'Demon Slayer' Slayer

Chapter 23: Nensho

I sprinted through the trees, circling around to attack the Hashira from behind. Kahane had proved immensely useful, even shooting her own colleague. I could only hope she wouldn't be killed for it- she seemed like she'd make an amazing informant. Or a great demon.

I took a deep breath, collecting myself. I was alive for now, and Kahane was helping, but this was still a dangerous fight. I've already met my quota. Do I have to do this? Can't I just run before the clouds clear or the Hashira kill me?

No. I've failed Muzan several times already. I can't just meet his expectations- I have to exceed them by so much that he has to let me stay on. I need to make myself valuable to him. My life depends on it.

I set my sword on fire, leaping out from between the trees in a burst of flames. The Hashira immediately turned to me, and the white-haired guy charged at me while slicing furiously. I barely managed to block his rapid strikes, grateful for my increased speed as a demon.

I filled the air around me with fire, keeping the Wind Hashira well away from me. I stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him away and buying myself a few extra seconds.

Next the guy with the snake attacked, alongside the guy with the two-tone haori. They struck out at me with their respective Breathing Styles, and I increased the size of my fire dome. Both of them were forced to jump back, hissing in frustration.

I extinguished the fire dome and leaped at Kahane, stabbing at her chest. She got herself offline and kicked me away, slicing at my neck. Her sword approached more slowly than it could, giving me ample time to dodge. I kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying backwards. Then I turned back to my actual enemies.

The tall guy started punching me in the head, hitting so hard that it actually left small dents in my skull. I ignored this, continuously regenerating as I sliced and stabbed at him with my sword ablaze. I felt a blade connect with my neck, and I ducked, turning to see the haori guy trying to kill me.

I slashed upwards at him, and he dodged. Man, I'm getting my ass kicked. But I can do this. I just need to keep an eye on the sky.

I spun around, driving all the Hashira back with Heat Shield. Then I leaped at the tall guy, trying to use Lava Splash. He dodged with surprising speed for someone of his size, then sent a hard punch into my liver.

I regenerated immediately, glad I was a demon. Then I grabbed his arm, setting my hand on fire. He managed to pull away before I completely engulfed him in flames, but his hand was now a charred, useless mess.

Kahane was back in the picture, kicking the snake guy aside as she stabbed me in the chest. Her blade plunged in up to the hilt, and she pulled out an arrow. She stabbed me in the eye with it, drawing a splash of blood.

That was actually perfect, I thought as I kicked her away again. She made it look like she was trying to kill me, but that much wisteria has no effect. Props.

The snake guy was at it again, his sword coiling around me and coming dangerously close to his neck. Suddenly furious, I sliced off one of his legs and kicked right through his stomach.

I retracted my foot and left the snake guy to bleed out, evaluating my options. The three remaining threats were massive threats, and if they were to all attack at once, I would probably end up dead. Five Hashira kills should be enough. It's time to turn tail.

I turned around and took off running, for real this time. A sword struck me in the back of the neck, but I pulled it out and regenerated. Then two arrows hit me in the leg, messing up my gait and causing me to slow down. I still regenerated, but by the time I was done, I could see an army approaching on the horizon.