Chapter 18 - Akaza Vs. Rengoku

*Tremor*Tremor*

Ai and Rengoku stopped, only to see a crack in the roof before Akaza landed, "Rengoku!!!!!"

"Akaza."

"Hahahaha! Let's fight Rengoku!!"

Ai grabbed the hilt of her sword, only for Rengoku to raise his hand, "Ai, do not interfere in this fight."

"But Rengoku…you almost lost last time."

"And I'll win this time. Believe me and go help someone that needs help."

Ai bit her lip, breathing in, "Very well. Do not die, or I will kill you myself."

"Yeah," Rengoku nodded, watching her zoom past Akaza and Akaza not stopping her.

"I was sure you'd stop her," Rengoku carried his sword above his sword, pointing forward.

"This is between you and me, Rengoku! Let's fight! And become stronger and stronger!"

"I'll finish this in one go."

"Hahahaha. Then I am going to give it my all!!"

"Compass Needle! Annihilation Type! Punish!"

"Grand Flame Breathing: Ninth Form: Rengoku no Owari!"

Rengoku dashed straight forward, his body and sword covered in fire, forming a dragon, not one but numerous of them, while Akaza unleashed numerous shockwaves long before reaching Rengoku.

Some time ago, before they collided, something had changed somewhere else.

The place where Ai's main body was, and the Demon that she and the others with her came across, the one with six eyes, "Upper-Rank One."

"You are here, Demon Slayers."

The Upper-Rank One turned his eyes towards Muichiro, "Hm. You look familiar."

He turned his eyes towards Muichiro, who was already shaking, "Hmm…I figured…I see now."

"Your name, what is it?"

"Tokitou Muichiro."

"Alright…I see…The Tsugikuni name has died out then…."

"Tsugikuni? Who is that?"

"It has been hundreds of years, after all…Quite inevitable."

Ai darted her eyes between the two, but she didn't say anything. This man, this one, was far more dangerous than Rank Two or Rank Three. He was in a whole different league, so she would let him talk and buy time until the other Hashira arrived if he wanted to talk.

"You are a member of the Tsugikuni Family…that I left behind. My child's descendent. So you are my offspring."

'Muichiro? His? Does that mean he is one of the First Breath Users? No wonder he's in a different league,' Ai gripped her broadsword tightly, feeling the sweat on the back of her neck build up.

'The only reason I can even stand in front of this guy is because of all the times that father trained me.'

She glanced towards the side, wondering if Muichiro needed help, but he had managed to calm himself and gave her the signal.

"Huh…your mental strength is worth some praise. You calmed your panic in a short moment."

'Breath of Mist Second Form: Layered Mist!'

"Mist, I see. Not bad."

"Fifth Form: Sea of Clouded Mist!"

The Upper-Rank One dodged it again, or instead, he effortlessly avoided it. He nodded with an impressed expression in his eyes, "I should unsheathe my blade as well. Or else it would be rude of me…."

He put his hand on the hilt, but at the same time, Ai, who was preparing her technique, released it, "Wood Breathing: Eleventh Form: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees."

Dimensional Infinity Fortress was giant, but with the release of this move, trees started appearing out of the floor, roofs, walls, and flowers growing from them.

"Muichiro!"

"Grand Mist Breathing: Barrier: Dense Fog of Fog Demon!"

Dense Fog of Fog Demon was a simple technique that spread out in all directions covering the emerging trees and flowers and everything else in layers of fog that siphoned the energy of anyone trapped between. Not only that, the pollens that came out from flowers would render anyone unconscious.

The only problem was that she wasn't sure if the pollen would work on Demons after all… Demons didn't need to sleep. Still, she had hoped that it would slow this guy down a little, but even with this double whammy, there was a single slash, numerous moons that severed the fog, and all of the flowering trees around them, reaching even them, hurling them back.

Ai turned in the air, her feet touching the pillar, and she looked towards Muichiro only to see a sword had gone through him, pinning him to the pillar, and the Upper-Rank One was standing in front of him.

'Damn it! Damn it!! It seems impossible to fight him, let alone kill!'

When she came to this world, she had lost all her strength, and so she fought against enemies tougher than her. And every time, she barely managed to scrape by, but she did. Though now, with this one, there was a chasm between them, one that she couldn't see how to cross.

The only way to fight against him was using Karma Breathing, but even if she somehow managed to do that, she would have nothing against Muzan, who was sure to be stronger than even this guy.

What snapped her out of it was a gunshot, and her mind blanked out, she could see him move for the first time, seeing him swing his sword, cutting Genya's hand, and she threw herself in that direction.

But before she could even make it, this guy had cut Genya by the waist into two, "Genya!!"

Ai met with his eyes, the Demon's, and the threat of death loomed over her, knowing that she was going to die in the next moment But strangely, rather than using the broadsword to defend herself, she put the hilt on her chest. When her body was cut apart into two, her upper body fell forward, and the sword lodged on the ground, dropping her upper body in front of Genya.

"Yo, you are strong and maybe even a threat, but you are too inexperienced when fighting with swords," The Upper-Rank One looked down at them, raising his sword, "This will be the end."

Ai smiled, not so worried about her death; she had already sensed someone coming, "Breath of Wind! Fourth Form! Rising Dust Storm!"

She closed her eyes, opening them again, looking hazily above her, 'If I were a protagonist, then I'd be the one that dies the most…but then again…this was never my fight…and I was never the protagonist…but I'd make sure that they reach the final line.'

"Genya…"

"Ai…Ai…" Genya clenched his fist; they were alive even though they were cut apart. Genya because he could eat demons and gain their powers, and Ai because the Wood Breathing was still active.

"You know…I thought…if there was a protagonist in this story, it was either Tanjiro…Nezuko…Rengoku…or you."

"Your ability…to be able to gain Demonic Powers from the Flesh of Demon you eat. That's the power a Protagonist should have or maybe the Anti-Hero…." Ai's smile got weaker as the pain started wrecking her body, and the healing effects of Wood Breathing left her.

"So eat me?"

Wind Hashira, who was protecting the two, widened his eyes, standing in front of them. He wanted to give her the time to talk before he did; this might be her last words.

"What? What…are you talking about?"

"I…am a Demon…Human…Hybrid. My Demonic Powers are being suppressed by Wood Breathing…but if you eat me…then you should have enough strength to win this fight."

She raised her hand, placing her forearm in his mouth, "It might not have a lot of flesh, so take a big bite and win this…for me and everyone who put their lives on the line."

Genya's mouth trembled, his teeth touching the flesh, when the Wind Hashira shouted, "BITEE!!"

"A Demon-Human Hybrid? Oh well. I'll take care of you two first!"

Genya shut his eyes, taking a big bite, tears escaping his eyes, but the Upper Rank appeared behind them; he could feel his brother's sword at this one moment and the Sword of Upper-Rank One, and yet, both of them seemed so slow. The blood and flesh that entered his mouth were like a burning torrent of energy, like lava burning everything inside him, changing him, giving him the strength he never imagined.

He didn't have to take in; his body knew everything he had to do on its own, the body that had healed completely, turned by the waist, and the blood from the ground rose, collecting in front of his palm, forming the shape of a gun, which materialized with bullets inside, "GO TO HELL!!!"

He pulled the trigger, and Upper-Rank One moved his sword to stop the bullets, and yet his body got tossed back, breaking through one wall after the other while he realized his arm and much of his torso had blown off.

"AI! AI!! Sorry!!! Sorry!!'

Ai's eyes became too heavy to remain open, and she cupped his cheek, "Defeat…Muzan…Defeat…them all…."

She couldn't hear the voices anymore, couldn't sense the light on the other side of her eyelid, and she kept drowning in the darkness until she reached its end.

What awaited her wasn't the crossroads, hell or heaven, but a warm, familiar lap that she was used to resting her head on, "Father."

"Daughter."

Ai's lips curved into a smile, "Dad…."

"My love…."

"This…time. I am dead, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what now?"

"It depends on you."

"Me? No, no, no. No me. I just had a guy eat me, and I will not go back there. I'd look so uncool!"

"Ok, first thing. Never say those words to me again, like ever. Last thing a father wants to hear," Her father chuckled, only to make her roll her eyes.

"Shut up, Dad. The second thing?"

"It's not on me. The only thing I could do was use my authority to stop the System from Activating Life Breathing and heal your body."

"So I am not dead?"

"Yes, you are. The thing is, love…have you ever wondered why you are dead?"

"Because my father is an asshole who stopped the system from healing me and keeping me alive?"

"Ai…be serious."

"Because…whenever I used Wood Breathing…it takes away the Healing Powers that I possess as the Vampire?"

"And why is that?"

"I don't know? I could never figure it out."

"Really. You are going to lie to your father?" He chuckled, and she felt ripples forming all around her, and she was in between the battle.

Genya, Sanemi, Gyomei, and Muichiro fought against the Upper-Rank One.

"Do you see that guy? He was one of the First Demon Slayers, and he has reached the peak of Demon Slayers. Now he has become the Demon, one with the most blood of Muzan Kibutsuji. The First Demon. So what is the use you being so damn stubborn?"

"Stubborn?" Ai repeated that word, and her father disappeared, leaving her with that thought. She watched them fight, and she had to say the power that Genya had right now easily rivaled that of Gyomei, and the two of them together were able to go toe to toe with Upper-Rank One, let alone all four of them.

Let alone with Sanemi's help and Muichiro's, they finally managed to cut his head off.

"They don't even need my help…those guys can kill Muzan for sure."

Ai breathed relief, only to notice that his body wasn't disappearing or turning into ash. The body trained to the pinnacle, the one from which numerous swords were protruding, yet he was fighting; he was starting to overpower them, one after the other.

'Stop,' That was the voice that came out from the depths of her heart. Watching this, she knew it was going towards, this guy was going to surpass his limits, this one was going to survive for sure, and this was going to overpower them.

'Stoop!!'

The second time, this voice from her heart made her wonder who she was saying it to, that Demon or herself. Wood Breathing taking away her immortality? No, it didn't make sense. Instead, no way in hell was it even possible. It didn't make any sense. It wasn't logical.

With the life force she possessed, she could do it more effortlessly than her Great Grandfather could do, then why was it that she lost her immortality.

If she had to go back to one moment, then it was when she felt admiration for the Demon Slayer…and strangely enough, the higher that admiration went, the more inferior she felt.

'I possess immortality…they, be it strong or weak, they are putting their lives on the line, and I? I am not even serious. All I want to do is go home. This immortality…just having it makes me feel that I can never be the same as them. Do I even want to be? Didn't I want to go home?'

(It wasn't about putting life on the line or fighting with everything I had. It was an unfair advantage that I had. It made me wonder every night…every praise I got, everything I achieved…everything I was rewarded. I didn't deserve it. The friends I made… made me wonder what they would say if they knew what I was…who I was…and what I possessed. Will I be hated?)

'It wasn't any logic that caused her to lose her immortality. It was the same wish as the one that generated enough power to grant the system some autonomy. The same pure desire to be the same as them had reached its peak and purest self when she was about to die at Rui's hand.'

She covered her face, 'I see…this guy…he's a Demon Slayer; not only that, he's a Demon, the highest one after The First Demon itself. I…don't need to be so stubborn with this one…do I? Dad.'

She heard his chuckle and the palm of his hand on her back, and she pushed forward, "Go on. They need you."

'Yes, Father.'

[Mental Limiter has been removed.]

[Fake Wood Breathing has been removed from the web.]

[Immortal Wood Breathing has turned to True Wood Breathing.]

[The User has released their True Capabilities. Activating Life Breathing: Fourth Form – Resurrection.]

Ai felt her physical body around her soul, slowly opening her eyes, putting fingers in her hair, tucking them behind her, tying them in a ponytail, and a wooded band came out of her finger, tying them up.

She adjusted her gaze, turquoise and scarlet eyes visible to others. She glanced over their shocked expression on the face of four who were fighting against the Upper-Rank One and the Demonic Form of the Demons with fangs and mandibles, large white horns on the front and back of his head, pointed nails, red outgrowths on his face, and his pupil looking in the different directions, shorter and messier hair, several thin tubes poking out of his body, and numerous black and red scorpion tail-like appendages haphazardly sprouting all across his entire body.

She breathed out, raising the palm of her hands to the side, and both her broadsword rushed in, which she grabbed from the hilt, "Now. Let's fight. On equal footing."