Continuous from the previous part.

Nothing could go absolutely wrong.

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"Hmm...that's the fifth time and that was no good either. It didn't work." Joshua stated,showing the flat front of his hand. There was clearly a stab wound,the place where Lily has been continuously injecting poison.

"It's getting less and less effective. How many more times can you make poison?" He continued,looking at the pillar standing across him. "Oh,are you having trouble breathing? You're sweating a lot. Are you alright?"he asked,expressing more concern.

Lily was in fact sweating a lot,her breathing was taking place at a faster rate compared to normal. She found it frustrating that the poison was not working and that his speed in building resistance is abnormal.

She could literally see puffs of smoke whenever she exhaled,trying her very best not in inhale anything for the time being because...

"That's because your lungs are dying hard,huh? A moment ago,my blood demon art sucked your blood."Joshua explained,placing his openly wide fan over his mouth as he spoke,his icicle demon art appearing beside him in the form of lotuses and lilies.

"It turned your frozen blood to mist and my fans scattered it. Breathing itself is now dangerous for you."

Drawing her sword,bring one foot behind to support her body,she drew her sword backwards."I'll use multiple attacks to inject a large dose"she thought,no where near ready to give up despite her futile efforts.

"Insect breathing,dance of the dragonfly! Compound Eye Hexagon!"

Lily aimed six strikes and quickly injected more poison with multiple doses at the demon's weak spots. Those including the neck,heart and torso before jumping over him to once again clear the distance to prepare for any next attack.

Joshua stared at her even as he took the multiple poison attacks."You really are fast! Maybe the fastest pillar I've met so far!"

And right on cue,a gush sound was heard as a large and deep cut appeared on the pillar's chest,blood already coming out,Lily frowned in shock before dropping down on her knees with a thud after she was cut. The top of her haori stained red with her blood.

"You should have cut off my head instead of using poison."Joshua said with a matter of fact."If you're that fast,you might have beaten me."

Being the demon he is,he continued with his snide remarks before ending off his sentence with the one thing that always made Lily curse herself about."Aww...maybe not. Because you're small." He laughed it off as if the harsh truth was nothing.

Lily's eyes widened in slight distress as she stared at the red,crimson liquid that was dripping onto her hand which she used to support her body to prevent herself from completely falling flat on the ground.

The searing pain was simply unbearable.

Yet she could not scream.

"Why are my hands so small?" She pondered.

"Why didn't I grow taller?"she questioned,remembering the significant height difference between her and Shoji despite the slight age gap.

"If I had been just a bit taller...I might have taken the demon's head and defeated him." She continuously cursed herself in her mind for not having the proper body suited for combat. "Arms... and legs...the longer they are,the more muscles they have...which is an advantage but..."

"Shoji was delicate,but she was taller than me."

"I envy Hiroto,when he comes to the rescue,everyone breathes easy"

"I always poked fun at Akari and De La Hoya. But they were all way more capable than me."

"I know...what Shoji nee-san was going to say before Hiroto Onii-san stopped her."

"But perhaps,you will lose to that demon."

She was about to say that but stopped. Tears began to fall as Lily realised that she was incapable to continue fighting.

"Pull yourself together. We won't allow you to cry."Shoji and Hiroto said,her standing in front of the fallen pillar. They were not physically there,more rather it was Lily's self conscious and mind's attempts to persuade the pillar to continue fighting.

"Shoji,Hiroto..."

"Stand up."

However,Lily said otherwise,being knowledgeable about the human body,she knew that she lost so much blood to the point she cannot stand.

"My left lung is punctured and I can't breathe."

"That doesn't matter. Stand up,Insect Pillar Lily Adachi."

That seemed to do the charm as Lily started to stop giving herself excuses to prove why she cannot continue fighting.

"Once you decide to defeat a demon. Defeat it. Once you decide to win,then win."

"Win whatever the cost,you made that promise with Manuki and us,didn't you?"

After hearing her student's name. She cannot help but continue to find the strength to move her legs.

A creaking sound suddenly came about as Joshua started moving towards Lily."Sorry sorry,that wasn't a thorough cut,so you're suffering." He raised his fan up,ready to summon an attack to finish off the pillar.

Bending down,the two ex-pillars held their successor by her shoulder."Lily,you can do this. Do your best."

Before he could bring his fan down,Lily stood straight back up,her back facing him. Joshua had a significantly shock expression on his feature as he brought his hand down,impressed at the same time."huh? You can stand? You're standing? Wow."

"Are you really human?" He asked,looking at Lily straight dead in the eyes as she slowly turned around,sending a glare towards him while sweat continuously streamed down her face.

"I cut your collarbone,lung and ribs,but... for your size and with that much blood loss,I'm surprised your not dead."

At that point,Lily simply started coughing and choking on her own blood,the dreadful salty taste of iron all over her mouth as she continued trying to breath normally.

"Agh,I see! The pain of your blood gurgling in your lungs are beyond imagining! Okay,I'll lop of your head right away,so don't overdo it!"

He smiled.

"You're well beyond saving,so don't be so stubborn."

Spreading her legs wide while bring her left foot slightly back,she got into position."If I'm going to aim for something,it's got to be the key point,his neck"

"If I drive poison into his neck,I can win."

She huffed."Insect Breathing,Dance of the centipede."

"Hundred-legged zigzag!"

Lily started off her final attack and uses her full speed to run in a zigzag pattern,confusing Joshua who noted that she was weaving in all directions in an advance that could sunder a bridge.

"She's fast,I can't predict her attack!" He thought,suddenly seeing the pillar right in front of him which caused him to send a circular motioned ice attack towards that direction.

However,that attack seemed to not have hit the body of the girl but more rather her haori which was sliced off and destroyed in the process. Giving Lily the perfect opportunity and created an opening where she directly stabbed Joshua's neck from below to inject the poison.

The stab force and power was further enhanced by the momentum of her speed which allowed her to drive the demon and herself up from the plank bridge and into the air so much so that her sword hit the ceiling and it cracked.

They say that one's life flashes before them in order to find a solution to continue living.

And that was exactly what went through the pillar's mind during her final attempt to defeat Joshua.

I once believed that the road of happiness continued forever and ever into the distance.

When it was destroyed,I noticed for the first time that happiness lies atop a thin sheet of glass.

And just when we were saved,there are those whose happiness hasn't yet been destroyed.

So I wanted to get stronger and protect them.

That's when me and onii-san promised each other.

"Let's defeat as many demons as possible together."

"We won't let anyone else experience what we went through."

Lily pulled her sword back out from the neck of the demon and started to fall back down to the ground.

"Even if we're weak and can't cut off  demon heads."

"If we defeat one demon,we can save dozens of people. And if we defeat an upper rank moon,we can save hundreds."

As the sword officially slips out of Joshua's neck,Lily began to descend to the ground quicker.

"It isn't about whether we can or cannot."

"There are things we have to do."

"Are you angry?" Lily remembered that specific question Valt asked during their conversation at the roof top.

"Yes,I'm angry,Valt. "

"My parents were killed."

"My older brother and older sister were killed"

"And all my tsuguko except Manuki were killed."

"If demons hadn't murdered those girls families,they'd be living happily with them right now."Lily thought,remembering about the girls back at the butterfly mansion.

"If Hiroto Onii-San and Shoji Nee-san weren't killed,they would be living happily together,that was all I ever wanted for them."

"It makes me furious."she growled,frowning at the sight above her as she continued falling. "I can't believe this!"

"Why doesn't poison work on this guy? Bastard!"

She saw him grinning happily even after that final conclusion of an attack.

Ice vines than appeared as they curled around the waist of the demon slayer before bringing her up and into the arms of the demon she hated the most as he engulfed her into a hug.

"So admirable! You've tried so hard!"

"I'm impressed! Such a weak girl doing so much! You don't have your older brother or sister's talent,but you've done well as a demon slayer! It's a miracle you aren't dead yet!"

"It's all pointless you see,but you're stupid enough to keep trying! This is both the folly and wonder of humanity!"

"You are certainly worth eating! Let us live together for eternity! Any last words? I'm listening." He stated,hugging her more tightly as he applied more force on her back.

With veins popping all over the sides of her head and her chin pressed against his shoulder. She made sure to say her final words where he could very well hear clearly.

"Go to hell!"

Manuki saw a golden door infront of her and swiftly slammed open the two as she raced in,looming for her master.

Manuki looked up at the ceiling to see her master in the arms of the upper rank moon two's arms. Her first reaction was to scream and signal to her master that she had arrived.

Once Lily heard her pupil's voice,she used her hand and directed signals towards the younger which definitely caught the eye of Joshua.

Just as her hand made one last signal,Joshua applied a tremendous amount of force on her back area while the vine around her waist tightened,resulting in a horrifying,bone-cracking sound.

This made Manuki's eyes widen at the sight as she felt dread in the pits of her stomach,repeatedly praying that what she saw was not true.

Lily's hand stopped all movement as her arms laid limp by her side,her right hand letting loose and opening as her sword fell onto the ground which made a dreadful metal klang sound.

Screaming out from rage,Manuki immediately drew out her sword and set an attack towards the demon in hopes to release her master. But the pair simply disappear from the ceiling and end back down on the ground.

"Whoa...that's dangerous!"Joshua stated,covering Lily's limp body with his fan as Manuki too landed onto the ground to continue facing him.

"Don't try to cut me when I'm right in the middle of absorbing someone!"he smiled,placing his fan down to reveal the three forth of the pillar's body inside of his.

Manuki was twitching and trembling at the sight,feeling all sort of emotions surfacing from her body.

"Hm? You don't accept my challenge? Is that because this girl signaled to you with her hands?" Joshua challenged as Lily continued to submerge into his body.

"Did she tell you about my powers or something? It just took a moment. Impressive."

"She tries hard despite the futility."he sighed,patting Lily's head before removing the butterfly hairpin she wore before she got fully absorbed.

"Anyway,tonight is a good night. Such fine feast keep showing up one after another."Joshua ended,bringing the pin near to his mouth as a sign that he just enjoyed devouring his most recent meal.

Just as the other pillars,slayers and Valt were finding their way through the fortress,the crow overhead them started crying out the outcome of the battle.

"CAWWW! DEAD! ADACHI LILY IS DEAD!! SHE DIED AFTER A CONFRONTATION WITH UPPER MOON TWO!"

"Akari,if we survive this entire ordeal,I'll spend all my savings and treat you to a nice meal you deserve!"

"De La Hoya San. You're a nice guy,sorry if I said you were unlikeable."

Were the last thing Lily said to her pillar partners before her death. Of course,she never did get to bring Akari out liked she hoped to. Or get to express her gratitude towards the pillar that nobody seems to like.

If reincarnation was real,she hoped to be reincarnated to a peaceful world where she could simply do all those simple things.

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Done. MS please don't cry- be a man-
Honestly this is my first time writing about my main OC's death so yeah.

Aight gonna go back to studying now-