The Demon Queen

Onslaught

We were dropped into a random room in the Castle. I wasn't even sure that I had even been there before. I must have, at some time, but we were obviously at a wing that wasn't currently in use. The room was completely empty, with bare walls and a single window that was boarded-up.

"Where are we?" Douma asked.

"One of Akaza's rooms," Kokushibou replied. "I think he used to practise martial arts in here."

"Oooh, did you spar with him?" Douma giggled. "How's the strength in his legs?"

"This isn't the time for that," I said and took out my sword. "The Slayers must be coming."

"Oh, right," Douma said. He held his sword in one hand and his fan in the other.

Kokushibou had been at the ready from the moment we appeared in the room. He stepped close to me so that our shoulders were touching. "Douma! Join us!"

"Huh? Oh, right," Douma said. He fit himself in the open spot. The three of us stood in a triangle formation with our bodies to each other.

A jolt came to my senses. "I sense a human at the door. And another one behind the window. And another --"

"Above us on the floor on top," Kokushibou finished.

"So then ... three ..." Douma said.

We stood there, prepared to fight at any moment, but nothing was happening. I couldn't tell if they were waiting for more to join them, or if they were trying to get us to make the first move.

"They intend to trap us when we start attacking," Kokushibou said. "They know we must sense them. They want us to act first."

"How long do they think we'll keep waiting for them?" Douma asked.

"They don't think we'll wait," I said. "They're basing our personalities on me and Muzan. Muzan wouldn't wait, and the Slayers that escaped when Gyutaro was killed know I will avenge him. They're betting that I won't be so patient ... and -- and they're waiting for more." I paused, sensing a myriad of lower-ranking Demon Slayers approaching. "There's a lot more coming."

"Do you get a prediction?" Kokushibou asked.

"A prediction?"

"Your talent as an Ubuyashiki. Do you get any visions?"

"I can't just make visions come and my powers in this were never fully developed."

"Guys." Douma elbowed us both in the side. "Don't argue and don't get distracted. That's what they want us to do."

I had to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by his attentiveness.

"Right," I said as Kokushibou uttered a "Mm".

"They're coming," Douma said.

Just as he finished speaking, the door, boarded-up window, and roof blast open. In charged a countless number of lower-ranking Slayers, all dressed in the same uniforms and screaming battle cries.

Cannon fodder, I thought.

"This isn't the attack," Kokushibou warned us right before we began to fight.

It was all pointless. It was a waste of human life and energy to fight these Slayers. They were so untrained and inexperienced that all three of us could effortlessly destroy them before they could even attempt to use Breathing. The result was an unnecessary slaughter of hundreds of humans, all sent to die as martyrs for the cause of destroying us. I couldn't understand why they would bother to create all this bloodshed before seriously trying to destroy us. Kokushibou was right. These Slayers weren't meant to kill us. They were meant to be killed by us.

The three of us soon stood alone in the room filled with dead humans. The stench was incredibly repulsing, as was the useless blood splattered on the walls. It was one of the most disturbing and grotesque scenes I had ever seen in my life, and there I was, standing in the centre point of it.

"It can't be over," Kokushibou said. "Remain on your guard."

I did. The stench of dead human was stinging the inside of my nose and starting to irritate my eyes. My eyes started to water a bit. I couldn't understand what was happening. It was disgusting, yes, but the stench of human corpses and blood shouldn't cause what seemed to be an allergic reaction.

"Hey, guys," Douma sneezed. "I don't think it's just human we're breathing in."

Kokushibou sneezed. I did, too. 

"Cover your noses!" Kokushibou commanded.

We all held our swords with our dominant hand and used our other hand to attempt to cover our noses and mouths. The only one who could do this quite successfully was Kokushibou, as his long kimono sleeves gave him extra material to put over his face. He looked to me out of the corners of his eyes. I was struggling to cover the lower half of my face with just my hand. 

"Mm ..." Kokushibou uttered out of a deep concern that was shaking the tranquility he was trying to hold himself together with. "Are you okay ...?" he asked me quietly.

I nodded, even though I was struggling.

Douma started to cough.

"Retreat ... and stay together ..." Kokushibou said in a somewhat-shaky voice.

"NOW!"

With the vocal signal from a female Slayer, a raid of bombs came crashing down on us. A bluish-purple smoke filled the room, suffocating us and making our eyes painfully sting as the bombs erupted. I heard Kokushibou fall to his knees on the ground, coughing immensely. Douma's sword fell from his hands. He grabbed his fan and tried to blow the smoke away, but it was of no use. The bombs kept coming. I couldn't open my eyes from the pain. Whenever I tried, it felt like shards of dusty glass sliced at my eyeballs. Coughing, I stumbled to the side and fell against Kokushibou. I felt him grab me, struggling to breathe, and pulled my head against his chest.

It was so much wisteria, mixed with other poisons, probably the same ones used against Muzan. We didn't stand a chance.

A/N: From the next chapters, the story will split into the two endings.

The chapters leading to the ending where Muzan survives will be marked by 😈
The chapters leading to the ending where Kokushibou/Michikatsu survives will be marked by 🌙

Thank you for your patience with the updates, and I hope you like the way you choose the story to end!