Doom & Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Xover

Chapter 19

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Inosuke had just retrieved his gear, ready to go on the hunt for some demons. He had figured out that the demon had been travelling through either the ceiling or the floor, so that's where he began his investigation. He ended up finding a hole in the ground that he was narrowly able to fit himself into. After wiggling his way through the small tunnel, he found himself in a large cave filled with a network of seemingly flowing sashes. The images of numerous people flowed through the sashes as if it were a water stream. Their essence was slowly being drained, ready to be fully consumed at a moment's notice. After analyzing the situation, Inosuke decided that it was best to cut the sash which would probably free the captives.

As he prepared to slice the sash, it moved in retaliation and attempted to hit Inosuke. The boy's heightened senses alerted him to this as he was able to get out of the way of the incoming attack. The sash appeared to be sentient from what Inosuke could tell. It would relentlessly attack Inosuke but the boy had to be careful because if he cut at the wrong time, he would most likely kill the captive it attacked with. Knowing this, the boy calculated his strikes and sliced off the parts of the sash that didn't have the captive. As the chunks were sliced off, the person inside was freed and collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

This was a double-edged sword for Inosuke because he was now responsible for protecting the civilians who were unconscious while defending himself from the sentient sash. Fortunately, his struggles soon came to a close when the ceiling of the cave exploded, grabbing Inosuke's attention as Uzui dropped down to provide backup. The Hashira sliced the sash into numerous pieces, freeing all the hostages as he descended to the floor. Two of his wives were amongst the ones he saved, the third he found at the brink of death due to poison much further away.

The sash squirmed in fear as it quickly retreated, fleeing the scene as soon as possible and cutting its losses short. As Uzui reunited with his wives and checked up on their condition, Inosuke had found Zenitsu nearby, almost curled into a ball with wide-eyed shock. Inosuke marched towards his ally, calling out, "Oi, scaredy cat! Are you going to keep sitting there? Or are you going to get up and help?"

Zenitsu didn't move, his teeth chattering as he remained curled up in a ball. He muttered, "I was so close to dying. Sure, I've been nearly turned into a spider, but I could've died. Can you imagine how it feels to be slowly eaten alive? Your life essence and energy just slowly drains away while you helpless watch." The boy dropped his head, continuing, "I don't know if I can do this anymore, man."

Inosuke barked at his comrade, tuning out what the blonde was saying and yelling in response, "This is no time to be acting like a cub! Now's the time to be a ferocious beast as we rip and tear those demons apart!"

Zenitsu wasn't listening to Inosuke either. He wasn't like that, at all. He's just a kid that was dragged into the Demon Slayer Corps. He didn't lose anybody, he didn't have some vendetta against the demons. He's there because he had to pay off an old debt, and now that it's out of the way, why's he even here? Zenitsu lifted his head, looking around to see Uzui checking up with his wives. Despite his jealousy for Uzui and the fact that he has three wives, Zenitsu was also ashamed of himself. He knows Inosuke's right, but on the other hand, he just doesn't have it in him to do the thing that the people around him do. If he were in Inosuke's shoes, he wouldn't have what it takes to get the job done. Hell, he probably wouldn't have figured out that he needed to cut the areas without the people, and even if he did: that would terrify him even more. Honestly, is it worth risking his own life anymore?