As they are separated from Tanjiro and Teruko, Zenitsu, Nezuko and Shoichi roam through the mansion to find the exit. But as kept walking, they turned around to see a demon crawling on all fours. "Three children." It says creepily. "I wonder how good their blood will taste on my tongue." It then lashes its tongue at the wall next to it destroying it. "Run!" Zenitsu reacted and they stated to run away. "Why are we running?!" Nezuko asked
"If that tongue can do that much damage to a wall, it can easily pierce through a human!"
"Come back here." the tongue demon said. "I want to know what kind of taste you three have!" it launches its tongue again, making them burst into a room thought the wall. "Ok here's the plan." Zenitsu told. "I'm going to use myself as bait, and when you see the moment, head right and don't stop!"
"But what about you?!" Nezuko wondered worried. "If you fight him alone, you could die!" Zenitsu grabbed her hand. " It's going to be alright. I was trained to hold the sword most of my life. Once I know you're safe, I will decapitate the demon and meet up with you two." Nezuko nodded feeling confident in Zenitsu's strength. The blond demon slayer runs out the room, but as he turned the corner, he saw the tongue fly right at him smacking him in the face, sending him flying across the room into the wall incapacitating him. "Zenitsu!" Nezuko and Shoichi tried to help him, but the tongue demon entered the room with the intention to kill and eat them. "I'm going to savor the taste of your flesh and blood, starting with that child." Shoichi coward behind Zenitsu's unconscious body while Nezuko prepares to fight. "If you want the boy, you'll have to go through me!"
Water Breathing: 7th Form
Drop Ripple Thrust
Nezuko launched to the demon. 'If I can stab the tongue, it'll render him mostly vulnerable.' But the tongue demon had other ideas. It dodged the attack and used its tongue to bind Nezuko's wrists holding her in the air. "You seem like brave little girl." the demon said seductively as it spawns in another tongue that licks her cheek. "Since we are in this situation, I think I can hold off on that little boy and have a little bit of fun with you." Two more tongues appeared and opened Nezuko's legs.
Her eyes widened in fear. 'Shit! This can't be happening!' She began to tear up as she remembered what the hand demon did to Hikari before killing her. "I'm going to enjoy this. Now suffer!" Another tongue launches to Nezuko at full speed. Shoichi was very scared to try and stop it. "Tanjiro!! Father!! Please help me!!!" But before the tongue could penetrate Nezuko, it was sliced off in an instant, along all the other tongue holding her up. "I already told you; it's going to be alright." Zenitsu was awake and was between Nezuko and the tongue demon. "Zenitsu!"
"Grrr. You'll die for that!"
Blood Demon Art
Tongue Frenzy
Its tongue reappeared with a very sharp edge. "I'll slice and dice you!" Zenitsu unfazed, takes a stance and takes a deep breath. He grabs his blade, and his eyes fall into a concentrated state.
Total Concentration
Thunder Breathing: 1st Form
Thunderclap and Flash
Then in one millisecond, a yellow flash swiftly sliced the tongue demon's head with Zenitsu right behind him. Nezuko and Shoichi were shocked over his power. "Are you two alright?" he asks. "Yes." Nezuko answered. "What was that?"
"It was called Thunderclap and Flash. It's considered the fastest quick draw technique ever." Shoichi felt very amazed. "Let's get going." Shoichi runs to him and before Nezuko could exit the room, the room was switched separating her from the two. "Damnit!"
Meanwhile on his own, the masked demon slayer was running down the hall aimlessly. "I got blown away again! That damn demon has kept trapped in here for three days! It's pissing me off! Moving around in narrow spaces is not my style at all." Suddenly as reaches the end of the hallway, a massive hand comes around the corner trying to grab him, but he backflips right before it could touch him. The hand came from a large demon with one horn. "You dodged it. No human has such impressive reflexes or reactions. You will be a great feast."
The masked slayer rushed towards the horn demon. "The bigger they are, the easily it is to chop off the head!" He slices off its arms rendering it unable to grab him. "You will be my first steppingstone to become stronger as I leave your body in the sun to rot!"
Beast Breathing: 3rd Fang
Devour
He decapitates the demon and uses his corpse to leap and bounce through the mansion. "Pig Assault! Pig Assault!"
Elsewhere, the Drum Demon wonders the mansion hunting for the slayers and humans. "Rare Blood. Rare Blood. As long as I eat him... 50 people... No. 100 people's blood is worth it. As long as I devour humans with rare blood, I can reclaim my place as a member of the Twelve Kizuki." His right eye shows the number "Lower Moon Six" and an X across the eye.
(Flashback)
The Drum Demon was still eating a dead human, with Muzan standing before him. "Kyogai, can you not eat that human all the way to the bone?" he asked. "Is this your limit?"
"No. No! I can still eat more! I beg of you..."
But Muzan was impatient and slashed his eye with the Lover Moon Six title. "Gah! Please! Please! Wait a moment! I just need a little more time..."
"Enough! Your incompetence will not be tolerated any longer. I am striping you of your number. This appears to be your limit. But I will compensate you with a portion of my blood. Go beyond this mansion, devour more humans, and I will consider giving you back your number."
(Flashback ends)
"Big brother Kiyoshi!" Teruko ran to her brother. He was about to beat the drum, but he just hesitates and hugs his sister. He then looks at Tanjiro. "Who... Who are you?!"
"My name is Tanjiro Kamado. I'm here to slay the demons. Let me tend to your wounds. You've been very brave surviving on your own." Tanjiro proceeds to tend the wound with medicine that Urokodaki gave them. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"The monster just grabbed me and retreated to this house. It had this look on its face. Like it wanted to eat me. And then, two other monsters came out of nowhere. They started fighting each other to decide who would eat me. And as they were fighting, the monster with the drums had one ripped off its body. It changes rooms ever time it beats. So, I've been using it to stay alive."
"Have any of the demons mentioned 'Rare Blood?' "
"Yes! They all did!"
Then, Tanjiro's crow came out of nowhere. "CAW!!! A HUMAN WHO HAS RARE BLOOD IS CALLED MARECHI!" Kiyoshi and Teruko were spooked by the crow's ability to speak. "What exactly does marechi mean?" Tanjiro asked. "The blood of organisms has a classifying system you moron." The crow replied. "HUMANS WITH MARECHI IN THEIR VEINS ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE! ESPECIALLY TO A DEMON!!! HUMANS WITH MARECHI CAN EQUAL FIFTY OR A HUNDRED HUMANS! MARECHI IS A DEMON'S FAVORITE!!" This information was so terrifying, it almost made Tanjiro unaware that Kyogai was coming. "Ok, I'm going over to the next room."
"What?!"
"Kiyoshi, I need you to keep a calm mind. It'll be fine, because I'm here to defeat the demons like I said before." Tanjiro then looked towards Teruko. "Teruko, your brother is very tired, so I'm asking you to take care of him until I finish this fight. The very moment I leave this room, just beat the drum to swap rooms. If someone opens the door use the drum and swap rooms. Do not hesitate for a second. Once I defeat that demon, I'll track your scent and find you. I'll call out your names as I open the door. Can you try and stay strong until I find you?" Kiyoshi and Teruko nodded while hiding their fear. "Very good." Then Kyogai peeks by the door in the next room as Tanjiro rushes into said room. "Beat the drum!!" Kiyoshi did what he said, and the room was gone. 'They're safe. At least I can fight him without anything holding me back!' Or so he thought.
"Tanjiro?!" He turned to see Nezuko in the room behind him. "Nezuko?!"
"It's always bugs." Kyogai grumbled. "I just hate bugs!" He the beats his right shoulder drum flipping the room upside down as Nezuko runs in. "What are you doing here?! I thought you were with Zenitsu and Shoichi!" "We were separated!" Nezuko replied as she looked at Kyogai. "Is that the demon responsible for all chaos that's been happening?!"
"Nezuko, be careful! It has more abilities!" Kyogai beat its stomach drum sending claw attacks towards her, and she dodged it at the last second. "I was able to figure out his drums. The drum on his left shoulder turns the room to the right. The right turns the room to the left. The right leg moves forward, left leg moves backward, and the stomach is the claw attack." As they try to predict its attacks, Kyogai spun around the room causing the siblings to bounce around hitting walls. Tanjiro struggled to get back on his feet, but his rib injuries kept him from standing. But he still refused to give up, even if it meant dying.
"Tanjiro, please wait!" Nezuko begged. "Why are you pushing yourself?!" He tried to speak but could not find an answer. "Your injuries haven't fully healed right?" All he could do was nod. "Tanjiro, I understand that you want to protect everyone but who's going to protect you?" She then proceeded to hug him in comfort. "Tanjiro, I understand what your goals are. You really want to defeat Muzan Kibutsuji, but there are so many enemies we have to face first, like Michikatsu. And there are many other people fighting the demons, like Zenitsu and Giyuu. You are not alone in this fight."
"You're right. I almost forgot to rely on others for help. Thank you. To think I was about to be sliced because I was unprepared." Tanjiro was able to stand back up. "But now that you're here, I'm certain that we'll behead this demon. No matter what, we will never yield!"
The siblings dash to Kyogai attempting to cut his head while trying to predict his next move. Kyogai attempted to flip and then slash them, but they get back up to evade the second attack. He was getting more irritated remembered a painful memory. He remembered how someone called his writing horrible and disrespected him, and in retaliation, he beat his stomach drum killing him. Remembering that awful memory made Kyogai even more angry. "Disappear from my sight at once you vermin!!"
Rapid Drumming Frenzy
Kyogai was rapidly beating his drums spinning the room around confusing the two slayers and the claw attack increased from three to five. In the midst of the chaos, a drawer opened with paper falling out. As they land, they avoid stepping on the writing and it causes Kyogai to stop his attack. "Nezuko, I think I figure out how to defeat him. If we use short rapid breaths, we can get close and defeat him." As Kyogai continues his attack, Tanjiro and Nezuko were able to get closer as they waited for his next claw attack. Smelling a quick smell of mold, they were able to predict his next claw strike. "Nezuko, you have to be the one to cut its head!" Nezuko nodded and continued her attack.
Water Breathing: 9th Form
Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent
Kyogai could not believe it. The demon slayers were evading his technique and he was about to die. "Your Blood Demon Art is indeed incredible!" Nezuko said as she cuts off Kyogai's head. The siblings were able to breathe, but Tanjiro took a heavy breath hurting him. "You two. Answer me." Kyogai said. "Is my art strong?"
"It is very strong." Tanjiro answered. "But killing humans is unforgivable."
"Is that so..."
Tanjiro then grabs a syringe blade and throws it to Kyogai's fading body to collect his blood. Soon after they we're startled by a meow. It was Tamayo's familiar in the form of a cat. With one meow it will turn visible. "You really scared us." He gave the cat the blood sample. "Can you be sure to get this back to Tamayo? Thank you and please be careful."
As Tanjiro and Nezuko leave the room, Kyogai remembers his written songs how it was insulted, before hearing the siblings' words on how they acknowledge it. Tears appeared before his eyes as he realized they saw his art and abilities amazing. Kyogai was finally able to rest in peace.
(Notes)
Like before I don't have notes.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.