>>4051370

Sunday morning, the start of a brand new week cycle. Like yesterday, it was a smooth winter day, although far more clouded than usual as the Sun was mostly blocked out by the snow clouds. Still, similar to yesterday there was very little snow, therefore, making it easy for one to travel from place to place with no issues. Perfect for you who lives deeply rooted in the forest grounds, once again due to the traditionalist lifestyle of the shrine guardians including the hermits, monks, priests, shamans, Mikos/Gekis and any other profession relating to the art of shamanism and Buddhism/Taoism. Keeping themselves isolated from society allows them to be exceptionally close to both nature and the spiritual side in peace and harmony. To which, to this day you were a maverick to all things sacred in the Shamanic arts as your grandma Gurren made painfully aware for your disinterest in staying within the tradition. Something that you have gotten used to at this point.

Nevertheless, you uncharacteristically rose from your comfy futon bed immediately. It was quite a peculiar act to see you up and at em without having someone else wake you up. A normal morning for you was sleeping uncharismatically like a lazy tanuki hibernating through the winter season. So for you to break out of character patterns and be fully aware and awake was quite upsetting. The fact you were so energized made it all the more creepy and unnerving. Was this some sort of sign from above as a reactive response for your prayer to your family’s safety during that blood-red moon. Or you could just be overthinking it and the hot springs water just did their job a little too well. Normally that is what you would’ve come down to as a woman more in touch with her common sense and rationality. Even so, you constantly carry a sinking suspicion that something was not right.

Upon going through the motions of your morning ritual, which included taking a bath, eating a hefty breakfast and other stereotypical stuff for a teenage girl of thirteen years. Once that was taken care of did you begin to make the necessary steps to prepare for departure. Keeping a close eye investigating your current belongings including the money you received selling out all of those sacred goods your family made for the townsfolk. It would only take you roughly fifteen to twenty minutes making sure that everything into place. You even went as far as to double-check if not triple check as you didn’t have any time to go back to the inn if you forgot something. Getting home fast as possible with no stops was your priority and you were gunho about making that a reality. Only once reassured that you have everything in order did you begin to finish tidying up your hotel room. Leaving it just how you found it in squeaky clean order, you exited out of the room and head downstairs into the main hall.

>>4051372

Spending just enough time to say goodbye and show gratitude to Sayako and her staff you head out into the outside world. Followed up by walking in a steady jog you easily outmaneuver the crowd as you navigate yourself out of the city of Kurume. Making it to the entrance gate in record time you take one final look back to the busy city of Kurume. In retrospect, you only spent a single day in the city even after having already completed your objective. Normally you would’ve at least stayed for a few more days before ultimately returning home and typically getting an earful from your nagging grandmother. Once again to anyone who knew Byakuren Shimizu, this was quite the unusual course of action from the lovable and spunky maiden. That familiar feeling of dread was moving you forward as paranoia begins to take center stage. You just needed to return home and confirmed that everyone was safe and it would be over.

Unfortunately, it seems your woman’s intuition and spiritual awareness was right on the mark to be worried as you make your way up the hill and through the path back home. You who were born with exceptionally sharp eyes like that of an eagle, though an owl was more accurate on average could easily map out your surroundings without issue. Combined with a photographic memory and the reflexes capable of fully taking advantage of this, you were a bit of a copycat. With keen observation skills and an innovative mind, it was only natural with your level of perception that it dived into being blessed with amazing foresight. Again you merely brushed it off with something more scientific than calling it a divine power like the villagers did with your father’s fortune-telling skills or your mother’s insightful foresight. Still, out of the four children you carried the strongest eyes as your eldest sister was more talented to be worthy of being called a natural-born prodigy. It was the only thing that gave you any leverage above your sister who you lived in her shadows to this very day,

With your special eyes and sharp memory like an elephant’s, it was child’s play for you to take a proper shortcut as you make your way down the path and straight towards your destination. Normally it would take just about half a day for you to return home. However, you were exceptionally paranoid as the worrisome feelings continue to fester deep inside. So you did everything in your power to cut the trip to only a couple of hours or less. Of course, you were quite fortunate to have eaten a big breakfast for the trip, otherwise, by the end of it, you would be notoriously tired. Even with proper breathing from years of Qigong and the physical conditioning you obtained from your training into being a proper Miko, such a trip at that speed would leave you a little winded. Just the after-effects of having a once frail constitution.

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>>4051374

Your diligence and perseverance ultimately reward you by allowing you to arrive at your destination in just less than two hours. Having done so with little to no breaks, you felt like you just competed in a marathon and just barely managed to take the gold. But even after making it back home in record time, that feeling of dread continues to seep inside. As you travel through the forest grounds that house your house, a worrisome sight catches your eyes. So much in fact that you begin to act delirious over what your eyesight was showing you. Out in the distance, there was the sight of a blood trail leading towards your house. Even with a large amount of snow, you can see the sight of death lingering in the area. What made it worse was the fact you swear you saw the doors torn away. But as you look closer...there was someone stepping out of the house.

>What do you do?

>Run towards that person to confront them with the hopes that it was one of your family members
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
>Run in another direction and check the house from another point once it was safe
>Calm down and carefully think your options before coming to a conclusion (leave it to the gm)
>Other [write-in]

>>4051375

Author's Note: Sorry for the two month abscene, in between researching and being swamped by the holidays and responsibilities, I also wanted to give the manga series enough time to plan out some important events in our story. But now I can say with absolute confidence that we can continue in peace. Sorry for the wait and I thank you for your understaning and future cooperation.

Archives: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Demon+Slayer

>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance

>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance

>>4051375
>Keep quiet and find somewhere to hide and observe them from a distance
Glad you're back.

>>4051375
>>Calm down and carefully think your options before coming to a conclusion (leave it to the gm)

>Stand ready to fight , staring at the silhouette , analyzing its movement.

>>4051513
>>4051580
>>4051586

Alright, had some things to take care of but let's get back to the swing of things.

Rolling isn't necessary for this but in the future, we're going with a DC check based around either d10 or 20, alternatively, we can go with the d100 system. Whichever you guys prefer.

>>4052190

Before you could rattle your brain about the sight your body proceeded to act upon survival. Quickly you move as quickly yet quietly as possible into one of the trees that were still in full bloom. Luckily they were common in this area thus alerting suspicion as a potential hiding spot. With your current momentum, it was rather easy to scale up one of the large, sturdy trees and make it high into its branches in one fluid motion. Once again you have to thank your grandma for training you so thoroughly to manage pulling off such quick wit and fast footwork. Otherwise, it’ll be more accurate to say that you would be frozen completely by indecisiveness and fear. By the time your mind registered its surroundings, you were already nestled deep within the large tree’s branches, using the leaves as the perfect cover for hiding in plain sight. As if you need another reason to be compared with a tanuki or owl. But given the circumstance, you were willing to let that one slide. That is if you were to be ever so lucky to survive this rather dreadful encounter.

Making sure to control your breathing and keeping your wits about, you focus everything into being completely quiet. Hiding your presence was almost second nature through all those times avoiding your grandma during those games of tag in the woods as training. Though in your case it was mostly to avoid having to train by the tyrannical Miko. Nevertheless, those times of hiding and seak have honed you into performing swimmingly at the act of stealth. At times like these, you begin to wonder if you were fated to become a kunoichi instead of a Miko. Scanning the area swiftly and diligently, your amber eyes shift back towards looking at the silhouette that was coming out of the house. Rarely giving yourself the time to blink, you keep a close eye on the strange figure, not letting them out of your sights for anything. Judging from the silhouette you could tell automatically that it was an adult male. Examining it for just a few seconds longer imprinted the image of your father as you instructively compare the mysterious silhouette with your dear parental figure. Much to your dismay, the two didn’t match up as the figure was somewhat shorter than your father and arguably more lanky in leanness. Thus you begin to think that someone else has come into your house.

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>>4052416

Was it one of the other shamans looking to do some shaman related business? Another traveler looking to receive some sort of divine fortune telling about the weather or how their day was going to be? Or...was it someone from your father’s past coming to pay a visit. The possibilities continue to pile up the more you start to think and analyze the situation. Even so, your instincts were telling you to avoid that mysterious man at all costs. There was just something about the figure that gives off the dark vibe. A vibe quite like that sensation of death that you were picking up with your acute senses prior. Of course, this was merely a hunch based on limited information in such a short time. Now you weren’t the type to be pessimistic as you were a girl with a strong buoyant personality and steadfast outlook who looks at the brighter things, however, you weren’t nearly filled with boundless optimism, unlike your older sister. Being a realist was more fitting to your style. In any case, your hypothesis born from intuition generally didn’t let you down, especially when you need it most. Thus, you continue to remain ever silent in the trees as you observe the mysterious man. From what you can tell it was a Bishōnen looking man who was especially handsome in an otherworldly sort of way.

Curly black hair, plum red eyes like the shade of a blood moon you reflected upon prior, and pale white skin most common with someone who didn’t step into the sunlight often. It was clear to you that this mysterious individual was a young man clearly in his late twenties, and yet he holds some sort of regal formalness to his presence. Judging from his attire composed of a black haori coat, a white business suit, matching white tie, long-sleeved dress shirt, pants, and dress shoes, completing the outfit with a white fedora. You can tell from where you stood that this mysterious male was someone who favors extravagance considering the choice of his clothing. Was he someone from the main cites like Kyoto? Perhaps even the imperial capital city of Tokyo? It was hard to tell as there were too many variables and way too little time to theorize. Right now you commit yourself to not let your mind wander and trail off into one of your overthinking fits as this wasn’t the time for that. All you can do now was continue observing and analyzing his ever motions.

>>4052420

To your careful and keen observation, you were able to spot the mysterious man from all sides upon watching him standing in the white snow. The mysterious man was oozing with charisma as the feeling of being under the presence of an extraordinary person deepens. If the paranoia wasn’t making you so tense you would find the strange to be rather dashing in his smooth charms. Looking closely at him you saw nothing out of the ordinary, at least through the first glance. However, looking closely you notice that his fingernails were a shade of red. At first, it didn’t look all that unusual considering you met flamboyant people including males who paint their names to be more stylish and exuberant. And yet, the more you stare at those nails did you start to put the pieces together and come to an unfortunate conclusion. The red hue on those nails...that was the same color and texture...as blood. Upon coming to that conclusion you begin to go pale as your bones start to rattle and your body begins to shake tremendously out of fear.

Picking up on the strange feeling that kept him at place despite finishing his objection, the mysterious man simply lifts his finger. Viens start to appear around the index finger, throbbing constantly as the muscles contract and tenses themselves around the nail area. The bloodred nails start to shimmer rather ominously. In a blink of an eye, it changed from the blood-red shade to its standard cool, blue hue. Worst yet it spiked up from its flattish state into a sharp, jagged crescent moon, resembling a beast’s claws or fangs. Pointing the fingernail directly towards a tree, the mysterious man fires the keratin at blinding speeds. Acting akin to a bullet, it manages to come within seconds of hitting you directly at your chest.

>How do you proceed

>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead
>Risk exposure by dodging the attack and moving to another hiding spot
>Grab the sturdy, tree branch and dive into fighting form as you dash towards the mysterious man to counterattack
>Other [write-in]

>>4052422

For the future, here's how you can keep up with updates as to when I'll start https://discord.gg/6Z4bzmt

>>4052422
>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead
Nah we can't fight someone with finger bullets

>>4052422
>Endure the blow and keep quiet as you pretend to play dead

>>4052456
Sounds legit, supporting

>>4052456
>>4052480
>>4052510

Alright then, it looks like we're going for playing possum. So give me a d20 roll, DC is 13

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4052920

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4052920
Fuck

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4052920

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4052920
Hopefully no crits with 1d20

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4.22 MB GIF

>>4053042

Oh my goodness, but riddle me this on what makes you wish for such a thing ?

>>4053159
On a d20 it happens too often.

>>4053169

Fair enough, still documenting results based on the roll with highest being the best and lowest being the worst even without crits.

>>4052920

Despite your notoriously sharp eyesight, you would come across just a hair’s breathe of almost completely unnoticing the impending attack that was traveling towards your destination. Honestly, you have roughly less than twenty seconds to observe and react to the traveling fingernail. Most of your mental state wasn’t even aware of the unfortunate tragedy that was to come. With how casual he came off as and how quick the transition was, it almost appeared like a simple magic trick. Dodging it at this point was next to impossible and only would confirm the mysterious man’s suspicion of someone being in that tree. And attacking him in a counterattack fashion was more or less inviting your impending death considering you didn’t have any weapons. Nor could compete with a man who somehow shot a bullet out of his fingernails at you. Really your only option was to withstand the blow and endure it to the best of your ability. Anything else would be just wishful thinking as your mind quickly comes to a conclusion.

Instinctively you tilted your body by just a couple of degrees to lower the chance of receiving a fatal wound. Although it wasn’t much, it most certainly assured you of achieving just that as the fingernail pierces through your snow-white haori coat, short-skirted white kimono robes and even through your sleeveless form-fitting turtleneck. In a single motion, it went from your outer outfit layers right down to your breast, specifically the cleavage area as it manages to slide through your mounts as it travels down its path. Much like the thick fabric of your clothing your own natural skin and flesh tissues were soon penetrated by the fingernail in a smooth fashion. At the rate it was going it would all but seem imminent that he was going to hit your heart through the sternum. The pectoral muscles were the only thing keeping the fingernail from reaching through the opening in the ribcage and striking deep at your heart after breaking your sternum. In response to the impending threat, you instinctively flexes your muscles, contracting the fingernail upon contact with your muscle tissues. Through strenuous effort and muscle control, your body manages to block and catch the invading fingernail, effectively stopping it in its tracks. The blunt force and friction burn still remain as it stings like hell.

>>4053328

However, it didn’t change the fact that it was a rather dangerous ordeal that left you feeling an intense burning, aggravating sensation around your chest. Blood started to spill from your lips due to the internal bleeding made from the fingernail bullet. Sharp pain pulsates through your body, spreading everywhere in shocking intervals. Honestly, the pain you were currently feeling was quite possibly the worst thing that you have ever felt in your entire life so far. Had you not reacted subconsciously the way you did the damage would’ve been a lot worse. With the best-case scenario being only lightly injured and having trouble breathing for a long while and death at the worst possible scenario? The pain was almost enough to make you scream as you blink in confusion at the fact you were stricken by the mysterious young man. What was keeping you from acting upon such response was your strength of will stubbornly suppressing those desires. Screaming at this stage would only alert you would-be assailant and bring more misfortune upon you. Therefore, you endure to the best of your ability, keeping the fingernail in place while refraining from moving. The urge to cry was especially strong but not a single drop would come out due to fear.

Putting the agonizing pain aside you acted upon an old survival trick you recall several woodland creatures reenacted for survival. That trick being ‘playing possum’. By pretending to be motionless and lifeless, it gives off the false impression that the target was slain and their souls departed to the afterlife. While in actuality the target is fully alive and aware of their surroundings even in their current state. Depending on the animal resulted in a different chain of events, but usually, the attacker generally goes off uninterested and leaving the user to live to fight another day. Taking that philosophy into account you made it your best interest to remove all trace of your presence from the mysterious assailant. You weren’t sure how but something you did must have alerted him of your current location. Or he was just a paranoid man and was just shooting randomly in case something was in the tree. In the back of your head, you prayed that you would never have the chance to find out and wanted to survive above all else. Turning your misfortune into opportunity, you took a silent gasp, gathering the maximum amount of air you can and holding your breath to remove any tellings.

>>4053331

Dead silence was a truly torturous factor for you as you endured ever excruciating second of your endeavor by hiding in plain sight. Every millisecond felt like an eternity for you as the mysterious man looks at the area where he struck the tree. You could practically feel his fearsome gaze staring intently as you continue to lie motionless, holding back the urge to blink with cold, unmoving eyes. If you weren’t so good at eye based competition including staring contest chances are you would’ve flinched up and blinked out of fright. Quite possibly alerting the mysterious man of your presence and ruining your hard work. It wasn’t an easy task erasing your presence and clearing your mind. The gods must have truly been your side to have given you the means to do so through your training to become a Miko. Although, given the overall circumstances, that was most debatable. Nevertheless, your diligent perseverance was rewarded as the mysterious man trails off from the path, has seemingly confirmed that whatever he hit is either non-existent or already dead.

Only after waiting until he was completely out of sight and long gone did you finally broke the silence yet again with a violent cough of blood. Upturned eyes were rendered dull and empty as the light in them slowly fades. While not at the stage of death, you most certainly wasn’t feeling all that energetic after that quick brush with death. Silently but steadily you let out routine, fast pace breathing, almost reaching hyperventilation levels. The tears were finally pouring out as was the blood flowing from your lips, your muscles finally stopped clinching the fingernail as it remains stuck in your chest cavity. To which it has seemingly started to disintegrate now that it was no longer held together by your muscles. Before you had time to relax, another pulsation starts to rupture inside your body, causing you to clench your chest tightly as you begin to pant and drool uncontrollably. Without any warning, you were showing strong symptoms of having a fever.

>How do you proceed?

>Remember your breathing exercise and instinctively start applying them while calming down
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family
>Force yourself to follow the mysterious man while keeping your distance at all time
>Pass out and let your body deal with whatever is happening to you
>Other [write-win]

>>4053333
>Remember your breathing exercise and instinctively start applying them while calming down
Nice numbers

>>4053333
>>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family

>>4053333
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family

>>4053333
>Pull yourself together and check your house for any clues relating to your family

>>4053496
>>4053724
>>4053832

Just a second ago you were perfectly fine, well aside from the crippling fear that nearly took complete hold of you. Still, it’s rather baffling to be breaking down like this from just a single encounter. Just who was that mysterious guy and what exactly did he want? Most important of all, what exactly did he do to you? It was clear to you that he wasn’t normal, especially if he was to turn parts of his own body into a weapon. But the memory and presence of that mysterious man wouldn’t ever leave your eidetic memory as you burn every last detail of him into the archives. There were so many questions currently running through your mind as you kneel down and start to tighten your hand around your chest. Still feeling that intense burning sensation coursing through your body at every waking moment. At this point, you were getting ever closer to hyperventilating from the panic and fear that you were bottling up as you struggle to keep it together. Whatever was happening to you would have to wait as you needed to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. There was no time to be lazing around.

Pushing yourself upwards through the sheer force of your will manages to regain your center of balance. Now postered in an upward position, you quickly lung yourself to the right, letting gravity takes it course as you fall off from the tree. Timing it just right you kick the tree during mid-fall in order to serve as a spring for you to bounce off of and propel you towards the direction you seek to travel in. Followed by a quickly timed tumble, you manage to safely land on the ground without causing any additional injuries. Perfect was an understatement when considering your current condition to have still managed to pull off such fancy footwork. Clearly living in the wilderness for so long and undergoing your grandma’s crazy preparation from hell was truly earning its keep on you. Nevertheless, you pick yourself back off from the ground and start to pick up momentum as you begin to run towards your house. Given the hostility from what you felt during that near-death experience, it was clear that something horrible may have happened.

>>4054236

By all accounts, you should trust your survival instincts and let it take over to direct you to run away for dear life. But your deep love for your family overpowered both those survival instincts and common sense as you pressed forward. Almost tumbling midway during your run, you manage to make your way back towards your house. What was waiting for you was not something for the light of heart as you step inside to check it out? Bloodstains currently painting the wall in graphic fashion as the scent of blood lingers throughout the house. Scratch marks imprinted on the walls and floors along with with disoriented furniture shows sign that there was a clear struggle going on as you continue to navigate through your house. Paranoia and fear continue to circulate through your body as they were getting worse by the second. But even if it was to the point of running away from reality, you continue to hold on to the disillusioned hope that your family was alright.

However, upon making it to the living you were met with a cold and cruel taste of reality. Lying against the wall was your father Kenki Shimizu as a trail of blood seeps out, painting both the wall and floor right next to him. To your left was the twins Emiko and Keiju, also lying against the floor seemingly motionless and unresponsive. The entire living room was trashed as it looks like someone threw one hell of a tantrum. To make matters worse you didn’t see your sister Sakura anywhere. On that note, you fight with the growing fear inside and pull just enough strength to move forward and start checking on your family. Perhaps just like you they were merely playing possum and making themselves appear dead to avoid further confrontation with that mysterious man. Making your way first towards your father you quickly examine his body. Going through the necessary steps to check his pulse, you were meet with a rather disheartening sight.

>>4054238

Numerous fractures and deep lacerations as the blood continue to gush right out of him in a slow but steady stream. Looking more akin to a butchered animal, you could tell first hand that there was a long and hard-fought struggle between your father and the mysterious man as evidence of the current shape of your living room and the damages throughout the halls. Now checking upon his pulse you were left with a grim realization. There no pulse or any sign of life coming from your father. Although it was recently, perhaps even just by a couple of hours, you can tell first hand that….your father was already...dead. The color of your peach-colored skin turns pale upon the realization as tears start to pour deeply from your eyes. Looking at your younger siblings a similar thought quickly run down through your mind as fear was keeping you from checking on the condition of them. But deep down you got the sinking suspicion that like your father, both your little brother and sister were sharing the same fate as your father.

For the first time in your life...you felt something that you never truly experience in your life. Hatred...A hatred so strong that it was pushing your mind to snap and fragment into pieces from the horrible experience and realization that you were no longer going to be able to spend any more time with your family...ever again.

>How do you proceed?

>Look for any sort of weapon in your house and chase after the mysterious man
>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju
>Try to treat your wound to the best of your ability before breaking down and crying over your lost
>????
>Other [write-in]

>>4054240
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju

>>4054240
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju

>>4054240
>>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju

>>4054240
>>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju

>>4054240
>Search throughout the resident and try to find your older sister Sakura
>Muster the courage and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Keiju

>>4054558
>>4054962
>>4055082
>>4054265
>>4054343

Sorry for the wait, but it looks like we're doing both for max suffering. Writing Now

>>4055112

Surrounded with the lifeless bodies pushed you down a dark path like no other. Despair was kicking in as your mind was psychologically breaking apart. The overwhelming pain, the constant stress of uncertainty, the looming strain of loss, and the rampant rage that threatening to consume you from inside. It was a miracle on itself that you didn’t shatter at the first sign of seeing your family’s bodies. But even all that willpower couldn’t completely withstand the immense heartbreak you were feeling over the loss of your father. For just a flashing moment your eyes start to lose their color and become empty. A rising stream of sorrow and hatred swells fiercely inside as you compensate for being completely alone. What ultimately snaps you out of your panic attack was the sight of your mother and the rest of your family. Seeing her brought you back to reality, allowing you to regain your senses/

Filled with courage and inner strength, you turn your eyes back to Emiko and Keiju. With a loud gulp, you slowly hunch over to their bodies. Focusing your eyes as hard as you can, you begin to notice something that you missed in your stressful episode. It was faint but there was some warmth in both Emiko and Keiju’s bodies. Placing your ear upon Emiko’s chest, you begin to hear a heartbeat from the lifeless child. Again, it was rather faint just like her heat signature but there was still a heartbeat. However, the rhythm was rather erratic and unusual as it doesn’t move in the conditional way that a regular human’s heartbeat is supposed to go. The constant fluctuations were making you rather unnerved as you continue to listen to the sound. Pulling yourself off from Emiko you then make your way to preforming the same act on to Keiju. Much like his twin sister, Keiju was showing the same traits as Emiko, much to your horror.

But as much as this was quite the worrisome endeavor, you couldn’t help but feel tremendously relieved by the sudden revelation. It didn’t matter how unusually unorthodox it was, it didn’t change the fact that both of your younger siblings were still alive. Fastening the two twins safely into the modest wooden basket, you follow suit by securing them safely with a thick blanket which allowed a steady oxygen flow. Once the two of them were fully secured and at peace, you quickly rise back to your feet. A shart joint of pain rushes through your body. Breathing was still notoriously harder than it should be normal, and the blood was still leaking from your mouth due to all those internal injuries currently the main cause of your bleeding. Of course, you force yourself to power through it, no matter how much your lungs were hurting or how much the burning sensation and stinging jolts continuing to pulsate through your body.

>>4055210

There was still something that you need to do before you can finally collapse. If Emiko and Keiju were able to hold out and survive despite the odds, then there was a possible chance that your elder sister Sakura was also alive somewhere. Taking one final look towards your father, you force yourself to make a rather bittersweet smile to him. Raising your hand around him before transitioning to hugging the corpse. “..I’m sorry dad. I’m sorry that I didn’t come sooner and hopefully help you. But...I know you wouldn’t want me to beat myself over something like this and instead focus on my siblings. So...please wait a little longer okay? I’ll...promise to bury you and….keep my promise about thinking real hard about what I want to do for now on. So please, pass on to me your courage and diligence before moving on to the afterlife to be with mom again. ..I love you.” You reply, hugging your father tightly as you sob silently for a full minute.

After finishing your tearful goodbye you pull yourself forward and start to trek through your house. Keeping a close eye to your current stamina levels, you transition to reserve as much energy as possible through power walking. While not at jogging speeds, you were moving quite fast for someone in your current predicament, practically ignoring the added weight of your siblings that should be weighing you down. Searching through every single room took a moderate amount of time as each room was left mostly unscathed. There were no signs of your sister being in any of the rooms that you checked as you thoroughly explore the entirety of your house. Once you came to a dead-end upon reaching the final room, you took a moment to catch your breath. There was no time to let yourself get depressed and fall back into despair. You needed to be strong for your younger siblings and keep fighting no matter what. Closing your eyes and thinking real closely, your mind quickly formulates the next likely place that Sakura would be located.

>>4055211

Marching out of the house you make your way through the bushes and turn the corner in a fluid motion. Afterward, you steadily travel upwards through the path towards the Suitengū shrine. Surely if she was to be anywhere outside of your house then that would be the first place you’d check for Sakura. Continuing with your power walk you slowly but surely make the trip with little to no concerns. The constant pains you were feeling and your growing fever were symptoms that you stubbornly adapted to as they were becoming bearable to you. Still, it didn’t change the fact that you weren’t in the best of condition and chances are you need to treat your wounds properly. Death by blood loss was highly unlikely given the wound made inside your chest, but that didn’t mean you were completely out of the woodworks yet. Even so, you stubbornly priorities your family’s safety over yours. A clear sign just how empathic and kind-hearted you truly are with such selflessness. Whether if that was a good thing or not remains to be seen.

Eventually, after making it to the staircase and plowing straight towards the top you finally reached your destination. Unlike previously inside the house, you kept yourself from taking a break. The adrenaline coursing through you was the only thing that was keeping you up and active. At this stage you feel like that if you were to stop down and rest, chances are you wouldn’t have the strength to pull yourself back up. Thus, you continue your steady motions as you make your way towards the Suitengū shrine. Upon arrival, you nearly bust the door open in frantic hysteria. In your view, there were signs of a struggle as blood was smeared across the wall. But unlike the trail where you ultimately found your father’s body, there wasn’t a sign of your sister’s presence anywhere. Once again you were met with another dead end as another consultation starts to hit you hard in the chest. Nearly forcing you to drop to your knees as you clench your chest.

If your sister wasn’t here then where could she be? Thinking about what could have happened to here was making you lose concertation and dangerously relapsing into a state of unyielding rage. Your mental state was reaching its limit as the thoughts keep flooding in. At the same time, your eyes start to glow from amber to a scarlet shade, pupils slitting like that of a berserk animal. You were breaking apart and it was happening at a dangerous rate.

>How do you proceed?

>Let go of everything and become empty like the wind to retain rational thought
>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up
>Surpress your emotions and ignore all distractions as you become unmoving like the mountains
>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
>Other [write-in]

>>4055212
>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest
Demon family blues

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>>4055212
>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up

>become demon
>TFW no family to resist eating
>Vengeance.jpg

In battle, I wanna be an apparation of burning vengeance, and there is a bunch of art for it.

Assuming we are going demon. We -are- going demon, right?

>>4055212
>>Acknowledge the pain your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest

>>4055263

Considering we took a fingernail bullet to the chest by Mr "lace all my attacks with blood so i can weaponize demonification" it wouldn't be all that surprising. But if we do become on we maybe like nezuko since we did got a nat 20 to endure it. Anyway supporting.

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>>4055288
I think BO3 is traditional?

BO3 we got 19. Still absolutely great, but not a crit.

>Considering we took a fingernail bullet to the chest

MC has all symptoms of currently undergoing final stages of demonic transformation - Breathing training and good rolls might have allowed her to skip past dying like a bitch from demon cancer straight into badass demon samurai territory.

At least I think so.

>Like Nezuko

Prolly more like Tamayo, I think. Nezuko's mental issues are very non-standard.

Also different circumstances. Where Nezuko's priorities were not eating her brother and not eatin anyone in general first, second and last.

Ours are hopefully to pick up a sword, and go on a a burning murderous road trip looking for other demons to murder until we get gut enough to strike at Muzan.

It is going to be great.

>>4055212
>>Become as fierce as fire and finally lash out at this unfair predicament while refusing to give up

>>Acknowledge the pain in your heart and cry while retaining your gentle nature like the forest

>>4055239
>>4055263
>>4055275
>>4055470
>>4055525

Looks like we're doing both while the fire aspect takes seniority. I can dig it. So let's do some rolling, DC is 10.

>>4055338

I'm more of a depend on the situation kind of person. BO3 is standard for a lot of questions I have other factors kicking in. So If I see additional rolls in a short spree of time, or I find myself going off schedule and taking longer than intended to post for example, then I'll most likely incorporate it into passibility out of fairness.

Either way, you did real good avoiding dying like a bitch to Muzan's Smooth Criminal lethal bullets. Now let's see how your humanity takes into account against demonificatiion .

>>4055542
Tell me how to roll.

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>4055542

>>4055549
dice+1d20 in the options field.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4055338
Watch me fail at this simple task.

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>4055542
Humanity wins!

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>4055542

Looks like Byakuren remains mostly human in mindset, if ,understandably, pretty furious.

Cool. Mix of anger and tears is pretty nice too.

...Wait. Are kids going to turn too? Sspawning demons like that is what Muzan does.

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>>4055554
>>4055561

Good job my dudes. Your humanity is unyielding and ever-presence as you avoid becoming a complete monster like so many others. Now you're only a filthy Half-Demon/maverick demon-like Nezuko and current Tamayo. Inuyasha route here we go.

Badass Samurai away. Genya give you strength.

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>>4055569

>>Someone remembers Muzan's unfortunate tactics of causing maxium suffering.

>>4055239

Puts it into words right here.

>>4055579
Oh lawl. Demon family. IDK if Tamayo is going to be uber jelly or uber sad.

Though if they lose their humanity Byakuren will probably be forced to kill them. After all this, to lose them again - that would be something, alright.

>Sister not here
What are the chances she's been taking to be one of the Moons?

>>4055601
Muzan probably just ate her. He is a callous and impatient motherfucker at his core.

>>4055606
But then we can't be forced to put her down for max suffering.

>>4055542

Despite your best efforts, you were starting to fall apart. Time after time again you were met with a rather cruel response to your struggles for any silver lining of hope. Having your elder sister missing was the final straw to your already overly stressed back. The foundation was falling apart as your mind, body and spirit were breaking, the heart showing cracks metaphorically at the deep scars this precedent was leaving. It’s obvious that this was having quite the negative effect as not even fully grown adults can completely adjust to such a cruel tragedy. So how was a mere thirteen-year girl was expected to supposed to keep her wits about? Even though your twin siblings still show signs of life, it was so faint that it wouldn’t be all that surprising if they went up and croak at a moment’s notice. The very aspect of that possibility being a reality was enough to drive you deep into the pits of despair and sorrow. And from that very pit came another sensation...the burning inferno of rage, fueled by your escalating hatred.

The thought of being separated from your family, the thought of being isolated and alone, all of those worrisome feelings and lingering thoughts of paranoia was suffocating you. This tremendous amount of guilt and sorrow, it was just too much to bear. It was simply unfair as your mind couldn’t find any reason for such a cruel fate to happen to your family. A kind and earnest family that did its hardest working diligently for the sake of others. To give them peace of mind and security in these tough times throughout the centuries with your generation continuing the task. They were good, honest people who did no act of malice or ill-will half as cruel as the amount warranted to be punished by karma, especially by this existent. The more you thought about it, the more your entire tragic situation became ludicrously unfair. It was to the point of being unfathomable as something begins to fester deep inside of you.

>>4055748

The fingernail that was lodged deep inside of your chest has completely mutated and disintegrated. Using your heart as the focal point, it subtly spread throughout the entire body as there was no spot left untouched. Using your hysteria and activeness against you, it easily contaminates the entire bloodstream as it took to the next stage in your corruption. Those painful convulsions and constant throbbing contractions were caused by your body constantly struggling in the background at what was becoming of you. Hence why you who was typically healthy as an ox thanks to your parents’ actions that lead to the divine intervention was getting an intense fever, especially at a time like this. The constant threat of hyperventilation was the body’s way of fighting this unforeseen ordeal. And while you managed to avoid the worst-case scenario of the alienating aliment breaking your body apart until it’s fully disintegrated. It didn’t change the fact that undergoing the destruction and creation in between your active motions was only the beginning….towards your rebirth... as a demon.

Eyes now scarlet red, they begin to glow ominously as they were a vivid representation of the burning hatred inside of you. Your canine teeth start to elongate, becoming more like a vicious animal as you have more in common with that unfortunate comparison to a tanuki than previously. Although, in this case with how barbarous you appear, it was more accurate to call you a mad dog or a newly awaken wolf escaping from the domesticating lifestyle and returning to the primal fury. Your fingernails and toenails follow suit and elongate into claws. Your black leggings feeling rather tighter than usual for form-fitting clothes as your upper attire was undergoing the same suffocating feeling. Speaking of feelings, that burning sensation was running rampant as another tight contraction around your chest took place. These convulsions were becoming more frequent, like some sort of otherworldly heartbeat befitting for a demon. Blood veins start to form around the body as your pupils slit themselves, resembling an enraged animal who was pushed to their breaking point.

>>4055754

You continue to drool uncontrollably as your body temperature skyrockets. The drool mixed with your blood dripped off from your full lips, hitting the ground as it starts to burn it with its high acidity and temperature. Your blood boils from within while your body breaks into hyperventilation. Fast, shallow breaths followed by erratic movements and unusual actions. Your body was performing a wide assortment of different tasks as its transition to trembling. All while your mind was fighting desperately at snapping apart and becoming psychologically broken. But even so, it was still in some way conscious of what was happening to the body. Not that it was going to make a difference as you feel your entire being consumed by hatred. Tears start to pour from your eyes as a sign of your kind, gentle heart crumbling. But this was not the usual watery substance as blood was pouring from the eyes. The sclera, turning into the same hue as those tears running constantly down your cheeks.

It was at this point a voice was starting to ring inside your head. A bone-chilling tone that was neither sweet nor soothing as it was full of ice. The voice starts off being incoherent mumbling but over time it starts to become clearer and audible with each passing second. Judging from the sounds it was clear the intention of the voice was driving you to give in to the templatizing presence currently enveloping you. Listening to its beacon call it was giving you the directive to go berserk, feast on humans and embrace your inner darkness. Sweet whispers ran across your ears, attempting to corrupt you from all corners of your heart and turn you into a dark, twisted variation of your general personality. You weren’t sure how but you were able to identify this pre-recording message as the same man who you saw previously. The man is known as Muzan Kibutsuji, the progenitor of all demons. Wrestling against these constant messages drove you to the point of insanity as you kneel outside the shrine and let out a vicious scream. Filled with agonizing sorrow and despair with a growing hint of rage.

“This isn’t fair…. This isn’t fair... THIS ISN’T FAIR, DAMN IT!” You scream, slamming your fist deeply against the ground, causing a series of cracks to form around the hard bedrock as you make a sizable dent from your outrage. At this point, you were at your limit at holding back your emotions. Everything was coming together as the pieces start to align. But the motive remains ever a mystery as it only infuriates you further.

>>4055774

“What did my family and I ever do to a scumbag like that! What gives him the right to kill my father, hurt my brother and sister, and take my big sis Sakura from me! Damn it!” Once again slamming your fist deep into the ground, you begin throwing one hell of a tantrum over all of it. Though considering how much of your emotion you kept bottled up, it was bound to happen that you start to lash out against your surroundings. Each slam across the ground only formed bigger cracks as the dent began growing at an alarming rate.
With one more slam, you kneel your head, gripping your balled up fists to the point of breaking the skin and bleeding profoundly. You start to mutter you yourself to drown out the constant voice egging you on to become the very worst you can be.“I won’t accept it.” Silently muttering those words rather ominously, you slowly start to rise back up to your feet. Blood vessel starts to appear around your eyes, morphing those round mounds into something much sharper and fierce as your burning hatred was reaching its zenith. “...I will not...accept any of this!!”

“Won’t forgive….won’t forgive. I’ll never forgive you! ...Muzan Kibutsuji!” You scream, your sweet and innocent voice starting to distort, becoming more vicious and unrelenting in its chaotically erratic shift intones. You were becoming more vengeful and overflowing with the burning passion that was driving you to seek retribution for all of this. “Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth and dive into the deepest of hell...I will find you!”

“No matter where you go, you're not getting away! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you suffer for a thousand for the pain you inflicted upon me! Muzan Kibutsuji! I will never forgive you no matter what!” The distorted voice becoming more haunting and ominous with each word you spat out. If someone was to hand you a mirror you would possibly be shocked at how demonic your vicious nature was warping you. An onryō or wrathful spirit would have more in common with the current you than your once humane nature. As you grit your razor-sharp teeth in frustration, another voice starts to ring into your head.

>>4055798

Although the voice was quick like a flickering flame, it was far more soothing and gentle than the constant bombardment of the callous Muzan. It was a familiar voice from someone you haven’t heard in a long time. In addition to this voice, it carries the sound of your father and siblings. Even your grandma Gurren was intertwined in the voice as the imagery of your family manifests around you. Feeling enveloped with such warmth and kindness manages to sooth and tranquilize your tortured existence. The bloody tears start to disappear as real, genuine tears start to pour out from your eyes. The bloody sclera fading as your demonic features were receding as a result of your humanity coming back to the surface. Remembering your family and your father’s final words gave you the strength and courage to reel yourself back from your vengeful outburst and keep yourself from losing something truly important.

“..Mom….Dad...Sakura...Keiju...Emiko...Grandma Guren...thank you.” You smile, scrunching up your face as you start to break down and sob. No longer filled with the burning hatred and relentless desire to viciously rip apart the one who did this to you and your family, you finally gave grief the closure that it was longing for. In between your crying fit, your senses start to pick something up. In the back of your head lies an image, the image of your sister Sakura being carried by a mysterious samurai with raven black hair tied in a ponytail. You couldn’t make out his face but the image of your sister gave you renowned hope as you saw her safe.

“How Foolish. There are only two paths for you, stubborn child. Either give up your futile struggle and fully become a demon or give up living and join your family in the afterlife. There is no salvation for disobedient children.” The voice of Muzan spoke coldly, urging you to return to the vengeful state that you previously took.

>>4055825

Hearing that voice ringing in your head didn’t trigger that previous state of malice and burning vengeance. Instead, you remain composed as the only thing you felt was to pity the voice “..Who decided that?”You mutter, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Slowly place your left hand against your chest, the memory of your family further imprints itself deep into your heart as your humanity fully returns to the surface. The flames of passion and the cool serenity of the forest, including the soothing river converse together to paint such beautiful scenery. It represented the balance between the two forces currently raging war over dominance.

“ My fate to either become a bloodthirsty monster or die. To hell with that!! Such a cruel and unjust destiny isn’t what my father nor any of my loved ones would desire. If that’s to be my fate, then I’ll crush such a horrible future and keep fighting till the very end. I will weather through this storm and see tomorrow with my siblings! Bet on it!” You yell, stubbornly defying the voice to the end as it somehow disappears along with traces of red energy.

With a warm smile forming on your face, you feel yourself becoming at ease as your vision starts to blur. Appearing a fully human side from sharpening nails and teeth, you start to struggle keeping yourself awake. What you did just now took a remarkable amount of strength, a strength that ultimately saps you of your remaining stamina. Everything was beginning to start spinning as you feel yourself coming closer towards unconsciousness. All while this was taking place, you start to hear a voice crying out to you. A gentle if not overly enthusiastic tone as you turn your eyes to meet with them. A man with bright yellow hair, red streaks as the image of the rising sun was the first thing that comes to mind upon seeing him. For some reason, you feel safe. But a lingering thought now invades your mind. Emiko and Reiju.

>What do you do?

>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings
>Try to move and run away as fast and far as possible
>Keep quiet and focus your breathing as you listen to the mysterious man
>Other [write-in]

>>4055834
>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family

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>>4055834

Time for best boy to make his appearance.

>>4055542
>>4055834
>>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings

>>4055834
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings

>>4055834
>Pass out and trust the mysterious man to take care of you and your family

>>4055834
>Force yourself to stay awake and confront the man while being defensive of your siblings

>trusting a stranger with our remaining family

>>4055860
>>4055877
>>4055998

Alright, seem like we're going with distrustful skeptism. Which considering what has happen so far, Byakuren is justifed in being crabby.

Give me a d20 roll if you please, the DC is 10

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4056090

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>4056090

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>4056090

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>4056090

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>>4056092

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>>4056091
>>4056092
>>4056095

Man, your love for your family/general luck is astounding. First, it lets you survive certain death, become a half-demon and now get some fresh gains. Bravo. Byakuren is truly blessed by the gods. Because her family was the offering.

>>4056106

One more thing before I get back to writing.

Author’s Note: Since this series revolves around the supernatural and karmic divinity as well as being ambiguous with its “mystical martial art empowered by breathing” you’ll be seeing some overlaps with Jojo’s Hamon in this quest. Warning you now before things get bizarre, also sorry not sorry for that pun.

>>4056129

Although you were tremendously tired, having been pushed way past your physical, mental and even spiritual limits, those thoughts continue to run on repeat in your mind. Had it been any other day before the tragedy you would’ve strongly considered if not willingly pass out and leave the safety of you and your family in the hands of a stranger judging by his good vibes. However, you were rather skeptical and defensive, especially to any strange individuals. Like with Muzan, you didn’t have any idea what this person was capable of. Not to mention even in your blurry state your eyes caught the silhouette of a sword. All the more reason to refuse to go into that gentle slumber and pass out. You already lost one family member and have a missing sibling, you sure as hell wasn’t going to lose any more. Motivated by your everlasting compassion and love for your family, you find yourself drawing forth your Miko training.

Instinctively you begin to take a deep breath, maximizing the amount of oxygen that was flowing into your lungs and traveling into your bloodstream. Channeling the fresh forest oxygen and circulating it throughout your body starts to have positive effects upon you. Slowly you begin to feel newfound strength swelling up inside of you. Every single fiber of your cells harnessing the sun’s glorious radiance, amplifying the biological energy that resides inside of you. As a result, your body cultivates the oxygen, converting it into fuel and drawing all manner of the cell’s power to trigger a rejuvenating effect upon your body. Within moments you were reaching a state of optimization as you feel the radiant energy coursing through your entire body. It was just a simple breathing trick taught by your family as apart of one of the many methods of the Qigong style breathing you implore in your Kagura dances. This one, in particular, was aimed at improving stamina and honing endurance. But something strange begins to happen.

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>>4056305

Normally what was intended to bring forth stability and reinvigorate swiftly transition into bring bountiful amounts of stamina and accelerating your natural healing ability. The wound on your chest was not only closing upon itself but any indication that you were shot there was dissipating. As well as the internal injuries you, unfortunately, suffered as backlash for enduring that underhanded sneak attack. Whether if it was innate aptitude, the result of your family’s strenuously rigorous training, especially your grandma’s training from hell influencing your physical conditioning, or even the mysterious power coursing through you it was unclear. Not that it really matters since the end result was more important than the method. With each breath you took under your family’s qigong training, you feel yourself reviving as even your breathing rhythm was stabilizing. Those lingering fits of painful convulsion and burning sensation seemingly have disappeared as well did your fever. But you were still hotter than normal.

With your body fully energized and restored back to full health, you feel yourself returning to top condition. Even so, you start to take things carefully and slowly take things into perspective. Adjusting your amber eyes although more reddish than normal, you took the tie to observe this mysterious person carefully as he was close in your personal space. He was clearly someone in his late teens as not even your elder sister who was fifteen came close. You roughly estimate around from sixteen to eighteen years old. And yet already you feel the aura of a veteran captain oozing out from this very enthusiastic gentleman. Hansome aside you can tell with your exceptionally sharp eyes that from his muscle details he was notoriously muscular and well defined underneath his military uniform. The only unusual thing about him was his hair color and golden eyes. Strangely they were rather sharp despite being round, making you think of an owl as you continue to stare into those deep eyes.

>>4056313

“Oh good, you can hear me after all. I wasn’t sure if you would take to my advice or not about controlling your breathing. After all, you look like quite the mess before and carry the scent of blood. But judging from what I can tell the wounds on you was inflicted by someone else.” The mysterious man spoke, showing a rather eccentric side to his enthusiasm. Another strange person came to your presence, but compared to the first he was far warmer. “To be honest, I thought you were going to pass out and I’ll have to carry you to safety.”

Seeing you only staring at with a monotone expression, the mysterious man blinks for a blink before making a surprising look on his face. “Ah! Where are my manners? My name is Kyojuro Rengoku, it’s an honor to meet you.” Kyojuro spoke, offering his hand to help you up from the ground while doubling as a handshake. It took you only a few more silent blinks before you finally break out of your shell and greet him properly.

“Aha...Sorry. I’m just not in the mood right now to leave either of my twin siblings Emiko and Keiju alone right now with a stranger.” You half-heartedly smile as you take his hand and lift yourself. Smoothly transitioning into a proper handshake afterward. “My name is Byakuren Shimizu. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Ah! A Shimizu you say. That reminds me of the time that I ran with Lady Guren during my trip to Tokyo in the Suitengū Shrine. She was very informative and quite resourceful. I wouldn’t have finished my mission in record time if it wasn’t for her and the Kawakami clan’s help.”

“Wait you know my grandma and my relatives the Kawakami clan?” You blink, genuinely shocked at this sudden realization as you listen closely to his tale.

Kyojuro nods, keeping rather authentic if not overly enthusiastic smile “Correct. They have been helping me and several of the pillars during their stay in Tokyo whenever they can. So as appreciation, after my mission around Kurome, I was planning on visiting these lands and offer my thanks to Lady Guren. “

“But...judging from the situation. It seems that I’m unfortunately too late. I’m deeply sorry.”

“I know you must be in shock over what has happened, it’s perfectly understandable if you ever feel like screaming at the top of your lungs in frustration and sorrow. But I’m going to need you to temper your passionate flames and tell me what exactly happened and who could have done this? If I know what the demonic assailant looks like, I’ll have a good chance at tracking them down and getting retribution for your misfortune.”

>How do you proceed?

>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
>Be skeptical and ask him some questions [write-in what you want to know]
>Take notice of his sword and prepare for combat as you won’t be tricked twice
>Run away as far and as fast as you can
>Other [write-in]

>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
>>Take notice of his sword and prepare for combat as you won’t be tricked twice

>>4056316

For the record what you did just now was very comparable if not your family's specialized version of the Total Breathing Concertation art. There's more to your heritage than meets your eye but for now, the makings of a demon slayer run deep inside of you thanks to your strong foundation.

>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings
Obviously don't let your guard down.

>>4056321
+1
Battle Priestess soon

>>4056316
>>Cooperate with him while asking for his assistance in finding a doctor for your twin siblings

>>4056321
This is good, has my full support

>>4056305
Rengoku seems to be ignoring the fact that Byakuren got claws and demon teeth for now. Wonder for how long it'll last. No chance he failed to notice.

>>4056321
>>4056333
>>4056361
>>4056344
>>4056330

Alright, it seems like we're going cooperative but still skeptical and defensive. Truly Byakuren is a siblingcon, just like Tanjiro.

>>4056776

That's actually going to get touch on the next update. but considering there's Demon Slayers who consume demons to temporally gain their powers, it's not something he hasn't seen before.

>>4056776
There is also a bunch of blood on her face and traces of a gunshot wound equivalent on her torso.

>>4057119

Just who exactly was this person? Here you stood currently covered in blood, though most of it’s from your own body, the gaping gunshot wound at your chest although closed for now remains, and the abnormal changes were done to your body. Aside from your lengthened canines and nails, you appear more or less human, but that didn’t change the growing suspicion that something changed inside of you. You just weren’t sure what exactly has happened given the circumstance but it was clear that something did happen. Nevertheless, you continue to keep your attention closely at the strange Kyojuro. Naturally, you didn’t surprise that he was showing genuine concern for a stranger’s well being. It was apart of the human nature to show compassion and sympathy as one empathizes with another. In spite of that, it wasn’t always a guaranteed thing as like with the changing tide, a person’s nature was always everflowing with erratic rhythm and never truly just like another’s. Therefore, you kept up your guard as you couldn’t let yourself be deceived.

Narrowing your stare at Kyojuro, you give yourself a moment before speaking. There was a clear difference between being cautious and just being misanthropic. If you were going to make any process towards helping your sibling then you needed to be cooperative. “Yes, you’re right about that. I’ll tell you everything that I know about this event. But just for the record I only came just a few hours ago tops. But in that window of time, I managed to meet the person who may have done this.”

After listening closely to your story, making sure to leave out no detail in its abridged version, Kyojuro makes a captivating expression, engrossing himself into the tale. “A pale-skinned man who looks about around in his late twenties. Dressed in an extravagant white business suit with matching fedora over his curly black hair. Plum red eyes with vertical pupils much like a cat’s, all while being notoriously sharp and almond-shaped. Sharp blue nails to which he fired one at you in the chest thinking that you may have been some sort of animal or stalker. I think I’m starting to get a decent enough picture of the assailant.”

You nod at Kyojuro, keeping your eyes around your surroundings and being alert. “If I have time I can sketch his appearance perfectly. To balance out my photographic memory I can have a seemingly endless archive in my mind to house the information and recall it at a moment’s notice in addition to adaptive muscle memory and reflexes to keep up with my amazing deductive and information processing ability. And the eyesight necessary to handle the level of perception and observation needed.”

>>4057526

“I see. A personal drawing would be far better than to go by than just the word of mouth. And judging from your tone, you’re rather confident in your artistic skills to pull off a near photo-realistic with your level of precision am I correct?” Kyojuro asks.

“Yes. That’s why my family rarely uses stuff like cameras when I’m around. Though I’d think its more the superstition that if it takes a photograph of you then you lose your soul that made them hesitant in using one.” You answer, briefly pointing to the left-wing of your humble home where the camera was located. “Really I just think dad was humoring Gurren who was adamant against owning such a thing. But it was because of that we were able to make some fond memories with mom before she passed away. So it can’t be all that bad.” You chuckle, briefly reminiscing on such a wholesome moment as it made you feel rather melancholy/ A bittersweet sweet smile forms at the fact that such memories with the whole family were impossible now.

“I can tell first hand you must have truly loved your family with the way you talk fondly about them. So I know that this must be hard on you. Heck, it’s amazing that you’re managing to keep your wits and not breakdown completely. You’re pretty strong, especially for your age.”

Tilting your head from Kyojuro, you start to tightly grip your hands. “..I’m not strong at all. I did nearly snapped upon reaching my breaking point. The only thing that kept my psychology from shattering was my family. My father is no more, but my twin siblings Emiko and Reiju are still alive. Their pulse is faint and there’s still warmth in them, so I need to take them to a doctor as soon as possible. So if you know where to find one it’ll be much appreciated.”

“You know normally people would priorities themselves first before worrying about others. You can’t exactly save anyone if your not in the right condition to help them. Both physically and mentally. Heck, I’d say even spiritually counts into the equation. And from the looks of it, you’re notoriously worn out.” As Kyojuro reaches his hand out to brush off the blood on your face, you start to back away from the swordsman. In your constant taking in the surroundings, you notice that there was an orange flame-like hilt and guard on his left side. Although in its sheath you can tell first-hand he was carrying a katana. That was already setting off some serious flags as his unconditional concerns further your skepticism.

“And why...should I trust you, Mr. Rengoku?” You bluntly answer, narrowing your eyes into a glare as you keep your distance from Kyojuro.

>>4057539

“I know what I’m saying is quite rude and uncharacteristic of me. But considering my brush with that mysterious man who, I’m not sure how but I learned his name is Muzan Kibutsuji. I’m rather rethinking my policy when it comes to strangers….especially those carrying swords around you!” Hearing your violent outcry Kyojuro continues to remain composed to avoid making you all the more agitated. That is until he hears the name Muzan Kibutsuji that his well-crafted poker face starts to crumble. His eccentric smile slowly fades from his face as he takes a more serious, hard-boiled expression.


“...So, you did encounter a demon after all. And not just any demon but the progenitor of all Demons. Well, if we’re being honest, I was already suspecting you to show signs of demonfication but it was merely a hypothesis. I need to actually see your wounds just to be sure. Even so, the rhythmic patterns of your breathing prior, they were more than simple breathing exercises. So it got me thinking that perhaps, in your way, achieve Total Breathing Control. And if that’s the case, then the possibility of you resisting and ultimately neutralizing the conversion process. With how you appear currently, I also consider the possibility of you being one of those rare mavericks who pose the potential to temporally obtain the attributes and characteristics of a demon when exposed to some article of their living cells.” Kyojuro explains, having a somber look in his eyes. There was a hint of sympathy but duty was taking priority as he feels that you deserve to know what you were getting into.

“However, even with all those variables, there’s still the risk of transforming into a demon, especially if Muzan’s blood is coursing through your body. For breath users, especially talented ones it takes roughly a couple of days to a week at best before they transform into a demon. Also, only Muzan and his twelve moons can directly convert someone into a demon. Otherwise, the usual cause of demonfication is having one’s wounds exposed to their blood, generally by a very strong demon. Some are resistant to demon blood, usually, people who are capable of infusing the demon attributes inside themselves, or those who hold one of the rarest blood types Marechi, otherwise called intoxicating blood. It’s not unusual nor uncommon for these factors to intertwine with one another. However, it’s not always necessary or guaranteed as many exceptions to the rules have appeared throughout the secret history. “

>>4057560

“But if what you say is true and Muzan was the one who struck you down. Then by all accounts, you should have already been nearing the final stage of becoming a demon, if not already transformed. Yet here you stand mostly human. Until I can get someone to examine your condition and blood, I can’t be sure of’ the cause for this strange phenomenon. Still, I can tell it in your eyes that you’re not going to simply come with me and let yourself get examined. To be honest, I wouldn’t blame you if fear was pushing yourself to think about self-preservation. But that’s not it. What you’re worried about, perhaps even trying to keep yourself from reaching that same conclusion. ...Is the possibility of your twin siblings becoming demons.” Kyojuro spoke, dropping all manner of softness as he was rather stern about telling this truth to you. Hearing it first-hand causes your face to twist into a rather worrisome if not vexing frown.

“The color of your face shows that I hit the mark. And while I can try to tell you that I mean you no harm nor will lay a finger on your remaining family. It doesn’t change the fact that you won’t trust me and come with me for help. No amount of words will convince someone if they keep their heart tightly shut and fortified around thick walls..” With that Kyojuro rises to his feet, pulling his hand on the katana as he draws it from its hoster. Seeing the weapon in hand made you tremble, but not out of fear but desperation. You arch your arms back, sinking your foot to the ground in preparation at what’s to come.

“Therefore, it’s easier if we communicate through combat. Although my profession is a demon slayer, I have my fair share of combating with people. So I know first hand that it’s possible to come to an understanding through fisticuffs. Though, I’d still employer to drop your hostility and fears and trust me when I say I won’t let you or your family fall into despair. That’s why I’m here as a hashira.” Kyojuro spoke passionately, tossing his prized possession to the side, choosing to fight barehanded much to your shock and confusion. “But if you want proof of my conviction, then I’ll show you first hand the red flames of Rengoku. So set your heart ablaze, Byakuren Shimizu. I’ll burn all of your doubts, sorrow, and other negative emotions shackling you down. Straight to the bone.”

>What do you do?

>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
>Focus on running away instead, prioritizing escape above all else.
>Try to bring out your burning rage and attack like a beast while using your surroundings
>Refuse to fight but acknowledge your own stubbornness and growing hostility as you swallow your pride and ask Kyojuro’s help and guidance.
>Other [write-in]

>>4057572
>>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
Let there be Hotbloodedness.

>>4057572
>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
Gotta see if he can protect our siblings.

>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat

Yeah sure. Punching people to communicate via shounen wavelength is good civilization.

I do not think that breathing and demon transformation process quite works like that in source material, but eh.

>>4057572
Man, I like the quest but you spend way too much time explaining things both in the narration and through dialogue in excruciating detail when it doesn't have to.

>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat

>>4057572
>Accept Kyojuro’s challenge and throw down in a clean hand to hand combat
I didnt know how to word it but >>4058001 is right. There's a lot that's overexplained multiple times and in close proximity

>>4057614

Truthfully you need psychological therapy in addition to medical treatment but this is shounen, communication through one's actions e.g fist fighting is just as good for empathy.

Also, the whole temporally transforming into demons by eating their cells and the whole conversion for a demon slayer to a demon is tremendously vague and never really gets thoroughly touched on. It's going with the whole "It's demon mumbo jumbo, I don't gotta explain shit" which is upsetting but what can you do. Here I'm at least trying to give some sensibility as to why one can transform but resist fully becoming a demon due to being a maverick and eating demons. That said, I also take suggestions at any time.

>>4058001
>>4058049

My apologies, I'm running with the asumption that a lot of people don't know Demon Slayer lore or the things I change to better fit the story narrative won't be simple to breakdown so I sometime end up putting too much in my explaination when I should K.I.S.S [Keep it simple stupid.] But thanks for letting me know. I appreciate any and all feedback.

>>4057588
>>4057590
>>4057614
>>4058001
>>4058049

Anyway since we going by the old fashion hot-blooded bonding moment, let's start with the rolls.

give me a d20+1 please. DC is 12

Rolled 9 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231

Rolled 19 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231

>>4058249
our bullshit luck continues!

Rolled 14 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058231

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>>4058249

I'm getting the sinking suspicion Byakuren is only just now finding her true calling to life. That "Battle Priestess * theory isn't so far off after all though Sōhei may be more accurate.

>>4058301
If we're going through with this, we have to go the full nine yards.

I'm imagining we get a hold of a bow and some arrows.

>>4058308

Inuyasha'ing with the sword, and Kikyo'ing [Or Kagome if you prefer] with a bow. Truly the Battle Priestess lifestyle.

>>4058333
That, or go with a whole arsenal of weapons.

I wouldn't mind a naginata, or kanabo. Although walking into towns and cities dressed for a one woman war would draw some attention.

>>4058365

The Demon Slaying Corps is an organization but not one publically acknowledged by the government for obvious reasons. So regular folks will rightfully be concerned.

On that note, for the record. What kind of sword do you guys wanna shoot for? I already have a good idea of what to give you but I also like hearing suggestions.

>>4058374
Honestly, it kind of depends on how we'll be fighting
and our physical capabilities.

We could go for larger swords like an Odachi if we plan using our strength to our advantage, or perhaps smaller blades for a more subtle approach.

>>4058374
I'm down for whatever you have in mind. No real preference on my part.

>>4058374
Odachi for big fucks, regular katana for the smaller guys.

>>4058365
>kanabo

If we wanna go sadistic, we could just use that just to make our enemies wish that we used our sword to decapitate them as we smash them to pulp.

>>4058374
I trust whatever you've picked. The Manji approach could be cool though.

>>4058231

“Fine, I’ll take apart in your suggestion. Honestly, I’m surprised at how well it jibes with me.” You smile, reaching for your basket and slowly unhooking the straps around your shoulders. Carefully you set the container down and kneel towards it.

Although you want to leave encouraging words to your siblings, your instincts were running on overdrive as you went into overprotective big sister mode. If he didn’t put together that Keiju and Emiko were currently residing in your basket then you weren’t going to give him a decisive answer. So cautiously but comfortably you place your hand on the basket. The feeling of warmth and sibling love seeps into the basket, comforting the twins like a soft, thick blanket. There was some serious truth in Kyojuro’s words as you contemplate the possibility. You alone was an abnormality in accordance with Kyojuro’s explanation and hypothesis. Just what would you do if your siblings turn into demons? And worst of all, what if they’re no longer your beloved Emiko and Keiju? These thoughts made you suffer greater levels of anxiety. In spite of your deeply rooted concerns, you merely rise back up and start to walk to the other side of the open field.

“Let’s do this.” You bark, slamming your fist together to excite the body and bring forth strength.

“Mhmm, that’s quite the fighting spirit you have, Ms. Shimizu. That’s just what I expect from a member of Lady Guren’s ménage. Excellent! Now take your stance and we’ll get started.” Kyojuro spoke, acknowledging your vigorous spirit as he sees the image of a strong flame burning around you. As a result, he goes to match you head-on with the same hot-blooded passion upon setting his heart and soul ablaze.

Almost immediately the two of you briefly set the rules of the bout. Unlike a traditional sparing match where one would have a referee and exchange a series of rounds based on hitting a person’s certain spots as the means to rack up points, this was much more barbaric. Essentially it was a no holds barred match as the only stipulation was no killing or acts that could cripple someone. In order to win, one was making the other yield and say “I give up.” There was no time limit and the entire horizon was the arena. From these terms alone you get the sinking suspicion that there was more to it than a mere knuckle-busting brawl. More importantly, you saw first hand how honorable the eccentric Kyojuro can really be. All the more reason why you feel the urge to fight as you grin wildly. Perhaps this act of showmanship has awakened your hidden warrior spirit. Upon reaching opposite sides towards one another, the two of you quickly transition into fighting position. For you, you follow up with your stance by hopping back and forth to keep your body pumping.

>>4058605

Kyojuro looks carefully at your form as he begins to take a traditional kung fu stance. For him he was closely resembling the tiger style, abet his variation of it as there were hints of karate in his form. Hmm, that stance resembles boxing, specifically the Shaolin Wushu variant or T'ai Chi Ch'uan. No, if this is Lady Gurren we’re talking about, she must have incorporated various martial arts practices that best fit with their foundation to make a rather fluid and versatile art form much like their Kagura dances. Her poster alone is an excellent example of that. Most terrifying is the fact despite her state of mind, she has an excellent form. A balanced stance with no discernible advantage preference to one style form, but the trade-off is that it covers any possible weak spots. I may need to take this bout more seriously less I want to be tasting the payment.

Watching for even the slightest movement, your eyes intently survey over Kyojuro’s body language and expressions. Looking for the slightest detail, your keen observation generally gave you the edge via foresight. No matter how subtle those shifts are, so long as you can read them then you can effectively stay ahead of your adversaries and make counterattacks. Much to your disappointment over your analysis, there’s very little if any weaknesses in the swordsman’s stance. Although it’s clear he’s more proficient with the blade than barehanded martial combat, it seems like there was no loss in efficiency by this transition. Even so, you were highly confident in your martial prowess. There was a reason why you were allowed to travel down to the villages by yourself despite the dangers. Whatever tricks or ploys he incorporates into this fight, you’ll meet them head-on and overcome them with unrelenting strength.

Upon the sound of a leaf dropping to the floor, the two of you quickly transition into combat. Taking the first step in this sparring battle, you sprint forward with incredible speed. For a brief second, it would appear that you suddenly disappeared from the naked eye. In actuality, you merely timed your movements with Kyojuro’s, waiting for that moment he blinks to speed up accordingly. Instinctively, your breathing was in perfect synch with your motions, virtually leaving no openings in your actions. Quickly closing the gap between both combatants, you aim for a straight left hook strike towards Kyojuro’s face. To which he merely counteracts by turning his body, sliding the fist off his cheek and minimizing the brute force in your blow. Taking advantage of your momentum, Kyojuro went for an uppercut punch. Allowing it to hit directly to your jaw was notoriously bad as it’ll negatively impact your equilibrium among other negative side effects. Seeing the attack coming at you, you respond by blocking the blow with your forehead instead.

>>4058627

Watching as his well-timed strike being blocked by an unusually sturdy headbutt brought sparkles to Kyojuro’s eyes as you two hold your ground. “Ohoooooooo! Magnificent! Byakuren Shimizu!” Kyojuro cries in enthusiastic approval.

“Grrah!” You mutter, gritting your teeth as you try to overpower the older man. Strangely you weren’t sure why but you feel yourself being better than you normally are. All manner of your physical conditioning has jumped to the next stage as you begin disputing signs of herculean strength.

Jumping back from clash you follow up with a series of fast pace punches, giving you the illusional appearance of a dancing valkyrie or warrior goddess. Naturally, Kyojuro switches to defensive maneuvers in order to block each one of those fast pitched punches. Mixing up your repetitive motions you sneak in a couple of kicks in between as you keep perfect rhythm. This constant switch up causes Kyojuro to be stuck guarding himself and protecting his vitals from your onslaught. Despite the size difference and age, you were mustering phantasm amount of innate ability and prowess. It was like fighting a fully grown man with your escalating strength. At the same time, something begins to trigger inside of you. Newfound battle instincts and combat prowess were manifesting and developing at an alarming rate. Utilizing the self-defense martial teachings of your father and your grandma, you was sharping yourself into a prime contender. All while your body was responding to your growing fighting spirit. Another metamorphosis was already starting.

Almost sensing your change, Kyojuro suddenly stops his movement...and begins to take a deep breath.

>How do you proceed?

>Continue to take the offensive and overpower Kyojuro through brute force and unrelenting ferocity.
>Play to your strength and continue to exchange blows while reading rhythm to memorize his fighting patterns
>Put some distance between the two of you and switch to fortifying your defenses
>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro
>other [write-in]

>>4058635
>>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro

>>4058635
>>Trust your instincts and act accordingly in response to Kyojuro

>>4058635

Trust in your instincts and act accordingly to Kyojuro.

Lets one up Zenitsu by honing those instincts and pulling our form of Ultra Instincts

>>4058639
>>4058652
>>4058689

Alright, you know the drill. Give me a 1d20+1, the DC is 13

Rolled 7 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058729

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>4058729

Rolled 15 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

>>4058729

Come on lady luck

Rolled 20 + 1 (1d20 + 1)

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>>4058750

Get Hyped everyone. We Ka ka ka ka kachi daze now.

Once we get the opportunity, we should try and figure out how much damage we can tolerate. Last thing we need is for us to find out we can't take gunshot wounds.

>>4058308
>>4058365
>>4058393
>>4058404
>>4058427
>>4058456
>>4058439

Thanks for the feedback. I have a proper understanding of where to take your martial path accordingly for weapons. To the ones who guessed Odachi/Nodachi for brute strength and Bow for range, you get a cookie. We're gonna be Benkei-ese alongside our now Tomoe Gozen inspiration.

>>4058333
If our blood demon art is fire related, might as well take prime inspiration from the source and use it to shoot exploding inferno arrows.

Melee is a must though. If Byakuren develops genuine superhuman strength, I’d prefer our weapon to reflect and highlight that in every fight we are in.

Kanabo actually sounds pretty good. A lot of fun combat opportunities, nice contrast with Byakuren’s first-glance prim proper impression that would the viewer go “aha” when she starts getting serious in combat and revealing more visibly demonic abilities.

>>4058777
Fuck I am late. Oh well.
>>4058773
Well, we already spent some time walking around after essentially being shot, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

Nevermind that demonic influence + breathing provides actual combat relevant regeneration.

Demon+breathing abilities was top tier combo in source material.

>>4058777
>>4058781
Maybe something gimmicky like a sword that sheathes inside a Kanabo?

>>4058781
>>4058788

Nah you're not late. There's always time to add more feedback/suggestions. What you gave just now is highly valuable. And sure to further influence Byakuren's combat potential as a Hanyō [Half-Demon]

File: tenor.gif (2.38 MB, 498x278)

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>>4058793

Earns my approval right there. Works dangerously well with the fact you gonna get a nodachi blade.

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>>4058793
Sword inside a blunt weapon?

>>4058802
>>4058793
As long as we can dual wield them. Gotta love STRENGTH builds.

>>4058803
Kirkmace, essentially?

I am ok with that.

>>4058729

From this distance, you can tell that something was happening inside of Kyojuro body. His blood circulation was accelerating along with his heart rate. Soon his body temperature began to rise, spiking to a higher state than his already impressive base state. A combination of expanding the lung capacity to bring forth lots of oxygen and exciting the blood flow, both the bones and muscle scurry suddenly heat up at an alarming rate. Thus resulting in an explosive jump in power as your eyes analyze the procedure to the smallest detail. In light of your examination, Kyojuro starts to take another step, instantly closing the distance between the two of you. Just like what you did to him, Kyojuro reenacts the same move, beat for beat. That is until when he comes just millimeters from hitting you, to which you responded by attempting to block his incoming punch that you notice there was a crucial difference. With a twist of his foot, Kyojuro disappears from your sight yet again upon making contact. What you saw was actually a feint in, this case taking the form of a deceptive mirage.

As you block the fakeout attack, Kyojuro takes full advantage of the opening as the point of the interval was now visible. Before you had the time to react, Kyojuro successfully leaves about eight consecutive punches at each different direction around your torso. In spite of this, not a single one of these fast-paced bullet punches strike you at your injury. Nevertheless, each one of these punches was strong enough to break through solid bedrock. The force alone sent numerous shockwaves through your body, rattling even the bones as painful jolts spread out. The pain was enough to force you to vomit out salvia alongside some drops of blood. Withstanding each one of those punches left you feeling winded as you constantly take fast, shallow breaths. Worse yet was the feeling of nausea, causing everything to spin upon losing your equilibrium. It was only a small series of punches and already you were coming close to throwing in the towel. Just who was Kyojuro Rengoku.

>>4058951

As you stumble from the impact and concussive force vibrating inside, Kyojuro arches his hands back, building up power as he pulls his body back as well. Reeling himself as far as possible while maintaining his footing, Kyojuro snaps right back at dangerous speeds. Once again the feeling of helplessness brushes around you upon seeing all of this one, fluid motion. Thrusting his palms with all of his current strength, Kyojuro finishes off his concussive attacks by ponding against your chest. Acting on rubber band physics, you were hit with an even stronger blow than prior as your body trembles from the constant shocks of kinetic energy. Yet again you feel the urge to vomit as you start to cough rapidly from the lingering effects. It was rather impressive to say your stubbornness kept you from reeling back and stumbling behind onto the ground. Even so, that technique did a number on your body as not only further the disorienting effect lingering inside but also debilitating your natural defenses.

“Sorry about that. Guess I went a little too far with that attack. Still, I got the feeling if I continue to hold back my punches...I’ll end up regretting it.” Kyojuro apologies, watching you slowly falling towards the ground. Even without his weapon, he demonstrates beautifully and thoroughly the talents one came to expect from a Hasina. Turning his back from you in the belief the battle was over, he focuses his attention on picking up his prized possession.

As Kyojuro begins walking away, you merely slam your foot back against the ground, stopping yourself from collapsing onto the ground. Without words, you still left the impression towards Kyojuro that the fight was just getting started. The pain you were feeling was incredible but it was far from enough to bring you down. All thanks to quick, instinctual thinking. In between each of those punches and twin palm strikes, your body instinctively braced itself for each of the blow, cushioning the impact and force through your body’s muscles and body fat. Effectively tanking the attacks and holding your ground, you stand defiantly against Kyojuro. That said, each one of those attacks still carries an incredible amount of strength. There was simply too much for your body in its current state to properly buffer and disburse elsewhere.

>>4058952

Despite holding back, it still feels like he was overwhelming you. Can a human being really produce such destructive power? In any case, you were forced to acknowledge the vast gap between the Hashima and yourself. It didn’t matter how comparable your physical prowess was if his experience gave him the ultimate edge in this fight. But so what? You’re Byakuren Shimizu. Whenever you put your mind on something there was nothing that can stop you. So why should today be any different? Therefore, you begin to just go with the flow and trust your instincts. Thinking of a plan wasn’t going to get you anywhere and you definitely didn’t want to lose. Responding to your strong desire for victory, your body starts to turn its trembling into excitement. Leaving Kyojuro to turn back and quietly observe the resonating sound of your revved up heartbeat.

Drifting your mind to a state of serenity, you quickly rehabilitate yourself to regain your lost stamina. Relying once again on your family’s breathing techniques to stabilize yourself, you took the added knowledge of watching Kyojuro and incorporate it into your style subconsciously. Kicking away all manner of tiredness and disorientation, your breathing smoothly transitions from the haggard state to a controlled, relaxed state. Gritting your teeth in between each breath, blood vessels start to form around your body. The rapidly rumbling sound coming to your heartbeat loudly roars in harmony with your crackling bones and muscle. Blood starts boiling as small sparks resembling flickers of flames were now forming around you. Power begins to swell up inside of you as your muscles contract and expand. Almost akin to bulking up your body starts to rapidly improve in light of the growing threat. All while your mind starts to shift into a cognitive state, reaching a state of null-mind known as Mushin.

>>4058953

With your mind now vacant your body runs completely on instinct, using its freed up actions to further augment and develop your physical conditioning while tapping into your full potential. Letting out a calm growl from your teeth, you clench your hand tightly before turning your eyes set on to Kyojuro. Choosing to fight neither as a human nor a demon but something else entirely. As if your body was rushing to fully balance the two forces as it triggers an unforeseen evolution. Cultivating and stockpiling power at an alarming rate without even devouring an ounce of human blood no less.


>What do you do next?

>Let yourself follow the rhythm around you and adjust to Kyojuro’s patterns as you slowly begin to take control of the overall flow of the battle
>Whether through Kyojuro attacks, preserving your strength and further enticing your growth until you see an opening
>Push yourself further to draw out more power faster and start to take charge via overpowering Kyojuro
>Commit yourself to evade and redirecting his attacks while deceiving him with feints to psychologically attack Kyojuro
>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????
>Other [write-in]

>>4058955
>Commit yourself to evade and redirecting his attacks while deceiving him with feints to psychologically attack Kyojuro

>>4058955
Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????

Is this supposed to be "Critfish for next breathing/demonic milestone" option?

I am kind of tempted.

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>>4058955

Current State at the moment. Tranquil Demon.

>>4058968

Can't say anything until it wins. But a gamble is a gamble.

>>4058968

You know why not, supporting. Yolo.

>>4058975
Alright then, yolo it is.

>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????

>>4058966
>>4058987

Supporting both

>>4058955
>>Gamble it by hastily pushing yourself to the next level and use ????

FUcking yolo time. Our luck hasn't failed us yet.

>>4058979
>>4058987
>>4059078
>>4059696

Yolo it is then. You know the drill,+2 this time for your streak. As for the DC, it's going to be 16.

Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094

Rolled 11 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094

Rolled 9 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094
Nat 20 here we go

Rolled 6 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094

Rolled 20 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4060094

>>4060094

Although your mind was vacant, everything was coming crystal clear to you. The sense of being aware of your surroundings while still sleeping burns deeply into your mind, body, and soul. Therefore, you were aware that even as you are right now the vast gap between you and Kyojuro Rengoku was far too massive for you to overcome. With a new power you just recently got a handle on, with the teachings of your family’s secret arts that you naturally assume weren’t meant for combat and the current conditioning from previously pushing yourself past your limits to tame the demonic influence inside of you. The odds just keep on declining from your favor. In spite of this, your strong desire to protect your siblings and to become stronger to avenge your father burns ever so brightly in your heart. Even if it meant to take upon the same power from the man who massacres your peaceful life, you were willing to do so without hesitation. The only difference is, you aimed to make such power into your own and take a different path.


Responding to your desire, your body starts to push itself further and greatly accelerate the development process further. As a byproduct, you feel your true strength coming to the surface in a warm, soothing sensation. Such a wondrous feeling constantly converse to envelop your body, bursting with a rush of power like the current of a raging stream. In the past thirteen years of you not once felt as spectacular then as you do right now. Right now you feel completely in the zone, no longer held back by any physical or mental limits that the mind places upon the body. What a truly magnificent feeling to behold. Stimulation of intense quality and quantity rushes through, exciting the body further and push it to new heights. Optimizing at an alarming rate, your body speeds itself through a constant series of modifications, adapting and altering itself to transition to the next stage. The boundaries between your human blood and your newly demon blood start to intertwine and circulate fluidly.

At this stage, it was rather highly unlikely that you would be able to return to being a regular human. Or at least through your efforts anyway. The amount of accumulating demonic essence was radiating constantly through you, practically overflowing in energy and strength. Down to the tiniest part of your cellular structure, every part of you basks in the demonic power, tasting it and storing it right down to the cells. By the seconds it was becoming more attuned with your physiology. Previously through your strength of well you were able to retain your humanity and maintain your sense of self. Here your body was fully incorporating every aspect of the demonic essence into itself while miraculously retaining its original structure. Such remodeling at the short timeframe was simply unheard of. Yet here you stood breaking the boundaries between man and demon before smoothly integrating them in harmony, like yin and yang.

>>4061191

Responding to your desire, your body starts to push itself further and greatly accelerate the development process further. As a byproduct, you feel your true strength coming to the surface in a warm, soothing sensation. Such a wondrous feeling constantly converse to envelop your body, bursting with a rush of power like the current of a raging stream. In the past thirteen years of you not once felt as absolutely spectacular then as you do right now. Right now you feel completely in the zone, no longer held back by any physical or mental limits that the mind places upon the body. What a truly magnificent feeling to behold. Stimulation of intense quality and quantity rushes through, exciting the body further and push it to new heights. Optimizing at an alarming rate, your body speeds itself through a constant series of modifications, adapting and altering itself to transition to the next stage. The boundaries between your human blood and your newly demon blood start to intertwine and circulate fluidly.

At this stage, it was rather highly unlikely that you would be able to return back to being a regular human. Or at least through your own efforts anyway. The amount of accumulating demonic essence was radiating constantly through you, practically overflowing in energy and strength. Down to the tiniest part of your cellular structure, every part of you basks in the demonic power, tasting it and storing it right down to the cells. By the seconds it was becoming more attuned with your physiology. Previously through your strength of will you were able to retain your humanity and maintain your sense of self. Here your body was fully incorporating every aspect of the demonic essence into itself while miraculously retaining its original structure. Such remodeling at the short time frame was simply unheard of. Yet here you stood breaking the boundaries between man and demon before smoothly integrating them to achieve another path.

Simultaneously, the unruly demonic blood that was forced upon you was finally stabilizing. It was becoming more consistent and controlled, blending with your makeup to truly become apart of you. There were many things that the demon blood was prioritizing in this unforeseen metamorphosis. However, in this case, the highest one at the moment was achieving full optimization into a proper vessel to house its escalating power. Luckily enough, at the rate it was going there was no impending danger to your humanity. For now, it seems that the impending threat of transforming into a full demon non-existent. Alongside that, the demonic power that was wildly out of control starts to become more focused, equally distributing itself throughout the body and harmonizing accordingly. Bit by bit it was becoming less of a forced “gift” by Muzan Kibutsuji and more a natural resident. Therefore, it was more accurate to refer to you as a human nor a demon, but a true Hanyō, otherwise known as a half-demon.

>>4061206

Whether if you knew it or not, the path that you were about to take was going to be quite the hard road to walk upon. In any case, the red sparks start to intensify as they crackle against the air. Your skin and flesh began pulsating, vibrating both the blood vessels and muscles as it gradually spreads throughout the body. In perfect rhythm to your breathing and heartbeat, the oscillation process attunes itself to the high frequency generating. Along with this, the body temperature starts to rise abnormally as you were returning to the feverish state while being perfectly healthy. In a sense, your entire body currently acts as one giant heart, exciting the flesh further and improving the escalating speeds of your development. A mixture of vibration and thermal energy, although faint it was the clear sign of something greater manifesting. You weren’t sure what it was, but in your mind, you feel like a new art form was opening its path to you. It didn’t only stop there as an addition to establishing the innate ability to have each and every part of your body thinking and moving in independent motion, new directives start to implement themselves.

Secrets according to how to function and act in this new hybrid physiology intertwine with the innate attitude to fully implement and optimize these newly established attributes and characteristics. Following up on this, your body quickly undergoes to retrigger a series of impulses to reprogram itself swiftly. Forcibly breaking down and reconstructing your body at a drastic rate, you find yourself going through intense refinement. In a blink of an eye, your physique and stature start to swell furiously. In light of your rapidly growing body, more of your demonic strength start to flow throughout the body. A single moment was enough to transform you from a mere active thirteen-year girl to someone in your late teens or early adulthood. This kind of tactic was deeply rooted in the shape-shifting capabilities of demons as they can freely control their form. Something as changing one’s body age to shift to their physical prime was child’s play for a demon. However, for a half-demon like yourself, the fact you were able to start implementing the supernatural powers of a demon while retaining your humanity was simply unreal. Even those who consume demons to temporally obtain the powers of a demon aren’t completely safe from the corrupting effect.

>>4061227

Kyojuro meanwhile keeps his mouth shut, watching curiously at your metamorphosis. He could see first hand the changes that were undergoing through your body. As a demon slayer, Kyojuro was exceptionally perceptive and well versed in a lot of things, especially those relating to demons. But even someone like him couldn’t exactly believe what he was currently seeing. There was no sense of bloodlust or corruptive demonic presence resonating inside of you. Your abnormal transformation was more akin to that of a primal beast no different than a wild, untamed animal. While at the same time your aura was relaxed and quiet calm. There were clear signs of a serene state of mind but on the level that you’re achieving, it was more accurate to compare it to Mushin. How could such a person have the ferocity of a demon while retaining the rationality and gentleness of a human? Such an unusual paradox almost made the blond man laugh, to which he ended up doing in a loud and proud manner. You on the other hand just quietly growl and focus on finishing the stabilization.

The changes that you were undergoing signaled a new possibility on to the Hashima. Possibilities that was well worth taking a gamble as he starts to smile. “You’re truly a fascinating person, Byakuren Shimizu.”

“Not once did I meet a person capable of conquering the demonic influence to this extent. And I was already impressed with your level of resistance to the demonification process. But to not only achieve such a feat but turn that barbarous and fearsome power into a gentle and quiet nature. You’re progressing into a brilliant flame, Byakuren Shimizu. Though if you ask me, there’s still much for you to learn if you can only achieve this while being unconscious.” Kyojuro chimes in, continuing his enthusiastic charm as he continues to observe the now one hundred and eighty centimeters half-demon.

“For now, let’s see how far you can go before your body passes out from the overabundant use of energy.”

>How do you proceed?

>Keep your balance and observe Kyojuro rhythm as you focus evasion and using feints to confuse him
>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse
>Harness your demonic essence and try to tap into this strangely unknown art for attack/evasion.
>Uttlize your shapeshifting capabilities and throw Kyojuro off his game as you take charge
>Other [write-in]

>>4061247
>>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse

Can't wait to see how we'll do with formal training.

>>4061247
>>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse

For those who want to know what your good fortune has ultimately afforded you so far since being infected.

>Resistance to Mind Control and Curses [Including Muzan]
>Enhanced/Inhumane Physical Condition [Close to Peak Physical Condition before becoming half demon]
>Autonomous Motion [Autopliot and Body Supremacy when unconscious/autopilot mode]]
>Total Concertation Breathing [Currently Instinctively]
>Altered/Abnormal Hanyō Physiology [Comparable to Mitsuri’s unique condition]
>Extrasensory Perception [Currently at beginning stage]
>Fast Regeneration & Recovery Ability
>Enhanced Tolerance/Resistance & Resilience: [Including Pain]
>Malleable Anatomy [Automatic/Unconscious Shapeshifting & Size Manipulation]
>Power Restoration & Growth
>Potential for Blood Demon Arts
> Potential for Blood Bewitchment due to Marechi (Intoxication Blood)
>Potential for Enhanced Breathing Techniques/Merging Demonic Power with Breath Style
>Potential for Demonic Transformation
>Absorption + Cellular Manipulation [Beginning level but capable of function as a living black hole and storage]

>>4061273

PS: Do note due to lack of practice/training you don't exactly know consciously what you're capable of. And due to your constant rapid growth, there will be some ramifications and side-effects after your bout is done.

>>4061247
>Keep your balance and observe Kyojuro rhythm as you focus evasion and using feints to confuse him

Did you count that nat20 or it was a result of 17?

Kind of tempted to use this streak to try to tap into our blood demon art, but... We kind of decided to fight in a honorable barehanded duel. Feels off.

>>4061302

I counted the nat 20 due to procrastination but the 17 was more than enough to pass the shapeshifting and get a better attunement to your demonic energy. The 20 just finalized the last step to fully becoming Inuyasha.

Tanukis and dogs are basically related.

>>4061306
I wouldn't say that we're Inuyasha just yet.

We still need to scream the names of our loved ones numerous times while they scream our name.

>>4061306
Cool. Probably should limit it to B05 regardless of the time gap, though; I saw pretty popular quest during /tg/ era use increased crit focus/Conditional BOwhatever with great success to maintain hype and momentum, but going beyond that might be a bit much.

>stuff we unlocked

Byakuren's potential is pretty brutal. I wonder if we are going to get formal training from Rengoku.

Personal priority would be pulling our Devil Trigger and Demon art. Horns are cool, and so is fire.

>Channel your superhuman prowess accordingly and frequently mix between overpowering brute force and fluid finesse

Just shounen it.

>>4061319

Yeah, I can do something like that provided you explain further on the increased crit focus/Conditional BOwhatever.

As for formal training with Rengoku, come on. You think he's going to leave a newly inexperienced half-demon by herself ? Especially with Byakuren's Potential, that's just asking for trouble.

>>4061319
>>4061322
I'm kind of excited to see whether we'll get some travelling companions (read: Battle Buddies/Meat Shields)

>>4061339

I have plans to have you be accompanied by others during your travels much like the canon. May change up the pairings from time to time to keep things fresh.

>>4061322
It was literal years ago, so forgive me if I misremembering stuff, but Cosgrove's Bleach Quest, and Ogre Civs Quest, which was pretty popular for their time, basically always gave priority to crits, often neglecting B03 in favour of a crit rolled by 4th or 5th poster.

It naturally increased how common crits were, and QMs used these to make cool shit happen and maintain hype and momentum in-quest.

It really wasn't a complicated system, but it worked wonderfully to create that impression of a wild ride with no brakes.

>As for formal training with Rengoku, come on.

Nice. Cool pillars deserve good heirs. Hopefully we can synthesize Breath of Flames with Byakuren's currently nameless breathing style.

>>4061348

Yeah, that's fair enough, I'm also including crit failures like 1s to the equation to balance it out. Anyway, this will help me considerably so thank you for letting me know.

>Hopefully we can synthesize Breath of Flames with Byakuren's currently nameless breathing style.

The possibility is always there along with learning the true nature of Byakuren's nameless style as its deeply plot-related.

So the only thing I can give is a hint. It's deeply rooted to the Suiten-gū and the Kagura ritual for the Suitengū Spring Festival and late in the summer the Water Festival

>>4061252
>>4061319
>>4061266

You know the drill. But doing what >>4061348
>>4061319 suggested. So roll away.

Rolled 2 (1d20)

>>4061364
Time to see the fireworks.

>>4061359
>Hint

Yeah, my power levels are too weak. Unless somebody else can figure it out, we'll just have to work for it in-story, I think.
>>4061339
Might meet other chargen characters. Or some of the pillars; if we are roughly at the start of Kimetsu's timeline, some of the younger pillars might not even be pillars right now.

With foundational Breathing skills already present and her other special advantages, she could undergo Demon Slayer exam pretty soon if we want to; we could get an opportunity to mingle and grow together with generation of slayers that preceded Tanjirou.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>4061364
Grit those teeth.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>4061364

>>4061371
Provided they are willing to accept us for our new nature.

>>4061374
Welp, I guess we overstrained ourselves.

Itsfine.jpg, we already impressed Rengoku and got some pretty swell gains out of all this.

>>4061371

Given that Suitengu means palace of the watery sky I can only assume its something governing the same effect. Simply it being water is too simple.

>>4061364

Witnesses my power

Rolled 16 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>4061378

Messed up

We still got some rolls left btw.

>>4061377
The name of the breath is probably related to something celestial, I think. That is all that I really got. Breath of the Sky?

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370 KB GIF

>>4061374

Unless the last one is a nat 20, we're getting an anti-climatic finish.

>>4061376

Considering how fast you were gaining for as long as you were, it's inevitable. At least you won Rengoku over to protect you and your family while you take a dirt nap.

>>4061374

I'm partly hoping that we'll get a nickname that starts off as an insult, but gets turned into something to fear/inspire.

Anyone else feels like rolling?

>>4061388
>>4061374

Well there's always "Mutt" or "bitch" if you want to be blunt but there's also "Orge " "Hannya(Jealous She-demon)" "Yamauba (Mountain ogress)" "Aka Manto (Red Cloak)" "Ubagabi (Old Firey Hag)" and "Hone-onna (Skeleton Spector)"

>>4061385

A good guess. First thing I thought of is a correlation to the moon. Since it controls the tides and flow. Also floating in the sky to give it a heavenly glow

Rolled 7 (1d20)

Well, to move things along. Feel free to disregard if you feel that every roll must be made by a separate user.
>>4061398
Some of these could work pretty well depending on how things develop.

>>4061364

I know this seems a little unorthodox but I'm going to need another roll to see how long it'll take for you to wake up. I don't wanna break up the action by requiring another roll after K.Oing yourself

Rolled 12 (1d20)

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>4061423

>>4061423

Taking a moment to feel the changes that your bigger, more developed form carries, a confident grin spread throughout your face. No longer did you feel the soul-crushing doubt that you previously carried. Now, you were assured with brand new confidence towards your newfound strength. With this body, the gap between you and Kyojuro Rengoku was surely a thing of the past. Heck, with your innate ability and natural talents the chances of defeating Kyojuro are actually looking very feasible. The only thing left was to put the hypothesis into theory and turn it into a reality. With another deep breath, you begin to channel your monstrous physical prowess, drawing forth one hundred percent of your muscle strength and cellular energy. The flickering sparks recede into your body, returning to the source as you control your output. Stomping your foot deep against the ground, creating large cracks in the process, you brace yourself for your counterattack.

A combination of brute force and fancy finesse to overpower Kyojuro. Just as quickly as it came, the surging power coursing through you flickers out immediately. Without any sort of warning, you were left to feel the aftereffects of “setting yourself ablaze” as you find yourself suddenly dropping to your knees. Previously you felt on the pinnacle of your full potential with the greatest exhilarating rush, but that quickly came crashing down upon feeling the immediate after-effects of your powered-up form. After pushing yourself beyond your limits and continuously escalating your power in addition to accelerating your body’s development, it was no wonder why you suddenly broke down. This was an obvious sign to be aware of your limits and do not hastily overestimate yourself through overexertion. As you knee shamefully on the ground, tremendous waves of different painful sensations start to hit you from all sides.

From muscle spasms to bodily convulsions, there was a wide array of different jolts to further your agonizing suffering. It was enough to force out a rather loud, if not demonic roar as the sparks briefly turn into a pitch-black hue with a dark shade of purple for highlights. These flickers brought with them electrical shocks, triggering additional stress to your already overly strain body and bodily pains. Various lactations and internal hemorrhages suddenly throughout the body. Another possible act of retribution from over-exceeding your limits and hastily burning through your body’s stamina to force its evolution. No one can deny that the benefits you achieved from your continuous boon are anything less than spectacularly extraordinary. Yet was it really worth it? To rush through your development like this based on your strong emotions always carries some form of price.

>>4061458

From the looks of it, the payment was quite steep as you collapse on you back and start to writhe through the ground from the intense pain. The symptoms only continue to pile up as blood vessels extreme muscle contractions as you feel the heavy toll on your body. The damage inflicted on those areas was clearly due to the increased muscle mass and blood pressure. Compare to your demonic transformation process, this was only the second-worst pain that you felt in your entire life. The bullet shot from Muzan was dropped down to the third place. Reduced to a bawling mess you intensely drool as the burning acidic spit made its return. Your body temperature quickly running amuck as it reached past the point of safety. Before long you feel yourself forcibly shutting down from the intense pain and breakdown, rendering this autopilot mode unconscious.

“Spoke too soon. You hit your limit pulling a stunt like that. Guess that’s what it means to hastily flicker your burning soul by only living in the moment and bursts into burnout. “ Kyojuro remarks, walking over to check your condition with a worrisome smile. Much to his relief, it seems that you weren’t in danger of losing your life. But the extreme stress and numerous injuries both externally and internally ensured the Hashira that you were going to be out cold for a long while. Kyojuro could only sigh in response as he starts to lift you off from the ground once it was safe to touch your unconscious body.

Looking back at you just for a brief moment was enough to bring forth a warm, caring smile on his face. “But don’t worry Byakuren, I’ll take proper care of you along with your siblings! So rest easy for now.” Kyojuro promises, moving over to pick up his sword before carrying the barrel with him. If you were conscious right now you’d be impressed with how much raw strength the hashira was carrying to pull this off unaffected by the combined weight.

What would seem like an eternity would finally come to an end. The blacken void that robbed you of all manner of senses quickly dissipates. In its place was the chirping sounds of a Japanese bush warbler. It’s frequent chirping rings deeply in your ears, leaving you to feel like your head was splitting. Almost like you were suffering a massive migrate from an all-night of drinking. Either way, you force open your amber eyes open, strangely feeling that they were somewhat redder than you last remember. Scanning around the room, you briefly notice that you were lying on a large futon bed. It was rather comfy and cozy, giving you the impression that someone tucked you in flawlessly. Of course, it didn’t take you long to realize the fact that you were in a rather dark room, a new place that wasn’t like your house or the inn you slept during your trip into the city.

>>4061474

Before you had the time to look around and ponder where exactly you are a door starts to open. From the other side of the door, you see Kyojuro Rengoku coming in with a bucket in hand. You didn’t need a good look to tell that was to tend to your fever. Of which you didn’t have anymore upon waking up from your long slumber. Now seeing you sitting in an upright position, Kyojuro’s golden eyes start to glitter intensely with a wide smile. “Aha! Good morning Byakuren Shimizu. Long time no see. I’m sure you must have forgotten, but my name is Kyojur-” Before Kyojuro could finish, you quickly shot him a warm, happy smile as you expose your fangs while closing your eyes. He was taken a bit off guard by how cute you look, like a lovable fluffy white dog. Though Tanuki was more accurate.

“Kyojuro Rengoku. Why wouldn’t I remember you? It was only yesterday that we met and had a one on one earnest brawl.” You remark, tilting your head with mild confusion. “I mean...it is yesterday right?”

“Well actually no it’s not. You see after carrying you and your siblings somewhere safe to treat your wounds. You were unconscious for quite a long while. I can only assume because of your current state that since you don’t need human blood to sustain yourself, you most likely put yourself in a deep coma to rejuvenate your body, repair all of your wounds, and properly finish your transition into a half-demon. “Kyojuro explains, remembering to keep his voice down as evidence by your headache. His words quickly sink in but it took a while before the true weight of his words came to resonate with your heart.

“Yeah...that’s right. I’m a half-demon now. To be honest...I thought it was merely just a bad dream. But this is reality isn’t it?” You ask, tilting your head as you make a sorrowful smile. You feel yourself on the verge of tears, especially after spending your time in a dream living your life comfortably with your family.

“...Yes, this is reality.” Kyojuro answers truthfully, seeing first hand it was far crueler to deceive you and keep you from the truth for even a second longer. He really was a sweet and gentle swordsman, despite his enthusiastic if not exuberant nature. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard considering what you lost, but you mustn’t waver and lose hope. Nor keep yourself isolated from the world. Even if you stop and coward in your tracks, it won’t stop the flow of time. Like an endless stream, it keeps going no matter what hardship it faces. Therefore, I ask you...How do you want to head to the future?”

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1.2 MB PNG

>>4061476

>What do you do?

>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Let yourself cry and grief over your lost before vowing to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
>Embrace your darker emotions and admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done
>Dodge the question by asking some questions like how long you were asleep [write-in any questions you have]
>Other [write-in]

>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Embrace your darker emotions and admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done.

These, combined if possible. Byakuren willpowered through so much stuff due to love for her family so not asking about her siblings first thing first feels a bit wrong.

That said, she also was screaming Muzan’s name in hatred while crying tears of blood fairly recently, so I think that secondary motivation of “Hates Muzan’s guts” does naturally aligns with stuff that happened so far.

As for Sakura, we have all in-story reasons to think that she is probably dead or eaten. Let Byakuren think that, too. Set up a cool reunion and fight with her demonic sister in future.

>>4061498

I support this 100% but I also think we should ask for help learning how to better use our power

>>4061482
>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>vow to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
>admit you want to get revenge on Muzan for what he has done
>>4061498
We saw a vision of her being carried away though. Even if we didn't it make more sense to believe she's alive because Byakuren wants her to be.

>>4061482
>Ask Kyojuro some time to think about it and check on your twin siblings Emiko and Reiju first
>Let yourself cry and grief over your lost before vowing to find your older sister Sakura and stop the chain that makes such tragedies
She can cry in rage as well as grief here too. Like she's still angry but her human side is making her let go and cleanse herself of those emotions rather than be consumed by revenge.

Honestly it's much more tragic to desperately search for her sister despite everyone telling you she's dead, finally finding her against all odds...and bring forced to put her down.

You all have a point, but I am kind of leery of voting for almost everything at the same time.

I'll retain my vote, but I'll vote to ask questions and look for her in the future. Let this be just our immediate reaction.

>>4061482
>>4061590
Support. Byakuren has fought hard to keep what's left of her humanity. Getting too obsessed about vengeance is a slippery slope at this point.

>>4061498
>>4061555
>>4061578
>>4061590
>>4061687
>>4061628

Looks like we're going with conflicted Byakuren who still priorities knowing what happened to her siblings first before struggling between how she feels.

>>4062368

“...When I sleeping I had a wondrous dream. A dream where I was back home with my family. My mother Sayuri, my Father Kenki, my eldest sister Sakura, my twin younger siblings Keiju and Emiko, and my grandma Guren. All of us happily together as we live life to the fullest. I became a kabuki dancer, putting my Miko skills to good use traveling the lands bring smiles to others with my dancing skills and artistic talents. ..I grew up, became my own person rather than living in the shadows of my sister, settle down, had a family of my own, grew old and died peacefully surrounded by my loved ones. It was a truly wonderful life.” As you start explaining, you advert your eyes away from Kyojuro, choosing to look down at the ground. Subtly your facial expression transition into a more sorrowful smile as small droplets of tears reside against your eyelashes.

“But...deep down I knew it. Somewhere in my heart, I knew what I was experiencing was merely a dream. An illusional world brought to life by sorrowful disillusions to hide me away from the truth. Even if it was a sweet lie to me, I...I wanted for the longest time to stay within that world. To be surrounded by the caring embrace of my family. To laugh with them, to grieve with them, to talk with them, to do all sorts of things like a proper family generally does. The more I yearned to be with them, the more the dream became real to me. At some point...it became my reality.” You sniffled, clenching your hands into your thighs, making a broken expression while retaining your smile.

“If I stayed in that world, I wouldn’t feel this immense guilt of leaving my family to go to the city. I wouldn’t feel the shame of putting my desires over my family’s duties and yearn to see the world instead of being cooped up in my family’s shrine. I wouldn’t...feel the immense jealousy I’ve been festering about my elder sister and being disgusted over having such dark feelings. The similar feelings I’ve had with my grandma acknowledging her over me despite how hard I worked for so long. I didn’t want to feel any of that and just be happy. .Spending an eternity there was all I could’ve ever wanted. And yet…someday the dream has to come to an end...”

Reminiscing every bit of your dream was tearing you apart piece by piece. All the more highlighting that such a sweet, happy life that was essentially perfect to you couldn’t possibly be real. “Even if I wanted to stay in that world forever. Deep down I know, from the bottom of my heart, I can’t live in delusion and remain comatose. Emiko and Keiju need their big sister to be strong. And even if...the worst-case scenario happens and I’m alone. I…” You feel yourself on the verge of crying. Yet through your will, you kept yourself from letting the tears come out, wiping the small droplets in your eye and forcing yourself into a cheerful closed-eyed smile.

>>4062676

“..I still have to face reality. The reality that my family is gone, that I became a half-demon, and that I’m all alone in this world. Life is like the sky, it’s always moving, always changing without a moment’s notice. It shifts through the different weathers and moves on. Some days certain weather patterns like snow will take for several days to weeks, and others it’ll nothing but clear skies. There are also times where said patterns don’t appear for a long time. Clear skies also don’t stay for a long time. Even the sun cannot shine forever. It has to return to wherever it came, to bring forth the night sky and the darkness it brings. Still, no matter what happens in life, no matter what events both good or bad forthcome, there’s always light beyond the end of the horizon, illuminating the space and keeping the darkness in gentle harmony. Again...like the moon.”

“So..I have to be strong and keep moving forward. Therefore...it’s okay if I take some time...and say goodbye.” You remark, turning back to Kyojuro. Just in time to be taken by surprise by the teenager’s action as he hugs you. Shocked and bewilderment quickly brushes across your face as you blink furiously in worry.

“Let it out Byakuren. You don’t need to bottle up those emotions, nor have to say goodbye to your family. They may be gone but the memories of them, the experiences you crafted, even the lingering essence that defined them and tell the world they were apart of it remains. So, to me you never really have to say goodbye….cause even in death they’re always with you, supporting you until the very end. Laugh, cry, show all kinds of emotions, good or bad. That’s the first step of overcoming sorrow and reigniting the flames of passion.” Kyojuro softly spoke, keeping his usual characteristics tempered as he shows a more serious, wise side that was just as compassionate as his normal self.

“Never think of yourself being alone, and never left yourself become alone. Although you’re a half-demon, in my eyes you’re still a genuine run of the mill human. So no matter what, don’t let yourself become detached from the world and lose your humanity. I know it might be easier to relinquish all that demons would deem weak and unnecessary and just transition into becoming a true demon. But it’s that weakness and faults that make our existence all the more beautiful and precious. There’s no such thing as a perfect being, nor should we ever strive for one. It’s our imperfections that make us shine, and we shouldn’t discard them. Byakuren, your emotions, your love for your family is what pushed you to where you are, so never forget that. ” Kyojuro smiles, breaking from the hug slightly to look at you face to face. Embracing such warmth and kindness was enough to break you out of your empty husk and start fully letting your emotions out.

>>4062687

Tears would start to pour from your eyes as the pupils start to slit themselves, looking more like a berserk animal than the usual cat-like gaze. Followed by gritting your teeth against your lips to the point of bleeding, you feel tremendous rage surging up from inside. “Then, I’ll be honest with myself. I’m not okay. In fact, I’m tremendously pissed off in addition to being heartbroken and filled with grief and sorrow. How could such a person do this?! My family’s ancestry for countless centuries has been helping people and living an earnest, honest life with no negativity ramification to anyone. My family has specifically been following that tradition. So tell me, why did we deserve to die! What did we do to that man to earn such wicked malice! I don’t understand any of this! And the more I don’t understand, the more I want to tear Muzan apart and make him suffer. Just as much...no. A thousand times worse than I’ve or anyone else has suffered from this man. ” You voice cracks, distorting itself ever so slightly as a sign of the demonic influence talking as your hatred skyrockets.

Seeing you fostering so much hatred and rage almost made Kyojuro speechless. It was quite the contrast compared to the usual softspoken and proper primness that you normally carry. The sweet and cheerful Byakuren Shimizu was replaced with a noticeably darker incarnation as empathy quickly turned to into a dangerous display of emotions of sorrow, grief, hatred, and anger. The relaxed features that made you pass off as a regular human quickly start to fade. In its place, you begin to look more like a proper demon despite only being a half-demon with your vicious demonic features coming to the light. Tears were pouring out of your eyes, but that was starting to disappear as blood start to take its place. In spite of all of this, Kyojuro can only see the wounded, scared and grieving teenage girl crying over her family and suffocating herself with regrets. Slowly he moves to place his hand upon your head, putting you against his chest while comforting you out of your vengeful filled rant.

>>4062712

“I can’t really say what exactly Muzan is planning since for countless centuries he’s been good at hiding his tracks and avoiding the Demon Slayer corps. He never does anything without an ulterior motive, but he can be excessively cruel and petty for the smallest of reasons. He’s just that callous of a man. See Ms. Shimizu, a demon’s diet contest primarily of human beings. It’s how they keep up their strength and recover effectively. They are installed with murderous instincts to kill and devour every human being around them. The more a demon eats of humans, the stronger they’ll become. I can only assume Muzan, the progenitor of all Demon did this deliberately. Be it to represent his own twisted nature or fuel some other unknown objective. Either way, no amount of reasoning or understanding of his actions and motives will justify your family’s fate. That much I do know.”

“Horrible..simply detestable.” You whisper, clinging your hands tightly against Kyojuro’s robe. Feeling split between your human half and your demon half on what on you should be feeling and acting.

“Mr. Rengoku, tell me. Tell me how do I deal with this pain. This burning desire for vengeance against Muzan Kibutsuji that runs through me, straight to the marrow of my bones. The intense hatred I feel coursing through my soul. I never thought in my life a person could feel this way. I hate it. I hate this despicable feeling I have right now!“ You reply, suddenly shoving your head against Kyojuro’s chest as you tighten your grip against his outfit. Your body starts trembling out of the fear you were having with yourself. The fear of losing something precious that you feel like you’ll never be able to get back if you continue down this path. “..Help me.”

Kyojuro only went to stroke your snow-white hair, brushing those silky locks as shades of silver glisten through the darkness. His face remains to have a comforting smile as he consoles you properly. “It’s okay. It’s human nature to feel such things even in this state. The fact you show signs of clearly disliking feeling such dark, negative feelings shows that you’re a truly sweet and kindhearted girl. It pains my heart seeing such a gentle soul being warped by such injustice. What you need to do is find the path that you want to take. A path that you won’t come to regret as you wrestle through these feelings and come to terms with your true self. In my profession, I have seen it many times people joining out of some form of vengeance or negative desire to act out their own form of justice. It’s not evil to have your own desires regardless of how dark or negative they are, it’s what you do with them. So the only one who can truly answer your question..is you.”

>>4062739

Hearing those words straight from Kyojuro’s heart, you start sniffling as you bring yourself cry. The demonic influence once again receding back into the darkness upon you shedding your darker emotions. Letting it all out through a long, continuous crying session was all that your humanity can think of to balance the dual forces inside of you. Kyojuro meanwhile commits himself to stay with you, letting your grief as long as possible to get it out of your system. The bloody tears from your eyes disappear, returning to the same watery substance that humans normally expel during such times of sadness. Within moments you return to your usual appearance as you bawl your eyes out and let out incoherent sounds. All of your feelings leaking out, cleansing yourself to the best of your ability to avoid being consumed by them. But it was only a temporary solution as those darker emotions continue to remain upon going into dormancy. There was a lot that you need to settle with yourself, but for now, you think back to your remaining family members.

Finally feeling refreshed from your long crying session, you start to whip your eyes only for Kyojuro to give you a handkerchief to cleanse yourself properly. To which you happily accept and do so. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep myself from falling down the path of revenge and ultimately be consumed by these vengeful flames. But, I do know that no matter what I want to stop Muzan Kibutsuji. Nobody should have to go through what I am enduring. All the tragedies link to him, all of them are unforgivable and need to be stopped. Otherwise, the cycle of hatred and suffering will continue unabated with no ending in sight.”

“So, I’m going to fight to bring forth tomorrow. I don’t know how effective I’ll be or what I need to do to make that happen. But I do know I don’t want to live the rest of my life isolated and dreaming of a world that doesn’t exist.” You say, giving a more determined look upon your face as you slowly rise from the ground. As you reflect upon your choice, a whisper from your mother’s voice echoes a certain phrase in your heart as you begin to repeat it out loud. “Consume the darkness, illuminate the night, and return it to dawn...Those are the words that my mother taught me for the mantra of our Kagura dance. Although as we speak I don’t fully understand what it’s true meaning is, but for now, I keep it close to my heart as I find the answers of how I want to proceed towards tomorrow.”

“But for now, I’d just want to check up on my siblings. I rather not rush into anything yet and give myself time to think about it properly. My top priority is my younger brother and sister. I have to protect them at all costs. And...despite what fears I may have on what may have happened to them...I have to move forward and face them.

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>>4062787

“That’s a wonderful answer, Ms. Shimizu. “ Kyojuro smiles proudly, ruffling up your hair with a cheerful approval at your choice. “We’ll sort out all the complications later. For now, just focus on finding your path. I’ll help you out reforging your fiery soul and polishing it into a truly brilliant flame, like the sun.”

“Thank you, I truly appreciate it. Still, you can just call me Byakuren Mr. Rengoku. It feels rather weird having someone as eccentric as you being so formal all the time. Besides, we had a hotblooded brawl as you would put it. So we’re already past the stage of strangers, if not acquaintances.”

“Sounds good, in that case just call me Kyojuro. You more than earn the right and I want to keep an equal footing between us. How else will be able to truly understand each other otherwise?”

“Say, that reminds me...how long have I been asleep exactly. I assumed it was a couple of days if not a few weeks.” You ask, lightly scratching your head at the realization that you were sleeping for quite a while. You feel positively famished and could eat an entire house out of food.

“Hmm, I’d say about three months. So you essentially slept through the entirety of the winter season, like a worn-out tanuki. “ As Kyojure explains, you briefly fought the urge to collapse onto the ground out of shock and pass out accordingly. Your facial expression shows first hand just how surprised you are with your exaggerated “Ehh?!” Just how exactly did you manage to do something like that?!

>>4062837

Questions that you pushed aside your mind alongside the growing hunger upon realization. Right now you merely force yourself to focus back on the task at hand. You being asleep for three months only made you that much worried about your siblings. Just what were they doing during this time? Were they properly attended to? Did they avoid becoming a demon like you or was the worst-case scenario a close reality? So many questions ramble through your brain that you instinctively punch yourself in your face to keep yourself focused. Hearing a loud crack from your fist, you realize one other thing that you didn’t take into account as Kyojuro finds himself shocked by your impulsive action. ...You have no control over your newfound strength as you broke your nose. Nevertheless, you toughing it out and brush Kyojuro’s worries to enter the room where Emiko and Keiju were currently located. What you saw in front of you was quite an unexpected sight.

An androgynous figure, just about the same age as you if not one-year younger was currently lying against the bed. Medium length lavender hair with several strands tied into a stylish half-up-half-down bun. Wearing a rather extravagant yet practical kimono, giving the impression that this person looks like a ninja with their soft, feminine features. Before you have the chance to examine them further, the mysterious person starts to rise from their long slumber. Rubbing their eyes like a cat and letting out a yawn nyah for a yawn. Turning to meet you eye to eye, you see them giving a rather warm cat-like smile.

>Instictively hug the mysterious person and show them with affection
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are
>Grind your hand against the wall and just give a pissed off glare at Kyojuro for deceiving you
>Collasp on to the floor and pass out again
>Other [write-in]

>>4062844
>>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are

>>4062844
>Ask them who they are and where your siblings are
Fusion?

>>4062844
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are

>>4062844
>>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are

>>4062844
>Turn to Kyojuro and ask just who this person is and where your siblings are

>>4062850
>>4062877
>>4062907
>>4063030
>>4063620

You make a rather confusing deadpan expression on your face, amber eyes completely dulled out and doll-like in response. Seeing such a cute and adorable androgynous figure made you almost self-conscious with your innate features. There was obvious since you are a girl with your growing body but in terms of cute factor and feminine charms, this mysterious person blew you out of the water. While not to the extent of the heavens and earth, there was most certainly a wide gap between the two of you. Putting that aside from their child-like innocence and simplicity only made you all the more confused. Worst yet was the feeling that you strangely know them. To which was impossible since you didn’t know anyone in your life who carries these features. But most concerning of all was the strange sensation you were picking up. A sign from your instincts that this person was abnormal. Unfortunately at the moment, you couldn’t tell what with your malnourished and groggy state.

“Say Kyojuro….” You mutter, the shadows covering your distraught expression as you begin hunching over to the Hashira rather eerily.

“Yes, Byakuren.” Kyojuro blinks, unaware of the growing anxiety around you as it takes shape into a pissed off aura.

“You’re not messing with me when I asked to see my siblings right?” You smiled, blood vessels forming around your forehead as you grasp your hand into a fist. Upon seeing that Kyojuro instantly flashes back to a certain short-statured woman with black hair that fades into purple highlights and matching purple eyes. Instinctively his face sweats ever so slightly at the visual image of the rising deva standing behind you in intimidation.

“Aha, I forgot one important detail to tell you during our conversation. But its rather strange, I thought since you being a half-demon you can tell first hand who this person was. Hmm, maybe you’re not at one hundred percent after all.” Kyojuro remarks, putting his hand on his chin in confusion. He was genuinely pondering the mystery while keeping his mind distracted from the growing anger emitting from your body. The smile on your face deepens, almost taking up the entirety of your lower mouth.

>>4063837

Thinking about his words closely and staring at him, you can tell he was being genuine about this. This was enough to keep you from acting upon your maternal instincts to protect your siblings and impending rage coming to the same conclusion of smacking Kyojuro through the wall. “..Kyojuro. I’m really happy you didn’t assume that I was simply an idiot.” You smile sincerely, putting your free hand against your other’s forearm, keeping it contain as more blood vessels forms. “I’ll only ask again, where exactly is my siblings Emiko and Keiju.”

“..Byaku-nee.” A voice broke out, disrupting the conversation that you and Kyojuro were having. The voice was different but there was something about it that was deeply familiar to you. It was enough to snap you out of your aggression and return you to normal in an instant. Your mind starts to reminisce back to your siblings while turning to meet the source of the voice.

“Wait...hold on. “ You studdered briefly upon speaking. The memories of your siblings rushing violently through your mind as you stared at the mysterious purple-haired pre-teen. The more you look at them the more you begin feeling a sharp wave of uncertainty. “What exactly did you just say right now?”

“Byaku-nee!!” The mysterious person quickly lung themselves out of the bed, wrapping their arms around your abdomen and upper hips. Despite their cute and lithe figure, they were holding monstrous strength and muscle power as you deduce from their hug. This discovery quickly put you into shame with your developing herculean strength by comparison. Quickly that went away upon feeling that familiar presence yet again. Once you saw your younger brother Keiju and twin sister Emiko side by side with the mysterious person it all start to click to you. You weren’t sure how it happened but deep down you knew that this person was exactly who you were looking for.

“...This presence and warmth. There’s no doubt about it….” Tears start to pour out of your eyes, shifting your face into a genuine, heartwarming smile. Slowly you raise your arm to pet the mysterious person, returning the hug as your heartthrobs for joy. Sensing this, the mysterious figure could only make a warm smile, also shedding tears over the reunion. “...Jeeze Keiju and Emiko, what exactly did you do to yourself to end up like this” You muttered.

“Byaku-nee~” The mysterious figure embraces you closely, not letting go as the two of you share a heartwarming reunion. Kyojuro can only look at the sight with an approving smile as he folds his arms. Further confirming his suspicion that there was nothing to worry about with the two of you. Despite being more akin to demons, the two of you still retain your humanity in some form. Though comparison to you, this mysterious person carried the characteristics and presence of a full demon despite feeling traces of both Emiko and Keiju through this fusion.

>>4063862

“...This presence and warmth. There’s no doubt about it….” Tears start to pour out of your eyes, shifting your face into a genuine, heartwarming smile. Slowly you raise your arm to pet the mysterious person, returning the hug as your heartthrobs for joy. Sensing this, the mysterious figure could only make a warm smile, also shedding tears over the reunion. “...Jeeze Keiju and Emiko, what exactly did you do to yourself to end up like this” You muttered.

“Byaku-nee~” The mysterious figure embraces you closely, not letting go as the two of you share a heartwarming reunion. Kyojuro can only look at the sight with an approving smile as he folds his arms. Further confirming his suspicion that there was nothing to worry about with the two of you. Despite being more akin to demons, the two of you still retain your humanity in some form. Though comparison to you, this mysterious person carried the characteristics and presence of a full demon despite feeling traces of both Emiko and Keiju through this fusion. Meanwhile, the mysterious person only spoke your nickname, seemingly imitating the same response only a toddler would make. This was causing room for alarm as you couldn’t get them to say any other words.

“I think I may have an answer but first I need you to answer a question for me Byakuren.” Kyojuro charms, placing his hand on your shoulder in reassurance. Effectively calming you down as you silently nod to Kyojuro, accepting his request without hesitation. “Hmm. Byakuren, your family’s teachings. When do you start to learn them exactly?”

“Well, it differs from person to person but the earliest is usually around close to seven years old. My twin siblings who are nine years only know the basics and spend their time improving on the fundamentals. The advanced techniques are supposed to come during their tenth birthday. “ You explain, briefly turning from your fused siblings before looking at Kyojuro. “My sister started when she was only five and I barely made it at the age of six. Grandma Gurren wanted to do the same for my twins but mom kept it to seven as she wanted to spend her final year with them.”

“I see, that explains a lot actually.” Kyojuro nods, listening closely to your explanation as judging from his enthusiastic smile it looks like he just hit a breakthrough.

“..Implying?” You ask, taking a slightly serious look on your face despite still smiling at your siblings.

>>4063873

“Well if they haven’t reached the advanced stage of their breathing technique, much less master it then halting off the demonification is next to impossible for them especially with their child-like bodies. Much like a poison circulation is key in how the corruption spreads. Even if they share the same kind of blood or overall resistance, if they don’t have the finesse with their breathing technique like you do then it’s all but hopeless for them.” As Kyojuro explains, the color in your face turns pale as a dreadful look appears. Much to your paranoia that you desperately push to the deepest depths of your mind, the second to worst-case scenario happened. Both of your siblings are currently full-fledged demons.

“Damn it! How could this have happened! I thought that only I got corrupted….that it was just good fortune that Muzan mistakingly left them for dead out of trying to clean up his tracks through a survivor.” You cry, tensing up in frustration at your siblings’ unfortunate fate. Not only were they currently fused but they are now demons, meaning that their simple nature was a result of their demonification and their old self was buried underneath.

Sensing your growing anxiety, Kyojuro lightly bonks you on your head, knocking you out of your impending panic attack. “I’m not finished Byakuren. Despite the situation being hopeless, something in them must have to spark them to rise to the challenge and refuse to submit to Muzan’s blood. Even if they were becoming demons, they’ll find some way to survive and maintain their identity. Thus triggering an abnormal change in them which causes them to merge and create this fused entity. Given that they’re twins, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility as evident to what demons are capable of.”

“...What exactly can demons do?” You ask, lightly rubbing your head as you start to feel more hopeful after almost losing yourself to despair.

>>4063881

“The common traits are their supernatural physical prowess and their virtual immortality as they can’t die from conventional means like us humans. In addition to that, they are capable of shapeshifting, controlling every aspect of the body to achieve body manipulating/modifying feats, size manipulation, a supernatural sixth sense that lets them perceive the world outside the five senses although those senses are greatly enhanced as well tremendous regenerative capabilities, autonomous motion and control to every aspect of their ability regardless if attached or not, and the ability to recover and grow indefinitely through eating humans. That’s not all that a demon is capable of but let’s not dwell on such matters for now. Now I want to highlight a specific ability that all demons have the potential to use….absorption and cellular manipulation.” Kyojuro explains, once again surprising you at how knowledgeable and proper he can be. He must have clearly been brought up on a rather strict, rigorous training program. Briefly, you got flashes of your grandma’s training from hell as you make a rather ill-look on your face over the trauma.

“See demons generally have sovereignty over every aspect of their body, with the strongest demons far exceeding what the standard demon is capable of. This power exceeds right down to their cellular makeup, allowing them to further alter and modify their bodies accordingly as its the source of their abilities. Most use this to help their shapeshifting capability, eating habits or strengthing their bodies’ performance for better optimization, but smarter and more clever demons have managed to weaponize these aspects. Thus letting them capable of fully absorbing, assimilate and dissolve organic and inorganic objects far greater than what a regular demon has shown to do as it scales with one’s strength much like the rest of their abilities.”

“So what you’re saying is to adapt to becoming a demon and better their chance of survival...Emiko and Keiju fused together to make this demon and better prioritize what they need to better their survival.” You reply, slowly taking deep breaths to calm yourself down and purge the negative emotions seeping inside of your heart. Still, you gave a somber, bittersweet smile at your fused siblings, petting their head as they remain oblivious to what was being told.

>>4063896

“Correct, while any demon is capable of altering others with usually the stronger one having the greater effect on the lesser demon, their compatibility is limited by their finesse and overall control. Those who generally have genetic ties with one another prior to becoming demons typically have a perfect synchronization rate with each other almost instantly. So right now, your brother and sister are currently sharing one body. Though don’t get discouraged, if they are capable of fusing with one another then surely the reverse is possible once they better attune to their demonic powers.” Kyojuro encourages you, raising his voice to the booming effect that made your ears constantly ring and your heart shoot out in panic. Despite startling you it was having a pronounced effect at renewing your hopes as you look at your siblings.

“You’re right...The fact they’re still here at all is reassuring. I shouldn’t be greedy...” You mutter, softly smiling at them and taking one more hug from them before letting them go. Turning your head to Kyojuro, you instinctively take a slightly defensive guard just in case. “I’m confused. If they’re demons then why haven’t you tried to slay them?”

“Well, a promise is a promise. That said after you passed out from your wounds, the basket exploded violently revealing this merged entity. At first, I thought the worst has happened and they fully became a murderous demon, thus committed to bare the sin of breaking my promise to avoid having you to suffer further and put your siblings to rest. But to my discovery and shock, they merely only stood to protect you. Thus I began thinking that...even contained in that basket, they were fully aware of their surroundings and sense your presence. Your very essence and strong affectional bonds with your siblings must have served as a key and influenced this transformation. Honestly, the Shimizu family are quite a bunch of mavericks compared to typical demon behavior.” Kyojuro laughs, brushing off your concerns as he genuinely praises you and your siblings for doing the impossible and retaining some form of your humanity.

“Thank you Kyojuro. But….I really wish you wouldn’t refer to us in such a manner. It makes us sound like deviants.” You smile again, feeling at ease after looking at your siblings. To hear them speed up their development and merge into this new form out of their desire to protect and be with you really made you all the more grateful to have your remaining family members. You think back to Sakura as you were left in a state of uncertainty. Although you received a vision of her being alive, you weren’t able to confirm whether or not it was a delusional dream. Even so, it was the only piece you have and you wanted to hold on to the belief that she was still alive.

>>4063905

“Still, I’m glad they haven’t shown any inkling of consuming human flesh and/or blood. So I can only hypothesize that they, much like yourself seem to draw from a different source to replenish and restore their bodies. Making you guys no different than plants in correlation to self-sufficiency. “ Kyojuro looks out to the side, walking away just a bit before double-checking that there was no sunlight down the hall of this expansive dojo.

“But unlike plants, demons are generally incapable of going out into the sunlight. For you see the sun is a major weakness to demons, along with anything containing Wisteria and special minerals like specialized purified salt. So you have to make sure your siblings avoid these things at all costs. As for you, I’m not sure how effective they’ll be considering your a half-demon but I strongly doubt you’ll be completely immune to them. So be careful as well.” Kyojuro turns, taking a serious tone while still comforting both you and your siblings.

>What do you do now?

>Write-in

(Getting ready for a time skip.)

>>4063919
>familiarize ourself with our siblings' new form
Just get to know them in case there's anything different

>>4063919

Hmm...I guess it's time for a huge training montage after thanking him for all he's done for us so far.

>>4063919
Supporting >>4063937

And maybe try to figure out how to refer to them.

>>4063937
>>4064011

Supporting but we should also consider what we should be focusing on in the timeskip like >>4063939 is pushing for. I think personally we should learn Rengoku's breathing style and other means to fight. Improving our demon powers is good but what if like Inuyasha with the new moon, the sunlight revert us back to a regular human or at least greatly hamper our abilities. We should be prepared just in case while learning all we can about ourselves, our siblings and the demon corps

>>4064037
If that's the case, if it comes down to it, we may need a proper trainer. Also maybe some new clothes that incorporates the uniform and our old shrine maiden outfit because looking cool is half the battle.

>>4064037
Well if we intend to let Emiko/Keiju fight we should teach them everything we learned from grandma.

>>4064046

Gotta incorporate our heritage along with our work life. Also all the more reason to have Rengoku train us. He's clearly good at being our mentor figure.


>>4064056

I agree with this. We may learn how to use our demon powers through them. But also our grandma teaching may help them even as a demon

If we do manage getting a huge sword first, we should probably try to wrap it all up in cloth so as to not scare people. Could explain it away as being a shrine offering as larger swords were often used as such.

Using and making a bow and sacred arrows could be a bit dangerous for us to handle since we're still half demon.

>>4064056
Yeah, support helping the kids to advance their breathing skills. Not continuing their education is just negligence.

I think we should learn what we can from Rengoku, but we sort of have our own Unnamed Breathing method that is apparently pretty potent; we should not neglect it. Best case scenario, they are compatible.

>>4063919
Anyway, as for more specific "right now" stuff that was requested, we definitively should confirm to Rengoku that we'd like to go out and start hunting demons and training to beat Muzan. Training montage time.

Request mentorship, weapons and a way to locate demons to hunt.

Fluff-wise, we need to take a moment to use our breathing to recover from any leftover grogginess from three months long coma, see if we can eat normal food, test how badly sun/anti-demon grass affect us...

>>4064122

Do you think we can spread it out in between learning Flame breathing and demon training? Also what should we focus on that? We got a lot to branch into but I'm not sure what fits for priority

>>4064146
Breathing combat styles are not that rigid, and Byakuren's own education is incomplete.

Use Breathing Byakuren had been learning for her entire life as a foundation, then crib everything compatible from Flame Breathing in order to fill in the holes and transform what Byakuren already knows into a viable combat style.

We'll probably end up with a somewhat mixed style that is going to be strongly influenced by Flame Breathing, which is fine. Putting your own individualized spin on your Breathing Style/just doing that works for you particular is the thing that all cool demon slayers are doing.

Probably equal priority to Breathing and Demonic abilities, I think.

As far as specifics of demon ability training goes, figuring out our own Blood Demon art is probably a priority? The faster we figure out what it is and start properly integrating it into Byakuren's combat style, the better. Best to start early with that stuff in order to get maximum synergy with our weapon combat style.

>>4064193
Though I kind of wonder if maybe we should just focus on Breathing for now to maximize trainer bonuses from Rengoku.

We'll almost certainly going to meet Tamayo in the future, who has great insight into how demons work; we could rapidly advance our own demonic body transformation abilities and Blood Demon Art ability with her help, I think.

>>4064215

Think that's good. Focus on just the basic with our demon powers and prioritize breathing and weapon training.

>>4064250

On that note what should we prioritize for weapons training. I wanna say sportsmanship is a no brainer but going all master of weapons may take a while especially with resources so maybe cwe start small with swords and archery

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>>4064287
Swordmanship as a core sounds good. Or whatever is going to be our primary srs bsns combat style - there was some talk about using a kanabo or/and a kirkmace gimmick.

I'd like to pick up archery eventually, but unless we unlock our blood demon art like, immediately, it probably needs to wait.

Baseline archery is sort of not really viable on its own - we need Blood Demon Art to reinforce the bow (or outright make one with spooky demonic powers) to keep up with combat speed of not-trash demons and empower the arrows if we want them to deal meaningful damage.

Thankfully, considering character inspiration, we'll probably get an ability that could make it work.

>>4064339

No problem with this. The kanbako idea doesn't really need extensive practice since it relying mainly on brute force and will probably be influenced by our sportsmanship.

We should compile what we have before deciding what else we need or stick what we have as foundation afterwards

>>4064339
We could always use archery as a more of a support ability instead rather than a way to directly fight, especially if we make special arrows out of sacred, anti-demon materials, or coating tips with special wisteria stuff (ensure to handle with care lest we end up hurting ourselves).

>>4063937
>>4063939
>>4064011
>>4064037
>>4064056
>>4064046
>>4064087
>>4064122
>>4064142
>>4064193
>>4064215
>>4064250
>>4064339
>>4064287
>>4064390
>>4064492

Alright, looks like you guys got a good grasp on what you want to learn. So roll me two d20s. First one is for teaching your siblings, second is how you do. DC is both 12

Rolled 18, 6 = 24 (2d20)

>>4064753

Rolled 10, 19 = 29 (2d20)

>>4064753

Rolled 5, 15 = 20 (2d20)

>>4064753

Rolled 11, 2 = 13 (2d20)

>>4064753

Rolled 18, 3 = 21 (2d20)

>>4064753

My only concern about our sword choice is the sheer length of it being a potential disadvantage in very close quarters, or places where there isn't much room to make swings.

>>4064753

After exchanging a touching moment you went through the rest of the day in typical fashion. Before you did anything you made extensive studies and observations to your new biology. As a half-demon, you discovered that you can still sustain yourself with regular food, much to your tearful delight. On the flip side due to your new biology, you were left with a rather voracious appetite Earning the nickname “Miko of Gluttony” and “Human blackhole” you manage to put a rather comedically tremendous amount of food down your gullet with no signs of gaining weight. Your heightened tastebuds made the grub all the more delectable but you were compelled to eat until you got your fill. In this case, filling yourself to the brim with food. This level of voluminous consumption made you realize just how much your body burns through energy as it was through an absurd level. Therefore, your body developed and adapted similar characteristics akin to a plant, including the ability to photosynthesize through gathering energy around your surroundings.

Yet even with that, you were still left with a nigh-insatiable appetite with a near-bottomless stomach. So while it was possible to go an entire week or two without eating anything as your human and demon half can self-sustain themselves thanks to this abnormal physiology, at some point you’ll need to replenish your strength to keep yourself at prime condition. Those two options being eating akin to a whole team of heavyweight sumo wrestlers or sleep for three to four days straight. A side effect of this overabundant management of energy was the fact you no longer needed to perform bodily needs like using the bathroom. All the resources you devoured were converted into pure energy and nourishment as nothing was left unutilized. It almost made up to the ravenous hunger pains you had to endure whenever you were hungry. Almost. After finally getting your fill, you spent the remainder of the time using breathing to leftover grogginess from three months-long comae.

>>4065511

Once you felt fully up to it, you took your time to test your physical body, mainly how those weaknesses affected you. Slowly but cautiously you stick your hand out of open space towards the outside while huddling the rest of your body into the shade. At first, all you felt was a tingling sensation but exposing your skin bit by bit did you eventually learn just how inconvenient the sunlight was to you. Direct sunlight noticeably weighted your body down considerably as you feel your demonic side being forcibly suppressed. The familiar feeling of grogginess creeps over to your skin, leaving you constantly winded and out of breath. Spending the entire day in direct sunlight straight left you with sunburn while only half the day you broke out into hives. With proper nourishment and/or rest they eventually went away in reasonable times, but this left quite the predicament. In open daylight, you were notoriously weaker and your fluidity became sluggish with every motion.


Compared to the worst-case scenario has to feel like you’re wearing a full plated suit of armor while submerged in water was certainly livable. But it was clear you were at more to a disadvantage in broad daylight than even the most average of people in physical and mental capabilities. Shaking yourself out of this glump you want to try wisteria. Like the sun, just being around its presence made you feel weak and woozy in close proximity. Touching it, however, made your skin quickly break into hives but it was still manageable as you can at least do stuff with it without collapsing in long periods. Eating it was perhaps the dumbest thing you ever have done in your entire life. Just one consumption was enough to make you terribly ill. For the next two days, you were bedridden by the wisteria as you reflect on your foolishness. Neither of these weaknesses alone was enough to drastically affect you, but it was clear in the hands of a skilled warrior it’ll be more than enough to finish the current you off. Therefore you commit to eventually building up a resistance.

>>4065514

From your playtime with your siblings, you manage to learn quite a lot about them in a short amount of time. For starters, it seems that they don’t exactly know what they’re names are in this state. Sure they respond to Emiko and Keiju well enough, but they weren’t able to really give you a name that they decided for this new entity. Understandably given what they have to prioritize and how quickly the transformation was. Still, you felt really bad only referring them to one sibling’s name and calling them both would only bring confusion. Thinking real hard about this you decided to give them the name Keimiko to refer to both siblings equally. To which they were happy at the name choice. Of course, Kyojuro gave a suggestion to call them Keimi for short since it flows better. You couldn’t disagree with his sound logic. Naming aside you took notice of every little thing that Keimi did during your time together with your younger demon twins. From how they walk to things like speech and responsiveness to everyday activities. It seems that Keimi was no different than a literal toddler.

Although Keimi was currently incapable of talking in complete sentences and/or conversing in deep conversation, it didn’t stop them from being able to understand and perceive what others were saying. Not only that but the words they did manage to say were precise and straight to the point despite being mainly simple. Aside from that, Keimi would naturally mimic the voice of someone else, right down to their patterns when repeating what they say. As for body languages they were very expressive and capable of conveying their feelings and opinions more thoroughly. Unfortunately, like with speaking what they ended up conversing was mostly simplistic stuff, though there was a gap between speaking and using bodily languages and signs. Most noteworthy is the fact that Keimi was able to remember how to read and write. So with three different methods of communicating, you felt comfortable knowing that on the off chance the two of you get separated that Keimi can communicate with others. Not that you’ll let such a thing happen.

>>4065518

Overall it was comparable to call them a sentient beast as while they’re smarter than the sum of their parts, it seems they still hold a child-like innocence and naivety. They seem to be easily distracted when their instincts aren’t taking direct control and can sometimes misread things. Nevertheless, they were still your siblings right down to the core, even if they’re currently demonized. But that didn’t shake away the awkward feelings you have about the predicament. Normally demons lose most if not all of their memories of their lives as humans, with some exceptions. And while the personality exists, it is normally a twisted, corruptive version of themselves. Something so horrible made you positively sick to your stomach, only furthering your hatred of Muzan. But thankfully Keimi didn’t share any of the symptoms as their human aspect still there, just buried deep inside.

Still, what was most concerning was the fact that Keimi required a notorious amount of sleep. Unlike you who at least need to sleep for ten to twelve hours normally or hibernate for several days when running dangerously low on energy and power, it seems Keimi requires days if not weeks of sleeping. In retrospect, it made perfect sense since unlike you who can eat and survive on regular food thanks to your human half, such nourishments don’t fill Keimi up despite being able to eat. But rather than eat humans to replenish themselves, it appears they only need to sleep. So really the theory of Keimi being close to a plant wasn’t as farfetched as you originally thought. That said, this made you feel rather lonely at times whenever you had to watch your sibling take long sleeping periods. There must be an important reason for such a necessity but for now, you couldn’t piece together what your twin siblings were doing.

Refusing to let yourself get depressed over such matters, you made yourself commit your time to improve and push away such unwanting feelings. Soon enough, you began your training under Kyojuro Rengoku. Before you can actually go and achieve your objectives you needed proper training and guidance. Kyojuro makes it apparent through a simple game such as rock-throwing that there was a problem with your performance. Like a newly hatched bird just getting the grip of flying, you were having a notoriously hard time keeping your abnormal physical prowess in check. Even the simplest of things was quite the strenuous task with your herculean strength. As you are right now, everything might as well be made out of translucent paper. This was rather problematic considering in addition to lack of control was dangerous, it also means you were wasting precious stamina which was exceptionally important. Burning out through your demonic reserves left you feeling notoriously groggy and struggling to remain awake.

>>4065522

In a battle that was more or less a death sentence since none of your enemies were going to wait for you to take a power nap and recover your strength. Therefore controlling your newfound abilities and learning how to fight while conserving strength was the top priority. When it came time for training you were met with a strange chain of events. Again to your surprise, you were left in a state of bewilderment at how effective the enthusiastic man was at teaching and guiding others. Then again, considering the intense passions to virtually anything, especially to things he put his full attention to, it was honestly no wonder why he’s perfect for the job of Hasima and mentor. That said, you still wished your mentor would know the meaning of restraint and moderation. Half-demon or not, there was a limit to how much one can push themselves before collapsing from fatigue. Even if he could sense how much you were bothered by not being as active and fluid as you once was during broad daylight.

First thing first, you began under training to adapt to the sun’s rays and bringing out at least somewhere around forty to fifty percent of your base physical capabilities. Alongside this endeavor was breathing training and eventually weapons training during the day. Normally this should be a piece of cake as you been training in breathing since you were five after watching your sister Sakura do it for the first time. Unfortunately, the effects of the sun made even something as simple as breathing a real pain in your ass. Nevertheless, you continue to battle the burning sensation in your lungs and make progress through relearning the basics.

At night you find yourself undergoing demonic training with your powers. From learning how to control your power output to preforming the basic demon abilities you thoroughly put yourself through the wringer trying to grasp your demonic powers. Without anyone to teach you how to be a demon you weren’t sure if you were wasting time and effort through brute-forcing your way along with trial and error. Still, for a self-taught demon, you ended up progressing far better than what you should be achieving. Things like controlling your bodily functions, shifting your size and mass, and countless other basic abilities that are attributed to demons you quickly picked up and developed. While only scraping just the basics on things like shapeshifting and absorptions, you did manage however to branch out considerably in utility. In time you start developing the ability to control your hardness, shifting from being as soft as rubber to as hard as ebonite. You felt if you continue to really push yourself you could reach graphene in time.

>>4065597

Nevertheless, all of the demonic applications you learned primarily resolved around your physical body. Understandable as further demon knowledge wasn’t known to you, especially through your rebellion against Muzan’s influence. Along with developing the means to control your softness/hardness, you also learned how to vibrate your body through your heartbeat to further enhance yourself, as well as grasp the basics of influencing your body temperature. Most of all were the ability of absorption as not only did you achieve what Kyojuro explained but you took it one step further by incorporating whatever you absorbed into yourself. A feat that originally manifests by accident as you unintentionally merged with a running stream of water during your attempts at cooling your body down from recklessly overheating yourself. Upon returning to normal, tattoos start to form around your chest and abdomen. Only after additional practices did you learn that you can assimilate and store matter into your body and not just mimicry their properties and characteristics. A very handy feat.

As for your endeavors in the daylight you soon reached the level of control and fitness to start undergoing the teaching of the breathing fundamentals of the demon-slaying corps. Through careful explanation, you start to learn the ins and outs of Breath Style and work your way up into learning the Breath of Flames style. Having relearned the fundamentals of your family’s breathing methods, you didn’t have much trouble if any adapting to Kyojuro’s personal style. You weren’t sure if it was compatibility or just the fact Kyojuro was that good of a teacher that you ended up harmonizing quickly with the breath style. Though only at the rudimentary form, you were still able to incorporate the art onto your own teachings. Upon combining the two styles, you find yourself wielding what appears to azure-colored flames. Drastically different from the typical orange flames that most practitioners use, you were suddenly met with praise from Kyojuro for reaching a similar plateau with himself through his hot red flames.

At your current level, this was for the best as you couldn’t properly use the full extent of the Breath of Flames in the current amount of time you have, much less with these azure flames. Not to mention there was the strain of using both breathing techniques to produce this unique rendition of the Breath of Flames. Nevertheless, you couldn’t help but feel giddy at the strenth you accumulated as you undergo the basics of swordsmanship.

>>4065624
>you find yourself wielding what appears to azure-colored flames

Real fire, or illusions of fire?

>>4065637

Demon slayer is ambiguous with it's breathing style for humans as demon stuff its mainly real with illusionary effects being deliberate in messing with the senses and perception. But I'm treating this AU as akin to Jojo the breathing styles manifesting as mystic martial arts due to the bio-energy/life essence channeling inside of humans and the energy they absorb from the sun.

So yes, real blue flames.

>>4065643
Nice.