Kanao was furious. Upper 2 stood in front of her, smiling. He had now taken 2 of her Sister's from her. And now she would finish what Shinobu started and kill him!
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The battle against Upper 1 had torn apart the room, especially after Gyomei turned up. Bursts of fierce winds, mist, explosions of bones and shattered floors and pillars rocked the room. Upper 1 was not going down without a fight. Finally though, Gyomei was able to smash apart the Demon's head with his spiked ball. "Did we do it?!" Sanemi cried, hoping that the battle was over.
The body moved and started regrowing his head. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" the Wind Hashira demanded. Genya, who had eaten several pieces of the Kizuki's hair held out his gun. Several of his bullets impacted the Demon's body, and grew branches and roots, pinning him in place. "Good job Genya!" Muichiro called. But his head continued to grow back. "Shit! He's overcoming being beheaded!" Sanemi snarled.
As the Demon grew his head back, he looked even more Demonic than before. Two horns stuck out of his forehead, one larger than the other, while his teeth sharpened and grew out of his mouth at odd angles. Spikes and reddish thorn-like protrusions grew from his back. Insect-like legs stuck out everywhere around his body. Genya nearly threw up at the sight, while his little Sister and the Kamado Demon's snarled fiercely at him.
"That's one ugly ass adaption! He doesn't even look remotely human anymore!" Muichiro said in disgust. "You said it. We'll just have to cut off his head as many times as it takes to kill him for good" Sanemi said seriously. He charged at Upper 1, his Sword held ready to continue the fight. But their enemy was frozen, staring at Sanemi's Sword. There was a moment of silence, before the Demon reeled back in disgust. "Wait a second!" Muichiro called. The Wind Hashira turned back to him, "what do you mean, wait?! We have to kill this Bastard!" Sanemi cried back. "Brother! look!" Teiko cried, pointing at the Kizuki. Sanemi turned back to him, his eyes widening as he saw the Demon start to crumble into ashes. "What the fuck?!" he asked in shock. They watched as he continued to fade.
"No! You cannot die! I won't allow it! You will kill all those Slayers and traitor Demon's!" Muzan's voice screamed in his head, and Michikatsu felt his cells rebel against his will and stop being destroyed. As he struggled against Muzan's control, he grabbed his Sword off the ground. "I wanted to, be the strongest, Samurai, in the, land. Not- this! I will not, continue, to be your- puppet!" Michikatsu snarled furiously, holding his blade up to his neck.
"YOU BELONG TO ME! DO YOU THINK I WILL ALLOW THIS! NOW THAT YOU'VE OVERCOME BEING BEHEADED, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DIE KOKUSHIBO!" Muzan roared. "YOU KILLED MY FAMILY ALL THOSE YEARS AGO! IT'S ONLY BY LUCK THAT I EVEN HAVE A DESCENDANT! YOU MADE ME KILL MY OWN FAMILY JUST IN CASE THEY COULD USE SUN-BREATHING! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO USE ME TO KILL ANYMORE!" Michikatsu replied with just as much fury. He drew his blade across his neck and forced his cells not to regenerate.
His body disintegrated quicker. The Demon's and Slayers watched in shock at this scene as it played out before them. As he crumbled into ashes, Michikatsu reached into his Kimono and pulled out a small bag, "this is, my most prized possession. Please my descendant. Take it" he said weakly, holding it out to Muichiro. As his hand crumbled, the bag dropped to the ground, and Muichiro walked forwards and to pick it up. As his distorted head faded away, Michikatsu smiled softly, the fangs crumbling to reveal his real smile. then he was gone, leaving only his clothes and Sword on the floor.
Muichiro clutched the bag gently in his hands, unsure what he was feeling right now. But either way, the battle was now over. As everyone rested, Genya walked over to the Sword left on the ground, the one made of the Demon's flesh. He picked it up and sheathed it. "What's that for?" Genya jumped when he heard his Older Brother's voice behind him. He turned to look at Sanemi, whose face was carefully blank, not showing any emotion. "Oh, um. For me to eat, to power myself up. And in case my current Demon power runs out" he explained.
The white-haired Hashira nodded, not giving any other reaction. Genya guessed that was the end of the conversation. "'Nemi?" both Brother's whipped around to find Teiko standing behind them, her light purple eyes looking down at their Older Brother nervously. After a moment of staring at each other, Sanemi held out his arms for his baby Sister, "it's okay Teiko. Come here" he said in the soft voice he'd always used with them after one of their Father's rampages to calm them down. Teiko's eyes welled with tears, and she threw herself down to wrap her arms around her Oldest Brother, "'Nemi! I missed you! Even though I didn't really remember you for the first few years, when I did, I kept asking Genya if we could see you!" she sobbed.
Sanemi hugged her, reaching up and pulling Genya into his arms as well, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, for everything I've said and done since then! I-" he broke down, clutching his two younger Siblings close, "I'm just so glad you're both alive!" he wailed. The others smiled as they watched. Even Gyomei smiled, though he couldn't see the reunion, he could tell enough of what was happening by the words. 'I'm happy for all three of you, Shinazugawa. Genya, Teiko' he thought. "After we recover, we need to get moving. This isn't over yet" Muichiro spoke up. Everyone agreed with that, and the humans of the group set to work treating their injuries.
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Kanao fought against Upper 2, using the Flower-Breathing her Oldest Sister had taught her. Even so, so was struggling. This was the second strongest Upper Rank, and the third strongest of the Demon's aside from Tanjiro's family. The icy shards sliced up her skin, and the cold threatened to freeze her lungs. As Kanao sliced apart shards of ice she tried to find a weak point in the rainbow-eyed Demon's defence that she could exploit. 'Look through it all, as precisely as I can. I have to find any way to take him down!' she thought desperately.
Tanjiro's face appeared in her mind, 'Tanjiro wouldn't give up now, and I can't either. For my Sister's who were killed, and for the ones I have left!' she thought. Suddenly the wall was destroyed, and a form burst through, "fight! Fight!" the person yelled. 'Inosuke!?' the Tsuguko thought in shock. The boar-masked teen used his two Swords to deflect all the shards of ice, sending it all blasting back towards Douma. As the ice cleared, Inosuke was shown fully, standing in front of her, "Inosuke Hashibira is comin' through!" he growled, expelling steam from the nose of his boar mask.
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"This is getting really annoying. Is every Demon that vanished from Japan in this place?!" Iguro demanded, as they killed another hoard of Demon's who'd tried to kill them. "Have to, f-find, B-Biwa, Demon, again. Take, her, out" Nezuko stuttered. "Yes, but how?! We don't even know where we are!" Mitsuri said worriedly. Rokuta suddenly snarled and ran off. "Rokuta!" Nezuko called, hurrying after her baby Brother. "Why do we have to babysit?" the Serpent Hashira groaned, as they turned to follow the two Demon children.
"Iguro, be nice" Mitsuri scolded gently. They followed the two Demon Kamado's, before coming out into the area the Biwa Demon was in again. "Nice job Rokuta!" Mitsuri whispered, rubbing the 3-year-old Demon's black and red streaked hair gently. "So we're back here again. What's to stop that Bitch from just teleporting us away again? Given that we can keep from being crushed this time" Iguro muttered. "I can help with that" a voice said from behind them. The group turned to see a Demon Slayer carrying an unconscious Zenitsu on his back, and a black-haired Kakushi- no, wait. '
The Serpent Hashira narrowed his eyes, "you're a Demon" he said. "Yes. But I'm on your side. I work with Lady Tamayo" the new Demon said. "Oh! You mean that Demon Doctor who was working with, Shinobu, to create the Cure to turn Demon's back into humans?" Mitsuri asked, excitedly at first, before wilting as she remembered what had been reported to have happened to the Insect Hashira. The other Demon Doctor nodded, "my Lady asked that I help the Corps while everyone was stuck here. Anyway, my Blood Demon Art can hide things, and or make my target's see what I want them to see.
We can use that to sneak up on that Biwa Demon and take her out. Or I might be able to control her, if we time it right" Yushiro explained. "What do you mean 'time it right'?" Iguro asked. "Well, I could force all the remaining Demon's to the surface, but if I do that too early, Muzan and his Upper Ranks could escape before the sun rises to kill them. And then there's the safety of my Lady and myself to consider. If I do that too late, we won't have time to hide before we're killed by the sun" Yushiro explained. Nezuko looked worried.
"So we have to stall" Iguro said in thought. He then looked back up at Yushiro, "actually, your Blood Demon Art might be perfect for this fight after all" he said. Nezuko blinked in confusion as she listened to the conversation.
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Tanjiro, Hakuji, Giyu, Kyojuro, Tamayo and Takeo came into a huge, empty chamber. A ball of pulsing flesh was attached to the walls and floor. Tanjiro glared at it, furious, "is that-" Kyojuro began to ask. "It's Muzan. I can sense him in there. He's changing" Hakuji replied. Tanjiro clenched his Sword handle in anger.
"We should find the rest of your family and the other Hashira before we do anything. We shouldn't take any risks this time. Not if we're going to kill Muzan once and for all!" Kyojuro said. The other's nodded in agreement. With one last glare at the ball of flesh, the group hurried off again.
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Inosuke used his fingers as a scope, looking closely at the rainbow-eyed Demon in front of them. "Hm? Hmm. Two! You! You're Upper Rank 2! Your secret's out! I know you're second from the top! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! If I defeat you, I'll be a Hashira like Tanjiro! When I become a Hashira, they'll call me the Beast Hashira! No, the Boar Hashira! Which do you think is better?" Inosuke asked, turning to Kanao. "Hey! You're all beaten up! What're you doing?! If you get injured, you'll, you know! Shinobu'll get mad at you!" Inosuke cried.
Kanao's expression crumbled, causing the Boar-masked teen to pause in realization. "Is Shinobu- dead?" he asked. "Of course not! She's not dead! She'll live forever inside me! All the people I eat are that way, I save them! They're no longer in pain, they no longer suffer! They become part of me and find endless happiness!" Upper 2 said cheerfully. Inosuke saw Kanao tremble, struggling to compose herself. He turned to the Demon. This guy was nothing like the Kamado's. If Inosuke's face could be seen, he would be glaring at him, "I'm gonna chew you up, you scum!" he growled.
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Kie raced through the Castle with Hanako and Shigeru. The three Shinazugawa Siblings, Muichiro and Gyomei were with her. "Damn, this place is too big! How are we supposed to find anyone here?!" Genya growled. "Hey! Everyone!" a familiar voice called. "Tanjiro!" Shigeru cried, turning to see his Oldest Brother running up with Takeo, Giyu, Kyojuro and Tamayo. "Oh thank God! You're all okay too!" Tanjiro cried, hugging his two younger Siblings in his arms. He looked up at his Mother, "hi Mom" he said tearfully. Kie wrapped her arms around her children in relief.
"I'm glad to see you all safe" Giyu said. "See! I told you they would all be fine!" Kyojuro said cheerfully. "H-has anyone seen Nezuko or Rokuta?" Tanjiro asked, wiping his eyes. His younger Siblings shook their heads, and his Mother pulled away, frowning in worry. "We should search from them and the rest of the Hashira. Before Muzan makes a move, if he hasn't already" Gyomei said seriously. "We found him earlier. He was in a ball of flesh. I think he was transforming" Tanjiro explained. "Transforming?" Kyojuro asked.
"Muzan can take on a stronger form. He did that when the Kamado's and I fought him the first time" Giyu told everyone. "He can, that's true. So he really used his full power in that battle and you still all almost killed him? Incredible" Tamayo shook her head in amazement. "Well, if that's the case, he shouldn't be too hard to kill with all of the Hashira and the Kamado family working together. That's why we have to find them all quickly" the Flame Hashira decided. "Right. Let's go everyone. And hurry!" Tamayo urged.