Sorry for the long wait guys, school kept me busy so I apologized for the long wait but I'll be back on posting more chapters
Shinobu cried in her lovers shoulder, first she went through the painful memories of her sisters death then remembering her crushes death in her physically and emotional fight between her and douma
She had tried to use her concealed dagger but douma had snatched it away and broke it, after fighting for a few minutes she found herself getting absorbed but then heard a voice she thought had died
She later remembered everything going dark until she woke up having meet her sister on the other side. Shinobu was frightened by her near death experience and wished to be tanjiro's warm embrace
Years of painful and relieving emotion spilled out as she hit tanjiro's chest over and over, tears of emotions mixed with her near death experience put her into a bad mental state
"Why! Why! WHY! WHY DID YOU DO IT?! W-WHY?!"
Tanjiro wasn't feeling good either, he had just lost his uncle and watch him die in his arms, he was greatly relieved to find Shinobu alive but was grieving and happy all in the same time
"A-am sorry Shinobu! T-they were like m-my family! I couldn't d-do anything!"
"We were your family too! Uzui, sanemi, Inosuke, Zenitsu, aoi, everyone! W-we cared for you t-too!"
"A-am sorry......am sorry......"
Tanjiro held Shinobu closely, oh how much he missed her scent and loving personality. Properly why he fell for her but now he knows that she loved him and that he loves her
Honestly he wanted to get his family cured and live out the rest of his life with Shinobu, he would have day dreamed more if it wasn't for Shinobu who saw her previously absorbed arm and leg returned
"How......how did I......"
"Shinobu.....I-I didn't have any option left.....you were bleeding out and your pulse stopped so I-I...turned you into a demon....."
Shinobu's eyes widen, she had become the very thing she hated and swore to kill but currently in their situation it was not the time to argue as everyone in the infinity fortress were having death battles
"D-don't worry Shinobu I have created a antidote to turn demons back into humans, if your wondering how then I'll explain later because right now we must find everyone"
"Right"
The two stood up as tanjiro cleared his throat before yelling
"Nakime!"
In a instant tanjiro and Shinobu found themselves on a platform, on top one of those platforms was Nakime
"Auntie please send me and Shinobu to find our friends!"
Nodding she teleported tanjiro and Shinobu away while blocking her eye sight and focusing her thoughts trying not to let muzan know about the plan
With tanjiro and Shinobu
The two found themselves standing on a pillar, swords clashing was heard as the two turned to the right seeing a giant platform and on that platform was daki and gyutaro looking rage fueled
They two were aggressively fighting mitsuri who struggled to defend herself from the siblings team work, the three fought as mitsuri slowly started losing
"I'LL SKIN YOU!!"
Daki yelled as several of her sashes attacked mitsuri who was barely able to block the attacks, behind was gyutaro who had cut mitsuri from behind and used his very poisonous blood and slashes
Tanjiro and Shinobu jumped from pillar to pillar getting closed to the siblings, mitsuri fell on her nees as gyutaro raised his sickle to finish off mitsuri
"STOP!!"
The two siblings looked towards the voice and to their absolute shock it was tanjiro, tanjiro and Shinobu landed on the pillar and Shinobu immediately ran to check on mitsuri while tanjiro talks with daki and gyutaro
Tanjiro breaths in heavily as then he was put into a tight hug by daki and gyutaro
"Tanjiro! M-my precious son! Your alive!"
"Where the hell have you been?!"
"Mother, uncle gyu I was......making this"
He then pulled out the antidote and started explaining what happened
"After I got thrown off into the waterfall, I was turn into a demon and I spent these last past months making a antidote to turn demons back into humans"
Daki gasp while gyutaro stared in shock, tanjiro took out another one and kneeled in front of his mother and uncle
"Please.....mother.....uncle.....I beg you to take this....I've already given it to Nakime and father but he doesn't know it yet......I-I already lost uncle douma so please take it.....I-I can't bare to lose another member of my family"
Daki stared at the antidote, she could take the antidote and lose all her powers to revert back into a human or stay as a demon. Gyutaro also stared at the antidote
If he took it then he'll be weak and be a normal human, the two siblings stared at each other then back at tanjiro seeing his pleading eyes and his body shaking a bit with anticipation
Tanjiro felt his body get pulled into a hug as daki and gyutaro cry in his shoulders
"M-my precious son....I-I'll gladly take it if I means being with you...."
"If it means we'll all be together then......I do too"
Tanjiro felt tears wailed up as he hugs them tightly before softly sobbing
"T-thank you......"
On the side lines Shinobu had healed up mitsuri who was unconscious for now as she saw everything unfold right in front of her, tears of believing demons were nothing but pure evil changed in a instant
She saw how tanjiro reminded them of their history and upper moon 6 hug him and cried greatly relieved that he was alive, it almost looked like a lost child reunited with his family after being lost for a long time
This made Shinobu fell happy as if she was watching a family reunite after being away from each other for so long. A single tear went down her cheek as she thinks maybe not all demons are bad
Tanjiro handed the two sibling the antidote and they injected it into their vanes immediately feeling the effects of the antidote, yelling Nakime the group found themselves in a different area of the infinity fortress
"Aunt naki please keep mitsuri, mother and uncle gyu safe. Teleport me and Shinobu to the rest"
Nodding her head Nakime teleported daki, gyutaro and mitsuri into a safe room to recover while tanjiro and Shinobu go to help their comrades. Another strung of her biwa Nakime teleported tanjiro and Shinobu to iguro's location
With muzan
Muzan was currently sitting in his private room drinking a blood fused wine, he could see the battles between his upper moons and the pillars going in his favor
Kokushibou was doing great against gyomei, gyokko was getting the upper hands on iguro, hantengu was overpowering giyu and Akaza was enjoying himself by overwhelming rengoku and having a blast doing it
Yes indeed the demon king was very satisfied to see this going in his favor alright, he smirked and drank his wine thinking how he and his family will get their justice
Muzan let the fine aged-wine rest on his tongue, he closed his eyes enjoying the flavor but then his face slightly looked dissatisfied. He looked down at his wind before taking another sip
To his slight confusion it tasted......bitter? He tasted once again but it started tasting bad? Muzan looked confusingly before he shrugged it off and looked through gyokko's eyes
He could clearly see gyokko fighting iguro and placing him in a water pot trapping the pillar inside and slowly watching him drown to death
Muzan smiled at that but then his vision and connection to gyokko began to grow blurry, then his vision went blurry as his connection to gyokko started losing connection
Muzan grunted as he dropped his wine dropping the glass and falling off his throne, muzan breathed in and picked himself up. He felt a sting on his palm so he looked at it to see broken glass imbedded
He pulled out the glass shards and to his absolute shock his wound slowly regenerated, he felt his body heating up as if his own body was turning into a oven as he sweated and kneeled to the ground
Muzan breathed in heavily before he wiped the sweat off his forehead, by now he realized something was terribly wrong
"H-how......what is happening to me?"
Using his demonic ability to control his own biology he can sense a foreign substance and what's more it's evolving to quickly for muzan to stop it, muzan then felt his power slowly drained and his eyes widen
"M-my.....powers......it's fading!"
Muzan then remembered the mysterious figure who injected him with that mysterious substance from before, he knew he had to be the one to have done this and he'll get his answers forcibly
"These people......no......THESE MURDERS! THEY TRY TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS WHILE THEY KILL THE INNOCENT, UBAYASHIKI I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE!"
Muzan now in a anger and bad mental state gone crazy. He had sent orders out to his upper moons to bring back the mysterious figure to him and make him answer his questions
Muzan immediately called Nakime to get him to his lab a sap
With tanjiro and Shinobu
Tanjiro along side Shinobu had sprinted towards iguro's location in distress as they heard gyokko's hysterical laughter echoing through the infinity fortress, when they got to the location gyokko was hopping up and down in utter joy
Gyokko had placed iguro in his water pot nearly drowning the pillar who would have died if it wasn't for tanjiro who used his blood demon art
"Blood demon art......exploding blood!"
Then using his crimson fires tanjiro made the water evaporate, steam soon followed as iguro fell to the ground barely holding on to life shifting in and out of consciousness
Using his blood art once again tanjiro healed iguro if his near death by healing him, a brief silence follows by iguro coughing water
"Come on, cough all out"
Iguro then got on his knees and coughed out all the water in his lungs now being able to breathe normally
"Who in the hell are y-"
Facing his uncle tanjiro knew what was going to happen, gyokko's face of pure anger and annoyance disappeared in a instant seeing his beloved nephews face
"No way......"
Tanjiro had a sad smile before he stood up awkwardly said
"H-hey....uncle"
Just like the rest of the upper moons tanjiro was put into a tight hug, gyokko's mouths trembled and his eyes weeped tears
"Tanjiro! How thank goodness your alive! No such hand craft person by the gods can compare to you!"
Gyokko missed the boy very much as did everyone, gyokko laughed in joy and cried in pure joy
"Uncle....."
Looking down at his nephew gyokko saw a bitter smile, tanjiro knew what he had to do and gave his uncle a offer
"Uncle gyo accept this......it's a antidote to turn demons back into humans and I've alright got mother, aunt naki and uncle gyu to take so please take this....."
Gyokko stared at the syringe, he had missed the teen now young adult very much. He and tanjiro had a fondness over art and gyokko watched as tanjiro grew to become compassionate just like how he would be like when he made his artwork
Gyokko wanted to take the antidote but he had a deep hatred towards the demon slayers for nearly killing his nephew and making him sad for months, at the end his pride and anger won
"I'll take it......under one condition...."
Tanjiro stared at his uncle who transformed into his most powerful form, tanjiro and everyone else presented gasp as he got out his pit and stood up with his shoulders high
"If you beat me then I'll take the antidote.....if you lose I'll kill all the demon slayers"
"Fine.....but I won't be holding back"
Tanjiro got into a sword stance, he gripped his sword before looking at his uncle dead in the eyes seeing his determination to win and kill the hashira
"Let's see how strong you gotten....TANJIRO!"
Then in a break neck speeds gyokko stood behind tanjiro and aiming a punch towards his leg to immobilize tanjiro, turning back tanjiro breathing in and quickly brought his sword out slicing his uncles hand off
Immediately after his hand regenerated as gyokko grin, tanjiro gasp feeling something hit his leg. Turning around the young man saw one of gyokko's fish had hit him with poison needles
Knowing the needles will paralyzed him tanjiro dashed towards his uncle and appearing behind him with his long sword
"Moon breathing, first form: dark moon, evening palace!"
Sending forwards numerous chaotic shape crescent blades, they hid their mark as gyokko grunted from the attack but remained unharmed, gyokko saw his nephew was gone and tried to look for him
Gyokko felt a overwhelming heat and looked down at his feet to see his legs on fire, despite his skin being harder then diamond it slightly melt it and was heating his insides
Gyokko then saw his shadow cast in front of him and turned around to see tanjiro throw some of his blood on his face
"Demon blood art.....exploding blood!"
"A demon blood art?!"
Then in a instant gyokko's entire face was set on fur the supernatural fire causing him to scream and get on his knees, he summoned water to expel the flames while tanjiro took the chance to attack him
Tanjiro ran forward and ready his attack but was halted by two giant fishes, the first one fired more poison needles while the other charged at tanjiro and shot forward its tendrils
Tanjiro deflected the needles but was grabbed by the second fish and was being strangled, hissing in pain tanjiro brought out his claws and sliced the tendrils off the fish
Gasping for air tanjiro failed to noticed the first fish shot more poison needles at him, he yelled in pain getting most of the needles hit his chest and face giving him an unbearable stinging sensation
Gyokko by now has recovered and ran to tanjiro, grabbed his and strangling him gyokko attempted to end the fight with assistant from his demon fishes who held tanjiro down to prevent him from fighting back
"Please......please just go unconscious! I-I can't fight you anymore....."
Tanjiro struggled to get air and escape but gyokko made sure to prevent him from escaping and make the fight go any further, Shinobu had struggled to watch the fight as she had to take care of iguro who was drained of energy from fighting gyokko
Iguro needed her protection from his lack of energy and failed attempts to kill gyokko, Shinobu looked in horror seeing tanjiro's almost lose consciousness
"TANJIRO!"
Tanjiro turned his head to look at Shinobu who had tears in her eyes
"Don't give up! Win! For all of us!"
Iguro opened his eyes slightly to look at the person he tried to kill now and now savior
"Win.....for us"
Iguro said as tanjiro eyes snap wider, normal eyes turned into demons eyes just like his father before a vain appeared on his forehead and his demonic abilities increase
In a instant the tides change as gyokko was slammed on the ground while his demon fishes were sliced into tiny bits making it rain demon blood and flesh, gyokko tried to get up but felt a fist punch him back towards the ground
Gyokko saw tanjiro with a horn on his forehead and eyes glowing crimson red just like muzan making the upper moon have shivers. Tanjiro ignited his hand and punched gyokko right in the face
After that tanjiro stopped and looked down at his uncle who was burned and unconscious, tanjiro picked up his uncle and called out to Nakime, teleported back to his aunt tanjiro but his uncle down
"Aunt naki take iguro and uncle gyo with the others, Shinobu I think it's best that you stay here and help take care of the others, here take this"
Tanjiro handed Shinobu the antidote for his uncle as Shinobu bid tanjiro farewell and was send away, tanjiro look sadly before talking
"Aunt naki please send me to uncle han"
A strung of her biwa tanjiro was sent to hantengu location, tanjiro now stood in a different area of the infinity fortress as he caught whiff of hantengu and ran to find his uncle
"Uncle gyo......I didn't want to hurt him so I only used a little bit of my powers.....if he acted like that over my death then I guess the rest won't accept the antidote so easily...."
Tanjiro let a tear go down his cheek, if gyokko acted like that then he could only imagine what his other uncles would react to his offer, they probably fight him so tanjiro would have to man up
He rubbed his tears away looking determined. He will save everyone!
With muzan
Muzan threw a book into the wall, he was in his lab mixing chemicals together to make a cure for his sudden change. All failed as the special antidote had different phases preventing any cures to stop it
Muzan gritted his teeth as he started turning back into a human, by now 47 percent of his demon powers were gone and he only had a limited time left to stop the antidote
"To any upper moons, if you find the mysterious figure then bring him to me. I only have a few time left until I lose my powers"
Muzan sighed before sitting onto a chair, a few more hours until sun rise when everything ends
The end of chapter 24