warning: mentions of spoilers in the manga

|| 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 ||

♧︎︎︎

|| 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 ||
058

ꨄ︎

y/n tsugikuni

the battle has begun a few minutes ago. i knew from the start that oyakata-sama must be planning some sort of a surprise attack to caught muzan off-guard, and he did but the plan miserably failed when muzan can't die from just getting his head cut off.

the man himself is built different, and will only die if he's exposed in the sunlight. i should distance myself from him because he might take the chance to devour me, or worse might devour nezuko once he saw her. 

the pillars are now fighting amongst random weak demons but i'm worried about them encountering an upper moon. and i'm sure that they'll take a lot of damage from the fight, after all killing an upper moon is equivalent to being good as dead after the fight. spoke from experience, when i first face upper moon three with kyojuro. it was me who died, but survived because of me being a demon.

i remembered the time where shinobu-san told me about my fast healing phase. she saw how my wounds and flesh are healing and closing the gap that was made by the hand that was pierced in my stomach, and she told me that she'll keep quiet until she finds out what is wrong with me.

at first i had my doubts, and even considered myself a demon after how shinobu witnessed my body regenerate. i'm glad she kept her promise, and didn't expose me to the demon slayer corps for all these months. she probably figured out that i am a demon, and kept quiet about it until our reunion arrives.

and now that everyone, the pillars and my cousin know about my identity then there is no going back now. this is my fate, and i am to move forward and end everything today. 

this is why, everything is so familiar.

this is why, everything about everyone is familiar.

why i felt like i've known them my whole lives, and why i'm comfortable with opening up to everyone without have difficulties. 

we're stuck in an endless cycle, an ending that the cycle wanted isn't granted that's why history repeats itself and it depends on one person to end this cycle and continue on. i am that person, the person who needs to end everything. 

the ending that is needed to happen.

the ending that will end this cycle.

it's either that, or this whole generation will repeat and everyone will continue to suffer. 

i can't save them this time.

not this time.

"penny for your thoughts?" questioned mitsuki as we watched how everyone fight for their lives, the upper moons who have the upper hand because of how strong and cunning they are.

"don't tell me you're about to interfere again." said mitsuki as her teeth grinds against each other, making me wince.

"you've been making the same mistake for centuries now y/n, are you not tired?" questioned her as she made me look at her in the eye by tilting my chin and making me face her.

"the only reason you can't remember is because the curse erases it from everyone except for me. this curse is heavily implanted in our family, the takahashi family, we are suffering from this curse and the only way out of this endless cycle is by not interfering."

"you know damn well that my evil father is the cause of all this. after finding out that me and my sister run away, he made a pact with muzan and thus the start of this endless cycle." 

"i'm tired of any of this y/n. i'm tired of seeing how i killed papa akio and m/n. please end my suffering y/n." 

begged mitsuki as she let out a huge gasp before falling on her knees. her tears falling on the ground as i could hear her whines and cries echoed throughout the infinity castle.

"it's not my fault that you killed my grandfather, and mother. because you let yourself fall in grieve anger that you didn't think for a second, and ended up turning your back from them."

"it's not my fault we're stuck in this endless cycle that is bottled with pure anger and resentment. this is your atonement for your sins, yet you refuse to apologize to the people you have killed."

"you're guilty?"

"don't make me laugh. you're just tired of witnessing the same old scenarios that would happen when history repeats itself, because you acted stupid and foolish that you ended up in this situation."

"imprudent fool."

i said, my voice holding no emotion as i stared at her crying on the ground. she brought this upon herself, and i too am suffering from this endless curse. she was the one who started all this, and i'm the one whose to end all this.

"your sin, and i'm the one paying for it." i continued making her tremble.

she gritted her teeth before snapping her head towards my direction. summoning her mandolin and making an attack towards me which i easily avoided. a frown soon appeared on my face as i tilted my head, glaring daggers at her pathetic form as she tried her best to fight me.

"teaching me how to use my demon art is the worse mistake that you ever made, now that i'm capable of killing thousands of demons with this demon art. who are you to stop me?" i questioned as she violently sent invisible heavy attacks that could shred my body in to pieces, but that is nothing but a mere child's play to me. 

"your attacks are nothing but pathetic, and you think you can go against me?"

"don't you remember how i almost cut your neck off when i'm a pillar and completely unaware of my demon being? that's the difference of power that we have, and now that i'm completely awake and knows how to handle my blood demon art, do you have a death wish?" 

mitsuki ended up speechless and instead focused on attacking me, i saw how tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to land a hit on me. if it were the old me, i would have pitied her but after she revealed the whole history she have with my mother, and this endless cycle of a curse that was implanted in our family by her father, then nothing can stop me from killing her.

demon or not. she's no innocent person, she killed countless humans varying from babies to adults. and now, her begging in front of me to end this cycle is nothing but laughable after all she's the one who started all this, and she's the one who should be ending it, not me. 

from the corners of my eyes, i'm able to spot all the pillars that are fighting random weak demons, and is able to stand their grounds.

tanjiro with tomioka-san.

iguro-san with kanroji-san.

himejima-san with muichiro.

shinazugawa-san.

kyojuro.

inosuke.

zenitsu.

genya, the boy that i saw hanging with my cousin and his friends.

and shinobu-san that found one upper moon, upper moon two.

shit, this is not good. 

i know i can't interfere because if i did then everything would happen from the very start. i'll be born again, and witness the kamado's die, become a demon hunter, meet mitsuki, and everything would depend on the decision that would drastically change everything.

"don't even think about helping her, you can't interfere and i won't let you!" i heard mitsuki shout as she close the gap between the two of us, and we did a hand to hand combat.

"i'll do what i think is right, you will not stop me." i said while blocking the punch that she's about to land, the punch is strong and powerful that it sent me flying on the wall but it barely bruised my skin. 

it's powerful to throw me, but not enough to hurt me. 

being thrown away is better than getting hurt.

i saw how shinobu-san was able to save a girl from being devoured by doma, upper moon two. doma is a man who is only interested in devouring women, for all i know he is very keen and lovable towards women that he takes his time pampering them before devouring those women.

while fighting mitsuki. my eyes remained on shinobu-san, watching her every movement while making sure that she'll end up being alive and well. i can't lose anyone, i'd rather let myself get killed than them being devoured by one of the upper moons.

suddenly the woman that is held by shinobu-san ended up into shreds, the way a sharp object came rushing through her body and cutting her skin and flesh, not leaving anything behind but her head as it bounced on the ground just a few meters away from where shinobu-san is sitting.

i watch how shinobu-san lost the stars glimmering in her eyes as she witness someone die in front of her again. i saw how doma's sharp fans returned to his hand after cutting the woman into pieces, so that's it, he uses the same weapon as i am. 

i barely use my fans now because my blood demon art is made of strong strings that can pierce and slice everyone who is in the way. i remembered mitsuki mentioning about a certain lower moon that is in similar blood demon art as mine, rui was it?

these strings is made of thin long threads that is capable of showing up everywhere as long as i summon it. not even a blade can break through it, not even an upper moon who's bound to be stronger than me can break it. that is how powerful the strings are, and i'm sure the only person who could break this is tanjiro who wields the sun breathing.

but i doubt that he'll end up facing me. or will he?

"eyes here y/n, you don't want to end up shredded into pieces, do you?" i heard mitsuki muttered as my eyes left doma before trailing towards mitsuki who removed her long haori, sweat dripping from her skin as she started strumming her mandolin once again.

without much effort, i avoided all her attacks and decided to keep an eye on the pillars. i'm sure that i can send my strings to help them if they are in trouble, this is why i'm not using my blood demon art against mitsuki, i don't want her to die just yet.

my eyes started trailing and following my other fellow demon hunters, eyes watching who and what they are about to face. this is no mere child's play, this is a battle of life and death and i know too well that the demon hunters is in no condition to face the upper moons, but maybe just this time we'll succeed.

shinobu-san is facing doma, upper moon two.

zenitsu is facing kaigaku, upper moon six.

tanjiro and tomioka-san is facing akaza, upper moon three.

mitsuri-san and iguro-san is facing nakime, upper moon four.

muichiro, genya, shinazugawa-san and himejima-san is facing kokushibo, upper moon one.

and i'm facing mitsuki, upper moon zero.

on the other hand, i don't see kyojuro fighting off upper moons and instead focused on eliminating the weak demons, as well as searching from rooms to rooms. wait - is he searching for me?

this is a battle of endurance, whoever falls first is the loser and is as good as dead. and i'm here to support the demon hunters from afar, watching their backs as they fall to their deaths.

maybe history wouldn't repeat itself after i save all of them.

maybe after saving all the demon hunters, history will remain and we'll end this endless cycle.

if i interfered this times, will the result be of the same as the last time?

if i interfered and save them all, will we lose our victory once again and end up being born in this cruel world again?

"you can't y/n. i'm stopping you this time." said mitsuki as she strummed her mandolin and everything in my vision changes.

we're not in the infinity castle anymore, we're in her domain.

"i see, if you're here to hindrance me from saving everyone. then you're head is mine, come here you little piece of shit."

✰★✰

third person pov

by the door, outside of where shinobu and upper moon two is fighting, kanao arrived in time of when the fight is about to end. her eyes stared in horror, not believing what she's seeing, her lips trembled as she saw how shinobu is slowly getting absorbed by upper moon two.

blinded by anger, kanao charged towards doma with full force, not thinking beforehand for the consequences that might happen if she didn't plan out an attack that could lead to her victory in defeating upper moon two. 

she couldn't do anything as she watches how shinobu is completely absorbed by upper moon two. the only remaining piece of shinobu is her butterfly-shaped hair piece, in agony the battle begun with the two of them being fierce and ruthless. 

soon inosuke jumped in to join the fight, and the both of them fought upper moon two with no mercy. they both are in rage, kanao being blinded by anger of shinobu's death and inosuke who's able to remember his mother after doma blurted some parts to him.

doma is the reason as to why inosuke's mother died, he was the reason as to why inosuke was drop to a river, and ended up in the wilds. inosuke's mother wanted her son to live a life, to not die after being born, and he did end up living without a family but with bores and from then on he found himself a family that made him feel at home.

the demon slayer corps is his home, and his friends are his family. and he does not intend to die, not until slaying the man who's the cause of his mother's death. 

as minutes pass, kanao ended up using her final form "flower breathing, final form, equinoctical vermilion eye" as she hit doma's neck with her blade, and inosuke soon supported her with his "beast breathing: sudden throwing strike" as he hurls his blades at kanao's to give it the extra strength needed to cut doma's neck which they succeeded in beheading him, and upper moon two and his statue begin to disintegrate. 

✰★✰

meanwhile with tanjiro and giyuu, the both of them were running in the castle, trying to find muzan and tamayo. they have just heard about the death of shinobu at the hands of upper moon two, doma. and by that, upper moon three came to view.

the three of them started a battle in the castle with tanjiro leading, he started with the sun breathing and ruthlessly send slashes to upper moon three. giyuu soon joined the battle with his water breathing, not giving akaza a time to think of a strategy on how to end this battle quickly. 

despite giyuu being a pillar, and tanjiro being stronger than the last time. the two of them still struggled to defeat upper moon three, after knowing that shinobu died after the battle with upper moon two, there is no saying that they'll survive after this fight but nevertheless they were persistent. 

as the fight continues on, giyuu unconsciously awakens his demon slayer mark. demon hunters have a chance to develop a mysterious tattoo, scar, or birthmark marking. it resembles that crests that demons possess. the demon slayer mark has resonated since then and has been awakened by other demon hunters, this mark only appears when a demon hunter is in the verge of life-threatening conditions of having a heart rate over 200 bpm and a body temperature over 39 degree celsius. 

with the battled continuing on, with them almost getting beat, tanjiro was able to awaken his demon slayer mark and get access to the transparent world where the user is able to see the muscles, blood flow, and joint movement of living beings, allowing the user to accurately predict and react to their opponent's movements. 

soon akaza was able to remember his old self, his past, and ended up surrendering and getting his head cut off. he admits defeat to the demon hunters, and is able to reunite with his father, keizo, and koyuki in hell. after the fight, both the demon hunters ended up collapsing and passing out from the fierce battle.

✰★✰

zenitsu, while walking through the castle, encounters his old senior whom he hears talking from behind a door. he tells the demon to come on out as he knows it's him and kaigaki dislikes the lack of respect zenitsu shows and tells him that it's no way to talk to a senior.

zenitsu shames and reminds kaigaku that he is only a replacement for upper moon six because the old got killed by them. but other than that, he wouldn't have been an upper moon to begin with, which made kaigaku grit his teeth in anger. 

soon the battle started with kaigaku attempting to kill zenitsu using his blood demon art enhance thunder breathing. zenitsu shames kaigaku for learning the thunder breathing to become a demon hunter, but using it as a blood demon art after he became a demon. 

he's angry knowing that his master trained someone with the thunder breathing, who ended up becoming and surrendering as a demon. a man who once bullied him for being weak, his senior that continued slandering him for being someone who's whiny, and crying little brat not knowing that he'll soon abandon his humanity and change to be a demon.

by the end, zenitsu ended up beheading kaigaku with thunder breathing, seventh form, honoikazuchi no kami. while falling after beheading him, zenitsu reflects on his relationship with kaigaku before, and reflects how he and kaigaku could not get along. 

after the battle, yushiro came and rescued zenitsu while mocking kaigaku that it is pathetic to die alone. as zenitsu lays there while being treated by yushiro, he dazes off and wakes up in a dream world where he sees jigoro. as he apologizes to jigoro that he was unable to get along with kaigaku, jigoro looks up to him and says "zenitsu, you are my pride and joy." and that made him all emotional, making him come back as his old crybaby self.

✰★✰

on the other side of the castle, while mitsuri and obanai is wandering through the infinity castle. mitsuri comes across a female demon wielding a biwa with a large bachi pick. they came across nakime, upper moon four. she's the demon who replaced hantengu, the old upper moon four after he died in the swordsmith's village by the hands of mitsuri and the other demon hunters.

mitsuri didn't waste time and battled with nakime, who easily deflected her attacks by the use of her demon art. the both of them coming in sync with their movements as they threw slashes here and there.

obanai jumped near nakime, and nearly decapitated her head with his serpent breathing, second form. but he couldn't do so after he was thrown away from her. he remarks that nakime's blood demon art isn't exactly deadly like her fellow upper moon demons but it is indeed far more frustrating to fight against which makes him fear that their fight will be a very long and troublesome one.

but that soon changed when yushiro came into view and takes control of nakime's vision to shift the rooms in the infinity castle outside in order for muzan to soon be exposed to the sunlight, by covering nakime's eyes with a paper talisman and drilling his fingers into nakime's skill. yushiro successfully gets the remaining demon hunters and muzan outside of the castle.

✰★✰

as muichiro and gyomei was suppose to be together, the both of them got separated by upper moon four's blood demon art in which she manipulates a large column of the infinity castle and warps an opening to where muichiro is teleoported to where another upper moon is residing. 

as muichiro is getting back up, he sees a petrifying-six eyed figure in front of him with a purple and black hexagonal patterned kimono and a long blade. the figure gazes at muichiro and discerns that the pillar is of familiarity to him. 

by that, upper moon one questioned muichiro about his name and learned about the tsugikuni as not being used anymore and the last one who's holding that title is one of his descendant, y/n tsugikuni. by the end, upper moon one explained what a tsugukuni is to muichiro and left him horrified and speechless after knowing that he's related to some demon like him. 

soon the battle started with muichiro charging towards kokushibo and