Chapter 23: A Hard Battle

3rd POV. Yoshiwara District.

Now that there are two Upper Six, a demon who is two in one.

Daki: So what? Your other Hashira is ravaged with poison!

Tanjiro: Poison?

Tengen: We're still going to win!

Akito: You know.......

Akito whose blade began to turn to crimson red and surrounded by crimson to orange maple leaves, gets to his stance.

Akito: ...........

In a blink of an eye, he disappeared.....

Daki: !?

Gyuutarou: What—

And then reappeared.......behind Daki.

Daki: !?

Akito is about to behead her but Daki manipulates her obi to attack Akito, until.....all of them was severed.

Daki: What!?

Akito: Shit! Her reaction speed is fast! Or rather, how did she......

Akito: I see......I initially thought that would be the case!

Akito surprisingly kicks Daki away and sent her further from their location.

Gyuutarou: Don't you dare kick my sister—

Gyuutarou lunges at the Leaf Hashira with his sickles.....yet was intercepted by Tengen and Tanjiro.

Tengen: Kaedehara! Leave the sickle demon to us!

Tanjiro: Go!

Akito: Zenitsu! Inosuke! With me!

Akito sped up with Inosuke and Zenitsu towards the location where Daki was sent flying.

Until a belt came towards them with high speed.

Akito: Ha no Kokyu - Shi no kata.

Akito sheathed his sword and drew it to unleash his strongest form.

Akito: Kaedehara!

A field of maple leaves manifested and when the belt entered the field, it quickly disintegrated by the autumn winds within the field.

Inosuke: Woah! I wanna do that too!

Daki: You accursed half-demon!

Daki gathered her belts to form a giant ball and launched it towards the three demon slayers.

Akito's fourth form wasn't enough to sever all the belts and then was forced to jump towards the roof.

Inosuke: Tch!

Daki pursued them to the roof, until a sleepwalking Zenitsu intercepted Daki, and cancelled each other's attack.

Zenitsu: Zzzzzzzz......

Akito: I still can't believe he can sleep while fighting like that.

Landing on opposite sides.......Daki scowled upon Zenitsu.

Daki: You! You're the one from......!

Zenitsu: I have something to say to you. Apologize to the girl whom you hurt by pulling her ear.

Daki: Huh?

Zenitsu: Even if it was your earnings.....

Zenitsu: ....that provided them with their basic needs, that still doesn't make those girls your belongings.

Zenitsu: You have no right to do whatever you want to them.

Akito: Zenitsu's voice is calm, yet I can sense his hatred. So Daki did something cruel......to a child......?

Daki: Don't bore me with your stupid lecture!

Daki: In what world does someone as ugly as you get to speak to me an an equal?

Daki: In this city, women are merchandise. The same as objects. Getting sold, bought and destroyed.

Daki: The owner is free to do with them as she chooses.

Daki: Ugly people have no right to eat meals. The inept shouldn't be treated as humans!

Akito: How dare you speak such things.

Akito: Prostitution, probably one of the oldest professsions of human history.

Akito: Women getting sold, being bought by men who wanted pleasure. However, this job is too risky, especially for women.

Akito: I even heard that when the owners aren't satisfied anymore, they'll be thrown away or worse, killed.

Akito: My ancestors sought to stop this madness by providing decent jobs for these women like weaving, cooking, household, and many more decent jobs that could earn them a decent living.

Akito: Is that the cruelty of your view upon this world?

Akito: I know how cruel this world can be. But it doesn't mean you must be cruel yourself.

Akito: Instead of cruelty, we must be better than that!

Akito: That is what my father taught me. We must be better! For our own sake, for the people around us, and for the future generations.

Zenitsu: You shouldn't do the same horrible things to others that were done to you.

Daki: You're wrong about that.

Akito: What the!? Did I just hear two voices? That means.......

Daki/Gyuutarou: The horrible things done to us......the things that made us suffer.......

Daki/Gyuutarou: We do them back to others and collect on those debts.

Daki/Gyuutarou: We can never make up for our own misfortune unless we collect it from the blessed.

Daki/Gyuutarou: Because that's the way we live our lives!

A third eye opened on Daki's forehead, and from the first sight of it, Akito figured out that eye is what links the siblings to one another, or rather what links from Daki to Gyuutarou.

Daki/Gyuutarou: We've killed off everyone who's ever leveled fasle accusations at us, right?

Daki/Gyuutarou: We're going to slash your windpipes just like we did to the others.

Daki immediately summoned her belts and pierced the roof below us.

Akito: !?

Akito: Of course! She'll assist her brother to fight. In that case.....

Akito: If those blood sickles will also coming for us who are above......

Akito: Then......I'll leave it to Zenitsu and Inosuke to cut off Daki's head. While I protect them from Gyuutarou's blood sickles.

Daki: Hahahahaha!

Inosuke finally arrives on the roof and was shocked to see Daki.

Inosuke: Huh? Three eyes!?

Akito: Keep your guards up. Fighting an Upper Moon, let alone two of them......

Akito: This is not just a battle. This is war.

Daki: I can see everything! All of your movements!

Daki: Now that my brother's awake, what you're seeing now is my true power!

Akito: Alright, that's it. Forget about being the support. I'll have to be the main attacker!

Akito: My mother already awakened the power within me, and I already created new forms for my swordsmanship.

Inosuke: Shut up! Stop screeching in that damn shrill voice!

Akito: Zenitsu, Inosuke, ready yourselves! I'll take the lead in this battle.

Daki also began to attack with her obi.

Akito: Incoming!

Akito: Ha no kokyu, Ni no kata!

Akito gets into his stance to gather powerful winds.

Daki: Useless!

Akito instantly jumps to a great height which he evaded the belts while Zenitsu and Inosuke began to fend off Daki's belt.

Daki: !?

Akito: Now!

Finding the spot where most of the belts intersect.....

Akito draws his sword, with the winds and leaves around it glowing into bright red.

Akito: Breath of Leaves - Second Form, Midare Ranzan!

When he plunged through that intersecting point, Daki's belts was shredded into pieces due to the strong winds of Akito's form and the leaves that became as sharp as his sword that cuts through everything.

Daki: What is this power!? He's as strong as that damned traitor but his power is different!? What is going on!?

Akito followed up his attack.....

Akito: First Form, Fall!

Daki: !?

Daki intercepted this time by creating new belts to trap Akito.....

Only to be thwarted by......

Zenitsu: Thunder Breathing - First Form.

Inosuke: Beast Breathing - Third Fang!

Zenitsu lands a swift and clean strike, while Inosuke rips the belts.

Daki: !?

Daki: YOU BRATS!

Daki summoned another set of belts to target Zenitsu and Inosuke.

Akito: No, you don't!

Akito: Third Form, Chihayaburu!

With the enhancement of Akito's powers, his third form seemingly stopped time for a single moment, until a severed leaf appeared on Daki's vision and before she knew it, her torso was split into her lower half.

Daki: *gasp*

Akito: Now—

Akito: !?

Akito sensed it, a blood sickle is coming towards his position, from below. He took a step back and he was right.

A blood sickle did came, and another blood sickle followed Zenitsu and Inosuke as well.

Inosuke: Damn it! Do not get it hit with these blood sickles! I feel something bad about these!

Akito: They're layered in poison! Just a scratch and you're dead!

Daki recoverd from Akito's attack and her attacks became far more relentless.

Daki: That will only be just a fluke!

Zenitsu: Kaedehara-senpai, these belts are on the way, we have to give you another opening!

Akito: Easier said than done!

Akito: We also got the bloody sickles coming after us.

Akito: My leaves won't be enough to hold off these belts and blood sickles.

Inosuke: Damn it!

Inosuke: Use your damn power—

Akito: I'm reserving my strength! If I use too much you know what can happen, right!?

Daki: Hahahahaha! Even you have a strength of a demon and their abilities, you're still a half-breed!

Akito: I'd better be careful to make a fool out of Daki and Gyuutarou.

Akito: Truth is, my endurance has improved.

Akito: With my mother's blood fully balancing my demon and human blood.

Akito: I can totally use my blood demon art consecutively and in a much more longer period of time.

Akito: Thanks to that training as well!

Akito also sensed that the battle against Gyuutarou is getting fiercer.

Akito: Damn it. These belts are getting in the way!

Inosuke: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Inosuke went for a rush but was barred by the belts and was almost trapped, only to be saved by Akito.

Zenitsu: Inosuke! Calm down! There's absolutely no reason for us to cut them down at the same time!

Akito noticed that Tengen is about to decapitate Gyuutarou.

Akito: As long as can just keep both of their heads away from their bodies!

Zenitsu: Senpai! Just focus on getting an opening!

Akito: I'm already trying yet the winds of opening are constantly changing!

Akito: I can't make a clear path!

Their situation is also becoming more dire. Akito can't unleash his blood demon art so recklessly as he needs a clear opening to make a move.

On the other hand, Tengen and Tanjiro failed to behead Gyuutarou. The demon began to unleash a technique that covers his whole body, it forced Tengen to take him and the demon away from Tanjiro and Hinatsuru.

However, Akito and his group began to back away to protect Tanjiro and Hinatsuru.

Zenitsu: Kaedehara-senpai, we'll take care of this!

Akito: But—

Inosuke: Leave the worm woman to us! The old man needs your help!

Tanjiro: Uzui-san has been poisoned.....

Akito: What about you, Tanjiro!? Can you still move in that condition!?

Tanjiro: Yes! Thanks for treating it earlier! Go, Kaedehara-san! Uzui-san needs your help!

Hinatsuru: Please!

Akito: Alright! Good luck you three!

Akito disappeared and this time, he joined the fray against the battle with Gyuutarou.

Akito: Breath of Leaves, Fifth Form!

Gyuutarou is still busy fighting Tengen, as for the latter......he smiled because this time, he's going to fight alongside a demon slayer that earned his respect.

Tengen: Changed tactics, huh. Then.....

Akito snuck in a fast attack that left Gyuutarou with severed limbs.

Gyuutarou: What!? Wait, this isn't that shinobu's attack? What's going—

Akito suddenly appeared and is going for the neck.

Gyuutarou: !!

Akito: Third Form.....

Gyuutarou: Oh......no.....you.....don't!

A blood blade immediately manifested from Gyuutarou's body and interrupted Akito's deadly strike and forced him to step back.

Akito: Tch! This bastard!

Gyuutarou: YOU.......!

Tengen: Kaedehara! Let's finish this!

Akito: YEAH!

Gyuutarou: I WON'T LET YOU CUT MY HEAD!

Gyuutarou regenerated his limbs back and unleashed a huge blood sickle to separate the two hashira.

Tengen: Damn it! He's going to separate Kaedehara and I in order to maintain his advantage!

Tengen rushed to Gyuutarou and resumed his assault.

Akito however followed with his managing to nullify the blood sickles.

Gyuutarou: GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!

In a fit of rage, Gyuutarou unleashed his Rotating Blood Sickles on Akito.

Akito: Fourth Form, Kaedehara!

He managed to block the attack, but it pushed him back and crashed to a building that was destroyed due to the impact of being thrown away.

Tengen: Shit! I have to hold my ground here until he recovers!

As for Akito.....he crashed into another building......

And got stuck under the debris.

Akito: Tch....damn it! Those blades are a problem. My blood demon art is just cancelling it out if they are too condensed or moving in a fast and rotating manner, like a whirlpool.

Carefully removing the debris on top of him, he took the time to recover.

Akito: Everyone, hold on......!

Once recovered, he's about to join the fray once again but the ground suddenly rumbled.

The building he's inside began to completely fall apart.

Akito: I need to get out of here first!

He escaped from the crumbling building in the nick of time, as it went crashing down on the ground.

Akito: *cough* *cough*

The dust eventually got cleared and what Akito is currently witnessing right now, a section of the Yoshiwara District engulfed in flames.

Buildings reduced to nothing.....and in the process of burning or crumbling apart.

Akito:  So much destruction.....

Akito: .....

Akito: The wind.....

Akito: The wind is full of suffering.....and blood.....

Akito: I got to go where the Upper Six Demons are......!

Akito: If the four of them are down, and I'm the only one left standing......

Akito: Hurry!

And so.....

Akito delves into the the depths of destruction.

Leading to the to the Decisive Battle against the Upper Six demons.

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