Icy Flames- Rengoku Kyojuro-Demon Slayer/ Kimetsu no Yaiba

26

My thoughts repeated endlessly. Fear gripped my heart as I tore through the bush behind the village. Terrifying maniacal laughter followed closely yet far ahead at the same time, intermixed with the overwhelming frost wind. It was disorienting — the sound felt like it was surrounding me.

"Come on...I can't let that kid die!" I thought as  tried to catch my breath in this harsh environment. This was a mountain where the air was thin and it was hard to concentrate.

But all that was going through my mind as I narrowed my amber eyes ahead...all that was going through my mind ringing out loudly-Kill.

"Give it up slayer!"

Tears pricked the child's eyes as his hands reached out in my direction praying to be saved.

"Help me!" A high-pitched scream emitted, "Please save me Kuraokami!"

Not even a second passed as my body vanished within the pristine snow.

"AH!!!!"

The demon let out an ear-shattering scream as it dropped to its knees. I stood in front of it with my back turned towards it. A fountain of red came from the wound, the ebb and flow in time cutting through the tissue of the arm holding the boy.

I separated the arm from the boy and threw it to the side.

"Stay close."

I turned around towards the demon. His fangs grinding together out of frustration.

"T-the Snow Hashira!" The demon exclaimed from shock and anger.

My golden orbs focused on it. I could see the remains of its blood vaporizing in the frost air.

"Total Concentration. Ice Breathing. Tenth Form. Ice Storm."

I threw my sword towards the demon as it raised his arm to defend the blow. As it peaked behind its arm to see your golden orbs burning directly at it with your sword in hand. Soon a blinding wave of snow erupted, enveloping the demon in a painful storm but somehow leaving me unscathed.

The demon let out an ear-shattering scream as its head fell off.

Its body and head instantly fell into the snow and quickly dissolved into unnatural purple steam, crackling with the remnants embers of the demon's power.

The clearing stood eerily quiet in the aftermath of the battle that just took place. I stood over the clothing of the youkai, the only emotion to show on my face was that of annoyance. It shouldn't have taken me so long to slice this lower-level demon. I needed to get stronger.

Snow drifted down from the dark heavy clouds above swirling slightly in the wind and steadily forming a pristine layer of white over the barren landscape.

I turned around to look at the child and reached my hand out to him as he charged towards me and began crying. I kneeled down to the child and took a white scarf I had around my neck and wrapped it around his neck

"Let's go."

I turned around with the boy nodding as he walked beside me while holding my hand.

Not much action since I ended the assignment back in Mt. Yotei. However, a common occurance was happening. A lot of lower rank demons were making their way north into this beautiful region. Muzan couldn't possibly be desperate to get his hands on my sword or the ore...for them to commit such heinous acts while it snows...hm...

The snow crunched beneath my feet as I walked across the vast snowy mountain. Slowly cutting between the trees, I could make out a clearing. I sighed as I glanced around me to see how the snow acted like an angel, fluttering down from the sky with such grace and elegance and softly landing on the earth.

The stench of blood I was familiar with wafted through the air.

I stopped walking at I looked before me to see a demon with six eyes. His hair was a shade darker than the shadows, perfectly framing his face; the ponytail was tied up on the top of his head, the rest of it blowing harshly while shimmering in the frosty moonlit light.

"The moon...is beautiful tonight."

My hand threw the boy away from the attack Kokushibou had directed towards him, slicing my wrist in the process.

"Leave!" I yelled as I turned around while sheathing my sword.

The boy was utterly shocked from doing anything. From the looks of his body as it pressed against the back of the tree it didn't know how to react to my directive, it just shut down. He froze to a point where he was hardly breathing.

All Kokushibou did was turn around and slowly approach me, looking down at me. Now it made sense why those lower demons were lurking around her, to bring me out so we can dance.

"Something about you...your mother...is a descendant of  Yoriichi Tsugikuni line, isn't she?" he asked calmly.

I only remain silent in front of him and held my sword in front of me. My slightly squinted at him as he mentioned that. He was the legendary Demon Slayer of the Demon Slayer Corps during the Sengoku Era...from what I was told...he is from my mother's line?

The scorching slash of his sword and an unimaginable pain were searing through my veins.

"Therefore, you are a descendant of my brother's line."

Before I can process anything, I feel his blade pressed against mine as I attempt to prevent it from slicing my face. My arms strained against the force of keeping my sword locked with his, it was clear that I was going to lose, and badly. However, even with his strength and his ability to put an end to my life, I could see that his eyes were still unsettling under his intense gaze.

"His speed is beyond that of Tengen's but he isn't using his breathing technique."

I managed to push him back and looked at him as he skids across the snow. His 3 sets of eyes watching my body writhe and jerk at the smallest of friction. The blood running down my hand has made the handle of his sword a slippery sticky mess.

"I know you didn't use the remainder of the ore," he mentioned, low and firm, making me shiver slightly, "Bring all of the ore not a fragment of it."

With that, he vanished in the icy winds.

I couldn't sense his presence anywhere. I sigh as my sword clattered to the ground as heavy blood loss of my wrist took its toll.