My Brightest Flame (Rengoku X Reader)

Chapter 21 - Into the Fire

A/N: I was very sleep deprived when writing this, I'm currently moving and packing is overwhelming. Also sorry if the chapter isn't too great, action scenes aren't my best suit. I would love advice on how to improve if anyone knows!

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It was if that one scream was magical. As if the heartache, the agony it contained also stored a mystical ability. The mother screamed for the definite loss of her son, as she did all the candles in the village had gone out. People awoke from the trance with gasps, the humble location becoming extremely horrifying. The small demon hissed in rage, still refusing to utter a word. Maybe he couldn't.

Within a second y/n blocked the attack of the raging creature. It happened so fast, but when the people around them registered the occurrence they started to sprint away. It was safe to say they strongly regretted outcasting the demon slayer now, as she was the only one preventing them from becoming live meat for the demon creature that had corrupted their town.

With y/n's efficiency she was able to block the attacks easily enough. Initiating an attack however was way more difficult as she searched for an opening. The struggle pushed her back in a pattern she hadn't noticed at first. Not even thinking about the fact that a child sized demon shouldn't have been this difficult. If y/n wanted any hope of being successful in this mission she'd need to reassess the situation. When, finally, she had a window to attack she used it to push the creature back, creating a distance that allowed her to figure out what was happening around them. She frowned as she attempted to think fast, she didn't even have that many seconds to figure out the problem after all. The people running away frantically never helped either.

At the last millisecond she was able to understand as she blocked another attempt to kill her. The candles. He was relighting them as he attacked, regaining control as he did. Multitasking as he swiped at her with clawed hands, the more he attacked the more he changed into what he truly was. Abruptly the demon came to a halt, screeching out as he begged for the chance to prove himself worthy. Who he was begging, y/n didn't know. She was just grateful for the distraction, even if the creature was deafening when it finally chose to speak.

"Galaxy Breathing: third form." Y/N took this opportunity to get some sort of comeback going. "Chiral Ice Blast!" Her sword flew towards the demon's neck, bright quartz white and cinnabar red ice crystals reflected in the sky as the attack landed, but not on its mark. The monster had returned to reality just in time to protect itself from dying, the failure launching y/n into a building of wood and paper. She grunted in pain as she struggled with the impact, the leg of a chair poking into her. For a moment her eyesight was blurry, before it focused and she noticed that her attack wasn't entirely pointless. The ice reached far enough that it would instantly melt over any candles, extinguishing the flames that caused the mind control. At least she was a little bit successful...

"Miss demon slayer, are you alright?" She was slowly regaining her composure as she looked to the restaurant owner and the "father" of the demon.

"Y-you should go. He will kill you..." She forced herself to move, slowly at first.

"We want to apologize for not listening to you before..." One spoke, helping her up.

"And to let you know that we will help with evacuation, so please do not worry about the civilians." The other dragged the chair away.

There wasn't a chance to respond as the demon appeared quickly, getting in her face. It was another close call as she was able to defend with her sword and sent it back a bit. Focused on the demon, it never gave her a chance to interact with the other people. But she kept it busy enough that it wouldn't go for them instead. A grunt of pain left her lips as she moved to block again, attempting an attack in turn. Still delirious, the attempt to fight back caused her to stumble. The next thing she knew was that she was on the other side of the room. It had kicked her with such an impact that she could feel blood pour out of her mouth a little as she coughed.

An explosion of bright fire appeared in one of the corners of the room, the flames feasting on the decor and framing of the home. It felt impossible for her to move her body from the weight of injuries, and she hissed as she forced herself onto one knee. In turn the kid demon gave a laugh and a playful smirk before running up the steps. A growl escaped y/n as she forced her body to work, sprinting after it before the flames ate at the staircase. The way back down had become blocked as she climbed to the roof just in time before the fire would have made it inaccessible.

Gazing down from the roof she steadied herself, gasping as the air was replaced by black smoke. The grinning demon taunting her to dare attack him now. Y/N frowned, ready to finish this fight here before anymore damage could be done. The air however, it effected her breathing. It would be difficult to pull anything off if she didn't somehow gain some oxygen. But as she searched for the clearest air, she realised she was trapped in the fog of smoke and ash. The air only becoming thicker as she wasted time losing breath. This next move would have to be the last if she wanted any chance of making it. The demon blocked the way onto the next roof, where the air would begin to clear up and she could breathe again. Taking a wobbly step forward, she almost dashed towards the demon. In between them the roof collapsed, becoming consumed in a pit of roaring fire, a certain death for someone who was only a human.

It was a huge gap, enhanced by her sight blurring. Y/N had no choice, if she didn't do this, she would suffocate. The leap to reach that demon, she could only hope she would make it. Her heart ached at the idea of never seeing Kyojuro again, of never achieving her goal. But it was better to try than just give up. So with what strength she had left, she focused. She held her breath, using all the air she had left to place her all into one last attack. The strongest move she had developed. Moving into a sprint she thought of the move in her head, gathering momentum as she prepared herself for the jump that risked everything.

'Galaxy Breathing: Sixth Form.'

So determined on her goal of killing the demon, who had once again began begging to some mysterious higher being for its life, made her so focused on the neck to notice that she had just barely made the leap. The fire roared behind her as she landed. If she was even a second later it would have hurt her severely. Not that she wasn't already physically exhausted and broken. Her grip on her sword tightened once more as she focused on the strike.

'Supernova!'

The weapon effectively met its target, getting through the whole neck of the demon with only a little bit of resistance. Light blasted from the attack as it boomed and echoed throughout the air.

Y/N didn't recall closing her eyes, but once the reopened all she saw was the headless figure before her. She had done it. She had killed a lower moon. Air.

A step forward was all she could make towards her new goal before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, closing as she fainted. She felt weightless as her body dropped backwards into the flaming pit...

So close...