The battle between Dark Pillar Nero and Upper moon Three Akaza. Akaza kept hitting Nero who in return kept severing a limb off of Akaza. Akaza who was smiling looked at Nero " Who knew battling the Legendary Sword Yamato , can be this much fun !" he says as uses [ Destructive Kill: Annihilation Type ] as he lunges forward towards Nero. Gripping Yamato Nero swings his sword up " Breath of Dark-Fourth Form: Rising Star!" , colliding with Akaza's attack. With the force of their techniques colliding , they created a massive shockwave around them. " I WILL NOT ..... LOSE !" Nero yells as both his right arm and Yamato glow . The light blinded Akaza , causing Nero's attack to slice right through his arm . Akaza looked as his attack was cut right through , as Nero's blade drew closer to his head . Akaza tried to jump back , but wasn't quick enough as the blade made contact with his chin . Once contact was made on him, Nero lifted him off his feet and hurled him high into the air . Once Akaza was off the ground, Nero jumped high into the air and began slashing away at him. Akaza, unable to get a footing , gave a feared look . " This is it !" he says as he grips Yamato and swings it down onto Akaza. Once contact was made , Nero used all his strength to send him crashing down causing him to make a massive crater.
Inside the crater as the smoke cleared , Akaza layed there unable to move . " Dammit ... Dammit ... " he says as he tries to move . Nero lands right next to him, he lands hard enough to cause a small shockwave around him. " It's over..." He says as he grips Yamato with both hands . Akaza looked at him , he clenched his teeth and yelled " NOT YET !" as Nero swung his sword down onto him. " How pathetic .... " a voice called out. Both Nero's and Akazas eyes widened at what happened. Another sword blocked Nero's attack, Nero looked at who the owner of the sword was, he found a man with long black hair that was tied into a ponytail. The man was dressed in a black and purple Kimono, Nero looked at the man, his most noticeable feature was the man having six red eyes with the middle eyes possessing the words " Upper One .. "
. Akaza was shocked that this man interrupted his fight against Nero, Nero lifted Yamato up and jumped back , giving him some distance between them. " Akaza , that man is furious at this development... " he says as he sheathed his sword. Akaza got up and onto his knees he stared at the six-eyed man. " Alright , I'll go to him .. " Akaza says as he turns his attention towards Nero . " Know this Nero , I will not stop trying to kill you so be prepared to die by my hands !" Akaza says as he jumps back and vanishes into the night leaving the two swordsmen.
Staring each other down , the man looked at Nero " Your name .. Nero was it? " he asked, Nero didn't respond to his question as he stood there keeping his guard up against the Upper Moon . " No matter , for you to injure Akaza to the point where his healing couldn't save him... then that must mean ... your wielding Yamato." he says as he turns around and walks away. " I will look forward to doing battle with you in the near future. " he says as he too vanishes into the night . Nero stood there as he sheathed Yamato " Upper moon One : Kokushibo.. He's someone we're not ready to fight yet. " it says . Nero looked around at the battlefield , then he looked at himself checking for any injuries " Strange not that long ago , before Akaza showed up .. I was on the verge of passing out but now ... I'm back to full strength. " Looking down at Yamato , he wondered " Was Yamato able to revitalize me ? " he thought . He shrugged his shoulders and began walking back to his intended destination. " Sun's about to rise here an hour from now , now I shouldn't have to worry about demons attacking me . " he says as he makes his way to the Kocho sisters Estate.
Inside the fortress, Akaza was currently kneeling down in front of a man dressed in a suit dress shirt and black dress pants and shoes , next to a counter holding several vials with liquids in them.
" By engaging Yamato , you allowed it to come one step closer to awakening, what do you have to say for yourself Akaza?" the man asks as he pours a bit of one liquid into another . Akaza lowered his head, " forgive me master .... I didn't mean to anger you. " He says , Veins started to appear on Muzans head " I hate change .... For you to force one step closer to awakening , should be punished by death ." he says as a vial breaks in his hand . Akaza flinched as Muzan's voice was slightly raised , he turned around and looked at Akaza . " However, since you're one of my favorites I'll let it slide .... " he says as the veins slowly faded away. Akaza breathes a sigh of relief " However , should you face Yamato without my permission and I'll start finding someone to replace your position !" he says as a sinister aura formed around Muzan. " Y-Yes, Sir.." Akaza said. Muzan turned around and returned to what he was doing . " You're free to go . " he says as he along with his work area disappears .
Kokushibo who was kneeling down in his part of the fortress , meditating . Thinking of the event that transpired " Nero , he's already on the verge of awakening Yamato .. " he thought to himself. " Just by fighting Akaza , managed to push it that far.. " he says as he stands up and leaves " He is someone who could be my rival.... Maybe . " he says as he vanishes . Akaza who was sitting next to an edge of the fortress , he was breathing very heavily " Nero.... " . he says as he stands there in silence , not even a second he slams his fist against the wall destroying it . " I will kill you ... my rival.. " he says as he jumps down from the edge and vanishes into the darkness. V who was resting against a training dummy , watches as Pyra practiced her Devil breathing . " Nero... " he says as he drifts off to sleep again . Pyra, practicing her sword swings with her devil breathing stopped and looked at the darkness " Nero, I swear... I will kill you ... even if we were friends .... You wield the Yamato .... Is a curse ... " she says as she swings her sword down causing destruction in the area she swung her sword .
As the sun rises over the horizon , Nero arrives in a town nearby the Estate. " Alright the Estate is not that far now. '' he says as he walks through town. "Excuse me sir , do u have a minute ?" a voice calls out to him . Turning around Nero finds a man with somewhat pale skin , Black hair slowly turning to Red. With Black and Red eyes carrying a large basket on his back. " Would you perhaps be interested in charcoal ?" he asked. Nero looked at the man and smiled " You sell charcoal ?" he asked . The man nodded " Yes , I figured I'd come here to make a little extra. '' he says , Nero leaned to the side and looked at the man's basket. It was big , the man smiled at Nero '' You're a demon slayer ...aren't you ?" he says . Nero's eyes widened at what the man said . " How did you .." he asks, the man held his hand up signaling Nero to be quiet. " I figured you were one , you have the smell of demons blood on you as well as another smell. " he says , Nero went to grab Yamato " Relax I was just asking.. " he says as he takes his basket off . " Would you perhaps be interested in some charcoal ?" he asks . Nero sighed and replied " I'll take some .. " He went into his pocket and grabbed some money, the man then handed him a bag of charcoal Nero then in turn handed him money. " Thank you, safe travels.. " the man said as he put the basket on his back " If I may good sir , what's your name ?" he asked.
"Nero...yours ?" he asked in return. The man smiled and replied " Tanjuro Kamado, I live in a small house about half a day's walk from here ." he says as he points towards a nearby mountain. Nero looked towards the mountain , Tanjuro was pointing towards . " Why are you telling me this ?" he asked , Tanjuro lowered his hand and replied " My family lives in an area that's not heavily populated by demons , but I fear that one day it might be attacked .. " with a worried look on his face. Nero only sighed , " I'm not trying to sound rude , but Demons attack everywhere ... however . " he says and not long after he puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles . Shortly after Cronos arrives " Cronos , got something for protecting a large family ?" Nero asks . Cronos started to cough up something from his stomach, a bag was regurgitated . Nero caught it " Ewww , I'm still not getting used to that . " he says as he hands Tanjuro the bag. " It's a bag of Wisteria seeds , plant them around your home, it should keep the demons away ." Cronos says as he flies away. The man looked at the bag then towards Nero " As Cronos instructed Plant them around your home , it should keep the demons awake . " Nero says as he walks past Tanjuro. He remained silent as begins walking away, Nero kept looking over his shoulder just in case Tanjuro was following him. " He looked Kinda sick .." Nero thought to himself as he turned his attention to the road in front of him.
Nero began to hurry over to the estate , since he didn't want to run into any more people on the way. Not that far away , Nero could see a Bamboo fenced area . He smiled " Finally, they really didn't live that far away huh ." he says as he begins to slow down. Once he was near the front entrance of the estate . " Looks like it could use some work .." he says as he enters through the front gate. As he enters the first thing he sees is a garden covered in weeds . " I know Kanae has been a Hashira for a while , but damn. " he says as he looks around . As he looked towards the estate , it looked somewhat stable . " Guess they haven't gotten around to fixing the place up. " as he approaches the estate. Nero arrives at the door , as he goes to knock on the door. The door suddenly opened, shocking Nero to his surprise was Kanae " Hey , Nero !" she yells as she runs past him . " Everything okay Kanae ?" he asks , She didn't answer him and kept running out towards the gate . " She's late for patrol. " Nero turned around to find Shinobu in the doorway. " How late was she up?" he asks . Shinobu gestured to Nero to come in. " Well we had to clear out one of the usable guest bedrooms for Akiko to sleep in. " she says as he enters.
"Well , I am grateful for you taking her with you ." he says as he removes his footwear. " You look like you had one hell of a night, what happened ." she asks as she leads him into the living area. " Well for starters , I took care of the guys from before . " he says , Shinobu turned around " Want some tea ?" she asks , Nero nodded and replied " Yes please .." as he sits down . Shinobu left to go make a pot of tea . Nero sat there and enjoyed the peace an quiet , placing Yamato down next to him . " Nero !" a voice called out to him , he opens his eyes and looks over at the doorway . To his surprise, it was Akiko who was standing there smiling . " Morning .. were you good ?" he says as he patted in the spot next to him gesturing for her to sit there. She went over to his side and sat down . " Anything happened while you were out ?" he asks , She shook her head " No not really , when we arrived Lady Kanae and Shinobu both left to open a spare bedroom for me to stay in , once they were finished I went to bed cause I was tired." she replied. Nero nodded his head " As for your training , inorder for you to join the Slayer Corps : You need at least a year's worth of training and to survive something called Final Selection . " he says as he crosses his legs . Akiko adjusted herself to where she's facing him. " When will we begin ?" she asks. Shinobu arrives with the pot of tea and several small cups on a tray " Begin what ?" asking as she puts the tray on the small table.
Akiko looked at Shinobu and answered " Nero's gonna train me to join the demon slayer corps." Hearing that Nero looked at Shinobu , when he was about to say something She cut him off . " Nero , You can't train her ! At least not until she is of age !" she yells as she points her finger at him . Nero then pondered for a minute then looked at Akiko " How old are you Akiko?" he asked . Akiko replied " I'm 9 yearsold . " Shortly after her saying that Shinobu grabbed Nero by his Jacket . " That's another thing you never ask a female about her age !" she says as she begins shaking him. Nero holding his hands up had his eyes closed and smiled " Sorry, I'll remember that next time ." he says. Still shaking him, Shinobu kept yelling at him . After a while she stopped , looking at Akiko and asked " Why do you wanna join the slayer corps ?" as she let him go. " I don't want people to feel the pain that I felt as well. I wanna ensure no one dies to the cultists that worship the demons... " she says.
Nero straightening his jacket " And as I said before: You need a year's worth of training and to survive Final Selection. " he says . Shinobu sits down next to him " Plus in order to join, you have to be of a specific- " Nero got up and signaled Akiko to follow . " H-Hey where are you going ?" she asks as she stands up quickly following . " I know we can't train her intensively but we can at least show her how to hold a sword . " he says as Akiko quickly followed behind him. Arriving at the front door and putting his footwear on , both Nero and Akiko went towards the back of the house . Shinobu arrived near the back area opening a spot for Nero to sit at . " Well you're not wrong about her not learning on how to hold a sword , but she still can't join the slayer corps . " She said . Nero grabbed a nearby branch and snapped it in half, handing it to Akiko . " When you hold a sword ensure that you hold it with a strong grip. " Nero instructs as Akiko grabs the branch and holds a tight grip on it . Kneeling down to her height Nero continued to give instruction on how to hold the weapon . This Continued on, for several hours Nero taught her how to hold the weapon to the proper stances . " You're a quick learner , Akiko." Nero commented on her form . " I don't know why , but this just felt natural for me .. " Akiko says as she lowers the makeshift weapon. " I know until we get some decent equipment to train with that stick is gonna have to do." Nero said as he pointed towards the stick. " The estate isn't in tip top condition , but it's still livable . '' Shinobu said. As she takes a tip of her tea , Nero sits down next to her " However you gotta think of it this way , Shinobu what if a typhoon comes in? What happens if a blizzard hits and you have no heat? You gotta take all that into consideration ." He says counting the number of weather conditions . " Demons and Devils may be humanity's problem but the weather is our enemy as well . " he says as he lowers his hand.
Hearing this, Shinobu got up and ran inside the estate. " I'll be back." she says as she runs towards her room . Once she left , Nero looked at Akiko and noticed her hands were turning red . "Akiko, why don't you take a break for a bit." he says , Akiko nodded and said " I think I will. " She says as she sits down next to him . Shortly after Shinobu returned with a small journal in hand, handing the journal to Nero " This holds all the repairs that needs to be done ." she said. Taking the journal , and examining what she wrote down .
Front Gate repair - several pieces of the bamboo are broken leaving openings in the fence.
Front Door repair - Door gets jammed when attempting to open.
Roof - Roof Seems stable at first glance , but getting a closer look several pieces are broken and/or missing.
Several of the bedrooms- Inside several of the rooms , the floors are on the verge of breaking and the walls will be falling very soon ( Important Fix )
Taking all these into account , I think this might be a small project to work on overtime .
Nero closed the book " So if I'm assuming this correctly , You calling this a small project to repair a house you live in?" He asked . Shinobu nodded her head and replied " With us being demon slayers we can't- " Nero interrupted her " Being a demon slayer and working on your home are two entirely different things, forgive me for my attitude just now , but I suggest looking into how much this is gonna cost ." he says slightly raising his voice . " Lady Shinobu , do you even know how much it's gonna cost to repair your home ?" Akiko asked the demon slayer . Shinobu face turned slight red and she whispered " N-no not really .."
Nero sighed and said " Well for a time being until Kanae returns from patrol , look into it take into account the amount of labor ." he lays back. Shinobu looked at him with an annoyed look " H-Hey , you do you think you are bossing me around !? " she yelled as she shot herself up . " Um, a Hashira for one and plus I think I'm older than you ?" he says as he places his hands underneath his head for comfort. " You may be a Hashira , but that doesn't mean you have to boss me around . " she said . Akiko started laughing at the two " What so funny ?" Shinobu asked. Akiko kept laughing at the two , shortly she stopped and gasped for air and replied " He's already asleep." she looks at Nero and noticed his slow breathing . Shinobu looked at Nero and gave a surprised look " When did he fall asleep?" she asked .
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Chapter 15 is done . Everything Belongs to their rightful owners.