Scapegoat

Blood Demon Art. Turbulence.

Ali's long-awaited Blood Demon Art had finally revealed itself. A blissful yet excruciating energy throbbed in every cell of Ali's body. His senses were heightened to a point that he had never felt before.

Kammu was petrified, paralysed, frozen. His eyes remained wide, staring at Ali's transformed appearance. His golden arm wrappings looked dull and dim in the moonlight-deprived environment. The atmosphere was still. Not even a gust of wind graced the environment. The breeze was completely stagnant. Kammu's body refused to move, it was like Ali's intense gaze had torn apart Kammu's willpower and hope.

Kammu did the only thing he could do.

His fingers loosened around the sword's blood-stained hilt, he quickly twisted his body and dashed away. The sword fell to the ground, it sunk into the dirt. He sprinted with such force that painful sensations travelled from his heels to his hips. Kammu couldn't care less, any physical pain was better than the fear-induced immobility that he got from Ali's eyes. When he stood there petrified, it felt as if he could die any second. The more distance he put in between Ali and himself, the safer he felt.

Ali's eyes remained on the coward who ran away. The severe agony from the absorption of all of Akaza's power had subsided, but the emotional agony hadn't.

His breath became more and more intensely ragged as he remembered all of Kammu's actions. The way he just dropped Akaza's body on the ground like a ragdoll. His disgusting smirk and the fact he dared to attempt to kill Ali with that sword.

Ali clenched his fists and exhaled deeply. Kammu had disappeared into the trees, but he hadn't reached far.

Ali's Blood Demon Art viciously unleashed itself into the world with full force.

Kammu's body erupted with goosebumps, and he felt a crushing sense of doom. His ears were filled with blaring howls, whistles and rustles. The stagnant wind had transformed into a vicious force, swirling at speeds unseen by the forest. Ali was the epicentre of these violent winds.

Blood Demon Art. Turbulence. Ali's years and years of training under the Wind Hashira Sanemi heavily influenced and incorporated into Ali's Blood Demon Art. Ali could now fabricate winds on command. Often, Blood Demon Art that centralised around elements was intensely powerful, an exemplar being Upper Moon Two, Douma, with his control of ice.

All around Ali, the wind blasted in every direction. Almost like a forcefield that repulsed from Ali. The winds viciously swerved around the trees brutally ripped at anything that they came into contact with. Trees leaned farther than they ever had before, weak leaves went flying into the night sky, and poor creatures were launched. Every spot of ground, air and water that Ali's powerful explosion of wind touched, now knew Ali's Blood Demon Art.

Not a second had passed since the winds exploded into fruition, but they had already caught up with Kammu. The cool gusts met Kammu's back. Kammu felt the giant hand of the breeze cup his back. The wind was incredibly strong, strong enough to shove Kammu forward violently. His face met the rough dirt, he felt skin tear open as he scraped against the ground.

He gasped for air as he stumbled, his hair flew violently as he attempted to stand back up. His efforts were to no avail. He couldn't get higher than a push-up stance due to the constant wind. His ears were tortured as the gusts roughly brushed past.

Blood Demon Art. Golden Prison.

Kammu's golden ropes quickly unreeled from his wrists and shot out in front of him. He gripped the ends with his palms as they hooked around two close trees. He began to pull himself with the ropes. As if he was climbing upwards. Only he was crawling on the ground.

"Why?" Kammu asked a simple question that held so many meanings. He was flooded with regret, he had done a thousand things wrong. A thousand mistakes that built on top of each other had led him now entire body pressed against the floor in submission. If only he had done a few things right.

The winds stopped. A brief moment of delusion hit Kammu, had Ali shown mercy? Or better yet tired himself out?

Kammu quickly scrambled to his feet and stumbled forward, not wasting a second. Unfortunately, no matter how many seconds Kammu got ahead of Ali. It would be no use. The intense wrath blitzed through the forest like a laser. Ali whizzed by the abundant sequence of trees, tilting left and right as he flew effortlessly.

It was the illusion of flight. Ali had launched himself so powerfully forward that he could maintain a stable path towards his target.

Ali had no idea of how much stronger he was. He was now Upper Moon Three both in title and power. Kammu looked back in horror. It was a fatal mistake. Ali's fist ruthlessly collided with Kammu's face at the unbelievable speed he was travelling. Yet, his attack didn't end there. Ali's fist was now lodged into Kammu's face and carried Kammu with him. Kammu felt his body crash into a large tree trunk as an obstacle finally halted Ali's attack. Large pieces of wood dug deep into Kammu's back. The warmth of his blood washed over his back.

As Kammu's body slammed into the trunk, inertia assisted Ali's fist to pierce deeper through Kammu's skull. Blood splattered and dripped out of his destroyed face. Ali's muscles bulged as he roughly removed his fist. He panted out of exertion, and veins popped out of his blood-coated hands.

Kammu could only groan in intense pain, he didn't feel alive.

Ali grabbed Kammu's shoulders tightly and pulled him ferociously off the tree. The splinters ripped out large pieces of flesh off his back. Kammu felt Ali's hand around his neck, slightly lifting him above the ground.

"Where is The Shadow?!" Ali shouted with a rasp of hatred in his voice, "Where is he?!"

Tears leaked out of whatever remained of Kammu's eyes.

A string was plucked, somewhere.

Ali blinked once and the entire scenery had changed. His body lurched forward. He had been teleported to the Infinity Castle by Nakime. Ali's grip tightened around the terrified Kammu's neck, he struggled as he choked. The warm brown boards that reflected the orange flames stretched on forever. The eerie strings being plucked bounced around the endless hallways and corners. Ali's head quickly turned around to observe the situation.

Upper Moon Two, Douma, Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, and Upper Moon Six, Daki, had gathered in a sort of congregation. Their terrifying and unique appearances stood out amongst the repetitiveness of Infinity Castle like tiny spots on a sick man's face.

The Upper Moons had a variety of reactions to Ali, specifically his appearance. Ali's eyes solidified the reason for the abrupt meeting. Akaza had died.

"Seems that my fears were true," Douma's body swayed almost rhythmically, his rainbow eyes remaining locked on Ali. His sing-songy tone that had irritated Akaza so deeply hadn't disappeared. A creepy grin was etched onto his pale skin. Upper Moon Two giggled a little as he moved closer to Ali.

"No wonder Lord Muzan summoned us here," Douma crouched down to meet Ali's eyes, "Ha! You really are Upper Moon Three!"

Ali's jaw clenched as Douma's presence created an unnerving sensation on his skin. Kammu's hand weakly grazed Ali's body. His trembling hands balled into loose fists and tapped Ali. Pathetic grunts exited his mutilated mouth as he attempted to punch Ali with whatever strength he had. His regeneration was slow but steady, his lips had completely regenerated. In Kammu's mind, there was still a slight chance he could live. He had survived an encounter with a Hashira, he could survive an encounter with an Upper Moon. Hope seemed to speed his recovery up, his eyes slowly regained vision.

Blood Demon Art. Turbulence: Typhoon Needles.

Kammu screamed out in excruciating pain as he felt wind erupt from Ali's hand directed fully and completely at his body. The gale force winds streamed only in the direction of Kammu, their speed caused Kammu's skin to almost instantly peel off, creating a disturbing sight. The Upper Moons watched in grotesque interest and shock as Ali's wind tore apart Kammu. Kammu met the same fate as Akaza, he too resembled an anatomy model and looked like a peeled tomato. Just as the wind stopped, Ali absorbed Kammu effortlessly.

"Do you still want to fight him Gyokko?" Douma chuckled with a hand over his mouth as he twirled towards Gyokko, the twisted demon sprouting from a vase, laughing uncomfortably.

"I still doubt his strength," Daki remarked arrogantly at Ali, her tongue sharp with a desire to challenge, "It wasn't so long ago that you were writhing in between my obi,"

"Don't forget the mercy Lord Muzan showed you last time," Kokoshibo's voice rang like a deep bell, he had appeared out of thin air. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the sight of Ali.

"Akaza," Kokoshibo inhaled deeply as he studied the situation, a mysterious essence cloaked him.

"Centuries," Muzan's voice grated with dissatisfaction and disappointment, "It's been centuries since an Upper Moon died at the hands of a Hashira,"

As soon as Muzan's voice echoed through the Infinity Castle, everyone dropped to their knees in a kneeling position. Muzan stood on an upside-down platform, in front of a table flooded by vials and mixtures. The fluids bubbled as Muzan proceeded with delicate experiments.

"What a shame, he died without completing any missions of yours? Didn't he? Lord Muzan?" Douma spoke in that tauntingly unpleasant tone, "He didn't find the Blue Spider Lily, or kill the Ubuyashiki family,"

Douma's eyes darted to Ali, almost as a challenge. Ali's fists clenched unconsciously. The vials exploded into minuscule fragments as Muzan slammed his fists onto the table.

"I expect nothing of you all," Muzan's claws sharpened instantly as he flexed his hand, "Yet all I receive is disappointment,"

"Lord Muzan," Ali raised from his kneel, his body firm and his heart pounded deeply as Muzan's intense gaze pierced his own. The eerie echo of the Infinity Castle vibrated into Ali's very soul.

"I will hunt down Akaza's killer, The Shadow, and then… take over any unfinished missions," Ali's intention was to appease Muzan in whichever way he could. He placed his true motivation before the fake one. There was no way he would become Muzan's servant. His stomach turned at thought of it. The only thought in his mind at the moment was revenge. He couldn't let this go. He couldn't forget the look in Akaza's eyes.

Ali wanted to kill 'The Shadow'. He had no care if they were a human, demon, man, woman, or animal. He would begin a relentless hunt.

Muzan didn't say a single word. He kept that same intense glare on Ali before a string was plucked and he vanished from his position.

Ali inhaled deeply as he clenched his fists. He struggled to piece together anything that had happened in the past days, nothing felt real. He didn't feel like himself. His transformed crescent marks lost their glow and seemed to retract back into their normal state.

Other Upper Moons vanished as they wished.

Ali felt sharp nails lightly scraped against his back, blood seeped out for a brief moment before his regeneration patched up the cuts. His skin crawled, he slowly turned his head and saw Daki standing close behind him, her nails continued to scrape against his back.

"I can help you find whoever you're looking for, one of the lowly Red Light girls must know of a 'Shadow'. Come with me,'" Daki whispered in Ali's ear enticingly. Ali's eyes widened as his thoughts peaked. It was within reason to go to a populated area and ask. Ali inhaled deeply and contemplated Daki's invitation.