The Demon Queen

Descendants😈

I ran out of the room, trying to pinpoint Muzan's location. I could sense him, but he was quite a distance away. The group that hijacked Nakime did a very good job in separating us at opposite ends of the Castle. It was incredibly annoying to me, and besides that, I could smell the corpses of Demon Slayers polluting the air in every corner of the corridors.

But as I made my way through the Castle, it suddenly occurred to me that something was very wrong.

Why wasn't I being attacked?

I stopped in my tracks as I entered a large room at the centre of the Castle. I listened around me and tried to sense far into my surroundings. I could sense more than several Hashira and Demon Slayers of a Hashira-like strength, but all of them were located either at the end Muzan was in or back where I had come from.

Why where none of them coming to attack me?

BOING.

They've still got her!?

Within a second, I was transported to an upper level of the Castle. The transport made me feel somewhat dizzy, and I immediately got on high alert in case there were more wisteria bombs about to come.

But there weren't.

Instead, I was transported to a room that we kept a lot of stolen statues and other artwork in. We stored them to have on-hand to sell in case we needed the money. Behind an embellished, decorative wooden desk sat three children -- two with white hair and one with black hair. Beside the desk stood a green-haired male demon. The demon was roughly holding Nakime in front of him, as if using her like a shield.

That's the one controlling her!

I noticed a large paper sutra stuck to her eye.

She can't see or sense what she's doing!

Without hesitation, I unleashed one of my tentacles to cut off Nakime's head. I watched as her head dropped to the floor and rolled a bit towards me. My eyes followed her head until I heard the sound of her biwa falling from her grasp and hitting the floor in front of her. My eyes rose to where the biwa fell and towards Nakime's disintegrating body.

"You'd kill your minion so easily?" the green-haired demon asked in a nasty voice.

"I just did. Who the hell are you?"

The demon stared at me. "A demon. That is not made by that bastard Muzan and you."

"Then who made you?"

"Tamayo-sama."

My heart pounded in my chest. The demon seemed to take notice, and smirked very slightly at my fear.

"I don't have time for you," I said and pointed my sword at him.

Be careful, I told myself. If he's made by Tamayo, he could have her poisons with him.

I scanned his clothing.

If I cut him, will it release something connected to his body? My eyes narrowed. He's too confident. He 's willing to die a martyr if that means I'll be exposed to something troublesome to me ...

"Why ... did you bring me here ...?" I asked in a deliberate tone.

"To hold a discussion about the choices you have ... dearest Ubuyashiki family member." The demon gestured to the children behind the desk.

"Thank you, Yushiro," the dark-haired child said to the green-haired demon.

All of them ... they could have poison on their bodies, too, I thought as I scanned the children. My imagination began to get ahead of me as I pictured myself cutting the children with my sword, unleashing a smog of wisteria gas.

The dark-haired child stood up. "I am Ubuyashiki Kiriya. Your descendant."

I glared at him. I had a suspicion that the children were from that family. They all gave off the proper air of calmness formed by believing deep in their hearts that they were enlightened and could never be wrong.

"I have no descendants," I said. "You're my brother's descendant. He conveniently had the same name as you, too."

I think the only way to get rid of them is to use my Blood Demon Art ... that is, if they don't have some kind of salve made of wisteria absorbed into their skin ...

Kiriya smiled. His lips were a little shaky, as if he was just faking the confidence he was trying to show. "Yes. That's true. I am your brother's descendant. But Father always said, we are so connected to you that it's as if we all came from you."

"I'd never spawn such freaky looking kids such as yourselves."

"But your curse is killing us. So, we are your descendants in that way," Kiriya said.

"I don't care. Leave me alone."

"It is our duty to free ourselves and free you from the darkness you chose to be eaten by," one of the white-haired children, a girl, said.

"You have no such duties!" I exclaimed, almost laughing at the dialogue I found to be so ridiculous. "That's nothing but the brainwashing you've been passing down for over a thousand years now!" I looked intently at the children. "You have no idea what happened the day I had to set that curse on you!"

"But we do know," one of the white-haired girls said.

"You chose to live the life of a demon," the other white-haired girl said.

"And become an extension of Muzan!" Kiriya yelled.

Suddenly, I sensed Yushiro disappear from his spot by the desk and appear behind me, his energy flaring as if ready to attack. In a swift reaction, without thinking, I unleashed a tentacle from my body and stabbed him through the gut. As I felt him grab onto my tentacle, I shot it back into my body, spun around, and cut off his head with my sword. His head flew in the air behind him as it was severed from his body.

Get rid of those kids -- fast! I told myself in a hurry.

But, before I could turn around to attack them, I heard the sounds of three gunshots, followed by the stabbing pain of being hit by the bullets.

One in my left shoulder, one in my right shoulder, and one just below my neck.

Fuck! I thought as my eyes shone red and I bore my fangs. They're using those pistol things!

My upper body felt stiff, but I started to turn around. I gripped my sword, preparing to unleash Sun Breathing on the kids.

But then, just as I was about to face them, the bullets in my body felt like they exploded. Even though my body remained in one piece, the pain was unbearable, and it felt like something hot and burning was shooting everywhere. I screamed. My upper body caved into itself as it stung and burnt at the same time.

The bullets were definitely laced with wisteria and some other poison.

Just kill them! Kill them! Kill them! Whatever it takes!

I looked towards the kids, and was met with a row of their smiling, content faces.

This is the trap! There won't be something else!

The pain at the spot where the bullet hit under my neck started to spread down my spine.

I'm scared! I'm scared they'll try to rot my body with whatever's in these bullets!

My left hand fiddled with my shirt, trying to find the flute Kokushibou had given me.

Michikatsu!

I rose my sword.

Michi, you better find me!

I grabbed the flute.

I don't ... want to die ...!

"Sun Breathing: First Form!"

The three kids froze in shock after hearing me say "Sun Breathing".

At the same time I put the flute to my mouth to blow, I unleashed a twirling cycle of flames towards the three kids.