Torigoya Onsen
Torigoya Onsen

@Randomguy@King Kindred@xAlter@Haha@Aku the Samurai@Taka@Arminwraith@Lewascan2

^{Present Time, After Keodis Ordeal
Rogue Demon Hunter, Tomioka Guen}
As Himari took a dip & splashed in the comforting onsen waters, she's met with a familiar cold yet soothing voice.


Guen with her usually unintentional coldly demeaning exterior, rubbing people the wrong way.

Something between their fates intertwining as sisters-in-law, opened their shared bond with Hikaru & their strained relationship. They'ren't exactly in speaking terms & were always at odds even when Hikaru was still alive, two opposing personalities and the mediator, now gone. Unknown to what may pin them against each other's throats as water & oil.

Since the death of Hikaru, Guen's relinquished her Captain duties & passed on the mantle to the Dragon Hashira. At least in terms of higher admin tasks, making the more stressful for the latter, which wasn't formally approved. She ghosted most of the people she loved and those that she worked with.



Her words piercing through Himari's skin like some cold insult that she didn't quite mean.

---

"I sense that Oyakata-sama ain't here, you can send my regards. Oh well, I guess it really can't be helped."

_Narrator
Former Deputy Commander of Tokyo Branch's Demon Slayer Corps and its Hashira leader, Tomioka Guen has gone rogue since the death of Tsugikuni Hikaru.

Rumors of Guen were large.

It's said that she went on a rampage when Hikaru died, having done a roadkill on the streets of Tokyo with a Nichirin Car.

Guen has said to have committed manslaughter of over 30 innocents in her rampage against her husband's killer.

She encountered the Yatsuchizuki's Blood Moon 2, Rikyo, with her own infobroking efforts, back and forth with Muragarasu and Ryunoko Keodis.

Reports also mentioned that she has also committed violence against the streets, having murdered businessmen and Yakuza, hanging their corpses on lamp posts, in cold blood.

It's said that she also killed Tsugikuni Itachi, Himari's cousin, an asshole he may be, and whatever the implications, he was still family.

Guen has not yet been registered as a criminal despite her offenses, Takaya paid well to keep her hidden.

The Kyoto Branch Board of Directors, on the other hand, has went against Takaya's pleas.

Guen is wanted across Japan by all Corps, she is to be captured.

Once captured, she is to be executed.

---

"That essence in your bloodstream, Soryu." Guen recognized with her Transparent World vision, seeing it all.

"It seems that Kenzō has find successors. About time. Could have been sooner, that way, my husband could've lived."

Miyuki and Guen got into a catfight.

"DONT SAY A WORD AGAINST MY FATHER!"

"Woah. Always the emotive one are ya. Your foolish dad is the reason why so many Corps members died. Anyways, fuck you if you wanna fight, I'll go see Dr. Rengoku later for a radiation checkup. So fuck off, you damn brat bitch."

Miyuki used her Demon Slayer Mark, she got a compass pattern in her arms, quickly delivering a Suzuwari against Guen.

Guen didn't Mark, she evaded and used her towel as a chokehold on Miyuki's throat.

"I can already tell you're rattled. I'll let her go, shall we have peace or do y'all want me to tear you into pieces.

Her bloodlust rises and the air around them becomes cold, her aura, oozing bloodlust that can be felt in 20m radius.

---

Hours Earlier...

After that bloodlusted display that Keodis demonstrated.

Guen had the establishment surrounded by her own Yakuza with guns.

"There is no goodwill, the strong takes from the weak and the weak submits."

"Tch... getting near you, makes me sick to the core. I hate losers who waste their potential over pleasures. I have a useful information..let us get down to business regarding Yuwaku Reiha and the Funeral Parlor."

As usual, Guen ignores the feelings of others and refused to apologize.

---

Present...
Keodis is outside of the Torigoya Onsen, Guen making him indirectly jealous by going to his rival, Muragarasu.

Kairi Uzui

---

Kairi smelled the scent of blood before hearing the bells shifting the kunoichi into a state of alarm that filled the room.

"An attack!" Kairi yelled to everyone in the room as she took out her blades, a pair of wakazashi hidden in her jacket's sleeve. "Get Takaya and Kenzo-sama into the hidden room, the rest folllow me!" she yelled as she began sprinting to the door. Those who followed her will begin hearing her mumbling.

"Footsteps are mostly from our side, enemy appears to stationary, no sounds of gunshot, demon presence is likely. Priority is to search for cover and determine enemy's general direction."

With a plan quickly set in her mind she went outside moving to the sounds of the guards mounting a defense and see the direction of how a corpse fell. If the enemy remains stationary...

Then its time to hunt her prey.

The demon would see the tall frame of Kairi as she moves quickly and charge at his direction. She hasn't seen him yet but catching her off guard appears to be an impossibility right now.

Within the Onsen was a lovely bar that served many patron, selling only the finest of sake and other liquors. The Rumble Hashira enjoyed the establishment quite often, having visited many a times, giving him all the knowledge of what drink was worth his money. An alcoholic? No. A connoisseur? Well those would be the words he would choose to use. Instead of sitting at the bar itself or a table, he preferred one of the special areas that represented the past and culture of Japan. He was kneeled, sitting on his legs, in-front of a small wooden table. A bottle sake sat before him next to a rice ball with a ginger sauce in a small bowl for him to dip his rice ball in. The cup was placed in his right hand with his left underneath, his palm supporting the cup as he drank from it. A calm washed over his body as he took a sip, taking a deep breath after he swallowed.

"It feels nice to relax after training."

Kousai was glad to relax. Lately life had been so rough with the constant demon attacks, jobs that he's had to do for the Yakuza, and he really needed a break from everything. His eyes scanned the room as he watched all the patrons. The owner did a good job of running the Onsen, Kousai having met them a few times, enjoying their company. He did plan to save just enough sake for Himari as that girl would probably strangle him if she knew he had drank all his sake without her. Right now he felt like nothing could break the peace he felt.

Suddenly he felt it, the sheer bloodlust hitting him like a brick wall, his mind instantly identifying what he felt, it was a bloodlust that he had felt before. "Guen." Kousai spoke underneath his voice, lightly putting his sake cup down. He stood up and stormed over to the source, ignoring the sign that read, "Women's bath" as he didn't care if it meant stopping a potential fight. Pushing past anyone in his way, he entered the spring, his eyes catching the sight of Guen choking Miyuki with her towel, her words traveling through his ears.

"Or you can fight me if you so like." Kousai said sternly, both hands on his katana, daring Guen to continue her acts of aggression.

---

Jae-eun's head tilted, just slightly, his single eye tracking upward. The electrical lines sagging across the street were heavy with weight that shouldn't be there. Ravens. Dozens of them, perched in perfect, unnatural stillness. No rustling of feathers. No caws. No heartbeats. His enhanced hearing, sharpened through years of Total Concentration Breathing, picked up nothing from the birds. Not the flutter of life, not even the faint pulse of blood through veins. They were props. Stage dressing. A message, or perhaps a surveillance network. Either way, they weren't natural, and they certainly weren't alive.

Then came the wave.

From inside the onsen, a pressure descended like winter itself had crawled out of the water and wrapped its fingers around the world. Cold. Brutal. Suffocating. It radiated outward in a twenty-meter sphere, and even standing outside, Jae-eun felt it prickle against his skin like frost on glass. Bloodlust. Raw, unfiltered, and devastatingly familiar.

Guen.

His smile didn't falter, but something behind his eye sharpened. The former Deputy Commander. The rogue Hashira. The woman who had more rumoers than truths to her right now. His comrade, not former comrade, never former comrade. Grief took many forms and to belittle Guen's was to make light of his own. He wouldn't do that to her, or to Hikaru's death.

Takaya had shielded her from criminal prosecution, but the Kyoto Branch had issued a capture-and-execution order. She was wanted. Dangerous. And now, apparently, picking a fight with Miyuki in the women's bath, if the sounds were to be believed.

"Of course she is," Jae-eun murmured to himself, his tone light, almost amused. "Why wouldn't she be?"

Then, movement.

His gaze snapped to the approaching figure. A man, walking with purpose toward the onsen entrance. Jae-eun's hearing zeroed in immediately. Footsteps—measured, deliberate. Breathing—steady, controlled. The thrum of the man's blood was loud, violent, and angry. Jae-eun's fingers flexed at his sides, the scarlet ore dust still humming faintly in his veins. The man was a demon. A high-ranking one, judging by the confidence in his stride and the complete absence of nervousness.

Ryunoko Keodis, the Western Dragon.

Guen had been getting information from somewhere. Despite the rumors, Jae-eun knew Guen, or at least he thought so. She never moved without purpose, without direction, and someone was giving her info. The Corp had many brokers, but this one, Jae-eun recognized as he got closer. A former Upper Moon. And now this demon was here, drawn by the bloodlust, by jealousy, or simply by the opportunity to cause chaos. Or perhaps...

Jae-eun let a frown cross his face briefly as the scuffle continued inside. Whatever the reason, Jae-eun couldn't let him get any closer to the onsen. Not with Tenko inside. Not with Himari inside. Not with Guen already on the verge of tearing Miyuki apart. Not with the powder keg of tension that was about to explode.

Jae-eun stepped forward, placing himself casually but deliberately in the demon's path. His smile remained bright and pleasant, his posture relaxed, his hands loose at his sides. To an outside observer, he looked like a friendly local offering directions.

"Ah! Good evening!" Jae-eun called out, his voice warm and cheerful. "You must be looking for the main entrance. It's actually around the other side. Easy mistake to make! The signage here is terrible, isn't it? Very confusing for first-time visitors." He gestured vaguely to the left, as if helpfully redirecting a lost tourist. But his single eye was locked onto Keodis, sharp and assessing. His weight had shifted, almost imperceptibly, into the balls of his feet. His right hand, still hanging loosely, was angled just so—ready to snap into Suzuwari at a moment's notice.

"The men's side is closed for maintenance tonight, unfortunately," Jae-eun continued, his tone still light, still friendly. "Such bad timing, I know! But there's another onsen about two kilometers down the road. Much nicer, actually. Better view as well. I'd be happy to give you directions if you'd like."

His smile widened, his head tilting in that guileless, almost childlike way that made him seem harmless. But beneath the pleasant facade, his mind was cataloging everything. The demon's posture. His breathing pattern. The faint scent of blood that clung to him like cologne. The way his gaze flickered toward the onsen entrance, hungry and intent. The air hummed, and Jae-eun realized with a startle their was something off about this demon.

"Or," Jae-eun added, his voice dropping just a fraction—still cheerful, but with a subtle undercurrent, "you could tell me what you're really here for. That works too! I'm a very good listener." His hand twitched, just once. The faintest echo of explosive force hummed through his knuckles, a promise wrapped in a smile.

---

"G-Guen-san? What are you doing here?" Tenko stammered as she saw Guen leisurely taking a bath at the onsen, as if there was no standing order to bring her into custody to possibly be executed.

She, of course, had heard about how she snapped after the death of her fiancé. A Demon Slayer going rogue to the point of what she did was a huge deal, considering their policy on keeping their existence secret. No normal person without being able to use breathing technique would be able to go on a killing spree as Guen did, after all.

The problem was even more exacerbated by the fact that she was a Hashira, the highest-ranking member of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Losing a fiancé would certainly be a cause for grief, a deep one. But if the rumours were true, that was no excuse to slaughter innocents. Even if she only killed the yakuza members, they were still people who might have repented for their sins. The only times when killing is permitted were in self-defence or when they have no other options, such as how Tenko saw the act of slaying a demon.

And such was the case with Guen. Tenko would rather that she make amends rather than be executed. Still...if she really went on a rampage the way she did indicated that she was not in a good mental headspace, and possibly unstable, so they should tread lightly here.

"Guen-san...umm...I'm glad to see you're okay, but—"

As Tenko was in the middle of her reply, Guen turned to Miyuki and provoked the young girl, before Miyuki shouted back in vehemence.

"Guen-san, Miyuki-chan, maybe you two can—"

Ignoring Tenko, Miyuki attacked Guen—or at least attempted to—before the Hashira deftly avoided her attacks, before strangling Miyuki with her towel. Immediately, a chilly wave of bloodlust filled the onsen. An intense feeling of being frozen in place, as if standing in a calm yet deadly wintry land covered in permafrost.

At that moment, faced with Guen's intense bloodlust, even for a split second, her mind couldn't help but wander to the unsavoury rumours about Guen. Filled with worry for Miyuki, she moved. At the same time, a man rushed into the onsen, carrying a katana.

Tenko's eyes briefly glanced at the man. The Rumble Hashira. She never met him personally, but she had heard of him. After a brief grateful nod at the man, she turned back to Guen.

"Guen-san, please...release Miyuki-chan, and we can all talk things through. There's no need to get into a fight here."

---

Himari chose to ignore Guen's words and instead closed her eyes in response. She hoped that if she didn't see her she would eventually disappear as if she were never there in the first place. But of course things couldn't be so simple. Guen was insistent on antagonizing someone, even if it wasn't her. She was starting to wonder what Hikaru had seen in her. She thought about the rumors that were circulating around Kyoto about her actions in response to his death. He wouldn't have approved of any of it and wouldn't have married someone that he believed to be capable of such reprehensible actions and until she had evidence to the contrary she was inclined to believe her brother's standards than just rumors.

But then Guen had to go and push Miyuki to attack her. When Guen's bloodlust was released she opened her eyes with a sigh to see a marked Miyuki being choked by Guen's towel. So much for relaxing. She stood up and was about to step in when Kousai came running as if he were some knight in shining armor trying to protect three more than capable women. She glanced down at her naked body and all rational thought escaped her mind as she jumped to the wrong conclusion and launched herself into the air to kick him back into the women's changing room while yelling, "You stupid pervert!" She landed gracefully as if the floor beneath her wasn't wet and turned back to the real issue at hand. "Guen, you've overstayed your welcome. Leave and go to your radiation appointment. We came here to relax after a very long day of training. You came in here and started problems. We didn't come here to fight anyone. Let Miyuki go, now."

Daikaku Shrine, Funachi Skyward
Daikaku Shrine, Funachi Skyward

@Digmata@TimelessParagon@Lewascan2@13org

^{3 Hours Earlier...}
In his limousine, the childlike Takaya hummed a lullaby on a falsetto scale yet his voice blends harmoniously in both masculine and feminine recital.

Black Ford Mazda Cars were in convoy, they were the Hinoe.


Seatbelts fastened and the prepared hot green tea's reflection, glistening from the carside's mirror. The youngmaster fell fast asleep like a pretty little baby - with him during this last 3 hours before the Daikaku Onslaught, were two elite Hashiras, and the Sakasachi Doctor. Uzui Kairi, Kamado Ryunosuke, Kuwajima Raikou & a battled Kakushi, Dr. Rengoku Hinotora & Former Wind Hashira, Soyama Kenzō.

Takaya's Raven, Bayashi, gave the briefing to the participants.


Bayashi is on the shoulder of his fast asleep Master, always on the guard.


Takaya woke up, his Clairvoyance has always been accurate.

---

^{Present Day}
Kenzō managed to snap Ryunosuke out of his misery, the young man moved at mach speed, faster than lightning, the moment he spotted the enemy with his Transparent World.

Even with one hand, Kenzo managed to protect Daikaku Monks and the remaining Hinoe.

As it rained Blood Demon Art, it was toxic.

Takaya used his comms. and had Hinotora take action.

_Flashback
"I've got a vision, that Demon Lord will most likely cause an onslaught, I need you to protect the Sun Hashira at all costs, but it doesn't mean I'm telling you to forsake other lives in the process, look at Guen go, I have a hunch that Keodis and Muragarasu will be there, after you're done, bring everyone with you to the Onsen."

Now.
Takaya is hiding at a Blindspot, in an adjacent building/skyscraper he got his sniper rifle, ready to shoot, assuming Ryoshu gets back up.

"I've evacuated the buildings. I have a bad inkling, should I pull the bomb? Should I let Kamado make a run for it? Many possibilities..."

---

^{En route to the Daikaku Shrine...}

The soothing scent of green tea filled the air inside the limousine with what should have been an aura of relaxation, and yet... Hinotora didn't feel very relaxed at all. Sitting amongst at least three Hashira-class members of the Demon Slayer Corps along with the snoozing leader of the entire Tokyo Branch, she found herself tense enough to have to focus on her breathing to stay calm.

Click-shink. Fhwish. Shoo. Fhwish. Shoo.

She didn't let it show on her face, but her unease was written large by the way she toyed with the flame of the lighter in her hand. Rather than tapping her foot, Hinotora "fidgeted" by being productive, as the lighter's flame flickered, swelling and waning in size in time with her breathing.

Really, this arrangement wasn't too unusual. As the Tsuguko of the Dragon Hashira, she'd attended at least a couple meetings of this caliber before. And even though Jae-jiji was rather casual about the whole arrangement, there were still some minimal standards they were both expected to meet. But even so...

Even though this was ostensibly supposed to be a standard high-security pickup for critical demon slaying supplies, something felt different. On paper, Hinotora knew this was important, important enough that the entire matter had been referred to as immensely confidential, but to have Takaya personally involved?

Is this normal, to have this many high-profile figures involved in this? she wondered internally. It was her first time being involved in this process, so she honestly wasn't sure. Even though she'd handled many of those selfsame rare materials at some point in the Butterfly Mansion, she'd never been shown where they were sourced from before.

Privileges of being a Tsuguko now, I guess...

Shaking her head, Hinotora was prepared to dismiss her concerns as paranoia, when the sleeping Takuya's Raven abruptly broke the silence with a dreadful announcement.

Hinotora felt a chill crawl up her spine, as the Raven announced the true reason for such a gathering of powerful figures. A prediction. Worse, an official Prophesy. A foretelling of an ambush, of a massacre, of an inevitable conflict with the motherfucking Upper Moon 4. And though the Prophesy foretold victory, it also predicted a pyrrhic one.

The police would get involved? People would be captured? What about the delivery of critical supplies? Was the Daikaku Shrine about to be compromised?! A pyrrhic victory could mean far too many things for comfort. Literally anything was on the table. Would they kill the Upper Moon but lose the Shrine? Or would they save the Shrine but allow the Upper Moon to escape to try again? There were too many unknowns, and also...

Shink.

Hinotora's eyes hardened, as she closed the lighter in her hand with finality.

Capture was unacceptable. If the police -and thus the demons- managed to capture "all but one" here, they would have dealt a colossal blow to the core of the Tokyo's Demon Slayers. Who would escape? A Hashira? Takaya? Herself? Prophesy or no prophesy... that could not be allowed to happen. With that in mind, even with so precious little time to come up with a strategy to deal with an unfamiliar foe in an unfamiliar battlefield...

I don't care how absolute those prophesies are, I'll find a way through...

---

^{Shortly before the bloodbath...}

Hinotora was somewhat surprised to have Takaya approach her more clandestinely with special orders. She had to withhold a grimace at the need to protect that fuckwad Sun Hashira, but even so, she withheld her distaste and nodded in acknowledgement... even if confusion swirled inside her at what Takaya said next.

Muragarasu? Fucking Keodis? And Onsen?! What?! Those factors on their own already might have been concerning, but the volatile Water Hashira's involvement in the situation made the whole thing dangerously explosive. But more importantly...

After she was done? Was Takaya saying that she was the one that was going to escape police capture? That was... Considering how she might approach things, Hinotora couldn't say that didn't make sense, but she was a bit confused. If everyone else got captured, who exactly was she supposed to bring with her to the Onsen afterwards to defuse the Guen bomb? Was Takaya saying that his prophesy would actually be wrong?

Did he... lie about parts of it to manipulate the other participants? Is this underhanded OPSEC? Is he lying to me right now even in order to push me down a specific path? Is the prophesy itself misleading? Hearing it back then, it would sound like we'd get captured at the Shrine... but what if I'm actually leading the survivors into a trap at the Onsen? Surely, Takaya would know that though, right? Even at his most extreme, he wouldn't just toss us blindly to the slaughter, right?

Too many unknowns. Honestly, she really hated the concept of prophesies. Of the Fated. Of the Inevitable.

Fuck that shit. I'll make my own destiny, damn it!

Instead of voicing all those uneasy questions, however...

"If that's what you desire, Ubuyashiki-sama," Hinotora simply nodded, lips pursing. "I'll do my best to see as many of us survive as possible."

Worrying about what happened after the Shrine battle could wait. After all, nothing was truly certain, right? For now, Hinotora decided she had to focus on surviving. She was about to get involved with a clash with an Upper Moon, after all. Even more dangerously, she was being asked to most likely intervene very directly, given where she suspected the Sun Hashira would most likely get himself in trouble.

I'm being asked to potentially go head-to-head with an Upper Moon, even if only briefly. Can I do it? I've never even encountered a Lower Moon Consort, but my training with Jae-jiji seems to imply promising things. Yet... what does that matter? No post-Muzan Upper Moon has ever been slain, even with multiple Hashira against them. If I do this...

Hinotora's eyes hardened, as she steadied her resolve and grinned, feeling her body thrum with each breath.

Screw that. I'll survive. No matter what it takes, I'll do what needs to be done and make it out. So, I'm being faced with an Upper Moon? So what. I'm the motherfucking Phoenix Breather, damn it! It would be pretty embarrassing if I died to something like this, wouldn't it?!

---

^{Present day...}
As soon as the sentry's dying cry split the air, Hinotora was moving.

Third Phoenix Form: Fire Bird's Spirit...

Heat roared through her limbs like wildfire, sharpening her senses like a razor and sending strength surging through her bones, as she whirled around, coat whipping with the motion, and drew her longsword in the same flash of motion.

Wide eyes quickly catalogued the jerk of falling bodies, the way foliage began to sprout in bloody displays. She saw them flicker through the air, arrows that were near impossibly thin, carrying ridiculous force for their size, as they stuck in targets rather than penetrating straight through them. Other arrows were aimed not at specific targets but at areas, as they exploded in-

Shit!

A swarm of petal-shaped flesh shrapnel roared in from all sides, accompanied by a billowing ominous pink mist. Hinotora's eyes flashed around, seeing the Hashira deftly defend themselves, but... what about Takaya?!

Lunging for Takaya's position, Hinotora fell back on old basics and added her efforts as supplementation to Kenzo’s.

"Fourth Flame Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!" she bellowed, her sword igniting in a burning spiral, as Hinotora twisted around Takaya's body, trailing a curtain of billowing fire that crashed into the incoming mist and petals and burnt them to cinders before they could reach the Tokyo Oyakata. Finishing her motion with her body placed defensively between Takaya and the direction of the "arrows", she then shouted, "Get out of sight quickly, Takaya-sama! I'll cover you!"

Thankfully, Takaya seemed to have indeed prepared for this, as he moved with surety towards what Hinotora suspected was a planned destination, given his Clairvoyance. The Tsugoku accompanied him until she was sure he was out of an open line of fire, before swiftly returning to the fray.

"Fourth Flame Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"

Charging into the mist and deadly petals, Hinotora leaped overhead and wove between scrambling monks, trailing flames with another use of the Flame Style, as she did her best to burn away the mist and petals before they could reach whatever victims the former Wind Hashira’s own impressive defense wasn’t quite able to cover.

Between breaths, however, one arrow landed and exploded far too close for comfort, pink mist flooding over Hinotora's position with the sickly scent of blood, as she twisted in a whirling flip to evade the storm of sharp, cutting petals that lanced out towards her. A prick at her right wrist made her eyes narrow, as she felt her lungs protest at inhaling the mist.

Immediately, as hyper-aware of her body as her Phoenix Style made her, Hinotora detected the nature of the demon's attack. It worked fast, terrifyingly so, a poison entering her bloodstream with each inhalation, bristling with infectious menace. But far more concerning, however, was the actual wound she had taken.

As with the monks being attacked around her, she could see the wound begin to spout flora, as tiny wildflowers began to grow on her skin, spreading out from the point of infection. Looking around at those less lucky than her, Hinotora could already see many being twisted irrevocably, locked in a state of horrified agony, as they were transformed into plants inch by inevitable inch.

What a terrifying Blood Demon Art... So, this is what the prophesy must have meant by "Art"... How ugly.

"First Phoenix Form: Furnace Breathing! Second Phoenix Form: Flaming Rebirth!"

As she leapt out of the worst of the mist regardless, Hinotora focused on her breathing, stoking the flame burning in every cell of her body, as she sent a blast of cleansing heat rushing through her veins. The wound on her wrist sputtered, a burst of golden fire leaping from her flesh and incinerating the flowers blooming from her skin, the blood in the wound coagulating in a searing crackle, as it began to quickly heal over. All the while, the poison in her veins was flushed out in a flash, either burned up by her internal fire or absorbed by her Sakasachi blood.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hinotora centered herself, before diving back into the fray. A greater sense of confidence surged through her as well at having survived that. Honestly, if she had been any less proficient... Well, she wasn't sure even most of the Hashira here could have survived infection without amputating the infected area outright.

Is this why Takaya-sama assigned me to protect Ryunosuke? Because my Phoenix Style makes me one of the only people that can get close enough to help him and get out alive? That... is a lot of pressure. Speaking of which...

Her eyes barely caught the flicker of his movement, as the Sun Hashira blasted away in a blur of fire and fury, impacting a distant rooftop with a thunderclap. Immediately, the rain of demon arrows halted, as the Hashira clearly engaged the Upper Moon in close combat. Hinotora's eyes widened.

"Holy shit, I'm supposed to catch up to that?" she muttered incredulously under her breath. Eye twitching, she cast her gaze around at the wounded and dying, remembering Takuya's orders.

You can't save everyone, huh...

Grip tightening on her sword, Hinotora rushed towards the front gate.

Time was of the essence, and as much as she disliked him, the Sun Hashira was a critical asset. Allowing him to die would be a massive blow, both in hard power and morale, especially so soon after the last Moon Hashira's death. But even so, even if she didn't have time to stay back and help everyone...

There's something I can still do to save the most people possible.

In a flicker of movement, Hinotora was outside, eyes scanning until she located the allied demons Takaya had brought along and more specifically...

"Hey! Hold still!" she called, as she rushed up to the demon responsible for the barrier, flames beginning to flicker around her body. "This is going to hurt like fuck, but we need you in action, so sorry in advance!"

"Fifth Flame Form: Flame Tiger!"

Raising her sword into a high guard, Hinotora lunged at the barrier demon, flames exploding off her body in a burning corona shaped like a tiger. Her searing blade lanced into infected flesh in a multitude of slashes, sending scorching heat blasting into the demon's body, burning out the poison swimming in his veins and incinerating the arrows pinning him against the wall. Unfortunately, this obviously left the now mangled demon in a state best described as "crispy", but Hinotora didn't really have any better options.

Catching the allied demon's body before he could fully fall, Hinotora tossed him over her shoulder and blurred into motion, running towards the other side of the shrine. "Hey, somebody come guard this guy! I got the barrier demon! Also, if anybody has some blood or a spare limb to offer, he might need a pick me up to regenerate!" To the demon she was actually carrying, as she finally set him down on the other side of the compound, she smiled apologetically. "Again, seriously, you have my utmost apologies, but we need you -if at all possible- to get your barrier up again. The Sun Hashira is keeping the Upper Moon busy, but I don't know how long until the attacks on the compound continue. Before that, we need the defense up again. Can you do it?"

Casting a quick glance around, Hinotora nodded in satisfation.

With how she had repositioned the barrier demon, he should be out of the Upper Moon's line of sight and ability to attack now. If he could just get his barrier up again, the Shrine's occupants would have a chance to start treating the wounded in mass, rather than staying on defense. In this way, Hinotora hoped to give the most people the chance to survive, assuming the monks had any way to deal with or mitigate the Upper Moon's poison and infection until she could return to do more intensive care.

@xAlter

---

"Can we not do this today?"

Standing in the street, Ryunoko Keodis seems... stiff. Many who know him, closely or not, would describe him to have an almost lackadasical posture towards life. Fluid in his movements, Keodis was described as "Graceful, in the way a drunk is. No inhibition behind any movement, like he moves only to experience movement. Not get anywhere in particular." That's not the case anymore. He strides forward with purpose, gloves creaking as the leather is compressed.

"We both know why I'm here, Jae-eun Yoshihide, Progenitor of the Dragon Breathing style and Dragon Hashira. I care not for what... turbulence is currently occurring in your ranks, it's obvious that miss Tomioka Guen has gone beyond her bounds, and acts beyond the Demon Slayer Corps. As of... 52 minutes and 13 seconds ago, gunmen hired by her opened fire on the main dance floor of the Western Dragon, which had in the realm of 400 human civilians. There were 118 casualties and 22 deaths currently. It will be on the national news tomorrow. This will not, and cannot stand."

Resting on his side, an enormous sheath. Nearly 5 feet of lacquered black wood, with swirling gold ornamentation. Resting inside, a weapon not of defense, not of skill, but of battle and war. A full-sized nodachi, nearly 6 feet long from point to pommel. If one were to look closely, they would see the slightest swirls of a deep red resting along the blade edge of the nodachi. A tell-tale sign that this blade is just as fatal to demons as it is to humans.

"I am here to extract an end to this situation. Either by the death of one Tomioka Guen, or the removal of her arms. Personally, I'm gunning for the former, but the Oyabun has been... amused by her flailings for a while. He's called for me to show 'an appropriate level' of mercy."

Surprisingly, the heat associated with radiation is conspicuously absent. If anything, it's slightly cooler. It seems Keodis' Art is tied up even tighter than usual.

"Therefore, there are two choices present. Step aside, and let me give the challenge officially. Or, act in her employ, and stop me. Work against the Kyoto Branch, betray those inside, and fight me. Right here and now."

His ultimatum given, Keodis continues to walk forward. Whether or not Jae-eun steps aside, tonight will see the clash of blades. The question is only which ones.

---

Internally, Jae-eun was screaming. His smile didn’t flicker. It remained fixed in place, a pleasant, placid mask against the sudden weight of the evening.

Of course. Of course, it couldn't be a simple, clumsy demon. It had to be a high-ranking one from Kyoto, carrying a sword the size of a telephone pole, here to settle a score with a rogue Hashira who was currently having a towel-fight in the women's bath. And of course, Guen had just orchestrated a mass casualty event at a civilian nightclub. Of course.

This was his life now. He was a glorified, unpaid administrator and a babysitter for emotionally volatile super-soldiers. But Keodis was still walking toward him, and his choices were laid out like a bad hand in poker. Can we not do this today?

The thought was a silent, desperate scream against the walls of his skull. A rogue Hashira picking fights in the women’s bath. A high-ranking demon with a personal vendetta standing three feet in front of him. Gunmen, casualties, a national news incident waiting to happen. And he, Jae-eun Yoshihide, was somehow expected to stand in the middle of it all and be a reasonable, calming presence. It was utterly, completely, and profoundly exhausting. One hundred and eighteen casualties. Keodis had said. Twenty-two deaths. Because Guen Tomioka couldn't control her grief. Because her pain was a wildfire that she let burn down everything and everyone around her.

Choice one: Fight. Uphold his duty to a fellow Hashira, rogue or not. Defend a member of his branch, as was his responsibility. This would mean betraying the Kyoto Branch, defying a capture-or-kill order, and starting a civil war within the Demon Slayer Corps, right here on the street in front of an onsen. All for Guen, who had abandoned her duties, caused the deaths of twenty-two innocent people, and was, at this very moment, probably trying to drown Miyuki in hot spring water.

It was his duty. But it was a stupid, suicidal duty.

Choice two: Step aside. Let Keodis pass. Let him challenge Guen. Let the chips fall where they may. Guen had brought this on herself. The attack on the Western Dragon... that was inexcusable. She had crossed a line, a very bright, very bloody line. She needed to face consequences. Letting Keodis handle it would solve a major headache for him and for Takaya. It would also likely end with Guen dead or maimed. The part of Jae-eun, the cold, pragmatic part that had created Dragon Breathing, agreed with Keodis. Guen had gone too far. She needed to be stopped. She needed to face consequences.

It was the pragmatic choice. The logical choice. But it felt like a betrayal. A betrayal of Hikaru's memory, of the camaraderie of the Hashira, of the fragile trust that held the Corps together. And he had promised Takaya he would look after his people.

His mind raced, seeking a third option. A way to de-escalate, to delay, to buy time. "My, my, what a night!" Jae-eun said, his voice as bright and unbothered as ever. He took a small step to the side, not to clear the path, but to change the angle, forcing Keodis to turn slightly to face him. It was a subtle, almost conversational shift in posture.

"Keodis-san, you've come all the way from Kyoto! That's a long trip. You must be exhausted. And you've brought such a... large... travel companion," he said, gesturing to the nodachi with a theatrical flourish. "It must be very hard to fit that on the train." He let his smile soften, his gaze flickering from Keodis to the onsen entrance and back again. "I understand your frustration. Truly, I do. The news about the Western Dragon is… distressing. Twenty-two deaths. That's a tragedy. And you're right, it cannot stand."

He paused, letting the agreement hang in the air for a moment. He was conceding the point, showing that he wasn't blindly defending Guen's actions. "But," he continued, his tone shifting to one of gentle reason, "as you said, there's some… turbulence… happening inside right now. It’s a very delicate situation. A lot of strong personalities in a very small, very wet space. Adding another one to the mix, especially one carrying a blade like that… well, it might make things even more complicated, don't you think?"

He took another small step, his movement as fluid and non-threatening as a dancer's. "So, how about a compromise? A little negotiation between colleagues?" He held up a hand, palm open, a universal sign of peace. "You're here to deliver a challenge. I respect that. But storming into the women's bath is a bit… indelicate, no? And it would put a lot of innocent people at risk. My precious juniors are in there, you see. I'd hate for them to get caught in the crossfire. They're still learning."

He offered a conspiratorial wink. "So, here's my proposal. You let me go inside, grab my people, and get them clear. I'll get Tenko-chan and the others out of harm's way. Or, even better, you wait. Just for a little while. Let Guen finish her bath. Let things cool down, literally and figuratively. Once she's out, and once my people are safe, you can deliver your challenge. Formally. Without an audience of people not involved with your feud. And while we wait," he said, his voice dropping to a friendly, inviting murmur, "we could share a drink. We could see about the refreshments here or there is a little bar a ways down the street. My treat. We could discuss the situation like civilized people. No need to come to blows tonight, right? We're on the same side, after all. We both want to protect people. We just have different ideas about how to do it."

It was a stall. A desperate, transparent stall. But it was better than a fight. He kept his posture relaxed, his hands open and visible. But beneath the surface, he was coiled like a spring. The scarlet ore dust still circulated in his blood. His muscles were primed. His mind was calculating trajectories, estimating Keodis's reach, planning the first explosive strike of Suzuwari if the demon decided to refuse his offer. He would talk first. He would always talk first. But if Keodis kept walking, Jae-eun was ready to make him stop.

@Randomguy@King Kindred@Aku the Samurai@Haha@Taka

Guen @Torigoya Onsen — Not a GM Post

Guen showed typical indifference to the situation & made Miyuki unconscious, she laid her safely near a soft yet rocky pavement. Sighing from the inconveniences, in consecutive events, her expression alone was telling. Guen wished to not fight her comrades, perhaps a degree of sentimentality still lingered.

However, being Guen & her unstable actions lately, she threatened the group with the spilling of her Marechi blood. She broke the ice at gunpoint – having everyone at said pointblank position. She ignored the presence of Kousai, treating him as a Kyoto insignificant nobody. Guen's focus was towards Himari & Tenko, whom she just wanna have a chat with.

Still, threatening them with her spilled marechi blood, strongly implied the actions that may attract Demons to their location. Be it within or outside, the bloodtrail is something that can be smelled at a 10 meter radius.

---

---

Guen sighed from all the misgivings & frustration that led up to her current path & she knew full well that she cannot back down. She internalized the amount of crap that she committed, all for the sake of vengeance. It was all for Hikaru & their child that died by miscarriage.

She hates the current system, just like any other comic book or movie, people are either idealistic or sucking up to the status quo. Guen hates the fact that she's told many times to not pursue Upper Moon 2 by Takaya, as it was too personal. Given a choice to just be silent and that's it, and it's all because she's a Hashira & must set an example for the younger generation and those below her.

She abandoned it all, for the sake of avenging the future she could've had as it was stolen from her.

She hated being restrained and confined by ethical due process.

She hated Takaya for seemingly not caring enough about Hikaru's death.

She hated that, all must have it's due time, when she can just force it.

Just like fiction, Guen felt as if justice was not being given to her.

---

---

"I did not come here to be chastised nor turn myself in, and I find it rather late to be remorseful of my actions." She laid out a frustrated sigh as cold air came out of her mouth.

"I cannot turn back now, especially, I've determined Hikaru's killer." She looked at Himari intensively.

"Spare me your idealistic preaching. I don't wanna hear any of it, I'm sure your brother would've done everything in his power to avenge me as well, if fates were switched." Guen gets ahead of herself with the assumption of people will just kept telling her to do the right thing and that's by letting go.

"I'm disappointed in you Himari. If you truly loved your brother, you would've at least grinded day and night, searching for his killer." She raised her voice, as her nails, sinked in her skin, and her arms bleeding.

"It pains me to the core that the Demon Slayer Corps aren't doing their best efforts, finding the locations of each member of the Yatsuchizuki. Cuz if we did, there's so much lives that didn't have to be sacrificed."

"While I regret what I've become, I will not stop until Hikaru is avenged, only then I will answer for my sins."

Guen spilled the beans.

"Blood Moon 2, Demon Lord Rikyo. The leader of the Shinrikyo Faith. One of the biggest cults here in Japan, located not too far from Funachi, it's said that he targets women and children."

"Consort 4, Yuwaku Reiha, of the Funeral Parlor. This was the last case Hikaru undertook."

"Ever wondered why there's so much disappearances lately? It's because of them."

"I am not here for a pity party, I'm here to get the job done. That's all I have to say, whether you wanna assist me in killing said Demon Lord and his Consort, that's entirely up to you. What about it.. Himari...Tenko."

Guen in her rogue era, had been doing a lot of work, even if it involved unethical methods.

With her blood spilled, only time will tell if Demons would be drawn by it.

Kousai was ready for Guen to retaliate, for her to challenge him. He knew her disposition, and just how much she liked to fight nowadays. Did Kousai want to fight Guen? No but, he was willing to do whatever was necessary to keep the peace. He didn't resent Guen for the things that she had done, instead he felt for her. The Demon Slayer Corp were fools, their incompetence causing so many deaths including his brother, and he could the pain that Guen went through. There was few slayers that Kousai respected, and many more that thought were fooled by the statements of the Corp. Before his mind could wander more, he heard Himari's voice rage at him, only looking to see her kick at the last moment.

"Ah crap."

Himari's foot caught him in the chest, knocking the wind from him, and sending him outside the women's onsen. A stunned look washed over his face, as the words pervert flashed through his mind. He had no clue at all what she could have possibly meant. Himari had been a sister to him for so long that the fact she was naked flew over his head like a hawk, and his mind could only picture her clothed.

"Fine. I'll let you guys handle it."

Kousai would end up making his way back to his sake, taking the bottle in his hand, and downing the rest in only a second. Drinking was not something he did all that often but, for once he felt obligated to get a bit inebriated. Air was the next thing on his mind because he could feel the air inside the Onsen getting too thick for him. Going outside would be the best bet. He made his way to the Onsen's entrace, the tab already paid for his sake, and immediately heard the voices of Keodis and Jae-un as he walked up to the entrance. They spoke of a challenge and getting people clear, a challenge issued to Guen herself.

"As much as I agree with Jae-un, I can't let you fight Guen." Kousai stepped from inside the Onsen, hand on his blade, his golden staring daggers into Keodis, "Leave and do this another time or, you can throw this challenge at me.I'll be sure to end it in a flash."

". . . Very well then."

Standing in the street about 40 feet away, he pulls out a flip phone, whips it open with a negligent motion, and presses a button.

"Moshi moshi! Hey, hate to bother you at this time, I know you're busy. Could you stop all the traffic going into... say, four blocks around the Torigoya onsen? things may be getting a little loud. . . . sure, lovely. Tell Omi for me, yeah?"

He then punches in another number, and smiles slightly.

"Heyyyyy, Mura, my love! Sorry to drag you into this, but we're both suffering tonight. One of your clients is bleeding in the onsen, and is also a Slayer who's a mass murderer of humans. You'll know the one, she smells like a buffet. Also, I'm going to be making your street a mess, sorry. Some bravatic yee-haw decided to follow his heart over orders, morals, and common sense. you know the type. Much love to you and your guest! I'll be getting you chocolates for this, don't you worry. The good kind from Amsterdam... Puccini, I believe? Anyways, time to pack up yet another hashira, you know the feeling."

As soon as he hangs up, the teasing tone falls out of his voice like it was a bird hit by a thrown brick. He calmly flips the phone closed, and puts it in his pants pocket.


@xAlter@Taka

---

In two heavily practiced movements, the nodachi comes flying out of it's sheath and into a low guard, the bade resting behind his body. This is also the moment anyone watching realizes that Keodis has one more trick up his sleeve. He's a Southpaw, or Left-Handed. Every motion or parry will be mirrored form where it's "supposed" to be.

"If you are willing to bear the castigation of the Kyoto Branch, and protect a mass murderer of innocents, then I will oblige you."


From fourty feet away to four in the blink of an eye, the tip of the enormous blade flickers out like a tongue of fire. It starts from behind Keodis' left hip, swings up and around during the movement, and end at the position of the right shoulder, swinging inwards across Kousai's body, directly in the sweet spot where Keodis' own body is far out of reach. In one modification, Keodis has changed a primarily defensive movement of the original Flame Breathing into an aggressive gap-closer.
Following through, he touches the ground with a single step before launching himself upwards to see the two hashira's reaction. Maybe... just maybe that ever-so-interesting fist fighter taught a protoge. The way the fellow dragon appreciator was moving his hands... hopefully he could test himself against Soyama's technique again.

---

Every drag from her pipe brought her a bit closer to euphoria, each plume of whisky pink and gray smoke hissed out between her painted lips a little sweeter. The tea infused with blood would be sipped from the beautifully painted porcelain, still and calm she would listen to Xaku’s words. The mention of Tsugikuni caused the briefest twitch along the corner of her mouth, but the refined marble of her expression remained composed and stone-like.

“All I can say for certain is that the leak of information does not come from me, as you know, I am a collector of rumors but not a distributor. Still—“

The pipe is drawn from her mouth and the wooden end tapped her cheek as her mind wandered there for a moment. The safety of her staff and those whom worked directly under her took the utmost priority, which meant some form of cooperation would be necessary whether she liked it or not. Those internalized thoughts swirled around in her mind, much like the honeyed mixture within her cup and Mira’s eyes drooped down to the liquid as she pondered this news.

But then,

Nuisances.
Nuisances.
Nuisances.
Nuisances.
Nuisances.

Crick!..
The proprietress snaps her pipe between her fingers and thick veins flowing with heated demonic blood tense and throb upon her face. Violent crimson shimmers in each iris within her sockets, and her brows forcibly knit inward. Outside of the Torigoya hundreds of those vagrant crows that were ever watchful flap their wings and begin to caw, screeching their dead air in resonant anger with their mother. Visible hot vapor spews from each nostril as Muragarasu slowly rises from her seat.

The inferno of rage bellowing in her stomach is stifled as she momentarily subsides that anger.

And that sundae of shit was cherry-topped with a ringing of those new age cellular phones. She painfully withdraws it from a pocket tucked into the hem of her kimono and rests the top of the lilac colored phone of her ear with eyebrows raised and eyes glowing red, watching the shit-head nuclear demon from the vision of her many crows. Muragarasu doesn’t speak, she simply listens and doesn’t even have a moment to collect her thoughts as Keodis ended the call.

Fruitless.

“You’ll need to excuse my rudeness for but a moment Xaku-chan. There seems to be miscreants acting recklessly in front of my place of business.” Mura didn’t even stand, it was almost as if she teleported from sitting across from her to standing at the secret door to the private room and pressed it open.

But— before she could even cross that threshold, the smell of a familiar stench of blood befouled her nose. The sickly sweet chum in the water that would draw every demon in the district to her Onsen. This was turning out to be one, of the worst days of her life. A life mind you, that has lasted longer than the police chief who she’d just left at the table who would most certainly be unhappy with circumstances here as well. That pit in her stomach grew, ever swirling, hungry not for the taste of human blood but for vengeance that was premature still at this moment.



Anger earned from such a being would spell the end for many, yet she did not know who exactly where that ire would be directed upon. The woman spilling her blood in the bath, or the fiend outside of the Torigoya. It wasn’t until a voice in her head spoke to say ”Two birds, one stone.” that the ancient’s mind cleared and became lucid as she nodded her head. Mura stepped quickly, closing the distance through the back room and b-lined for front door, swinging it open to make his presence known to all parties outside of her property. Her thumb and index finger tucked into her mouth before she began to blow, causing a shrill whistle to sound throughout the steer and traveling some distance alerting secret individuals of incoming danger to her place of safety.

Thousands of crows took flight, so many that it seemed as if a storm cloud had formed above the Onsen and swirled violently. The woman’s glowing red eyes narrowed squarely upon Keodis, and then to Jae-eun, then lastly to Kousai. Local human townsfolk who were going about their day notice the crows, and almost as if they’ve seen them before, know to go inside their homes and pack up their carts to evacuate the street.

“I will handle the idiotic woman spilling her spurned blood in my bath— but all of you are to be no less than a mile from the Torigoya. Or else…”

@Digmata@JrVader@13org
Location: Rooftop of a Skyscraper Near Daikaku Shrine:

pre...posterous, preposterous, PREPOSTEROUS!, Ryoshu's every cell trembled in rage at Rynosuke's words, the sheer vulgarity, a man devoid of all elegance, how, how, how, how howhowhowhow? HOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW? A mere slayer unworthy of even being Hashira, a butchered canvas of mismatched proportions and horrid linework had struck him so. Dared taint his sanctified flesh with unclean steel.
He? A demon king of the heavens themselves appointed by the true ruler of this world, the final hero who would shall make the great sun rise again rid of its humiliation at the hands of foreign barbarians.

While he once held a tinge of fear towards the man's techniques, a distant cellular memory from generations removed that has been utterly scorched away under the violence of his passion. Demonic blood boiled under the violence of a lord's choler, steaming into the frigid night sky. Ryoshu's chromatic eyes locked on the slayer's back, staring so intensely vessels burst and knitted themselves over and over again, a gaze that could cleave mountains and boil the seas.

Ryosuke must die.
No.
No.
NO.
Death would be too merciful for this blighted filth , He would make am example of such vile beasts so vivid even buddha himself shall tremble.

The fifth Heaven's severed head opened his mouth, squeezing out words between teeth clenched so tight they crumbled:
Blood Demon Art....
in the next moment a violent explosion rocked the rooftop. Shattering windows at a hundred meters around as the Demon lord's head, arms and body exploded into bloody mist. Sending out a cloud of razor sharp shrapnel in all directions.

Yet that was only the first part:
Countless blood stakes emerged across the rooftop from every surface and all angles directly targeting Ryosuke. Stabbing at him from every way possible while forming a thick impenetrable shell of brambles around the Artist's body.
Within its midst Ryoshu healed in an instant. Arms snapping back into existence as he continuously activated his blood demon art. Causing ever more stakes to emerge from the ground. Thorns grew
He cared no longer about the temple as he devoted his attention fully to the cockroach before him.

SUFFER WORM, miserable creature unworthy of even death at my hands. Dogde, weave, crawl as the insect you are yet fear not for To you, I give immortality. Spoke the lord in glacial tone.
I will scrape off your every once of flesh, flay every millimeter of your skin, grind your every bone to dust. Turn the very nerves into tapestries. Your tendons shall be made into Biwa strings and blood into pigment. Insult me if you wish, use that nimble tongue of yours while you can, for I promise you suffering so exquisite even the gods cannot save you neither hell or reincarnation. We shall be together until the end of time and further beyond. Even if you should pass the gates of Fendu I will drag you out personally to torture you again.
Still, know that even after reincarnation I will track you down again no matter as a plant or fish to redo it all again.

Then,and only then can you learn the consequence of offending the Demon King of the Fifth heaven.

---

Himari's unceremonious kick that ushered the Rumble Hashira out of the room left Tenko flabbergasted; it was as if Himari cut through the tension of the room and had it dissipate into ether.

Tenko understood the awkwardness of having a man barging into the women's onsen, of course. But it was not as if they were naked. The towel covered more than swimsuits some women would wear back in the United States, after all. Then again, the Japanese tend to be more reserved and particular about these sorts of things, as she had come to learn.

Nevertheless, she breathed a sigh of relief, seeing a chance to de-escalate the situation. She turned to Guen, about to say something to the former Hashira once more, before she started speaking first. Of how she felt the Demon Slayer Corps weren't doing enough to find Hikaru's killer, and that they had, essentially, let a demon lord fly under the radar, responsible for the disappearance.

The Demon Slayer Corps was not perfect, and thus, in that regard, Tenko was sure that if Guen's heavy-handed methods were what managed to track the demon, it would make an argument for utilitarianism.

But we were not God. We do not have omniscience to know that the 'sacrificed lives' would balance the right way in the end. And that it also neglected the harm killing innocents did to the soul of the utilitarian. Even if more lives were saved in this world, was that worth the eternal life of Guen's soul?

And that was the problem with utilitarianism, wasn't it?

In their pursuit of ‘good outcome’, they are liable to forgo true moral good that transcends material things, which the consequentialist is concerned with.

Still, with Guen like this, it wasn't the time to preach or moral philosophising.

"...Guen-san. If there is a demon roaming free that is endangering innocent people...of course, I will help you defeat it. With or without the Corps' approval. But that doesn—"

Tenko stopped suddenly.

How could she not have noticed until now? Was it because she had been sensing the demon all the time while they were in the onsen that she had simply pushed it to the back of her mind? Or that the whole altercation between Guen and Miyuki distracted her?

How could she not have noticed...that a demon was right in front of the onsen?

"...On second thought. Let's postpone that discussion. There's a demon just in front of the onsen entrance. We should go."

With that, Tenko stood up, as she promptly headed back into the women's changing room.

---

Himari was glad that Kousai left instead of continuing to try and interfere in the women's business. She thought about going back inside to put her clothes on so she could focus more. It was clear that she wasn't going to get the chance to have her bath. She decided not to for the moment. She was still concerned about Miyuki's position in Guen's chokehold so she turned her attention back to the situation at hand.

Himari watched as Guen choked Miyuki to unconsciousness and placed her down on the pavement. She sighed internally. Guen wouldn't even listen to them and do the right thing. All she had to do was let Miyuki go, but no. She wanted to do what she wanted to do and that was why she was in the situation she was in now. It was clear from this action alone that there was no reasoning with Guen. To make things worse the asshole spilled her own blood knowing damn well the reaction it would cause and the fact that they were currently surrounded by demons. She had some kind of death wish and clearly didn't care about the danger she was putting others in. Not to mention how unsanitary it was. She definitely wasn't going to be able to finish her bath.

Her attention was piqued when Guen revealed that she discovered who Hikaru's killer was. She had been wondering who was responsible so she knew who the target of her blade would be. But she couldn't think of that for long as Guen stated her very incorrect belief that Hikaru would've been doing the same things she was had she died. Hikaru protected innocents and was the one who taught Himari how valuable life was and that being a Demon Slayer was more than just about slaying demons. She hated how his name and death was being used to justify her reckless and wicked actions.

"Spare me your bullshit, Guen. We've all lost people to this war. Hikaru was my brother and best friend. I will avenge him, but I'm not going to force my wrath on those who don't deserve it. You've become a demon in your actions."

She listened further as Guen revealed who exactly was responsible for Hikaru's death. A Lord and Consort duo. Blood Moon two was likely the one to finish Hikaru off. There's no way he would've lost to a Consort. That should've been the target for Guen's wrath, not everyone that she saw as being in her way. When Guen asked them if she'd assist them she shook her head. "I'm not going into battle with someone who clearly has a death wish and puts her allies in danger. You'll be lucky to survive the onsen tonight after you just spilled your blood around this many powerful demons. I'll slay Blood Moon Two myself and avenge Hikaru's death. Good luck, Guen. If you manage to survive don't continue down this dangerous path. I won't be there to save you from the destruction you brought on yourself."

Himari looked up at the crows flying above the onsen and sighed deeply. It was happening already. She didn't have time to fully get dressed so she picked up the towel she put aside and wrapped it around her body before heading over to Miyuki and picking her up. She wasn't going to let her be a casualty in Guen's war. Her father was waiting for her to return safely and she was going to ensure that she did. Himari was disappointed by how things transpired tonight. She knew Guen would act this way, but she was more disappointed by the fact that the others decided that a fight was more important than obeying her command to avoid one here at all cost. She jumped out of the onsen with Miyuki lying bridal style in her arms, disappearing into the night.

---

^{At the Daikaku Shrine...}
@13org

The timely arrival of Daikaku Koshin (and she suddenly realized he had the same surname as the Shrine's namesake; coincidence?) made Hinotora let out a small sigh of relief, as she nodded and passed the barrier demon over into his care.

Straightening up, as Koshin unsheathed his blade and began tending to the demon with a donation of his blood, Hinotora nodded, offering a lopsided smile. "Thanks for the initiative. I'd have offered some of my own blood, but I'm actually kinda poisonous to demons, so..." Shrugging, she offered a final nod and half-turned to go. "Wish me luck, heh... We're all going to need it. Oh, and uh... sorry about the trees."

And then the fire in her veins was surging through her limbs anew again, sending Hinotora catapulting up onto the wall of the Shrine.

Jogging lightly atop the wall with deceptive relaxation, Hinotora took a moment of relative pause to consider the task before her. The opposition, her assets, the feasibility of her goals, even the damn prophesy. She weighed every factor with a focus more intense than she felt she'd ever regarded anything in her life before.

An Upper Moon was not to be trifled with lightly. The Muzan generation of them had remained largely untouched until the advent of the Demon Slayer Marks, and while -yes- those made a difference, they weren't necessarily a guarantee. Especially given that the post-Muzan Uppers had gained the ability to not die when they were beheaded, making one of the only reliable ways to kill them to wait till sunrise. And in all the time they had existed, despite the presence of Muzan veterans -what few there were- none of the new generation Upper Moons had ever been slain.

Ridiculous.

But that wasn't all of it. That couldn't be all of it. Hinotora knew it well enough. Or at the least, she had strong suspicions. Sunlight wasn't the only way to kill the Upper Ranks. The evidence was backed historically, from records of the legendary events of the Muzan era's conclusion, and far more importantly... the evidence was right before her in how this Upper Moon had approached attacking the Daikaku Shrine despite being ostensibly invincible...

I don't know if it will let me kill him, but it might be just the right x-factor to ensure we all survive... His behavior shouts it loud and clear: wisteria still works on Upper Moons...

Leaping into the boughs of one of the many wisteria trees lining the Daikaku Shrine's courtyard, Hinotora's blade flashed with a silent apology to the Shine's landscaper, severing numerous bundles of the anti-demon plant, as she swiftly packed away the flowers into the many large pockets of her coat, both outward and inward. A few more sprigs were slipped into her beltline, with the twigs lain flat and hidden against the sides and back of her waist, and even more leaves were shoved down her neckline and stuffed into her bra. Itchy? Yes. But also secure.

It won't hide the smell for long once I get close, but having them out of sight should give me the element of surprise. With how much the Shrine's wisteria trees must "stink" even from the distance that demon is attacking from, it should cover my approach to some degree.

Finally taking off in a fresh vault, Hinotora left the Daikaku Shrine's walls for what she hoped wouldn't end up being the last time, sprinting as fast as she could in the direction Ryunosuke had left.

---

^{Towards the Heavenly King...}
@Digmata@JrVader@TimelessParagon

Shoes pounded against roof tiles in a clatter of quiet thunder, as Hinotora blurred over the rooftops, her blood-red coat billowing behind her with a flutter in the night. It wasn't completely dark out, thanks in great part to the lighting of many streetlights and buildings, so she thankfully had no issue navigating without needing to call up some flames.

At least externally.

Internally was an entirely other matter.

Ions ground against cell membranes in hastened process, lighting nerves up like live wires. Steam hissed from every exhale, as her limbs pumped like pistons, a machine of muscle and bone propelled like a living rocket with each breath. Microfractures in bones sprouted from the stress of her inhuman movements, only to be swiftly sealed and cemented stronger than before, inch by inch, microbe by microbe, even now creating sustained lasting improvements in her physicality in ways a normal human never could have. Flame surged through her limbs in tandem with her thundering pulse in a constant internal roar, suffusing flesh and bone with strength, pushing them to the limits of their performance and then a touch beyond, even as Recovery Breathing sent her body's healing processes into hyperdrive.

This was the basis of the Phoenix Style, of the Style of Survival and Ascension.

Even regular Total Concentration and Recovery Breathing didn't fully capture the depth of what Hinotora had developed her Style to do. In the end, the Phoenix Style was predicated upon one critical supposition: that humans and demons weren't so different. In fact, a demon was -in the end- just a mutated human. In which case... shouldn't it be possible to drag up a demon's potential even in a regular human body?

That was what Hinotora was eager to find out. That was what she was eager to discover in her quest to push her body irrevocably past the limits of what so many had long considered to be "human", millimeter by millimeter, like an extreme form of all-encompassing hyper-accelerated exercise. With the Phoenix Style, she could reach peaks thought impossible, levels of strength that let her compete with a Hashira, official rank or not. And now, she was about to test the fruit of her labors against the ultimate trial by fire, the veritable peak of power in this world and the benchmark that would finally prove to her whether or not she was as strong as she hoped she was.

Remember not to forget though... She shook her head, taking a steadying breath, as she caught the edge of a roof with one hand and redirected her momentum to send her slide atop another. Your job here isn't to actually try and kill an Upper Moon. Just driving him off is more than enough. What is absolutely critical, however, is that the Sun Hashira survives. Before anything else, that was Takaya's directive...

Scowling to herself, Hinotora briefly entertained the selfish thought of letting Sunbutt's fate land where it may, but the practical part of her dismissed the foolish consideration. Unless it came down to a matter of her life or his, she wouldn't just hang him out to dry.

Besides, unless he's already down for the count by the time I get there, realistically speaking, I'm probably going to need his help to truly pressure the Upper Fucker. The wisteria I grabbed will surely be helpful, no doubt, but odds are good it will be an equalizer at best. All I have is the unrefined raw plant on me, and while that's still effective, it's nothing compared to a true lab-prepared poison. Speaking of which...

Hinotora's right eye twitched, as she got within a block of the building where Ryunosuke was fighting the Upper Moon.

Note to fucking self: start bringing some damn poisons after today! Holy shit, girl, you work in the damn Butterfly Mansion; how and why did you procrastinate on this?! And while you're at it, have a proper poison-dispensing sheathe for your sword made!

A violent explosion ripped her from her thoughts, as the rooftop ahead was rocked by an eruption of activity. Hinotora's eyes widened, as a shockwave of noise and pressure slammed into the surroundings, shattering windows with a deafening cacophony and making her own ears ring and whine moment before Phoenix Form 2 smoothed over the damage. All the while, a hail of shrapnel blasted outward, dealing property damage and likely death to any it struck.

"Fourth Flame Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!" Hinotora hissed, narrowing her profile with a spinning leap, as she twisted her blade into a coiling spin, drilling through a section of the shrapnel wave in a burst and landing back on her feet in a roll. Coming out of the movement in a jog, her eyes narrowed, as a forest of deadly stakes erupted like a wrathful alien maw atop her intended destination.

Unwilling to be daunted so easily, she didn't let the surprise slow her pace nor put a hitch in her breath, as she made one last leap to cross the distance between the shorter building she was on and the side of the taller one where Ryunosuke and the Upper Moon resided. The moment she arrived, she was launching upwards, practically running up the side of the taller building, as her feet used each window ledge as a foothold for her vertical sprint.

All the while, her keen hearing could pick it up more clearly the closer she approached, the cold, wrathful fury of the demon lord, spitting out a rant of such vitriol and strangely personal offense that it made Hinotora want to roll her eyes as much as it gave her chills down her spine.

Good gods, Sunbutt, how in the hell did you piss him off this hard this fast?!

A final lunge took her high enough to deftly grasp the edge of the roof with one hand and haul herself up. Not high enough to actually climb up entirely, but rather just enough to peak her gaze over the edge and observe the state of the battle. In this way, she was left hanging from the roof by one hand, whilst the other still clutched her sword, her body coiled like a spring, ready to act but not yet sure where best to insert herself.

In the face of an opponent of a class she'd heard so many ominous things about, her earlier enthusiasm was not necessarily doused, but it was most definitely tempered by a far more rational caution. After all, whilst her prior experience with the Upper Moon's Blood Demon Art had been promising, that was no excuse to get cocky and assume she'd seen all his tricks. Better to let this unfold out a bit longer until either the demon had played his hand further or Ryunosuke's demise was obviously imminent.

Let's see what you've got, Sun Hashira... Upper Moon... Show me the realm of the Strongest...

Show me, right here and now, what I need to surpass to reach the peak...