The village had dry blood splattered over its walls , injured people walking around , and a very sad atmosphere. I called my crow Kagure and cleared off all my questions.
Akira was now back with me, as he was being trained by some samurai's for gaining some mass, thus more strength and also to train him to disguise better at Mount Fujinoro. I asked Akira to sniff around for anything that would be weird.
I walked around the village, helped people around , which gave them hope and a shoulder to cry on. According to intel, the village was rampaged last night by a demon, who very much liked to torture before killing people.
There were about 20 people who were dead and half the village were very much injured. I looked around and found that the demon was capable of a huge amount of damage even when he used the minute of movements. From the people's point of view, I got to know that the demon got more stronger when he hurt the people.
The corps couldn't recognise any similar demon, so we realized the demon was a member of the twelve kizuki.
As the day passed and night approached, I patrolled the empty streets and found a child crying, over his parents bodies, and I noticed Akira tended to him and calmed him down before the village adults took him inside.
I went to Akira, showed him affection and warmth that he deserved after a long time and carried him back to the tent made by me.
2 to 3 days went by, and on the 3rd night, I heard commotion outside. I stepped out in my pajamas, but wore my gloves just in case.
I saw a guy being held by his arms by a dwarf demon, as it was going to drag him away to someplace.
I with an eased effort, mushed it's head and saved the man.
As soon as I got hold of the man, I saw several glowing eyes behind the houses looking towards me.
"Get inside." I said and he ran to his home.
I rolled up my sleeves as I looked at them. I got into my stance as my eyes glowed and I looked at all of them while warming up by doing footwork. I asked Kagure to send reinforcement to the village to secure it.
"Get at me you inbred bastards"
The demons rushed towards me. The first one came at me with it ripping it's horn out of its head and followed by 3 more attack type ones.
I easily beat the shit out of the 4 by just punching them too quick before they could do much. They were getting back up , and within that while, I warmed up totally and did a 4 hit head combo which resulted in their heads being brutally shattered.
I took out my dagger from my calve's guard and using the hooks on my wrists , I swinged through them , easily slicing off each head as my dagger was longer than normal ones.
I was now in the centre of the village, with nothing to hang about, one of the demons said, " You're surrounded idiot, try escaping now"
" See, you're hardly 30 demons, you people got the gist that a high member corp member was here so your leader must send you here to finish me off. You are only 10 now, I'll beat you 3 and the 7 will run off"
This exactly happened in succession.
But as the 7 were escaping, reinforcement arrived and I asked 2 of them to follow me, the strong ones, to cover me up, when I defeat the boss guy.
They got ready to follow me and I already had disappeared from my spot. They followed my burnt path on the forest to follow me.
I ran at blinding speeds and past the trees as the wind hit my face. I finally found the place. A deep hole down the earth in the middle of the forest. I jumped down and a stench filled my nose which made me want to vomit.
I proceeded with caution, the knife still in my hand and me in my stance.
"Well, well, well... If it isn't our young warrior - I'm Rokuro, Lower Moon 2..heard of us right? The Twelve Moons?"
My nerves tightened as I heard him and the thought of Muzan brothered me
" You wanna know what makes us different from all those demons you've ever fought? I'll show you tonight"
I threw my dagger poured with lighting at him which though cut him, he healed instantly.
I dashed at him and punched him in the gut, which he blocked and redirected a punch at my face, which I dodged and spun around his neck as I broke his legs and kicked him away.
He rushed towards me with some mirror like knives and swinged them at me with accuracy, he managed to cut me a few times, then after which I proceeded to rapid punch him till his chest had burnt through a pit.
I wound my arm back and punched through that pit, held him up and threw him to the end of the cave. I then walked towards him and saw him smile. He showed me a direction, and I looked... It was disgusting.
It were people, tied , beaten, bloodied, limbless, mutilated...but..alive.
' Demon Blood Art: Pain Reflect- Gain'
He said this and then absorbed some blackish smoke after he slashed at the villagers and they started to scream.
Rokuro tore through his kimono as he grew bulkier and stronger in size. He threw pin needles at me which instantly on touch, made me kneel, as if I couldn't move.
I fought the force and got up- to a huge arm approaching my torso. I quickly brought all my concentration to my hands and torso and curled up. He punched me hard. So hard, it felt like a metal boulder was threwn at me with full speed.
I coughed up blood, and looked at him. He dashed to me and started to attack. I parried his ones, threw mine and this went on.
He kicked, I grabbed and put on a leg lock. He pushed me, threw knives, I dodged, tried to then punched him...this went on for a while. The cave was totally devastated.
I was done. I used Thunder Breathing without my katana and tried to use it. And I was successful. Using the first form, I dashed to him, which left him stunned and gave an upper kick which broke the ground above throwing him on the air. I continued the first form and jumped up as I pushed him away with a kick imbued with heat lighting which half cut his hips.
I landed on the ground and whistled in a pitch which meant to call for Akira with my Katana.
'DemonArt : Pain wheels'
As I had noticed, his form had 4 attacks and this one included has 5. The Demon ability had a poison dart made of pure pain, ability to make me hallucinate , which he had used when he landed the torso punch , and one which threw bones at me. This one had wheels on his hands, like weapons , except that the wheel has spikes.
"Let's end this kid shall we? Sunrise is far, you're too injured, I'll end your misery"
I grinned as I removed my shirt. I had some broken ribs, some internal injuries, broken forearms, one of them is okay but the other killing me . And not the least. I felt my body weaker, the poison would probably go away when the bastard dies.
Rokuro rushed at me, and Akira threw my katana at the perfect timing.
" Good Boy"
" Thunder Breathing : Thunderclap and Flash - Afterimages"
I moved at such a speed that everything slowed down, I easily went right behind the idiot and sliced his arms and legs off.
He couldn't react. The form ended, he fell down limbless. He threw his wheels, controlling them, at me. I used the Heat Lighting form to cut them off.
I crouched, in the original breathing position and in a clean move, cut the Demon's neck,as the ugly with long hair, beard and gray eyes with a lower 2 written rolled away .
Akira helped me up and took me to the corps as I watched the corpse disappeared to ashes along with the pain of the poison.
When I reached the corp tent, I found a tall, bulk , pupilless guy with beads with arm, looking down at me, tears rolling down his face?
I was helped by the corp members and villagers on the the bed as they thanked and cried for my help. I asked the corps doctors to use my medicine as i know it would heal me within weeks.
The bulk guy then came to me and said
"I've got the news from the Kagure and so had Ubayashiki San"
('That Quick?')
" Congratulations Raijin Kaminari, you are now promoted to a Hashira. The Rumbling Hashira."