Lost Morals [DISCONTINUED]

#12| let the show begin

third-person pov

Zenitsu dug his foot into the soil. it's loose... no, all the soil in this area is loose...

"did you find it?" Genya asked with a titled head.

"i think it's here," the blonde said as he dug his foot further into the ground, "but we'll need a way to get in without arousing suspicion if we want to carry out the plan well."

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Kanao pov

"good morning, Tsu-yu-ri-chan!" an enthusiastic blue and pink haired girl poked me awake, a purpled haired male behind her. these must be the demons Inosuke and Zenitsu encountered.

"Muzan-sama has made an official statement that you will be executed this evening as soon as the sun is out of sight. what a pity an adorable, young girl like you is gonna be killed today!" she wailed out, genuine tears flowing from her pastel eyes. the male, 'Igu-san' walked next to her as he sighed, patting her on the back, a little black-charcoal snake crept from under his long sleeve and flicked its tongue at her, not in a territorial way but more of a comforting act.

huh i never knew snakes could display those types of behaviour, well, other than one that i know of... my eyes widen at the discovery. i squint my eyes and observe the male demon's features.

pale complexion.

straight shoulder length hair.

snake-like heterochromatic eyes.

short figure.

there's no doubt. the resemblance is too analogous. dammit if only i could report this information back some way.

"would you look at that, looks like your friends have indeed come to save you," Muzan said, "you two, watch over her while the rest prepare, the traps should buy us enough time, maybe even more than intended judging by their stupidity," the demon king commanded as he turned from the doorway.

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Tanjiro pov

Zenitsu briefly recounts his suspicions and everyone starts searching for the entrance. the sun was starting to set, so that means the demons will most likely come up to the surface if they need to.

"uh, was this always here...?" Senjuro asked, pointing us towards a well camouflaged door that only the most observant and well-sighted people would spot. we approach the door and try to twist the knob, but it didn't budge an inch no matter how much strength we exerted.

"the door has a unique smell and the lock system is probably complicated. perhaps only demons can open it?" i suggested, picking a random thought from my mind.

"now that you say that, i did see a similar door while on a mission and i had to wait for the demon in the inside to open it..." Zenitsu recounted to us.

"sure, but how will we even get a demon?" Inosuke impatiently asked, rhythmically tapping his feet.

"i could get Nezuko-san, she just finished her recovery plus she's still a demon after all," Aoi said, to which i nod in agreement. the pigtailed girl didn't waste a second and darted speedily back into the vacant mansion, soon coming back with an awoken Nezuko chasing after her.

we didn't even need to explain the situation to Nezuko before she forcefully kicked down the door with almost all her strength. Nezuko looked exhausted from her overexerted energy, especially since she relied heavily on sleep for energy replenishment. despite this, she still followed us in, determined to help get her friend back.

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after ages and ages of endless puzzles, rooms and hallways, we finally reached a strange door that led to a rustic room. as soon as they set foot into the room, the door shut closed behind them with a loud 'BAM', startling the group.

"why, look who it is. i didn't expect you all for another ten minutes, yet here you are four minutes later. unfortunately, our show requires more preparation, so the final room, which you are standing in, should buy us enough time. be sure to be on time and reach the end!" a chirpy, mysterious voice echoed through the walls, somehow managing to deliver the message.

the group searched on and on for the exit of the presumed 'final room', time ticking speedily, against their hopes that is. after a good two hours passed, they all flopped on the floor out of exhaustion.

"why, you are all still here. you're lucky i pity you, so i will drop in a clue for you all, hope it helps!" the cheery voice said once more, a white note immediately dropping from the ceiling as soon as it finished speaking.

Tanjiro dragged his tired body that placed its weight on his feet and grabbed the note, a rhyme.

to reach the show,
you must first escape.
now, the process is slow,
but the show is rewarding.
the door has a simple code,
but the search is tiring.
so here's a clue—
check the corner of this small abode.

"the corner? but haven't we already searched everywhere?!" Zenitsu grumbled.

"hey, uh did that cardboard ever have a small door at the side?" Senjuro pointed out, causing everyone's heads to turn at that direction.

"no, not when i last checked it. perhaps someone accidentally teased something?" Tanjiro suggested, "never mind, all that matters i we get out of here for now."

the hashiras and Nezuko dialed in the code and the door opened with a high pitched sound of pressure being released.

"well look who finally arrived exactly on time," one of the demons at the doorway rolled his eyes at them. he had a neat, black hairstyle and dragon horns, some prominent and permanent scars on his face.

"silence, Sane, be nice to our audience please," another that sat near the stage said. Genya and Senjuro immediately recognised her as the demon they had encountered and kidnaped Kanao. "please sit there and don't complain. your compliance will be much appreciated." a short, male demon said, guiding them to a set of chairs. he had a dull voice and short black and red tip hair with a braid and a familiar butterfly clip like the previous female demon.

the squad did as good as to not anger them and took their seats.

"let us now begin the show," a muscular, familiar looking man said. however, the they were too distracted by the drawing curtains. nay, it was what had been revealed before their eyes.

an unconscious, heavily wounded, side-ponytailed girl was hung against a sturdy wall, scars littered everywhere showing where she had been hit and tortured.

"now, let the show begin!"

word count: 1095

hey there, sorry i haven't posted for a good week or so, although my exams ended already, i got caught up in my exam papers being returned and a lot of other homework and stress so i literally forgot to update frequently, my apologies. i'll try to upload the next part as soon as possible, if i have the time at least lmao...