Kokushibo vs Seiji (2)

[3rd POV]

The Butterfly Mansion was dead.

The once-bright halls, filled with recovering warriors and the scent of blooming flowers, had been reduced to little more than scorched earth and broken dreams.

Walls had crumbled under the weight of chaos. The paper doors were shredded, and they fluttered weakly in the night breeze like the torn wings of fallen butterflies. Fires burned in isolated pockets, casting sickly orange light across the courtyard.

The earth itself was scarred with deep gouges from the battle that had raged only hours before.

And amid the ruins, the Hashiras gathered.

Eight pillars stood against the night.

Shinobu, Kanae, Obanai, Muichiro, Mitsuri, Giyu, Sanemi, and Tengen.

Their uniforms were torn, but most of them did not look worn out. Kanae, Shinobu, and Giyu, who took on one of the Twelve Kizuki, stood out among the crowd with few injuries here and there.

But even then they were still in good condition, their eyes were still steady with conviction.

They had killed off most of the demons that attacked the mansion. A few dozen survived, but those either hid or ran away from the Hashiras.

So now they gathered here to decide the next course of action.

"The civilians and the patients have been moved to another location. They are guarded by the other Demon Slayers, including Tanjiro, Kanao, and Inosuke," Kanae quickly said to the others.

"It's mostly just us that remained in the compound."

"I think we should follow the others and make sure everyone is safe until morning. Our main priority should be the safety of everyone involved in the attack," Giyu said while nursing a wound on his arm.

"Are you kidding me!!? If that was our duty, then we failed already. We should track the remaining demons and slaughter every last one of them." Sanemi said with teeth grinding in anger.

Obanai silently nodded in agreement to that.

"I think we should search and collect the dead bodies. They deserve a proper funeral rather than to burn alongside the mansion." Muichiro said with a soft tone.

A short silence followed as everyone pondered their next course of action. Things have calmed down now, but that doesn't mean it was over. In fact, it was far from it.

There were around two hours, if not more, until the sun would rise. Another attack could happen at any moment during that time. Until they were under the light of the sun, no one was truly safe.

"Ummm...why don't we help Seiji now?" Mitsuri threw out her thoughts with a timid raise of her hands.

Of course, only she was truly worried. She would do so no matter how strong Seiji got; he could be god, and she would still be concerned.

"Seiji? He's here?" Obanai asked with surprise in his mismatched eyes.

"He was the one who killed the demon responsible for the spider webs, I thought you'd notice, snake boy," Tengen said with folded arms and a flashy smile.

"I didn't, I thought it was someone else," Obanai replied.

"So where's the bastard then? Did he already run off to his training again?" Sanemi asked with a sneer.

"He said he has someone to take care of and went to that side," Mitsuri said while pointing at the forest in the faraway mountain.

Everyone followed her finger and gazed at the horizon.

Just then, furious flashes of light tore through the trees amid the darkness of the forest. It looked like there was a living tornado there.

Even though they watched the battle from afar, the Hashiras could feel the intensity in their bones.

"Kokushibo," Kanae whispered, "So they are having a rematch."

"A rematch?" Muichiro asked with a curious tilt.

"Indeed, Kokushibo was the main reason why he decided to disappear into training in the first place," Kanae said with an uncertain smile.

"We have to—" Mitsuri started, stepping forward.

But she never finished the sentence.

The sound of strumming strings echoed through the ruined courtyard.

A single note - sharp, cold, slicing through the thick night air like a blade.

A doorway formed in the empty air. From it, darkness poured like a flood. And from that darkness, he emerged.

Muzan Kibutsuji.

No disguises. No masks. No tricks.

Just like Seiji had expected, the Demon Lord took the chance to make a move of his own.

His pale skin gleamed under the broken moonlight. His long hair flowed like liquid night, shifting with an unseen wind. His demonic eyes surveyed every Hashira present today, some were familiar faces while the others were new.

The moment he stepped onto the ruined grounds, the very earth seemed to shudder. The oppressive weight of his killing intent fell upon the courtyard like a collapsing mountain.

The fires dimmed. The smoke halted in the air, as if afraid to move. The night itself recoiled.

Tiles cracked. Stones shattered. Blood froze in veins.

But for all the intimidation that he was trying to pull off, none of the Hashira faltered. Not even for a second.

Instead, their eyes gleamed with something that should not be there. Forget fear, his presence seemed to excite quite a few of them.

"So many of you gathered in one place," he said, almost amused. "How fortunate."

He lifted one delicate hand.

At the far edges of the ruins, twisted shapes began to move.

The surviving demons stumbled into view in an instant. Their bodies spasmed violently, arms jerking at unnatural angles. Their eyes rolled back in their heads, and their mouths foamed.

Muzan's blood boiled within them.

With a single flex of his will, he rewrote them.

Their flesh bulged. Bones snapped and reformed grotesquely. New limbs tore free from their bodies. Eyes sprouted across torsos. Mouths gaped along arms. The very fabric of their being was corrupted into monstrous, mindless abominations.

A mockery of life itself.

"Oh, this is great!!" Sanemi bellowed, "I've wanted to meet you for the longest time,"

Swords gleamed under the moonlight. Every Hashira was ready to accomplish their purpose in that moment.

"Thunder God,"

"Forbidden Form,"

"Eleventh Form,"

"Serpent Leviathan,"

The night crashed.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!*

..

..

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[Seiji's POV]

I couldn't focus on what was happening back in the Butterfly Mansion. The First Upper Moon demanded my whole undivided attention.

To be completely honest, I was barely hanging on.

"Moon Breathing: Third Form," Kokushibo said.

"Moon Breathing: Third Form," I repeated.

"Loathsome Moon, Chains." x2

It should be no brainer that I had copied and mastered Moon Breathing during my training. But Moon Breathing was so tailored for Kokushibo's sole existence, so the best I could do was mirror him.

If I had used another form, he would overwhelm me in an instant.

Kokushibo moved like the origin of war. Countless crescent blades spiralled outward with the form, each slash trailing a spectral echo, a chain of killing intent that chased me no matter how I turned.

I followed suit, feet skimming boiling water.

I did not possess the same demonic sword, nor do I have the insane raw power of a demon. So my attack was much weaker, barely enough to cancel his. At most, it would be what his attack would look like when he was still a human.

Our blades spun in synchrony, shaping a spiral arena of slashes. Trees behind me erupted into splinters. The ground behind him folded like paper.

It was terrifyingly beautiful.

He changed pace without warning, stepping into another form thinking I would not be able to catch up.

"Moon Breathing: Fifth Form,"

He was right too. I saw it coming, but I couldn't react in time.

"Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy,"

A vortex of crescents consumed the space around him, denying approach, swallowing retaliation.

I stretched the distance between us as fast as I could. I ran away from him.

But it was pointless.

A slash sang behind me, and I barely blocked it. Steel rang out like a temple bell struck too hard. The sheer spark from the collision nearly blinded my eyes and my sword lost a good chunk of steel.

He didn't stop.

We slammed against each other again. I gripped an iron rod with one hand, and my sword with another as I tried to stay on the same level as he was.

Again and again, until I ran out of my mental map of the forest. i had no idea what or where I was anymore.

But by that point, I was finally done.

...

...

It might seem like I had been playing around ever since the start of the battle, but that was not true. I was delaying the real fight, but I did that for a reason.

And now, I finally learned his rhythm.

His pattern, his frequency.

I know it now.

I allowed his swing to send me flying away like a ragdoll. I planted my feet on the ground and slid for a long time before I came to a stop.

I took my iron rod and slammed it on my sword a few times. The beating released an eerie sound that chased every living being in the vicinity away.

Had I not been deaf, I was not sure what kind of damage the sound would do to my ears.

Kokushibo himself paused and watched the strange scene unfold.

It must've sounded like his own funeral bell as I tuned my sword to match his very being.

"That's it," I said and dropped the iron rod.

Then I blurred.

I was not fast by any means, I moved faster during the previous exchange. I also did not put much strength into my attack. In fact, I barely put any strength behind my swing.

Kokushibo saw that too, and he reacted appropriately. He brought his sword up to stop my attack, it would've been as easy as breathing to him.

But something weird happened.

There was no clash.

I simply ran through him like he was made of butter. My sword sliced through his sword so easily that it seemed like it didn't exist. The same went for his limb as I cut through his shoulder.

And so was his head.

It was so easy like he didn't even exist. My speed and momentum did not even falter on a micro level as I cut him.

"....."

There was no sound, no shockwave.

It was like an illusion.

Thud!!

But it happened.

A portion of his head and his arm fell on the ground.

..

..

[IMAGE]

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