Demon Slayer: The Demon Hunter

Word count: 2042

<—>

An invincible arc, crafted from unseen air, surged toward Rui's attack with a palpable force, shattering the delicate web pattern and saving a wide-eyed Tanjiro, who stared in disbelief at the falling threads.

"What just happened?!" Tanjiro exclaimed, utterly astonished. Everything unfolded so quickly; one moment, a wall of threads was rushing toward him, and the next, they were sliced apart by an unseen power.

He quickly shifted his gaze to Fujino, who knelt with his head bowed, sword raised high, signaling that he was the one responsible for the strike.

"Whew, that was a close call, huh?" Fujino remarked, his voice playful yet tinged with seriousness.

Tanjiro's eyes scanned Fujino's body before settling on his lower half, his expression was that of surprise. "Yuki-san, your legs, they're…" he trailed off, taken aback by Fujino's appearance.

His skin had turned paler, his fangs were sharper, his hair longer and straighter, and the most striking detail? His right eye was slowly healing, growing with a vivid pink instead of brown.

As for Fujino's legs? They were regenerating. The bones were reforming, veins and muscles gradually wrapping around them like a snail coiling around a stick, eventually covered by skin.

Tanjiro wasn't as shocked as he might have been; he quickly realized that Fujino had transformed into a demon, just like before, which explained his need for a lock of Nezuko's hair.

"Tanjiro, don't worry about me; I'll be fine now. All thanks to you and your sister," Fujino assured him, a smile brightening his face. Tanjiro could sense the relief and gratitude radiating from him.

Tanjiro returned the smile, relieved to know that Fujino was no longer in danger. His expression then shifted to one of focus and determination as he turned toward the quiet Rui.

It was only then that he noticed the words "Lower Moon 5" etched into Rui's right eye. Tanjiro had to suppress a gasp at this revelation; it explained why his body had instinctively shuddered in Rui's presence and why he found his ally in such a state.

He recalled Lady Tamayo, the demon doctor who was quietly battling Kibutsuji Muzan, the originator of all demons. She had informed him that the most powerful demons were the Twelve Moons, who directly served Muzan. Rui, the demon he was currently facing, was one of them.

"You…" Rui's whisper interrupted Tanjiro's thoughts, and the calmness in Rui's voice only heightened his anxiety, causing him to raise his sword defensively, gripping the hilt tightly.

His instincts screamed at him to flee.

"…I have had enough."

Suddenly, multiple threads shot toward Tanjiro, each one as swift and sharp as a razor. He barely managed to evade the incoming assault, resulting in a shallow cut on his cheek.

'Those threads... they sliced through me so effortlessly!' Tanjiro began to sprint parallel to Rui, searching for an opportunity to strike, but more threads came flying at him. It was clear that Rui was no longer holding back.

Tanjiro felt his lungs burn and his muscles ache, a consequence of pushing his body to the limit with the Total Concentration technique. all because of the effort he had to put in throught the night all leading up to this.

Another wave of attacks forced him to leap backward, but unfortunately, he collided with a tree, blocking his escape route.

'He led me into a trap?!' The attacks hadn't been random as he had thought; they followed a specific pattern designed to corner him, and he had walked right into it.

A thread shot out sideways, targeting his neck, while another aimed for his legs. Realizing he couldn't dodge due to his awkward position, he knew he had to fight back.

His sword clashed with Rui's thread, but predictably, it sliced right through his blade, leaving Tanjiro's eyes wide with shock. With little time left, he attempted to move away, but it was futile as the thread embedded itself deep into his right shoulder, while the other pierced his right thigh.

"Ach?!" Tanjiro cried out in pain, the wounds flaring and bleeding. Strangely, the threads didn't cut all the way through, as if they were meant to hold him in place.

Tanjiro glanced up and saw another spiderweb-like thread approaching, likely intending to finish him off. He realized he couldn't cut through them, and being trapped like this left him with no chance of survival...

...Until Fujino leaped in front of him, unleashing wind blades that sliced through the attack just like before.

"Tanjiro! Are you okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Tanjiro replied, grimacing as the threads embedded in him were severed by Fujino's strike.

Fujino's gaze shifted from Tanjiro to Rui, a sneer forming on his lips. "Tanjiro, I don't think you can take him on. Go back to your sister; I'll take care of him."

"Huh?! B-but..." Any protest he had faded as he met Fujino's determined gaze. Deep down, Tanjiro knew he would be a burden if he stayed.

"Okay, please be safe, Yuki-san," he nodded and hurried off to find his sister.

<—>

Watching Tanjiro retreat to his sister, Fujino let out a sigh of relief. He was thankful that Tanjiro had listened to him and left; he really didn't want to argue with him, especially not in front of Rui.

Speaking of which, he turned to Rui, gripping the damaged blade tightly, his face twisting into a fierce glare, teeth clenched in anger. Fujino felt a wave of humiliation wash over him from what had just transpired, and all he could think about was how satisfactory it would be to see Rui's head roll on the ground.

Noticing Fujino's expression, Rui responded with a look of utter revulsion. He had just witnessed this human, whom he considered worthless, transform into a demon after eating a piece of another.

Demons always held the upper hand over humans, dominating the food chain, so seeing a weaker species eating and suddenly become one of them disgusted him.

"You make me sick," Rui spat, his expression matching his disdain.

"Feeling's mutual, brat" Fujino shot back.

Rui lifted his hands, the vibrant crimson hue staining the threads he held, and Fujino could feel that the threads had become much more powerful.

[Name: Fujino Yuki

Level: 40 (1,042/16,000)

Race: Demon (8 minutes)

Health: 670 / 670 (+9/sec)

Stamina: 820 / 820 (+10.8/sec)

STR: 70 (105)

DUR: 45 (67.5)

END: 45 (67.5)

AGI: 55 (82.5)

INT: 20

CHA: 30

Attributes Points (AP): 1]

But so had he.

Twisting the sword in his hand, Fujino took his stance, while Rui prepared his threads. Both knew this would be their final confrontation, and only one would emerge victorious.

"You know, for what it's worth, I'll never forget you," Fujino said, igniting the spark that would kick off their battle.

<—>

Tanjiro rushed away from the impending battle, his thoughts racing back to Fujino's transformation and the grim necessity of consuming demons to achieve it. He wondered if there was a way to reverse this process and save his sister.

He would never entertain the idea of giving Nezuko a piece of Fujino; his principles simply wouldn't allow it.

With a prayer for her safety, he followed his sister's scent, darting through trees and foliage until he finally reached her.

She was suspended like a marionette among a cluster of trees, bound by red threads that dug deep into her skin. A slow trickle of blood dripped from them, and the sight shattered Tanjiro's heart for her plight.

"Ne...zuko," he gasped, his exhaustion taking it's toll on him.

Upon hearing her brother's voice, Nezuko turned her head as far as she could and looked at him, her eyes widening at the sight of his battered and bloodied form.

Seeing the concern in her gaze, he tried to reassure her. "It's okay, Nezuko. I'm fine. Yuki-san saved my life. He's fighting the demon right now."

He then examined the threads, noticing that they were now blood-red instead of white. 'their color changed. Does that mean they're stronger?'

Tanjiro felt stumped; if the regular ones could easily slice through his sword, what chance did he have of freeing his sister? Regardless, he couldn't let her see his doubts.

"Nezuko, just hang in there. I'll find a way to get you free!" he declared, hating to lie but feeling it was necessary in this dire situation.

Nezuko, however, wasn't convinced. She could sense when her brother was trying to soothe her with falsehoods. She could see the pain he was in, even if he was trying to hide it for her sake.

All she could do was close her eyes, waiting for something...

Something?

"Nezuko," a voice called to her, this time feminine, one she hadn't heard in two years. She opened her eyes to see a woman who looked just like her, dressed in the clothes she wore when she passed away.

Tears filled her eyes; how she yearned to see her mother again, to feel her embrace, to bask in her love and warmth. Words couldn't capture how much she missed her mother.

"Shhh, it's me, Nezuko. I'm here, and everything will be okay," her mother's voice, sweet and gentle, wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

"Nezuko, your brother and his friends are in danger. You need to help them. I believe in you; give it your all," she urged.

Nezuko slowly nodded, agreeing with her mother. There was something she had held onto for a long time, but now was the moment to unleash it.

"Please, Nezuko, or your brother will be in grave danger." With that final plea, her mother faded away, and Nezuko let her tears flow before her expression hardened, veins pulsing around her eyes.

'Blood demon Art: Exploding Blood!" she clenched her fist as her blood glowed a vibrant pink before erupting into flames of the same hue, disintegrating the threads and freeing her in the process.

Tanjiro's eyes widened at the sight of the flames, and as his sister landed, he rushed to embrace her, which she returned. She wasn't focused on her brother's words; her gaze was fixed on the fire racing along the threads toward its source.

She hoped this would be enough to aid her brother's friend...

<—>

Rui was clearly the fight.

It made no sense at all; the toy he had been playing with was now effortlessly dodging his strikes, and to make matters worse, his sword was slicing through Rui's attacks with ease.

"Wind blade"

And let's not forget that infuriating move. Even now, Rui couldn't comprehend how this human-demon hybrid was capable of executing what could only be termed as a blood demon art, using it freely without restraint.

Rui unleashed a flurry of threads, attacking from every direction—behind, the sides, above—but each one was either evaded or severed.

"What's wrong? I thought you were going to finish this! Don't tell me that's all you've got; we haven't even begun!" Fujino mocked him, and combined with everything Rui had endured, it was the last straw.

"Enough!" he growled, raising his voice for the first time. He readied himself for his ultimate move, swirling his hand as threads erupted from it, forming a swirling wall of moving strands in front of him.

"Blood demon art: Cutting Thread Rotation!" he launched the wall of threads toward his opponent, reinforcing itself as it advanced, creating an impenetrable barrier that would shred anything in its path.

Assuming, of course, that his opponent didn't use fire.

But that's exactly what happened when the wall suddenly ignited, a massive burst of pinkish flames erupting before him, the threads still connected to his hands burning him in the process.

'What the—Is this a blood demon art?!' Rui was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Before he could retaliate, Fujino charged through the wall of flames unscathed, leaving Rui unable to defend himself as his hands were still ablaze.

He was completely vulnerable.

He attempted to retreat, but Fujino unleashed a wind blade, severing his legs at the knees, just like how Rui did to him earlier.

The irony was palpable.

"This is payback, you bitch!" Fujino shouted as his sword met Rui's neck, slicing through it and sending Rui's head soaring into the air.

Lower Moon 5 has been defeated.

<—>

Taisho-era secrets!

Fujino might have seemed cocky, but inside, he was sweating buckets. He had underestimated the duration of his transformation, and his taunt was just a strategy to get Rui to make a mistake so he could finish the battle. Nezuko's flames also caught him off guard in a good way.

<—>

Aaannnnnddd we're done with Rui. I honestly didn't anticipate this fight to last as long as it did, but I hope you all enjoyed it. The next chapter should be the final one of this arc, so stay tuned.