Fandom Demon Slayer: Breath of Destruction (open)

[Haze-]

Keijirō Kishimori | Upper Moon I - Ashura (Restrained)

Asakusa City


Keijiro’s head instinctively tilted backwards, to his hands, a flash of gold glistening, peering at tonight’s dark skies as his eyelids opened for once. The kanji for 'one' written in both of his eyes. It’d been a couple of years ever since he glanced at the world, the stars looked the same, yet now he found himself in a state of mystification at Tsushiro’s sudden honesty towards him. A glaring stare, seemingly chained by sorrow and tire, looked down with pure intrigue at the other demon – “Hm…” – He remained in thoughtful silence, attempting to fully visualize the depths behind Tsushiro’s words. It wasn’t common for him to seek advice. Keijiro’s advice, to be more specific.

“Tsushiro…” – Once he finally pieced his thoughts together, Keijiro spoke up, still failing to figure out if his fellow upper moon meant what he said – “If you seek counseling from the likes of me, then you really must’ve hit rock bottom, y’know…?” – He started, his tone lacking the usual mesmerizing tranquility, he sighed – “But I suppose I could share with you this…” – With a flick of the wrist half of his strains were torn, thrown aside casually as that blood-boiling sensation clawing its way down his neck made him stifle a grunt – “…Enlightenment of mine.” – Narrowed eyes began shifting to a blood red, his words rose with a bit more bluntness behind them – “Humanity cannot be passed as a weakness, nor an imperfection, Tsushiro. We aren’t capable of prolonging this hatred that turned us into what we are… We only fade away once we peer back and understand why we came to be, hopefully finding solace in our closure before we’re greeted with hell itself; that is the inevitable end of every demon. It’s only the end of our miserable existence drawing near, the same as any other human.”

He tilted his head to the side, closing his eyes and letting the cool air seep into his lungs as he could already hear the remaining chains coiling around his wrist – “Many kings, many pawns… All of them have gotten hooked up on the thrill, to never feel ‘human’ again. It’s our very own affliction, ‘Humanity’ haunts us all…” – He let out a huff of air in the form of a less tense sigh, he raised his right hand as blood began rupturing from his palm, droplets running down in the shape of crimson chains swathed around his entire arm – “We’ll never rest, you and I…For as long as we’re bound to serve our king. If this fate scares you, I’ll deliver this ‘swift end’ you ask of me.”

After moments of silence... The rattling of chains was heard – “Then again, you are our lord’s favorite child… He’d go insane if he had to spend an eternity with me as the last line of defense in your absence… Don’t think I could to bring myself to killing you…” – Keijiro returned to the scoff he was used to, giving Tsushiro a light-hearted sneer as he ever so lightly nudged him with his elbow, his voice regained that acerbic, yet mellow tone overtime – “You haven’t gotten weaker at all… You’re the only one that over does his job here; I should be taking notes… ”

He beamed at him. Truthfully, without Tsushiro on the front lines the number of human casualties would decrease exponentially. With Keijiro only stepping forth upon direct orders, their mission to dwindle the human race would take several more decades – “But I must ask,” – He stretched and took a long-winded yawn, his eyes closing once more, the stern expression on his face softened to welcome in a satisfied smile – “If you liked those kids so much, why didn’t you offer them some of your blood… You do know they’d give an even greater challenge if they developed their techniques as demons…” – He paused, shrugging to himself – “Just food for thought…”

“Hoo…~” – Once they reached the edge of the forest, Keijiro soaked in the recumbent, deceiving silence drifting through the ruined streets of Asakusa City. The dismal sight brought a dreary sense, somehow homely in a way he couldn’t describe. Shark infested, bloodstained waters what lay before him. The ongoing silence hinted at trouble.

_______________________________________________

Kiryū Takafumi | Breath of The Ghost

The forest surrounding Asakusa City


“He definitely brought the fun over…” – Takafumi wound his head clockwise, a bloody hand on the back of his neck as he let out a long sigh in unison to every faint crack heard, ending in a louder one that got a cold, mind-numbing shiver running down his spine. Both physically and mentally, he couldn’t focus. It was disorienting to move, the mere act of breathing made him feel constant heavy jabs in his chest, and to further rub salt in his wounds, the howling agony running through his body could no longer replace that feeling of failure now that he felt just a bit more lucid.

He gave up, grudgingly nodding as the younger woman handed him some water while the other lectured them, that shaky hand of his involuntarily letting go of the bottle once his senior turned away from him; he sighed in annoyance and bumped the back of his head against the tree behind him –“He did just knock me out in one hit… My poison didn’t even faze him...” – He counted his loses. One could practically feel just how worthless Takafumi felt from afar, but he could thankfully still bottle up that gut-wrenching sensation born from his broken ego.

Even after he was informed that he’d jumped straight into a fight that was worlds ahead of him, the whole ordeal stung with the same intensity. Perhaps he’d been propelled forward by stupidity or bravery, maybe his recent display wouldn’t be taken for granted if Master Arumono was indeed dishing out pity points for almost being killed by a demon moon – “Ah, of course… Ask the heavily injured one to carry the sleeping beauty. Can’t we just throw him in a river and see if he wakes up that way?” – He addressed Masahiko with the feigned enthusiasm of a cynic carrying his words, wasting his remaining strength to dramatically fan himself with his left hand. He was somehow still able to show a sly grin through the situation, albeit the grin of a bloodied up mess, drifting out of consciousness; it was the effort behind that wavering smile that mattered.

“Oh… I think he heard me.” – As Oji finally snapped back into the world of the living, Takafumi allowed himself an honest smile – “As far as I’m aware, I still have both of my legs. I can walk. I mean, ‘can’t really feel much of anything waist down but I’m just taking a wild guess.” – He turned down the idea; those two wouldn’t carry him through the whole forest. And as he removed his sword from his lap, both of his legs were indeed still connected to his body, he slowly got up and rolled his shoulder without giving it much thought, working out where it hurt to find the bearable extents of his limited movement.

Using the blade as a makeshift cane, he held a surprisingly stable walk – “Huh…?” – Almost out of reflex, Takafumi slightly tilted his head at the arrival of someone he’d seen at the ceremony, an initiate that didn’t quite jut out at first glance back then but whose presence appeared uncanny now that he for some reason was standing here with them in the forest. The two corps members he could understand, but why was the see-through initiate following them all of a sudden?
The picture became a lot clearer once he noticed Mahiru trailing far behind him; he subconsciously spared the boy a look of pity. Takafumi prayed for the mysterious boy’s safety if he truly was teaming up with that girl for the rest of their test.

He shook his head, popping the cap off the water bottle and washing away the blood on his face, only reeling back slightly at that metallic stench emanating from the red, jerking the bottle away once that jarring jolt of lightning struck him when his wounds were met with the water – “Are there any local herbalists in Asakusa or is it really just a ghost town? I need to make more poison, that demon took my entire stock.” – His head downcast to let the water drape down from his hair, he dangled a piece of his broken gourd in front of Masahiko – “If so then let’s get a move on, we’ve got a sleepover to attend to over at your place and I need to go shopping tomorrow.”

As he passed him by, Takafumi gave Masahiko a light flick on the forehead – “And give that dead man his money back, that's just bad luck.… Or at least put it to good use and buy me some herbs if you're not feeling that superstitious.”

_________________________

Mentions/Interactions: Ivaliss the Ashen Knight FireMaiden Lord_Boreas Ganryu Silent Child

 

[Lord_Boreas]

View attachment 912009
Tunkai
Blood Demon Art: Purple Lightning
View attachment 912012
Hono
Blood Demon Art: Flamethrower

​

"My my my, what an honor the master has bestowed upon us" Hono exclaimed walking next to the taller demon tunkai "The master wants us to be the ones who destroy the demon slayers and finally burn down that retched Fujikasane that houses so many of our brothers and sisters" the female demon embraced herself, wrapping her arms around her body while rocking herself side to side and giggling with glee. Her long burning hair dragged along the ground leaving a trail of fire that was currently burning through trees and bushes while the pair walked closer to the wisteria covered gates that protected the unsuspecting residents of Fujikasane.

Tunkai the larger of the two stood as a massive hulking figure with four arms and purple skin "remember what master said, if we can manage this he will make us lower moons" the giant finally spoke, lightning pulsing around his body as if to represent is excitement "So we'll burn down all of their wisteria and kill any demon slayers who try to stop us" the demon grinned and looked towards the gate "Master did warn us about the hashira, be careful" he spoke one last time before turning completely to the gate. with a nod towards Hono, Tunkai raised his hands "Blood demon art: purple lightning, Inazuma" massive bolts of purple lightning flew from all four of his hands and struck the flowers, causing a fire to began burning which spread to the other flowers that acted as demon deterrent. "Hono, start from the other side, we should start seeing some slayers soon" with that the demon seemed to pump out more lightning, causing a large section of wisteria to burst into flames. "Don't breath in the wisteria"

Hono nodded and giddily skipped to the far left of the wall "Blood demon art" she spun in a circle much like a ballerina before throwing a hand up towards the wall "Flamethower; Sadai no Hono" As the words left her lips, her palms erupted into a seemingly never-ending torrent of orange flames. The originally dark sky was now lit up by the assault on the gate as the fire blazed higher "more, more, more" the demoness laughed maniacally, urging more flames to erupt from her hands. Just as planned, demon slayers began pouring out of the town from secret exits and attempted to rush the demons. "keep burning it down, ill handle the insects" Tunkai spoke to Hono before grabbing two demon slayers and bashing their heads against the ground killing them instantly "Breath of...." before the slayer could finish his sentence, the demon grabbed the slayer out of the air as they tried to preform their breathing style, crushing the mans head with one hand before using the dead slayers limp body as a bat, smacking various slayers as they tried to attack him. the seven foot demon let out a bellowing cackle that echoed throughout Fujikasane as he swung corps members by their limbs in what someone would mistake as pure glee. As more and more wisteria burned and faded away, various low level demons began to appear from the forrest and flocked towards the gate that had kept their food safe for so long. Before long there was a giant flaming hole where the gate once stood and near a hundred low level demons began flooding the city, sinking their teeth into the first human they could find. Screams filled the night air, the once peaceful and safe village of Fujikasane was once again being ran over by the demon scourge.

"they've made it through Tunkai" Hono said, lowering her arms which stopped the fountain of flames that were spewing from them "Im going to head for the Great Wisteria Tree and burn it to the ground" the demoness smiled, her teeth black like charcoal. As she skipped towards the center of town, a trail of fire blazed dangerously in her wake and she hummed, spinning around like a ballerina.

Higestu Houtoro
Wind Hashira​

Higestu stood next to the great wisteria tree sipping sake from his gourd as usual when a corps member ran up to him, pulling off his burning haori. "Hige-sama" the boy screamed while running up to the wind hashira "D-demons" he huffed still trying to catch his breath. "Demon's have burned down the great gate, they are pouring into the town" Hige burped and strapped the gourd back to his hip "I can hear the screams Keno, go find the other hashira while I deal with madame flamey britches" he sighed patting the demon slayer on the back before walking in the direction of the flames. "guess the first thing is to deal with these flames" he muttered scratching the back of his head. He pondered his options for a second before taking a semi solid stance and lightly gripping his sword, sliding his foot back slowly.

"Wind Breathing, Tenth Form" he hiccuped and wobbled slightly realizing he was completely drunk, to accommodate his lack of balance he widened his stance before forcefully pulling the Odachi from its sheath "Fujin's Wrath" his speech was slurred but the force of his sword stroke was stone cold sober. As the sword left it's sheath a sharp wind sliced through the courtyard, dissipating the flames that followed behind the fire demon. Hige stood with his sword facing the demon Hono "you are interrupting my nightly drink, and terrorizing the innocent people of Fujikasane -hiccup- As the current wind -Hiccup- hashira I am tasked with killing you demon" He hiccuped one last time before dashing towards her.

​

 

[Lucem]

Azuma Nagomi

Master of Thunder​

Thunderclap and Flash. Over the sounds of the chaos consuming Fujikasane, a loud crack caught the attention of several demons feasting on innocent civilians and the people sworn to protect them. By the time they looked to the sky, their heads were already rolling into the roaring flames, burning to ashes as the rest of their bodies disintegrated. Not a single drop of blood was left on the sword that was responsible for the sudden carnage, still pure white as it returned to its sheath with a clack.

With the air vibrating around him, Azuma let out a deep breath. A dozen demons had fallen, but there were still more that needed to be slain. The wisteria was burning and people were dying. It was far from the scene he was hoping to see on the day of enlistment. He was looking forward to guiding a group of adorable, fresh-faced initiates, but instead he arrived to find an invasion. To make matters worse, it seemed as though a few of the more seasoned members of the corps were unavailable. He'd sent his crow off to inform them of what was happening, but it'd take time before the message was received.

Before dashing off to cleave his way through the next group of demons, he noticed that one of the nearby slayers was shaking as they tended to the wounded. The young man could hardly wrap a bandage as his hands trembled. In an attempt to put him at ease, Azuma placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to quickly turn his head and reveal a panicked expression. "Don't worry. Just remember your training and everything will turn out okay."

"B-but the-"

"Like I said, don't worry. Just focus on helping the people in front of you. If you can do that, I'll treat you to something tasty when this is all over. Sound good?" When the slayer answered with a slow but confident nod, Azuma offered the younger man a soft smile before turning away. As he kicked off the ground to run toward the source of the flames, another clap of thunder drowned out the sounds of war.

With the wind blowing through his silver hair, Azuma watched over everything happening on the battlefield. The lesser demons funneling in were being held back by the other corps members, but the situation would only get worse if the villages defenses kept burning. The quickest way to end the conflict was to get rid of the two demons responsible for the initial assault. It seemed like Houtoro was currently in battle with one of them, and he had complete faith in his fellow drinker. That only left the larger of the two. He considered waiting for another Hashira to arrive and handle the lightning-user while he went to support the others, but there was no telling how long that would take. Until backup arrived, he'd have to show he was worthy of his meaningless title and look after the unwanted guest.

Golden eyes settling on the distant, four-armed figure, Azuma unsheathed his sword once again. Grabbing the gourd on his hip, he quickly removed the cork and poured the contents on the blade. After being coated in a mix of wisteria and strong alcohol, it returned to the scabbard, ready to be drawn again at any moment. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to handle this in his usual fashion. The situation was far too serious to face with his usual laidback nature. For the sake of those around him, he'd try to finish this as quickly as possible.

Lowering his body, Azuma took a deep breath. As oxygen flowed in and out of his lungs, strength flowed into his legs and the air around him crackled. The moment he kicked off the ground, his body sped through the village like the purple electricity reflected in his eyes. Thunder Breathing First Form, It was fitting that he'd be the one to take on this particular demon. Where there was lightning, there was thunder. Thunderclap and Flash. With the blinding speed and intensity of a raging storm, he drew his blade and sliced at the enemy's neck.

Lord_Boreas

 

[Ganryu]

Masahiko Himura, Trainee
​

"Rank...?" Masahiko stopped his stretcher efforts as he thought. He remembered moments ago as he had done his first form getting rather close to the demon. There had been a the number two in both of his eyes. That had to have been important. Perhaps it was his rank? Maybe higher was better?

"Twenty Two. It was written in his eyes." Masahiko declared confidently. So far... confidence had gotten him every where today. No one had asked questions, they assumed he knew what he was doing, they'd let him bury the dead with odd customs, and he notably hadn't passed out over breathing, or had a hilt shoved into his chest cavity. Confidence was key to a good life.

Granted, he felt... wrong still. They hadn't save a man, and utterly failed at being demon slayers. They hadn't... slayed any demons. And the two who had shown up weren't... promising for his future. They didn't want to mess with the demon either. So were they psuedo demon slayers. If the demon looks weak enough. Masahiko was going to practice that was for sure.

The stretcher turned out to not have been needed, as Oji walked woke up, commenting he was fine. MAsahiko responded with unceremoniously dumping him out of the stretcher, and breaking the sticks. He liked Takafumi's suggestion, but sadly they weren't near a river...

"Someone tell me I didn't say that"

"You didn't say that. You also didn't nearly die, and we're all not all incompetent. Anything else you'd like me to tell you?"

Shaking his head, he started to walk, approaching the edge of the city without incident. He, naturally, didn't return the money.

"Aya is the local herbalist, her shop is 3 doors down. Light sleeper, so for anything medicinal, she'll probably answer the door. She's fair with prices, and takes labor, though that's not... likely relevant to either of you." He eyed the two mature slayers as well. "Or you either."

He made his way to the old cherry blossom tree on the outskirts. It wasn't in bloom... neither was Masahiko. Back to his old... bed. Masahiko snarled. Terrible idea, bringing every one. No one HAD to know he was a filthy street urchin. He didn't HAVE to tell them. He could make up his past. He could pretend to be somebody. But... logistics. They needed a place to rest, and this area was safe. Finding the old abandoned house he once squatted out, he moved a few boards out the way, and brushed out a couple of cobwebs. The entire place was in disrepair, and the moon shone through a hole in the roof.

"Simply an outpost I know about. Nothing more. Nothing less." He lied, making his way to where a few mats on the ground were.

"We can can rest for a moment, and think of a plan. I believe our objective is merely 'survive'. But, we're probably being watched to see if we're worthy. My ... master always had a crow with him. I haven't seen one given to us yet."

He eyed the two older demon slayers, Kaori and Rumi, searching to see if they had birds on them.

"I would suspect ours would be given to us after we pass this test, and are currently spying on our progress. We should probably look for something minor to do tonight to be 'passing'. Here's what I suggest, do what you want. Let's go grab the herbs we need for Takafumi's sword style, that seems important. We'll ask for rumors on the way, and keep an eye out for demons to slay. Takafumi, if you wouldn't mind heading that.

Oji, you seem like a great idiot to run headfirst into trouble, would you mind making a few rounds in the area, seeing if you can smell anything?

You two said you would only interfer in case of anotehr ranked demon. That is more than fair. However, I believe you two are also here investigating what he's doing in the city, correct? And if you have birds, perhaps they have orders and can scout. And if something is completely ... unrelated to what your tracking, but is still dangerous, you can pass it off to younger demon slayers, who are staying the night in the city.

As for myself... Apparently my sword style is off. I would like to warm up a bit, then I will also search on foot in the area for odd smells."

Masahiko walked outside to the cherry blossom tree, and took a deep breath as a flood of memories started to return. (I guess I can do NPCs? What's the plan here, I'll take it too OOC)

 

[simj26]

SuzukiAsakusa Village

Remnants of humanity that clung on to the last vestiges of their life outside barriers. She brushed a hand against one of the walls of one of the houses that lined the Asakusa village. It had only been no less than five decades and here they were, again, back in the Meiji period. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain and guilt in her heart every time she bothered to venture outside. This was her fault, partially. If she had only observed more than she had acted, this wouldn’t have come to pass, and her superior wouldn’t be going down the irrational path that he was on now. She couldn’t argue that her new makeup gave her some level of panache that her old self would never have been able to pull off, though. This demon business had its vertices, and looks were one of them. With a self-satisfied, smug grin, she flicked her hair behind her. Never mind that. Her boss hadn’t been calling on her for a while now, which was probably for the best. She had more time to muck about with her own calculations and experiments. She wished she could say that she was making good progress, but her results would be false positives if she had the proof.

She sighed deeply and loudly to no one in particular. She could feel eyes boring into the back of her skull. Demons tended to roam around Asakusa at night, and while she didn’t have any issue with that particular information, she had issues with being accosted by one of them. She arched her neck slightly, casting a furtive glance down the path she was on. No more than ten steps behind her was a demon, that was demon as demon could get. Horns protruding out of his dark skin, eyes a most damnable red shade, his menacing grin adorned with razor sharp, jagged teeth that rivaled a shark’s. She sighed, again, and waved her hand dismissively. “Could you just make like an unknown angle y and, like, get lost? I’m not really feeling it tonight.” She really wasn’t.

“I’m gonna be the one that decides who’s feeling what tonight, huma--” the other demon started.

Suzuki didn’t even bother turning fully, raised a hand, pointing a finger at him, then mimicked shooting a gun. A beam of light shot out from beneath her coat, piercing through the demon’s head. She turned slowly as the demon recoiled from the sudden attack, and raised her other hand, its finger directed straight at the demon as well. “Bang!” Suzuki exclaimed, and the demon recovered just in time for another beam of light to strike him in the head again, this time stabbing through his eye. He fell onto the ground, writhing in pain, screaming in anguish as Suzuki raised her finger to her lips and blew off imaginary smoke from her finger gun. “Y’know, centigrams like you are a dime a dozen.” She spoke calmly, as she stepped slowly towards the demon. Three drones fluttered out from under her coat, hovering above the demon as they trained their small cannons at his body. She crouched down beside the demon, as one of the drones fired again, the beam slamming into his knee this time, severing the leg clean from the knee downwards. “So, like, will anyone miss a miniscule integer like yourself? Would the big boss even bother if I just subtracted you out of the equation? Whaddaya think?” The colour in her hair faded away, turning into a stark ivory white, her fringe parting away as twin horns sprouted from her forehead. The green of her eyes darkened, swirled, and transformed into crimson, and her pupils reformed themselves into black crosses. Another drone fired again, this time taking off a hand, splattering what remained of it onto the ground. “I mean, it’s not like anyone’s gonna miss you. You grow fat, hunting on worthless prey like pathetic femtograms who aren’t even armed. I think that's a very low grade, even for centigrams like you.” Another shot, this time at the ankle of the remaining leg. Another cry of pain. No solid answers, just writhing and pain. Suzuki rolled her eyes. It was as if he wasn’t even trying to survive.

“Speaking of armed, do you know what this is?” Suzuki held up one of her mechanical arms, and clenched her fist. A blade snapped out from one of the crevices in it, the warped waves that floated across one half of the blade glistening in the moonlight. She held it up, observing the craftsmanship of the blade. “It’s one a’ them nichirin blades. Took it off some nanogram who...didn’t make the cut, so to speak. I’ve been meaning to see if it worked on a specimen.” She looked back down at the demon, who was now attempting to regenerate his injured limbs. “A specimen, just like you! How fortunate!” The holes in his head were fixing up pretty well. He was trying now. Alas, she had worn out his patience for him. He struggled again, but she caught a handful of his hair, and shoved his head onto the ground. Without any further ceremony, she raised her other hand, and brought the blade down like a guillotine, slicing his head clean off. His body contorted into an ugly pose, before it finally relaxed. She relaxed her grip, and the blade slipped back into the gap she had fashioned just for it. It didn’t take long for the demon to begin to fade into nothingness. She stood up, and dusted herself down. It worked perfectly. Well, for the time being anyway. Science was all about repeatable outcomes. She would have to try it again on some other schmuck another night. She clapped her hands together with a metallic clinking sound. She was here on a personal errand to pick up some herbs from the local herbalist, but it would seem like she had gotten her hands on a result she could record. How fortunate!

She was momentarily distracted by the sound of flapping wings, and she looked up into the sky just in time to see a figure fly away. Suzuki could recognise that sound anywhere. She was the one that patched that avian centigram up herself. Suzume was in the vicinity, huh? Was something big going on today? She removed her red glasses from her coat’s pocket and slipped them on. A rush of cold air began to fill the area, as if to answer her question. Another test subject to experiment on, perhaps? She wouldn’t want to interfere with whatever Suzume had, though. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she started to make her way towards the epicenter of the cold. She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but Aya’s herbs could wait for another day. She wasn’t in any rush, after all.


Mentioned:
Suzume ( Ganryu )

 

[Lord_Boreas]

Oji Yukiyama
The Breath of Winter​

"headfirst?" Oji squinted his eyes at Masahiko, a small rage bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. "Im sorry, aren't you the one who attacked the demon headfirst?" he picked his jacket up and threw it on, making sure to dust it off "Last time I checked you are the reason we are in this mess" he seethed, walking past him "great idiot " he scoffed pushing past Masahiko and out of the outpost "Also I haven't gotten the hang of this thing yet" the boy pointed to his nose "I knew some demon slayers had enhanced senses but..." the boy stopped and shook his head before looking to Takafumi, who was the only one he didn't want to run his sword through at the moment " I'll patrol around the edge of town and report what I smell, if you guys leave here ill just come to wear you are...the smell of Masahiko's sheath is hard to miss" with that, the boy turned towards the forrest and dashed off before the group could speak another word to him.

The young yukiyama ran through the forrest around the edge of town with a stale face as the events replayed in his head, he knew he stood no chance against the upper moon but his declaration would now fuel the raging storm he had been burying all these years. He silently drew his sword as he ran, subconsciously breathing in using the breath of winter.

"Stupid Demon" He swung his sword cutting a large branch with ease.

"stupid Masahiko" the vision of Masahiko stopping his attack played over in his vision and he swung his sword again cutting off three branches of a different tree as he ran.

He dived over a large bush and rolled back into a running position like he did before but only this time it was smooth and precise.

"Stupid.....Stupid.." he growled and before he knew it, oji had jumped from the ground and was now in the air coming straight towards a tall tree that lied in the center of his path and in that split second the boy flipped his sword into a backwards position and forced his body to spin. Using the momentum, he swung his blade to the tree.....

"Winter Breathing, First Form: Falling Avalanche"

Strength pumped through his arms and his eyes widen as he forced the now semi-frosted blade clean through the tree, he yelled to the top of his lungs finally letting out all his anger before finally pushing the cold blade through the tree and out to the other side. His body continued to spin in the air until he reached the ground and slid across it, having dig his blade in the ground to stop himself. He stood there panting slightly before exhaling with his teeth clenched which was needed to deactivate his breathing style and for his body to stop producing the harsh cold air. With a deep breath the warm night air filled his lungs and he stood upright but flinched when the tree finally hit the ground next to him, making him yank his sword up as if he was going to attack. "You're losing it Oji......" he looked at the tree silently

The boy sighed and sheathed his sword, turning to what he could make out to be an entrance to Asakusa in the distance. The smell of death was strong, oji fought hard to not to throw up from the horrid stench as he quietly walked down one of the abandoned roads until he heard a voice off in the distance 'Bang!' the voice said before screams echoed loud and clear, the familiar smell of blood presented itself just under the overwhelming smell of decay. Without thinking, which he was known for at the moment, he sprinted off towards the smell with his right hand resting on his sword in a position that would allow to him easily unsheathe it. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of what he assumed was a demon dying based on the descriptions in his studies, and turned his head to see what he assumed to be another demon walking away "demons killing demons?" his faced turned from stale to a look of confusion. The demon that was now in his sights had metal arms and to oji they didn't look very strong. He stood there with a hand on his sword, wondering if he should attack or simply alert the group that he had left not listening to their response to his outburst.
Ganryu Haze- FireMaiden simj26 Silent Child

 

[FireMaiden]

Kaori Asuna - Breath of Thunder - Rumi Asuna - Breath of Wind
Location: Forrest
Interaction: Lord_Boreas (Oji) Ganryu (Masakisho) Haze- (Kiryu) Silent Child
Mentioned: ​

"Yes, rank. The demons that serve directly under the Demon King are extremely strong and posses a rank not given to your every day type of demon," Rumi explain as she kept an eye on the boy laying out on the stretcher. But when the cherry blossom kid spoke, declaring that the demon they fought was rank 22, Rumi just smiled sweetly. "You mean 2. Their rank is displayed on both eyes. He was rank 2." The older woman paused for a few moments, glancing over at Kaori who was looking at Rumi. "Upper or lower?"

"I'm not sure. Either way, it's a miracle he didn't kill them," She said, adjusting her blade just before the kid on the stretcher bounced back to life. It surprised both of the older slayers, but neither one of them said anything. Rumi did, however, give Oji a small round of applause. Kaori looked back to the kid using his blade as a cane. "Drink the water I gave you," She said with a sweet smile. "There's a weak pain killer in it, it should help until you can receive medical attention."

Attention quickly shifted once again as another kid appeared, asking if everything was okay. Rumi frowned, just how many kids were out there? "Everything is fine now. You may join us going into the city," She said. The woman would prefer to watch over as many of these kids as possible. They of course had to succeed on their own, but with at least one high profile demon in the area, it was better for her to stick around. With that being said, their small group would begin to follow the grumpy child to the city. Rumi would walk behind the group, keeping and ear out for anything suspicious whole Kaori walked in the middle for quick defense. Normally, the younger of the sisters would have lectured the one kid for leaning on his blade like that, but given he wasn't doing it for fun, Kaori would leave him be.

Kaori did seemed bothered though when the grumpy child mentioned something about the local herbalist. "That depends on the person. If you must know, my sister and I often exchange labor instead of coin. It's how we made extra money as children." Their parents were fairly successful merchants, but didn't often have extra money for spending. So Rumi would drag Kaori along to do odd jobs while they were in different city's so they had some money for treats. "It's always good to know who will do that for when you're strapped for cash as well. You can blow through pay for missions " Kaori added. Regardless of his attitude, the slayers would continue to follow the grumpy child to what he claimed was an outpost. Kaori furrowed her brows, having taken note of how...tense he seemed about it but chose not to say anything.

"Surviving is your main objective yes," Rumi confirmed as she took a spot next to the "door" while Kaori sat down a little further into the small room. Though the grumpy kid's comment about the birds made Rumi laugh. "Do you believe we're fakes because our birds are busy?" She asked, her gaze focused on him now. "You are obviously not a very trusting child, and that's a dangerous trait to have in our line of work. I would suggest you find a way to work past it and quickly." You had to trust your fellow slayers or you would find yourself stranded. So of course, her brows furrowed when the grumpy child belittled the one who had been knocked unconscious. His attitude could get him killed, and he didn't seem to know that. "It takes a while to hone you senses when you aren't use to combat, you're doing fine though," Rumi spoke as he left, sighing softly to herself.

"Take Rumi's advice," Kaori spoke, yawning just a little as she rolled her shoulders. "My sister is the wind master. And our birds come and go as they please, they have to be free to receive messages and orders meant for us. They're close by of course," Kaori said as she pulled a small package out of a hidden pocket. Inside of the package was some dried meat and fruit. She took one of the jerky pieces, taking a bite out of it. As she did, Kaori held out the package so the kids could grab what they wanted. They must have been hungry. The grumpy one continued his speech, telling everyone else what to do. Which also annoyed the sisters but there were some lessons he would need to learn on his own.

"We completed our mission," Kaori would suddenly add. "A demon here was posing as a doctor. He was using his blood art of suggestion to convince his victims they were very ill, and then would eat them once they had said good-bye to their families. He'd tell anyone that came looking they died during treatment," She said. "So we can just accompany you guys for-" She paused hearing a squawking outside, Rumi turning to leave just before the grumpy kid did. Kaori stood, making her way to the door to watch her sister as a large crow dove from the sky to land on the older woman's shoulder. Kaori couldn't hear what it was saying, Rumi's crow was especially quiet to account for her sensitive ears. Rumi didn't look happy, brows furrowed as she approached Kaori.

"I have to leave," Rumi spoke, her voice missing her usually relaxed tone. She was also keeping her voice rather low so the kids didn't hear her. "Our home is under attack."

"But the wall-"

"Burned. The wisteria is gone, and demons are flooding the city. We'll lose it if I don't go." Kaori bit her lip, her hands balling but she nodded. "Don't tell them. I've been called off for an official meeting, nothing more. Keep an eye on them, but they must carry out their mission themselves," Rumi stated, getting a nod from Kaori. "I'll see you soon. Stay safe." With that, Rumi took a deep breath and turned away, telling her bird to let the Hashira know she was on her way. With that, the older woman took off back into he forrest, dashing away quickly.

Kaori cleared her throat, turning back into the small hut. "Takafumi, let's go ahead and find that herbalist, it'll go quicker if we both go," Kaori said with a smile, doing her best to hide her worry. Rumi would get there a lot faster on her own than she would with their entire group tagging along, but Kaori would still prefer to go with her.

 

[Silent Child]

Misayo Sadaharu​

Everything was ok, that was good... but what wasn't good was that Mahiru hadn't caught up yet... had she gotten caught up? This worried him. He knows he went fast, but not that fast... "Excuse me, I'm gonna go find my friend... she's apparently been lost." The two full fledged demon slayers seemed to have things covered, and even had plans to start traveling already. Jumping up, he'd speed back into the forest, keeping his eyes peeled for the girl he had traveled with temporarily.

 

[Ivaliss the Ashen Knight]

Mahiru Munechika

I wonder what that sound could’ve been; it’s not like demons are known to arrive under the sound of thunder.

The black-haired girl pondered her thoughts as she continued in the direction that Misayo had gone.

I can’t believe he’s covered this much distance in such a short span of time; is he even human?!

She found herself laughing slightly, which was unlike herself, until she spotted and then immediately made impact with a blur of movement heading directly towards her. As Mahiru scrambled up from the ground, she grabbed her nodachi on instinct and pointed it at her attacker before she took in the worried face of her companion. “ Misayo, if you’re going be zooming through the forest every time that we travel, please watch where you’re going; I swear your head is harder than my blade. “ She sheathed her blade before proceeding to rub her now sore forehead. “ I know I told you to go on ahead, but I wasn’t expecting you to get so far ahead in such a short time. If you’ve come back though, I’m assuming that you’ve already rendezvoused with our allies and assessed the situation. So, what was all of the commotion about ? “

Silent Child

 

[Ivaliss the Ashen Knight]

Tsushiro Kuninaga

The words of his fellow demon echoed in his mind. “Humanity cannot be passed as a weakness, nor an imperfection, Tsushiro. We aren’t capable of prolonging this hatred that turned us into what we are… We only fade away once we peer back and understand why we came to be, hopefully finding solace in our closure before we’re greeted with hell itself; that is the inevitable end of every demon. It’s only the end of our miserable existence drawing near, the same as any other human.” He glanced at Keijiro, who was back to peacefully strolling and felt a brief pang of what he thought was jealousy. The point of forsaking humanity was to avoid the suffering that came with it, yet as the other upper moon had stated, this was a miserable existence. “ You may be right.” Tsushiro spoke as he maintained his pace. “ This existence is no less miserable than my life as a human, but atleast I’m able to make sure that everything and everyone else share in that misery. We may be steadily heading toward our end, but before that, I will attain a small piece of the joy that I was unable to find in my previous life. “ As reached the bridge to the entrance of Asakusa City, Tsushiro stopped to once more address Keijiro. “ Our Master wanted me to check in and make sure that the demon population here remains in check. Since they aren’t humans, you should have no qualms about thinning their numbers a bit until they’re at a desirable level. I’ll be heading to the northern gate and working my way back towards the center of the city. If you feel like assisting, feel free. If not, just be sure not to wander off too far; I’m fairly certain that our Master would like for you to report in as well. “ With that, the demon made his way through the gates and disappeared among the shadowed streets.

Haze-

 

[Silent Child]

Misayo Sadaharu​

Having caught sight of Mahiru, Misayo came to a sudden halt, nearly toppling himself. “Misayo, if you’re going be zooming through the forest every time that we travel, please watch where you’re going; I swear your head is harder than my blade." This part was likely true, he should be a little more aware of everything, especially when going at his speeds. "Yeah... I'm sorry..." “ I know I told you to go on ahead, but I wasn’t expecting you to get so far ahead in such a short time. If you’ve come back though, I’m assuming that you’ve already rendezvoused with our allies and assessed the situation. So, what was all of the commotion about ? “ She was quick to assess exactly what had happened. "By the looks of it, a demon attacked, but then left... I heard some talk of it being really powerful, even more so that 2 full fledged demon slayers were looking after the wounded initiates like us... there were 2 injured. One merely unconscious, and another on a stretcher with wounds. But considering the elder slayers are with them, I thought it'd be safe to come back to you. Though I didn't expect to be this much faster than you, so I apologize."

Ivaliss the Ashen Knight ​

 

[Ivaliss the Ashen Knight]

Suichiro Munekata

The peaceful start to the day could not have been a better veil to hide the chaos that now gripped Mt Fujikasane. Suichiro’s intended evening of meditation had been promptly put on hold when Keno arrived to inform him of the demon attack. Now the young man found himself racing amongst the flames that now covered a decent portion of the area surrounding the gates. As he slashed through the minor demons now infesting the vicinity, Suichiro had a moment of realization.

They must be attempting to destroy the great tree in order to make a larger attack possible. With any luck, the others have already joined the counteroffensive.

Doubling his pace, the huge wisteria tree came into view and, for a moment, Suichiro’s normal calm almost gave way to panic and confusion as he saw the charred land around the tree before immediately catching sight of the Wind Hashira engaged in battle with the apparent source of the blaze. The demons probably assumed that burning down the Great Tree would be a trivial task but they’d never encountered one of the most dangerous things upon the face of the mountain; Higestu Houtoro motivated to finish a task so he could return to his sake! “ Higetsu!” He called over “ It seems like you’ve got things handled here, so I’ll leave the continued defense of the the tree to you. I’ve told all the corps members I passed coming here to attend to the civilians and move them away from the gate into town. I’m going to take a few corps members and regain control of the surrounding area. “ With that, he was off again, soon reaching the gate and catching sight of a swarm of lesser demons seemingly led by an ogre of some sort. Not wasting a moment, Suichiro leapt towards it attempting to slash a wide arc that would decapitate the monster. That attempt abruptly failed as he watched the demon’s body begin to course with electricity before it crossed its four massive arms and deflected his strike. As the large figure began leapt in apparent glee at its perceived combat prowess, Suichiro could help but chuckle. He then aimed his nichirin blade towards the hulking giant. “ Good evening, I am Suichiro Munekata, current Hashira of Water. I apologize, but I cannot allow you to flee from this place, but if you’re willing to surrender, I’ll be sure that you do not suffer. “ With that, he took his stance and waiting for the inevitable first strike.

Lord_Boreas

 

[Haze-]

Kiryū Takafumi | Breath of The Ghost

Asakusa City


“Takes labor…?” – Be it that endless background noise, ringing loudly only to his ears, reaching an insufferable peak that deadened his thought process, or due to the fact that he, a kid that grew up isolated to social interaction, could barely make out half of their slang; Takafumi couldn’t fully process what Masahiko was trying to imply. He slid to a lower position on his sword, resting his chin on his backhand as he drummed a slow beat on the hilt, his eyes hung down in a thoughtful glare that slowly, ominously, drifted towards Masahiko’s pocket once the older corps spoke their concern. Never had the idea of paying with a favor crossed the mind of someone whose only income for the past years had come from either shameless pickpocketing, or hush money from the no-name village he’d ‘saved’. Nevertheless, this new knowledge wouldn’t save Masahiko from coughing up coins for his herbs.

The cherry blossom kid would soon find himself feeling lighter, missing something that wasn’t his to begin with.

As they wended their way through forest, Takafumi took a brief glance at the water bottle stuffed inside his Haori, slowing down his pace to a deceiving limp as he made sure to lag behind Rumi. Now, not only did he feel some level of distrust towards the idea of drinking a strange liquid an armed stranger had just given him, but there were other things playing out in his mind – “Pain killer…” – The echo of that word stood out to that drowsy train of thought of his, that heavy sensation clinging to his still clammed hand reminding him of just how ineffective all of his poison had been. If an entire dosage of his mixture wasn’t enough to make a high ranking demon flinch, then there most likely was something wrong with the formula itself.

“An outdated thing of the past”, is what a snake shouldn’t think of its own poison. To this, he clicked his tongue at the bitter taste of defeat, taking out a worn-out journal from the inside of his Haori. In his silence, Takafumi’s eyes darted back and forth from the pages he quietly skirmished through and the road ahead, a stern look on his face as he flew through the pages with less ragged corners, an almost mechanical precision to the perfectly written stark black notes. Muttering a curse to the past author of the book one he reached his part of the journal. Hidden beneath the rushed nonsense scribbled in those pages, was an intricate formula he’d refined to the very reach of his scarce resources back then

“Heh…” – He let out a cold sigh before chuckling mirthlessly, momentary torment crossing his blank stare, as if he’d been casted straight to the scorching pits of hell. It was all the more humiliating going through these pages now that years of efforts had been casually dismissed just by one demon. That gut-wrenching feel carrying a sense of resignation, a feeling he’d grown too familiar with, all too habitual to be received with the initial look of helpless horror he once gave. It always went this way; his expression quickly took a turn, an impassive yet amused look.

He took out an over worked pencil wedged between the pages, rushing to sketch what he could partially recall of the demon moon, something that could make his symbol recognition flare up. An eye, the kanji for ‘death’ written inside of it – “Immune…? No, resilient to Wisteria Flowers…” – His eyes glued to the page, he muttered low enough for his murmur to be drowned out by the sounds of the forest, a satisfied smirk widening as the words echoed once again – “Pain killer…” – He’d figured that if demons of yore could eventually grow past their extreme photosensitivity, then they surely must’ve developed a resistance to Wisteria Flowers a long time ago. That is where he triumphantly stirred the mystery liquid in the water bottle. He could envision a resistance to neurotoxins such as his own mixture of poison within most demons, but why would a demon ever grow a tolerance for analgesics? If he could somehow apply this to his poison, it’d be double the complications for the exact same result, only theoretically more effective than Wisteria Flower poison.

He closed the journal with that impish smile finally stretching to its fullest extent; he could already feel the grand rumble of scientific discovery beckoning to him. The good thing about taking a road unpaved, a formula yet to be discovered, is that it sure felt like the heavens cracked open for him once he got his footing right. Of course, theory and practice, the thin line separating amateurs from those that achieved greatness; was still very present. Ethics were also a thing. A kid on the quest to put demons to sleep with the world’s strongest opioid didn’t quite sound socially acceptable, but then again, post-apocalypse society really was sending dozens of children to a certain death, weren’t they?

To this thought, he simply shrugged and drank some of the water Kaori had given him. Impractical problems called for the impractical solutions of a madman.

Once he was brought back out of his trance – “Eh?” – His eyes were wide as plates as the view settled in – “Isn’t this a little too much…?” – Overridden by mother nature taking back its land, toppled structures he couldn’t even come to fathom nor understand, the ruins of the old world struck as imposing. And it seemed like Masahiko wasn’t all talk. At Oji’s lack of reaction, Takafumi straightened up and his amazed expression turned into feigned impassiveness only occasionally shooting a glance at the scenery as they made their way to Masahiko’s ‘hideout’. Needless to say, Takafumi had an urge to push Masahiko’s buttons the moment he detected a hint of discomfort in his words, but he kept himself from saying anything.

The dusty, abandoned house didn’t do good to the lungs at all; yet it somehow felt refreshing in a way he couldn’t put into words, as if he’d been thrown in an entirely different world all of a sudden – “Roger that.” – He gave a lighthearted salute in response to Masahiko’s orders, nonchalantly taking a bite out of an apple he’d snatched from the package Kaori had laid out for them. He didn’t know when Masahiko turned into the leader of the team, neither did he care; he instead busied himself with the next bite. It really was as they said, if you were having a feast, then you most certainly were alive.

And after such an encounter, he felt like he needed this to finally wind down – “Nah, he doesn’t have trust issues. He trusts that we’ll take the blade for him, punch above our weight for his sake…Y’know, just the very healthy relationship between three friends that love each other. ” – Takafumi sat down cross legged, slightly dropping himself forward for a balled fist to hold his head. Listlessness about those eyes fixated on Oji and Masahiko, Takafumi sighed. His words were once again laced with cynicism dripping out of his tongue like a venom smeared dagger. This team really had no chemistry whatsoever. Even so, he smiled – “I mean, he’s technically right, you were the one that ran in blind without a strategy.” – His already gaunt spirit came back to life and he gave Oji an honest grin, more of a spiteful sneer to his own negativity – “Try not to get ahead of yourself out there, at least wait for us before you jump into something dangerous.”

"That's... An awfully morbid topic." - As Oji stomped his way out of Masahiko's humble abode, Takafumi couldn't stop the grimace that overtook his face when he let Kaori's tale about the demon doctor seep in. Demons in the city seemed to be a lot more sophisticated, seeing a man with a sword through his chest would be the least haunting thing in their stay. Just as he felt the weight of a boulder heave in the pit of his stomach, that incoming pour of thoughts stopped by the abrupt arrival of a crow.

His sense of disdain was replaced by one of worry, judging by their reactions, that crow was no bearer of good news - "Is everything--..." - Words that slid off his tongue with uncharacteristic doubt, he paused for a moment and shook his head before continuing - "Nevermind, lead the way."

"Hey, Kaori," - Takafumi started. The boy held a blank face at their awfully quiet march through Asakusa's deserted streets, staring at the cloudy night sky. Alas, he couldn't bear it a moment longer - "I would like to apologize. We've been a pain in the ass for you two for the past hour or so." - He had a sharp moment of pause, one that almost made him stutter. Even if he still didn't like the way the two sisters were hell-bent on addressing them as children, he could still recognize just how improper it was to greet someone who'd reached a helping hand to them with nothing but mocking offence. Well, that was mostly on Masahiko's part, but as the apparent self-proclaimed leader of the team, he really managed to put the three of them in a bad light - "None of us wanted to act all rude, especially considering the fact we're not even corps members, it was out of place. I mean, I'm sure Masahiko's a sweetheart deep inside. Oji? A bit stuck up and clueless but his heart’s in the right place." - An awkward smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth as he gave the woman an apologetic glance. A smile that slowly faded with a sigh once his eyes were set back on the stars, he seemed to be clutching something in his pocket - "It's just been a rough night, I guess..." - He looked away from her as casually as he could, his eyes twitching in a mix of shame and anger as all he could do is clench his teeth to hold it all in, that stinging sensation at the palm of his hand coming from his dad's broken collar making him feel some sort of way.

"On another note, though," - Takafumi quickly fixed his beaten expression to a lighter one, addresing Kaori with a snarky tone that almost built up to a chuckle - "Isn't it a bad idea to just walk around dressed like this? Shouldn't we hide the swords and pretend to be civilians in case there's any demons nearby? Here." - He wrapped his Haori around his waist and slicked his hair back - "If anyone asks, my name's Kiryū Takeshi." - To anyone who might've seen it, if that anyone just so happened to be a child incapable of comprehending object permanence, Kiryū Takafumi had just vanished out of thin air.

Thankfully for Kaori, his jester act had to be postponed, they finally reached the herbalist's home.

He managed to knock twice, his hand coming to a halt mid-third knock the moment he heard what sounded as porcelain plates crashing and rushed footsteps growing louder. Along with the clamor of what sounded like several heavy objects tumbling to the ground, a woman's voice was heard bellowing - "Give me a second! I'll be right with you!"

After a couple more seconds the door flung open and what greeted the slayers was the sight of a half-asleep woman - "Ho...How may I help you?" - She tried her hardest to show a cordial smile, but her slurred words gave her away. One of her eyes were closing on its own, she held herself on the door in an attempt to not stumble into them; all in all, Takafumi could come to a conclusion -- Masahiko had sent them to an odd person. Behind her, the mess of a room stared back at them. The whole place was in ruins, yet the somewhat floral smell made it bearable.

Aya's sagging shoulders immediately straightened up as she looked at Takafumi, as if she'd hit her second wind - "Ah! Are you hurt anywhere else, sir? Have you come here to treat your wounds?" - Out of reflex, she reached for the clear blood red stain in Takafumi's forehead, getting a pained croak from him and a stranged look - "I-I suppose you're miss Aya, right...?" - He spoke with difficulty as the woman started stretching his face while scanning his wounds, a bead of cold sweat running down his forehead. She nodded as if in a trance - "Well, actually, we're here not as patients. Rather, looking for a cure to our own." - He snapped the strains on his sword's sheath before showing it to her - "Our subjects have this weird disease... They seem to start growing horns and eating people."

At this, she raised a brow. They've managed to pique her curiosity - “You’re demon slayers." - Aya stopped to look at the both of them, Takafumi's face stretched into a forced smile in her pause - "Well, you could've started it that way. Do make yourselves at home; I'll have everything cleaned up in a moment." - She let go of Takafumi's face before nonchalantly yawning and rolling her neck from side to side - "Been a while since I've had such eccentric customers..." - And with that, Aya turned and shuffled to another room.

"We're the eccentric ones?" - Takafumi let out an exhausted huff as his stiffened stance returned to normal, his eyes darted around the room before shooting a glance at Kaori.

__________________________________

Mentions/Interactions: FireMaiden Lord_Boreas Ganryu

 

[Lord_Boreas]

Tunkai
​

Tunkai stared at the demon slayer with a grin whilst the slayer's sword was partially embedded into his neck "I almost felt that one" he cackled and grabbed the slayer's arm before launching him into the air with a small grunt "so many insects" he groaned before ignoring the water hashira's speech, opting to just bash his head in. The demon lunged forward and cocked back two of his arms, lightning swirling around both before he punched downwards at the hashira with brute strength- the intention to kill written in his demeanor. "A Hashira and a Master, what fun" he cackled as he let loose an assault of punches towards the hashira and prepared himself for another attack from the thunder master.
Ivaliss the Ashen Knight FireMaiden Lucem

Higestu Houtoro/ Hono​

"Wind Breathing; Third Form"

The wind hashira lifted his sword before slashing four times towards the flame demon "Claw-Purifying Wind" As he swing the large sword, gusts of wind seem to blow through the courtyard, picking up various petals of Wisteria that danced around him as if he was controlling them. he dashed forward and swung the massive blade, the wisteria petals followed his blade until it connected with the demon's neck and sent her head flying away from her flame-covered body. Hono's scream echoed throughout the courtyard but much to Hige's dismay, the fires that plagued the town only seemed to burn brighter "did you think that would kill me Demon Slayer?" Hono questioned, her headless body walking over to her severed head before picking it up and placing it back in its rightful place on her neck.

Hige sighed and took a swig from his sake "No no, but I really hoped you would just stay down" he rolled his eyes as he sheathed his sword, taking a more serious stance. "I wasn't looking for a fight today, but now since you seem to be itching for death.." he grinned, staring the demoness directly in the eye "I will demonstrate why I am a hashira" Higestu pushed off once more this time with a deadly look in his eyes "Allow me to sate your hunger for battle- Wind Breathing: Sixth form" he tilted his sheath down and forcefully pulled the blade from it's home. While pushing his body upwards he gripped the sword with both hands and drove the blade of the sword upwards "Black Wind Mountain Mist" the blade dug into Hono and drove upwards, splitting the demon's body in two. Hige twisted the blade and brought it back down before slicing in all directions with precise clean cuts, which in turn diced Hono up into tiny little flames that laid scattered across the ground.

The flames slowly started to move towards each other but by this point, Hige had already become annoyed with the demon's regenerative abilities "just stay dead" he mumbled walking over to the town well before grabbing a bucket of water and splashing it where Hono's head started to reappear. As Hige dumped more water over the fires, Hono let out one final scream that echoed well beyond the town before turning into dust and scattering to the wind. Hige looked around and sighed once more, realizing there were still a lot of demons in the city and even more slayers who had been killed. He turned and dashed towards a large group of demons, swinging his sword with a small smile on his face.

 

[Ivaliss the Ashen Knight]

Mahiru Munechika


" Don't say 'this much faster' like I'm slow or something", Mahiru started with her trademark annoyance before stopping herself to focus on the current situation. Something seemed off about what Misayo had just said.

They wouldn't send Corps members out here just for some slightly stronger than average demons; it would surely just be seen as an opportunity for us initiates to test the limits of our current skills. In any case, if the demon they encountered warranted a response from the Corps members, numbers may be the best option for now.

" Misayo " she tightened the strap securing her long blade to her hip " We're going to go and immediately join up with the others. If there are demons slayers stepping in to assist, then it's likely that the enemy the other squad encountered was one that we have good reason to be wary of. " With Misayo in tow, the two made their way quickly in the direction of the others before reaching a darkened crossroads that split of into what appeared to be entrances to the city. Realizing that she'd be going in a general direction with no idea of the specific plan of her allies, Mahiru stopped briefly to get her bearings. " Misayo, do you know which direction the other squads planned to enter through? If not, we should probably try to scout out a safehouse as quickly as possible and decide of our next course of action. So, for now, you lead the way. "

Silent Child

 

[Ganryu]

~ Masahiko Himura - Trainee ~

​

Masahiko himself returned, and wandered against a pile of old cloth, slumping against it and closing his eyes in his 'sanctuary'. He snarled, but he threw a few rags over his eyes, his head staring up.

"I'm sorry, aren't you the one who attacked the demon headfirst? Last time I checked you are the reason we are in this mess. Great idiot "

"You mean 2. Their rank is displayed on both eyes. He was rank 2. You are obviously not a very trusting child, and that's a dangerous trait to have in our line of work. I would suggest you find a way to work past it and quickly."

“Nah, he doesn’t have trust issues. He trusts that we’ll take the blade for him, punch above our weight for his sake…Y’know, just the very healthy relationship between three friends that love each other. ”

Uncharacteristically, he didn't respond to any of them, staring at the darkness of the cloth, his face pointed upwards. One by one they all left, Oji stomping off first, at rather high speeds. Rumi had an emergency to protect their home. From demons it sounded like. Kaori and Takfumi headed off to the the herbalist.

And Masahiko lay, back where he had started, hardly better than this morning. Not one demon slayed. Embarrassed by another. And, well, about as popular as he'd always been. Still, they'd all probably pass as long as they didn't do anything stupid.

"Especially that idiot Masahiko." He mumbled. "Masahiko... nameless street urchin. Picking up a sword doesn't make you a slayer. Slaying a being so weak it hardly deserves to be called a demon once doesn't either. Only to kill and kill... and kill again does. And you're not ready."

He lay in his ratnest for an agonizing amount of time, before groaning, and picking up his blades. "At least I have a few coins." He pulled off the rag, and looked at his money pouch. Empty.

"By Kami..."

Strike that. No better than this morning.

Shaking his head, Masahiko took a deep breath, his lungs filling with air, a pure inhalation that filled his entire body, energy flowing out across the rest of his body. It was at least calming. He closed his eyes for several more repetitions, the skinny boy's chest expanding massively each time as he calmed himself.

"It's alright. I didn't join for to be liked. Or for coin. I've never had anyone, and I've never had coin. I joined for one reason, and one reason only..."

His eyes opened wide, a fierce look like a gale piercing the mountain side. Walking forward with purpose and a strong gait despite his small size, he pushed the boards out the way, and approached the large, barren cherry tree.

Taking another deep breath, reflections of his master's dance flickered in his eyes as his face froze in concentration. Slowly he reached for his blade, remembering being blocked by that demon, the illusions overlapping in his mind. His form had been far too weak.

Another inhalation as the cool night air filled his lungs expanding across.

And in a flick, his kodachi danced forward, 12 upward lattices blasting outwards, glints of the pink blade underneath shimmering and falling like cherry blossoms.

Cherry Blossom Breathing: First Form: Festival Bloom

"Not good enough."

Stepping backwards, he dashed forward, and the flowers exploded again, more vibrantly, and wider.

Cherry Blossom Breathing: First Form: Festival Bloom

"Not good enough."

Again, his masters movements across the tree replayed in his mind, and the utter failure against the Rank 2 demon. Masahiko exhaled, drool falling from concentration as his hand slowly lowered to his hilt once more, and his knees buckled, before running up the cherry tree, and leaping in a backflip off of it.

Cherry Blossom Breathing: First Form: Festival Bloom

"Not good enough."

The flowers exploded out, falling like a cherry blossom festival, seemingly more tangible, and falling like leaves below. A single branch was nicked above from the fall.

Cool air slowly escaped his nose, the gentle breeze tickling his nose and chin, the inhale spreading a calmness across his body as his knees took wide stance again, his hand slowly falling to the hilt of his sword once more. Another moment, and Masahiko leapt at the tree, landing on a branch, and unleashing a furry of cuts, before bouncing again, another flurry. Another flicker, his flurry of lattices building out again and again as he dashed back and forth like a white tornado against the entire tree. He gritted his teeth as his lungs burned.

And then he was on the ground. In a single motion, he sheathed his sword.

Cherry Blossom Breathing: First Form: Festival Bloom

Above, the tree exploded with glimmers from his cuts, a thousand shimmering with a pink explosion, back and forth across the entire tree. Petals reflected in each slash, illusory, but gentle and flowing. The entire tree was alive with a festival of falling petals, as if it were in full bloom, pink replacing every single branch raining blossoms. The tree glimmered gloriously in sakura glory, before after catching the light for a moment more, it all faded back to barrenness.

Masahiko took a normal breath, flinching, but satisfied.

"Good enough. Cherry blossom breathing probably won't kill the first cut... the second cut, or the hundredth cut, but one can't count the cherry blossoms fallings. If I could just do that... every time..."

Masahiko felt something drip against his sleeve, and looked up at the beautiful moon above. Nothing was above him, though, what could have dripped onto his sleeve... His sleeve brushed against his cheek, coming back wet.

"If I could do that, every time... It still wouldn't be enough. Damnit... I don't even know what rank 2 means!!!"

Shaking his head, he let his hand fall off his blade, and started to drift aimlessly through the streets once more, with hollow eyes.

 

[Ivaliss the Ashen Knight]

Suichiro Munekata

Looking at the large demon, Suichiro took note of it’s huge, muscular structure.

He’s definitely a strong one; a heavy strike from one of his arms could spell the end of me. I’ll have to be sure to do something about them.

Giving the thunder Master a brief nod, Suichiro launched himself towards his large foe before landing gracefully before him and delivering a swift arced slashed slash that the giant immediately moved to block. “ Water Breathing, First Form; Steel Stream. “ he immediately pushed off again as he delivered another swift backhand strike with his blade. The large demon attempted to counter with two of his massive arms but, with the flowing movements of the element he represents, Suichiro adjusted to move under the swing while delivering a clean slice to the tendons of both arms. The two huge limbs dropped next to the demon’s side as it howled in pain and cursed the Hasira. “ I apologize for your prolonged pain, but you’re quite the hefty opponent”, the black-haired man said with his signature smile before aiming another strike at the large beast. Tunkai grinned as he brought down his two functioning arms down towards the demon slayer, but right as he thought he’d crush his foe, he found his weight toppling back from the force of a lightning fast blow to his neck.

Lucem Lord_Boreas