The Beginning of A New Era (DKT AU)

Suma

(Nezuko POV:)
This demon seemed familiar to me—had I seen her before? But before I could think about it, Suma attacked, and if Ishiyo hadn’t blocked the strike, one of my arms would’ve surely been cut off. I was angry with myself for being so careless.

“Come on, is that all you’ve got?” the demon taunted, laughing.

I tried to use Blood Breathing, but then I realized it probably wouldn’t help much against such a strong demon, especially since I hadn’t even created any forms yet. "Think, Nezuko!" I focused. "What forms of Blood Demon Art did you use before?" Meanwhile, Akira and Ishiyo had managed to push Suma away from me and were fighting her. The demon wasn’t putting much strength into her attacks, and I got the impression that she was toying with them—I had to help somehow! I’d come up with a form on the fly… But just then, Ishiyo swung at Suma’s head, and I saw, as if in slow motion, the demon looking mockingly at her. The girl hesitated for just a second, but it was enough—Suma kicked her hard, sending the demon slayer flying over the rooftops and landing somewhere far off.

“Thanks a lot!” Akira sarcastically yelled at the demon before attempting to decapitate her, though unsuccessfully. I joined the fight—together with my friend, we started attacking Suma. Ten minutes passed, and Ishiyo still hadn’t returned—had something happened to her? Akira didn’t seem worried, but I could see signs of fatigue on his face. I was the only one still with plenty of strength left.

“I’m here, little sis!” I heard the familiar voice in my head, immediately calming me. “Having some trouble, huh?”

“Tanjiro, this is no time for jokes. Please help me. Tell me one of my Blood Demon Art forms. It’s urgent!”

My brother thought for a moment. I thought he wouldn’t say anything, but when Akira was thrown into the air, he suddenly changed his mind.

“Exploding Blood. That’s it!” he whispered. “Use it!”

Distracted by the mental conversation with Tanjiro, I didn’t even notice when the demon appeared behind me and struck me hard in the back. I fell heavily to the ground, and for a second, I thought I might pass out. Suma stood over me and smiled.

“Is that all? Weaklings! I wonder how you even passed the Final Selection!”

I felt a twinge of anger. She knew nothing about my past—she was just an innocent person controlled by my brother, or rather, by Muzan. I couldn’t let my emotions take over—not now. Not in the middle of a fight.

“Your two little friends flew off somewhere—they probably didn’t survive the hit. I think they’re either dead or gravely injured.”

Fear crept in—what if Suma was right? If Ishiyo and Akira were dead, just because I was wasting time, unsure of which technique to use?

“Calm down,” I told myself. “She’s trying to scare and distract you.”

With difficulty, I got to my feet and stared the demon in the eyes. They were black and expressionless. I took a breath, focused, and used Blood Breathing. Suma dodged the strike, but I sensed her concern—maybe it was because of the breathing technique?

“Blood Breathing, First Form: Exploding Blood!” I shouted and aimed. The demon realized I was about to cut off her head, and she froze. Just a little more…

“NO!” someone yelled desperately. “DON’T KILL HER!”

I lost focus and stopped the attack halfway. Suma smirked and, with a punch, sent me flying. I crashed into the wall of a house, and suddenly, everything went dark.

…………

(Tengen POV:)
Suma! I had finally found her! Without hesitation, I rushed toward them, only to see Nezuko about to behead my wife. I called out for her to stop, but that wasn’t a great idea—Suma immediately struck the girl, sending her crashing into a wall, where she lay motionless.

“Suma! Come to your senses! It’s you—my wife, not some pitiful demon!”

My wife turned to me. For a second, something flashed in her eyes, but then she faced me with a wicked smile.

“Oh, really? But I don’t even know you! Or are you just desperately trying to deny the truth?”

I lunged at her, grabbing her hands with mine. I tried to hug her, but she pushed me away. That’s when I realized the bitter truth—this was no longer Suma, and she would never be her again. It was all my fault—if I hadn’t left my wives alone that day, none of this would’ve happened. I had to atone somehow. So I took the sword from Nezuko’s limp hand and pointed it at my wife.

“In that case, I think it’s time for one last worthy, flamboyant duel.”

(Akira POV:)
I slowly opened my eyes. What was going on? Where was I? I got up slowly, groaning—my arm was twisted at an odd angle.

“Try to immobilize it with this,” Ishiyo handed me a short bandage. I looked at her in surprise—I hadn’t expected her to help me, especially after everything I’d said to her.

“Thanks!” I replied, awkwardly wrapping my arm. Only then did I turn to look at the girl and saw that she was standing on one leg—the other was covered in blood and ugly scars, and her back was torn.

“And you..? Can I help with something?”

“Yes. Go check on Nezuko. I tried to go to her, but couldn’t.”

I followed her instructions and approached Nezuko—she didn’t seem hurt, but she was unconscious. I somehow managed to drag her over to Ishiyo, who had found some water from somewhere. She poured it over our friend’s face, and Nezuko instantly jumped up.

“Tanjiro, will you shut up already! Oh.”

Nezuko stared at us for a few seconds, then suddenly jumped and ran toward Suma, who was now fighting some white-haired man.

“Should we call out to her?” I asked Ishiyo.

“No. Let her help that man. I don’t think either of us will be able to do much in this fight—we’re both injured.”

Despite her words, Ishiyo grabbed her swords and limped after Nezuko. After a moment of hesitation, I joined her.

(Nobody POV:)
Suma stood over the four attackers, who now lay helpless on the ground.

“It’s over for you!” she cackled. “The girl in the pink haori has problems with her breathing technique, her two friends can’t keep fighting because of their injuries, and that fool who thinks he’s my husband has lost his other arm and is unconscious! Victory is mine!”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have reasons to disagree!” a voice called from behind the demon. There was a swish, and Suma collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

********
(1200 words)
Almost 1 month since I uploaded the last part! :0
I guess school takes more time than expected..
I won't make any drawings for the next chapters because I don't have time to draw them! (sorry 😢)
And lastly, thank you so much for 500+ reads! ❤️❤️❤️