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Luz couldn’t move. The weight of what had just happened finally began to settle on her shoulders, and it began to suffocate her. If she wasn’t trained to always be breathing, then someone would’ve had to slap her and yell at her to breathe. She felt blood trickle down various body parts--her arms, her leg, even her face--and was beginning to notice cracks in her blade. She dared a glance at the fallen slayers around her. She nearly threw up. Their bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.
Soon, the smoke in front of Luz had begun to clear. Before her stood the source of all this chaos and destruction. Just looking at its crooked and fanged grin made Luz’s blood boil. Its deep black scythe was dripping with the blood of her slain comrades.
“Pretty impressive. You managed to block part of my attack.” Its voice was akin to a sword scraping against stone. Luz wanted to plug her ears when she heard it. She narrowed her eyes once more, realizing where she was. Her grip on her nichirin blade tightened.
The demon before her laughed. Its mane of green hair fluttered lightly in the wind. Two golden eyes bore into Luz’s soul. She wanted to cleave right through the demon’s neck, right then and there, but with how far away her target was, she’d be cut in half before she could get anywhere close. So all she could do was stare at the demon’s own eyes.
The eyes of Lower Moon Three.
---
When Luz Noceda woke up today, she was excited. Ever since joining the Demon Slayer Corps, she was making sure that the world was a better place. Well, ‘world’ is a strong word--it was unknown if any of the demons had gone overseas, out of Japan, but that’s besides the point. She was saving people, here! Knowing that she now had the power to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves made her feel special. Strong. Powerful.
And she was. Ever since the day she met Eda, her cultivator, her strength had increased far beyond what would be considered normal for your average 16-year old. Come to think of it, a lot of the members of the Corps were around her age. There’s something illegal about that, right?
Her mission today was simple. There were rumors that a drug cartel in Shirakawa was now in control of a demon. She’d heard stories of a new crime organization called the yakuza, but figured she’d have very few encounters with them considering her own line of work. Though initially unsure of her mission, she was excited to be visiting a newly built village, having lived in Tokyo for the majority of her life. She wasn’t given many details about the demon, its abilities unknown, but figured that it wouldn’t go that poorly. As a Hinoto, the 4th highest rank among the Corps, she didn’t think it’d be too hard.
Which is why she was surprised to meet at least ten other slayers already in the town when she arrived. Sure, she was told there was a Wisteria family house nearby that she could stay at while she was here, but why were there so many people here?
One particular slayer greeted her when she arrived in the late afternoon. “Hello, are you the backup we called for? Is there anyone else?” He glanced around warily. Luz took note of that.
“No, I believe it’s just me. I’m Luz Noceda, rank Hinoto.”
The other slayer appeared rather disappointed, but still seemed to expect this. “Well, a Hinoto will have to do. My name’s Shiryo, rank Tsuchinoto.” Shiryo stuck his hand towards Luz, who grabbed it eagerly. She also put on a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you! So, why are there so many of us here? What’s the situation?” When Shiryo looked at her with a tired gaze, she laughed awkwardly. “Sorry, I wasn’t really briefed on what was happening here. I was just told that a demon supposedly took over a group of yakuza in the town.”
Shiryo sighed. “That’s pretty much it. What you weren’t told is that the first seven swordsmen sent to Shirakawa all went missing. No one really knows where they are, but we haven’t gotten any word from them or their crows.” A silent beat. “They’re presumed dead.”
Luz had no response to that.
The rest of the day went along rather smoothly. Since Luz was the highest ranked swordsman present, everyone looked to her for guidance on what the next step was. Once the sun fell, they would split up around the town and attempt to draw out the demon that’s nestled here. They’d still need to be wary of the actual yakuza hiding in the town, but Luz had a good feeling about this plan.
It was unfortunate, then, that when she would open the door of the Wisteria house, one of the Twelve Demon Moons would be standing in front of it.
---
Amity was feeling good about herself. She didn’t need any false family, mentors, or anyone to tell her what to do in order for her to make it big in life. Just after seventeen years, she’s already been promoted to Lower Moon Three. It’s only a matter of time before she joins the ranks of the Upper Moons, right? And look, she’s in control of this entire yakuza branch!
…
Okay, sure, the branch might be in a town that was only opened for people to move into it about a few months ago, but a smaller town like that means there’ll be less people on the lookout for her.
...That might not be true, either. In just the little while she’s been here, Kama has encountered several demon slayers attempting to cut her head off. Honestly, it was getting annoying. How hard was it to just find a damn moment of peace in this country?
"Oi. What's the building on the edge of town?" Amity sat in her lounge while three of her underlings read various notes sent from other branches of the yakuza. One looked up when she spoke.
"Some house for a pretty big family, though only a couple people live there. Seen lots of folk with swords come and go in the past couple weeks, though. There's some mark painted on most of the walls, too. A Wisteria flower."
Wisteria. The house was built for demon slayers, then. That's why there were so many here. Maybe I'll go pay a visit tonight. Teach them to come after me.
The door to the lounge opened. "Aye, boss, we caught Notarin!" Two men walked in, pulling one bound in rope behind them. Notarin. When Amity came to Shirakawa, she killed the top yakuza stationed here and claimed the branch as her own. Most people fell in line, but Notarin protested. That morning, he'd tried to run away and send word to the higher ups. Didn't run fast enough, I guess.
Amity stood up and grabbed her weapon beside her. A large scythe, one she designed herself. As she approached Notarin, the rest of the men watched nervously. This wasn't going to go well.
"Looks like your little escape attempt didn't go so well, Notarin. But I'm feeling gracious today. If you swear your loyalty to me, then I'll forget this ever happened." Amity gave Notarin a chance to speak. The man, following a silence, spit at Amity's boots.
"Screw you," he said, "faker. You're no yakuza. You're just some young thug, trying to be big."
Amity stared down at Notarin. Then, there was a slight rush of air. The rope binding Notarin's hands was cut, falling to the ground. Next followed Notarin's arms, falling off just below the elbow. Notarin screamed in pain, instinctively trying to grab his open wounds.
Amity walked away. "Get him out of my sight." As the rest of the men grabbed Notarin and dragged him out of the room, Amity sighed. Just annoyances upon annoyances today. Hopefully slaughtering those demon slayers will feel a bit more fun.
---
Lower Three grinned as Luz opened the door. "Hey there. This wouldn't happen to be the Wisteria house, would it?"
Luz stood in slight shock. She hadn't expected the demon to come right to them. The sun had barely gone down an hour ago. What's it doing here? Does it know what we're up to? And why do I feel like I’ve seen this demon before?
The next thing Luz saw was the large scythe the Demon was holding. It shifted slightly. That was when Luz leapt into action.
As she drew her nichirin blade, Luz sucked in a breath, and focused her energy. Breath of Flame, third form…
The scythe swung, as well. It was evidently faster than Luz. Rather than attacking, she quickly shifted her golden sword into a defensive position before feeling the impact of the scythe on her blade. The force of the blow shoved her backwards, and Luz felt her back slam into a wall. The pain was evident, but bearable.
As the demon approached, Luz heard many footsteps incoming. Soon enough, the other slayers had appeared. Shiryo was at the front, and gasped when he saw the situation. He took a step to assist Luz.
Out of the corner of her eye, Luz saw the demon's scythe move again. She's gonna attack again!
"Move!"
The next thing Luz knew, it was just her and Lower Three standing, the bodies of her comrades strewn about. There was crashing from other places in the house, as well. Did her attack destroy the whole building? No, I felt a rumbling in the floor before she swung. An earthquake? That'd be too convenient. What the hell did she do?
"I'd planned to take you all out in that rush. But I guess it wouldn't have been very fun if you all died, would it?" The demon slung her arms lazily around her scythe, looking down on Luz.
Luz felt like she was about to pop a blood vessel. She's here for fun. And now everyone's dead, because I couldn't protect them. "How dare you."
Amity cocked her head to the side. "What? You say something? Sorry, I don't hear weaklings all that well."
Luz grit her teeth. "You think killing is something done for fun!? That the act of taking an innocent life is some stupid game!? I won't stand for that!"
With a step forward, Luz began breathing. Breath of Flame, first form: Unknowing Fire!
As Luz swung directly for the demon's neck, Amity slammed her scythe on the ground and used it to force herself into the air. The attack passed her body. She could almost feel the heat coming from the sword. She's strong, alright. Guess it'll be a fun night after all.
Second form: Rising Scorching Sun! Luz jumped and swung her sword upwards, almost cleaving Amity in two before the Demon blocked the swing with her scythe. Might as well do her the honor of fighting back.
Once Amity landed, she spun her scythe around her body and released a series of slashes. Luz blocked two and avoided the others. Amity could feel her blood pumping.
Luz, meanwhile, was panicking inwardly. Her range with that thing is huge! And she's so skilled with it, too. Her slashes are quick, but precise. And they're not too destructive, either. There's no way she could've destroyed half the building with that first attack.
Which means she's got another trick up her sleeve.
As Luz dodged another swing, she prepared her next attack. Breath of Flame, fifth form–
Several more attacks came from Amity's weapon. Luz felt a sharp cut across her side. It wasn't deep, but it hurt. She's barely giving me time to react! How the hell is she so quick with such a big weapon?
"Come on, human! Didn't you day you weren't gonna stand for me and my killings? Come and do something about it, then, dammit!" Amity swung her scythe in a perfect circle, forcing Luz further away from her.
Unless I do something about that scythe, I'm not gonna get anywhere near her!
As the next swing came in, Luz ducked underneath it and raised her sword, stopping the scythe. She roared as she slammed her katana onto the pole and kicked upwards, attacking it from two angles.
Luz felt a pull. She figured the demon was trying to pull her scythe away to prepare for a new attack. Luz kept her blade in the notch where the blade and the grip of the scythe connected and pulled herself forward, launching herself towards Lower Three.
Breath of Flame, fifth form: Flame Tiger!
Luz unleashed a series of attacks from each direction. Amity dodged the first one, then pulled her scythe in to block the last few. As the two weapons made contact, there was an audible screech of metal. The weight on Amity’s weapon decreased dramatically. She jumped back and took a moment to observe her weapon.
I see. She wasn’t trying to lop my head off. She was going for the scythe. Amity looked back up to see the demon slayer charging in again. She’s clever.
I can do it! She just lost her greatest advantage! Sixth form–
Luz felt something grab her leg, locking her in place. As she looked back, there was a large, purple hand emerging from the ground.
“Too bad, as I hadn’t even been going all out.” The demon smirked.
Blood Demon Art: Abomination Rise!
A hulking mass of sludge then pulled itself out of the dirt and flung Luz into the wreckage of the Wisteria house. As Luz reeled from the pain, she looked up to see two sludge monsters standing beside Amity. Her scythe was repaired.
“My scythe is made from my flesh. Regenerating it is a piece of cake. Good effort, though.” As the demon finished speaking, one of the Abominations charged at Luz, who was still recovering from its last attack. It wasn’t as fast as the demon’s attacks, but Luz felt it was probably just as strong. It swung its fist down, leaving a small crater in the ground from the impact.
Breath of Flame, seventh form: Flaming Sea! With a large swing, Luz brought her blade into the Abomination’s body. Initially, there was barely any resistance. But as Luz’s sword continued its arc, it slowed down. Damn this sludge. It’s tough!
Luz heard something above her. When she looked up, the demon was falling from the sky, scythe primed for an attack. Luz pulled her sword out of the Abomination and jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack. When she took another step back, she saw the other Abomination reach out to try and grab her. Fourth form: Blooming Flame Undulation!
Luz spun around, unleashing a wide attack. She saw Amity back away, leaving the Abomination behind her as the only other target. Luz flexed her muscles, and managed to cut all the way through the Abomination’s main body.
It barely did anything to slow the monster’s attack. Though it was initially surprised from her swing, the Abomination lurched forward to restrain Luz. She jumped, barely dodging the monster’s arms. Is it like a demon? Do I have to aim for its head?
“These Abominations of mine aren’t the fastest, but killing them is another story. Unless you can destroy their entire body in one fell swoop, they’ll continue to obey my command. Which is to kill you, in case you didn’t catch that part.” When Amity finished speaking, two more Abominations rose from the ground beside her and charged at Luz.
With no room to attack, Luz focused her energy into dodging their attacks until she could figure out how to deal with the Abominations. This must be how she destroyed the house in her first attack. But what can I do?
Another fist swung at her. Don’t panic. Get your blood pumping faster. Keep an eye out for any openings. You will defeat this demon, Luz Noceda! For everyone it’s already murdered!
From Amity’s point of view, it was rather entertaining to see the slayer bob and weave through the attacks of one Abomination, only to come face to face with another. She was rather skilled at dodging, but her sword was still sheathed. Oh, well. Even if she can dodge their attacks, she’ll never even come close to cutting my head off. She’ll wear herself out eventually.
Meanwhile, Luz was breathing even harder than before. She could feel her body temperature rising higher than she’s ever felt, and her heartbeat increasing drastically. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lower Three walking away. I can’t let her escape! Not after everything she’s done! Luz felt the rage in her very bones. As the four Abominations lined up around her for a simultaneous attack, she drew her sword.
Amity wasn’t going to bother with this fight anymore, but then there was an odd sound. She turned around, only to see the four Abominations instantly destroyed, and the demon slayer jumping into the air, her sword drawn. What the hell just happened?
Luz wasn’t sure what was going on, but she felt good. Stronger. And the world around her seemed to slow down, aside from herself. She saw Lower Moon Three staring up at her, a bewildered and almost angry look on her face. This is for everyone you’ve slaughtered! Third form: Blazing Universe!
The human unleashed a powerful downward slash as she neared the ground. Amity was barely able to react, bringing her scythe up to block the attack. The weapon was sliced in half instantly, and Amity felt the sword cut into her face and body as Luz completed the technique. She’s way faster! And stronger, too! This attack almost burns! She’s like a whole different person!
Breath of Flame, sixth form: Phoenix Flame! Faster than before, Luz unleashed her attack. She swung from her right, which Amity barely parried with the remains of her scythe. The moment Luz felt Amity push back against her, she spun around and attacked from the other side, slicing off Amity’s right arm.
That was when Amity noticed it. It was difficult to tell when Luz was further away, but Amity saw two marks around her eyes–circular paint, stylized to look like rising flames. It reminded Amity of an owl, staring directly at her. Dammit, she’s only picking up speed. I have to get away from her!
Amity jumped back and regenerated her scythe, preparing her own slashes. “You’re not going to kill me! Not with those weak techniques!” As Amity swung her weapon, Luz jumped over the attack effortlessly, and prepared one final attack. Breath of Flame, eighth form: Wave of Fire!
Luz swung her sword upwards, slashing Amity’s body and face. The move swiftly transitioned into a horizontal slash, and Amity felt the blade enter her neck. I need to do something! Abomination, rise! Protect me!
The technique didn’t come out. Amity closed her eyes, bracing herself to feel her body disintegrate, for the pain of having her head cut off to set in.
But it never did.
When Amity opened her eyes, she saw the demon slayer right in front of her, head lowered. Her sword was halfway through Amity’s neck. Luz’s body convulsed twice, before her hands let go of her sword. She went completely slack, and her body fell to the ground.
Amity was staring in shock. What the hell? After all of that grandeur and flashiness, that’s it? Amity tried to move, but was painfully reminded of the sword buried in her neck. She quickly removed it, and could soon feel the wound regenerating. Amity looked down at the hunter’s body. Is she dead?
Amity turned Luz’s body over. The marks around her eyes were gone, but she was breathing. She probably over exerted herself. It’s a miracle she didn’t kill me, though. At that point, Amity knew what she had to do. This demon slayer nearly kills her, it would only be fair if she returned the favor.
Yet Amity couldn’t bring herself to cut the body into a million pieces, eat it, or even summon an Abomination to finish the job. She wasn’t sure what it was, but something deep inside her wasn’t allowing her to kill this one human.
So she screamed in frustration, wishing she could do the one goddamn thing she was supposed to do. With a sigh, she dropped her scythe and fell backwards, sitting on the ground. Staring at the demon hunter before her. Who the hell are you, anyway?
Amity sat like that for a while, pondering this human. What was it about her that made killing her seem so… wrong? Amity’s killed so many people up till now, this shouldn’t have been any different.
‘You think killing is something done for fun!? That the act of taking an innocent life is some stupid game!?’
It wasn’t some stupid game. That was simply how demons survived. How was it any different to the animal kingdom, where creatures are constantly killing one another for survival?
The words of the human bounced around in Amity’s head for hours, until Amity noticed the sun coming up. It’s probably best to just skip town at this point. This place is obviously compromised. I can set up shop somewhere else, no big deal.
Amity picked up her scythe and prepared to leave, taking one last look back at the demon slayer that nearly killed her before dashing into the forest. I wonder if we’ll ever meet again. I hope not.