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

53

"Help me..." I thought looking at the man as he essentially began to lower his head and hold his throat tightly trying to scratch at it. Leaving painful nail marks on the epidermis, and trails of blood spots.

A cloudy night is a million promise notes of heaven's rain, each of them in graphite grey and etched upon the sky and this was the first time I had seen this behavior in the months I had been in this village.

My eyes were fixed on him as he came to a standstill, lowered himself to pick up the canteen on the ground, and straighten up. His expression was back to the expression it was prior to me bumping into him, he was smiling.

"Apologies," he said as he bowed respectfully and walked off. I was the one at fault so why was he apologizing.

My eyes remained fixed on his figure as he acted casually as other villagers passed by.

I quickly glanced at the boy and he only had that stupid grin on his face.

"Come on! We have to go this way!"

The boy's grip tighten more than it did before and pulled me away. He could physically pull me away into an alley at the side. But...I had questions that wanted answers.

I pulled my hand from his grip and soon walked in the opposite way. There was no way I could ignore this especially since this was a clue.

Before, I could make another step-my body was held in place. I glance down to see a tentacle of some sort holding me by my wrists and going around my neck.

"This act was getting boring," a deep gravelly voice stated.

I focused my attention back on the "little boy" to see an abomination. If I had control of both my hands and wasn't a demon slayer, I probably would have covered my own mouth with both hands.

"I went about a year and a half in this town and never has a demon slayer step foot in it for as long as you did," the creature questioned suddenly tightening his hold. I choked, eyes rolling back as if shifting between personalities.

The torment did not stop until he started to have a metallic taste in his mouth.

"Die."

He slightly tightens his hold until the tentacle's hold loosens much more and swiftly. I dropped to the ground and pulled my wrist from the hold and took the tentacle from my neck and threw it on the ground. I turned around and looked to see Kokushibou with his blade drawn and focused on the creature.

"I do have to applause you for having the ability to control an entire village for as long as you had," Kokushibou started, "However, there seems to be an issue with your absence and send of will towards the cause."

I hadn't expected this situation to escalate more than it had.

I glanced out to see the villagers were slowly replacing their smiles with expressions of fear, terror, and indecision.

But all good things must come to an end.

I turned my attention towards the beast to see it was just him and Kokushibou was gone. The beast lunged toward me as I quickly dodge out of the way.

For someone who portrayed himself to be an innocent boy, it was clear that he wasn't.

I charged towards the creature and swiftly drew my blade that was sheathed in its case strapped against my spine. I swiftly cut the ligaments and parts from the beast. As swiftly as they detached, they regenerated and pursued the attack.

My movements of swaying and slashing my blade are still exceptional and have no signs of fatigue along with the creature whose attack was still raging.

"When you strike, be quick as lighting, cold as ice."

The villager's screams could slowly be heard, indicating that whatever they were being controlled by was breaking which means that...the boy was the issue all along.

"Take flight!" I began.

"You will die!" the creature yelled.

"Ice Breathing: Second Form-Soumetsu!"

As I unleashed the attack, a storm of whirling icy winds slashed repeatedly at the creature it touched. Instantly, the creature remained stationary.

Swiftly, I charged forward.

"Ice Breathing: Seventh Form-Diamond Dust!"

With a direct strike with the intent to end its light, its head rolled off from its torso.

The fresh smell of disintegrating demon flesh floods the air around me. I looked upwards as the flesh floated towards the sky, to see the long and spiky-haired ravenette who had freed me looking down towards me with his six orbs before fleeing the scene. Why did he do it?

I sheathed my blade and walked off. This mission was completed so I guess I could make my way back towards headquarters.