章 39: Chapter 12: The End is Near.

In a certain undisclosed location, a certain beautiful woman in a black kimono was trembling in rage as she could feel her connection to the two of her upper moon demons vanish.

Things were already on the edge for her and this just tipped the scale. Her beautiful face was distorted in fury as her crimson eyes spoke of the wrath she felt.

"Gather the demons, we will attack the Ubuyashiki mansion the next full moon. Gather as many you can find, tonight we will kill that detestable family once and for all. Let's see how the slayers manage to band together after that." She growled.

"It's impossible, to gather such a number after the Hashira began striking down demons like there was no tomorrow. The Thunder Hashira is an expert in tracking and hunting, the demons are not only being killed, they are being mobbed and even assassinated." The biwa demon spoke in a low voice, scared of her master's retribution.

"What about the stray ones?" Muzan growled.

"They are hiding, none dare to touch humans without careful and detailed planning, yet they are slowly decreasing in numbers. The traitor Tamayo has discovered a cure to turn demons back into humans, the slayers now judge the demons and those that are worth redeeming are turned back into humans. This has made a group of demons to betray Muzan-sama and return back to their human selves." Kokushibo reported.

"Tamayo, that bitch!!! Kokushibo, bring me her head along with that RAIBASHIRA, don't take his life, I will turn him into a demon to see him become what he so valiantly decided to destroy. I want to see what does he choose when there is no other way left. Bring him to me, Kokushibo, bring him to me…" Muzan grumbled.

The Upper Moon One nodded and left.

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Tamayo had made the antidote from the blood samples Zenitsu had brought back and helped Shinobu concoct poisons, the poisons that were fatal to any demon, even Muzan himself. The poison was supplied to every slayer in the corps even to the KAKUSHI, the fighting strategies changed, the slayers would now band together for missions and mob the demons with no escape.

The ones that were forcefully turned and judged to be redeemable were given the antidote and allowed to return to the human society and families if they had any. In weeks, the numbers of causalities hit rock bottom and the number of successful hunts skyrocketed.

The dark night was coming to an end, the Hashira led the charge against the demons personally and taught the slayers how to be better at their job. Zenitsu had started training a batch of 8 TSUCHINOTO in the Thunder breath and swordplay.

Each Hashira now had their own squad and the squads would train the newbies upon acceptance. The system was getting better by the days and the Demons Slayer corps entered their golden age once again.

On one side, Muzan was gathering demons, while on the other the slayers were training in stratagems. The storm was brewing and it was to be seen who lives to welcome the clear sky after the fateful night of carnage.

With the upper and lower moons mostly killed and with a few remaining of them. No matter how much blood Muzan gave to strengthen them, they could not grow stronger, this had infuriated Muzan so much that she slaughtered a lower moon when he pleaded her that he could take no more, that he had reached his limit.

The same was the case with the slayers, they got a lot better now that they had poison and stratergy to deal with the demons, but their individual strengths hardly increased in such less time. If they were given any more pressure, they might just break, but there were a certain few that were built different.

Tanjiro had joined both Giyu and Rengoku's squads, making his execution of the water and sun breath styles improve by leaps and bounds. Inosuke joined the stone Hashira, there his physical capabiliteies were put to the test and he forged on. Inosuke was quickly adapting to the total concentration breath constant, his swordplay was refined by Zenitsu himself, making Inosuke like a tiger blessed with wings.

Zenitsu was recognised as the strongest Hashira and there was no doubt about it, even though some might grumble about it in silence, but they had to comply in the face of his peerless skill and talent.

He was assigned to stay and guard the Butterfly mansion, which was now hosting Tamayo and Yushiro, who had become a human again and help Shinobu in treating the injured. Tamayo accepted Nezuko as her disciple, much to the displeasure of Yushiro.

But the for the gentle Nezuko, it was not hard to win the hearts of everyone around her. She was a smart girl, and being a quick-learner, she was a picture-perfect doctor in the making.

In the Butterfly Manor...

"Zenitsu-chan, help me with the budget papers." Shinobu popped her head out to her office window and hollered.

Zenitsu who was drying the sheets with Aoi and the triplets looked up to see Shinobu calling him from the first-floor window.

"Coming, just in a minute Shinobu-san. Deal with the supply recites, the last time I checked there were a few missing columns in the grocery section and the food grain supplies. Please start with them before you leave on your date~ FUFU." Zenitsu chuckled.

A skillet came flying and hit the unfortunate KAKUSHI who came to deliver a message. Zenitsu had dodged but this time the skillet had found a target for itself.

The Iron Skillets flying around became a common sight for the people in the Butterfly mansion since Zenitsu was deployed here. He dealt with some of the paperwork and chores aside from his training and teaching his squad. He knew that today Shinobu and Giyu would be sent on a mission together, he decided to tease the Insect Hashira which he did every chance he got.

Life was going fine for him these few weeks, living peacefully, training to polish his swordplay and shinobi skillset. Helping Aoi and the triplets with chores like cooking or laundry, sometimes sitting beside Tamayo and learn about tea and go on occasional hunts.

But he knew that a storm was brewing, Muzan was not the type to swallow an insult, much less a defeat from humans that he considered below herself, she would strike back and hard.

The battle would bring him the hardest challenge he had faced till date. The battle of the end, the battle that will start a new beginning. The war that will decide the fate of the humans and demons approached as the storm brought premonition of the impending chaos.