1 Chapter 1

In the Great Tomb of Nazarick…

A never ending wind howled and whirled, carrying snow and ice in an eternal spiral across the plain entrapped in eternal winter. This was the fifth floor of the great tomb. This was the domain of a Vermin Lord covered in a blue carapace, who stood guard with his trusted halberd in hand.

The Guardian of the Fifth floor remained unmoving, never leaving the position he was created to guard. The name of this guardian was Cocytus, the proud creation of Lord Warrior Takemikazuchi, one of the Supreme Beings and one of the greatest warriors of the 41.

Cocytus let out a blow of steam as his mandibles clacked. His insect-like eyes surveyed the surroundings diligently. The Vermin Lord rarely let his mind wander, but this time he could not help it. He tried to recall when was the last time his creator had visited him and the unease in his heart grew as he came to the conclusion several weeks had passed since the last time Cocytus had the privilege to gaze upon the Supreme One that created him.

Several weeks had passed since the news of the World Champion, Lord Touch Me leaving had reached him.

Cocytus was aware that his creator strived to surpass and defeat the World Champion in a duel but was yet to succeed. And since his rival had left, it was possible his creator went out to find another one worthy of being called a Supreme One's rival.

The Vermin Lord would never dare question his creator's decisions yet the aching in his heart remained. His purpose was to serve the Supreme Beings, and every time another Supreme One left, the amount of people he could serve and fulfil his purpose by doing so lessened.

The never ending winds continued to howl and Cocytus remained in solitude, following the final order given to him. He could still recall the words of the Supreme Ones. "Cocytus, guard and defend this floor." That single command was enough for him to know that what he was doing now was adhering to the wishes of the 41, and that was all he needed to do, even though he often caught himself wishing for more.

To stand by the side of the 41 as they unleashed their might and displayed their prowess in blade and magic, to experience the warmth and elation that swelled inside him every time he had the honour to witness such spectacle, it was one of the few wishes the Vermin Lord had in his life.

Just as Cocytus shooed away his bitter sweet thoughts, the sound of steps and the crackle of snow that followed each step caught his attention. He was ready to fight by summoning all four of his weapons if need be, yet the figure he saw was not his enemy.

The warrior that stood before him was the one who he would obey and follow without question, the man he hoped would grant him the honour of once calling him father, if Cocytus ever managed to live up to the expectations of the Supreme One that created him that is.

The entity before him was Lord Warrior Takemikazuchi.

"Ahhh ever since that guy left I couldn't get the thrill I wanted. A proper duel with a proper warrior." Takemikazuchi muttered as he looked at Cocytus, his creation, who embodied everything that a warrior should be.

"And I was just about to craft another sword that maybe could have finally broken through that guy's defence." the Lord Warrior sighed and pulled out the God Slaying Emperor Blade out of his inventory.

"Sorry Cocytus, I suppose this will be the last gift I ever give you." Takemikazuchi spoke somberly as Cocytus' heart snapped in two, he wanted to beg his master to stay, yet he found himself unable to utter a single word.

"Ahhh, this was fun while it lasted." the Nephilim player added. He was awkward at anything more delicate like emotions, and goodbyes were one of those.

'Well to be honest I am just preparing myself to say goodbye to Momonga. Cocytus is still just an NPC even though I put a lot of effort into him.'

Takemikazuchi shook his head. What was he supposed to do next? Hope to find a rival in another game, or should he focus on his real life? Those options did not seem as great to him as they did the day he made the decision to quit Yggdrasil.

'I wish I could just go to the past, to a world where I could be a real honourable warrior. A place where I can finally do something that matters…' Takemikazuchi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, a moment passed, a moment of silence… 'Wait, silence?'

The fifth floor was never silent, the howling winds never stopped, yet now all Takemikazuchi could feel was a faint breeze. 'Wait, how can I feel the breeze? Yggdrasil shouldn't have any tactile features.'

"Lord Takemikazuchi!" A deep voice spoke and urged the Nephilim player to open his eyes. He found himself standing in front of a forest. The sensations Takemikazuchi felt were things he had never dreamed of experiencing.

The sound of real grass swaying around him, the rattle of leaves and the creaking of branches, the smell of an evergreen forest and the chirp of birds under the clear night sky. There was a genuine sky, unpolluted by any toxic mist, smog or acid rain cloud. The countless stars glimmered like a sea of jewels strewn over a grand canvas.

"Cocytus, you can talk?" Takemikazuchi asked in surprise and the Vermin Lord, hearing that question, bowed down.

"Forgive me for my insolence, my Lord!" Cocytus prostrated himself in a matter of seconds.

Takemikazuchi was confused for a moment but seeing how his NPC was somehow sentient and now in a dogeza in front of him, he concluded he should take the time to think about what was going on at a later moment.

"Uh no it's alright Cocytus, stand up. I just don't recall you ever talking to me before; it is a welcome change." Takemikazuchi cleared his throat before continuing, "This doesn't look like any place in Midgard, or Yggdrasil for that matter, I believe our first task should be to figure out where we are." he concluded. He was not one for grand scouting tactics, but this situation had too many unknown variables even for him.

"My Lord, how may I serve?" Cocytus let out a puff of mist as his mandibles clacked once more. This was a situation with many possible threats, and the Guardian was ready to do anything to ensure the safety of his Lord.

Takemikazuchi took a deep breath and let his senses expand outward in all directions. The senses of a Nephilim and a level 100 warrior were not to be underestimated. He may have lacked the eyesight of Peroroncino but even he could do this much.

"There appears to be some fighting in those two directions." Takemikazuchi pointed with his massive hands. "I will take the left, you take the right. If you find any hostiles, you are authorised to use your strength. Otherwise try and establish positive relations. If it's something you can't handle, lead it to me, a warrior that can threaten even you is a warrior I wish to face." the Nephilim chuckled.

"It would be useful if someone told us where we are though." he added. "Good luck Cocytus, I am certain you can do what I have asked of you." He patted the Vermin Lord's shoulder and went towards the direction of battle.

Cocytus bowed his head as his lord eagerly began making way towards the on going combat. "I vow that I will never fail you, my Lord. I will use this blade you have gifted me to defeat any threats that may oppose you." He released another puff of steam and his mandibles clacked once more, a sign of his determination.

The two giant warriors went opposite ways without hesitation and continued on their paths.

Takemikazuchi looked around, his eyes that were hidden behind his mask widening with awe. "So this is what a forest looks like." he wondered out loud, certain and confident his skills would detect anyone nearby.

The Nephilim player was also confident that all of his skills worked and that he had no need to test them. "What better way to test them than in actual combat." he said, "Those guild strategists would probably be testing everything they could think of to make sure it was all working properly… What a cowardly waste of time that would be!"

Takemikazuchi could feel the immense strength hidden beneath his samurai armour, the muscles of a level 100 Nephilim, strength that could rend mountains and split the seas.

It was an intoxicating feeling.

He was a warrior who had reached the peak. He had it all, and even though the Nephilim were a hideous race he did not care about that. His face and body were hidden by his mask and samurai coverings, and besides the only beauty that a warrior needed was the beauty of skill and strength.

His nose soon picked up the scent of blood, a large amount of it, and sounds of fighting confirmed he was indeed close.

Tanjiro took deep breaths; he wasn't sure how he would win this. This was the Blood Moon, not the father that Inosuke was fighting. This boy had Nezuko restrained high in the air. 'If I die here, who will take care of Nezuko?!?' Doubts swarmed his mind, and his sword was broken.

'No, it's not over yet. If I use the strongest Water Breathing form, I might have a chance.'

[Total Concentration Water Breathing…

As Tanjiro prepared to inhale the air necessary to strengthen his muscles, right before activating the technique, a voice called out, a deep sounding voice of a giant man dressed as a samurai of legend.

"Forgive me for interrupting your fight, young ones, but I appear to be a little lost." His eyes scanned the two boys warily, one looked like a human and felt like one, however, the other did not. There was also a young girl suspended in the air that appeared to be the source of most of the blood covering the area.

"Who the hell are you!" Rui yelled and swung his spider silk to slice the man in half, yet as the strings met the man's body, they failed to do any damage. They didn't so much as scratch the man's magnificent armour.

"What the hell is that armour!" he yelled furiously and launched another set of strings at the general weak points that every armour had. The strings hit the areas around his joints, which were less armoured, and still did no damage.

"To attack a man on sight is quite unbecoming of a warrior, young man." Takemikazuchi looked at the strings. "And what is with this cowardly way of fighting? Sharp strings? Really?" He shook his head in disappointment.

"Don't underestimate me, human!" Rui was getting angry now, his usual calm composure had started to slip away ever since that giant man appeared.

[Blood Demon Art - Cutting Thread Cage]

He activated his blood art. There was no way these threads would fail to cut through that annoyance of a man.

Tanjiro's eyes widened. He would not be able to cut those threads, but he had to, to protect Nezuko, and to protect this mysterious man. That was his job as a Demon Slayer.

His mind recalled a memory of a time long ago, the dance his father did, the breathing he told him about, a skill that allowed a frail dying man to dance all night long without shivering even once, even in the freezing cold where one's lungs would freeze.

That was the answer he was looking for. Tanjiro's body was sore and riddled with cuts, but he knew he could do it. The sequence of necessary movements formed in his mind's eye and he took a breath, air was sucked in rapidly, his eyes opened and his broken word was swung.

[Hinokami Kagura]

Tanjiro's broken sword ignited as a blade of flames formed and sliced through the threads, leaving only embers behind.

Takemikazuchi looked at the young man's swordsmanship. "Impressive." he commented. The speed of his swings was easily tracked by him, but he was certain that this young man had potential.

Rui could not believe his predicament. If that sword could cut through his sharpest threads with ease, there was a possibility it could even cut his neck. The Waning Moon kept evading each strike. His plan was to make the boy tire himself out, as such a powerful technique would surely exact a large toll on his weak, human body.

Meanwhile, suspended high up in the trees, Nezuko was asleep, attempting to heal her wounds by resting. A familiar but distant voice spoke to her. "Nezuko, Nezuko!"

The warm kind voice kept calling out to her, and in the next moment she felt hands caress both sides of her face. "Nezuko, please protect your brother, I know you can do it. Because if you don't… he'll die as well." Her voice took a sad note at the end and after Nezuko heard those words a fire was lit inside her.

Her pink eyes opened and she recalled all the powers granted to her by her demonhood. Using the blood that had flown down the strands from her wounds, she channelled the true power of a demon's blood.

"[Blood Demon Arts - Blood Explosion]!"

As she spoke out the last word of the blood art, flames ignited across the old, bloodied strands of silk and they burned to nothingness in a mere moment.

"What?" Rui exclaimed in shock and, thanks to that, Tanjiro finally caught up with him. He swung his broken blade as some of Nezuko's demonic blood dripped onto what remained of his sword. "The bond between Nezuko and I is something you will never be able to break!" Tanjiro swung the sword as hard as he could and, accompanied by the flames of his fathers dance, he decapitated a Blood Moon.

Tanjiro sighed as he fell on his knees. No matter how strong that dance was, it drained him to a point where he could no longer move for a while. He collapsed onto the ground and took a deep breath.

"Well done, that was wonderful swordsmanship, and that fighting spirit of yours! Oh, it was incredible." Takemikazuchi could not help himself but clap at the display.

Tanjiro slowly turned his head towards the giant man. "Uhh excuse me Sir, but who are you?" It took Tanjiro a lot of effort just to turn around and face the man, but even though he was exhausted he needed to show respect to his elder.

"My name is Takemikazuchi, and I am a warrior such as yourself. I have arrived here just recently, and though it pains my warrior's pride to admit it, I am slightly lost! I do have some questions to ask of you, but seeing your current state, they can wait!" The Nephilim spoke with enthusiasm as Tanjiro nodded exhaustedly. This man seemed odd but he smelled no dishonesty from him, so he elected to trust him.

On the other side of the forest at a similar time, another fight was taking place. Inosuke struggled to evade every blow of the giant demon but he knew he could not run forever. That demon just punched Tanjiro into the sky and across the forest. Inosuke was not sure if he could hold out until he arrived.

He was still close to the river, but water put both him and the demon at a disadvantage. Inosuke was about to lead the demon into the forest when every hair on his body shot up. He shivered intensely as a primordial coldness swept over him.

As someone raised in the mountains by boars, he was hardly unaccustomed to freezing temperatures. Even during the winter, battle in his current, shirtless state was preferred. But this… This was different.

This wasn't the chill of winter, nor the disheartening caress of death. No, this was the chill of a battlefield where only one man remained standing, the chill of lone success at the pinnacle of strength.

But what this really was was bad fucking news! How was he supposed to deal with this big spider bastard and some other opponent!? Life really was cruel! Or maybe it was that Karma lady Zenitsu had mentioned? She was supposed to be a bitch after all.

As the temperature of the air plummeted, the river began to freeze over. Were it not for his mask, Inosuke's breath would have been able to see his breath mix with the freezing air.

He quickly jumped out of the river, narrowly avoiding being stuck in it as the once flowing tributary turned to solid ice.

'Has an ice blood moon appeared or what?!'

He turned around hesitantly and saw a large blue insect wielding an unrealistically long katana. The being was massive – easily over two metres tall! – and Inosuke immediately knew his blades wouldn't be able to so much as scratch the newcomer's carapace. He shivered slightly as a crackling sound echoed out, mist appearing from behind the mandibles of the insectoid.

'Is this a distant cousin or something!? Are they having some stupid family feud?!' Inosuke asked himself before his intuition kicked in. When it did, however, he noticed something curious, 'This guy doesn't seem to be a demon… His presence is completely different, and he's using a katana. What the hell is he then!?'

The spider demon shivered, his insect-like instincts screamed at him to run, but the control the Waning Moon had on him prevailed.

He started his transformation as his pale form turned black, his old face peeled away as a new one formed, revealing even more blue, spider-like eyes. He charged at the mysterious blue insect with unbridled fury, being only a blur to Inosuke, who had been reduced to a spectator.

"For a warrior to not even introduce oneself before attacking… You are no warrior." Cocytus let out a puff of steam and brought the God Slaying Emperor sword upon the demon's hand, severing it in one clean motion

The strike was clean, precise, with the new form of the demon offering no resistance. The only thing that followed the whistling sound of the very air being cut was the thud of the arm hitting the ground.

The demon screamed in pain once he registered what had happened, but knew his arm would regenerate, yet, after several seconds passed, he found his arm remained as a stub. No matter how much he focused on the injury, it would not fix itself.

Fear quickly began to turn into desperation.

Inosuke looked on in shock. The demon should have regenerated his arm by now. After all, it would have done so even if it was cut by a sun blade. Was this some breathing art? Was it connected to the steam the mysterious warrior had let out, or was it a property of the blade?

"Why isn't his arm regenerating?" Inosuke yelled out and the Vermin Lord turned his head towards the boar-masked boy. It was certainly an odd choice for a helmet, but perhaps it was a trophy from a fallen adversary?

"This is the blade given to me by a Supreme Being; it is only natural they would take in account to prevent any lesser forms of regeneration." Cocytus boasted as the demon swung with his other fist and found it severed once more, this time at a speed even his spider eyes could not track, which was in reality a leisurely pace for the Vermin Lord.

Cocytus swung his blade to clean it of any blood and let out another puff of steam before speaking. "I was given a mission by my Lord, I will have to ask you some questions." The Floor Guardian spoke to both Inosuke and the demon. Perhaps the beast would calm down once it understood how outmatched it was, though he guessed he would mostly have to ask the boy.

The demon, realising his wounds would not heal, turned to run away. "You dare and try to run away? Such unforgivable cowardice!" Cocytus rumbled in anger, the temperature around him dropping even further.

"[Frost Nova]"

Cocytus cast the area of effect spell and froze the demon in place, head to toe. It looked like an ice sculpture, but both Cocytus and Inosuke felt that the grotesque being was still alive.

"If you want to kill him, you have to cut off his head at the neck!" Inosuke yelled as he gazed at the mighty insect in admiration. Despite being no demon slayer, the mysterious warrior had saved his hide! Masterfully at that!

This was a warrior of unfathomable power! He wanted to duel him, even though he felt to the core that he would lose, but what kind of warrior would he be if he didn't duel someone like this?! Chances like these were rare as all hell!

Additionally, Inosuke knew the blue insect wasn't human, but he also didn't feel like any demon, so what was the harm in a duel? No rule in that demon slayer code thing forbade him from sparring!

Cocytus turned to the masked boy and nodded in gratitude. "I think you will be able to answer my questions, which means that this shameful being is not needed." the Vermin Lord concluded and swung the God Slaying Emperor Blade, decapitating the demon in an instant.

No blood or flesh was left on the weapon, its blade being as pristine as before it was first unsheathed.

The mighty sword gifted to Cocytus to wield was a Divine level weapon, an Odachi boasting the highest cutting power, higher than any other of Cocytus' twenty weapons. It was crafted from one of the rarest prismatic ores Takemikazuchi could find, paired together with the drops he had gotten from killing a legendary Sun Dragon with his guild.

It was a weapon that could slash through all, and unless the needed potions or spells were used to heal what it slashed, no racial skill could nullify its might.

"That sword is so awesome! And that was one of the best swings I have ever seen!" Inosuke was about to continue voicing his admiration but the blood loss started to kick in and he grunted in pain.

As Cocytus moved to sheathe his sword, he sensed a new presence, and it was moving quite quickly.

Cocytus looked up, and just as the mysterious assailant was about to strike, they hesitated. This being could tell from which direction he, a Hashira, was coming from. He shook off the hesitation and activated his technique.

[Water Breathing - Fourth form - Striking Tide]

Giyu swung his katana as the blade took the form of water striking at high speed, yet instead of striking the blue insect's neck, it was met by a sturdy odachi.

"And yet another one attacks without introducing oneself… Have my Lord and I arrived in a place with no manners?" Cocytus parried the strike but did not retaliate. He noticed the uniform of this man and the pants of the half-naked, masked boy were of the same design. They were probably connected, and the newcomer certainly seemed to be higher ranking, at least judging by his clothing.

"What are you? You do not seem to be a demon, and who is that Lord you speak of?" Giyu asked. If the insect were to answer that his lord was Kibutsuji Muzan, he'd eliminate him at once.

"I am Cocytus, a Vermin Lord, a servant of Lord Takemikazuchi." The floor guardian let out another puff of steam as his mandibles clacked with pride.

"Takemikazuchi? Like the god of war?" Giyu wondered out loud.

"My Lord is a Supreme Being, not a God, but he is one of the greatest warriors I know." Cocytus replied.

"Would it be possible to meet with your Lord?" Giyu asked and Cocytus nodded. "Of course, he may have some questions for you since we arrived here recently." the Vermin Lord added.

Tentatively, Giyu put his weapon to the side, but his grip remained firm. To his knowledge, despite the existence of Muzan and demons, no God had decided to take action, if they even existed. To have someone named Takemikazuchi just appear was certainly out of left field. For all the Water Hashira knew, this could simply be another ploy.

"That is acceptable. I'd like to ask him some questions as well." Giyu said, and then glanced at Inosuke, who had lost a fair deal of blood.

'Was this newbie saved by this Cocytus? Hmm, odd.'

"You wait here." Giyu ordered, deciding that the wound warranted urgent care, or at least not moving for a while.

"Huuh, who the hell do you think you are?" Inosuke yelled. This random guy thought he could just appear out of nowhere and give him order?! Bah! As if!

"I'm a Hashira, Tomioka Giyu." he introduced himself in an impatient-sounding tone.

"I don't care who you are! This blue insect God is the one I respect! I wanna duel him, not a weakling like you!" he ranted on and on, "Hashira this, Hashira that, as if you didn't just get parried like a baby! And where were you when the demon was actually alive?! Dumbass!"

"Let him come along. The boy, although lacking in respect, has a respectable fighting spirit. One day he may become a powerful warrior, one that can overcome his sharp tongue." Cocytus said and approached Inosuke. He pulled out an ornate vial filled with a red liquid.

'Blood?!' Giyu immediately asked himself.

Giyu's grip on his sword tightened, and Cocytus sensed it. "Do not worry, it will not harm the boy in any way." the Vermin Lord opened the bottle and dumped the liquids on Inosuke's helmet. In an instant, all of the wounds closed, and Inosuke shot up, feeling as good as new, to the slight irritation of the Water Hashira.

"What the hell was that red stuff?!?" he looked over his body looking at the places where his wounds should be, but could find not even a scar! What other goodies did his newfound God hold in store!?

"It is a healing potion, gifted to me by my master. I do not use my master's gifts often. Consider it an honour to be healed by the gift of a Supreme One, and let your warrior's spirit flourish." Cocytus lectured him and Inosuke was too stunned to speak, even as loud-mouthed as he was.

Despite Take not being a hoarder like his friend Momonga, he did have the MMO habit of picking up everything that was in sight. Naturally, he kept his inventory relatively clean, with Cocytus being gifted items that were no longer useful, thus Cocytus had a slightly larger inventory than most Guardians, as npc inventory slots required only data crystals, and Ainz Ooal Gown had a lot of them.

"Let's go, keeping a Supreme One waiting is a sin I do not wish to commit." Cocytus pointed in the direction where he could feel his creator's presence and started walking.

Takemikazuchi searched his inventory for minor healing potions. 'Ah, I must have given all of those to Cocytus. The boy will be fine, so I doubt wasting a greater healing potion is worth it.'

Takemikazuchi was about to try and open up a conversation with the boy that was comforting the body of the dying demon when a fast approaching presence was caught by his superior senses.

"Hmm, someone's coming. Friends of yours?" Takemikazuchi asked as Tanjiro looked at him with a confused face; he couldn't feel anyone approaching them.

The next moment, a dark haired woman with oddly colored eyes and a butterfly ornament in her hair appeared at high speeds and moved to decapitate the demon girl she sensed.

Takemikazuchi sensed her intent and would not allow it. He drew the Takemikazuchi Mk. 8 and parried the strike with ease as the mysterious woman spun and came to a halt a few metres back. Of course, the blade would have usually fried his adversary on the spot, but Takemikazuchi has the quick thinking to turn off his blade's lightning passive.

"Oyaa, what have we here?" she asked in a sweet voice.

"Why would you attack this girl?" Takemikazuchi asked with a hint of frustration evident in his voice. The girl didn't appear to be more than like 12 for God's sake!

Shinobu tilted her head in confusion. "Well, of course because she's a demon." she answered as if it were the most obvious reason in the world.

"Ohh, so attacking her only because of her race is it?" Takemikazuchi recalled all of the Heteromorph hunters that had attempted to kill him and his friends in the past.

"If you wish to harm this child, you will have to go through me." Even though most Yggdrasil players did not pay attention to their physical swordsmanship skills, since they knew that their actual skills in game were determined by other variables. Takemikazuchi dedicated a large amount of his time to hone his own skills, so he could control his character the best he could.

His new Nephilim muscles recalled all the practised movements and stances in a moment, and he assumed his preferred position.

"Hoo, you are quite a brave unknown samurai. You may have blocked my first strike, but that was simply to test the demon's strength. I am much stronger than that; I'm a Hashira after all." She boasted with her signature sweet voice and smile.

She was about to activate one of her breathing styles but Takemikazuchi didn't plan on letting his opponent activate any special skills. He closed the distance in an instant, the ground shaking beneath the weight of his steps.

He swung his sword horizontally and Shinobu's eyes widened as she gripped her sword to block, seeing his massive build, and the speed of his massive sword, she knew it would pack a punch.

And, as expected, it did.

She was flung away and was only stopped by a tree that got into the way of her flight path. The tree splintered and she was certain that if she were a little weaker, there would have been several broken bones.

"What is that strength? Are you even human? You don't feel like a demon though. And why did you counter with the blunt, top part of your blade?" Shinobu wondered out loud.

'Hmm, she's a bit more durable than expected. She's also pretty fast for a human of that strength level. I have to watch out though. My sword can probably cut through hers and then her in one stroke if I'm not careful.' Takemikazuchi assessed her within his thoughts and concluded this woman could not be a threat, no matter how impressive her title seemed to be in this world, or at least she made it out to seem like the Hashira were formidable.

But what he could applaud was her tenacity. He did go light on her, but his standards were literally otherworldly. For her to not be out already was quite something.

"Sir Takemikazuchi, she's with the Demon Slayers, please don't kill her!" Tanjiro, noticing the immense strength of the giant man, was uncertain if even a Hashira could win against him, and this man was protecting his sister from said Hashira, so there was quite a bit of merit in that line of thought.

Shinobu took a deep breath. That last strike hurt, but it also gave her some distance to activate some of her breathing techniques.

[Insect Breathing - Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter]

'He's big, and he was fast enough to block my initial strikes, but someone that big should have a limit to their speeds. Still, he seems to be human, so how can his power seem so demonic?' Beneath her mask of a polite, unbothered smile, doubts whirled around her mind, and Shinobu had nothing else to do but to trust in herself and her sword.

Shinobu dashed at her target with blinding speed and used the momentum of her speed to then strengthen a single thrust into her opponent and inject poison into him.

That was how it was supposed to go, yet the giant man simply sidestepped, avoiding her thrusting attack and swung his sword once more.

Shinobu was this time sent flying straight above a forest path which allowed her to miss all of the trees, but also proved to be a hassle to stop herself from flying even further.

She managed to regain her balance mid air, being quite proficient at such a thing, and quickly began moving back towards her target. If she couldn't get him from the front, then she would get him from above.

Her footsteps were light, going from branch to branch nearly silently. In the dark canopy of the trees there was no way she would be spotted. After less than a minute of making her way back, she found herself above the mysterious warrior.

It was already too late for the man as she jumped from the tree, aiming her specialised blade at his neck.

"Behind you!" Tanjiro called out, noticing her when she left the shadows provided by the trees, but it was already too late.

'I've got him now!' she thought to herself.

Alas, the words of the mysterious samurai slashed her hopes apart, "I know, kid. She's not as good as she thinks she is."

Just as her blade was about to skewer him, it went straight through him and got lodged into the ground beneath him.

"An afterimage!?" Shinobu cried out as the figure that was once in front of her faded.

"You catch on quickly! You must be quite experienced! Shame nobody ever taught you to think before you attack a child!" Takemikazuchi said, appearing behind Shinobu and sending her flying with a simple kick.

She whistled through the air again, like an arrow shot from a bow, and Takemikazuchi leaned in towards Tanjiro, "You think I might've overdid it?" he asked.

"Maybe…? She's a Hashira, so I don't really know." Tanjiro answered.

Her flight was quite long, and the Insect Hashira would have probably kept flying for a long time until she met a lethal obstacle, but she was suddenly stopped by a blue carapace covered hand.

'Nice save, Cocytus!' Takemikazuchi thought from a distance, seeing his creation save the day.

The blue insect held her up in the air and looked at her, then let out a puff of steam. "Is she a comrade of yours?" He looked at Giyu as his eyes widened.

"Shinobu, what are you doing here?" Giyu asked, his otherwise neutral expression changing into one of pure surprise. He could not even comprehend what type of being had sent a fellow Hashira flying at such immense speed, and how this blue insect calling himself Cocytus had even caught her.

Cocytus let out another puff of steam and did not place the Insect Hashira down as one would expect. Instead, he resumed walking and placed her down only when he arrived in front of his creator, there he placed her down and knelt before the Supreme Being that created him.

'There's two of these monsters?!' Shinobu thought to herself as she was put down on the ground, almost like an unruly cat. However, she was quickly sent flying once again, but the force of this strike couldn't be compared to the previous ones, so she recovered almost immediately.

Inosuke stood up, recovering from the dropkick he had just delivered to the Insect Hashira, "That's what you get! I'm the only one who can fight these two cool dudes!" He then quickly turned around, facing the Nephilim swordsman, "You're that Takemikazuchi guy, right? You look cool as hell! And you know, Cocytus had the best mov-"

The boar took flight in the middle of his speech, landing several metres away, as a girl oddly resembling the Insect Hashira recovered from the revenge dropkick she had just delivered. She adopted a fighting stance and pointed her blade at Cocytus, only to relax the moment Shinobu said, "Stand down, Kanao."

"I have brought some people that might possess the ability to answer your questions, my Lord, and I suppose the rest were drawn to your presence." The Vermin Lord announced the news of his task's completion with a slight hint of elation, although the surprise at the arrival of the newcomer was clear to see as well.

"Well done, Cocytus. By the way, are they… You know… alright?" Take began, receiving an answer from Giyu.

"To be expected. Let them be."

"I suppose I can appreciate a bit of friendly competition." Take said, chuckling, "Now, I ask of you, fellow warriors, to cease all attempts at violence. I am Warrior Takemikazuchi, and I wish to ask you all a few questions."

The giant Nephilim attempted to speak as a dignified lord would but found the words he heard from historical dramas a bit too cringy to fully utilise, so he opted to tone it down.

Shinobu stood up and dusted herself off. It was a first to be thrown around like this and, since these beings before her clearly weren't demons connected to Kibutsuji Muzan, she sheathed her sword. She would however teach that boar-mask wearing newbie a lesson later.

Tomioka Giyu gazed at the giant, even taller than Cocytus, with awe. His melancholically serious face did not fully betray him and luckily he did not shamefully display his feelings of awe and wonder in front of a fellow Hashira and several other lower ranked members of the Demon Slayer corps.

He was about to formulate a question until he noticed Tanjiro and Nezuko behind the giant Samurai calling himself Takemikazuchi. Giyu quickly put the pieces together and was surprised even further by his conclusion.

The giant Samurai must have protected the siblings from Shinobu and that is why she was sent flying through the woods. He thought the blue insect he almost ended up fighting was powerful, but before him seemed to stand a warrior even greater than the one calling himself Cocytus. A warrior before whom even the fierce Vermin Lord knelt.

"Now, the first pair of questions I would like to have answered are, where is this place and what year is it?" Takemikazuchi attempted to sound polite yet dignified.

"We are currently at Mount Natagumo, and the current era we are in is the Taisho Period." Giyuu answered and Takemikazuchi found himself grateful that his samurai outfit came with a mask since it was able to conceal his expressions completely.

"Ah so Mount Natagumo, Japan… on Earth…" Takemikazuchi spoke out loud but whispered the last part so quietly that only Cocytus would hear it.

"My Lord knows of this place?" Cocytus asked, angling his head in curiosity.

"Yes, I… uh… lived near Osaka a long time ago." Takemikazuchi explained.

"Ooh, so this is the homeland of a Supreme One." Cocytus concluded excitedly.

"Now that we've answered some of your questions, mind answering some of ours?" asked Giyu.

"Of course, of course. Please, ask away." Take answered, hoping that nothing too tricky would be asked.

"In that case, are you really human? We would have heard of someone who can outdo a Hashira, especially if they were human." Giyu said, being careful as to not accuse the giant of being a demon.

"I am, mostly, but you have my word that my spirit is that of a warrior!" he answered, dodging the question with all the power granted to him by his agility skill.

"I see. You mentioned you came from near Osaka, right? Are you also from Japan?"

"Yes, though it has been a while since I visited. It's much nicer than I remember it, isn't it, Cocytus?"

"If you say so then it must be true, my lord. Is this what Lord Blue Planet had created on the six floor?" the Vermin Lord answered.

"Kind of. That was just a replica though."

The others were greatly confused by the ongoing conversation between master and servant, and they all tried to formulate a question that would rid them of their confusion, but none of them succeeded.

The pleasant chat, however, was interrupted by the cawks of a crow, and to Takemikazuchi's disbelief, after the first initial cawks, the crow spoke.

"Message! Message! I have a message from Headquarters! Tanjiro and Nezuko are to be taken into custody and brought to Headquarters alive! Tanjiro and the demon Nezuko are to be brought back to Headquarters!"

The Crow announced and the Hashira, knowing from where that order was coming from, had no choice but to obey, although, along with Nezuko and Tanjiro, it appeared that two more would be tagging along. An unspoken agreement was made and the group peacefully began to make their way towards the mysterious place that was the headquarters of the demon slayers.

Where once it would have only been demon slayer returning home, now a pair of warriors just starting their new adventure accompanied them, a pair of warriors that could reshape this world with blade and fist.