Lightning

<POV Change: August Ramos>

"Haaaah...."

I felt the power surge through my veins, the weight of the two swords on my side somehow comforting. It was like I'd been born to wield them. The moment the preset locked in, I felt the same feeling when I first got the Kirei preset. 

Looking up at Zenitsu I knew now I would have a straight shot at winning. 

I have zero experience with swords but as I drew the two swords from my sides, the blades smoothly flowed out of their scabbards. They felt perfect in my hands, balanced and lethal. It's all so,

Natural. 

It's intoxicating almost.

Zenitsu seemed momentarily stunned, his body frozen as he watched me. I could literally see the fear coming off of him as I stared him down. Maybe I can just...

"Zenitsu,"

"This doesn't have to end badly for you. We don't have to fight."

His eyes flickered with something, recognition, maybe? But it was gone in an instant, replaced by that feral look of a predator on the hunt.

"I don't know who you are, but if you're trying to mess with Lord Muzan's plans, I'll kill you!"

Well there goes that idea.

What happened to his original personality? It's like he's just a muzan simp now.

"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash Sixfold!"

Without warning, Zenitsu launched himself at me again, moving even faster then before. The ground crumbling under the amount of force he was exerting from his Sixfold. But even with that extra speed he was using

It wasn't enough.

The moment he moved, my body reacted on instinct. My feet planted firmly, and with a simple shift of my weight, I brought my swords up to block. It was effortless, like cutting through air. A sharp ring went off when the blades met, but I didn't even flinch. In fact, I felt nothing at all.

Zenitsu's eyes widened in disbelief as our blades met, but I didn't give him time to react. I twisted my wrist, deflecting his sword and sending him stumbling back onto his ass. He was shook. 

This is to easy.

"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash Eightfold!"

He got up quickly, with even more fear being plastered on his face as he stared at me. The air around him crackled with electricity, and he charged at me again, even faster this time. I could feel the raw power behind his attack, the air itself seeming to warp as he closed the distance between us in an instant.

But it didn't matter.

As Zenitsu closed in, I didn't even need to try that much as studied the move before I sidestepped his attack. His blade sliced through the empty air where I'd just been standing, with the force of his attack causing a shockwave that split the ground behind me.

Zenitsu's eyes darted around in confusion as he realized he'd missed. I was already moving again, slipping behind him and bringing the flat of one of my swords down against his back with a resounding thud. The blow sent him crashing forward, landing face-first into the dirt.

He scrambled to his feet, looking confused out of his mind. He looked like he was about to say something, but I didn't give him the chance. I was on him again in a flash, my swords a blur as I lashed out with a series of rapid strikes.

He barely managed to block the first one, his arm's wobbling under the force of my attack. The second strike came even faster, and he was too slow to react. My blade cut across his chest, slicing through his clothes and leaving a shallow gash on his skin.

He almost immediately regenerated from the slash but the look of fear on his face only had gotten worse, with him even using his breathing to gain more distance between us.

Of course I'm not going to let that happen.

I chased him down, crossing tens of meters in a instant while raising my two swords above my head to chop him into three, but before I could swing down I saw something glow from sword.

"Take this!"

'Lightning!?'

Caught off guard, I could barely twist my body to avoid Zenitsu swinging a whole ass lightning bolt at my face. I used the momentum of the twist to roll away, as another lightning bolt struck the area I was just standing in. 

Looking up, I saw yellowish orange lightning crackling around Zenitsus body, which I could only assume was his blood demon art. He sent out more lightning bolts at me, which were all avoided as I continued to make my way towards him.

Zenitsu was freaking out now, his attacks getting more desperate and wild. He kept hurling lightning bolts like he was trying to zap me out of existence, but I was too quick, weaving through the air like it was nothing.

"Where's that godspeed variation Zenitsu! You won't be able to survive without it!"

"W-What?! How do you know that!?"

<POV Change: Zenitsu Agatsuma>

He knows!

How does he know about that!?

I've been developing that move in secret to help with Lord muzans goals, not even those guys should know about Godspeed!

But this guy... he's playing with me. His every move is so calculated, so effortless. It's like he's been in my head the whole time, predicting every step I take before I even make it.

I can't... I can't let him win! Lord Muzan... I can't fail him!

I forced myself to focus, channeling the surrounding lightning throughout my legs to prepare myself. I'm so scared but I have to push through!

"Godspeed... I have to use Godspeed,"

My legs tensed, ready to launch myself forward. This was my last shot. If I couldn't end it with this, I was done for.

Looking up, I could see the sun starting to peak out behind the mountains. I don' t have a lot of time left! I don't know if I can win but I know Godspeed should let me knock him out at least!

The ground below my feet crumbled, the lightning around me crackled, my entire body was working at 120% to release this move. Yet what was this, this man doing?!

He seathed his swords.

"YOU-!"

He put out his arms, and I could see a....sword? Impossible! There's nothing in his hands, there's no sword he could be holding. 

It must be my imagination then.

"First Form: Thunderclap and Flash-!

GODSPEED!!!"

My heart pounded like a drum in my chest as I launched forward, channeling every ounce of my energy into Godspeed. The world blurred around me, my senses heightened to the max. I was faster than ever before, a bolt of lightning aimed straight at my target. This had to work.

It had to.

In a flash I was upon him, swinging my blade in order to cut him in half.

I braced myself for the impact, for the feel of my blade hitting him, but it never came. Instead, he moved faster than I could see. It wasn't even like he dodged, he just... vanished.

My mind scrambled to make sense of it, but before I could, I felt as if I was high in the sky.

'W-What?...'

My eyes moved down and I saw...my body?

<POV Change: August Ramos>

"AHHHHHHH!?!!"

Baki is such a interesting universe.

Take the Imitation Cut or Kiru-mane for example. 

Using incredible swordsmanship skills, Musashi was able to make the opponents feel like they've been completely cut and can even make them feel the pain that comes with it.

How?

It's Baki, don't think to deep about it.

That was what I did to Zenitsu here.

Zenitsu's screams echoed through the clearing, his body writhing on the ground like he'd just been sliced in half. But in reality? I hadn't even touched him.

The mind's a powerful thing.

Zenitsu thrashed around, clutching at his neck, eyes wide with terror. He was completely lost, utterly convinced he was dying.

I stood over him, swords still in their scabbards, watching him freak out. Part of me felt a little bad, part of me wanted to believe he didn't really know what was happening. But I couldn't let that stop me. He'd tried to kill me, Muzan done made him a simp for him anyways.

Walking over to his body, I took out both of my swords before stabbing them both into his arms, effectively restraining him to the ground.

The new pain shocked him out of his limbo like state, making him look up at me in fear. 

"Hey."

"W-What do you want from me!"

"How the hell did you become a demon?"

He froze, his eyes moving around like he was looking for an escape that wasn't there. I could see the panic set in again, as he tried to figure out what to say.

"I-I...can't remember all of it, but I can remember I was fighting Lord Muzan with T-Tanjiro?...And...Insosuke?...Some Hashira to?...It hurts to think about."

"The only thing that comes up in my mind is Lord Muzan pouring his blood in my mouth, but it was like something was different about him?"

Hmmm...

So he was fighting in the final battle against Muzan, but can't remember anything else until the actual demon turning process?

Interesting.

Pacing around his body, I started to come up with a theroy on what could had happened to him. 

What if, instead of winning, the demon slayers just lost. Muzan won, he beat them all and turned them into demons?

Yeah that probably happened.

I grabbed both of my blades and ripped them out, swinging them to the side to get the blood off of the blades. Zenitsu got up, looking at me confused and still afraid.

"W-Why did you do that?"

"I'm not a murderer, go."

"You're a good guy Zenitsu, I know you never wanted to do any of this."

"..."

I turned my back on Zenitsu, ready to head out of the clearing. The fight was over, or so I thought. Just as I started to leave, I heard a wild, desperate scream behind me.

"I'LL TAKE YOUR HEAD FOR LORD MUZAN!"

I spun around, Zenitsu was charging at me again, his eyes crazed and his body crackling with lightning. He was throwing everything he had left into this final attack.

"Seriously?"

He came at me with everything he had, his blade flashing with electric fury. I dodged his swings easily, sidestepping and weaving around his frantic attacks. 

All I had to do was draw my swords, slash him a couple times and then use them to stab him and pin him to the ground again.

The sun was now rising, and it's light started to land on the ground near us. I grabbed my swords, using them to drag Zenitsu to a spot where the sunlight was streaming through. He tried to fight me off, but he was too weak. I shoved him into the sunlight, his body twitching as the light began to burn him.

I stood over him, watching as the sunlight did its job. His screams filled the clearing, growing quieter as he burned away. Even though he should have been in pure agony, he looked...at peace?

"t-thank you..."

Hmm?

Did he just thank me?

...

"Your welcome....Zenitsu..."

I pulled my swords off of his now empty Haori, letting it fly away in the wind. I stared off at the floating Haori as I sheathed my swords.

May you rest in peace finally...