42 The storm (3)

Takeo ran, his small feet hitting the ground as hard as they could. His mind full of questions as he watched the house draw closer, but the loud, distant sounds still echoed behind his home.

He didn't know any better, or maybe he refused to think of the worst case scenario. Nezuko screamed after him, her voice frantic, but Takeo didn't stop.

He sprinted past their home, his breath coming in short gasps, and turned his head towards the source of the sound. When his eyes finally fell on the sight, he froze in terror. 

There, the terrain was fully changed, the ground was torn apart by long cuts, trees reduced to splinters, the land a battlefield ravaged by chaos. And in the middle of all of this stood a figure.

Black, flowing hair; a tall, ferocious body; mouths filled with sharp, jagged teeth covering every inch of its flesh. Long, grotesque tentacles lashed about, some ending in glistening blades. It was "A monster!?"

Takeo felt his heart sink as the demon's attention turned toward him. It was too late. In an instant, multiple bladed tentacles shot in his direction. Frozen in fright, Takeo squeezed his eyes shut.

"Brother!" Nezuko screamed in horror.

Vuuu! The blades dragged across the ground, leaving monstrous scars in their path. Nezuko's eyes widened as the dust and snow began to settle. But to her shock, there was no blood. No sign of her brother. Just destruction.

Her gaze shifted, and there, standing amidst the debris, was Tomioka, his expression fierce, his body tense with exhaustion, but still resolute. In his arms, safely cradled, was Takeo.

Takeo slowly opened his eyes, realizing he was being held by Tomioka. His voice caught in his throat, words failing him as he was gently placed back on the ground. Tomioka stood back up, his eyes never leaving the monstrous figure ahead.

Silence fell over the mountain.

Muzan, his cruel gaze focused on the two small humans that had returned, smirked. "How foolish. I assume the only reason you didn't save yourself was so those insects could escape," he said, his voice dripping with malice, sending a shiver down the siblings' spines.

"But here they are, back to me," Muzan sneered, his lips curling into a grotesque smile.

Tomioka remained silent, pushing Takeo behind him protectively. His face showed no fear, only determination.

"Takeo!" Nezuko reached them, panting, and quickly checked her brother for any signs of injury. She then glanced up at Tomioka, her eyes filled with gratitude for saving him.

Tomioka's feet shifted as he took up a defensive stance. Muzan, sensing the challenge, surged with insane strength. "Run," was all Tomioka managed to say before the onslaught began once more.

The demon's attack was relentless. Tomioka's breath was already ragged, his body trembling with exhaustion. His mind raced. He was at his limit. The Kamado siblings were behind him, vulnerable, and his battered hands ached as they gripped his sword.

'I can't keep blocking!' he thought, his heart heavy with dread as Muzan's tentacles whipped toward him, faster than before. 'But I can't run, not like I did in the past!" He clenched his teeth, remembering his failures in his past life.

But now, he wasn't the weak child who needed protection anymore. He wasn't the coward who stood by while others died to save him. He was the one who would protect now!

As if in response to his determination, Tomioka's slayer mark began to expand on his face. The mark pulsed, moving like a splash of water across his skin, its form ever-shifting.

"Null." 

As his words echoed, everything around him quieted. His heart, once racing, now beat calmly. His frantic movements ceased as he entered a state of complete stillness. His hands moved in the most minimal yet precise way, his blade cutting through Muzan's barrage of attacks with calculated precision. 

Behind him, the siblings watched as everything was turned intro disaster, except the spot around them and Tomioka.

But it wasn't enough. Sweat dripped down Giyu's forehead as his focus wavered, and his heartbeat quickened once again. The calm composure he fought so hard to maintain broke. The attacks grew closer, more dangerous. His Eleventh Form, Dead Calm, shattered as he was pushed back a few steps

Still, Tomioka couldn't retreat. The Kamado siblings stood right behind him, their safety in his hands. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the pain, refusing to give in. His muscles, already burning with exhaustion, flexed one last time. His lungs felt like they were on fire as he took a deep, agonizing breath.

"Agh!" He let out a cry as he surged forward.

In that moment, a sense of déjà vu hit him. It was the same reckless move he had used against Upper Moon Two. After utilizing his Dead Calm, which minimized movement, Tomioka reversed it.

This was the exact opposite of the move he had created back then. His body began to move more and more and his mind was far from calm now.

His blade turned into a blur as he slashed back with burning ferocity, cutting through everything in his path. His red blade, gleaming with lethal energy, slashed through Muzan's limbs. Tomioka's eyes, now sharper than ever, saw through Muzan's body—every heart, every muscle, every joint. He moved like a machine, dodging, weaving, and slashing.

The battlefield became a storm of movement as Tomioka's minimal, calculated actions shifted to extreme, relentless strikes. His body rotated as he dodged Muzan's attacks, cutting closer and closer to the demon's core. All the while, Muzan's smirk faded, replaced by a frown, He could no longer even sense Tomioka. If not for his eyes tracking every move, Tomioka would have been completely invisible.

In an instant, Tomioka was right in front of Muzan, his body low, his cold and sharp staring at Muzan's own red eyes, both unafraid. Instead, the demon smirked. The demon's attack was pushed right toward Tomioka's face, The blade formed from Muzan's flesh hovered inches away from the water hashira's eyes.

"Thirteenth Form: Sea Storm!" Tomioka murmured

"I win!" Muzan declared

But the demon's smile vanished when the blade sliced through empty air. The next moment, Muzan felt sharp, stinging pain as dozens of small cuts appeared on his body, like rain drops they were to many and to fast to avoid. His eyes trembled as he sensed his wounds—though shallow and weak not heal. The realization hit him: "The red blade!!"

Tomioka appeared a few steps behind, collapsing down, his body rolling into the snow. Tomioka had done it, he had landed his attack on Muzan, but as he looked back up, his heart sank. The wounds he'd inflicted on the king od demons were shallow... mere scratches that, while delayed by the red blade, would heal in moments.

Struggling to his feet, Tomioka saw Muzan's head turn towards him with a calm expression. Then, the demon's lips curled into a sinister smile as his eyes lowered to Tomioka's arm.

Tomioka froze as he looked down to his own arm.

A small cut appeared on the back of his hand, just enough for Muzan's blood to enter his body. Time seemed to stop as Tomioka's mind raced. There was no cure for Muzan's blood. If it spread, he would either die a slow, painful death or, worse, become a demon.

Muzan's voice echoed across the mountain. "Finally caught the cockroach," he said with a smirk.

But the next moment, Muzan's smirk vanished as Tomioka lifted his blade high. His expression unreadable, his eyes covered by a dark shadow, The hashira swung down without hesitation and red blood splattered onto the white snow

Muzan's eyes gleaming with madness, astonished by Tomioka's action as a severed hand fell to the ground.

The Hashira had acted quicker than he expected, cutting off his own hand before the poisonous blood could spread.