Shinobu, Kanae, Tamayo & Upper Moon 1!

(2500 Words!)

Anos: "I wonder how Shinobu and Tamayo are doing?"

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As Anos approached the butterfly Manor, he picked up upon the scent of wisteria. And lots of different herbs. Anos hummed slightly as he entered the manor and was greeted by the 3 little girls who would usually help around the manor.

Anos: "Excuse me little girls."

The three little girls who worked in the Butterfly mansion as helpers to not only the residence of the manor, but as mini nurses as well. Their names were Kiyo Terauchi, Sumi Nakahara, and Naho Takada respectively. The way most of the people tell them apart is by the colour of their butterfly hairpins, and the colour of the bow wrapped around their waist.

Kiyo was the first to respond to Anos.

Kiyo: "Yes? Can we help you?"

Anos: "Indeed you can. Please inform either one of the Kocho sisters that Anos Voldigoad has arrived."

The three girls tilted their heads slightly at Anos's name, but still nodded their heads before bowing slightly and moving to call the owners of this mansion.

Anos waited for a few minutes before he heard someone grumbling in annoyance, and someone trying to pacify the one who is grumbling. Eventually 4 people stood at the front of the manor's entrance. Those being Shinobu, Kanae, Tamayo, and Yushiro. Anos snorted seeing Shinobu's irritation as he spoke.

Anos: "Tell me both of you, how was your training?"

Shinobu was the first to answer his question.

Shinobu: "Great until you disturbed me."

Kanae scolded Shinobu as she spoke.

Kanae: "Shinobu. Don't be so disrespectful to Voldigoad-San. Not only are you his disciple, but he is also our benefactor. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here remember? So try to be less grumpy around him and others in general."

Shinobu only grumbled in even more annoyance at Kanae's words before she sighed and nodded at Kanae's words.

Anos removed his gaze from the two sister's, and focused it upon Tamayo and Yushiro as he spoke.

Anos: "Tell me Tamayo, how was teaching Shinobu?"

Anos's words caused the two sisters to momentarily pause their talk as they looked at Tamayo as well.

Tamayo: "I'll admit, Shinobu is an excellent doctor. Her understanding of medicine, biology, and various herbs is impressive. But of course, her knowledge is still lacking in certain areas that I'm helping her improve upon. She has immense skill and mastery in both medical and pharmaceutical fields."

Shinobu looked rather pleased and slightly smug from Tamayo's praise of her skills in the medical field.

Anos: "And what about you Yushiro? Still useless? Unable to stand up to protect your precious Lady Tamayo?"

Yushiro gritted his teeth so hard it broke and pierced his flesh as veins popped all across his face in anger. Tamayo frowned slightly at Anos's words, as she spoke up.

Tamayo: "Voldigoad-San, I'd appreciate it if you would please not insult my assistant. Not everyone is as strong as you, and you insulting Yushiro could be seen as you flaunting your power over the weak."

Anos scoffed at Tamayo's words as he replied.

Anos: "Do not go defending a weakling whose strength barely reaches even the most average of demons. If he truly wanted to protect you, he could have had you alter his physiology to allow him to build strength whilst keeping his other abilitys as well."

Tamayo: "Altering our physiology just to stop our cravings for human flesh already took a great many years of research. We aren't all blessed with power or knowledge such as yourself."

Anos: "My knowledge and wisdom all came through the many things I've come to experience throughout my long life. And as nigh-immortal beings, you two have all the time in the world to increase your knowledge. All your doing is giving excuses for your lack of desire to get stronger. You wish for the death of Kibutsuji yet you still are too reliant upon the demon slayers."

Tamayo: "(Sigh) Let's move on from this particular subject. It'll just cause more unnecessary issues."

Anos shrugged his shoulders before looking at Kanae. Kanae noticed his gaze and realised what he was asking, so she replied.

Kanae: "My training wasn't that fruitful. I was simply training my physical abilities and my breathing technique."

Anos: "You focus too much on your breathing technique."

Kanae: "H-huh?"

Anos: "You are too reliant upon the breathing techniques you've learned, that you ignore the fundamentals and the basics of swordsmanship."

Kanae: "But Voldigoad-San, our breathing techniques are what allows us to fight against demons. I don't understand what you mean by me being over reliant upon my breathing techniques."

Anos: "Tell me, you do realise that most of your breathing techniques follows the basic movements that you are taught as a novice swordsman right?"

Kanae looked slightly confused as she thought about Anos's words before nodding her head slightly.

Anos: "Tell me, how many times a day do you swing your sword? Not using your breathing techniques, just pure swordsmanship."

Kanae: "Not that often actually. If I do swing my sword it's because I'm practicing to improve my breathing technique."

Anos: "Take this as my advice, for the next few weeks focus on just the basics of your sword. Don't use any breathing technique against the demons you slay. Use only the blade in your hands, and the basics of swordsmanship, and you will start to understand the importance of learning the basics."

At the end of Anos's words, Shinobu questioned him.

Shinobu: "But won't that be dangerous and detrimental for Née-San? To suddenly stop using her breathing technique to focus on the basics, might cause her issues when she wants to start using her breathing techniques once more."

Anos: "Every single sword technique can be recreated through a complete understanding of the basics. It's the same for most things in life. Understanding the basics of any subjects are what allows you to branch out and improve your skills with the more difficult subject's and weapons."

Anos's words made some slight sense to them, so Kanae spoke.

Kanae: "I understand Voldigoad-San, I will try to focus on remastering the basics of swordsmanship starting tomorrow. As soon I'll be on my hunt for demons."

Anos: "Understand when I say to practice the basics, I don't want you simply repeating the many different stances and swings once. I want you to repeat them thousands if not tens of thousands of times."

Kanae, Shinobu, Tamayo and even Yushiro were surprised at Anos's words.

Kanae: "Repeating the basics thousands if not tens of thousands of times? Will doing this really help me?"

Anos merely nodded his head as Kanae nodded her head and spoke.

Kanae: "I understand. I will try to follow your advice starting tomorrow."

Anos: "Then if you need me, I'll be taking a walk to see what this world has to offer."

Saying those words, Anos faded away like a ghost causing Tamayo and Yushiro to get startled. Meanwhile Shinobu merely grumbled as Kanae laughed awkwardly.

Shinobu: "Does he not know how to use the front door?!"

(Meanwhile With Anos)

After leaving the butterfly Manor, Anos spent his time admiring the peacefulness and beauty of this world he was visiting before he went to a nearby village. As he entered the village, unsurprisingly, there was almost no one who noticed his existence. Yet wherever he passed, people shuddered in dread and fear, and even children cried as if something bad has entered the village. Anos ignored it all as he muttered to himself.

Anos: "A pity, not a single individual with a decent potential. All so weak they can't even notice my existence."

As Anos continued his walk through the village, he saw a fruit stall, and decided to buy some. Approaching the stall, the customers who were there purchasing fruits suddenly shuddered in horror as they looked around in fear and confusion wondering what was causing them this inexplicable feeling of dread and fear.

Anos hummed slightly before he anchored his existence even deeper into the world allowing them to notice him. And sure enough, when Anos suddenly appeared out of nowhere for many people, some people jumped and screamed in fright before leaving as soon as possible as they all knew that dreadful feeling they all had came from Anos.

Anos didn't care as he walked up to the fruit stall, and bought several sliced fruits before continuing on his walk. Eventually whilst enjoying his walk, a kasugai crow had perched itself on his shoulder as Anos continued his walk and even trying some of the restaurants available.

By the time Anos was done walking around the small village, it was already dark as the sun had long set, and the moon had risen. Anos left the village, with an interested smile plastered on his face as he spoke.

Anos: "Well now, it seems like things will be getting more interesting from now on."

Saying those ominous words that made the crow that was perched on his shoulder sweat slightly, Anos began walking in a certain direction before he cross paths with someone he already knew was there. He had encountered an interesting demon.

The Demon in question is a tall and muscular man with pale skin and long, spiky black hair with red tips that he kept in a ponytail. His most notable feature is the three sets of eyes on his face with yellow irises and red sclera that have black straight lines diverging from each iris. The two said nothing but stared at each other.

To Anos, he found interest in the demon before him because he could tell how composed, grim, serious and yet somewhat honorable this demon standing before him was.

As the two continued staring at each other, the air between the two was so tense that the crow perched on Anos's shoulder shuddered in fear and flew away as fast as it could. Finally the one who spoke up was the demon standing in front of Anos.

???: "My name is Kokushibo. I am a demon who serves my lord Kibutsuji Muzan-Sama, and I bear the rank of Upper Moon 1 among the 12 Kizuki. I know for a fact that you are no human, so tell me who are you?"

Anos: "My name is Anos Voldigoad. I hold the title of Demon King Of Tyranny. Tell me this Kokushibo, what is someone of your strength and status wandering around the villages of humans clearly weaker than you? Do you take pleasure in killing the weak to feed your ego into thinking that you are invincible?"

Kokushibo shook his head as he replied calmly to Anos.

Kokushibo: "I am merely investigating a case involving the hashiras."

Anos hummed as he nodded his head and replied.

Anos: "You are an excellent swordsman I see. I can tell even if all the Hashiras fought you together you could still possibly beat them all. Your mannerism are remarkably calm and collected as most master swordsman are. And considering how you demons crave the flesh of humans, I expected you to hunt all humans you see."

Kokushibo replied in kind.

Kokushibo: "I will admit that what you say is common for the weaker demons, but as the strongest, even I have days when I do not desire any flesh. Besides, you yourself are also quite the dangerous being. Your stance is so carefree yet all my instincts scream danger. Just what kind of demon are you?"

Anos looked amused as he replied.

Anos: "As I've said I am the Demon King. All who stood before me has acknowledged that."

Kokushibo shook his head and replied.

Kokushibo: "Impossible. The only one who is worthy of that title is Kibutsuji-Sama."

Anos shook his head as he spoke.

Anos: "Then answer me this Kokushibo. What makes a Demon King? Is it wealth? Authority? Power?"

Kokushibo: "A simple question. It's all of them. Without wealth, authority and power one can never make a name for themselves no matter who they may be."

Anos: "Incorrect. A demon King is the figure itself. After all it doesn't matter how much wealth, authority and power you own if you yourself only acknowledge those things as the requirements to be known as a Demon King. The figure itself is and always will be the base for the acquisition of wealth, authority and power."

Kokushibo: "An interesting perspective. I can understand what you mean but it still doesn't change that even if the figure is the starting point for wealth, authority, and power, without those 3 it wouldn't matter still."

Anos smiled, as he replied.

Anos: "Your loyalty to your leader is incredible. If it had happened some other time I would have loved to recruit you as one of my disciples. Your views and philosophy intrigues me."

Kokushibo: "I am glad that one of such incredible prowess praises my ideals and philosophy, but I must ask that you take your words of calling yourself the Demon King back. As a sign of respect of two strong warriors I shall pretend not to have allowed someone to disrespect my Lord."

Anos: "Your Lord is nothing but a human in my eyes. After all, you act as though he is invincible come all who stand before him. But that isn't true is it? There is and always will be someone stronger than him. Maybe not now, but sometime in the future. After all how can one dare call themselves a Demon King yet cower before something as weak as the sun?"

Anos said all this in a mocking tone towards the upper moon demon whose six eyes stayed closed listening to Anos's words. His words angered Kokushibo greatly reminding him of the monster that was his brother. But Kokushibo wasn't upper moon 1 for no reason. He picked up upon something rather interesting in Anos's words.

Kokushibo: "You say a Demon King shouldn't cower before the sun. Are you implying you have conquered it?"

Anos snorted at his words as he spoke.

Anos: "I am not the same kind of Demon whose masters blood flow through them. I do not need to fear the sun for all of creation fears me. I am the one true Demon King Anos Voldigoad. Son to Celis and Luna Voldigoad. I have surpassed all whose stood before me and I have no equal. Go run back to that master of yours and tell him to revoke his claims over the title of Demon King. A human using the title of a Demon King is an insult to me."

Kokushibo remained silent before he drew his blade as he spoke.

Kokushibo: "Very well then Anos Voldigoad. You claim you are the only one worthy of bearing the title of the Demon King, and that you have no equal? Than I Kokushibo Upper Moon One and the right hand man to the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan shall put your claims to the test!"

(CLIFFHANGER-KUN!!! HOORAY!!!)