Heart Of Fire; Veins Of Ice | Kimetsu No Yaiba Fanfic (Kyojurou's POV)

95

Only after she buried her first pillar did she recognise her own strength. After taking his items, the nichirin blade, the uniform, but she had left their personal items and their haori in a small grave, even when she had consumed his corpse. A breath of water user, where her own blood demon art was able to halt and lose the fluidity of their movements and style, rendering it useless and disabled when faced against her strength. It was a pity. He seemed to have been on the verge of entering an entirely new state of being, where his body temperature increased quickly and surpassed the normal temperature of an ordinary human.

A faint marking seemed to leave its trace on his skin as well, a spire of water trailing from his cheek down to his neck.

As much as she would have wanted to gather information on this new state, she was unwilling to risk her own life at that, preferring to finally cast the dormant ice poison within his veins and freeze him inside out. There was a pattern to their divisions and squads, where there were unique demon slayers, often with distinct patterned harris that had higher than average ability than that of a normal demon slayer which fought in squads. Many of them, she supposed, would be of higher rank than most, and even perhaps reaching that of a pillar, or Hashira. She wondered what the requirements were to become a hashira, but as she devoured this man's corpse, taking extra care not to get his blood spilled on her own uniform, she knew that it was vital to slaughter the crows as well.

Last time she had missed out a crow, two additional squads were sent after her, but she had taken care of them as quickly as they came, this time making sure to freeze all of the birds into statues with her long range abilities. To kill the messenger was to cripple the head. Nevertheless, she would have to attempt to trace a crow back to the headquarters, though this was likely going to be an unfruitful endeavour due to the unnaturally keen instincts of animals towards them demons. It was as if nature had recognised something unnatural and raised its own defences against them.

But now, now she would return back to where she once belonged. A haunted village, as she set herself down on the cold snow covered cobblestone paths of her town, having had fifty years of time and experience carefully honed and grown, she wore a simple cloak, as she raised the hood over her head, strolling into the depths of the village. Her presence would be forgotten, as winter's cold would lull their senses into a miasma of exhaustion and hibernation, herself easily forgotten as but a traveller passing by.

It was far more lively, with more lanterns having been built, and she could see that what few remnants of the village had pulled itself back together. New faces, new blood, sturdier buildings, and a new town square in the centre of the town. The shrine still remained, and she had no doubt that the one which sat atop the mountain was standing still, untouched by time. It better be.

Perhaps with time she would learn to blend in with the villagers and townsfolk. If she were to set up this area as her own personal territory, to bar the other demons from entering this area and feasting upon her livestock and prey, it would ensure a constant supply of fresh blood and food. Perfect for raising new demons to serve as her own subordinates. She wanted to see what it felt like to have turned another into her own demon, if it would obey her like they did to their Lord, to see how much control she had over them, how much of themselves truly remained.

The temple is empty when she arrives.

The corpses have frozen over, perfectly preserved with small, tendrils of frost growing from their skin and flesh like crystals. She wondered if preserved human flesh would still be consumable for them. The cold would be wonderful for food preservation, and nothing would spoil unlike out in the heat of the glaring sun, or the humid nights of summer. It was here she would revive Haru.