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// Final Battle: Upper Moon One 
// Story: Demon Slayer: The Strange Demon 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
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Pinkamena found that Kokushibo was standing in a large open area that had a much of lattices and framework, like he had designed this place after joining Muzan's forces, and he was an imposing figure, standing as tall as Yoriichi and baring a Slayer Mark much like the legendary Slayer's. He also possessed the same hair style and several facial features, save for the fact that he clearly had six eyes, the middle pair being the original ones while he had a pair above and below them, while he wore a purple kimono with a black checkered pattern. Upper Moon One looked majestic, dignified, and powerful at a glance, while carrying a blade that looked like a Slayer's weapon, confirming that he must have been Yoriichi's twin before joining Muzan's side and becoming the imposing figure that he currently was. The only difference she could see right now was that he didn't seem to have the insane sensory powers Yoriichi had, as he hadn't noticed the arrival of her clone in his portion of the dimensional fortress, though as she stood there she could also tell that Obanai and Mitsuri were trying to take down Nakime.

In the following moments part of the wall above her broke open as Muichiro was pushed through by part of the fortress, a fact that gave her more information on Nakime's powers, and when he landed he found himself in Kokushibo's domain, all while Pinkamena silently told him that she was nearby, in case he needed assistance.

"So, a Slayer has appeared before me... hm, you seem strangely familiar." Kokushibo commented, where Pinkamena was able to tell something immediately, he was able to see the Transparent World as well and, given his demonic nature, his body wouldn't be under any strain from using it, as he narrowed his eyes for a moment as he studied Muichiro, "I figured as much."

What instantly worried Pinkamena was the fact that the battle had barely started and Muichiro seemed terrified of his foe, as his hands were trembling, like his body was refusing to do battle with the Demon that was in front of him, and due to the fact that so many of their allies were far away she had a feeling that she'd have to step in soon.

"Tell me, what is your name?" Kokushibo asked, showing some interest in his opponent, much like how Akaza valued the strong before his death, but, at the same time, Pinkamena had a feeling that his question was due to some other reason, as he didn't seem like Akaza at all.

"Muichiro Tokito." Muichiro replied, though he was confused as to why the Demon wanted his name, though speaking did allow him to focus on something else as he thought of a way to overcome his sudden fear and fulfill his duty as a Slayer, as Upper Moon One was in front of him and he had to cut him down.

"Alright, I see... then that means that the Tsugikuni name has died out." Kokushibo said, confirming what Pinkamena had been thinking, he had to be a member of Yoriichi's family, his brother given what she was seeing right now, though, like all of the other Upper Moons, he didn't seem sad by that fact, before he noticed that Muichiro was confused, "It has been hundreds of years, so it was inevitable that people would forget about them or the name died out... either way, my name when I was Human was Michikatsu Tsugikuni. Muichiro, you are a member of this family, a family that I left behind... the descendant of my own child... an offspring of mine that survived to this day."

Muichiro, shocked by this revelation, did the only thing that he could do, he sealed his emotions and calmed himself, as if he had regressed back to what he was like before he awakened his missing memories, though Pinkamena remained silent as she observed, as listening to Kokushibo talk was interesting.

"Your mental strength is worth some praise, as you were able to calm your panic in such a short moment." Kokushibo said, showing that he was still a swordsman at heart and that he seemed somewhat delighted to face an Hashira again, as there was no telling when he had last fought one, though in the following seconds Muichiro attacked, using the Second Form of Mist Breathing, Eight-Layered Mist, against his foe.

Despite Muichiro's speed and power, especially in making eight slashes on top of each other in rapid succession, none of it mattered as Kokushibo appeared behind him, even though Upper Moon One did approve of his foe's technique and the fact that he was an Hashira. Muichiro, on the other hand, instantly shifted his stance and utilized the Fifth Form, Sea of Clouds and Mists, to attack his foe, covering a wide area with his attack as he lashed out at Kokuchibo, who moved behind his opponent in an instant, showing Pinkamena that he wasn't to be underestimated. She had witnessed the power and speed of the other Upper Moon Demons and had to admit that Kokushibo was nearly on Yoriichi's level, in speed anyway, meaning that there was a chance that Muichiro might not succeed in beating his foe, and even the other Hashira might not have the power to take him down. If that was true than there was no reason for the crows to bring anyone else to this area, they'd likely all either die, be seriously injured, or be converted into Demons to tear down the other Slayers, so she kept herself at the ready, or at least ready her clone for whatever might happen next.

"Based on your appearance you would be fourteen this year, and yet your skills are refined to this point at your age, yet another thing worthy of praise." Kokushibo commented, showing that right now he was just playing with Muichiro, hence why Pinkamena was getting ready for what might be coming next, while the Mist Hashira considered his options while he listened to what the Demon had to say about his techniques, "Despite faltering against me earlier, you had the courage to surpass that emotion in order to cut me down... I expected this much from my descendant, even if my blood has been watered down after all these years... but that's trivial, because even if my name has died out my cells have only increased inside you."

Muichiro didn't seem to care about that at all, as his Slayer Mark appeared, which interested Kokushibo as he noticed it, before unleashing the Seventh Form of Mist Breathing, Obscuring Clouds, to hide his presence and change his speed so his foe wouldn't see him coming, even though Kokushibo dodged the first attack, showing that he was studying Muichiro's speed, despite the tempo change.

"I should unsheathe my blade as well, or else it would be rude of me." Kokushibo said, showing that he did view Muichiro as a warrior and that he knew that constantly avoiding his foe's attacks was rude, where in the following seconds he did just that, unleashing a single swift horizontal slash that followed a crescent motion, an attack that took Muichiro's left hand in an instant, and Kokushibo was able to sheath his blade without Muichiro even seeing it move, "Moon Breathing, First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace."

Pinkamena paused as she heard that, as she knew about all of the Breathing Styles that were in existence, those used by the Corps anyway, even those used by only specific people, like how Shinobu was the only Insect Breath user or how Obanai was the only Serpent Breath user, but this was the first time she had heard of Moon Breathing, all while she was able to see Muichiro tie off his left arm with cloth to stop himself from bleeding out.

"Wonderful. You have the guts to immediately stop the hemorrhaging and come at me with another attack." Kokushibo stated, once more showing that he approved of Muichiro and how he fought, and how he acted when facing events like the loss of his hand, before he held out his right hand, caught his foe's blade between two of his fingers, and in an instant pinned Muichiro to one of the pillars by stabbing him in the right shoulder with his own weapon, "My descendant, allow me to turn you into a Demon... so you can be of use to That Man... I never thought that I would meet someone of my own blood again, so our meeting moves my heart. Do not be afraid... if it's about your arm, or any woulds you have suffered, you'll return to normal upon becoming a Demon, as I believe that That Man will welcome you with open arms, since I am the only Kizuki that can fight at the moment."

Muichiro, upon hearing that, actually let go of the cord in his mouth and let out a chuckle, something that caused his foe to pause for a moment, before he beckoned with his right hand and Pinkamena made her move, snatching the Hashira and placing him in a barrier that also housed Genya, who had tried to sneak up on Kokushibo and she stopped him from doing anything stupid, and she grabbed the severed hand as well.

"How strange... reality shudders, as if someone intervened to save you." Kokushibo commented, where he glanced at the area his descendant had fought him in and noticed something interesting, the hand was missing and all the blood had just disappeared in an instant, something that caused him to grip his sword's handle as he focused on what was around him right now, "Pinkamena... you're here, aren't you?"

"Indeed." Pinkamena replied, where she emerged from where she had the clone place the barrier and drew in the power of the other clones, leaving small foxes behind as her tail count boosted to six once more, allowing Kokushibo to see her in her full power, even if a small fragment was still observing Muzan's movements, as she had instantly switched spots to face the Upper Moon Demon, "Allow me to properly introduce myself: I am Pinkamena, the Chaos Hashira."

"Chaos... Hashira?" Kokushibo inquired, as this was a first for him, that out of all the Slayers he had fought he had never fought one who used what he assumed was 'Chaos Breathing', something that instantly raised his guard, because there was something about her that had freaked Akaza out and he needed to be ready for whatever it was.

"That's right. Allow me to demonstrate." Pinkamena said, where she shifted her stance for a moment and gripped one of her blades, hers to be exact, as she focused on the move she wanted to use, which was followed by her rushing at her foe and swinging her weapon in an upwards slash, resembling a dragon's talons, though as Kokushibo dodged it he found his kimono was slashed and three light cuts appeared on his chest, "Chaos Breathing, Eighth Form: Dragon Rising Flash... one of eleven Forms that exists in my unique Breathing Style."

"I see. A Breathing Style that actually influences the world around the user, only capable by ones whose power alters and changes the world." Kokushibo remarked, where he raised his hand for a moment and touched his chest, feeling the bit of blood while his wounds mended in a second, just like Akaza and Doma whenever they were wounded by someone else, to which he drew his blade, allowing Pinkamena to see that there were eyes along the demonic weapon, "Only you can use this particular Breathing Style, for no other Demon would have a power like yours... allow me to respect you as a fellow warrior, and fight you with my own blade."

Pinkamena nodded as she altered her stance for a moment, moving in a manner that reminded her foe of someone, due to the fact that she could see surprise in his eyes, before rushing at Kokushibo and swung her blade, forcing him to parry her attack, all while she found that the Transparent World might not be too useful here. Both she and Kokushibo were calm as they clashed with each other, something that caused her foe to remember something he had seen before, likely during his days following Yoriichi, but she was fine with it as they clashed and moved around the area. Sure enough she also found that Sanemi showed up at some point and she sentenced him to reside inside the barrier as both she and her foe unleashed another Form, smashing the area around them with the sheer power of their techniques. Pinkamena went with her Sixth Form, Violent Vortex Slash, while her foe quickly utilized the Second Form of Moon Breathing, Pearl Flower Moongazing, which was several crescent slashes designed as a defensive measure, so the collision of her attack and his shook the area around them, even though neither stopped as they continued to fight and test their foe's limits.

Of course she only knew the names of Kokushibo's techniques because he, like all Slayers, said them when he used them, just like how he figured out what her moves were called when she said their names, though as she clashed with him she found that Upper Moon one was studying her movements, trying to place them. One thing Pinkamena discovered as they clashed was that when Kokushibo used his techniques he also included spinning crescents on his attacks, which were no doubt designed to inflict maximum damage on his enemies and the surrounding area, while keeping his foes away from him. Some of his attacks were massive, some formed a vortex of danger that had to be avoided, and some crescents just broke everything that was around them at the moment, where she countered with every Form in her Breathing Style, save for the Eleventh Form and her Sun Breathing. What was interesting was that when she tried to hit him with her First Form, Reality Slash, Kokushibo swung his blade and parried the attacks to the best of his ability, sacrificing the edge of his blade several times to cancel out her attacks, though it wasn't a loss since she collected the fragments before he noticed what she was doing, and since the blade was attached to him it could infinitely regenerate.

She even used the Ninth Form of Chaos Breathing, Inversion, to mess with Kokushibo and open the way through whatever defenses he had, yet he was able to regain himself in no time at all and came after her, though after that they shattered the area around them and separated for a time, allowing them to alter their stances for a moment.

"Moon Breathing has sixteen Forms, finely crafted over four hundred years of training and intense practice." Kokushibo commented, once more showing the warrior side of Pinkamena's foe, which was interesting since most Demons were far too different from the majestic being in front of her, where he shifted his sword's position for a moment, clearly thinking about something he had seen, "Your Chaos Breathing is impressive, if a little hard to deal with at times. How many Forms does it have?"

"Eleven, ten of which you've already seen." Pinkamena replied, as Kokushibo was one of the more interesting Demons she had fought, especially since he was an Upper Moon and was clearly different from Akaza, Doma, and the others she and her friends had encountered since starting her quest to find and bring Muzan down.

"Based on our shared information, your Eleventh Form only requires a single blade." Kokushibo said, informing her that there was no reason for her to hide the Lunar Fang from her foe, in fact he knew of it from either Daki and Gyotaro, back during their trip to the Red Light District, or from Hantengu, before he glanced at her second weapon, the one that hadn't been drawn yet, "Yet you carry a second blade, one that has yet to be unsheathed."

"Because it is more suit for another Breathing Style... I can use it, if you want to see it." Pinkamena stated, though this was a lesser secret, as she was sure that Muzan knew of her ability to use Sun Breathing from both Daki and Hantengu, where she found that Kokushibo nodded his head just a tiny bit, causing her to sigh as she sheathed her blade and quickly drew the second one, where Upper Moon One froze for a couple of seconds, "Here I come, Kokushibo."

In the following moment Pinkamena utilized two Sun Breathing Forms, Fake Rainbow and Beneficent Radiance, while her foe utilized the Sixth Form of Moon Breathing: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon: Incessant, a move that utterly shattered the area around them to pieces as he hacked everything apart, a wide ranged attack that would seriously wound someone like Sanemi, though Kokushibo had to avoid her second technique to avoid being slashed up.

"Sun Breathing... the Breathing Style that my brother used while he was alive, reborn with incredible accuracy," Kokushibo said, though now he understood why his master wanted Pinkamena dead, more than the fact that she was a renegade like Tamayo, before all six of his eyes widened as he realized the truth, she wasn't just replicating the dangerous Breathing Style with such incredible accuracy, she was fighting like she was Yoriichi reborn, "and you carry my brother's blade. You are dangerous... I cannot allow you to leave this place alive."

"Do you really think that such a thing would be easy?" Pinkamena inquired, where she shifted her stance for a moment, a fact that caused Kokushibo to recognize another form that his brother used while he was alive, causing him to remember some memories that he would prefer to keep buried for the rest of his life, before she considered something as she took a look at her second blade, "Allow me to demonstrate why you'll find some difficulty with that quest."

At first it looked like nothing was happening, though Kokushibo noticed that crimson energy was gathering around her blade and no harm was being done to it, only for the energy to ignite into a surge of intense flames that he felt were like flames produced by the sun. It was as if she was combining two Forms together, creating a version of Sun Breathing that did produce actual flames, though this instance was more like layering Sun Breathing on top of her unique Forms, given that this had to be the Lunar Fang he had learned about. In the following moment, once she was done with whatever she had been hoping to accomplish, Pinkamena shifted her stance and swung her blade, releasing a wave of solar flames that rushed right towards where Kokushibo was standing. When he attempted to move out of the way, however, he discovered that his foe had laid a trap for him without him even noticing it happening, as she had moved the instant she loosed her attack and appeared behind him, this time calling forth a wave of crimson energy that she sent his way.

As such he spun around and swung his blade twice, using the crescents of his Breathing Style to block the waves and open the way for him to get out of him, only for them to smash through his attacks with ease and detonated when they collided with each other, blasting the area around him apart, only for Pinkamena to find that her attack had burned away the chest part of his kimono.

Instead of saying anything Kokushibo got serious as he transformed his blade, doubling, if not tripling, the length while also adding three additional blades on the edges, adding more cutting edges for him to use against his foe, where he took a moment to shift his stance before releasing another Form of Moon Breathing. This one was the Seventh Form, known as Mirror of Misfortune: Moonlight, which was a multi directional attack with long ranged slashes, showing Pinkamena that her foe had to be scared of her and her power, given that he seemed to be trying to keep her away from him. Following it was the Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail, a massive crescent slash that decreased in size, so the first instance of it was the largest and the last instance was the smallest, causing her to flash through the area as she sought an opening to use against her foe. The Ninth Form quickly followed after that, a Form called Waning Moonswaths, which was an immense amount of vertical and horizontal slashes, and soon enough the Tenth Form, Drilling Leaves, Moon Through The Bamboo, appeared as well, creating a triple layered slash twister to try and take her down.

Pinkamena was honored to witness the sixteen Forms of Moon Breathing, allowing her to imagine how they worked when Kokushibo had been a Human, especially the final technique, Sixteenth Form: Moonbow, Half Moon, which was a barrage of extremely long and wide crescent slashes that struck the area in front of him, creating crates around where they struck, before she flashed forward and swung her blades, removing his head.

"You were a worthy foe, Kokushibo, but I'm afraid that our battle is over." Pinkamena said, as part of her purposely let the battle drag out to give Upper Moon One the fight of his life, given what she had seen with the other two Demons, though before she could move her foe's body started to change before their eyes, growing a monstrous head, spikes pushed out of his body, and thorny appendages grew out of his back.

As she opened her mouth to say something, however, her foe paused and stared at his reflection on her blades, taking in his new monstrous form, something that wasn't betting of a warrior, or samurai she guessed, before part of his side burst open, showing her that he really didn't know what he wanted. In that moment Pinkamena sighed and swung her blade for a second, taking his head once more, though this time she could see both confusion and maybe even gratitude in all six of his eyes, just before the appendage turned to dust. With that done she severed his body into pieces as well, just to make sure Upper Moon One was defeated, before collecting the pieces and storing them inside her Storehouse, though as soon as that task was done she snapped her fingers and dismissed the barrier as she divided her back between the clones once more, all while noticing that Muzan might be getting ready to awaken. Once the others were fine, even though Sanemi was annoyed that he didn't get a chance to fight Upper Moon One, despite his gratitude that she had fought him since he had no idea how they would have overcome his Moon Breathing techniques, she turned and disappeared, allowing the clone to race through the fortress as she turned her attention back to Muzan's prison.

The moment she returned her focus to the heart of the fortress, however, several doors opened and the lesser Slayers, at least thirty or so of them, appeared around her, which was when the sphere burst open and Muzan appeared, causing her to raise barriers around the others as Muzan attacked, allowing her to see that his lower body was blood red colored, he had mouths with sharp teeth on his arms and legs, and his claws were sharp, ready for battle, all while holding the last bit of Tamayo's head in his left hand.

"Pinkamena... I had a feeling you'd be here... not that it matters, since Tamayo's poison didn't work." Muzan remarked, to which he crushed Tamayo's head, who smiled as soon as she saw Pinkamena, the last thing she ever saw, while telling her that the Demon King thought of her medicine as poison, which was fair given what it was supposed to do, especially with his long white hair.

"Its over, Muzan, the Upper Moons are dead, and your fake Lower Moons have been slain." Pinkamena said, though she found that the Demon King didn't seem to care about them, likely thinking they were worthless since none of them killed anyone, which was when her clones returned and her six tails flared to life behind her, surprising her foe a little, before she flashed in front of him and kicked Muzan in the chest, sending him through the air, smashing part of the fortress in the process, "Get ready, because I won't be holding back."

She knew that the kick wouldn't do a lot of damage to her foe, but it was to show him that she wasn't playing around, but, at the same time, she was ready to bring this long fight to an end and finally make Muzan pay for his crimes, all while putting on a show for anyone who might be watching them, to which she braced herself for whatever might happen next.