"YOU!" Y/N shouted at Obanai Iguro, attempting to move up to beat the crap out of him, but there was an immense pressure against his head, pushing him down and keeping him still.
"Hey, I remember this one," came an unfamiliar voice of a man who had a peculiar resemblance to Zion, having very similar features to him. However he looked much older (and in Y/N's opinion, a lot more manly-looking). "This Demon Slayer was the one my son told me about. Consider it an honour to be considered flashy by my son!"
"Son?" Y/N repeated, wanting to question more, but he felt his head being pulled up and slammed back into the ground.
"Keep your mouth shut, you numbskull!" stated another person in irritation, dressed in the Demon Slayer Corps attire. "None of you rogues have any clue who you're in the presence of!"
"Whoever this person is, they're dead the moment I recover," Y/N thought, making a mental note, as he attempted to turn back towards Obanai Iguro.
"Hey, keep your head still!" the man shouted at him.
"Let us go, or you'll regret it," came a familiar voice; Walker.
"What'd we even do!?" Wyatt exclaimed in protest.
"So not flashy," Zion's father looked away in disgust.
"Wh-Who are you people...?" asked a red-haired boy to the left of Y/N, who knew who he was instantly when he spotted him. It was most definitely Tanjirou; all of the features the blond boy described fitted him perfectly from the hair to the scar.
"All of you, shut up! You're in the presence of the Hashira, show some respect!!!" the man yelled loudly. Y/N tried to move out of his grasp, but saw that his hands were tied by a rope.
Y/N's eyes then scanned the so-called 'Hashira'. His eyes first stopped on the first familiar face he saw, Lady Shinobu, who was looking at him with a smile, though he could tell she was worried. Next to her was an incredibly tall man with eyes that lacked pupils, his hands were clasped together as if he was praying. After the tall man was a shorter teenager, with black hair long enough for him to be mistaken as a woman.
His eyes widened when he spotted the man with fiery-coloured hair, somebody whose face he had seen before in a vision. Back on Mt. Natagumo, Y/N had seen a vision of this man on his last breaths, moments away from dying after a serious battle. At least, that was what Y/N presumed, judging by the amount of fatal injuries he saw, which could have only been caused from a fight.
"But he's alive now... meaning it hasn't happened yet... so when will it happen?" Y/N wondered, staring at the man for a few moments longer as he tried to answer the question for himself. However after concluding that he wouldn't be able to figure out a said date, his eyes moved onto the next Hashira. And they widened even more, as excitement surged within. "It's...! It's...! The Love Hashira!"
He was locking eyes with Mitsuri Kanroji, the Hashira that had saved him on his first mission. Y/N hadn't expected to be meeting her again this soon, but he'd rather that they hadn't had this reunion through such a shameful ordeal. ...On that note, Y/N had zero clue what he was doing here and why he was even with the Hashira. Had they figured out what he was planning to do to Obanai Iguro? ...Speaking of the snake-bastard...!
"Hey bastard, get down from that tree and stand with the rest of the Hashira!" Y/N said loudly, turning his head towards the man in question with a glare more ferocious than any other glare he had given in his life.
Most of the Hashira looked at this scene in pure shock, minus the tall man and the teenager, both of which looked extremely lost in their own worlds. Obanai Iguro looked down at him with a glare that was capable of matching Y/N's. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me! Quit acting like you're better than the rest of them!" Y/N shouted at him.
"Do you have a death wish?" Iguro questioned, looking like he wanted nothing more than to rip Y/N apart for the disrespect.
"Both of you, please calm down," Lady Shinobu spoke up with a sweet smile, clearly trying to defuse the intense situation at hand. She then looked down at the four males, all of which were laid down on their chests and restrained. "Welcome to the Demon Slayers' headquarters. All of you are about to be put on trial."
"Trial?" all of them repeated in shock.
"Yes, a trial for all of the crimes that each of you are being accused of!" she said sweetly. Apparently Lady Shinobu didn't have a bias; that or she was pretending to be Y/N's enemy.
"There's no need for a trial for the two Demon Slayers!" the orange-haired man stated loudly, yet had a casual smile on his face. "Defending a Demon, which both Kamado Tanjirou and Y/N L/N are being accused of, is a clear violation of the rules! Disrupting another Demon Slayer's work is also against the rules!" he added with a glance at Y/N.
"That was personal so I really don't give a damn," Y/N thought with a glare at the man. "You're gonna be dead soon enough, so use your words while you can, bastard."
"Why are we here then?" Wyatt asked loudly.
"Both of you are in possession of Nichirin Swords, and are practically working as vigilantes!" he answered promptly. "None of you are official Demon Slayers, yet you still interfere with our work!"
"Hey, bastard, I don't give a damn," Y/N replied even louder.
"We'll see what you say when you're beheaded alongside Kamado!" he stated.
"We'll see what you say when you become a donut," Y/N thought bitterly. "Trials exist so that we can defend ourselves; there's no justice if you behead us without hearing us out!"
"As for my opinion on the matter, this Demon Slayer is a friend of my son's," Zion's father chimed in, looking at Y/N. "Any friend of my son must be flashy, therefore I'm inclined to give him a chance. Of course, I'd show everyone true flashiness if you're found guilty!"
"You can't kill someone with such an adorable face," Mitsuri thought sadly. "The thought of it pains my heart! It fills me with anguish..."
"This manchild is a pitiful sight, disrespecting us and then demanding justice," the tall man commented. "What justice do we owe you, when you do not respect us?"
"Why are we here again?" the teenager thought blankly, staring into space.
"Nezuko... Nezuko, where are you?" Tanjirou spoke up, fidgeting and looking around for any sign of his sister. "Nezuko! Zenitsu! Inosuke! Murata!"
"Who cares about the other three?" Iguro spoke up, and both him and Y/N glared at each other. "I want this one dead, and I want to do it myself."
"Good luck with that, because I'll be the one to behead you if you come an inch near me!" Y/N responded aggressively.
"Shall we test that?" Iguro questioned as he jumped down from the tree, unsheathing his sword.
"Mr. Iguro, please calm down," came Mitsuri's voice, and at a speed that shocked everyone but the Hashira, he was back on the tree with his sword sheathed like he hadn't moved a moment ago.
"You're right," he said. "As much as I loathe this brat, I should try to be respectful."
"Yeah right, bastard, I know that you just love her a lot," Y/N thought, still glaring at him. "I'd kill her just to hurt you, like how you hurt me, but she's innocent. And really friendly. And beautiful too. It would be rude of me to— what the hell am I saying—?"
"That aside, don't you have anything to say for yourself, Tomioka?" Iguro asked, pointing a finger at someone. Y/N's head turned in the direction the bastard was pointing at, and he saw another man, who seemed like a Hashira too, standing off a distance away on his own. "You're just as guilty as the red-haired brat, aren't you?"
"Now, now, he didn't resist at all! We can come up with a punishment another time," Lady Shinobu stated. "Right now, I'm more interested in hearing this boy's story, and why Y/N chose to aid him. You act as a Demon Slayer, yet you hypocritically take a Demon with you on your travels. I'd like to hear your reasoning, as I'm sure you're aware by now that such acts are a breach of the Demon Slayers' code."
"No need to ask," said Zion's father, grabbing onto the hilts of his sheathed swords. "I don't mind beheading this one, he lacks any flashiness!"
"You can take your time, Kamado Tanjirou. Just tell us why," said Lady Shinobu, ignoring the man.
"She's... She's my little si—" But before he could finish his sentence, Tanjirou started to cough all of a sudden.
"I do believe you need some water," Lady Shinobu said, stepping towards him and offering some sort of special jug. Tanjirou accepted the offer gratefully and drank the water. "You've sustained heavy injuries to your jaw, so please drink slowly. I've mixed in a painkiller, so you'll feel better soon." After the jug was taken away from him, Tanjirou gasped for air, a bit of water still dripping down from his mouth in a trail. "It's not like it heals your wounds, so you mustn't push yourself."
"Now then, Kamado Tanjirou."
"That Demon is my little sister!" he explained after a short breather, staring determinedly into Lady Shinobu's eyes, who had crouched down in front of him. "While I was out, a Demon attacked my family. By the time I got home, everyone was dead! My sister was turned into a Demon, but she's never eaten anyone! She never has and never will! No matter what, she'll never hurt humans!"
"Spare us your absurd ravings," Iguro cut in, waving a finger at him. "It's no wonder you're defending her if she's a family member." He turned to Y/N. "And I presume this brat was fooled by your delusions."
Y/N glared at him determinedly. "I'll kill any Demon in my way without hesitation," he stated. "But I know that Nezuko isn't like the rest. I don't even know Tanjirou, but I knew that Nezuko had no harm in mind. So I stopped Kanao from making a mistake."
"And we're expected to believe that?" Iguro questioned. "That you just know that she's good?"
"Whether you believe me or not, I don't care. But what I care about is that girl's safety!" said Y/N. "Because I had a Demon for a brother too! My twin was turned into a Demon and killed right in front of my eyes! And I don't want anyone else to go through that, to have to cope with seeing your own sibling die right in front of you!"
"You don't have me convinced," he stated. "This sort of story happens all the time, if you can't cope with it then you'd be better off killing yourself."
"Oh, I want to kill someone, all right!" Y/N replied with clenched teeth. "I want to kill the one that beheaded my brother! So Obanai Iguro, do me a favour... AND LET ME TAKE YOUR LIFE!"
Everyone else there, even Tomioka, bore shocked expressions, except the teenager and Obanai Iguro, who looked at him blankly. "...I don't recall."
"...What?"
"I don't recall, nor do I care about your life story," Iguro answered. "In fact, I feel more inclined to kill you for making such a threat. Who do you think you are?"
"The one who will be ending your life," Y/N said with a sinister smile. "Is it that hard to understand?"
"It is. I don't see how you can be so stupid enough to believe that you're capable of killing me."
"Get rid of these restraints and I'll show you!" Y/N replied angrily. "I'll show you what somebody who's got nothing to lose can do to you!"
"One of you take his restraints off then," Obanai said, without any hint of fear or remorse whatsoever. He clearly did not care about what Y/N was saying, other than the fact that it was disrespectful towards him.
"You two need to calm down, this is not the place to be picking fights," Lady Shinobu replied. "We're here for a trial, not to satisfy both of you."
"This has only solidified the fact that this one needs to be beheaded!" the orange-haired man spoke up, crossing his arms. "To be threatening a Hashira on top of the crimes he's committed is..."
"Pitiful," the tall Hashira finished. "So pitiful that we should end his life. It's quite unfortunate that he's been allowed to live for so long."
"I'll kill anyone who stands in my way too," Y/N replied, looking at all of the Hashira dead in the eye, which didn't intimidate any of them. "So don't try and intervene with my goal."
"I didn't expect him to be so violent. When I saved him, he had such an adorable face!" Mitsuri thought in surprise.
"As I said before, remove the restraints so I can put him in his place," Obanai stated.
"Hold on, what's the name of that cloud shape again?" the teenager wondered blankly, looking up at the sky.
"No, this is not the time, Iguro," Lady Shinobu said sternly, looking at him with a slight glare. "You should have some more respect yourself."
"How about this?" Y/N spoke up, regaining all of their attention. "Let me and Obanai Iguro have a one-on-one spar. If he wins, then you can do whatever you choose with me. If I win, you let all of us go, and allow me to end his life. Hell, you can kill me right after too, I wouldn't care at that point."
"This guy is crazier than I thought," Walker muttered under his breath.
"Hey, Y/N, you can't be making a proposal like that!" Wyatt said loudly. "What if you lose? This man is one of the best of the Demon Slayers, whereas you're the lowest rank! You're going to stand no chance!"
"All right, we'll give him a handicap then," Iguro sighed. "He just needs to land one hit on me, and I'll grant him the win."
"He hasn't fully recovered, Iguro," Lady Shinobu cut in. "We shouldn't be pushing his body this much."
"Place all the handicaps you can think of on me," he replied. "All I want to do is put him back in his place, so I don't mind."
"My offer was aimed at the snake-bastard and the snake-bastard only," Y/N stated. "Even if you're enforcing the 'punishment' should I lose, the only one who can agree or disagree is him, I won't be listening to anyone else."
"Iguro, disagree, we don't have ti—" Lady Shinobu began.
"I agree to your deal," Iguro interrupted.
"Good," Y/N said with a sinister grin.
"No," Lady Shinobu said. "I won't allow this."
"Piss off and let me do this!" Y/N shouted at her. "Kill me right after, I don't care!"
"Y/N—"
"I'm unsure about this," Mitsuri said. "Should we really be deciding to allow this to take place without the Master's permission?" But as if on cue...
"It's quite all right," came an unfamiliar voice, as somebody stepped forward from the shadows. It was a person with black, shoulder-length hair with some sort of peculiar mark across the upper half of his face. Y/N could sense that something was unusual about the mark but couldn't figure out what it was. This person looked at Y/N. "I'd like to see what he can do in this life."
Everyone suddenly crouched downwards and bowed, with a white-haired man appearing out of nowhere to force Y/N's head down. Whoever this man was, he gave off a lot of power, and Y/N could already tell that he too was a Hashira. Strangely enough, through the glimpse Y/N got of his face, he looked like someone Y/N had met before. The other restrained males were also forced into a bow.
"Good morning, everyone," the Master greeted them. "The weather is splendid today. I wonder if the sky is blue." So apparently he was blind, and maybe a bit crazy in the head. "It pleases me that we've made it to our biannual Hashira Meeting with no personnel changes." The Master looked across at the Hashira for a moment, before his eyes fixed back onto Y/N. "You are the Demon Slayer that uses 'Phenomenon Breathing', yes?"
Y/N could feel a strange sensation from the man's stare, and found himself politely answering, "Ye-Yes... I use Phenomenon Breathing... Master."
"So he has manners after all," Walker thought as he looked off to the side.
"...Please remove his restraints, Mitsuri," the Master instructed, and not wanting to disobey such an order, Mitsuri obliged. "And bring him to his feet."
Y/N almost flinched at the warm touch of her hands as she removed his restraints. The white-haired Hashira removed his hand, and she helped him up. "...Thanks," Y/N muttered in a calm tone that was unlike him. She simply nodded at him with a sweet smile, and rejoined the line of bowing Hashira, as Y/N turned to the Master.
"Obanai, please rise to your feet as well," he instructed, and of course, Obanai did as he said.
"Master, what is the meaning of this?" Lady Shinobu questioned.
"I'd like to see Y/N L/N in action once more," he said strangely, and then looked around. "Is anyone in possession of his Nichirin Sword?"
"...It's with a Lower Rank, Master," Y/N answered as the rest of the Hashira bore shocked expressions for a split second, before their faces went back to normal due to the Master's presence.
"Ah, I see. Rengoku, could you kindly lend him your sword?" he asked the orange-haired man, who stood up at once and walked to Y/N. He unsheathed his Nichirin Sword and presented it to him.
"Thanks," Y/N mumbled, taking the Nichirin Sword gratefully with a small bit of guilt rising up inside of him. "Sorry for calling you a 'bastard' earlier." Rengoku smiled at him, though Y/N had no way of telling if it was genuine or not, and rejoined the line.
Y/N looked down at the Nichirin Sword in his hands; the hilt was wrapped in some sort of white material that felt like leather and had a red flame-like pattern across the blade. It looked like the standard Nichirin Sword, in terms of shape and size. But Y/N could feel something special about the sword, probably because it belonged to a Hashira's.
For a brief moment he closed his eyes and smiled at the sword. And when he opened them, his facial expression now showed just how angry he was inside, as his eyes found Obanai Iguro and fixed onto him, glaring daggers into his soul. Right now, he was finally being given the chance to fight him, after so long. He wasn't going to waste this opportunity.
"Now then, I think the area over there will make for a sufficient battlefield," the Master stated, as he pointed a finger at a rather spacious area that mainly consisted of vibrant green grass. "My children, I'd advise you to watch closely."
"A shame that you have to borrow that sword, I was pleased with the idea of completely shattering your blade," Iguro sighed as he made his way to one side of the area. Y/N stepped towards and planted his feet on the other sides, both a determined and raged look on his face. "You should feel honoured that the Master has acknowledged you, a Demon Slayer who can't even keep track of his own sword."
"I'm feeling a bit of something else right now," Y/N said coldly, still glaring at him.
"You may prepare yourselves," the Master said, as Iguro unsheathed his sword and both men got into their own respective stances.
"That's a unique sword," Y/N commented, seeing the serpent-like design. "I'll break it into pieces."
"You may begin."
Y/N then shot from the ground and disappeared, leaving the amber distortion and the black lightning in his wake. He reappeared in the air to the left of Iguro, disappeared, and then appeared in the air to the right. Obanai Iguro stood still as he watched Y/N disappear once more, and reappear for the third time in the air in front of him. But before he could disappear this time, Obanai suddenly appeared in front of him, having moved so quickly that no movement was detected, and elbowed him to the ground.
"Is that all you have?" he asked as he landed back on the ground a few feet away from Y/N, who had landed in a crouched position.
"I wasn't expecting Reality Breaker to work, anyway," Y/N thought, as he sprung backwards and landed back on his feet. His body was still aching slightly, but not as worse as it had that night. He could still manage, he could still fight! "Phenomenon Breathing: Fourth Form. Nimble Actuality!"
After uttering those words he shot from the ground with his arm extended, his Nichirin Sword's sharp edge pointed towards Obanai Iguro, his target. The amber distortion appeared as he grew closer to his target. However, when Y/N was just a split second away from landing the attack on Obanai, the Hashira swiftly side-stepped and grabbed Y/N by the back of his hair, before launching him backwards.
In mid-air, Y/N flipped around and launched the Nichirin Sword at Iguro as he said, "Phenomenon Breathing: Second Form! Universal Hunter!"
The sword spun around frantically and quickly grew close to Obanai, but he hit it to the ground with ease. As he did this, however, Y/N sprung at him and uttered more words: "Phenomenon Breathing: Seventh Form!"
His fists became engulfed in an amber aura as he repeatedly threw punch after punch at Iguro, who blocked each and every attack with his Nichirin Sword. His arms were moving even quicker than Y/N's swift attacks, and he was easily predicting all of Y/N's attacks. That, or his reaction time was off the charts, which was a possibility as well.
"This isn't going well," Wyatt commented with a frown, worried about the consequences of the one-on-one. "Y/N's never going to hit him at this rate." He turned to Walker, who had his eyes shut. "What do you think?"
"I think that..." Walker then opened his eyes, "...the longer this fight goes, the higher the chance of Y/N landing a blow."
"Huh?"
"Iguro's never seen Y/N fight, nor does he have any understanding of how he works," Walker explained. "As a battle goes on, Y/N will only keep getting stronger and stronger. We seemed like we were on par with each other during our battle, but Y/N ended up getting the edge later on. I don't know if it's how he adapts to a fight, but Y/N's potential is beyond that of anything I've ever seen before in my life."
Y/N began to let out vicious growls as his amber eyes widened in concentration, whilst his attacks continued to grow in speed as time passed. Swiftly, Y/N unleashed two swift horizontal attacks one after the other, which Iguro managed to block. He wasn't becoming overwhelmed at all, which was the sole purpose of the seventh form. To overwhelm the opponent, and then unleash devastating attacks on them once their guard broke. But alas, Y/N wasn't giving up.
He slammed both of his fists down towards Iguro, who raised his sword up to block. And then Y/N suddenly disappeared, before reappearing above Iguro and delivering a second slam, except that this one had a lot more momentum and strength behind it, amplifying its power by a lot more than Iguro would have expected.
Nevertheless, Iguro asked, "Is this truly all that you can offer?"
Y/N then sidestepped towards his sword and picked it up, before beginning to start slashing at Obanai Iguro repeatedly, doing his complete best to overwhelm the man. Nonetheless he remained silent as he evaded each slash with relative ease, never getting close to being even a few inches away from getting hit.
"Uh... excuse me," said Tanjirou to Walker, who looked towards him.
"What?"
"Who is he? I've never seen someone fight like that," Tanjirou asked.
"Obanai Iguro, the—"
"Er, no, I mean..." Tanjirou jerked his head towards Y/N.
"...That's Y/N L/N, a true Phenomenon," Walker gave a small smile.
"I think he has a plan," the red-haired boy told Walker.
"Do you now?"
"He doesn't seem like the type of person to attack like that without a reason," Tanjirou explained.
"Then you'd be correct," Walker answered, as his gaze followed Y/N's movements closely.
"You're going to get bored and attack me eventually!" Y/N thought as he unleashed attack after attack. "And when you do...!" Obanai evaded an attack, and then leaned forward to punch Y/N square in the face to end the one-on-one. "You'll fall into my trap!"
And with that, the terrain then became engulfed in an amber light, which sparked black lightning constantly. Everybody except Y/N suddenly froze, and the man in question walked forward and examined Obanai closely, looking for some sort of opening or weakness in his attack.
It didn't take long for him to work out how to counterattack; the current punch Obanai was throwing at him required him to lean forward. Such an angle would leave his left side to be the most vulnerable out of his entire body, which meant that Y/N had to sidestep to the right and deliver a swift slash to his hip. There came the obvious issue of Obanai Iguro managing to evade with his superior speed, but there was a small possibility that he'd be flustered by the unexpected dodge.
"I've been bombarding you with attack after attack for a reason, bastard," Y/N said to the frozen Hashira. "You'd eventually get tired of constantly evading and blocking, and inevitably go in for a powerful blow to finish me off. Of course, I was awaiting that attack the entire time so I could activate this...!"
"Phenomenon Breathing: Eighth Form! Foreseeable Fate!"
The amber terrain then contracted swiftly as the black lightning disappeared, and everybody started to move again. When Obanai's punch grew close, which only took a split second with how quick he was, Y/N swiftly dodged to the right and brought his Nichirin Sword to Obanai's left side, just split seconds away from—
Obanai hastily sprung backwards, having almost been hit directly. "How did he dodge my attack and counter with such a swift move?" It had been completely unexpected; Obanai had been able to see each and every attack Y/N was sending at him coming, and then the next thing he knew, Y/N was able to unleash such a fast and sudden counterattack.
The Master simply smiled at this, as the other Hashira acknowledged that Y/N almost just won. Some of them thought it was just a fluke, particularly the white-haired one, others saw the potential in him. For the first time in a long while, Wyatt saw Walker give a true and genuine smile, aligning with his feelings.
"Your Breathing Forms are unusual," Iguro commented, showing intrigue in Y/N, despite despising every cell of his body. "Who taught you?"
"It's my own unique Breathing," Y/N answered with a satisfied smile, pleased that he was able to get so close to landing a blow. He could admit that Obanai was far stronger than he was, but Y/N saw that as a sign that he could truly surpass Iguro with enough training. Y/N then clenched his fist, glaring at Obanai Iguro. "I'm gonna kill you, snake-bastard! Just watch me!"
"To be able to almost land an attack at his level is impressive," Rengoku thought.
"He's looking really manly now!" Mitsuri commented.
"Just who is this brat?" the white-haired man remarked unintentionally.
The Master turned towards him with a smile, "Sanemi, he is the one that will kill Muzan Kibutsuji."
All of the spectating Hashira's eyes widened as Y/N leapt at Iguro, sending swifter and calculated attacks at him. He grinned as the Hashira either blocked or evaded the attacks, and then Y/N spun around to send a slash at the legs. Iguro jumped up and tried to land a kick on his face, but Y/N was able to use Eighth Form to evade and counterattack, which Obanai obviously dodged.
"How are you doing this?" Iguro wondered out loud, genuinely shocked that Y/N was able to keep evading his attacks.
"I told you before. I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Y/N roared. "Phenomenon Breathing: Ninth Form! Final Fantasy!" With that, the fiery-amber aura enveloped him as he dashed towards Obanai Iguro.
He disappeared just a few feet in front of him, and Obanai said, "This again?"
Y/N appeared to the left, to the right, and then in the air above Iguro. The Hashira wasn't worried at all, seeing as he knew what this attack was and would be able to easily counter it. However to his surprise Y/N suddenly appeared right in front of him, in a crouched position to go for a slash to the legs. Iguro swung his sword down, but Y/N instantly appeared in the air above him with his sword reeled back, both of his hands clenching it tightly. As Iguro raised his sword up to defend, Y/N then reappeared in front of him and zoomed through him.
Y/N was a few feet behind Iguro with the arm holding his sword outstretched, as he panted, the Ninth Form disappearing. He then collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted, as Obanai Iguro stood still, unfazed by the attack. In fact, he had managed to block the attack quite swiftly, his sword held in front of him. Y/N's attempt failed, and now he was unable to fight.
"Just as I thought, it was only a series of flukes," Iguro concluded before he sheathed his sword. "You'll never kill me, so stop spreading lies."
"Do you think I'm discouraged by this?" Y/N thought with a mental grin, turning his head back slightly to look at Obanai. "Of course not, it's only shown me that I can kill you! I've seen what you can do firsthand; and believe me when I say that I'll be closing the gap between us to give you a proper fight!"
"I am satisfied," the Master smiled as he turned to Obanai Iguro. "I'd advise you to be friendly towards Y/N. For your own good, of course."
"...Yes, Master," Obanai Iguro said quietly, bowing down, though he sounded as if he wanted nothing more than to do the exact opposite.
"It was a lovely showcase of Y/N's abilities," he stated, though the statement raised a question in Y/N's mind. "He is quite powerful."
"This guy is blind, isn't he? He didn't see me fight at all; how would he be aware of me being 'powerful'?" he wondered as he stared at the Master sceptically. "Did he know of me beforehand?"
"I believe that there was a deal?" the Master asked Iguro.
"Yes, Master, I can do whatever I choose with him," Obanai Iguro answered. "May I have the honour of beheading him?"
"I believe that you have misunderstood the conditions of the deal he made. It is not your choice," the Master informed him.
"Wha—?"
"When I was explaining the conditions..." Y/N said slowly, partially due to his exhaustion, the other being due to him wanting to take in each and every word Y/N was about to utter. "...did you not listen to how I phrased my sentence?"
"Let me and Obanai Iguro have a one-on-one spar. If he wins, then you can do whatever you choose with me."
"...When I said 'you', I was referring to the Hashira, not you, dumbass," Y/N finished with satisfaction. Obanai went wide-eyed.
"And in my mind, I believe that Y/N should be taken away to rest and recover," the Master continued. "He is clearly exhausted and deserves treatment. As for the case regarding Tanjirou Kamado and his Demon sister, it has a direct link to the accusations against Y/N L/N. We can grant him some time to rest as we discuss if Tanjirou Kamado is guilty. His fate, of course, is dependent on the trial's outcome, but his presence is not required." The Master smiled as Y/N found himself being brought into somebody's arms.
"He-Hey— Wait a minute...!" Y/N shouted out as he was forcefully taken away, too weak to fight back. At the same time, the orange-haired man was given back his sword. "What about—?!"
"What about us?" Walker spoke up for Y/N, who had been taken out of sight. "What is our fate?"
"Y-Yeah, what's going to happen to us?" Wyatt added with worry.
"I believe that everyone will be satisfied if you two are forced into the Demon Slayer Corps under strict watch and control," the Master said. "Attempt to flee or violate the code, and you will be beheaded without hesitation. Of course, if you would like for us to choose the second option and execute both of you right now instead, then we will not mind."
"We will gratefully accept the first offer, Master," Walker said politely, as he stared at the ground.
"Then you can be taken away too," he concluded, as both men were swiftly taken by people as well.
Obanai Iguro watched them be taken away from the corners of his eyes, as he thought, "I overheard Master say... that the brat would be the one to kill the Demon King. That pathetic weakling, who runs his mouth more than he runs with his legs?" Iguro glared at the ground. "It doesn't matter. He will always be below me." His mind then drifted to something that had happened for only a brief moment, yet it still troubled him. "The way he looked at her..." He thought about when Mitsuri removed his restraints, which was when he noticed his softened stare. "If that brat tries anything...!"
...
Meanwhile...
"Y/N L/N's first blade..." Muzan muttered to himself, staring at Y/N's amber Nichirin Sword, which had been put in a display, for the Demon King had been too afraid to destroy it. He placed a hand on his neck subconsciously, as his eyes widened at the sight of it. "No... I cannot let it happen again..."
"Enjoy the handicap, let's see if it's enough to stop me, you moonwalking bitch." the voice echoed in his head, as he trembled.
"Overlord," he said to the masked Demon, who had been bowing down several metres away from his Master. Muzan turned to look at him. "Kill him. And do not lose his sword under any circumstances," he added, staring at the sword Overlord had in his hands.
"Of course, Master," Overlord said. "I will bring back his head for you after causing him immeasurable pain."
"And just so you know, they're not going to die this time," another sentence boomed in Muzan's head.
"...No, Overlord. I've changed my mind," Muzan abruptly said, an idea coming to mind. "The Flame Hashira: Kyojuro Rengoku. Kill him instead." Overlord looked up slightly at such a request. "When the time is right, you will know."
"Yes, Master," Overlord then said, bowing his head down again. He had no clue what his Master was thinking, especially since he wasn't close to the level of a Hashira. But alas, that last sentence was enough for him to be certain that it would be possible.
"Bringing the Phenomenon to me personally was not the right decision. Now I know that I cannot bring myself to meet him. My Demons will finish him for me."
...
End of Chapter...
Y/N has finally been able to duel Obanai Iguro, and despite it being basically one-sided the entire time, he was able to become even more determined to finally end the snake bastard! The Hashira himself has grown to despise Y/N, but that hatred will only increasingly grow as the story continues...
I hope you enjoyed the chapter... Please have an amazing day!
Some Extras!
Wyatt: Great job, Y/N!
Wyatt: You almost hit him!
Y/N: I'm aware.
Wyatt: That's the guy you've gotta kill, right?
Y/N: ...Was it not obvious?
Wyatt: You should probably try and resolve it pro—
Wyatt?: Rip the bastard's head off and mount it on your wall!
Y/N: ...Yeah— Wait, what?
Wyatt: Huh?
Y/N: ...That sounded unlike you.
Wyatt: What'd I say?
Y/N: You don't remember?
Wyatt: No, I kinda just blacked out for a second there! Haha!
Y/N: ...Hm. See you guys next time.