Demon Slayer rewrite

Season 3 Episode 1. Giyu and Tanjiro fight Akaza

"What you're saying is wrong, and your presence here is proof," Tanjiro said. "Everyone is a helpless baby when they're born. They can't live without someone else's help. You were once a baby, and someone protected and helped you too. The strong protect the weak. Then the weak get stronger and help those weaker than themselves. THAT is the law of nature! I can't forgive your way of thinking!"

"You really are unpleasant, Tanjiro," Akaza said.

Akaza lunged at Tanjiro, attempting to attack him from above, and then from below.

Tanjiro used several hinokami kagura techniques in an attempt to strike Akaza. Akaza caught Tanjiro's blade in his hands. Akaza was about to attack him when Giyu finally arrived in time to slice off Akaza's arm, allowing Tanjiro to avoid the attack.

"You really sent me flying, upper rank 3," Giyu said. "Now I'm mad."

"For the first time in a long while, I'm up against a strong opponent who can overwhelm me, and I realize that my senses have been heightened and honed in a short amount of time," Giyu thought. "Senses that were closed off to me have been awakened. Now I understand how the intense struggle to survive increases one's skills."

Giyu didn't know it at the moment, but the mark had appeared on him.

Giyu lunged at Akaza and attacked him. His speed was much faster now, and he managed to graze Akaza's neck.

They continued fighting for a while, and eventually, Giyu ran out of forms.

"It appears that you've used all of your water forms!" Akaza said. "I'm surprised you lasted this long, but that's enough, Giyu. Let's end this."

Giyu attempted to sever Akaza's arm again before he could attack, but Akaza reached out and hit the blade with his hand, breaking it.

Akaza then used a form that struck Giyu with a hundred blows all at once. Giyu was unable to block all of them, but blocked just enough to keep himself alive. He then collapsed to the ground.

"Well done, I'm impressed you're still alive after all that," Akaza said.

Giyu noticed Tanjiro approaching Akaza from behind.

"Don't die like Kyojuro and Tanjiro," Akaza said. "You should become a demon."

"He hasn't noticed that Tanjiro is behind him!?" Giyu thought. "Can't he sense him!? Tanjiro, before he notices you, go for his neck!"

"Akaza!" Tanjiro yelled. "I'm going to cut off your head!"

"Idiot!" Giyu thought. "Why would you call out to him?"

"Hinokami kagura," Tanjiro breathed deeply. "Setting sun transformation!"

Tanjiro just barely managed to sever Akaza's head.

"What the hell was that!? Tanjiro's fighting spirit disappeared!" Akaza thought. "In the last few hundred years, I've never once seen a human without a fighting spirit. Even a baby has a faint fighting spirit. But in that moment, his fighting spirit disappeared. Now I'm facing this unusual creature that shouldn't exist, and my senses are confused. My compass didn't respond. But that's not a problem. In battle, you must immediately be able to understand and handle every unexpected situation you encounter. I can do that."

Akaza attempted to put his head back on, but Giyu threw what remained of his sword at Akaza's head, knocking it away from him.

"It can't end like this," Akaza thought. "I will become stronger. I must become stronger than anyone else."

Akaza forgot about his head and attempted to fight without it.

He attacked Tanjiro. Tanjiro's body had reached its limit, so he wasn't able to respond. Akaza slammed him into the wall, and he passed out.

"Stop," Akaza heard someone say.

"No, I have to kill them," Akaza thought. "I must become stronger. I kill anyone who gets in my way."

"But why? Why do you want to be strong?" the same voice asked.

"Because, if I'm not strong, I can't bring it back," Akaza thought. "The medicine for my father. If I don't get stronger, I can't steal someone's wallet and get away. I'll be caught and punished."

Akaza remembered the face of someone.

"You've got potential, that's for sure," the person had said. "You beat adults without a weapon. That's impressive!"

"Who's that guy?" Akaza thought. "What am I seeing? My memories? I became a demon, lost my memories, and again began seeking strength. I had nothing left that I wanted to protect. For over a hundred years I committed pointless acts of carnage. I didn't even want to keep living in a world without my family, but even if I die, I can't go to the same place as them. I killed people with fists meant to protect. I got blood all over my master's beloved martial art style, and I couldn't fulfill my father's last wishes. Yes... the one I wanted to kill all along... was..."

"Destructive death, annihilation type," Akaza prepared to use the same attack he had used to kill Kyojuro.

Tanjiro, who had just woken up, grabbed Giyu and pushed him out of the attack range. There was a loud sound, and the room collapsed.

However, when Giyu and Tanjiro looked over at Akaza, they saw that he had used the technique on himself.

"That's enough," Akaza thought. "Stop. No more regeneration. It's over. I just want to go to hell gracefully."

Akaza's body crumbled to dust as he died.

...

Tanjiro was resting for a while before he woke up to the smell of something burning.

He got up and saw that Giyu had created a fire, and he was heating up his sword in the fire.

"What happened?" Tanjiro asked.

"I tried to stop my bleeding, but it's not working, so I'm going to cauterize the wound," Giyu replied. "You tried to stop the bleeding in your left arm, but if it doesn't stop bleeding, strip it down and come here."

"Right..." Tanjiro trailed off.

"Is the bone all right?" Giyu asked.

"Um, yes!" Tanjiro replied. "It's just a bruise."

"Beware of an enemy attack," Giyu said.

"That must be so painful," Tanjiro thought. "Burning your own flesh..."

"I think you know, but this fight is just the beginning," Giyu said. "Our final target is Muzan, but next we may have to fight upper rank 1."

"R- right!" Tanjiro said. "I'll stay focused!"

A kasugai crow soon came by with news of the defeat of another demon.

"Inosuke! Zenitsu! Obanai!" the crow shouted. "These three weakened the demon in control of this area, who Yushiro is now working to neutralize!"

"Really!? Are they all right!?" Tanjiro asked.

"Zenitsu is deceased! Inosuke and Obanai are alive!" the crow replied.

When Giyu finished cauterizing his wound, he put the fire out, and they continued traveling through the Infinity Castle, searching for Muzan Kibutsuji, the demon king.