Erika opened her eyes slowly.
The first thing she saw was devastation.
Everything around her was in ruins, houses shattered and torn apart, streets buried under debris.
Some people lay dead. Others were injured, crying, clutching the lifeless bodies of others, calling desperately for help.
It was hell.
Tanjiro and Inosuke were both down, wounded, and breathing heavily.
Erika herself, however, was unharmed. Her ribbons had instinctively shielded her from the attacks that came her way. But at this moment, that didn't matter.
She was too stunned by the destruction before her eyes. As someone who grew up mostly in normal life, this is the first time she has seen this kind of carnage.
Her gaze darted around until she spotted Daki, standing proudly atop a rooftop, a smug grin plastered across her face. She turned, as if bored, and began to walk away.
"Why…?" Erika's voice trembled as it left her lips, cold and low. "Why did you do this?"
Daki stopped mid-step and glanced back, an amused look on her face.
"What? You still have something to say?" she said mockingly. "I don't have time for this. I want to find the Hashira."
"Why did you do it?" Erika asked again, her voice firmer now. "Why do you hurt people?"
"Huh?" Daki scoffed, flipping her hair back. "What's wrong with killing them? They're all ugly and repulsive anyway. They have no reason to live. They can all just die and rot together."
She said it so casually, as if speaking about insects.
And then she turned her back once more, preparing to leap away. She had no interest in weaklings like them.
There were Hashira out there; they were stronger prey.
"If she took out even two of them, Muzan-sama would surely praise her".
But just as Daki was about to leap away, something grabbed her hair.
She froze, eyes widening in shock.
Before she could even turn to look, she was yanked backward by an incredible force and thrown across the street like a rag doll.
Her body crashed through the air. But before she could hit the ground, a hand caught her by the head midair and then slammed her face straight into the ground with crushing force. The impact cracked the earth beneath her, almost shattering her skull.
Daki's mind reeled. She couldn't even react.
"What happened?! Who is it?!"
Panic set in. She thought quickly, "I need to attack!"
Dozens of obi sprouted from her back, whipping around wildly to strike whoever was crushing her skull, but before they could even reach, her hair was grabbed again.
And once more, she was thrown.
This time, the impact was brutal. She was hurled at such immense speed that she couldn't even brace herself before crashing straight into a nearby house. The entire wall collapsed on impact, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
Groaning, Daki staggered up from the rubble, her body already regenerating, and looked to see who had attacked her.
Daki staggered to her feet, glaring furiously. "Who dares...?"
Her eyes widened.
It was Erika.
But something about her was… different.
A cold, suffocating aura radiated from her. The air around her felt heavier, darker.
And most striking of all, her once-blue eyes now glowed a brilliant, burning crimson.
"You won't get away," Erika said in a cold, deadly tone. "Not after what you did."
And then she rushed in.
Daki snarled, spreading her arms. "Blood Demon Art — Eight-Layered Obi Slash!"
Eight shimmering obi unfurled behind her, intertwining to form a deadly crisscrossing pattern that pressed down from above — an attack with no blind spots.
Daki smirked. "You're finished!"
But suddenly.
Wings burst from Erika's back.
Dark, bat-like wings burst from Erika's back, spreading wide. With a single powerful flap, she propelled herself forward, dodging the slashes entirely.
Before Daki could even process what happened, Erika's gravity-infused punch smashed into her face.
The demon was sent flying again, crashing violently through another building.
Before she could recover, a red ribbon wrapped around her ankle, Erika's ribbon. With a swift pull, Daki was dragged across the ground and slammed into the earth once more. The impact shook the street.
Without pause, Erika followed up with a spinning, gravity-charged kick that sent Daki flying through yet another structure.
Daki staggered out of the debris, half her face mangled. But it quickly regenerated at an astonishing rate.
She screamed, her voice echoing through the ruins, "What the hell are you?! How do you have wings?! Are you a demon?! Then why do you not feel like one?!"
Erika didn't answer. She simply charged forward again.
"Don't underestimate me!" Daki screamed, unleashing another barrage of obi slashes from her back.
"Blood Breathing — Second Form: Crimson Rose Blooming Vortex!" Erika's ribbons spun wildly, forming a violent cyclone of blood-red light around her. The storm of ribbons deflected every single slash that came her way.
Crimson Rose Blooming Vortex.
It was the second form Erika had created for herself, a technique that could be used both offensively and defensively. But it was also extremely dangerous; its power affected everything within its range, ally or enemy. For that reason, Erika rarely ever used it.
Now, however, she had no hesitation.
As her ribbons shielded her, Erika surged forward through the storm.
Daki created even more obi from her back, roaring, "I won't fall for the same trick twice!"
But just as her attack was about to land, Erika vanished.
Daki froze. "What…?! Where did she…?"
Before she could finish, a blow smashed into her face from the side, sending her flying again.
"How?!" Daki thought frantically as she flew through the air. "How did she disappear? I was watching her the whole time! She was right in front of me!!"
But Erika was already upon her again.
Daki screamed and unleashed another barrage of obi slashes, yet Erika vanished a second time, only to reappear above her midair.
"Wha…?!"
Erika spun downward and delivered a fierce kick straight to Daki's chest, smashing her into the ground.
Before Daki could recover, Erika's ribbons shot out once more, wrapping tightly around the demon's leg. With a powerful pull, she flung Daki like a rag doll across the street, crashing her through several buildings in succession.
Dust and splinters filled the air as Daki struggled to stand.
"How is she doing this?!" Daki thought, panicking. "How is she vanishing and reappearing like that?!"
But what she didn't realize was that Erika was using her Blood Demon Art, Blindfold, to its full potential.
With this blood demon art, Erika turned herself invisible at the perfect moments, disappearing and reappearing seamlessly between attacks.
To Daki, it was as if she were fighting a ghost.
No matter what she tried, she couldn't hit back.
As the two clashed again and again, the air trembled with the force of their blows.
And as Daki and Erika's battle raged on, Akira stood atop a nearby rooftop, watching the fight unfold below.
"Wow," he muttered, his eyes following the streaks of crimson and magenta flashing through the dust. "She's destroying her."
Below, Erika was completely overwhelming Daki, dodging, striking, and crushing her again and again with flawless precision.
"But her physical power… It's way higher than I thought," he muttered. "When did she get this strong?"
From within his mind, Selena's voice echoed telepathically.
"Well, as a dhampir, she already has superhuman strength". Her tone was calm but faintly amused.
"But after drinking your blood every day, her power's increased even more. And she trained really hard too, she just had too many hesitations before. Honestly, she might be physically stronger than you now".
Akira blinked. "Really? Huh. I guess that makes sense." He gave a small shrug. "Well, I'm not exactly the 'physical' type anyway."
As they talked, Erika slammed Daki into yet another building, sending debris scattering in every direction.
Selena spoke again, sounding slightly concerned.
"Should we stop her?"
Akira leaned on his knee, watching the chaos below. "Nah, let her cook," he said casually. "It's a valid crash-out."
Selena sighed. "You know that's not an actual plan, right?"
Her tone turned serious. "She's starting to go berserk. You can see it in her aura, she's losing control. We need to stop her now and calm her down".
Akira frowned slightly, still keeping his eyes on Erika. "Fine," he said. "But how exactly am I supposed to make her relax in the middle of a deadly fight?"
"You have to take her away for a bit," Selena said telepathically, her tone firm but composed.
Akira frowned. "But Daki's not exactly going to let us take a break right now."
"Then ask for help," Selena replied simply.
Just as she said that, Akira spotted movement in the distance. Tengen and the others had finally caught up.
The Sound Hashira landed beside him in a flash of motion. "What happened here?" he asked, scanning the wreckage.
Akira silently pointed toward the raging fight where Erika was utterly destroying Daki.
Tengen blinked once, then whistled. "Oh, that's flamboyant, alright."
Akira crossed his arms. "Not really. She's in a berserk state and starting to lose control. I need to take her away for a moment and calm her down. Can you take over?"
Tengen nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Thanks," Akira said, and immediately jumped down.
Just as Erika was about to punch Daki again, Akira appeared beside her, caught her arm mid-swing, kicked Daki away, and scooped Erika up in a princess carry before dashing off across the rooftops, leaving everyone completely stunned.
Erika blinked, her voice trembling slightly. "What are you…?"
"Calm down, Erika," Akira interrupted gently. "It's fine. Everything's fine."
"But she…"
"I know," Akira cut her off again, his voice steady. "But rampaging in the middle of a city isn't a great idea. So please, just calm down."
His eyes met hers.
For a moment, the rage inside her flickered. Then, slowly, Erika exhaled. Her crimson eyes softened and turned back to their usual blue.
She looked down. "I'm sorry…"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Akira said softly.
"But I… I…" she began, her voice unsteady.
Akira smiled faintly. "Erika, as much as I'd like to talk to you, too, we're kind of in the middle of a fight. Let's save the heart-to-heart for later, alright?"
Erika sighed, realizing he was right. "Okay…"
"Good," Akira said with a reassuring smile.
Then, without putting her down, he turned and jumped back toward the battlefield, carrying her in his arms.
When they arrived, Daki's head had already been severed. Tengen, Tanjiro, and Inosuke stood around the body.
Erika blinked. "Did they… do it?"
Akira frowned. "I don't think it's that simple. Her body isn't dissipating, and she's still talking. Remember what I said? There's another demon fused inside her."
Erika nodded, understanding dawning on her face.
They stepped closer and saw Daki's severed head start to cry and throw a tantrum.
"I'm strong! All of you will die! He cut my head off! He cut my head off! Oni-chan!!"
Her screams echoed through the ruined streets, and then, suddenly, something began to grow out of her body.
A man's shape, slowly emerging from within her.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "He's… inside his sister."
Selena's telepathic voice immediately followed, her tone dry.
"Wow. Phrasing, brother".
Akira sighed, not amused. "You know what I meant."
The air around them grew tense. The real Upper Moon Six had finally shown himself.