"How far is this place..." Akai sighed. Giyu was carrying him on his shoulders.
"We'll be there soon." Giyu said.
"You said that 4 hours ago!" Akai groaned impatiently.
"We're here." Obanai said, pointing in the distance.
Akai let out a childish gasp when he saw a large town at the very end of the mountain path.
"Yay! Yay! Yay!" Akai bounced on Giyu's neck.
"Akai, you're too childish!" Shinobu scolded.
"Sorry." Akai frowned.
They walked up to and under a Torii gate and into the town. Even right off the path, the streets were filled with bustling people. Street vendors, restaurants, and shops were all set up on every available part. Couples and families moved all-around in every direction. It was too crowded to hunt a demon.
"Me and Obanai will go our own way." Mitsuri took his Obanai's hand and walked off.
"So, how do we lure this demon out?" Akai asked.
"We follow other couples and families, try to blend in." Giyu said while staring forward.
"If you haven't noticed, 'dad', there's no one here but families and couples." Akai gestured at the crowds around them.
"Hey." They turned around to be met with Sanemi Shinazugawa.
"Sanemi, have you found anything useful?" Giyu asked.
"None, No demons have been attracted to my smell. And the people I talk to don't give me any leads." Sanemi said before noticing Akai. "Why'd you bring the demon?" He asked while scowling at Akai. "We don't need another monster while there's one already on the loose." Sanemi said with anger.
"Shinazugawa san, Akai is here to help us." Shinobu defended Akai.
"Don't get me started!" Sanemi barked.
"You're causing a commotion." Giyu warned.
"Fuck off, water pillar." Sanemi growled at Tomioka.
"Akai, go somewhere with Shinobu." Tomioka wanted Akai away from the wind pillar.
"Tomioka San." Shinobu called.
"What?" Giyu turned around.
"Akai disappeared." She said with a worried look.
What they didn't notice was a small hole in the ground closing up...
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Akai remembered standing next to Shinobu as Giyu and Sanemi argued. Then he remembered the ground under him disappearing and him falling down.
Akai landed in the dark place underground. He landed in a cold, oddly textured liquid. And there was a strong smell of Demon and death. Akai took in a deep breath and heated his limbs to light the place he was in. What he saw made him regret his decision. He landed in a cavern full of corpses. Bones, blood, bodies, and flesh were strewn about. There must have been at least 12 bodies here. There were tunnels leading into other caves out of sight. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a face. Akai tore his gaze to it, only for it to vanish.
"Where are you!?!?" Akai ground his tooth against his stick and turned it into a knife. He also grew out of his clothes, leaving him naked. He saw the face again, this time it came out of the wall next to him. He punched at it, only for it to disappear. It appeared again and fled into a hole the size of its head. Akai slammed his fist down there to try and grab the demon. But he felt sand close around and crush his hand. To avoid further pain, Akai cut off his hand and jumped back.
"I can't fight like this! I have to get out!" He thought. He regrew his hand and ran through one of the tunnels.
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Obanai was sitting with Mitsuri in a restaurant. He was holding a cup of water shyly as Mitsuri looked through a menu.
"We should be helping..." The Serpent Pillar said sheepishly.
"Well, Master Ubuyashiki said the demon preys on couples. We're acting like a couple, aren't we?" Mitsuri looked up from her menu with a smile.
"W-well I guess..." Obanai hid his red face behind the cup.
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"I can't believe you let the demon get away!" Sanemi berated Giyu.
"Quiet." Giyu said while scanning the crowds.
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"WHERE THE FUCK AM I!?!?!?" The butt-naked Akai was still being pursued by the demon through the tunnels. Everywhere he went he eventually ended up back where he started.
"It prioritizes making me paranoid, so it would show up on the corner of my vision." Akai thought and stood on guard. He saw the sand on one of the walls shake a bit. "THERE!!!" Akai flew towards the face and punched the Demon. It had the face of a large mole, disgusting starry nose in all. The demon screamed in pain as Akai dug his claws in its star-shaped nose. With all his might, Akai tore the disgusting creature out of the wall. Its arms were ended in massive three-clawed hands. They were shaped like shoveling blades. The demon spun and swung his arm at Akai. Akai made a fist and punched the blade with his Nichiren knuckles. The blade cracked, and the mole demon jumped back while shrieking in pain.
"Brother! Help me!" The mole demon screamed.
"Damn!" Akai whirled around and ducked as a giant gopher-like demon lept out of the wall and tried to bite off his head. Akai rolled away. He grabbed some pants of a body and ran down another tunnel. "Think! think! THINK!!! What can I see? what can I hear?" Akai saw many support beams and house foundations above him. The demons purposefully dug around here to weaken the buildings' foundations.
"They're trying to cause a sinkhole..." Akai realized. "Listen, listen!!!" Akai listened through every heartbeat above ground for the others. The gopher demon sprung at him again, but Akai spun and raked his knife across its eye. It screamed and tumbled midair, but the mole demon caught it in another hole.
"Cheeky fuckers..." Akai growled.
Ba-dump badump badump!
"A quick heartbeat. Quicker than any normal person. It must be an embarrassed Obanai!" Akai heard the Serpent Pillar's shy, racing heart.
"I gotta get up there!" Akai said to himself as he jumped up. "PIERCING METEOR!!!" He burst his fist through the ground.
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"OH-JESUS!!!" Obanai Jumped from his seat and moved to protect Mitsuri. Akai pulled the hole open further and tried to crawl out. He nearly had his upper half out.
"Demons! Underground! sinkhole!" Akai choked out.
"Akai! What's going on!?" Mitsuri shouted.
"Mole! Gopher! Sand manipulation!" Akai said. "You have to- AHH!!!" Akai screamed as needle-like teeth sunk into his legs. "GET HELP!" Akai screamed as he was pulled back in.
"Akai!" Mitsuri screamed.
"Get the others! I'll go help him!" Obanai jumped from the table and lept through the hole as it closed back up.
---------
Obanai lept through the hole and landed in a nearly dark cavern. He saw a faint glow under a mass of wormy flesh. Akai was letting out an immense glow as a giant earthworm like salamander constricted him like a large python.
"Snake buddy!!! I need help!!!" Akai choked as he was being constricted.
"Weaving Slash!" Obanai spun and cleaved a gargantuan wound in one of the giant caecilian's massive coils. It let out a high-pitched scream and released Akai. Akai coughed before healing his internal injuries and running to Obanai.
"What are we dealing with?" Obanai asked quickly.
"Mole demon, metal claws. Gopher demon, giant teeth. And this fucker." Akai pointed to the giant caecilian writhing on the floor.
"OW OW OW!!!" The repulsive underground amphibian wailed as it sprayed blood around the walls.
"If we can catch them and kill them one by one..." Obanai thought and steadied his blade.
"The other ones are around here..." Akai said while darting his gaze around frantically.
"Let's kill this one quick!" Obanai rushed forward and sliced off what he assumed was the head.
"Caecilians have round tails! That's not the head!!!"
"What?" Obanai spun around to face Akai.
"LOOK OUT!!!" Akai screamed as the serpentine mass of wormy flesh surged forward and bit down on Obanai's left arm. Obanai struggled as the beast shook him violently.
"LET HIM GO!!!" Akai lept and jammed his knife into its jaw. He roared and sliced all the jaw muscles he could. Eventually, Obanai fell to the ground. At first, Akai was relieved the demon had let go. But it only let go because it was given a prize.
The prize was Obanai's right arm.
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Elsewhere, Mitsuri was running with the other pillars.
"You said the demons are underground ?" Shinobu said.
"Yes! Akai's been fighting them this whole time. He broke through the surface only to be yanked back in, Obanai jumped in after him and the hole closed back up!" Mitsuri explained.
"How do we get down there?" Sanemi asked.
'We'll damage our blades if we try to attack the ground, we have to have faith that Akai can break open a hole for us." Giyu said. Akai was the only one with the brute strength and weapons to open a hole.
-----------------
"..." Akai's world froze for a moment. He was too weak to help a fellow slayer. A man lost his arm because he was too hesitant to help.
"You..." Akai's chest glowed orange with heat. The demon had the gall to swallow.
"Delicious." It taunted. The demon blinked. Akai was gone, with a small puff of steam left in his place. The glow of his heat disappeared.
"GIVE" The demon saw a flash of blinding orange light and a gargantuan impact on its nose.
"MY" The demon felt a superheated dagger fly into its back.
"FRIEND'S" The demon felt two hands dig into its jaw and rip it open.
"ARM" The demon felt a fist blow through its abdomen.
"BAAACK!!!!!!!" The fist flashed from orange to red and exploded, blowing the demon in half. The upper half flew up and through the top of the cave, blowing a hole to the surface.
Luckily, everyone had mistaken the commotion underground for an earthquake and cleared out. Now only the pillars remained.
The upper half of the demon landed on the ground and crumbled to ash, its whole body burned and pulverized.
"Holy..." Sanemi whispered before running to the hole with the other pillars.
"Akai!" Mitsuri screamed when she saw Akai. His arms and legs were black with burns and internal damage.
"Obanai! He's bleeding...!" Akai choked as he pointed to the armless Obanai on the ground. Mitsuri screamed and Shinobu ran to him while pulling out a small box from her coat.
"Akai, stand still, we'll stabilize you." Giyu leaned down and went to bandage his wounds.
"No...! Akai growled and showed his free hand. Akai grasped Obanai's lost arm. He crawled slowly and painfully to Obanai, who was unconscious. Even with Shinobu's attempts, the serpent pillar was still bleeding. Akai finally got to Obanai.
"Show me his stump!" Akai demanded. Shinobu hesitantly showed Akai Obanai's messy injury. Akai pushed the severed arm into the stump and grinded his tooth across both. "Please... fix him please...!" Akai pleaded to himself that it would work. The point of connection glowed, then dissipated. The arm was reconnected. Shinobu's jaw dropped and Akai's grimace was replaced with an ecstatic smile.
"Thank god...! Akai sighed before collapsing. "Shi... Shinobu..." Akai said with weakening breaths.
"Akai?" Shinobu crouched down to him.
"There... there's two left... Maybe more..." Akai managed to say before blacking out.
The air erupted with demon screams and clashing iron as Akai's vision slipped into empty blackness.