Ume's POV:
Rumble
Crash
I brought both arms up to my face, blocking my eyes from the explosion of dust and rubble, the heat from the flames burning everything nearby.
I lowered my arms, gaze falling on a single scale demon that leapt out of the building, while the twelve other demon slayers I was put in charge of continued fighting off over a hundred of these scale demons.
The scale demon snapped its head in my direction, dashing towards me the very instant its gaze fell on me.
I kept my eyes narrowed, frowning slightly at the thing's disgusting and monstrous appearance.
Without any hesitation, I raised my blade above my head, performing a single downwards slash that emancipated the creature's head from its body.
I ducked down, keeping my body low to the ground as several green scales flew over my head.
In the blink of an eye, I blitzed the scale demon who had attempted to attack me, striking it with a powerful slash to the chest, sending it flying back several meters, watching it crash into a nearby wall.
"Obi!"
In an instant, eight obi sashes sprouted out from my back, shooting forward and stabbing through the scale demon one by one, pulling it towards me.
I finished the job with a swift slice to the scale demon's neck as it was pulled towards me by my obi sashes.
"Ugly creature..." I spat, turning my attention to the rest of the scale demons that were now split up, fighting against the other demon slayers.
Sending out my eight obi sashes once again, they wrapped around a small grouping of scale demons, slamming each of them into the ground with immense force, giving the other slayers an opening to behead them.
I dashed over to a trio of scale demons that were preparing to attack a few preoccupied demon slayers.
With a few simple slashes of my katana, I easily obliterated the three scale demons, beheading each one.
Crash
I snapped my gaze to the right, yet another building coming tumbling down, all thanks to these scale demons who won't stop until everything and everyone in their path is destroyed.
"Watch out!" One of the demon slayers shouted, warning echoing in my head before I even realized that it was directed towards me.
Without having to even fully turn my body, I knew exactly where the demon was.
It wasn't a normal scale demon. No.
This was much, much worse.
I brought my katana up in front of my chest, turning my body around whilst getting into a defensive stance.
However, it wasn't enough.
I gritted my teeth together as an overpowering force struck me square on my stomach, causing me to cough up a river of blood. But, I was able to partially diminish the force behind the attack with my katana.
I was sent flying back, nearly crashing into a wall, still failing in catching a glimpse of what had attacked me.
I pierced my katana into the ground, forcing my body to come to a halt, letting out a low huff of strenuous exhaustion in my arms.
Crash
Rumble
My eyes narrowed, staring straight ahead at the culprit as I yanked my katana out of the ground.
A giant scale demon roared at me, its roar creating a sonic boom that expanded outwards in all directions, disrupting all other battles between my fellow demon slayers and the normal scale demons.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
I dashed forward, landing a powerful blow on the behemoth's neck, slicing halfway through, however, the behemoth whipped its arm around towards me, prompting me to get on the defensive before I managed to successfully decapitate it.
"It's far faster than it looks," I thought to myself, evading the creature's attack, only to jump back up and land yet another powerful slash to its chest.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
This time, the form was more powerful than it was when I landed it on its neck. As a result, the behemoth stumbled back several meters, nearly falling on its back.
In retaliation, the behemoth flung dozens on dozens of scales off of its body, manipulating them so that they whipped around in the air at high speeds, like snow in a blizzard.
I bit back the pain as a few of the scales managed to leave gashes all over my body. I ignored it all, dashing through the storm of scales, preparing yet another attack.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
I slammed my katana down on the top of the behemoth's head, watching as a massive, deep cut cracked open on top of the behemoth's head. The crack continued to spread throughout its body before its regenerating took its charge.
This time, the technique was even more powerful than the second time I used it.
Crash
Rumble
My attention was swiftly taken off of the behemoth I was fighting, my gaze flicking over to the right, as two more identical behemoth scale demons formed, leaving only about twenty regular scale demons left.
"Are they... fusing together?" I pondered aloud, narrowly avoiding another attack from the behemoth I was fighting.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
This time, the strength, power, and speed from the technique was enough to punch a hole straight through the behemoth's body, scales shattering and clattering on the ground.
Immediately after, I sent my eight obi sashes outwards, wrapping them around the behemoth's limbs, forcing its arms and legs together as it was unable to break out.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
With one final slash of my katana, the behemoth's head broke off from the rest of its body, crashing into the ground with a loud boom, a crater forming from the sheer weight of its severed head.
I had done it. I had killed the ugly creature.
But there was no time for celebration, as the two other behemoth scale demons began attacking the other demon slayers as they struggled against it, while the remaining twenty normal scale demons began forming themselves into a third and final behemoth.
Deep breaths...
I ran towards the closest behemoth while it was beginning to overpower a few of the other demon slayers.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
With a single strike, I sliced straight through the thing's body, manipulating my obi sashes to pin it to the ground, however, it surprisingly got back up to its feet, upper and lower body reconnecting and fighting back against my obi sashes.
"Flame Breathing: Third Form: Blazing Universe!" One of the demon slayers shouted, swinging their blade down onto the giant scale demon, creating a significant crack on the thing's neck.
I began to swing my blade down in tandem with the other couple of demon slayers that were focused on this specific behemoth, however, it twisted its body around, flinging scales out in all directions, while opening its mouth to roar.
I slammed both hands over my ears, scrunching up my face out of unease and discomfort at the sheer volume of the roar.
My body continued to get sliced up by the scales until I eventually leapt up into the air, out of reach of the creature's range.
Allowing myself to fall on top of the behemoth, I swung my blade down.
"Beauty Breathing: First Form: Radiance!"
The amount of strength and power behind my attack was enough to send a rippling shockwave straight down, my blade slicing through the behemoth's body, ground cracking from the force of my attack.
I immediately shot back up into the air once my feet came in contact with the ground, swinging my blade a single time, fully slicing through the thing's neck.
Thanks to the very nature of my technique, my strikes increase in power and strength depending on the number of times I have used Radiance.
"If I use it again, my body may not be able to handle the strain," I thought to myself, wasting no time to assist in the fight against the final two behemoths.
I was getting exhausted and fast. All because of my consecutive usage of Radiance.
But that's okay. I would push through this. I will kill these ugly, disgusting creatures the same way Oniisan would.
I'll make him proud.
<•------------•>
Gyutaro's POV:
"Blood Breathing: First Form: Laceration!"
I sent out a barrage of blood projectiles, watching as they destroyed several scale demons, scales falling to the ground, creating annoying clattering sounds.
I pulled my arms back, calling back my blood back into my body so I wouldn't pass out from blood loss.
"This is becoming tedious," I muttered, ducking underneath a punch, preparing to behead the scale demon that attempted it.
A single slash of one of my sickles was all that I needed to slice through the thing's neck.
"Light Breathing: Second Form: Reflection!"
Agatsuma struck the free flying scales in such a way that they shot right back towards the scale demons, maintaining the same amount of momentum as they had before.
A useful technique, one that is quite difficult to pull off when using a standard katana.
"Just a few more left!" Agatsuma said, landing beside me, katana ready.
I simply nodded, a small grin spreading across my face.
We both dashed forward in tandem, beheading the last couple of scale demons remaining while the rest of the demon slayers focused on saving civilians from burning buildings and tending to the wounds of those seriously injured, along with several kakushi.
"And that's that," I said, twirling my sickles between my fingers, sheathing them both, Agatsuma dong the same.
I took a deep breath in, only to let out an exaggerated sigh of exhaustion.
I wasn't even close to passing out. That wouldn't come any time soon, but even for a Hashira, fighting for hours on end against a countless number of scale demons is partially tiring.
Agatsuma hadn't even broken a sweat this entire time. I suppose it isn't all that exciting. I'm one of the weaker Hashira, while she is one of the stronger ones, definitely the fastest, and easily the one with the best stamina.
Caw Caw
I raised my right arm, already being able to tell just who's kasugai crow this was.
My crow flew down, landing on my arm.
"Shinjuku has been completely cleared of all scale demons, as well as Shibuya!"
I nodded. "Perfect. And the other districts?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"All are being taken care of as we speak. Casualties are decreasing by the minute."
July 2, 2432; 2:20 A.M.
<•------------•>
Author's Note: ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Bye.