Two days earlier.
Midnight Winter stood still in place. The world had stopped breathing.
A pale mist drowned the land, thick and unmoving, as though even the air feared motion.
Blood coated the ground in vast, dark pools. It clung to his boots, warm and viscous, as if reluctant to cool. Human remains lay scattered without pattern—limbs twisted at impossible angles, faces locked in final expressions that never finished becoming screams.
There were dozens.
At the center of it all stood Jigen.
He did not move. Blood drenched his body and hair, running in slow trails down his frame, yet none of it seemed to belong to him. His long hair drifted gently in the cold, unnatural air, as if the world itself exhaled only for him.
"Boss…" His voice came out quieter than intended. "Tell me… when should I kidnap the Japanese president? Just give the word."
Jigen did not turn.
His voice answered him anyway—calm, distant. "Whenever we return to Japan."
The mist thickened.
"Kidnapping a president is not a deal," Jigen continued, "My true objective lies elsewhere… I want to meet Yoriichi. He is the only challenge that exists.
Find him."
Midwinter nodded immediately. "I will. But… when will you come there yourself?"
A pause.
Long enough for the blood to finish settling.
"I don't know," Jigen replied.
He finally shifted, just slightly, turning his gaze toward the mist-veiled horizon. His crimson eyes glowed ominously, piercing the thick mist.
"Until then… continue these missions for me."
Now.
Present time.
At night.
A quiet stretch of land lay under the stars, far too peaceful for Kasumi's liking. Kasumi and Miyuki walked side by side, their footsteps the only sound cutting through the stillness.
Kasumi yawned. "Hajime-san is still helping others," he said lazily. "Does that man even understand the concept of rest? He should take a break at least once."
Miyuki nodded, her tone soft as ever. "That's why he's called a savior… and we're just side characters."
Kasumi glanced at her. "That sounded oddly insulting."
Miyuki smiled faintly. "It was accurate."
Kasumi scoffed. "So what, you're saying we're lazy?"
"Yes," Miyuki answered immediately.
Miyuki continued calmly. "We roam around hoping demons will appear on their own. Even then, we rarely find any. Frankly, we're terrible at our job. But Hajime-Sama… he is perfect."
But no sound came, only her footsteps echoing. She stayed silent.
After a few moments, she finally breaks the silence. "Matsunaga-kun…? I hope it's not what I'm thinking…"
She turned around, but he wasn't there.
"He's… he's lost again. Even Hajime-San isn't here to find him."
Miyuki broke into a run, her spear clenched tightly in her hand.
"Matsunaga-kun!" she called out, frustration and concern mixing in her voice. "I swear, every time you get lost, something terrible happens!"
A few moments later.
The mountains swallowed all sound. Miyuki reached the ridge, breath steady despite the incline. She scanned the fog-choked terrain.
Nothing.
Then—
Her eyes caught something dark soaking into the soil.
Blood.
Her body moved before her thoughts did. She sprinted.
The ground ahead was stained red, bodies scattered like broken dolls. Demon slayers—ripped apart, limbs twisted at impossible angles, weapons snapped in half.
Her grip tightened around her spear.
Then—
Two white orbs ignited in the darkness.
Footsteps.
A tall silhouette stepped forward, metal glinting beneath moonlight.
"...Have you seen Ren Hajime?"
The voice was flat. Mechanical. Empty.
Midnight Winter emerged fully from the mist.
A military boonie hat shadowed his face. His skin shimmered like polished steel. A black coat draped over a white shirt, his towering frame radiating pressure alone.
Miyuki lowered her stance.
"Tell me first," she said coldly, "who are you?"
"It doesn't matter," he replied, eyes glowing brighter. "I'm looking for the legendary demon slayer. You know him."
He took one step forward. "Tell me where he is."
Her eyes hardened. "And if I refuse?"
"Then you die."
The air warped.
Kanji flared in both his eyes—
Upper Six.
Her breath hitched—only for a fraction of a second.
Ah… so that's what you are.
She lunged.
Her spear sliced toward his neck—
CLANG.
His arm reshaped instantly, steel pistons locking into place as he blocked it effortlessly.
"So you've chosen death," he said calmly. "Very well."
He shoved the spear aside and threw a hook punch—
Miyuki snapped her arm up.
CRACK.
She parried barehanded. Pain shot through her bones, but she didn't flinch.
His eyes widened. "…You parried that?"
She leapt backward, sliding across the dirt. "Why are you looking for Hajime-sama?"
"So you do know him." His arm reshaped again, metal shifting violently. "I have orders."
"From who?"
The answer came in fire.
His arm morphed into a rocket launcher. "This time… I won't fail."
The rocket screamed forward—far too fast.
BOOM.
The explosion tore the mountain apart, flames blooming five times larger than any ordinary blast.
The shockwave obliterated trees. Smoke swallowed everything. Then—
A blur cut through the fire.
Miyuki materialized behind him. Her spear slashed diagonally—
Midnight Winter twisted midair, spinning as his leg snapped toward her skull in a lethal arc.
In an instant—
She released one hand.
Regripped. Redirected.
The spear shaft intercepted the kick by a hair's breadth.
Without pause, she flowed upward— Her blade ripped clean through his torso.
Metal split. Organs shredded. Blood sprayed.
His eyes flared wide. "What—?! What martial art is this?"
Midair, his legs reshaped into compressed springs—
BOOM.
He launched himself high into the air. She's more skilled than the Flower Hashira… But Lord Jigen never mentioned her.
His shoulders split open. Missile ports unfolded. A storm of warheads screamed down.
Miyuki inhaled. "Sky Breathing, Fourth Form — Unwavering Sky."
She moved.
Not dodging—flowing.
Her body zigzagged through the barrage, spinning, gliding, footsteps light as clouds shifting across the heavens.
Explosions chased her shadow. None touched her.
Some moments later.
Miyuki stood her ground, slightly injured, posture unbroken.
Midnight Winter watched her closely. I've never seen a human like this, he thought.
She might be even stronger than the Flower Hashira.
"You are a formidable opponent," he said at last. "Your master must be exceptional."
He took a slow step forward. "But you still haven't answered me," he continued calmly. "Who is Ren Hajime to you?"
Miyuki raised her spear slightly. "That's none of your business."
Her eyes sharpened. "Even if you're nothing compared to him, I still won't allow you to see him. You're a bad person. You're dangerous."
"You call me dangerous," Midnight Winter replied, advancing, "yet you stand in front of me while injured."
Her breathing steadied.
Now, she thought, it's time to end this battle quickly.
Crimson, cloud-like markings began to bloom across her hands—creeping toward her cheeks.
The Demon Slayer Mark awakened.
And then—
"Hey."
Both of them froze.
"Why are you guys fighting?" Kasumi dropped down from a rock outcrop, hands in his pockets, head tilted in genuine confusion.
The mark vanished instantly.
Silence.
Two pairs of eyes turned toward him at the exact same time.
Kasumi blinked. "…Uh. Did I interrupt something?"
Miyuki snapped. "WHERE THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GO?!"
Kasumi winced. "Calm down. I just went to get some sunlight."
She stared at him. "…Sunlight. At midnight?"
"Yeah," he nodded seriously. "Couldn't find any... Weird, right…?"
She grabbed his collar. "DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO THAT IS?!" she yelled, pointing behind her. "HE'S ASKING ABOUT HAJIME-SAMA… HE WANTS TO KIDNAP HIM!"
Kasumi froze. "…Kidnap Hajime-san?"
Then— He burst out laughing.
"You're serious?" he said between giggles. "Miyuki-san, you're way too innocent."
Midnight Winter frowned.
Kasumi wiped a tear from his eye. "No one is born to kidnap that man." He pointed vaguely toward the horizon.
"Even if Muzan himself and all the Upper Moons line up together, they'd still lose badly."
He smiled, calm and absolute.
"He's the warrior who can't be hunted."
Midnight Winter stiffened. Kidnap… that monster? Who said I planned to do something so stupid?
Miyuki spoke, calm and unhurried. "The demon standing in front of you… is an Upper Moon."
Kasumi blinked. "…Upper Moon?"
She added, almost casually—
"Upper Moon Six."
Silence fell.
Kasumi exhaled slowly, as if weighing something trivial. Then his gaze snapped to Midnight Winter—no humor left in his eyes.
"Alright," he said flatly. "Step aside, Miyuki-san. He's my prey."
He rested a hand on his katana. "I swore to kill every Upper Moon… and Muzan Kibutsuji himself. You're already on my list."
Miyuki walked to a tree and sat beneath it, resting her back against the trunk—completely relaxed, like a spectator at a street fight.
Midnight Winter advanced, his presence heavy. "What are you to Ren Hajime?"
Kasumi didn't flinch.
"We're his disciples. I'm Kasumi Matsunaga. And that girl is Miyuki."
Midnight Winter's voice hardened. "I don't want to waste time on children. Tell me where your master is."
Kasumi smiled faintly. "You're asking like we'd just point the way, sit back, and watch you die trying."
Then his smile faded. "Besides… you're not leaving alive anyway."
In a blink—
Midnight Winter spun. His heel smashed into Kasumi's temple.
Before Kasumi could hit the ground, Midnight Winter seized his oversized black haori and slammed him down with brutal precision—like a judo throw meant to end lives.
CRACK.
The earth fractured beneath Kasumi's body.
"You've overestimated yourself," Midnight Winter said coldly. "I have no interest in you. You're weak."
He leaned closer. "Tell me where Ren Hajime is. I might let you live."
Kasumi stayed silent.
Miyuki, watching lazily, spoke. "Be careful."
Midnight Winter turned his head slightly. "You should've warned him sooner. It's pointless now."
She smiled—soft, unsettling. "I wasn't talking to him."
His brows twitched. "…What?"
Her voice dropped—calm, sharp, merciless.
"You've fought demon slayers. Hashira. Even me. But he's different. He's the most talented among us. The most skilled disciple of Ren Hajime, the strongest man in the world."
Midnight Winter stiffened.
"He killed Upper Moon Five when he was a kid," she said quietly. "And you're only Upper Moon Six."
His eyes widened.
So this is one of them… One of the five Lord Jigen warned me about… Someone even he acknowledges…
Then—
Kasumi stood up.
Like nothing had happened. No blood. No stagger.
He brushed dust from his haori, disappointed.
"…That's it?" he muttered. "I was hoping that'd at least knock me out."
He placed his hand firmly on his katana. "What a letdown."
His eyes sharpened—pure intent. "I'm ready to slay another Upper Moon."
A pause.
"After this… I'll only have four left."