Breath of the Void

Breath of the Void: Chapter15

I turned 20 yesterday. Also, remember how people were asking for another Servant? Well. Yep. Also very long chapter this one is to make up for my delay in posting last time

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To many demon slayers, Oni and Demons were one and the same.

But having crossed swords with Shuten Douji when she was acting as Samghata Hell, Musashi knew better than to believe that. The Oni, in truth, were much more fierce than demons, and without fear of the sun— but only did things out of pleasure. They killed, yes, but it was only to grant them pleasure from the blood lust. That didn't make them better than Muzan's Demons. In fact, one could say that it made them worse, since, unlike Demons, they didn't need to eat human flesh to sustain themselves.

Despite that, Oni at least had morales— as loose as they were. Indeed, they were Monsters, but they were closer to humans than Muzan and his ilk.

And until recently, it had completely slipped Musashi's mind to even investigate Oni further. She hadn't even been sure if they were nothing but stories, and with the fight against Akaza, it hadn't been a priority. Once again, though, that was only until recently, seeing how it was on one of the recent missions that Musashi remembered.

A strange signature on Mt. Ōeyama had sparked the memory and she had ended up distracted for the rest of the mission. Not so much that her performance failed, but it was certainly obvious to anyone who knew her that her thoughts were elsewhere. When she had finished up in Kyoto, she had sent a message to Ubuyashiki for permission to investigate.

The letter that was returned was... wary. Ubuyashiki was rightfully concerned about the idea of an Oni entering into the picture— and knowing that she was near Mt. Ōe only made it worse. That mountain only meant one of two beings: Ibaraki Douji or Shuten Douji.

The ending result was the Master agreeing to let Musashi tackle the Mt. Ōe mystery but under the condition that she wait for another Pillar to assist her. Of the Pillars, Himejima was the closest to her location. Mt. Ōe was actually inside of his assigned region, according to what Ubuyashiki said.

Prior to her arrival, the Pillars had select territories to watch over, or at least that's what Kyojuro had told her. Kanroji and Kocho had joined the Pillars only half a year prior to her, and of course, with her appearance and breaking the Nine Pillar stigma, things had changed. Now, the Pillars were split into two groups— Regionals and Moving. There had been an even split between them, with the Regional Pillars covering large areas with major cities. The Regionals consisted of Obanai, Kanroji, Himejima, Tokito, and Kocho while the Pillars that had been more of the "return for orders" type were Tomioka, Shinazugawa, Kyojuro, and herself. Tengen had been with them as well, but due to his retirement just a week ago, the rest of the Corps would be picking up where he had left.

That wasn't much of a problem, though. Musashi and the other Pillars took down demons left and right without so much of a sweat usually.

And it worked in Musashi's favor that Himejima was stationary. She didn't have to wait too long, as the man was already close to the mountain.

The duel wielding swordswoman stretched as she waited at the base of the mountain, gazing up at the sky for a moment as she thought. As of late, the civilians in the area around it had been avoiding it like the plague. Livestock, travelers, and merchandise alike had gone missing, and that only confirmed Musashi's suspicions. Oni or not, something was up there. Something powerful and dangerous to civilians.

She blinked, lowering her arms as she gazed down the road, squinting before she saw the large figure of the monk turned Demon Slayer walking towards her.