One month later.
A quiet road. Birds chirping. Breeze gentle.
…And Kasumi, already in a battle stance like he's about to fight God.
Ren stands opposite him — relaxed, calm, almost bored.
Kasumi narrows his eyes. "Hajime-san… go all out on me."
Miyuki's eye twitches so hard it looks like it wants to escape her skull.
"Does Matsunaga-kun wish to die? He won't last a second if Hajime-sama even moves…"
A few moments earlier.
The trio walks along the empty road.
Kasumi yawns dramatically, stretching his arms like a cat who failed at life. "Life is boring nowadays… No fun, no fights… I haven't met a strong opponent in a long time."
Miyuki glances at him. "So what do you want? To fight an Upper Moon?"
Kasumi sighs dreamily. "Yes… At least an Upper Moon demon would be fun."
Then his eyes flick to Ren.
He stops. "Hajime-san…"
Ren and Miyuki pause and turn.
Kasumi stands straight, expression deadly serious. "I want you… to fight me."
Miyuki's jaw hits the dirt so hard it leaves an imprint.
Ren asks calmly. "Why?"
"Because it's been too long since I've fought a strong opponent. So I want to fight you."
Miyuki's thoughts scream. "Instead of fighting a strong opponent… he chose the strongest in existence??"
Ren responds gently. "I refuse."
Kasumi stares. "…Why?"
"I don't fight for nothing."
Kasumi instantly drops to his knees and grabs Ren's sleeve like a desperate beggar.
"Please, Hajime-san. Fight me. Please… just one match!"
Ren tries to pull away but Kasumi clings like a stubborn barnacle.
Miyuki, sighing in defeat. "Hajime-sama… please fight him. He'll bother us all day."
Ren softly exhales. "…Alright."
Kasumi fist-pumps the air like he just won the lottery.
Now, back to their fight.
Kasumi lunges at Ren with a fierce horizontal slash.
Ren dodges by casually leaning back a few centimeters, like avoiding a low-hanging branch. "You're not holding back."
Kasumi grins. "I'm not supposed to!!"
"That's good." Ren dodges another attack with annoying ease. "Because neither is the world."
Kasumi leaps back, panting. Tch… I can't even graze him. Time for my strongest move.
He inhales deeply—
"MIST BREATHING… SEVENTH FORM: OBSCURING CLOUDS!!"
Mist explodes everywhere, covering the field.
Miyuki waves her hand helplessly. "I can't see anything! Matsunaga-kun, are you alive??"
The mist clears—
Ren stands there calmly… holding Kasumi up by the back of his shirt like a misbehaving kitten.
In Ren's other hand… holding Kasumi's katana.
Kasumi's eyes widen. When… did he take my sword?
Ren gently sets him down on his feet.
"I wasn't trying to dominate you," Ren says. "You were simply pushing yourself."
Kasumi dusts himself off, then bows lightly. "No, Hajime-san. I knew I'd never defeat you… but losing to you is still an honor."
Ren didn't smile, but his gaze softened, almost like a quiet teacher watching his son grow.
At night.
The trio reached a village.
Thirst and fatigue pulled them toward a village. Lanterns flickered in the mist as they entered.
"Finally… we're here," Miyuki exhales, her lips dry from dehydration.
The villagers froze when they saw Ren — his presence alone stilled the wind. His calm steps, his unearthly eyes… the aura of someone who did not belong to this world.
An old man whispered, voice trembling. "I-It's him… Hajime-sama… the wandering god…"
Ren bowed politely. "I'm no god. Just a traveler seeking water."
Yet even his humility only made the villagers more certain.
They rushed forward with water, food, blankets, like worshippers fulfilling a ritual.
Kasumi accepted food with both hands, nearly crying. Miyuki bowed and thanked everyone, embarrassed but grateful.
Ren simply nodded, serene.
Some moments later.
As they sat under a lantern-lit roof, Miyuki looked at Ren.
"Are we staying here tonight?"
Ren nodded slightly. "Yeah. And we'll protect this place from demons, if there are any."
Just then, villagers hurried toward them, fear lining their faces.
An old man stepped forward, holding a lantern that shook in his hands. "H-Hajime-san… there is… a giant creature near here… No one can fight it. Please… help us."
Ren tilted his head. "A giant creature?—"
Suddenly—
The earth trembles.
A deep vibration rolled through the soil.
The entire village fell silent.
Ren stood up calmly. Kasumi stiffened. Miyuki clutched her spear.
The old man looked toward the mountains, voice breaking.
"…It's here."
A shadow stretched across the ground—massive, ancient. It swallowed the moonlight whole.
Then the shape rose.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher—
Until the stars themselves seemed small beside it.
A demonic dragon tore through the clouds, its scales blacker than midnight. Its wings spanned the sky like colossal curtains of darkness. The village beneath looked like ants scurrying under the feet of a titan.
Its roar came.
The heavens shook.
Lanterns burst. Children cried. Adults collapsed.
Kasumi whispered, barely breathing. "I've never… seen a demon this big. We're nothing to it…"
Then—
Its cosmic eyes ignited, twin red suns burning with ancient fury.
It scanned the land.
Saw the humans. Saw the village. Saw—
Ren.
The dragon froze mid-flight. Its wings faltered.
Its cosmic pupils dilated, as if staring at something far older and far more terrifying than itself.
Ren simply looked back.
Silent. Unblinking.
The dragon shuddered.
A sound like thunder rumbled through its enormous throat—
And then it turned and fled, its wings ripping the clouds open as it escaped into the horizon, as if running from death itself.
The sky cracked with its departure.
Silence followed.
Slowly, villagers crept out of their houses, trembling.
"D-Did he…"
"He banished the beast with a mere glance!"
"How is this even possible…?"
"Is he really… God…?"
Kasumi stared at Ren's calm face. He thinks. "Even the strongest and scariest opponents tremble before him… Will I ever reach that level too…?"
In the morning.
The sun rose softly over the misty rooftops as Ren, Kasumi, and Miyuki prepared to leave.
Before they could take even three steps, the villagers rushed forward, surrounding them like a protective ring.
Then, they all knelt.
"Hajime-sama… thank you for saving our village from that monster!"
Ren lifted a hand gently. "Please don't bow. I'm just human. And I haven't defeated it yet… The beast may return."
Fear flickered instantly across their faces.
"Then please… please kill it!"
"Save our village, Hajime-sama!"
Ren's voice remained calm, certain. "Don't worry. That demon will be dead tonight."
Hope bloomed across their faces like sunrise.
A few moments later.
The trio sat by a peaceful river outside the village, sunlight glinting off water like broken glass.
Kasumi poked at his reflection. "Hajime-san… what's going on with the demons lately?"
Miyuki said. "Honestly… they've evolved too far. They were never that big. That dragon last night… it might even be upper-moon level."
Kasumi snorted. "Upper moon? No chance. I could sense its aura… definitely stronger than lower moons, but nowhere near the upper moons. The Upper Moon Five I killed two years ago felt way scarier. But…"
He swallowed hard, turning to Ren.
"Hajime-san, how do we even kill that titan? I'm like a… bacteria to it. How is my tiny sword supposed to hurt something its size?"
Ren answered as if discussing the weather.
"You swing your sword at high enough speed. One precise strike is enough to kill any giant. If your blade moves faster than its body can react… it's over."
Kasumi blinked. "B-But how do I fight it?"
"Speed," Ren said simply. "If you're faster than your opponent, especially giants, you hold the advantage. The rest you'll learn while fighting it. Keep calm. Don't fear."
Kasumi steadied his breath. "I… understand."
From the side, Miyuki muttered, "Just don't get lost this time."
Kasumi's eyes twitched. "Shut up… I won't."
Miyuki chuckled behind her hand.
Moments later.
Kasumi stood alone by the riverbank, swinging his blade again and again.
The air hissed with each strike. Water rippled. Sweat rolled down his jawline.
He pushed himself like a man trying to outrun his own shadow.
Behind a cluster of trees, Ren silently watched.
His eyes traced every flaw, every opening, imbalance, wasted movement. Then traced how Kasumi corrected them. How each swing grew cleaner, faster, sharper.
Miyuki approached quietly.
"Hajime-sama… you're hiding behind a tree to watch him?" She smiled. "You can train him directly, like always."
Ren slowly shook his head.
"This time he doesn't need my guidance."
His gaze softened, barely noticeable but real. "He needs to find the answer himself. He will win in the end… I know that."
Miyuki's expression warmed. "I think… he'll be happy hearing that someday."
Hours later.
The sky glowed orange over the lake, the water turning into molten paint.
Kasumi stood unmoving in his stance, breathing slowly, blade poised.
Nearby lay a bucket of fried fish, untouched and already cold.
Miyuki approached him softly.
"You've been training nonstop… At least eat something. You'll collapse."
Kasumi lowered his sword slightly. "I didn't get the time. But… thank you for bringing it."
For a moment, the fading sunlight caught his face — exhausted, but burning with determination.
Miyuki's chest warmed.
He's really trying… He truly wants to grow stronger. I'm glad to see it.
She squints at him suspiciously. "Matsunaga-kun… what exactly were you training for?"
Kasumi stops mid-stretch, his soul visibly leaving his body. "…O-okay, listen. Before you get mad—"
"Matsunaga-kun."
He panics. "I wasn't training, alright!?"
She crosses her arms. "Then what were you doing?"
Kasumi inhales dramatically, like he's about to confess a crime.
"…I was daydreaming."
"…About?"
He looks away, cheeks slightly pink. "About how I'm gonna ride that dragon. Gracefully. Heroically. Maybe even stylishly. And if it disobeys me I'll, uh… punish it. Gently. Maybe. Probably not."
Her eyebrow twitches dangerously.
She quietly cracks her knuckles.
"…I can explain—"
BOOOOM
She slams him straight into the ground with enough force to shake the trees.
"WHAT KIND OF TRAINING IS THAT!?"
Half-buried in the dirt like a failed plant, Kasumi gives a small victory sign.
"At least… I didn't get lost this time…"
At night.
The last trace of sunlight vanished behind the mountains.
Kasumi stepped forward alone.
Behind him, Ren, Miyuki, and the villagers watched in tense silence.
The villagers' faces were tight with fear.
Ren's expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp, unwavering.
Kasumi kept walking until the darkness swallowed him.
He stopped when the sky turned pitch black.
A faint breeze brushed his hair.
Then—
RRRROOOOAAAARRRRR—!!
The roar tore the sky apart.
Villagers screamed and clung to each other. Lanterns swung violently. Even the animals fled the village.
Miyuki whispered, "It's coming…"
Above the moon, a shadow rose.
Its size dwarfed the mountains. Its eyes — twin voids of red-black — burned like collapsing stars. A massive trail of dark blue mist followed its body like the tail of an ancient comet.
A demonic dragon, colossal enough to crush the world beneath it.
Kasumi muttered, "…It's bigger than I imagined."
The dragon descended, wings tearing the clouds open.
Kasumi inhaled sharply— and leapt above.
"MIST BREATHING, FOURTH FORM: SHIFTING FLOW SLASH!"
In a flash of silver—
Kasumi reached the dragon's eye.
Even its eyeball was the size of a big house.
His blade sliced through it—
SHRRRING
—once, then twice.
The dragon screamed, a sound so massive the earth rippled.
It crashed into the ground like a falling star.
Mountains quivered. Stones rolled. Houses rattled.
Ren thinks, "He's adapting fast."
The dragon's eyes began regenerating, black flesh folding like ink in reverse.
Kasumi didn't wait, he sprinted forward.
"MIST BREATHING—!"
But the tail came first.
BOOOOOM
Kasumi barely thrust his blade into the tail, anchoring himself as the force tried to launch him to another country.
He dashed upward, jumping onto its back.
Running on the creature felt like sprinting across a landscape. Every scale was the size of a hill.
From the village, the people could see him—
a tiny white blur dancing on a living mountain.
The dragon roared and spread its wings—
Kasumi's blade flashed.
SLASH!
A wing fell.
Wind exploded outward like a hurricane as the wing crashed into the forest.
Kasumi slid down the collapsing wing, blade sparking against its scales.
His chest tightened.
"I've never fought anything this big… This is like stabbing a mountain with a sewing needle…"
The dragon stomped.
Kasumi was blasted away like a thrown pebble.
"Huh—!"
He flipped, landed, skidded—
Then the dragon opened its massive jaws.
A sea of fire roared toward him.
Kasumi's eyes widened, but he dodged in time. The flames burnt the entire forest behind him.
Before the inferno swallowed the whole forest—
A blur cut into the flame.
Miyuki joins the battle.
"SKY BREATHING—FINAL FORM!"
Miyuki descended like a falling star, spear spinning gracefully.
With a rapid series of cuts, she carved through the air.
Wind spiraled.
The burning forest extinguished in a single, beautiful storm.
The villagers gasped in awe.
Miyuki landed lightly, smirking. "Saved the forest. Now hurry up, Kasumi."
The dragon lunged.
Faster than any mountain-sized being had a right to be.
Kasumi dodged—barely.
The ground where he once stood split in half.
"It's fast too… seriously?"
The tail came again.
Kasumi wasn't quick enough.
WHAM—!!
The blow launched him into the sky.
High, high above the clouds.
Wind roared past his ears.
His vision widened.
Below him… the world looked small. The dragon looked like a dark continent.
Kasumi breathed softly.
"Up here… everything feels gentle. Like I'm floating in one of my daydreams."
Then the dragon opened its mouth again.
Kasumi's eyes sharpened.
He shifted into an aerial sword stance.
"This thing is strong… maybe even stronger than any Lower Moon. But it's still far from an Upper Moon."
The Mist Mark bloomed across his cheeks like drifting clouds— A Demon Slayer Mark.
Kasumi spun—
faster—
faster—
"MIST BREATHING—FIFTH FORM: SEA OF CLOUDS AND HAZE!!"
His body blurred into a spiral of white wind.
Just as the dragon swallowed him—
He changed direction mid-air like a streak of lightning.
SSSHHHHKKKK!!
A single slash from its jaw to its neck.
The dragon's scream split the night.
Its head detached—
fell—
and crashed into the valley.
THUUUUMPPPP—!!
The earth shook.
The body dissolved, collapsing like decayed stone.
Kasumi landed softly, sword sheathed.
He exhaled.
This was only fun as long as I hadn't adapted to fight its enormous size. I had never thought that defeating giants would be that easy.
Kasumi stared at the crumbling remains of the black titan. Its body dissolved like ash falling off a dying star.
But in that silence… one memory clawed into his mind.
The last time when he fought Jigen and the demon he once summoned—
Maharaurava.
A titan so immense it made mountains look like insects.
Kasumi swallowed.
Compared to that thing… this dragon is nothing. That monster he called… was far beyond anything my sword could ever reach. If that appeared again… I don't think I could win. Not yet.
His fingers trembled, but he hid it.
Footsteps approached.
Ren. Miyuki. And behind them, the villagers.
Their breaths caught.
Kasumi stood beside the dissolving corpse of the mountain-sized dragon, like a lone speck beside a fallen god.
When the last fragment of the dragon crumbled into black dust carried by the wind—
Kasumi walked forward, voice steady.
"Hajime-San, I've defeated the demon."
Ren smiled gently and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Well done, Matsunaga-Kun," he said softly. "There was never a moment where I imagined you losing."
Kasumi's heart warmed a little.
Miyuki crossed her arms with a playful sigh.
"Matsunaga-Kun, that wasn't impressive. It was just a weak demon."
Kasumi smirked. "But you couldn't defeat it. So I had to kill it myself."
Miyuki teases. "I didn't kill it because Hajime-Sama and I were too powerful. We had to give you a turn."
Ren sighed quietly, but with a smile.
Behind them…
The villagers dropped to their knees.
"O' heavenly gods. Thank you so much for saving insignificants like us…"
Ren immediately stepped forward, raising a hand.
"Please… lift your heads."
His voice was gentle, but somehow it resonated through the air like ancient truth.
"Please… raise your heads. I am not a god, nor someone to kneel before. I am only a traveler who happened to pass by. If I helped you, it's because every life deserves a chance to breathe.
That is all."
The old man says. "You're God to us. No mortal could defeat that beast. If you hadn't arrived, we would all be dead."
Ren says. "Gods don't walk these roads… only people do. Today it was Matsunaga-Kun who protected you. Remember him, not me."
Kasumi looked away, flustered.
Miyuki smiled faintly.
Then—
The World Changes
A low hum filled the air.
The wind stopped.
The sky darkened unnaturally.
BOOOOOM—!!
The atmosphere itself shook.
Villagers screamed. Animals bolted. Dust spiraled from the ground.
"What was that?!" Miyuki gasped.
Then—
Shadows moved in the sky.
No, not shadows.
Gigantic creatures.
Massive, malformed beings with wings like rotting galaxies. Eyes like burning voids. Bodies that twisted in ways no creature should.
They drifted across the heavens like living eclipses.
From the distant forests, the ground split open.
Mutated demons clawed their way out—some with ten legs, some with no faces, some oozing like liquefied nightmares.
From the rivers, dark, serpentine creatures rose, dripping black ichor.
A true cosmic horror, spreading across every direction.
Villagers ran behind Ren, Kasumi, and Miyuki, shaking, wailing.
"Hajime-Sama! What's happening?!"
"Please save us—please—!!"
Miyuki stared, horror gripping her voice.
"Are… are those really demons…? They're everywhere… in the sky, on the ground, below the water…
What happened to this world…?"