"This is... honestly kind of interesting," Ryuji muttered, staring at the golden flame dancing on his palm—the newly evolved Dragonfire.
What did it feel like?
Well... mostly just a color change.
The improvement in its healing properties could not be seen—mainly because he wasn't injured. That last strike had taken care of the yellow-robed giant in one blow.
And yet, he could still sense the same vibrant vitality radiating from it.
He turned to check on the others. Mai and the others, whose bodies had begun to dissolve under the starlight, were now slowly regenerating—bathed in the golden motes of light still drifting through the air.
To test it further, Ryuji made a small incision on his arm and let the golden Dragonfire lick over the wound.
The flame healed it almost instantly—no faster or slower than before. He even felt the temperature—it was the same as the old version.
But there was no doubt in his mind—this Dragonfire had evolved.
He just didn't know how yet.
Still, he could tell, deep down, something had changed.
"…This is kind of frustrating," Ryuji muttered, face darkening.
If it was just a color upgrade, wasn't that basically a skin change? Sure, the gold shimmer looked flashy—but if it didn't come with a stat boost, what was the point?
Well, no use complaining. Dragonfire's upgrade wasn't the most critical thing right now.
What mattered most—what truly puzzled him—was that he could suddenly understand the words of that monstrous giant in yellow… and that his body had somehow absorbed the starlight attacks.
Those beams—he knew the moment he saw them—they weren't the kind of thing the Demon Slayer Corps could deal with.
They weren't physical. They didn't blast or burn. They melted.
Instantly. Without discrimination.
Once touched, your body would begin to disintegrate.
It was ridiculous. Completely unfair.
No one from the Corps could survive that unless they'd slaughtered thousands of monsters beforehand and absorbed the World Power in its entirety.
If they tried now, they'd suffer the same fate as Shinobu and Mai—melted by the starlight.
These Boss- type monsters… they weren't just strong.
The first one had been weak to Dragonfire. This one's ultimate attack didn't work on Ryuji. He'd been lucky.
But looking around—the pitch-black water was now bubbling and rotting under the golden motes. The corrupted land was decaying further, the strange plants withering and collapsing. Even the strange creatures in the distance were dying off in droves—as if corroded by radiation or poison gas.
"…Wait. Radiation?"
Ryuji paused, blinking. He looked toward his backpack—he did have a Geiger counter, but it hadn't been activated.
Still… the way Shinobu and the others reacted? Their symptoms…
They really resembled those of radiation sickness.
After all, radiation damages DNA, which causes cells to break down rapidly—making people appear like they're melting.
Exactly what had happened to them.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
"That first monster area... there were all kinds of invasive alien lifeforms—each clearly overpowering local creatures."
"And here... it's all starlight. The yellow-robed guy's attacks felt exactly like high-level radiation. Plus, this whole area is undergoing an ecological transformation…"
Ryuji ran through the facts.
The goal of these monsters might not be to kill humans.
No—it might be to reshape the world into one they could live in.
Which would explain why fighting them on their own turf felt so unfair.
And their words…
The monster called him a "Fire Keeper." That had to be literal—he did have a skill called "Fire Keeper," and it even gave him partial authority over World Power. [1]
"So that means… someone in my party is the 'Purifier of the World'?"
He turned to glance at Tanjiro and Nezuko.
Tanjiro was frantically checking on his sister's condition, while Nezuko remained unconscious, her eyes shut tight.
But…
An immense life force was building inside her.
Even though she hadn't woken up, her body was brimming with the same power the yellow-robed giant had wielded—the power of the stars.
"…Wait. It's not Tanjiro?"
Ryuji had assumed it had to be him.
Tanjiro was the clear protagonist of Demon Slayer, after all. Maybe not as gifted as the legendary Yoriichi Tsugikuni, but he possessed a plethora of special traits—his nearly indestructible forehead, the ability to smell emotions and even images, and the gift to see spirits.
If anyone screamed "main character energy," it was him.
But now… Nezuko's current state—this evolution—told a different story.
"That makes sense too," Ryuji reasoned. "In the story, demons usually lose their will. But Nezuko not only kept hers—she overcame the sunlinght."
And if Tanjiro was telling the truth—that Nezuko could survive just by resting, without needing to eat—then maybe…
She was the true Purifier of the world.
Breathing techniques were merely methods to bridge the physical between humans and demons. But what could be more effective than a demon who:
• Didn't eat humans
• Wasn't afraid of sunlight
• And possessed limitless growth potential?
One look at her and it was obvious—she hadn't stopped evolving.
She just lacked energy.
And starlight…
That had to be the energy source.
"This world really does have its share of fail-safes, huh…" Ryuji whispered, watching the golden light swirl around her sleeping form.
He could practically see the script unfolding.
Those monsters they'd encountered earlier? Sure, they looked invincible, but they had to have weaknesses. The way things had played out, it was like a structured sequence: they cleared the monsters, absorbed the World Power, and then Nezuko encountered this yellow-robed enemy.
After everyone else collapsed under the monster's light, she absorbed the starlight—evolved—and retaliated with newfound strength, likely defeating another boss. Maybe even that writhing tentacle creature he'd seen before.
Of course, it could've gone the other way. Maybe she'd fight the tentacle monster first. Ryuji wasn't entirely sure.
But there was no doubt in his mind: Tanjiro and Nezuko were here under the guidance of the world itself.
"Fascinating…"
He chuckled softly.
The concept of "world will" wasn't new to him. He understood it as the collective will of a world's consciousness—something akin to Gaia—but even more mystical and abstract.
That said, he didn't really know the full picture. The only World Wills he'd encountered were the ones from 7 Days to Die and Demon Slayer.
And neither of those were in optimal condition.
The first had already been half-destroyed, on the verge of collapse. The second was actively under attack.
So whatever he knew… wasn't coming from a healthy system.
"But who's to say there can only be one World Purifier?" he murmured.
Ryuji took a deep breath, then glanced at his companions—his "harem."
Defeating the giant had made him stronger again—but he could feel it: this buff was world-limited. It only applied while he was inside this world.
Still, the "Genius" state had returned. His thoughts raced. Battle techniques, breathing styles, even the unique skills Mai had shown from her Shiranui-ryu style—they all began rapidly replaying in his mind, being analyzed, deconstructed, and absorbed.
Time hadn't passed much—barely a second or two.
He quickly stepped toward the fallen women and checked their condition.
"Any pain? Do you still feel uncomfortable now?"
Ryuji stretched out his hand. Golden Dragonfire flickered into existence and swept across their bodies.
Though it stung like hell, none of them—Mai, Shinobu, or Mitsuri—complained. All three shook their heads.
"I'm okay. Actually… I think I'm in better shape than before," Shinobu said, staring at her palm with astonishment.
She was right.
Even the injuries from wisteria poison—things Ryuji couldn't heal before—were now visibly better. While her power hadn't dramatically increased, the relief was undeniable. She felt lighter, freer—able to utilize more of her latent strength.
Mitsuri flexed her arm with a grin.
"I feel so much stronger!"
She beamed… but then looked up at the golden motes drifting from the sky, and her expression dimmed.
"…But I was totally useless."
Her words made both Shinobu and Mai fall silent.
It was the truth.
Against that monster, only Ryuji had been able to stand. The rest of them collapsed almost instantly. It should've been a group effort, a united front. But instead… he had fought alone.
Even if the enemy was overpowered, that bitter taste of helplessness was hard to swallow.
They hadn't even scratched it. Worse—they almost died.
But Ryuji knew better than to blame them.
"Don't think like that. That monster's attacks were just on a different level," he said gently.
He wasn't sure how to properly console them. Realistically, it wasn't like he was that far ahead of them. If ten or so Hashira-level fighters came at him at once, he'd still be in serious trouble.
In this fight, he'd had a ton of help from the world itself.
He wasn't blind. He'd noticed the unnatural wind that fanned his flames—that wasn't normal. And those golden motes? They restored stamina and healed injuries.
That's why he could use his ultimate moves without restraint.
Take that last sword strike, for example. He'd poured everything into it.
Under normal circumstances, after unleashing that much power, he'd have collapsed on the spot. The internal pressure alone would cause hemorrhaging. His reckless overuse of blood qi energy techniques would leave him bedridden for days.
But with the golden motes?
He was back to full strength in seconds.
Right now, his combat power was easily multiplied several times over.
When someone like him—was freed from the constraints of stamina, and could spam high-damage, AoE attacks without concern… yeah.
This was the result: overwhelming and unfair.
That move earlier, where he blanketed the forest in fire? Yeah—he'd never dare try something like that in other worlds.
Trying it in a normal environment?
That was basically suicide.
"…Honestly, if it weren't for those golden motes healing and replenishing my strength, I wouldn't have looked nearly as impressive. That last hit? That was my all-in. If I'd failed… I'd be toast right now."
Ryuji chuckled as he reached out and helped Mitsuri to her feet.
Of course, things weren't as dramatic as he let on—he still had World Power stored within him. If things went south, he could always retreat. Worst case? Reviving Mai and the others might take a bit more effort.
"You don't have to sugarcoat it," Shinobu said quietly. "Whether we're strong enough or not… we know the truth."
She shook her head, already mentally prepared for this outcome—but even so, she hadn't expected the gap to be so painfully wide.
At that moment, a panicked voice broke in. Tanjiro, still kneeling by Nezuko's unconscious body, called out to Ryuji.
"Um… Ryuji-sama! Nezuko—Nezuko still isn't waking up!"
Tanjiro's voice trembled with anxiety.
He himself had nearly died under that barrage of starlight. It was Nezuko who'd thrown herself in front of him, shielding him with her own body. Without her, he might have been vaporized.
Now, though Nezuko's wounds had clearly healed, she hadn't opened her eyes. Not even once.
It tore him up inside. He was supposed to be the one protecting his sister—not the other way around.
"You don't need to worry," Ryuji replied calmly. "She's evolving. In fact… she might not even be a demon after this."
Ryuji could feel it.
The vitality pulsing from Nezuko's body was undeniable. The unsettling "demonic" aura that had clung to her before? Gone—completely gone.
If he didn't already know she had been a demon, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference. She felt human.
"What…?" Tanjiro blinked in disbelief.
Then his nose twitched.
His face lit up with absolute joy.
"You're right! Her demon scent—it's gone!"
Overcome with emotion, Tanjiro gently placed his hand on Nezuko's neck, feeling the strong, rhythmic pulse of life running through her veins. His eyes welled with tears.
He hugged her tighter, and his ears picked up the sound—her heartbeat, growing stronger and steadier.
"This is…"
Shinobu furrowed her brows.
"…They were chosen, weren't they?" Ryuji murmured.
"Chosen?" she echoed.
"For this world. To stand against those monsters. Nezuko and Tanjiro… they're different. Special."
His words made Shinobu bite her lip and stay silent. She understood what he meant instantly.
She had always disliked Nezuko—because Nezuko was a demon. That alone was reason enough for her hatred.
But if Nezuko, through some twist of fate, could shed her demonhood… if she could be reborn as a true human—then wasn't that something to celebrate?
"…Still, I can't believe it. That golden light… it actually blessed a demon."
Shinobu's voice held both awe and conflict.
She remembered what Tengen had told her—about the demon that had fused with a yokai and reverted to human form after Ryuji killed it… only to die instantly under the sunlight.
And yet, here was Nezuko—being healed. Evolving.
"It's simple," Ryuji said. "They're still part of this world. Filthy or not—they exist here. That makes them valid."
Only—
"…But then…"
Shinobu sighed helplessly.
"What's wrong?" Ryuji asked.
"The next time you say something that deep and serious," she muttered, "can you not grope my ass while doing it? I really don't want to make out with you in a setting like this."
Ryuji didn't even flinch. He gave her backside another two casual squeezes before replying, "Alright. I'll keep that in mind."
"…You're impossible."
Shinobu covered her face, utterly exasperated.
~~~~~~~~~~
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[1] (Mentioned in ch137)