body erupted as the water from her sword lashed out, heading towards Susamru.
"No, this is not good!" She exclaimed to herself as she tried to back up. She looked at her own Temari balls, before seeing the blade nearing her. The water from the blade was not one of calmness, but now of chaos and an impending crash.
Susamaru's heart began to beat rapidly as if she were on adrenaline. However, this wasn't adrenaline.
"No, this is the final moments of my life… I'm worried about my life!" Susamaru exclaimed in her mind, "But I'm a demon, I don't fear for my life?! How is this possible?!" She asked as the blade pressed on her neck.
She continued to panic before she instinctively grabbed the blade, but instead, her hand was cut clean. She seemed to have forgotten that Nezuko was a demon as well.
"Throw the Temari's!" She yelled to herself in a panic, as she pushed a Temari to Nezuko's head. It somehow seemed to work, as the pressure on the blade on her neck loosened.
However, she then saw the down Yushiro and a mind popped up to hers.
She threw the Temari ball straight in Yushiro's direction. This seemed to have caused Nezuko's eyes to turn elsewhere, providing Susamaru with the distraction she needed to narrowly escape death.
Nezuko felt a strong punch to her face causing her to be launched back a bit. Nezuko's figure tumbled away, as Susamaru was left with the now recovering figure of Yushiro.
"Well, would you look at that, You are also a traitor?" Susamaru grinned, before twirling her Temari around, "Well then, guess the boss won't mind another traitor being wiped off the face of the map, huh?"
"Wouldn't you love to see that?" Yushiro grumbled, clearly not terrified.
This confused Susamaru, who could only raise an eyebrow, "Well then, be scared! I'm about to end your life?"
"And how? You can't decapitate me." Yushiro explained.
"It's obvious! I'll damage you so badly that all you can do is wait here until the sun kills you! Isn't that nice?" Susamaru grinned, twirling her Temari's around.
"That is if you can even see what you are doing," Yushiro explained.
Susamaru was very confused by that statement, but Yushiro acted.
Blood Demon Art: Blindfold
Before Susamaru noticed it, she was completely blinded.
"What?!" Susamaru asked, clearly shocked, as she was trying to feel around. "What did you do to me?!" She asked, more like begged, as her voice went from confident to scared in a mere fraction of a second.
It was almost comical.
"Isn't it obvious? I blinded you!" Yushiro answered for the kid demon, as he had merely summoned a talisman and thrown it onto Susamaru's eye, causing her two eyes to become damaged beyond functionality, for now.
This would regenerate since she was a demon, but it gave him enough time to get up and fight Susamaru.
Susamaru was unaware of where Yushiro was thanks to his blindfold, which blinded Susamaru.
However, what this did to her instead was cause her to launch her Temari's at a much more rapid rate, causing Yushiro to dodge most of them.
He didn't have a strong way of dealing with nor intercepting them besides absorbing them with his body, which, being frail, was not a good idea.
He had to dodge, or else that was it. He would have lost his advantage and the surprise he gave to Susamaru.
He felt his body being clipped by one as an answer to how much to what was at stake there right now.
Nezuko however, was finally up, and she quickly knew that now she was at an advantage because of the vision impairment Susamaru had.
Water Breathing, Fifth Form: Blessed Rain After the Drought
Nezuko immediately gripped her blade a bit differently and flowed her strike incredibly smoothly. However, upon striking a single Temari, Nezuko realized the vacuum that Susamaru had created.
By creating so many Temari balls around her they were all surrounding her and creating a large windstorm that made it almost impossible for both her and Yushiro to get into it.
"Try and destroy this!" Susamaru exclaimed before she launched them out.
They were all spiraling out, with the bulk heading to either Nezuko, Yushiro or the building Tamayo resided in.
"Shit!" Yushiro exclaimed as he did his best to dodge the Temari balls heading towards him. Alas, some clipped him, but he mostly managed to remain intact.
Nezuko calmed down, as she prepared herself for the next move.
Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm
Nezuko calmed her entire body down to below the possible limit of bodily function before she started to cut and slice up every Temari ball that was approaching her.
She had to remain still, but she was able to mostly get many from her and the rest. Unfortunately, it still took a lot of concentration and effort, something Nezuko didn't have as much experience with. For this, she would need more.
And true to that, she unfortunately couldn't get every Temari ball to be sliced.
Some had managed to strike her, but many of those struck the sides of her, rather than her torso and head.
She grunted as she felt some blood coming out from her arms and legs. Alas, it was fine, she could still fight, and Yushiro was now healed from his spinal injury.
She couldn't look to see how Tanjirou was doing at the moment, as she still had to focus on Susamaru.
"I think I know what to do, now." Nezuko thought to herself as she focused on Susamaru. She still had a load of Temari balls ready to be launched.
She re-adjusted her grip as she eyed a soft spot on Susamaru. Right in the center of her body where her arms wouldn't be able to reach there. It made sense.
Alas, Nezuko knew she had to make her way there.
She focused on her breathing this time, knowing it was critical now. She had to get this to work, or else Susamaru would continue to cause havoc and problems for everyone.
She couldn't rely on her brother this time. She had to do this herself.
And she would.
Total Concentration – Water Breathing. Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent
Using this form to further assist with her movement speed, she was able to move at a more flexible position so Susamaru struggled to even strike her. One Temari ball came to her right, so she twisted her body around for that Temari to harmlessly pass by her.
Susamaru grunted while Nezuko noticed another three approaching her relatively quickly. Two from her left, and one from her right.
She quickly swiped the Temari to the right, running towards the right to give her some space away from the Temari. While this occurred, Susamaru was doing her best to keep Nezuko at a distance. She didn't want to feel that burning steel blade on her neck again.
The fact she got out barely was enough, as her entire body felt like it was about to die from that. Just like many other creatures, they experienced explosive and scary growth and strength when near death.
Demons were no different. It was a universal feature.
Susamaru continued to launch her temari balls, which eventually became so much like a pattern for Nezuko.
She was easily able to counterattack them since they were no longer being supported. Alas, she was still getting injured, the entire ordeal and fight was much more manageable now.
Another Temari headed straight towards her, and this time she skillfully blocked it, although she was backed up yet again.
Of course, all this occurred while Susamaru was blinded by Yushiro's demon art, and so Nezuko was able to take advantage of that she was not at her full strength, else she would have taken a lot more damage.
"As much as he seems like a jerk, I'll at least have to thank him for assisting us when he could have used the chance to run away," Nezuko told herself, not aware that Yushiro had asked Lady Tamayo if they could do exactly that.
She dodged another set of Temari's thrown at her before she twisted her body.
Susamaru made a look of shock as Nezuko jumped high in the air.
Water Breathing, Eight Form: Waterfall Basin
Before she tumbled down vertically trying to slice Susamaru in half. She barely dodged, but the feeling of that blade grazing her was enough to send her insane.
She lashed out.
"I'll kill you before you kill me!" Susamaru exclaimed as she eventually swung her hands around violently.
This confused Nezuko as to why before she realized that Susamaru must've been a very young person mentally at least.
They were demons, and unlike Tanjirou and Nezuko, they probably retained their mental fortitude because they were loyal to Muzan.
Never were they probably allowed to progress and grow as individuals, told that the current personality they had was fine when in reality it only served the benefit of Muzan more. Of course, as people grow, they become more independent.
Something Muzan knew he couldn't afford to lose. He needed more demons for his army and race, so, he would need to find a way to keep them all in check.
Nezuko grunted as she decided that she should now apprehend Susamaru. After all, she was just a kid, and thus she could perhaps be shown a better way to live her life.
She sighed, as Susamaru instead was sometimes thrusting her hands out, sometimes without a temari ball.
She knew that this ironically made it a bit more difficult since she would have to retaliate accordingly. Any semblance of difference already made it a bit more difficult for her to decipher.
And so, she planned her attack accordingly. Now, she wasn't trying to kill Susamaru but to apprehend her to get as much information as they could about Muzan.
That was the logical solution, she thought.
She sighed, as she started to carefully run towards Susamaru.
Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance
Nezuko bent her blade enough as she maneuvered around, slicing her blade in an arc that cut off all six arms of Susamaru.
Nezuko then appeared right behind Susamaru as she stopped a bit, before immediately running back into the fray.
"She is completely vulnerable without her arms since she cannot throw any Temari's without them, therefore this should give Yushiro and I the advantage." Nezuko thought as she spotted Yushiro acting accordingly.
He kicked Susamaru hard into the ground before pinning her.
This made it more difficult for her since she hadn't had her arms regenerated yet.
She was in the process, but the amount of time the battle was going on, and the energy she undoubtedly used whilst under an adrenaline-infused state had caused herself to be overwhelmed.
Nezuko noticed that she had one more Temari on her sleeve, probably a last-ditch effort.
Water Breathing, Seveth Form: Drop Ripple Thrust
However, before the Temari could strike Yushiro in the head, Nezuko stabbed the ball in place, this time not moving without external help from Yahaba.
Susamaru could only look on in shock as she realized she was trapped and done for. She was defeated.
"I-Impossible! I'm a twelfth kizuki!" Susamaru exclaimed in shock and denial as she began to wail and act like a child.
"It's just what I thought…" Nezuko thought to herself, "She hasn't changed mentally…" She sighed, as she noticed her strength growing beyond what Yushiro was uncomfortable with.
Nezuko quickly grabbed her from behind and hoisted her up, trapping her limbs in the process. She made sure extra demonic strength was involved so that Susamaru couldn't escape.
That was around the time Tanjirou came back, albeit a bit roughed up, but fine. He was moving, and at least was able to move.
Needless to say, Nezuko knew her brother was very confused, considering his thinking that she was gone by that decapitation.
Regardless, now he took a sigh of relief, seeing that his sister was alright. He then turned to the now captive demon, Susamaru.
"Stop!" Susamaru begged after a bit as she was now crying a storm.
"And why should I? You tried killing us!" Nezuko exclaimed in her mind.
"Please, after what you did to my sister, I should kill you here," Tanjirou explained with no real hint of mercy before he then turned to Tamayo. "But these two might have a better idea for you."
With that, Susamaru looked at Tamayo, a bit nervous.
"S-Stop restraining me!" Susamaru exclaimed as she struggled to escape. Through it all, she was incredibly confused.
"How is she overpowering me? Who has 6 arms?!" Susamaru exclaimed in shock. She tried her best, but to her horror and embarrassment, she was being overpowered by a demon with merely two arms.
"I must get out of this grip! Else, Yahaba will die!" Susamaru exclaimed in her head, as she hadn't thought that these two would be formidable in defeating them.
She was incredibly confident, but now she was reduced to this.
"Please! Stop! Or else Yahaba's going to die!" She pleaded, trying to throw any of her Temari's out. Unfortunately, it didn't go any further than a meter since the remaining of her body was constricted by Nezuko.
"It's too late. He's already dead." Tanjirou spoke to Susamaru with no real sense of hesitation. He was holding in anger at the fact that these two demons almost killed his sister, just like the Hand Demon.
Now, he was going to be thinking of himself and his incapabilities of protecting his sister again.
He would have to get stronger.
"I'm sorry Nezuko, for letting them decapitate you like that…" Tanjirou mumbled in his thoughts.
"I never once blamed you for that, please don't bring yourself down when something happens to me, alright brother?" Nezuko asked back, trying to get Tanjirou to cheer up.
But it was to moderate effects. And she knew it, despite Tanjirou trying his best to hide it.
Yahaba was now dead, his head cut off from Tanjirou, and Susamaru was now apprehended, giving way for both Yushiro and Tamayo to give her the appropriate punishment.
If Nezuko had a choice, he would give her a chance, after all, she was just a kid. Tanjirou was a bit less forgiving considering she had harmed Nezuko, but since Nezuko was willing to be soft on her, he might as well.
"So, what do we have here?" Tamayo asked at last as if the struggling figure of Susamaru did not entertain her whatsoever.
"These two demons tried to kill all four of us. You saw." Tanjirou explained, "And one of them mumbled about being a twelve kizuki…"
"But…" Tanjirou stopped.
"But what?" Tamayo asked as she looked closely at the demon. "Tanjirou, this isn't a twelfth kizuki."
"I know… They don't have the kanji on their eyes. I've met one before." Tanjirou explained, "And although I couldn't get a hit on him, at least I saved someone from him."
This certainly surprised Tamayo, "That is impressive, Tanjirou. However, while she is too weak to be a twelfth kizuki member, her blood will regardless be important for our research on a cure."
"That's good, at least we have some progress…" Tanjirou sighed.
"Speaking of which, we do want the two of you to come down. We have a lot to explain." Tamayo explained.
"Wait! What about me?!" Susamaru asked, clearly given up fighting now that she was wrestled, her arms unable to do anything now that Nezuko was gripping all six of them, somehow.
Tanjirou looked and said, "And you consider yourself a twelfth kizuki? I guess that is what the subordinates of Muzan are like…" Tanjirou sighed.
"Shut up!" Susamaru exclaimed to Tanjirou.
"Don't you see the position you are in?" He asked back, clearly not wanting to put up with her.
"I don't care! Whatever you do to me, I will not answer!" Susamaru exclaimed.
"Is that so?" Tamayo asked. "You can't explain to me who Muzan is, or anything about him? He does seem like a coward to let his subordinates come after us instead of himself, don't you think?" Tamayo asked.
Tanjirou nodded, "That bastard… To think he would try and take the easy way out of things…"
Blood Demon Art, Blood Bewitchment: Magical Aroma of Daylight
"Oh! He's not a coward! Kibutsuji Muzan is-" She then realized what she did, shutting her mouth immediately upon realizing he had said his name.
Her eyes widened in realization and anguish at what could happen next.
"No! Please forgive me!" Susamaru exclaimed, yelling out after she realized what had happened.
To both Nezuko and Tanjirou's surprise, Susamaru began to discombobulate.
Tanjirou then turned to Nezuko who offered Tanjirou the arm of Susamaru.
"Thank you, Nezuko." Tanjirou smiled at his little sister before he chewed into the arm, watching Susamaru being killed, in quite a disturbing way.
Meanwhile, Tamayo pulled a syringe and began to inject it into the remaining part of Susamaru's body, her brain.
"That is the beauty of my blood demon art. Total truth. Once you said his name, you inevitably triggered the curse. "She will die, but Muzan's cells will remain to get rid of the flesh. I hope you have a merciful time in the afterlife, you child." Tamayo responded, with no real emotion toward the demon before she turned away, not willing to give more time for the now inevitably deceased demon.
While Tanjirou watched it all, and as he ate the arm of Susamaru to regain some quick strength, the memories of her life encompassed Tanjirou's briefly.
Susamaru's POV
When she was around three years old, Susamaru picked up a small ball. It wasn't anything phenomenal, but it was a ball, which as a small child, was immediately intrigued by.
Almost naturally, she began to play with them. Her parents of the time noticed this, and immediately smiled, seeing their child having so much fun playing with the temari ball.
As she grew a bit older, she continued to play. She enjoyed playing with the tamaris, so much so that she would go out to her neighbors, and organize small events with other kids that she would be open to playing with almost all of them.
Needless to say, her parents were surprised when they saw her playing with many of the neighbor's kids. She was loved by everyone, and it was mostly a time for her to enjoy communicating with others.
She wasn't the type to be rude to others, but open. She yearned to be around others, almost crying when she was alone.
Of course, this did become a problem whenever her parents left for their jobs. Her mother mostly worked at home but sometimes sold some simple stuff for extra profit. Needless to say, Susamaru wanted to help her mother, and while she was helpful, all she did was sell extra temaris she had, encouraging others to play.
She hoped she could find someone who enjoyed playing with them as much as she did.
It was even to the point that Susamaru's mother explicitly stated the moment a boy showed as much interest in the sport as she did, she would fall in love with him.
Jokes aside, Susamaru had plans to become an athlete, and even her parents could see it, due to her interest in moving.
She was never still whenever she was learning something, instead moving all over the place. She was a hyperactive kid, and while that was fine, there were situations where it could become a problem.
Such as getting lost in public.
Susamaru was known to sometimes get lost in public due to her always moving around without stopping.
Her parents always had to watch over her, and even some of her friends would get a bit overwhelmed by her personality and energetic nature.
But of course, some others were able to keep up with her. Her stamina was amongst the highest out of everyone else. Perhaps that was what was causing her to be ambitious and competitive.
She was always wanted to see who the fastest, most endurable, and strongest within the group. And because she wanted to become an athlete, it made sense that she would be competitive.
She aspired to be amongst the best of the best, and whether it was at something, she would do it. Her temari obsession and enjoyment were the core of her entire desires, for she had gotten so far because they were the foundation of what started everything.
As the days turned to weeks, however, many got fatigued by her energetic personality and her constant desire to play sports and the like, she was slowly losing more and more friends with time.
Only seven years old at the time, she was still at the age where she wanted people around her. She was a social kid who wanted to be the best she possibly could.
But now, in her mind, she was getting punished for this. She thinks she didn't deserve it.
She thought everything was for a reason.
But what this was telling her, she couldn't reason with it.
And so, she continued to knock, and when many of the parents said they were out doing their things, Susamaru wanted to go with them.
Of course, this caused many within the neighborhood to hate her a bit more since she wouldn't give everyone time to relax. She seemed obsessed with many of the neighbors her age, and by doing so, she was slowly dragging everyone away from her.
It wasn't a good look, and at school, it wasn't any better. Even if she was an athlete, she was looked down upon, mainly because of her attitude.
In trying to justify it, she made fewer friends and more enemies.
The world was a competitive place, and she knew it. Jealousy was common, and so even if she tried to be nice, some people could easily take the niceness for weakness.
And so, she remained calm and cautious. As long as she was strong and at the top, there was no reason for her to get jealous.
Needless to say, the rapid growth everyone received was a critical point for everyone, as this determined the start of their path in life.
However, Susamaru hit it earlier than many others. At first, they thought something was wrong with her, but she was fine. She was just an early bloomer.
Regardless, this made her even more frowned upon, because of a mix of jealousy. Not to mention that she was getting more eyes for other disgusting reasons.
Regardless, she was only eleven years old when her life changed.
A particularly bad fight.
Something she didn't even know people could do resulted in a fractured spine.
Some kids seemed to have gotten sick at her prospects and dreams of becoming an athlete.
And so they did what Susamaru wasn't even aware kids her age were capable of doing.
They beat her.
They assaulted her with metal pipes, striking it as hard as they could repeatedly on her spine, damaging it so badly, that when she woke up not being able to move her legs, she cried harder than she ever did, her first thought about becoming an athlete ruined.
Now, her entire body was frozen, both from the trauma she had suffered, and the physical injuries displayed.
She spent around two weeks recovering, but even then, it was futile.
Her grades dropped because she couldn't go back to school, and there was no way for her to become an athlete ever again. Her spine was injured, all because of children's jealousy and hatred for her personality regarding wanting to become an athlete.
She would ask herself if there was anything wrong with discussing what you desired in your life and if she deserved what she got.
And the answer to it all was no.
She hated the kids in the school who did this to her and sought revenge.
Now eleven years old, resting on the outside walls of her house, abandoned by society and parents with nothing but a temari entertaining her, she was waiting for starvation to end her pathetic life.
But life had something else for her.
A rather skinny individual with formal attire looked down on her, seeming a bit pitiful.
"Hm? You can't walk?" The man asked.
Susamaru eyed him, "What's it to you?"
The man chuckled, "For a little kid, you have terrible manners."
"Well I can't conform to everyone's expectations, can I?" She asked bitterly, clearly thinking she was at the point of no return.
"True. You speak out or speak too little, someone has a problem with you." The man chuckled. "Say, you seem to have no place to go, what's your story?" He asked.
Susamaru, at the ordeal wanting to vent, told the man it all. She told him how they beat her up, paralyzing her from the waist down all because she was too open about her passions and sports.
How she wanted to be an athlete, and was instead treated with this. Now, she was alone, abandoned, and left to die.
"Do you wish to be able to walk again?" The man suddenly asked, causing Susamaru's eyes to snap and turn to face him.
"Of course!" Susamaru exclaimed, "It can make me back to how I was… The best to show the most potential."
The man smiled, "Well then, I shall help you with your, recovery if you allow."
With that, Susamaru was helped up by the man, and the next thing she knew, she had returned to the school where the assault on her occurred.
"This is for returning my kindness and passion for violence…" Susamaru smiled maniacally, two months later, a Temari ball was in her hand.
The sounds of screams and bloodshed had caused the school to become a bloodbath, before she took a torch and burned the school to the ground, with everyone in it.
All this time, Susamaru smirked, clearly wanting to cause more carnage in the village that she thinks, had wronged her.
When she returned to see the very man who had allowed her to walk again, albeit with some relatively minor penalties, the man smiled at her.
"Good job, Susamaru." He purred to her, patting her head.
"You may just have the potential to become a twelfth kizuki." He explained. This intrigued Susamaru's attention.
"What is that?" She asked.
"It's the place where I allow the strongest of the demons I own to be placed. Keep getting stronger, and eventually, you can become one."
Susamaru nodded, "I won't let you down, Master!" She bowed before she immediately ran out, excited to consume more blood so that she could make the goal.
Perhaps her competitive nature came back through her demonic side, but she was hoping to become a twelfth Mizuki.
After what was around a year, she came back to Muzan and presented him with the amount of blood she had gained.
He looked a bit unsure, "Not enough, you'll need just a bit more, and then you can become one."
Rinse and repeat, until Susamaru heard the message she wanted to hear.
"I have to say, you are certainly one of the fastest-growing demons I've seen, perhaps it is time to allow you to become a member." Muzan smiled.
Susamaru's eyes widened with sparkles on them, "Really?!"
"Yes." Muzan smiled, giving her the go.
Little did Susamaru know, she, like many others, like Yahaba, was being tricked into thinking they were a twelfth-Mizuki. She was no different.
Susamaru didn't know they could easily be replaced, and thus she wasn't to even remain one if she got the job.
But Muzan kept that part hidden, instead making them all think they were all amongst the strongest demons to serve under Muzan.
Susamaru was no different, and when she was fighting, she was always confident in her capabilities. But now, she was defeated.
And left to die a pathetic death, expected to meet the mark of death, something she thought she had bested since becoming a demon.
With Nezuko and Tanjirou...
The two watch as three demonic arms erupt from her body, crushing every part. Only an eye, an arm, and a pool of blood.
Tanjirou and Nezuko look on in pity.
"Mari…" Both Tanjirou and Nezuko looked at the demon in confusion, as her hand was seemingly trying to grab the nearby Temari ball.
Nezuko quickly grabbed the ball, giving it to her brother.
Tanjirou immediately knew the message. He sighed, knowing that the least he could do was give the demon some comfort before she died.
"Here you go..." Tanjirou gave the remaining hand of Susamaru her Temari, Nezuko did show a lot of sadness at the demon who was dying.
Tanjirou himself was a bit less conflicted.
While he does feel sorry and pity for the demon, that is it. He couldn't change the past for them, and unfortunately, their actions were already done. Already committed.
Their actions have already caused more harm to numerous other families, and that was something nobody could just forget.
All in all, Tanjirou felt that even if she were to die, she did at least deserve to get some form of resolution for any unresolved conflicts that she had.
Regardless of the individual, someone's death should always be followed by conclusions and reconciliations. Nobody deserved a die full of regrets.
And so, as Susamaru's remains began to disintegrate, Tanjirou heard the remaining words come from her.
"Please… please play with me…" She begged the very last words she could say before the remains of her body were gone.
Tanjirou immediately got up, whilst Nezuko stared at the area where Susamaru once lay.
"Nezuko, it's time to meet up with Tamayo and the bulldog." Tanjirou reasoned, trying to get his sister to get up.
"Don't you have any sympathy?" Nezuko asked, bewildered as she stared at her demonic brother.
"Just because they had a difficult unresolved conflict doesn't mean they deserve any graceful way through death," Tanjirou explained. "While everyone deserves to have their unresolved issues solved by the time they died, and being comforted, that doesn't change the actions they've done."
"But still… She's just a child, and she went through so much…" Nezuko sadly spoke.
"We've all gone through struggles. And we all cooperate and move on differently. It is just how life goes." Tanjirou explained rather darkly. In contrast to Nezuko, Tanjirou seemed to be more pessimistic.
"So, you don't see any chance of forgiving some demons?" Nezuko asked.
Tanjirou looked down, unsure how to answer, "I'm not entirely sure how to answer that… I think every demon is a victim of the circumstances they've been locked into, but regardless they were also participating in tearing lives down and causing a great deal of pain."
He added, "While I will do my best to cooperate and at least give them the death they deserve if they hurt me or those close to me, don't expect me to be merciful to them. Only when they show regret and sorrow for their actions will I mourn their circumstances. Susamaru was no different. She was an individual torn, and broken by society."
"Alas, she decided to return it with more pain and anguish. So to answer your question Nezuko, I can't forgive demons that kill humans, but that doesn't mean I can't also mourn for their deaths and what happened. Only when humans see the joy in hurting others do I then see no merciful way to end them. But demons like Susamaru, I've already given them the pity they deserved, pity or not, it doesn't change nor lessen the impact of their actions."
With that, Tanjirou walked off.
"But if a demon were to change, and want to show improvements, would you allow it?" Nezuko asked back.
"Definitely. While I wouldn't be able to forgive them, I also can't judge them for it if it is not a semblance of who they are." Tanjirou answered.
Before the two could continue onwards, Tanjirou and Nezuko were approached by Tamayo.
"Now that this situation has been solved, can you both follow me downstairs? I want to show the two of you something, interesting…" Tamayo explained.
The two nodded, as the four of them made it to the room where the least amount of damage occurred: the basement.
As Tanjirou looked around, he saw a lot of concoctions that were science-related.
"What is this?" Tanjirou asked, noting the multitude of reds that were shown.
In particular, one was crimson red, and the other was scarlet.
"Tanjirou, this is your blood," Tamayo revealed, pointing specifically to the scarlet-coloured blood. "And this." She points to the crimson red blood cells, "Are Muzan's demon cells."
Tanjirou nodded when he understood what Tamayo was saying.
"Alright, now what do you want to show me?" Tanjirou asked. Nezuko was in the background listening.
"Take a look closely." Tamayo explained, pointing to the scarlet-coloured blood, "When I place them in the same container." Tamayo revealed as she placed both Tanjirou's blood cells and Muzan's blood cells together.
To Tanjirou's shock, the blood, while originally mixed and segregated, began to eventually turn to a scarlet color, which was the blood Tanjirou had, if he heard what Tamayo explained correctly.
"What… What just happened?" Tanjirou asked before he turned to face Tamayo. "What does this mean?"
"You see when you gave me both your and your sister's blood samples, I immediately placed them in this container for observation. Whilst you two and Yushiro were fighting, I was able to better understand the properties of both of your blood." Tamayo explained. "The blood here is from Susamaru, who has mostly Muzan's blood."
"Tanjirou. Your blood seems to be parasitic towards Muzan's blood." Tamayo explained.
"What is parasitic?" Tanjirou asked, which was a dumb question that Tamayo didn't realize he wouldn't have known.
"Parasitic means, when your blood is in contact with Muzan's blood cells, it will replicate it, while consuming and taking the resources from the host." Tamayo explained before she pointed to the screen, "That would make sense as to why you are capable of consuming demon flesh."
"Your blood requires Muzan's blood to get stronger and expand, but under a lack of demon flesh, can instead consume and switch the nutrients of human food to function," Tamayo explained. She then turned to them.
"Have the two of you ever shown a blood demon art?" Tamayo asked.
Yushiro nodded, "The boy did. He shined a white light that flashed us, and a weird ball that made that demon's blood demon art gravitate towards it."
This made Tamayo a bit shocked but also intrigued. "If you think about it, both of those aren't far off from the blood demon arts the other demons had."
Both Yushiro and Tanjirou nodded, "She does make a point…"
Nezuko was too busy dangling her legs off a chair as if she were a child waiting for her name to be called by a doctor.
"Yahaba had a red arrow that could only be seen by demons, and Susamaru was able to manipulate the powers of her temari balls..." Tanjirou mumbled, seeing the connection.
"But, how does that work…?" Tanjirou asked, confused at how such a connection could relate to his blood demon art.
"It gets complicated… But in essence, we theorize that if you supply a demon who is full of Muzan's blood cells with your blood cells, they will infect and take the resources from the blood from your own, supposedly taking in the DNA and information inside of the individual cell. This manipulates the genetic information, and the code for the function." Tamayo explained, causing both Tanjirou and Nezuko to look very confused.
"I did not get that at all," Tanjirou mumbled.
"The simple way, your cells can consume Muzan's cells and take it in for yourself, which manifests as even a blood demon art." Tamayo summarized, which made Tanjirou understand a bit more.
"There may be some hints, but perhaps not yet… But your cells act like parasites because your blood consumes Muzan's cells, which is happening right now." Tamayo explained further.
"Huh…"
"Your body manually creates Muzan's cells, as his blood is food for your body. Your body relies on Muzan's cells to multiply and function, but too much can cause your body to overwhelm itself. So, your body limits the amount created." Tamayo responded before she moved to talk about Nezuko's blood.
"Nezuko's blood is phenomenal as well, and something not to be glossed over regardless, her blood, perhaps when she gets stronger and more potent, can cause rapid abnormal growth, almost like cancer. The number of cells being eaten in the demon's body would function like a poison, ironically, killing demons with a higher concentration of Muzan's cells… This means you both may fare better against the twelve kizuki…" Tamayo explained. "In a sense, perhaps when Nezuko gets stronger, the blood can become an effective poison against demons."
"Is that so? I guess anything will be better for this goal…" Tanjirou looked down.
Tamayo for her part, looked at Tanjirou a bit concerned, "Is something wrong, Tanjirou?"
Tanjirou sighed, "Well…" He scratched his head, not knowing how exactly to explain this. "When we confronted Muzan, he talked about knowing our family… I probably already informed you this, but for some reason, I feel that he does…"
Tamayo looked on in interest, "I can understand your confusion. Considering the acts Muzan does to try and mitigate his subordinate's learning of what he did to them, it makes sense… But may I ask, why did Muzan find interest in your family?"
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Tanjirou asked.
Tamayo sighed, "Usually if Muzan had an interest in others, it was either to turn them into demons or kill them. If he had known your family for more than a couple of minutes, then something must have been the reason. Can you remember why?"
Tanjirou thought closely, particularly when it came to his parents.
Thinking about his parents was always on the thorny side of the walkway, due to the natural pathways it led into. Specifically, the unstable and relatively abusive environment he lived in, for it was the only thing he could remember. His father was the worst contender, even if he was also important for some particular fighting skills.
"I think when we were fighting Muzan, both Nezuko and I, he kept talking about the breathing technique I was using." Tanjirou explained, "My father told him how I wasn't able to perform anything."
Tamayo pondered closely before her eyes widened slightly. "If I may ask, Tanjirou, what breathing technique and style do you use?"
Tanjirou raised an eyebrow, before answering, "It's not a breathing style and technique, although it uses breathing exercises and techniques, I use a dance."
"A dance?" Tamayo asked.
Tanjirou nodded, "It's a close dance to me, one that I always love performing."
"This is ridiculous! What does a dance have to do with Muzan?!" Yushiro asked, clearly not wanting to continue this, "You've already been here and have caused a large amount of property damage!"
"Yushiro!" Tamayo scorned her lapdog, who immediately piped down.
"Sorry, Lady Tamayo." He mumbled immediately.
"Continue, Tanjirou." Tamayo insisted.
"Thanks, but we call it the Hinokami Kagura," Tanjirou explained.
"The Hinokami Kagura? I'm afraid I've never heard or seen this before. Care to explain?"
Tanjirou nodded, "It's a dance that is required to be done from sunset to sunrise, and consists of a constant and consecutive motion of different dances."
"Wow, so you have to dance nonstop for hours on end, cycling through it?" Tamayo asked. "What is the history behind that?"
"The dance?" Tanjirou asked before he responded, "Well, from what I remember, the dance is supposed to the Sun God to bless us without suffering from any dangers or sickness."
"The Sun God?" Tamayo asked, clearly surprised by what Tanjirou was saying.
"I've never necessarily heard about a dance dedicated to the Goddess of the Sun… What is the meaning?" Tamayo asked herself.
"Yes, apparently it was passed down from one of our ancestors, so we carry the dance with us," Tanjirou explained.
"So then why do you use it as a breathing style and technique, then?" Tamayo asked.
"Well…" Tanjirou sighed, "It's because I was struggling to properly learn the breathing styles at first… But by dancing the Hinokami Kagura, it allowed me to adjust my breathing to eventually work alongside the other forms."
"Why would a dance help one learn a breathing technique?" Tamayo asked before something was gnawing her mind.
But she didn't want to believe it. There was no way.
"That's what my former teacher said. He asked, Why would that work?" Tanjirou rhetorically asked, pretending he was Urokodaki. "Well, he thinks that the dance was originally a breathing technique, especially since some of our ancestors were skilled swordsmen," Tanjirou emphasized the term skilled swordsman, as he had never been told specifically that they were demon slayers.
Just little hints that a child wouldn't have understood yet.
"Skilled swordsman?" Tamayo asked, clearly shocked at what she was hearing.
"Yes." Tanjirou nodded.
Tamayo then asked something that made Tanjirou think of something, "Is it possible that those skilled swordsmen were demon slayers?"
Tanjirou stopped for a bit, before nodding, "I mean, anything is possible, right?"
Tamayo sighed. The shock had already caused most of her brain to tire from this, but alas, this was something that, one, she could regenerate, and two, was rather important to think about.
And so, Tamayo decided to see this for herself.
"Tanjirou, can you please show me your breathing technique?" Tamayo asked.
Tanjirou nodded, "Of course, I'll show you the Hinokami Kagura."
With that, Tanjirou went outside, making sure there were no demons nearby, that he couldn't detect. Once that condition was met, Tanjirou immediately began to perform some of the moves.
He decided to at least cycle through them all one by one, from form one to form twelve. He did not pick up on the surprised scent of Tamayo as he was too focused on properly dancing. If he was to perform any dance to the Hinokami Kagura, then he was to do it right as always.
"There's no way…" Tamayo thought as she stared at the dance, her brain being reminded of an individual who had given her hope all those years ago.
"There's no doubt… Although the moves themselves are a bit weaker than when that man did it, they still are the moves… This boy knows that breathing…" Tamayo thought to herself.
"So is this what he means when referring to his ancestors?" Tamayo asked herself before she decided to talk to Tanjirou about it.
"So he calls it the Hinokami Kagura, not that breathing style though…" Tamayo noted, but that was fine.
"Tanjirou, was it called something else before the Hinokami Kagura?" Tamayo asked, clearly testing Tanjirou's knowledge.
He shook his head.
"Seems he doesn't know it entirely... But alas, it's a very good formation, and with a bit more adjustments and improvements, this kid could make a huge difference." Tamayo thought.
A part of her wanted to tell Tanjirou the truth, but she knew now that this could derail everything.
"Knowing that coward, if Muzan was to find out that Tanjirou knew something he wanted, either he would stop at nothing to capture him, or to hide from him until he died… However, Tanjirou being a demon also meant that he would have to eliminate him with his materials… The fact he chose to have someone try and eliminate him says what Muzan thinks of Tanjirou." Tamayo thought.
"He's afraid of him, but unfortunately, if I let Tanjirou grow too fast and show off the true extent of his abilities, he won't gain the experience needed when he will ultimately become a target by the Twelfth Kizukis…" Tamayo thought, "Not to mention he may go into hiding, just like he did with that man…"
Pushing that aside, she eventually spoke.
"This world is very lucky that you chose to break contact with Muzan…" Tamayo shivered, as that was all she could say.
Tanjirou for his part, stopped and looked at Tamayo with confusion.
"Huh? Why?" He asked, unsure of the reason.
Tamayo sighed, "It's something I cannot tell you, that is something you will need to find for yourself, but all I'll tell you is that your breathing style is phenomenal and powerful… I feel you will do great things if you continue with that."
Tanjirou gave Tamayo a nod of confirmation and said, "Thank you."
"No problem; I'm glad I can tell you both what is happening with your body better, and I hope this allows you to get by better."
Tamayo sighed, as she and Yushiro now had to find a safe place, away from Muzan. While the siblings wanted to help them, Yushiro was against it, whilst Tamayo wanted to focus on collecting demon blood.
And so, she showed both Tanjirou and Nezuko how to properly collect a demon's blood, before handing it back to Tamayo, which will be done through a female cat named Chachamaru.
"Wait!" Tanjirou suddenly explained.
Yushiro sighed angrily, "What is it now?!"
"Can we get new masks?" Tanjirou asked, a bit nervous to ask, causing Yushiro to sigh in exasperation.
Zenitsu, Inosuke, and Genya
Mount Natagumo.
It was a rather ominous place for any demon slayer, considering the tallies of deaths that were given and recorded.
Some say it was a curse, others say a particularly strong demon.
Regardless of the circumstances, the situation got so bad that more demon slayers were being summoned.
Truth be told, after the whole ordeal with the Final Selection, the rest of the new demon slayers continued with their lives.
Kanao was probably the one who was progressing the quickest. Because she was a tsuguko of Kanae, she was able to gain missions that were stronger than those of Mizunoto, and she quickly rose to Tsuchinoto. It was respectable for a tsuguko, and for someone like Kanao, it gave her more evidence that perhaps being a demon slayer was better suited to her than assisting in the Butterfly Estate.
She had gone on missions with Kanae, helping her since her elder adopted sister was still recovering. After all, Shinobu didn't care for being a Hashira, since she was already integral for her reasons.
Aoi was an interesting case. She still chose to take care of many within the demon slayer corps, especially those who were injured during missions. However, in terms of her free time, she had decided to pick up the sword yet again. This time, she had chosen to try something completely different.
She had learned water breathing for the longest time while preparing for the Final Selection, but that was ultimately futile since she didn't defeat any demons within the period.
The resulting Final Selection which included the fire of many wisteria's that was now being altered and recovered was a stepping stone for Aoi personally, as she had felt that she was lucky and gifted for how she handled it. Therefore, she wanted to make up for it.
In addition, this also gave Aoi another reason to be closer to Kanao.
Regardless, Aoi has decided to pick up the blade and has decided to try a new breathing form altogether, trying to find one that would fit her style. However, from what the others remembered, she was relatively adept at water breathing, and thus she didn't find any need to change it all that much.
After all, she was trained by Giyu Tomioka for a bit, and with a bit more persuading, he eventually agreed to help her tweak it.
Once that was done, Aoi had managed to learn water breathing to a style that fit her well. Hell, she even learned the eleventh form of water breathing, with more that could come.
Zenitsu was an interesting case.
It was learned he could only learn the first breathing of thunder breathing. Tengen wanting to turn a wimpy demon slayer into the best person he could be for a challenge, found it difficult to train him.
He had tried Sound Breathing, and the concept of musical tone, which would have worked better for Zenitsu considering his advanced hearing, but alas, progress was slow.
And even Tengen knew he was a piece of work. Regardless, it only spurred him further into making a nonflashy demon slayer, more flashy.
In the end, Zenitsu was able to learn the first form of Thunder Breathing, along with a bit of musical tone. Zenitsu still couldn't learn any of the Sound Breathing forms, but at least musical tempo could help him better when it came to properly execute his form.
Besides, Tengen did find out that Zenitsu, in all his weirdness, was unique in his way. He was able to fight while sleeping, and unconscious, meaning he could function as the perfect element of surprise.
Once that became apparent, Tengen started to train Zenitsu in shinobi. It was again a struggle, but at least he was making progress. In particular, Zenitsu was able to mask his figure for the time, while also learning musical tempo. Even if he needed time before he could perform one form of a breathing style, he could make the most out of execution and style, at least that was what Tengen said.
Regardless, Zenitsu came out as a stronger demon slayer, but he was still rather timid and paranoid about everything. It took a long time for him to get going, which was ironic since he was capable of the fastest speeds out of any other demon slayer.
Inosuke only stayed around the Butterfly Mansion because of Aoi.
He enjoyed the cooking Aoi gave him, and like a dog, he came to Aoi whenever it was a certain time of the day.
That didn't mean he stayed where he was. He would disappear for times on end, claiming to train and to be fighting, before he returned and demanded Aoi give him some food.
Of course, many within the Butterfly Estate looked at Inosuke with a bit of an oddity. The reason for this was obvious. He wore a boar head, was shirtless, and was loud.
Despite this, Shinobu found something in him to keep him in. Mainly because she worried that the boar head would get himself killed if he resided in the woods alone.
That insulted Inosuke, who would always boast about his adventures living on the wild mountain. When asked about his family, Inosuke would always retort that he lived with a pack of boars and that when his mother boar died, he cut the head and placed it on his own, creating the mask he had now.
Needless to say, this disturbed many within the mansion.
Regardless, he was interesting enough to be kept around from time to time, and the frequent injuries he would shrug off were always tended by Shinobu and Aoi.
Of course, he did have his benefits, he was strong, in his unique way. His flexibility was really strong, perhaps even more flexible than Mitsuri.
Regardless, Inosuke was intriguing because, no matter what Aoi and Shinobu did, Inosuke always found his way back to the exact mansion. He knew where the food was, and he wasn't going to leave the food.
Aoi herself would always have to deal with the brunt of it all.
As for Genya himself, he was probably the most consistent of the bunch. He was progressing relatively well. He was determined to show his elder brother why he could become a demon slayer. He had completed the Final Selection and was now aiming to increase his way through the ranks, before eventually reaching the Hashira rank.
A part of him wanted to take the spot of his elder brother just to get his attention, but he decided that was too far. For the time being, what he would do is continue to slay demons, and eventually rise in the ranks.
At the time, he was progressing nicely on his breathing techniques. Genya had quite a bit of difficulty when it came to developing and learning the breathing styles. He struggled quite a bit, but Gyomei was a patient individual, and with Muichiro practicing his techniques regardless, Genya was capable even if he struggled.
If Muichiro was capable of creating an entire breathing style just for himself, then Genya could adapt his body to existing breathing styles.
The wind and mist breathing styles were a nice blend of evasiveness and offence, since wind breathing was the best offensive breathing style, and mist was among the best regarding evading.
For the time being, Genya specifically focused on his styles, all the while learning to control his ability to consume demons. Of course, his mind went back to the respective masked demon slayers within the Final Selection.
All that time, he had found himself interested, specifically in how he wasn't the only one capable of actually consuming demons and taking advantage of that.
Genya, got stronger and more affluent in his breathing styles whenever he was in his demonic form.
As a human, he struggled, but turning into a demon helped his affinity.
Once this happened, Genya was able to be as aggressive as he could, for he could regenerate during that time.
Zenitsu was the fastest, Inosuke was the most aggressive, Kanao was the most intelligent, Aoi was the most defensive, and Genya was the most unexpected. He had the most capabilities and abilities. He knew two breathing styles, could turn into a demon form, and even in his demon form, he gained extra physical capabilities and had extra vitality with his demonic regeneration.
For the time being, he, Zenitsu, and Inosuke were all being sent to Mount Natagumo. It was expected, considering the higher and rising casualties that were occurring right there.
Of course, Genya was a bit annoyed that he was being paired with two annoying demon slayers, but he decided he could move past it and focus on everything that was occurring.
He tried to block out Zenitsu's screams of anguish, or Inosuke's constant boasting about everything. For the time being, Genya was, ironically the tamest of the three.
According to Inosuke, Shinobu and Kanae were talking about the events that occurred at Mount Natagumo, considering it was enough to catch the attention of Kagaya Ubuyashiki.
For the time being, he knew that they were being sent to help deal with the situation. Genya and Zenitsu were officially tsugukos, and Inosuke was… Inosuke.
Once that occurred, he assumed Shinobu and the others, including Kanao and Aoi would show up trying to deal with the situation once the three of them calmed it all down.
As the three made their way over to Mount Natagumo, they immediately encountered a demon slayer who was nervous to even go deeper.
"Hey! What's going on?" Genya asked, clearly not wanting to deal with scared demon slayers.
"Ah! What rank are you three?" The demon slayer asked.
"Two tsugukos, and one… Inosuke." Genya mumbled, causing the boy to have mixed opinions.
"Tsuguko or not! Inosuke's or not, that won't be enough to handle the threat! We need a Hashira down here, now!" The demon slayer explained with a terrified expression.
"What are you trying to say, are you saying we cannot deal with the threat?!" Inosuke yelled as he grabbed the boy's haori by his neck.
"Hey! Put me down!" The boy yelled.
Zenitsu and Genya both pulled Inosuke off the boy.
"What's your name?" Genya asked, clearly trying to end this conversation.
"Murata." The boy answered.
"Murata, can you explain to us what is happening inside of there?" Genya asked, clearly trying to get to the bottom of this.
"S-Spiders everywhere! They multiply with every demon slayer they kill! You try and slice them, and a lot more come up to overwhelm you!" Murata exclaimed, clearly trying to explain what happened and why the situation couldn't be resolved.
"S-Spiders?! That's scary! I don't want to go there!" Zenitsu yelled before he started to cry, "I don't want to die! I want to live and find a girlfriend!"
Genya shut Zenitsu up with a slap to his head.
"Ow!" Zenitsu exclaimed in pain, holding his cheek where he got slapped.
"You are being too loud, be useful and use your hearing to tell us what you can hear," Genya mumbled.
Zenitsu sighed, "I-I can hear the sounds of some demon slayers wailing and crying, some yelling in anguish and agony."
"That means the battles are going on, is there anything else we need to know?" Genya asked Murata, who nodded.
"From what I remember, there was a family of spiders and a multitude of multiple other smaller spiders… If you get one of them to bite you, then you will be poisoned until you become a part of them. Not to mention that another puts you in weird plants that suck the human skin dry." Murata explained.
"Sucked, the human skin… Dry?" Zenitsu asked, clearly scared by that. Genya raised an eyebrow at that.
"Until your bones are the only things that remain!" Murata explained in anguish, as he couldn't bring himself to enter. He felt like a coward, and thus he needed to move, and at least warn the other demon slayers.
For the time being, Genya thought everything over. There was a spider family, given that it grew its family by killing demon slayers. Once this occurred, it continued to give them the advantage.
They would have to find a way to eliminate the source of the threat before it rose exponentially, and became even more of a problem.
They didn't need the Hashira.
The last thing he needed was for his brother to save him. And so, with a renewed sense of determination, the two entered. Zenitsu was still too much of a coward, but Inosuke pulling him in and Zenitsu crying his lungs out did find enough.
In the meantime, Genya could immediately tell that the forest smelled of decay. You didn't even need to have a strong sense of smell to be able to smell it. The sheer amount of death on this mountain was enough to get even the most stoic of individuals to be disgusted and feel a sense of panic.
For the time being, once Genya noticed this, he knew the three would have to split ways, or at least find a way to deal with the source.
Once that was finished, the remaining demon slayers could quickly get treated, and that would be a major death sentence done with.
While Genya knew he would run into more dangerous demons than the ones he encountered during the Final Selection and his missions, he felt confident.
After all, if he didn't do this, he wouldn't be able to stand up to his brother and be respected. He had to work for it, especially after everything.
Going through the forest, he quickly noticed that Zenitsu was already gone.
"Damnit Zenitsu! You bastard!" Genya called out, trying to find out where the yellow-haired bastard went.
"This kid… He's been trained by one of the stronger Hashira's, and he still does this!" Genya sighed, "He should at least be aware of the strengths he now has."
Sighing at Zenitsu's immediate retreat, he was stuck with Inosuke.
"Let's go you good for nothing, boar head; I hope you are what you talk," Genya mumbled.
Inosuke smirked, "Of course! I am the king of mountains! And I will conquer this mountain as well!"
"Speak what you act, please," Genya grunted, not wanting to be involved regarding this boar head. He was extraordinarily loud, not as loud as Zenitsu, but somehow was more annoying than the yellow-haired.
All while this was going on, Kanao, Aoi, Shinobu, and Kanae were all made aware of what was going on. Inosuke was sent to go and check on what was going on. Not just Inosuke, but also Zenitsu and Genya.
Both of them were tsugukos, and Kanao herself was one. It might be a matter of time before she is sent as additional assistance.
Regardless, Genya knew he would do the most damage he could make out to the demons inside of the mountain.
Once that was done, he would at least reach a milestone in his progress. Perhaps he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, but he would be sure as hell as an idiot if he didn't try and perform to the best of his abilities.
As Genya continued, he noted a demon slayer.
"Are you alright?" Genya asked, only for the female demon slayer to beg.
"N-NO… Please kill me… I'm dying a terrible, slow, and agonizing death…" The girl explained.
Genya could tell that the strings were tied incredibly tightly around her figure. This immediately made Genya a bit worried.
He saw that the threads, or strings were made of a blood demon art, and for a time, he wondered if he could eat the threads or strings off of this girl.
However, before he could, the girl's body was twisted to the point that she was no more. Her body was bent and twisted in ways that were beyond survivable. Her eyes widened as they were now fixed, and no longer moving.
The only thing moving her body was the tight threads and strings.
Genya immediately looked pissed off by this, both by his inability to save the demon slayer, but also for the sheer agonizing death these demon slayers died.
He may show a cold exterior, but he was a soft guy at the end of the day.
A.N / Hello! Long time no see, huh? As you probably can assume, school has been a large pain and I haven't been able to have the time to write more of this. However, we are almost done, and I can confidently say I can write more! Updates will start slower due to me having to catch up with my own story. So apologies for any inconsistencies, please let me know if I do mess up, and I'll quickly edit and fix it!
Not much to say here, other than we finished off the fight between Susamaru and Yahaba, and Tanjirou, Yushiro, and Nezuko. Susamaru died a horrible death, whilst her backstory is told, and made up, albeit with some influence from the actual manga. Her story was briefly mentioned, but not gone through entirely. Also nice to see the small differences between how Tanjirou and Nezuko show pity regarding the deaths of demons and whether they deserve it or not, the ethical morals of it all.
Another thing to mention is Tamayo's hypothesis and experiments within Tanjirou and Nezuko's blood demon art. This time, I've decided to give Nezuko an original blood demon art that will be completely different from the original canon. If you read my former, Hinokami's Blessing, you will know that Tanjirou's blood demon art originally was an extension of his original Hinokami Kagura that added his toxic blood to Muzan's cells. Now, however, we've learned a bit more about Tanjirou's blood demon art, and a hint for Nezuko's blood demon art. For Nezuko, I'll give her the poisonous traits that I originally gave Tanjirou in Hinokami's Blessing. For the time being, both Tanjirou and Nezuko's blood demon art will be different from the canonical ones.
Finally, we'll see a bit more of Genya, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Kanao, and Aoi. If you remember, Tanjirou and Nezuko's contributions within the Final Selection arc have allowed the five to get closer, and with them all effectively staying around the Hashira, they're all sometimes together. We've looked over the progress they've made, and they will interact a lot more after the arc. Anyway, see you for chapter 32, where there will be a surprise.
Character Profile:
Inosuke Hashibira: Male, 14 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'5" (165cm)
Weight: 148Ibs
Zenitsu Agatsuma: Male, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Weight: 145Ibs
Kanao Tsuyuri: Female, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Female
Height: 5'2" (157cm)
Weight: 112Ibs
Genya Shinazugawa: Male, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'9" (175cm)
Weight: 155Ibs
Aoi Kanzaki: Female, 15 years old
Status: Alive, Human
Height: 5'4" (162cm)
Weight: 132Ibs
Tanjirou Kamado: Male, 14 years old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 5'5" (165cm)
Weight: 140Ibs
Nezuko Kamado: Female, 14 years old
Status: Alive, Demon
Height: 5'2" (157cm)
Weight: 122Ibs
Susamaru: Female, 13 years old (chronologically)
Status: Dead, Demon
Height: 5'6" (168cm)
Weight: 128Ibs
Abilities:
Inosuke Hashibira:
Beast Breathing: A particularly aggressive and raw derivative of Wind Breathing, it trades the offensive capabilities for a more aggressive and puncture-type breathing style. It resembles the strikes of wild animals.
Flexible: Inosuke is unusually flexible
Heightened sense of Touch
Zenitsu Agatsuma:
Thunder Breathing: Only the first form of breathing, Thunder Breathing is among the fastest of the breathing styles, also capable of slicing a demon up in one quick strike.
Musical Score: Learned from Tengen Uzui, Zenitsu can use his hearing to analyze any rhythm within an enemy's attacks. This can allow him to properly time when to use his strike. Of course, this takes a long time, but the reward is more perfectly timed counterstrikes that could seriously damage his opponents.
Enhanced Hearing
Shinobi Training: Due to training under Tengen Uzui, Zenitsu undergoes some harsh training that emphasizes stealth, which further helps slay demons incredibly quickly. This also makes him slightly more pain-tolerant than the average demon slayer, ironically enough.
Kanao Tsuyuri:
Flower Breathing: A derivative of Water Breathing, Flower Breathing utilizes the vision to develop and decipher the opponent's weak spots. Kanao specializes in Flower Breathing allowing her to properly strike intelligently.
Enhanced Vision
Genya Shinazugawa:
Enhanced Taste
Mist and Wind Breathing: Previously discussed. Wind Breathing is the best offensive form, and Mist is the best evasive.
Demon Consumption: When consuming demon flesh, not only does he gain increased physical capabilities, but he also gains more power in performing breathing styles and techniques more easily.
Aoi Kanzaki:
Water Breathing: The best defensive form, previously discussed. Aoi also knows the Eleventh Form.
Healing Capabilities: Aoi is a nurse at the Butterfly Estate and has a history of taking care of injured demon slayers.
Tamayo:
Blood Demon Art – Magical Aroma of Daylight: Acts as a truth serum, causing an opponent's brain function to decrease, making them more vulnerable to telling lies and keeping secrets.
Yushiro:
Blood Demon Art – Blindfold: Placing it on the eyes of a demon or opponent, can cause his opponents to become blind for some time.