'Demon Slayer' Slayer

Chapter 18: Kahane

I leaned on my sword, enjoying the brief reprieve from Nensho's attacks. Right now, everyone was watching the last clash of Rengoku and Akaza.

"Rengoku!!"

"Annihilation Type!"

When the dust cleared, I saw that Akaza had come out on top. He had kicked through Rengoku and pinned him to the ground. Even though I was more exhausted than I had ever been, I couldn't resist raising a hand and cheering.

However, the sun was coming. The first rays would be here to kill the demons in a matter of seconds. Nensho glanced back at me, appearing torn. She tossed her sword at my head, which I dodged, and sprinted away toward the forest with Akaza.

I stayed where I was, making sure no demons were nearby, until the sun was fully up. Then I limped over to Rengoku. "Anything you want to say before you die?"

Rengoku sighed. "I didn't... accomplish anything. Everyone died."

"Yeah, no kidding. Impressive job, Flame Hashira," I replied, glancing at the rapidly growing pool of blood on the ground. "But now I'm free." I lifted my sword and brought it down on Rengoku's neck, cleanly severing it. I would never hear that voice again.

Now I had to hide the evidence of my crime. Nensho's sword was still lying on the ground nearby, and I realized that she was the perfect one to peg this on. I picked it up by the blade, not wanting my DNA on the handle. This way, it would be obvious that Nensho had cut me, but not obvious that I had finished off Rengoku. Not like he wasn't doomed anyway.

I tossed the sword to the ground next to Rengoku, making it look like Nensho had dropped it when she fled the sunlight. Then I sat down on the ground nearby, exhausted from the battle. I know her name now. Not that it helped. But I know her name, and I know that she's Lower Moon One. And I know that even with plenty of time to fight, I can't beat her. No matter how strong I get, she'll improve too. She's a demon, so she can progress more easily than me. The next time we fight, she might kill me.

I can't let that happen. I need to eventually be powerful to face Muzan, and I still have plenty of room to grow. Rengoku was arguably still stronger than me, but now his power is frozen in time and will never change. Now I can surpass him, and there's nothing he can do about it. Matter of fact, there's nothing he can do about anything.

I'm free. I'm finally free. Even though I'll have to go to the Butterfly Mansion for sure, even though they'll give me a new supervisor and probably a new spy crow(meal), my new supervisor can't be quite as infuriating as Rengoku. And there will always be demons to do my killing for me, now that I'm not allowed to kill for them.

I sat there until the Kakushi showed up, watching the clouds skid across the sky as the sun climbed and climbed until it began to fall. They eventually showed up, and were shocked that the Hashira was dead and I was alive. Doesn't this mean I'm now the Flame Hashira? I was his tsuguko, after all.

I got no answers, though. The Kakushi dragged me back to the Butterfly Mountain in silence. Why is it that I'm always the one who survives when everyone else dies? First Final Selection, now this. Of course people are resentful.

I didn't remember entering the Butterfly Mansion. By that point I was too tired to care about anything, so I let myself fall asleep. Still, the relief I felt when I woke up alive and safe was immeasurable.

Eventually, Kocho came in to question me about the battle and tell me what was going to happen. "Kahane. How did that happen? How did Rengoku die?"

I explained that we'd met the demon from Final Selection on the train, except she was a Lower Moon. Then she killed everyone on the train and we fought in the open, before Upper Moon Three showed up. I was fortunate enough not to have faced him. If I had, I probably wouldn't live to tell the tale.