Secret of the Spider Lily

Chapter 10 - Battle Against a Lower Moon

The trek to the mission was a lot further than Yuki expected. The terrain was rough the entire way there, and the paths had barely been walked. Rengoku had been using his blade to cut through the thick brush.

It took the pair 3 days to get to this demon's location, having to camp out at night, the two keeping watch as to not get ambushed by any other demons possibly lurking in the area. On the third day by nightfall, they finally arrived at the location described by the crow.

It looked to be an abandoned medical tent. There were many rolls of bandages scattered outside the tent, as well as a few medical tools as well. The two entered the tent, carefully inspecting every inch. Rengoku left the tent to check around the forest's perimeter, leaving Yuki alone inside.

Yuki could feel that she wasn't alone in this tent, so while she was alone, she activated her powers, searching to see if any aura showed up. She looked around the entire tent, but she saw nothing. As far as she was concerned, she was alone. She thought it was odd, knowing she could feel another presence in the room, but she deactivated her powers, before walking out of the tent, calling over Rengoku.

"I'm not seeing any sign of the demon inside the tent. Have you discovered anything around the perimeter?"

"Unfortunately not. Everything surrounding this tent is clear."

"Is it possible we have the wrong location, Rengoku?"

"No, this is where the crow led. The demon has to be around here somewhere."

"Do you think it left while we were on our way?"

"It's a possibility, but we can't be too sure. Let's do another sweep around the area before moving to a different location."

The two split up once more, searching everything once more. Yuki entered the tent once again, using her powers to look into every nook and cranny. She still saw no sign of the demon, which annoyed her. She was about to leave the tent, but she felt a surge of power coarse through her body. She felt her hair stand, before reaching for her blades, slashing directly behind her.She felt her blades come into contact with something, watching as the demon appeared in front of her eyes.

"Tsk, you damn Demon Slayers are a lot more observant than before. You looked at me many times, yet had no idea I was right in front of you. Only when I tried to attack you is when you were able to discover my location."

"We may look weak to your immortal eyes, but we're stronger than we appear," Yuki quipped, her voice filled with confidence, "Besides, you're not the only one here with demonic abilities." Yuki's eyes began to glow bright blue as she activated her powers, now seeing a red aura appear around the demon.

Now she knew how strong this demon was. It was as powerful as they could come before becoming an upper or lower moon, so she believed. She took a deep breath, channeling her powers completely, feeling a massive burst of strength in her body.

"Ah... so you're the half demon the Master created. Quite impressive of him is I say so myself. I didn't think it could be done, but you're standing in front of my eyes."

"I have no fear of your Master, nor your kind. If anything, I only have a hatred for whoever they are since my entire family is dead because of them! You're going to die by my hands today," Yuki claimed, her swords at the ready.

Rengoku could hear Yuki talking to the demon inside the tent, her voice filled with anger and rage. Rengoku kept his distance, knowing Yuki had the strength to take this lower moon on, and wanting her to become a Hashira as well. He would only interfere if absolutely necessary, but he had confidence in her.