Mission

"I'm truly sorry! I'm truly sorry! I'm truly so-" before he could finish, another tentacle shot over and ate him. 

*Crunch!"

The room fell into silence, only the crunching of bones being heard from the tentacles feasting on former lower 6 body.

The Lord then turned to lower 4 causing the girl to tremble in response. "Are you more afraid of the demon slayers than me?"

Lower rank 4 flinched and quickly shook her head. "No, M'lord I-"

The Lord interrupted her not wanting to hear any excuses or lies. "Every time you encounter one of the demon slayer hashira, you want to flee."

Lower rank 4 quickly shook her head as tears began to run down her face. "No, I don't! I risk my life for you!"

The lord remained silent for a moment staring at the girl before his expression changed into one of disdain. "Are you contradicting what I say?" 

Lower rank 4 could only sit on her knees and cry with her mouth gaping open, she wanted to say more to increase her chance of survival but nothing came out.

*Splat!*

The tentacles from before didn't hesitate to launch themselves onto the woman and crush her, they began their feast ignoring the mess they were making.

Lower rank 1 watched as they feasted on the girl while lower rank 3 only stared at the floor shivering.

Shin being the closest to her had some blood splash onto his cheek, he would've been lying if he had said he wasn't the slightest bit affected by the woman's death.

She had the slight appearance of Tsuzu, if it wasn't for that he wouldn't have cared about the woman's death.

Still, it was only barely enough for him to care, so after a small internal sigh he turned to lower rank 3 believing he was gonna make a move, and he was right.

*Bang!* 

Lower rank 3 stomped his foot with all he had and leaped into the air, once he landed on a platform above them he started running as if his life depended on it jumping between endless rooms and walls.

Lower rank 1 watched with an amused smile. 'What a fool.'

Shin didn't turn his head away from the lord but his top row of eyes were watching as the demon tried to escape.

Shin didn't hear any music, yet he saw how lower rank 3 head disappeared from his body as if it had teleported and was now in the lord's grasp with his claws in the demon's skull.

"I've begun to think the upper ranks of the twelve kizuki are all that is needed, I will dismantle the lower ranks."  The lord said taking the kizuki by surprise, including Shin.

"Do you have any final words?" He asked.

The head in the lord's hands began to yell. "My lord, I'm sorry! I can still be of use! If you could only give me a bit more time!" 

The lord looked at the head in disgust. "Exactly how much time? And how will you be of use? What can you do with your current strength?"

The head didn't hesitate to answer, forgetting the position it was in. "Blood! If you could only give me a little more blood I wouldn't fail to make good use of it! I'd be a stronger demon and fight!"

The lord threw the head down the stairs beside Shin and lower rank 1 who simply ignored it. 

Veins appeared on the lord's face once again. "Why should I give you my precious blood? How impudent, know your place." 

Lower rank 3 face contorted. "No, you're wrong! I-"

"Silence, I am never wrong, I cannot make mistakes." The lord said interrupting lower rank 3.

The lord then gave a look that showed he was truly upset more than what they've seen during the meeting, or execution. 

"All authority is mine, and what I say is absolute. You have no right to object, what I say is right IS right. You contradicted me and that warrants death." Saying this, the tentacles that were idly standing by shot towards the head and ate it in one bite.

The Lord then turned to lower rank 1 who was looking up at him with a flushed face. "Do you have any last words?" 

Lower moon 1 let out a dreamy sigh. "Yes, I am in a dream because I will die by your hands, I adored hearing the other demons' death cries. I revel in the misery and suffering of all, I relive it in my dreams each night, thank you for leaving me as one of the last." 

'Ah, so he's one of those..' Shin thought to himself.

The lord nodded his head, he then turned to Shin. He didn't have any plans on ending Shin's life due to believing that would be foolish of him, this was only a test to see if Shin was any threat to him or not. "Do you have any last words?" 

Shin was slightly taken back, he believed he was safe from dying like the others but it seemed he was wrong, he only shook his head and said what came to mind.

"If I must say anything then I have to say it has been an honor serving under you, even if it was for a short period of time. If time was to repeat itself I wouldn't hesitate to follow down the same path." Shin knew it wasn't much but he said what he thought.

A pleased smile formed on the lord's face and a needle pierced into their necks. "I am pleased. I will give both of you my blood in abundance, you may die because you cannot take the volume of this transfusion but if you accommodate it you will gain greater strength. " 

The needles detached themselves from the two demons' necks and went back to the lord. "You must make yourself useful to me and kill a hashira of the demon slayers, if you also kill a slayer with earrings that look like hanafuda cards, I will give you more blood." 

*Bwum!" 

The biwa lady who was sitting behind the lord stroked her instrument causing a door to appear behind him. 

The lady then stroked her biwa once more forming a door beneath Shin and the demon next to him, the door then opened and swallowed them, sending them back to their previous location.

As Shin was falling, the image of Tanjiro appeared in his mind. "Ah, how disappointing.."