Both swordsmen charged in at each other at highspeed. Crossing swords with each other, Nero smiled at the demon and began to rub the edge of his sword against hers . The edge of his sword began to heat up , shortly once he made a crack on her sword . He hurled his sword up in the air along with her sword , pulling her sword out of hand. " Sorry to say this but you weren't holding onto your sword tight enough." he said as he pointed the tip of his sword towards her neck. " You really are strong as Master said ..Nero.." she said smiling. Nero was confused by what she said , She got in a fighting stance without her sword. " You're gonna fight me without your sword ?" he asked , she smiled and said " I've been wanting to try this new weapon out .. " shortly after saying that the surrounding shadows began to engulf her forearms and legs. Nero backed off , and kept his guard up " Our fun is just beginning... " she said as she charged in at him. Nero swung his sword down at her, she held her right arm up and blocked the attack. Swinging her left arm at him, Nero held his arm up to block the attack. Her arm made contact on his forearm . A loud crack was heard , she smiled at him " A broken arm , this time..." she said as she transitioned into a kick . Nero managed to dodge in time , he looked down at his arm dangling from the broken bone. " Sorry, Mr. Pillar... I'm only having fun ... " she said as she got into a fighting stance again. Turning his attention towards her , Nero looked down at her feet and noticed a piece of cloth there. He turned his attention back towards her... " You call this fun... " He said as Yamato began to glow blue. " Allow me to show you how to have fun ...WEAKLING !" he yelled as the aura from Yamato engulfed his broken arm . He began to move his broken arm , hearing several cracks . " That sword is repairing his arm !? ''She thought to herself, Shortly the sleeve surrounding his arm began to burn off. Revealing the demonic portion of his arm , " I try my hardest to hide this from other people so they don't freak out ... calling me a monster...but sometimes I think .... I'm more than just a monster.... I'm a devil ." he said as the arm is completely healed and proceeds to switch hands allowing his demonic hand to hold his sword. "
" Now ... let's have fun..." he said as he charges in towards her. She went to go punch him , he side stepped to the side dodging her punch . " ...too slow.." he said as he swung Yamato up at her. She leaned back barely missing the blade , As she falls back she goes to try and kick him in the face. He grabbed her foot and hurled her towards the Wisteria Barrier. " Dammit ...he's a totally different person than he was a second ago.." she said as she lands on the ground next to the Wisteria ." He's trying to box me in ... " she looked back towards the barrier, the sound of metal scraping across the ground can be heard at night. She looks forward and Sees Nero dragging the tip of the blade on the ground. " This is how I have fun ... " he said Smiling , she looked up and his eye's glowing blue . He picks Yamato up and charges in at her, she holds her arms up to block his attack. He inhales some air and performs Breath of Dark-second form: Stinger once he closes the distance between them . The tip of his sword made contact onto her gauntlets , the friction between the two created a red heat mark on her gauntlets marking where his attack was. She was pushed back further into the Wisteria, with the flowers making contact . Several poison marks began to appear on her body Nero walked very slowly blocking her only exit " Score for Nero.... I'm up one." he said. Hearing what he just said, she looked at him with horror. " Nero..." she said , using all her strength to get up from the wisteria poison . " Don't think you're gonna get out of this alive , Demon." he said as he was now standing over her as slowly raised his sword up into the air.
She looked at him, with horror in her eyes. She looked down at the ground and said " Biwa... get me out of here ..." when she said that , below her a door opened pulling her down towards it. " NOOO!" Nero screamed as he swung his sword down at her. Scratching her Yukata taking a shred of it off, the door closed in front of him. His sword came crashing into the group causing a small shock wave the shockwave caused some of the wisteria to fall off the trees. Nero watched as another demon that he was about to kill got away, he clenched his teeth and as he looks around hoping that she appears to attack him for somewhere. " AHHHHHHHH!" he screamed at the top of his lungs . " The Aura surrounding Yamato burst forth exploding in all directions. Shortly after , Nero right arm begun to change . Cracks begin to form on his arm, flowing up to his upper arm.
( Image does not belong to me . Imagine it having more cracks all over. )
He held his arm in and fell to his knees , he looked down at Yamato and noticed it was chipped. " Yamato...what are....you... " he said as he let go of it . He breathed heavily , looking at his arm Nero found the cracks begin to slowly envelope half of his chest. " I gotta get in control...." he said as he reached for it . Once he grabbed the sword , the energy that was bursting forth calmed down. The cracks on Nero's body stopped leaving only several scars on his right arm and chest area. " If you're that hungry then let's go hunt some small fry.." He said as he tries to stand up, using all his strength to get a leg up . " This is harder than it seems.." He continued to put more effort in , he was drained of his strength to move. "I didn't even transform and I feel drained." he said . Behind him, he can hear the tree's rustling in the wind. He turns around to find Kanae and Shinobu, with weapons drawn . " Nero is Everything alright ?" Shinobu asked , looking at him . Kanae looked around to see if any more demons were nearby . " Shinobu help him up.. " she said . Doing what her sister ordered, Shinobu rushed over to Nero to help him. " Here ... N-" When she got close to him , he looked at his arm holding Yamato. " What the Hell happened Nero !" she yelled .
Turning his attention away, he tried to stand up again . " Nothing ... " he said as he got on his feet, with what little strength he has . " Nero... you're lying. When we left, your arm was in perfect condition now ...it's all a mess. " Shinobu said as she grabbed his arm, He looked at her and yelled " I SAID IT'S NOTHING !" as he pulls his arm away. She falls backwards , Kanae turns around and looks at them . She was about to yell at Nero for pushing his sister, when she got a good look at his arm. Shinobu looked at the damage on his body, The cracks were flowing from his arm onto his chest. " Nero, you need medical attention ASAP. " Shinobu said as she got up. " and I'll say it for the third time.. It's noth-" he said when suddenly he falls forwards. Behind him, Kanae holds her arm . " Let's take him in .. and see how that girl is doing ." She said as she began to put his arm over her shoulder. " Let's hope he has enough bandages for his arm . " she said as she put his other arm over her .They began making their way back to his home.
Upon arriving in his room , Shinobu got up " I'm gonna run and get some bandages and some medicine. " she was about to leave until Kanae said " Please check on the girl please . " Shinobu nodded and left , Kanae looked over at Nero who's still unconscious . " I know i should be mad at you for killing those people ... but for some reason... seeing you like this ...hurts me more that i realize. " she whispered to herself. She looked at his hand , the hand looking like it's beginning to open. She grabbed his hand and held it in her palm, she traced her fingers across the surface. A crumbly feeling can be felt across it " When I felt your hand the last time , it was scaly now...it's like a wilting flower . ... Slowly dying in one's hand. " she started to grasp his hand , she lowered his hand back down and then looked at his chest area. " On the way in , Shinobu said it looks alot worse in your chest area.... " she said, she stared at his chest for a while.
She went to go and remove his torn haori to see the damage Shinobu was talking about, when Shinobu arrived with a Medical trey. " Sister, good news he has lots of medical equipment ... bad news he's gonna need a restock soon after tonight.. " she said as she sat down next to her sister. " Let's start with his arm ." she said as she got a cotton swab and put in ointment . " Get ready he might wake up from this ." Shinobu said as she held onto his arm to try and prevent it from moving around . Kanae soon joined in to help her, after waiting for a few short seconds . Shinobu placed the cotton swab on one of the cracked areas . Both waiting for him to instantly respond ....nothing. Both looked at each other with worried looks , Kanae quickly placed her head on his chest to hear if his heart was still beating . Her eyes widened , his heart wasn't beating . She quickly got up and removed his torn haori, shocking both of them . The Cracks have made their way across his chest. " They weren't that far when I saw them!" Shinobu said in a worried tone, Kanae looked at them closely . " They're moving .... " she said as she placed her hand on top of one of them. A jolt of pain, has enveloped her body. " ....Power....I ....need...more ....power ..." a voice called out to her . pulling her hand away , Kanae was breathing very heavily " Sister what happened ?" Shinobu asked , trying to piece together what happened. Kanae looked around the room, until she found what she was looking for .
She got up and walked over to the object in the corner of the room , she kneeled down next to it .... " You hungry ...aren't you..." she said as she stared at Yamato. The blade portion was out of the blade , it began to glow blue. She reached for the blade, it was about to disappear until Kanae said " I'll feed you...until Nero's condition is better ...deal?" The sword light grew brighter , until it suddenly died down . She continued to reach for the handle of the sword nothing was happening . When she grabbed it , she felt a sudden surge of power enveloped her . " Until...he is better this is a temporary contract.." a voice called out to her , she looked at the blade and when she saw her reflection in the blade to her surprise one of her eyes was blue with a cat-like feature. " Sister, you're holding his sword ?!" Shinobu called out , surprised that her sister was able to hold onto Yamato .
Looking at the blade, Kanae got up and looked at her sister. " Shinobu continues giving him First-Aid , I'll be back. " she said as she left with Yamato in hand. When she got outside, she looked at the sword and it was glowing a bright blue now ..and a voice called out " Small Fry..nearby... kill them all. " She was about to say something until , behind her a small puddle of blood appeared from it emerged a monster with several spikes on its back .
( Image belongs to rightful owners .)
" That's a demon..but one I have never seen before .. " she said , as she got in her fighting stance. " Alright ... I know I'm stealing his line.. But.... Time to begin the hunt." she said as she charged in . The demon growled getting in a cartwheel position and began to spin around very fast causing sparks to fly. She began to inhale her breath and use her breathing technique " Breath of Flower-Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!" she swung her sword clashing with the demon's blades . The strength of the demon was intense and she began to be pushed back. " No!" she thought to herself, The demon spun itself over the blade, She stared at the demon's blade seeing her reflection in Yamato's blade . She clenched her teeth and leaned back, allowing go over her . " Try this ... " she said in a demonic tone , swinging her sword at the demon's opening section . The demon was sent flying into the gardened area of the property, she looked at the demon who's barely getting up . " Time to die ... " she said , as she charged in at the demon . The demon turned around and was about to do a cartwheel spin again, until Kanae lunged herself forward and swung Yamato Horizontally at the demon severing it's head . She lands behind it still holding Yamato in the same position with the demon not moving . She got up and looked at the demon all Confused . " Nero can make it work, how come it's not working for me?" she asked herself . she approached the demon and with her finger she gave a small push and the demon fell apart. " Next time...don't forget the sheath... you look more cool with it in hand and do what Nero does. " a voice called out to her . Kanae looked down at the sword and smiled " Time to eat. ''She pointed the tip of the blade at the pieces of the demon , Yamato's blade began to glow blue as well as the pieces began to flow into the blade. Once done a voice called out to her , " That was nothing but a light snack , but this should stop that sudden overflow of power from killing Nero ... " that same voice calling out to her . " Two things One : All those cracks are from an overflowing of power? And Two : What exactly are you Yamato , your definitely not any normal demon slayer weapon that's for sure. "
A silence blanketed the area, Kanae began to tap her foot in irritation waiting . " Seriously I asked you a question , NOW RESPOND !" she yelled at the top of her lungs . " Well...seeing as how Nero usually Ignores me ... from time to time.... I answer one of those Questions .. " She nodded when more small puddles of blood appeared around her , she looked around and several demons emerged . " More of them, this is getting ridiculous now .." she said as she got in her fighting position. " I'll explain as you fight, can you multitask?" a voice asking her . She nodded and began to fight the small group of demons . Back inside the house , Shinobu just finished Bandaging Nero's injuries . " He should be ice cold by now , but he's still warm like he's alive. " She said as she Placed her hand on his chest . " No heartbeat... but Sister thinks that his sword is holding the answer to his condition . " she said as she removed her hand and got up and grabbed the medical tree to return it to where she got it.
She walked down the hallways and soon found herself in front of the girl's door. She opened the door to check on her again. She's still asleep " with all the noise sister is making outside I'm surprised she's not awake yet. " she said as she slowly closed the door. Back outside Kanae having just finished Killing two big groups of demons was breathing very heavily. " Soo Nero's condition was something that he did to himself?" Kanae asked as she sat down on the ground , Stabbing the sword in the ground . " Yes, the cracks on his body are from him over doing it with my limited power. Performing his Breathing forms was causing a huge surge of demonic power to flow into him . " She nodded and thought back to when Nero , Sanemi and Gyomei fought that weird looking demon . " That form... is that you're doing or .." before she can finish . The Yamato glowed " That is my own power . ... Those other demons we've been fighting have all been trying to copy it.. " Kanae looked at the house and thought back to when Nero first transformed .
(Image belongs to rightful owners.)
'' That is called Devil ... in demon terms imagine fighting 10 upper moon 1 Kizuki . " Her eyes widen to the sudden information given to her . '' Soo , if Nero was to lose control We would have to fight that ?" she asked herself . " For now , our contract states until Nero is back in action , you're my master until otherwise . Yamato said, Kanae only nodded , she got up and asked " Soo will I be able to use Nero's Dark Breathing ?"
Silence enveloped the area until it spoke up " No..." she frowned at that answer , she began to make her way back into the house . when something finally clicked " What a Minute ! Those demons entered a wisteria Area ! " she yelled after realizing they were on Nero's property.
" Yeah.... Those demons aren't actually demons ...but more smaller devils ... however the ones you just killed , are equivalent to that of lower rank 3-6 . " it said. " Listen for right now , just stay here for tonight, I'm sure more of those devil's will take advantage of Yamato's master being bed ridden and with the -'' It suddenly stopped talking all of a sudden. " Hey , what were you gonna say?" she tried asking , but no answer. Out of the corner of her eye , she looked and noticed the sun began to rise . " Wow ... it's already morning. " She yawned and entered the house . She entered and found the guest bedrooms , Shinobu was already in bed. " Guess, I'll go to bed too." she said as she entered another guest room. When she entered , she found the futon bed out and a set of sleepwear ready for her . " I have to thank Shinobu for doing this for me . '' she said as she put Yamato down and began to undress herself. Once she finished getting in her sleep ware , Kanae looked at Yamato one last time before getting onto the futon mat and drifting off to sleep.
<DreamScape (Kanae's) >
Inside her dreamscape , she finds herself on top of what looks like a giant tree emerging from a giant whole from the ground . " That day if our positions were switched , would our fates be different ... Would I have your life ..and you mine. " a voice called out . She turns around and sees a man sitting in a makeshift chair out of the branches of the tree. Shortly after, the area changes back to Japan, in the Taisho area revealing two Figures standing face- to - face each other . One was Nero with Yamato in hand as well as another sword on his back but dressed in an entirely different outfit , the other figure was covered in shadows , the only thing she can see was a big massive sword in hand. " All things must end ..Nero ....Even us ..." the man said as both he and Nero cross swords behind them revealing the devils residing within them.
( Images belongs to rightful owners , and Imagine Dante all covered in shadow. )
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Chapter 11 is Done . Everything Belongs to Rightful owners .
Kanae dreaming about a future event or is it something else entirely ?