Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
"Kah!"
Muzan's face turned red from the exertion he did to split himself, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't scatter as many chunks of flesh as he had imagined.
Desperate, he attempted to divide himself in a larger chunk than as small as possible.
Squelch!
Daki's body temporarily split in the middle.
No!
Too slow!
His most crucial ability suddenly malfunctioned, plunging Muzan into fear.
With a terrified look in her eyes, Muzan's heart instantly felt like it had been enveloped by ice, and the emotion called despair settled heavily.
His head going numb, robbing him of his ability to think.
"Nakime!"
In his moment of panic, Muzan even thought to call on Tamayo to save him.
Then, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a pinkish-purple sash.
'An obi?' He looked taken aback at the sash that was connecting to his body from the corner of the room.
Daki's Blood Demon Art.
The sight of the obi finally registered in his mind about his situation. His struggling suddenly ceased.
To think that he was so anxious, so... fearful of this guy's proximity that he couldn't think straight at all.
The nervousness in his heart eased. His senses coming back to him.
That's right!
He was not here in person!
He was only possessing his servant's body!
That's why he couldn't split immediately!
"Cough cough!" With that realization, his eyes filled with hope again.
Muzan let out a deep breath, but he still didn't dare to lift his head and make eye contact with his capturer.
Feeling the air passing through his nostrils, savoring this moment of triumph.
Because he wouldn't die today! Nor would he ever come out and possess another body without confirmation anymore!
Snap!
Muzan's control over Daki's body was severed.
A fleeting feeling of relief at surviving the ordeal was felt from the connection, and he didn't feel remorse at leaving his subordinate behind to fight three Hashira.
...
In the Infinite Castle.
Nakime sat cross-legged in the middle of the platform, her mind growing and spreading with blood and flesh veins that branched out like tree limbs, interconnected to the castle.
Her appearance became quite grotesque after her promotion into Upper Moon Four.
She held the biwa in her arms, and her large eye with the kanji of four looked hesitantly to the side.
Where crimson blood splattered everywhere and the exploded, writhing chunks of flesh were scattered all around, slowly coming together.
Suddenly, the already minced meat exploded again with a bang, turning into even finer bits of meat.
Nakime's eye trembled in fear; she turned her head away and shakily held the biwa in her arms.
'I didn't see anything.'
...
Daki's mind was in a daze.
When her body got caught, Muzan-sama unleashed an overwhelming emotion and a powerful blood surge.
She had never experienced such intense emotions from Muzan-sama before; it directly affected her.
Causing her to lose all awareness of her surroundings.
Her body was completely dominated by Muzan's consciousness.
Muzan-sama's last words echoed in her mind faintly.
Gradually, she awoke to the sound of the world around her.
"Did I get the right target?"
Tengen casually rested his curved blades on his shoulders, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Is she really the demon?"
With his other hand, he propped the woman's chin and observed the bound Daki.
"So weak." He stated disappointedly.
This demon... he could handle it by himself.
There's no need for three Hashira to be sent.
"Uzui-san." Tanjuro peered through the window that was destroyed by Daki's attempt to escape.
"We're making too much noise."
In the Yoshiwara district, the zenith of the night is the busiest time the city operates, and the recent noise has already attracted a crowd to gather downstairs to watch.
Giyu cautiously observed Daki's body and considered whether he should go downstairs and caution the crowd to evacuate.
"Huh?" Tengen tightened his grip on his blades. He turned to look at Tanjuro's back.
"Don't underestimate them."
Tanjuro gripped his hook-rope tightly in his hand after tying up Daki. He went and hung her up in the middle of the room, reminding his two colleagues to keep their guard up.
In his vision, Daki has two red dots on top of her head.
As the former Upper Moon Six, now promoted to Upper Moon Three.
This demon has two forms in one as brother and sister.
As the weaker one, Daki's strength is weaker than even her own brother's. Even after becoming an Upper Moon, she doesn't possess half of her brother's strength.
Thus, Gyutaro was there as the main fighter.
His strength is definitely above Gyokko and certainly above Hantengu now that they have been boosted.
After beheading Daki, her brother Gyutaro will appear to avenge her.
Tanjuro stopped his arm sleeve mechanism when he saw that Daki was dangling off the ground and placed his right hand on the hilt of Kusabimaru.
"We will need to kill her twice, and then..."
Halfway through Tanjuro's explanation.
Daki groggily woke up. She shook her head and looked around in confusion.
Due to Daki's movement, the rope hanging her rattled.
Then, after being momentarily stunned, she came to her senses and loudly interrupted Tanjuro. "HEY!"
Daki furrowed her brows as she glanced at her bondage and began to struggle vigorously.
"What are you doing!?"
She was shaking violently while suspended in the middle of the room, her eyes still somewhat dazed.
'What happened?'
'I was waiting for Muzan-sama to finish his inspection...?'
'How did I end up like this!?'
Daki continues to wiggle her body, trying to escape from her binding.
A reflected light shone in her eyes as she finally took in the appearance of the people tying her up. The sharp glint of the swords in the hands of these three people in front of her snapped her out of her daze.
'Demon Slayers?'
The enemy of the demons popped into her head.
"How dare you disturb me?"
Daki shouted her anger. Knowing that she was facing some pitiful slayers, she was not afraid anymore. Not even of being decapitated. In fact, she was counting on it.
Her eyes registered the mess and the shattered ruins of the roof and the scattered blue flowers on the floor.
She has no memory of the roof collapsing.
But that doesn't matter because of these guys in front of her!
"Muzan-sama must have left because of these insects suddenly appearing! Damn it!'
After she kills these people, Muzan-sama will possess her body again. ❤
Rage veins bulged all over her body as Daki glared angrily at the three people ruining her moments with her lord. The straps of her clothes started to struggle violently.
Her mind remembered the last words Muzan-sama left her before he severed his connection.
"Daki, my dear Upper Moon Three, you are strong enough." His cold sinister tone echoed in her heart.
Muzan's red eyes settled on her own emerald ones.
"I leave it to you."
"Kill them all."
'As you wish, Muzan-sama!!'
Her eyes transformed into cat-eye slits as she unleashed a menacing aura. Her hands may have been bound tightly, but her struggle remained fierce.
"Those who get in my way..."
"...deserve to die!"
Swish! x3
[]—Blood Demon Art!—[]
[]—Yae Obigiri!—[]
(tr. Eight-Layered Obi Slash)
From hidden underground, a cloaked figure with a pair of fierce eyes immediately climbed through the gaps between walls. The taut, sharp cloth swiftly reached the second floor, cutting through the air as it rushed toward the three people holding Daki hostage.
Boom!
...
"Hey, look over there!"
"What? What happened?"
The pedestrians of the Yoshiwara district gathered around the Kyogoku house.
They saw that the brothel's roof had collapsed, and such a spectacle drew in the attention of every passerby on the street.
A tremendous noise erupted once again, and the second floor of the Kyogoku house shook violently with dust spilling everywhere.
The people who were watching were also spooked by this scene and moved away, but the district was still bustling with people coming and going.
The night has just begun.
...
The sashes dripped out from every crack in the room.
They tightened and transformed into blades that could easily cut through human flesh.
Swish!
Thirteen sharp sabers sliced through the air and focused on one man.
Tanjuro!
Seeing the trajectory of the attack, Tengen tensed up to defend and counter. However, he paused as he saw Tanjuro being calm.
He glanced at the bound Daki and raised an eyebrow slightly.
He chose to stand in his place and waited it out.
'This guy!' Daki's eyes were filled with anger as she looked at the rope binding her and connecting its source to Tanjuro's left hand. Her fury is intensifying!
In her eyes, Tanjuro's body movement seemed to slow to dodge her attacks.
She saw that her sashes were about to touch and pierce Tanjuro's body; Daki's mouth morphed into a smug smile.
"Hmph." She snorted lightly.
As the newly promoted Upper Moon Three, with her current strength of her Blood Demon Art, even if a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps came, she could easily kill him with a flick of her wrist!
The next moment.
Clang!
Tanjuro drew his sword as he waited for the right moment. The crisp sound of iron striking rang out as the first sash snapped, accompanied by a few sparks that momentarily illuminated the dimly lit room.
The light revealed the bewildered expression on Daki's face.
Clang! x7
Not long after, metal clashing echoed continuously.
"...Eh!?"
As the brilliant sparkles diminished, the expression on Daki's face gradually turned blank.
Her gaze was fixed on Tanjuro.
The sash that was being repelled trembled slightly.
"...fear?" Daki noticed her body was also trembling.
'Am I... scared?'
...
"Not again!"
Omitsu, the landlady, was holding on to a revolver. She was flustered by the sudden loud noise happening to her establishment since such an event was not something that would happen under normal circumstances.
"What is it this time?!"
'Which girl has been killed?!'
The question plagued her mind as she walked even faster.
She arrived unsteadily outside of Daki's room.
Omitsu took a deep breath and prepared herself mentally to confront the monster gripping her life and everyone else in this house.
She had just placed her hand on the doorknob when the manic cries of Daki echoed in the room.
Omitsu opened the door hastily and froze at the sight; she stumbled.
...
Outside the brothel.
Even though there was an explosion, it did not discourage the pedestrians on the street from clearing away from the house completely.
Quite the opposite now; the commotion is just too loud to be ignored as more and more people are stopping by to watch the spectacle.
"Hey, look at that!"
"Something flew out!" Someone pointed out with their finger.
As soon as he finished speaking, the wall of the second floor was smashed, kicking up another cloud of dust.
"Kyaaahhh!!"
A feminine figure leaped out of the smoke and crashed into the nearby rooftop. Her movements were erratic as she clumsily ran from one rooftop to another.
It's Daki.
She was holding her own head with one hand, and the other steadied her clumsy self as she ran.
"What was that just now?" Daki was on the verge of tears as she shouted.
"No, this couldn't be happening!"
"I am an Upper Moon, the third Upper Moon!"
Her neck had already slid down from her body in a cross-cut wound.
Her long sash flowed behind her in tattered form with bloodstains all over it. The broken parts of her demon art were slowly regenerating.
"I... shouldn't be this weak!"
She shouted hysterically as the beautiful Oiran was turned into a mewling little girl with snot and tears coming out of her orifice.
Daki cradled her severed head in her arms and turned her head to look back at her attackers.
As if on command, the wind blew and swept away the dust and the smoke. Revealing the trio who had caused her injuries. Tanjuro calmly gazed at her while slowly retracting the rope to his arm sleeve.
There was some shame in Tanjuro's eyes seeing Kusabimaru unable to turn red after he parried Daki's attack barrage.
Daki may have broken free from her bondage, but she was instantly beheaded by Giyu, who was itching for an opening.
Daki fell into deep thought about her situation.
Her thirteen sashes were all parried with high speed and accuracy. None of them landed an effective blow.
It was unacceptable! Unforgivable!
She refused to believe even for a moment that a human could keep up with her!
Yet, here she is... with her head in her arms.
Daki was wondering whether she was the Upper Moon or the man was the Upper Moon.
Her gaze lingered on the three swordsmen that were to be her meal.
'You're strong enough.'
"Muzan-sama..."
Daki murmured shakily as the appearance of the three swordsmen with their hair swaying in the wind looks very intimidating right now.
"This is different from what you said!"