A Double Edged Sword (Discontinued)

Chapter VII

After two years of training, we are finally ready for the Final Selection.

"Older demons who have consumed more humans develop new powers. Here," Urokodaki tells us as he hands us a fox mask. "It has a spell that'll protect you."

As I examine the fox mask I see that it's is similar to Tanjiro's. His mask has a red sun on the top left and red eyes. On the other hand, mine has a pale blue-gray circle, which I assume is a moon, in the top right and the mask has bright red eyes.

"Thank you," Tanjiro and I say.

"Can you watch over Nezuko while we're gone?" Tanjiro asks.

"Yes. Be careful."

"We will," we say running off waving back at Urokodaki. "Say hello to Sabito and Makomo for us!"

•••

When we reach Mt. Fujikasane, in awe of the Wisteria blooming. As we look around, we see that there's a large number of teenagers. Two girls, one with white hair and the other with black, come in front of the group.

"Many demons are imprisoned on the mountain," the girls say in unison. "They're unable to leave because the wisteria blooms year-round at the base. From this point on, there is no wisteria. Only those who survive seven days will pass."

We all run into the area outside of the wisteria. Tanjiro and I sticking close together.

"The sun, it's starting to set," Tanjiro says.

"I know, the demons will come out."

As if on cue, two demons come charging at us. We split up and attack a different demon. Stay safe, I think as I draw my sword.

"Why are you attacking me?" the demon asks.

"Cause you tried to kill us," I respond.

I feel my mouth turn up in a smirk. I reach within and summon flames I didn't know I had. As I use Water Breathing Fourth form, I wrap the fire around the demon keeping it confined in one area, unable to move. How you like that? I cut the head off with one slash.

As I let down the fire, I watch the demon disintegrate when I hear a voice in my head. 'How? How did she?'  Cause you are weak. 'How..'

The other voice in my mind fades away as the body of the demon finishes disintegrating. I stand there in confusion, wondering how I was able to hear that demon's thoughts and have a conversation with him. 'Tsukiko, come to Tokyo and meet me,' a voice says in my head and I recognize it as the voice of the man who came to our house that night. Yes... 'Kibutsuji Muzan.' That was all that was said before the communication went blank.

I rush over to Tanjiro when his head whips up as we catch the scent of something rotten. Let's go, I think motioning to Tanjiro. We run towards the scent and see a massive demon chasing another applicant. We have to save him. 'What?' I'm confused when I hear Tanjiro's voice in my head. I can now communicate telepathically and read minds I think. 'Cool, let's go.'

We run but the demon wraps one of its large hands around the applicant and we charge using the second form of Water Breathing. We cut off the arm and tell the applicant to run.

As he runs away, the hand-demon asks us, "What era is it?"

"It's the Taisho Era," I respond

"What!" the demon shouts. "Urokodaki was the one who captured me. Damn him! You'll be the fourteenth and fifteenth student of Urokodaki I've eaten."

"How would you know?" Tanjiro asks.

"The style of the masks. I recall eating Sabito and Makomo."

I acknowledge the change in Tanjiro's scent, seeing he is angry. Tanjiro tries to jump up and cut the demon's neck but is shaped away into a tree, hitting his head.

Anger fuels me and I summon the wind. I rush over to Tanjiro just as the hand-demon is about to crush his skull. I release the air like a wheel and cut the arm off. I grab Tanjiro and get him to his feet.

"How many humans have you consumed?" the demon asks me.

"None."

"Then you won't be able to recover from this," the demon says and rips my left arm off.

The blood stops right away and my arm regrows. I grin at the demon.

"You thought," I say as the demon tries to attack Tanjiro.

Tanjiro jumps onto the demon's arm and runs along it, dodging the other hands as he goes. He gets to the demon's neck and gets ready to slice it and the demon relaxes. 'He can't cut my neck.' The demon thinks with confidence. But he thought too soon. Tanjiro cuts the demon's head off in one fell swoop. Think again.

We watch the demon dissolve, feeling his sadness.

A special thanks to:
ShiroKagura60 and GachaMayUwu

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