It was surprising that a demon manage to make a way in the Swordsmith Village, but what was more surprising is the fact that its skill of remaining hidden for so long. How could it remain unseen until now?
The demon is a short, frail man with a very thin and skeletal body, covered with veins and wrinkles. His face is thin with a sharp chin, a prominent brow ridge that lacks eyebrows. His eyes are narrow and often appear to be squinting.
Tanjiro and even Muichiro didn't know it was a demon until it appeared right in front of their eyes. Perhaps they held back because they couldn't see a number it its eyes that marking it as an Upper Rank, but there was no doubt it was an Upper Rank Demon.
In less than the time it takes to blink, Muichiro immediately assumed his battle stance which is followed by Tanjiro behind him. Muichiro had his sword right in his hand. He sheathed his sword, ready to slay the demon on spot.
Mist Breathing, Fourth Form: Shifting Flow Slash
*Swish*
Tokito takes a low stance and dashing toward the target in attempt to kill the demon right away in high speed. The demon disappeared right away from Muichiro's sight. Then the demon was spotted hanging onto the ceiling. Its fast! I didn't kill it! Muichiro is surprised that he didn't manage to kill the demon in one strike.
"Aieeee!!!" The demon wailed and cry. The screeches were loud. The demon managed to jump and avoid the attack before it got to the demon. It was close. The demon managed to avoid decapitation, but not at the price of its face being slashed.
"Stop! Don't be so mean to me! It hurts!!!" The demon begged the two of the to stop attacking it. The demon cried. Its hands are trembling in fear. Tanjiro decided to make a move right now.
I can't hesitate! It's a demon that's killed many people before! Otherwise, It couldn't dodge a Hashira's attack! Tanjiro sheathed his black Nichirin katana. Tanjiro had a katana that Haganezuka forged.
Hinokami Kagura: Sunflower Thrust!
Tanjiro performs a powerful single thrust. Utilizing the tip of his blade to strike Hantengu. Flames swirling around his sword as he thrusts his sword towards Hantengu.
*Shik!*
*Slash!*
"Arghh!" The demon screech in pain. He avoided the strike from Tanjiro, but not without any cost. Hantengu didn't manage to dodge the attack perfectly. He lost his left leg on the process and landed on the tatami mat. Its left leg is skewered by Tanjiro. Tanjiro is much more faster than he had anticipated.
*Bok!*
Yes! I hit it! But why doesn't it attack back? Tanjiro managed to skewer a left leg, but he is confused at why Hantengu didn't seem to attack back. He's just remained on the ground, cowering in fear. But Tanjiro remains vigilant.
Nezuko, joins the fray and kicked the old demon with full force, flying straight towards Muichiro. Muichiro swings his blade as he goes for the kill.
"Nezuko, don't take that form!" Tanjiro shouted at his little sister. He was scared that Nezuko's identity is busted. He knew that Muichiro is not kind of guy that will accept any reason from the first impression.
*Slash!*
Muichiro did it. He decapitated the demon's head, a clean cut. The head rolls away from fast. Muichiro thought that it ended just like that. But Tanjiro didn't seem to think so at all. Thinking back about his experience against Upper Rank Six, they're not going to be defeated easily.
"He cut off his head! That was fast!" There are cases where an Upper Rank doesn't die even if its head is cut off. It's a special cases just like Gyutaro and Daki. Tanjiro feared that it's the same with this one.
"Tokito! Don't let your guard down!" Tanjiro warned the Mist Hashira. He knew that something's really wrong. Hantengu's head regenerated immediately as he was cut down. He transformed into a young man.
It split! One grew a head and the other grew a body! Tanjiro's intuition was right. This was the same case as Gyutaro and Daki.
*Crash!*
The wooden door was broken as a green-haired man barged in without any care, holding a sword in his hands. Tanjiro was happy that Zoro arrived right on time. He knew that he could count on Zoro.
"The goddamned building is like a maze! I'm going to kill whoever's responsible for the design!!" Zoro complained. It's not like the building is complicated, he just got a bad sense of direction.
"Zoro-san! These guys might be an Upper Rank! They didn't die, even when they're decapitated!" Tanjiro warned the Ronin of what they're fighting against. Zoro understood.
"I'll take the one in the back!" Tanjiro said that he was going for the one in the back. Muichiro immediately goes for the one in front of him. Muichiro raised his sword and dashed towards the demon.
The demon pulls out a fan of some sorts. Zoro knew something was up and immediately jumps in front of Muichiro. Shielding Muichiro.
"Wait! Muichir-
*Fwish!*
*Crash!*
The entire side of the building was blown away by the strong wind. Tanjiro barely survives and might fall to his death if it weren't for Nezuko holding him in place, preventing him from flying. Zoro and Muichiro was nowhere to be seen.
Tanjiro was left with two big trouble to be handled with. With his sister alongside him. Tanjiro knew that Zoro and Muichiro might be blown by the wind and now is in the air. It's useless to shout their names.
He needs to hold on until reinforcement comes to aid them. Even if both Muichiro and Zoro make it, it's going to take a while for them to appear again. Until them, he needed to stall for time as much as he could with his sister.
"Ha-ha-ha! This is fun, they really went flying eh, Sekido?" The demon greeted the demon named Sekiro. This demon is a tall and muscular young man with shoulder-length hair and narrow, deep green eyes carved with the Kanji for Upper Rank. He has two prominent curved horns on his forehead and cracked markings under his eyes
"There's nothing fun about it! I am just angry! Angry about being mixed in with you too, Karaku!" Sekido addresses the demons Karaku. Sekido is a tall and muscular young man with long wavy hair that goes past his shoulders and narrow, deep red eyes.
Sekido wears the same kimono as Hantengu, with the right half being covered in a pattern of flowers and lines, with the left half being dark.
"Oh? so then It's good for us to be separated." Kraku sticks his tongue, showing Sekido a mark engraved, "Pleasure"
"What's with these guys?" Tanjiro muttered in his heart.
YOU ARE READING
A Cook, A Doctor, A Ghost and A Ronin.
FanfictionA sequel to my first book.(A Cook, A Doctor, and A Ghost + A Swordsman) Read that one first if you want to read this one. When Zoro, Sanji, Brook and Law is tasked with a mission to find Poneglyph buried somewhere in a mysterious cave. It took an u...
