"Ugh... What happened...?"
Goku was sitting in Hiroshi's room. He was staring at the ceiling.
"You fought a Lower Moon and won, Goku," Hiroshi said.
"H-Hiroshi-san, you're here..." said Goku. "Did you bring me here?"
"Yeah. This is my room, don't you remember?"
"Of course I remember..."
Suddenly, he heard a noise; Rin, once again.
"Caw! Caw! Breaking news, Goku! You've just been promoted to Mizunoe! Caw!"
"Mizunoe? What does it mean?" asked Goku.
"It means you've been promoted," explained Hiroshi. "In the Demon Slayer Corps, there are ten ranks. You were a Mizunoto, the lowest rank. But now, you've been promoted to Mizunoe, the rank above the Mizunoto."
"Oh, I understand..."
"That's not all!" exclaimed Rin, suddenly. "Reach Mount Natagumo for your first mission as a Mizunoe! Hurry up! Caw!"
Goku scratched his head, clearly annoyed. He gestured to Rin, and she placed on his right shoulder.
"Another mission... In less than twenty-four hours, I've killed two demons, and I'm gonna kill the third, after this mission..."
"Let's look at the positive side: you're a Mizunoe now, Goku!" exclaimed Hiroshi.
"Yeah, you're right, Hiroshi-san..." muttered Goku, getting up and opening the window. "Fine, I'm gonna reach Mount Natagumo or whatever it's called... Let's just hope not to die in the process, though... see you soon, Hiroshi-san."
Goku threw himself from the window, getting outside the house.
"Hey, Rin! Where's Mount Natagumo?"
"Northwest! Caw! Northwest!" croaked Rin.
"I see..."
Goku sheathed his sword in its scabbard.
"Mount Natagumo, here I come!"
____________
Hours later, when the sun went down and the moon came up, Goku arrived at the feet of the mountain.
"So this is Mount Natagumo... I can't believe it took all the day to come here..." he whispered under his breath.
Goku made his first step on the mountain. The silence was absolute, the only sound the rustling of leaves.
Is there really a demon? Or was it killed before my arrival?
Suddenly, he got cornered by other slayers.
"What the hell... they're attacking me?"
One of the slayers jumped on him, whirling his katana towards him, but Goku managed to dodge. It was in that moment that Goku noticed something: the slayers were commanded by webs. So... was there some kind of spider demon here?
Someone's manipulating them... he thought. "Flame Breathing: First Form -- Unknowing Fire!"
Goku launched himself forward, escaping from the circle.
If I manage to find and kill the demon who's manipulating them, I'll free them all.
Suddenly, while running, Goku bumped into a slayer.
"Ops, I'm really sorry..." said the slayer.
"No problem. Are you... possessed?" asked Goku.
"No, I'm not, for now. Are you a Mizunoto?"
"Nope. I'm a Mizunoe, the rank above."
"Really? Finally... they sent someone who's not a Mizunoto... please, kill the demon on this mountain..."
"I will, just stop kneeling."
The slayer got up and nodded. Then, Goku left, continuing to search for the demon.
If this demon can manipulate my comrades' will with his webs... then I suppose it won't be easy... What if it's another Lower Moon...?
__________
Elsewhere, on the mount, a little slayer was fighting against a demon. Crimson hair, hanafuda earrings, and a green and black haori. It's a boy Goku already met during his journey: Kamado Tanjiro.
Tanjiro had cuts on his face, and blood splattered all over his body. Behind him, there was a girl with a bamboo in her mouth. Suddenly, the demon Tanjiro was facing approached.
His entire body--hair, face, and skin--was white, with the only exception being his red eyes. On the left eye, the demon had the kanji of 'Lower Five,' symbolizing that he's indeed a Lower Moon. His name was Rui.
"C'mon, slayer, give me your sister... I promise I won't hurt her... at first," said the demon.
"Like hell I will! I'm not giving Nezuko to you!" Yelled Tanjiro, holding his broken katana with both hands.
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to kill you, then..."
"Not if I manage to cut off your head first!"
"Are you seriously thinking... that you can beat ME?"
In the blink of an eye, Tanjiro saw Nezuko tied up in the air by thousands of webs.
"Quiet down. This won't be enough to kill her. At least, I think so..." said Rui.
"Let her go, you monster!" yelled Tanjiro, throwing at Rui, "Water Breathing: Tenth Form -- Constant Flux!"
"It's futile..." said Rui, calmly, as his webs reached Tanjiro. But the boy cut them off with his Water Breathing.
"Do you really think these webs are at their maximum level...? Blood Demon Art: Cutting Thread Cage."
In a fraction of a second, thousands of red webs circled Tanjiro, making him unable to escape.
N-no... This is the end... I'm going to die... thought Tanjiro, closing his eyes and preparing to take the hit.
But suddenly, just as if the fate listened to Tanjiro, the miracle arrived.
Goku arrived just in time to see the situation, and without hesitating, he jumped into the air and exclaimed, "Flame Breathing: Third Form -- Blazing Universe!"
SLASH!
All the webs got cut clean off. Tanjiro was confused.
Who... who did that...? He asked himself. Then, he turned his head and saw a guy with a light blue haori with orange flames at the edge, mid-length hair, and a yellow and black katana. In that moment, Tanjiro recognized him.
"You're... You're the one from the drum's mansion!" said Tanjiro.
"Yes," answered Goku. "You're Tanjiro, right?"
"Yes, I am..." replied Tanjiro. "What was your name?"
"Goku Urokodaki."
The boy looked up to see Nezuko in the air, tied up by webs.
"Do you... know that girl?"
"Yes... She's my little sister..." answered Tanjiro.
"Oh, I see," said Goku. "I apologize in advance if I absentmindedly hit her."
Goku struck a pose. "First Form -- Unknowing Fire!"
In the blink of an eye, the webs severed, and Nezuko was freed. The girl fell from the sky, but Tanjiro managed to reach for her and avoid the impact with the ground.
"Tanjiro, I'll handle it from now on. You think about hiding your sister from this guy..."
"Are you sure about that? He's Lower Moon Five..." said Tanjiro.
"I fought Lower Moon Four and won yesterday," said Goku. "So if he's weaker than Lower Moon Four, I can actually win..."
Meanwhile, Rui was listening.
He... fought Mukago? And defeated her? Who's this guy? Could it be that... he's a Hashira?
Suddenly, Nezuko walked towards Goku and looked at him.
"Mh..." she said.
"Uhm... why is she staring at me like that?" asked Goku.
"She does this often with the new faces..." answered Tanjiro. Then, without warning, Nezuko jumped and hugged Goku.
"Uhm... Thanks, I guess..." said Goku, quite embarrassed.
"I think it's a way to say thank you for having freed her," supposed Tanjiro.
"Oh, uhm.. Yes, no problem, Nezuko-chan..." said Goku, breaking the hug. "Now go. Do as I said. Once I've finished with this one, we're gonna go help the other two guys who were with you. This time, I'll join you, just like I promised..."
"U-Understood! Let's go, Nezuko!" said Tanjiro, hiding alongside Nezuko.
"So, what's your name, demon?" asked Goku.
"My name is Rui," replied Rui. "I'm Lower Moon Five. And you are?"
"I'm Goku Urokodaki, age nineteen, I'm a Mizunoe, and I use Flame Breathing!" exclaimed Goku, pointing at himself.
From behind a tree, Tanjiro was holding Nezuko, protecting her, and listening to Goku at the same time.
He's a Mizunoe? He's higher than me, in rankings... Maybe he can really win...
Chapter 8 - End