Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
Akaza looked at the headless corpse lying on the ground.
"…I see. I understand now."
"Kokushibo, Hantengu, Gyutaro…"
His face darkened. Standing at the street corner, he looked toward the far end of the street where the other two demon slayers were.
"So now… it's my turn."
During the time he had spent searching everywhere for "the demon slayer who killed Upper Rank One," the Upper Moon demons had continued to die and be replaced.
Now even that biwa woman had already taken the position that used to belong to him, Upper Moon Three.
Demons are absolutely stronger than humans.
Akaza had always believed in that principle.
Humans are fragile.
They get injured easily; a light strike to the limbs can make them bleed or lose an arm. Even slightly prolonged battles exhaust their stamina.
They get sick. They grow old. Their strength cannot remain at its peak forever. Even their emotions can affect their power.
They are weak creatures that can die from the slightest mistake.
And yet the Twelve Kizuki had been forced into such a state by humans like that.
"…How unpleasant."
Akaza stared straight toward the direction where his victim was coming. Veins bulged on his forehead as his tattoo-covered hand clenched into a fist.
The demon slayers at the far end of the street had not yet noticed anything strange.
Anger surged within him. His pupils shrank to a point from rage, his body trembling as he prepared to kill them.
Right.
As his emotions boiled, excitement slowly appeared in Akaza's eyes.
He suddenly thought of a brilliant idea.
Since he couldn't find the one who killed Upper Moon One no matter where he searched…
Why not cause a bigger disturbance and make that person come find him instead?
If enough people died, a demon slayer would surely come.
A human capable of killing so many Upper Moons in succession must be extremely powerful.
Fighting the strong had always been what Akaza sought.
He looked toward the two demon slayers at the end of the street who still had no idea what was happening.
Let's start here.
Step.
Akaza had just taken a step.
Inside his mind, a pitch-black silhouette slowly formed. Plum-red eyes lit up in the darkness, staring fixedly at Akaza as he moved forward.
A cold, gloomy voice echoed through his mind.
"Akaza."
Muzan called out.
"Stop."
The pressure from deep within his bloodline burst forth instantly.
Thud.
!!
Akaza, who had been stepping forward, was suddenly forced to widen his eyes. Muzan's sudden words struck him like a crushing blow.
Boom!
The force under his foot increased, stamping a crater in the street.
Akaza struggled against the immense weight pressing down on his body. His neck strained, veins bulging as he forced his head upward.
His face turned red from the pressure.
"Muzan-sama?"
His eyes were bloodshot as he desperately tried to think.
"Wh… why…"
His vision blurred under the pressure. He glared angrily toward the distant demon slayers, unable to understand.
The demon slayers were right in front of him. There was no reason not to kill them.
[]—Destructive Death. Compass Needle!—[]
Whoosh!
A technique like crystalline snowflakes spread beneath his feet, glowing as it expanded outward.
"Why, you ask?" Muzan opened his narrow crimson eyes and stared coldly at Akaza.
"Are you questioning me?"
Bang!
With a dull sound, Akaza could no longer withstand the pressure. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he collapsed onto one knee.
He supported himself with a fist against the ground, raising his head with difficulty.
"…No… I would never…"
"No?"
Muzan spoke casually as if searching for something, though his tone grew colder.
"Then were you lying to me just now…?"
Inside Akaza's body, bones continued cracking.
"Ha—cough!!"
Akaza forced his eyes open. His pupils trembled violently as thick blood dripped from his mouth onto the ground.
"I am very disappointed in you, Akaza."
"Have I been too lenient with you that you no longer listen to my orders?"
Muzan's distorted voice sounded as if it were whispering right beside his ear.
"What was the task I gave the Upper Moons last time?"
Akaza's throat moved, but all he could do was spit blood.
Seeing that he could no longer speak, Muzan continued.
"Find the blue spider lily."
Muzan suddenly appeared right in front of Akaza's face. His crimson pupils were almost touching him.
"And what have you been doing?"
"Running around human towns…"
"Don't you want to become stronger?"
After a moment of silence, Muzan's figure gradually faded from Akaza's mind.
The crushing pressure slowly lifted.
"Ha! Ha!"
Akaza opened his mouth wide, drenched in sweat. Supporting himself on both hands, he gasped for air like a fish pulled onto land.
"If you understand."
Muzan's faint voice echoed in his mind.
"Then carry out your duty."
"Stop wasting time on other things."
Drip… drip.
Akaza knelt on the ground with both hands supporting him, staring at the patch of ground soaked by his sweat.
"Understood."
At that moment, within his compass needle technique.
He sensed a faint fighting spirit approaching.
His compass needle could detect an enemy's fighting spirit automatically.
Like the poles of a magnet.
An enemy's attacks carried fighting spirit, and he would instinctively dodge them as if repelled.
But when he attacked, it was like opposite poles attracting; his strikes would precisely hit the enemy's weak points.
Everyone in the world possessed fighting spirit; even newborn babies had a threadlike amount.
With the compass needle, almost no attack could touch him.
That was one reason Akaza had become an Upper Moon.
"Hey! … Did you do all this?!"
A trembling shout came from ahead.
Akaza wiped the sweat from his eyelashes and looked forward.
A Demon Slayer Corps member gripped his sword hilt tightly. His breathing was rapid, and his face pale as he pointed the blade at Akaza in terror.
The faint fighting spirit he sensed came from this man.
Akaza glanced toward the far end of the street, where the other slayer was watching from a distance.
The noise earlier must have drawn them here.
Just kill him casually. He's only an ordinary demon slayer.
His gaze was dull.
Click… click.
The sound of a sword hilt rattling from trembling hands.
Akaza said nothing. His mind was still filled with Muzan's scolding.
He slowly stood up.
"Ah!" The slayer stepped back in fright.
He stared at the dismembered body of his teammate on the ground.
His crew-cut companion had been gone too long, so he came to check on him.
And then.
The slayer looked at Akaza in horror. His hand gripping the sword had already gone numb from fear.
That guy!
His eyes say Upper Moon!!
Step.
His legs trembled violently. Even before the battle began, he had already lost the will to fight.
There was no way he could win head-on.
What he needed to do now was—
The slayer glanced sideways toward his teammate in the distance behind him.
Then he took a deep breath and shouted with all his strength, using breathing techniques to amplify his voice.
"An Upper Moon is here!!"
"Run!!"
Send the message and stall for time so the Kasugai crow could report it.
Creak…
Thinking this, he gripped the sword tightly and turned back to face Akaza with fearful eyes.
Hold the line here!
Ignoring the slayer's emotions, Akaza swayed slightly as he stood and clenched his fist.
"No matter the hardship, never give up."
"Have an unyielding spirit."
In Akaza's mind, a stubbled man wearing a white martial arts uniform spoke to him gently.
"We are not samurai. We have no swords."
His arm muscles tensed as the compass needle glowed faintly beneath his feet.
Tap.
The man poked Akaza's chest with rough fingers, smiling beneath thick brows.
"But we carry a sword in our hearts."
Akaza leaned forward slightly.
"What we use are our fists."
Whoosh!
A martial arts strike honed over centuries became a blur as his fist shot toward the demon slayer's face.
'So fast!'
The slayer's pupils shrank as the tattooed fist filled his vision.
At that moment he felt grateful he had shouted the warning first.
In an instant, Akaza's fist was pressed against his forehead.
Whoosh!
"Ah!"
The wind from the punch blew the slayer's hair. He shut his eyes tightly and hunched his neck in fear.
But the expected death never came.
Confused, he cautiously opened his eyes slightly.
The clenched fist had stopped right in front of him.
Akaza stared at his own arm in surprise.
"…Why can't I swing it?"
He muttered blankly, his brows trembling.
No matter how hard he tried, his fist would not move forward even an inch.
"Ha!"
Akaza's face twisted as he strained, his face red from effort. Yet the punch still would not fall.
'What's going on?!'
He looked at his hands in disbelief.
"Hakuji…"
Akaza's views change; a tall man with sharp black hair stood there, his brows drooping with sorrow.
On the back of his white martial arts uniform were two bold characters written in ink.
Keizo.
The man extended one hand.
He firmly held Akaza's fist.
Akaza struggled violently.
The man watched with heavy brows.
His body was translucent; he had no power to physically touch Akaza.
The thing truly stopping Akaza's punch was not him.
Tap.
Akaza shook his hand violently and staggered back two steps.
In frustration he swung two punches into the air toward the slayer.
Nothing happened.
"What?!"
Realizing he couldn't even use Air Type, Akaza looked at the slayer in disbelief.
Grinding his teeth unwillingly, Akaza pushed off the ground and vanished into a blur.
The slayer stood there stunned for a moment, staring at the place where Akaza had disappeared.
Thud.
"…I survived."
His legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground. His back was soaked with sweat as relief flooded him.
After staring blankly at the night sky for a while, he suddenly remembered something and scrambled up.
Turning toward his distant teammate, he shouted.
"Did you send the message?!"
---
-Location: Butterfly Mansion
The next day.
"What a dangerous place."
Inosuke hid inside a bush in the courtyard. Two branches stuck out from his head as he looked around suspiciously, muttering.
His head injury still throbbed faintly.
His gaze shifted to the veranda where Tanjuro was reading a letter.
That red-haired uncle is even more of a monster.
He makes no sound no matter what he does.
Inosuke's expression grew serious.
"Inosuke—!"
Tanjiro stood in the courtyard holding a plate of tempura, calling out.
After calling several times without response, he scratched his head in confusion.
"Strange. He was just around here."
He walked casually toward the bushes at the edge of the courtyard.
Suddenly—
A hand shot out of the bushes and snatched a fried shrimp from Tanjiro's plate.
Tanjiro froze for a moment.
He glanced quietly at the bushes.
"Ah—"
Then he smiled, pretending to be troubled.
"I wonder where Inosuke is. What should I do?"
"As expected of the King of the Mountains, his hiding skills are impressive."
Tap.
He bent down and placed the plate on the ground.
"Guess I'll just leave it here."
"Hope no animals steal it."
Tanjiro smiled warmly and nodded toward the bushes.
Then he turned and walked away.
"..."
"Heh heh heh haha!"
"Submit to me!"
Inosuke held a fried shrimp in each hand, laughing quietly as he ate with oil all over his mouth.
Meanwhile.
Tanjuro carefully read the letter.
"Kamado-san, what's wrong?"
Kyojuro sat nearby with his arms crossed, looking at him with bright eyes.
"Did you encounter some difficulty? Your brow is furrowed!"
"No." Tanjuro shook his head slowly.
The letter seemed to have been rewritten by Giyu a second time, making the contents somewhat hard to read.
Then, Tanjuro turned a page.
Tap.
A photograph slipped from the envelope.
Tanjuro lowered his head and picked it up.
When he saw the image, a demon with a tattoo-covered back wearing a short shirt, he froze.
"Oh! Is it a new mission?"
Kyojuro also saw the photo and laughed helplessly.
"Unfortunately, I would love to go on another mission with you, Kamado-san."
His crimson eyes shone in the sunlight as he sat upright.
"But I must keep my promise to Shinobu-san and guard the Butterfly Mansion!"
"I suppose we'll have to wait until Shinobu-san returns…"
At that moment.
The front gate of the Butterfly Mansion suddenly opened.
Shinobu walked in through the gateway, smiling.