Demon Slayers vs Daki and Gyutaro

Demon Slayers vs Daki and Gyutaro was a battle that took place in the red-light district of Yoshiwara, Tokyo. It was a large and extensive battle that focused on the confrontation between the Demon Slayer Corps and the dual holders of Upper Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki, Daki and Gyutaro.

Prologue
For over one hundred years, the Yoshiwara red-light district of Tokyo had been the lair to two very powerful demons: the siblings Daki and Gyutaro. As the holders of Upper Rank Six and living hidden in a large urban population, they have proved themselves to be a great threat to humanity and have killed countless victims. Numerous Hashira have fallen to the two, with Daki and Gyutaro having claimed to have killed 7 and 15 respectively.

In the latest intervention by the Demon Slayer Corps, the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, was tasked with investigating the city for a demonic presence. He had initially sent his three wives, Makio, Suma, and Hinatsuru, to probe about the area and send information back to him. When they suddenly stop informing him and have not been heard from since, he attempted to bring two female Demon Slayers to join him. He was instead accompanied by three Kanoe-ranked Demon Slayers; Tanjiro Kamado, Zenitsu Agatsuma, and Inosuke Hashibira. Disguising, splitting, and assigning them to the three pleasure houses that his wives had been tasked with, they began their own separate investigations. While scanning the rooftops at night, Tengen did not see anything unusual but remained worried and uncertain, believing they may be fighting an Upper Rank demon. Inosuke, inside the Ogimoto House that Makio was in, discovered her room messy and dishevelled, and a demonic presence that moved inside the walls of the building, though he was impeded in his pursuit and failed to track it downstairs in time. Tanjiro, in the Tokito House that Suma was in, detected an unusual scent that only appeared at night, but he was unable to trace it without appearing suspicious.

Zenitsu, inside the Kyogoku House that Hinatsuru was assigned to, initially struggled to look for evidence; he failed to detect anything out of the ordinary with his hearing and the recent death of his House's madam caused everyone to remain tight-lipped and afraid. Trying once more, he detected the sound of a young girl crying inside of a broken and messy room. When he tried to ask her for any clues to what had happened, he was suddenly confronted by his House's Oiran, Warabihime. She angrily confronts him for entering her room but is accosted by Zenitsu when she hurts the girl inside. Warabihime then attacks him with an unexpected punch that knocks him unconscious, though she notes that in the split second before making contact, he had gone into a defensive posture, correctly deducing that Zenitsu is a Demon Slayer. Warabihime, later revealed to be Daki in disguise, then abducts him with her obi whilst he is alone. Inosuke and Tanjiro meet up to share information, only to be dismissed from the mission by Tengen, ashamed that his want to save his wives has led to Zenitsu going missing.

Unwilling to abandon him, they coordinate a plan to re-arm and meet up to fight together. Going his own way, Tengen enters the Kyogoku House and threatens the master for information on the missing Zenitsu and Hinatsuru. The master, holding the kimono of his late wife, who was recently killed by Daki, tells him about Warabihime and Hinatsuru's location in the Kirimise. Tanjiro meets with the Oiran of the Tokito House, Koinatsu; he explains his true purpose in being in Yoshiwara and reassures her that he will save all who has gone missing. They bid each other farewell and Tanjiro leaves, only for Koinatsu to be met by Daki herself wanting to devour her. Inosuke, annoyed that Tanjiro has not followed the plan, decided to take action alone, re-arming himself for battle and continuing his investigation. Running through the halls of the Ogimoto House, he senses something in the floorboards and discovers a hole in the ground. Dislocating his joins to slither through, he finds himself in a large underground chamber. Elsewhere, Tengen locates the Kirimise, where sick prostitutes are housed. He frees and helps Hinatsuru, who had poisoned herself to leave the district but was prevented from doing so by Daki. He leave her to recover and sprints across the buildings' rooftops to locate the demon.

Rescuing the missing
Inosuke discovers the chamber littered with bones and housing obi with victims absorbed in them, including Suma, Makio, and Zenitsu. Immediately after finding the missing victims, he is confronted by a sentient Obi. He fends it off and notes that it is far too slow to prove a threat to him. He begins to slice through the obi across the ceiling, freeing the people absorbed in them. The Obi wonders how it will defeat him, seeing his sharp intuition and perception will stop any attack from any angle, when it suddenly spoken to by Daki. She states that it was Inosuke who tried to interfere with Makio's capture and orders it to capture him alive, as well as leaving the ten most attractive humans alive and letting it kill the rest. Daki tells the obi to absorb its victims to strengthen its body.

Inosuke tries to slash the sentient Obi but it bends upon making contact, preventing a clean cut. He tries again with Beast Breathing, Sixth Fang: Palisade Bite and swings both his blades into the obi but it fails to cut through again. It tells the Demon Slayer he can't fight it and save the free people at the same time, before leaving him alone to reabsorb them. Before it can, the obi is pinned down by numerous kunai, hurled by a freed Suma and Makio. Inosuke, realizing that the Obi not being the main body, believes they could be led to a drawn-out battle, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of Zenitsu, who uses his Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold and slices the ceiling obi apart, freeing numerous victims. The obi watches from afar, shocked at Zenitsu's speed but realizing that it heard two distinct noises. Shortly after, the ceiling of the chamber breaks opens. Tengen had detected the sound of the battle through the ground and has dug through the earth with his Sound Breathing. Emerging from the dust cloud, the Sound Hashira quickly scans the situation, breathes in, and uses his immense speed to slice the remaining obi apart in one attack, before reuniting with Suma and Makio.

"Can I take on an Upper Rank alone?"
Only after just leaving the Tokito House, Tanjiro detects the demonic scent again, returning to Koinatsu’s room to see her getting absorbed into Daki’s obi. He confronts the demon, causing the prideful and dimissive Daki to swat him out of the building for talking to her; stunned by the impact, Tanjiro sees that the obi are her main weapons, able to absorb people through thin cracks, hence why he was unable to see how people could have gone missing unexpectedly. Setting Nezuko’s damaged box aside to protect her, Tanjiro warns her to not leave unless her life is threatened, as Daki prepares to attack him again. Leaping into the air, Tanjiro uses Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide, Turbulent and is met by her numerous obi sashes.

Fighting mid-air, he initially struggles to cut them but succeeds in slicing one off, saving Koinatsu. Daki punches him back to the ground, mildly amused at his efforts to attack her. Still all alone, he readies himself to fight the strongest demon he has encountered thus far. Daki then hears a nearby explosion. Annoyed, she asks Tanjiro on how many Demon Slayers there are, which he refuses to answer. She offers to spare him, mockingly pointing out that their short clash has already damaged his blade. Admitting that his body is simply unsuited to use Water Breathing, Tanjiro nonetheless decides to continue fighting alone. Remembering Kyojuro Rengoku's encouragement to "set your heart ablaze", Tanjiro uses Hinokami Kagura: Raging Sun and slices Daki's incoming obi, before charging towards her and using Flame Dance, though he fails to make contact. She retaliates by stabbing him through the neck but he suddenly vanishes from view, using Hinokami Kagura: Fake Rainbow to obscure himself. Now behind Daki, he uses Fire Wheel to try and slice her neck. However, Daki proves she is still too quick and punches him away and causing him to miss. Still unused to using Hinokami Kagura, he begins to feel the strain of using consecutive forms, giving Daki the chance to charge at him with her obi dragging across the ground to shred him. Using Recovery Breathing, he narrowly avoids getting hit. Daki then uses her obi in consecutive slashes, forcing him on the defensive and struggling to keep up. He forces his body temperature to increase by using Hinokami Kagura's breathing pattern, enabling him to utilize it for longer periods. She engages him again, this time, using her obi to parry his swings and charging towards Tanjiro simultaneously to attack him. She then leaps into the air and is struck by an obi. Confused, they clash again, only for more obi to adhere to her body and get absorbed, escaping from the underground chamber by the hole made by Tengen. Tanjiro then attempts to swing at the Upper Rank, only to miss entirely due to her new speed. Daki is pleased that her obi has given her information regarding a Hashira's presence, knowing that her master will be pleased.

A man then walks out onto the street, angered at the racket happening outside of his House. He demands they leave the district, while Tanjiro grows worried that their battle has attracted the attention of civilians. Refusing to answer to a human, Daki retaliates by launching her obis in a rapid and long-range slash, slicing through buildings and causing numerous casualties, as well as cutting Tanjiro in the shoulder. As the row of houses crumble and people see the mutilated bodies of innocent lives, Daki walks away satisfied but is confronted by Tanjiro. Dismissing his words and stating he can die and rot with them, the Demon Slayer seethes with anger and leaps onto the building to stop her from escaping, refusing to let a callous loss of life go unpunished.

"What do you take life for, exactly?"
Tanjiro furiously confronts Daki about why she would kill humans weaker than her, asking what she found so enjoyable about murder. His rage and appearance causes her to see a vision; a older Demon Slayer asking the same question with the same cold anger. Tanjiro states that she was once human too, causing Daki to respond that she has forgotten her memories during then and embraced life as a demon, declaring they can do anything they want. Accepting this answer, he lunges towards the demon; Daki reacts with Blood Demon Art: Eight-Layered Obi Slash, believing Tanjiro will be unable to cut through her more powerful interweaving attack and escape death. He instead uses Hinokami Kagura: Burning Bones, Summer Sun, cutting right through the wave of obi and causing her to feel a burning pain, as well as causing her regeneration to slow.

She becomes confused at how he has suddenly gain the strength to fend her off whilst she has grown stronger; she trembles with fear but sees that it is not her own but Muzan's. Daki tries using her obi in consecutive attacks again but Tanjiro effortlessly fends them off with his new speed and sharper skills. She leaps to a new building in an attempt to save herself, only for Tanjiro to chase the demon onto the same roof and lunge towards her, swinging his sword into her neck. He seemingly makes contact and her head falls, only for Daki to reveal that she has turned her neck into an obi, softening his swing and preventing decapitation. Angered at the attempt on her life, the Upper Rank forces him back and grows more obi to use. Tanjiro sees they have increased in numbers and realizes that dodging them will cause more destruction, yet is surprised to see them moving so slowly. Daki sends them to slice Tanjiro apart but he parries them away, causing them to converge on one side and allowing him to pin them down with his blade. He pulls them taut, preventing Daki from manipulating them freely. Despite the obi being pinned down, she claims she can simply take control again as soon as Tanjiro releases his hold, only for the Demon Slayer to pull away his sword and free the obi. With his Hinokami Kagura, he speeds towards Upper Six and slices through the obi in one fluid attack, whilst Daki is too slow to even react.

Before Tanjiro's blade can reach Daki's neck, he begins to tremble and collapses in front of her; he had forgotten to maintain the breathing pattern during his assault and his body experiences the toil of using such power at once. As he struggles to breathe, the Upper Rank mocks him for being so weak, claiming she is beginning to feel pity seeing such a pathetic sight.

Nezuko vs Daki
Before Daki can decapitate Tanjiro in retaliation, Nezuko appears behind her and destroys her head with a powerful kick. Enraged by Tanjiro's near death and remembering her family's murder, she readies herself to engage Daki, while the Upper Rank realizes that she is the demon Muzan has asked her to kill. Nezuko tries to kick her again but Daki slices off her leading leg and cuts deep into her torso from the other side, severing an arm as well. She spins the younger demon around and hurls her into a nearby house, trapping Nezuko beneath the debris. Daki offers to stop fighting her and instead absorb Nezuko into her obi to instead be killed by the sun, only for Nezuko to free herself and stand up. Daki becomes confused seeing her stand as she was sure her leg was severed; she then grows concerned when Nezuko instantly regrows her severed arm, her regeneration now on par with that of an Upper Rank. Nezuko matures her appearance, growing larger and attaining vine-like markings throughout her body. As she faces her opponent, Daki feels the air grow heavy and the aura of her intimidating new appearance. Nezuko rushes the Upper Rank, leading Daki severs her right arm and leg in anticipation. Her limbs grow back instantly and she slams her foot into Daki's back, pinning her to the ground and piercing her torso. She proceeds to stomp off her arms and repeatedly kick her face, causing Daki to desperately use her obis in a rapid flurry that slices Nezuko apart, splattering her in blood. Daki backs away and slashes the young demon repeatedly, but Nezuko is able to maintain her form by congealing her blood. Suddenly, the smears of Nezuko's blood ignite, setting Daki on fire and horrifying her, causing the demon to relive a traumatic moment in her past. The Upper Rank scream in terror as she is burned, while Nezuko heals herself and stares in delight. She leaps into the air and slams her foot down onto Daki, now burnt and unable to heal as quickly. She kicks Upper Six down to the ground before launching her away down the street. As she hurtles uncontrollably, the young demon chases her down and kicks her through several houses, Daki now too traumatized to fight back.

Intervention by a Hashira
As Nezuko moves forward to finish off Daki, she smells the blood of an injured girl. She struggles to hold back the urge, but in her new demonic form, she succumbs to the scent of blood and moves forward to kill her. Tanjiro arrives in the nick of time and forces his scabbard into her mouth as a muzzle. He apologizes for forcing her to join the fight and begs her to go to sleep, sensing her blood is strewn everywhere and realizing how injured and desperate she had become. Nezuko leaps to an upper storey of the building, while Tanjiro struggles to hold her down. Daki appears, still burned and enraged that her opponent was able to use a Blood Demon Art. With bystanders present, Daki now before him, and Nezuko still struggling to break free, Tanjiro is unable to think of a plan. Daki prepares to launch her obi to slice everyone apart, only for the Sound Hashira to suddenly appear and slice the incoming attack, saving everyone. Tengen looks at Nezuko and chides Tanjiro for allowing her to transform, in spite of showing her resistance to humans during the meeting with Kagaya. Daki is delighted to see her target in front of her, only for Tengen to refute her threats and claim she is no Upper Rank. Daki is aghast at this but her head suddenly falls off; she had been decapitated by Tengen earlier but could not register it till now. Though Daki is neutralized, Tengen reminds Tanjiro that the battle is not over, ordering him to calm Nezuko down.

When he jokingly suggests singing a lullaby, Nezuko kicks herself and her brother out onto the streets. Tanjiro remembers something and begins to sing a lullaby that their mother had sang to them as kids. Though Nezuko continues to fight back, she relents and the words get to her, and she remembers a moment she had with Kie. Reminiscing on that time, Nezuko begins to cry and her body shrinks back down to normal, now able to sleep and heal. Tanjiro calls out to their mother that she is asleep, exhausted and relieved.

A new threat appears
When Tengen decides to move on, Daki threatens him for having the audacity to behead her. Tengen ignores her threats and tells her to die "unflashy". She confronts him over his statement that she is not an Upper Rank, though Tengen remains unconvinced by seeing her holding her severed head. Daki claims she is Upper Six and will get stronger but Tengen does not listen. With this last denial of her strength, the now emotional Daki begins to cry, whining that she is truly an Upper Rank. Tengen is shocked to see a demon throwing a temper tantrum but quickly realizes that she is still alive despite fully beheaded, remaining cautious. As she continues to cry and deny that she was defeated, she calls out to her brother. Gyutaro suddenly emerges from Daki's back, forcing Tengen into action; he attempts to swing his blades at the new demon's neck but misses completely. Stunned, he turns around to see the new demon comforting Daki. He calms her down and instantly heals the burn on her face. Tengen tries to attack again but the demon quickly dodges his swings and cuts him in the side of the head. Gyutaro compliments his opponent’s looks, claiming that he must receive much attention from women and scratching himself in jealous anger. Angered at the Demon Slayers hurting Daki, Gyutaro hurls his sickles at Tengen, narrowly missing his mark to threaten him. The sickles cause an explosion that damages the house and are seen by Tanjiro. Wondering if there is a new demon now, he is then joined by Inosuke and Zenitsu, who had lost track of Tengen but detected the sound of the battle to join. Tanjiro takes the chance to take Nezuko away to safety.