'Demon Slayer' Slayer

Chapter 19: Nensho

As the sun climbed closer and closer, I took off for the nearby forest, sprinting at full speed. Akaza followed, overtaking me with his greater speed. He found a cave, and I leaped in just as the rays of the sun struck the ground where I was standing.

I took a second to catch my breath, then turned to Akaza. "Sorry I followed you here. I just didn't have time to go anywhere else."

"That's fine," he replied, edging towards the mouth of the cave until the sun forced him to stop. We were trapped here for the rest of the day. But I have company. I can actually do interesting stuff.

"Akaza, I challenge you for the rank of Upper Moon Three." I walked farther into the cave, making sure we wouldn't knock down the roof and burn ourselves. I doubt I can actually beat him... but it's always worth a try.

"Well... The thing is, I don't fight women," he explained. I sighed in exasperation.

"That is the highest form of disrespect. Besides, I'm a demon. Unless you throw me out of the cave, I'll just regenerate. Come on, you can't refuse a challenge."

"Fine. Begin." I drew my sword just in time to block Akaza's first punch, then sliced at his neck. He kicked me away before my blow could connect, then launched a flurry of punches. I blocked some of them, but I had no time to counterattack. At least the attacks couldn't hurt me.

I decided to screw defense and focus only on slicing. Even though each hit I took knocked me backwards, I managed to land a few shallow slashes. At one point, I cut halfway through Akaza's neck. That was when he used his final form, Blue SIlver Chaotic Afterglow.

Hundreds of blows hit me all at once, and the cave walls cracked with the impact. I regenerated and charged forward, faking a downward slash and changing the angle just before I struck. However, while I was in the middle of cutting Akaza's neck, he punched me in the face, taking off my head.

I stepped back, regenerating my head. "Damn you!" I spat, even though I hadn't really expected to win. I'd gotten close, though. "I challenge-"

I was cut off by a message from Muzan. "I need to talk to you. You have two seconds before Nakime summons you." I didn't finish the challenge, giving Akaza one more glare before I was teleported to the Infinity Castle.

I landed in a room with all the Upper Moons. Akaza was there, but so were all of the others. Daki laughed haughtily at me, while Gyokko stood around in his pot and Hantengu cried in the corner. Akaza glared at me briefly, then turned his anger to Doma, who was laughing at him. Kokushibo stood at the edge of the platform, radiating almost as much menace as Muzan and talking to no one. I gave them each an appraising glance and turned to Muzan, wondering why I was here with the Upper Moons.

"Nensho. I spared you because you told me that you could gain power and be useful to me. I gave you a mission, but you failed. You killed no one on the Mugen Train, and you needed help from Akaza. Give me a reason to not kill you right now."

I stayed silent for a moment, considering what would be the best thing to say. I chose my words, then said, "I am deeply sorry that I failed you, Muzan. This may be slightly overstepping, but I would greatly appreciate one more chance to test my strength, against Upper Moon Six. I don't deserve such an honor, though. Not such a young and inexperienced demon like me, with a weak Blood Demon Art like mine."

I waited in barely controlled terror while Muzan considered this. After several tense minutes, he said, "Very well. I will allow you to have a Blood Battle against Upper Moon Six. You will surely lose, and then I will kill you. Begin!"

Daki turned to me, her obi sash unrolling itself. I drew my sword as it shot towards me, and began slicing wildly. I kept the sash well away from my neck, then sprinted forward. I reached her faster than she could slice, and swung at her neck. She turned her neck into an obi sash, presumably to make it harder to cut, but I had spent most of my life making clothes. I cut through the cloth even easier than I would have if it had been flesh and bone.