Then, we met again.
Same glowing figure, same blinding presence but this time, I didn't bother with greetings. I crossed my arms, stared him down, and said,
"You accidentally sent me into a bug invested world, huh?"
They he, she, whatever floated there like some smug spirit. "Well, yeah. My bad. Good news is... I'm giving you another life."
"Great. This time, I want to live longer this time."
"Deal," they said, like it was some game. But of all the worlds to be thrown into... why Demon Slayer?
My new life didn't start easy. My parents were slaughtered right in front of me. Torn apart by a demon. I would've died too, if not for him Grandpa Jigoro. One clean strike and the monster was gone. Just like that.
I was shaking, covered in blood and dirt, but I begged him. "Train me. Please. I want to become a Demon Slayer."
He saw something in me, I think. Took me in, trained me under his roof. Somehow, I ended up taking the place of his original student the one meant to inherit Thunder Breathing and betray him in the end.
And for a while, things went well. Grandpa Jigoru even got another discipline that was Zenitsu. He was... annoying, but kind-hearted. Scared out of his wits most of the time, but reliable when it counted. Or so I thought.
Until the night he changed.
Zenitsu became a demon. He gave up his humanity just to survive. I couldn't believe it. Neither could Grandpa. To atone for what he saw as his failure, Grandpa Jigoro took his own life. That day, I lost my mentor... and my friend.
I snapped.
I went on a rampage that night. I hunted demons for weeks no sleep, no food, just blind fury. I was desperate to find Zenitsu and end him with my own hands.
Sanemi the Wind Hashira was the one who stopped me. "Enough," he told me, slamming me into the ground when I tried to leave again. "Lord Ubuyashiki's is ordering you to return."
I hated him for it at the time. But he saw through me. He knew I wasn't done fighting I just needed direction. So, he made me his Tsuguko. His successor.
Years passed. Under Sanemi's brutal training, I mastered Wind Breathing, while still honing my Thunder Breathing. Over time, something new began to form. Tempest Breathing, a style born from the storm inside me. I couldn't master the other breathing styles, but I studied them all, using their principles as the foundation for my own.
In time, I earned the title of Hashira.
The story played out close to how I remembered it. But I made changes where I could. I saved Rengoku during the Mugen Train incident. I protected Muichiro in the Swordsmith Village. I fought to keep people alive.
Then came the final battle.
Zenitsu... he'd become Upper Moon Five. I never thought I'd see the day when the one who used to tremble behind me would stand as one of the demons we swore to destroy.
But there he was, his hair darker, eyes colder, that same lightning still crackling around him. But this time, it wasn't meant to protect. It was meant to kill.
I didn't hesitate. I couldn't afford to.
The Zenitsu I knew... he was already gone.
And so, I faced him. Not as a friend. Not as a fellow disciple. But as a Hashira.
The battle was fast, blinding flashes of yellow light and roaring wind clashing across the field. He was stronger than I ever remembered. But so was I.
In the end, I used his own technique against him. The move he created in the anime, the one that defined him.
Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami.
The dragon of lightning roared down and decapitated him. I killed him with my own hands.
And as the dust settled, I stood there my heart heavy, hands shaking. Not because of the battle.
But because I had just buried the last piece of the boy I once remembered...
---
Muzan was trapped. He had nowhere to run. Every Hashira and every remaining slayer surrounded him under the light of the rising sun. For a moment, I thought we had won. But I was wrong.
Muzan was still too powerful. Even though we all fought together, he cut through our lines like it was nothing. Slayers fell one after another.
But in the end, we won.
It wasn't a clean win.
In that final battle, we all awakened the Demon Slayer Mark. It made us stronger, but it also put a curse on us. We would all die before we reached 25.
I was already 24. At first, I was so angry. I survived this hell for 24 years, and now I would die soon anyway. It felt like everything I had fought for was worthless.
Gyomei died that day. Shinobu had already followed her canon fate, sacrificing herself with a smile to poison Doma. And me? I was next.
For that year I just did what I wanted to do, travel the world, got some new hobbies and not worrying about anything.
That year I attended Mitsuri and Obanai's wedding. She cried the whole time. He smiled for the first time. It was beautiful and in the same time it was painful.
I visited Grandpa Jigoro's grave. The others, too. Cleaned their tombstones. Sat there in silence for hours. Told them everything. Told them we did it, we beat Muzan. That the night was finally over.
With the demons gone, the Corps disbanded. The swords were laid down. The fight… was over.
I spent my final months just roaming around the world.
Then one day, under a sky without blood or fear… I closed my eyes for one final time.
---
And just like that, I was back.
In front of them.
That smug, glowing being just floating there like they hadn't just ruined my afterlife.
I let out a long sigh. "You really suck at picking worlds, you know that?"
They chuckled, spinning mid-air like a lazy leaf. "Hey, you did beat Muzan in the end. I was even surprised that you'd made your own breathing style and a plus you did live longer"
I glared at them. "You threw me into fucking Demon Slayer"
They shrugged. "Well I'll apologize for that one but hey you freed humanity from the demonic threat and saved countless of humans along the way. I'll even say you saved Japan"
A loud POP went off as they blasted a party popper in my face.
Confetti rained down.
"For that," they said, "I won't use the wheel this time. I'll let you pick."
A bingo ball machine materialized beside them, clacking and spinning. Balls popped out, each labeled with a world.
Clack.
The first one popped out. I picked it up and read the label.
"High School DxD."
I blinked. "…The one with the pervert who gets stronger by groping boobs?"
The being nodded. "A classic."
I raised an eyebrow. "So I'd have to fight literal gods and dragons while half-naked to survive?"
They gave me a thumbs-up. I slowly put that ball down.
Clack.
"The Qwaser of Stigmata."
I squinted. "Wait, isn't that the show where powers are fueled by drinking breast milk?!"
The being grinned innocently. "Magical calcium."
I recoiled and shoved the ball back into the tray like it burned my hand. "Pass."
Clack.
"School Days."
"…You're joking."
"Nope," they said cheerfully.
"That's the one where everyone ends up dead because of a love triangle, right?"
"Multiple endings. Mostly bad."
"Hard pass."
Clack.
"Yosuga no Sora."
I stared at the ball.
"…I don't even know how to describe this one."
"Forbidden love in the countryside."
"Why is incest one of the options?!"
They shrugged. "I don't make the world's. I just collect them. I even selected this one since you said this was a masterpiece"
"Wait...you read my steam page...?"
The being smirked "All of it"
I placed the ball down very gently, like it might explode.
Clack.
"Wonder Egg Priority."
I held the ball for a moment. The title sounded nice.
"…Wait. Isn't this the one where girls fight trauma monsters while dealing with suicide, depression, and existential horror?"
"Yep. And the animation's gorgeous!"
I stared at the being.
They stared back.
I put it down without a word.
Clack.
"Berserk."
I paused.
"…This is just suffering."
"Beautiful, gritty suffering."
"I'd die in five minutes. That world is built to break people."
"True, but hey, you might get a sword the size of a car."
"Nope. Not worth the trauma."
I slid the ball away like it was cursed.
Clack.
"Higurashi."
My eye twitched.
"…You want me to live in a world where people go crazy, kill each other with knives, and repeat it endlessly like a torture loop?"
"Some arcs are wholesome!"
"Some doesn't count when the rest is murder and paranoia!"
Another hard pass.
Clack.
"Made in Abyss."
I didn't even hesitate. I chucked that ball back into the machine like it was radioactive.
"NOPE. I saw what happens down there. I don't need more trauma."
"Are you sure? The scenery is lovely."
"So are the nightmares. Next."
Clack.
"Monster."
I picked it up. The name alone made my stomach sink.
"Ah yes," the being said. "A realistic psychological thriller about a surgeon and a literal sociopath. No magic. Just cold-blooded manipulation and murder."
I stared at the ball in my hand.
"Boku no Pico—"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT." I smacked the ball off the tray like it was cursed.
The being snorted. "C'mon! If there's a hole—"
"—THERE'S A WAY, I KNOW! Don't you dare finish that sentence!"
They held up their hands, laughing. "Okay, okay! That one's just for the memes." as he threw it a trashcan nearby.
Then rolled in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
I leaned closer. "Wait, this one's not that bad…"
The being grinned. "Exactly! Slice of life, fun school shenanigans—"
"—with a girl who's secretly God, and if I mess up her mood, the world ends."
"…Details," they muttered.
Another ball rolled in with a soft clink.
"Re:Zero."
I took a step back. "No."
"But—"
"No."
"Wait listen, I'll even make you Subaru! I'll throw in a bonus extra good looks, faster respawn times, even let you remember your deaths a little less painfully!"
I crossed my arms. "So… I get to suffer repeatedly, die in horrible ways, scream in trauma, get gaslit by witches, and cry in fetal position every arc… but hotter?"
"Yes! Sounds awesome, right?"
I gave him a deadpan stare. "Put it back in the machine."
He groaned like I'd just canceled Christmas.
The next ball clattered out of the machine.
"Terra Formars."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is that the one with the muscle-bound cockroaches that rip people in half?"
The being smiled way too cheerfully. "Yup! But you'll get bug powers!"
"Fucking pass, I've already died fighting bugs not doing it again..."
"Come on, it's space exploration! Genetic enhancements! Interplanetary war!"
"And cockroaches that look like bodybuilders in Halloween masks."
"You could be the guy with wasp powers! He was pretty cool."
"He died screaming...."
"…Right. Moving on."
Then came the next ball. This one rolled in slowly, like it knew it was cursed.
"Euphoria."
The moment I read the title, my face contorted into horror. "Is this the one where—"
"Yes."
"No. No no no no."
"Just think about it high stakes, psychological horror, locked rooms, and puzzles!"
"With torture. And vomit. And very illegal activities."
The being leaned in. "You could be the mastermind this time."
"I'd rather take my chances with the roided-up cockroaches!"
The being pretended to wipe a tear. "You're breaking my heart."
I pointed at the ball. "Burn that thing."
"It's indestructible."
"Then delete it, microwave it, launch it into the sun!"
I sighed "…Why do you have so many murder-worlds?"
They shrugged again. "People don't appreciate fluff anymore."
I sighed, slumped in my seat, and looked down at the tray full of psychological torment, harem chaos, and existential breakdown.
Each one worse than the last. Either I'd die, go insane, or end up in therapy if that even existed in those worlds.
I ran a hand through my hair, shoulders heavy with exhaustion. A few hours looking at each individual ball.
"…You know what?"
The being tilted its glowing head. "Hmm?"
"I'm too tired for this. I've died twice, I've fought giant bugs, I've fought demons, saved people, watched others die… Screw it."
I closed my eyes.
"Let fate decide."
I reached into the tray and picked a random bingo ball, feeling its smooth surface roll into my palm.
When I opened my eyes, I didn't even check what it said.
I just handed it over.
The being stared at it in silence. Then it burst out laughing.
"Bwahahaha! Oh man, you really just left it to chance?!"
"...What? What did I get?"
They wiped an imaginary tear from their eye. "Don't worry, man. I won't drop you in the middle of an orphanage surrounded by psychopaths or anything."
"That's not comforting to hear" I said flatly.
They chuckled, tossing the ball up and catching it like it was a toy. "Relax. I'll give you a good background this time. You'll have fun."
Before I could get a word in, the cards shimmered back into view, floating in front of me like glowing tarot.
The figure snapped his fingers. "Ah, almost forgot about these."
He casually shuffled the deck with one hand, the cards flipping and spinning mid-air before returning neatly to his palm.
"I was supposed to give you these earlier. You know... what the kids call 'em these days…" He paused, frowning thoughtfully. Then, with a flashy spin of the cards that made them fan out midair and return with a click, he grinned. "Ah, right cheats."
I blinked. "Cheats?"
"Yep! Since you've died three times now," he said, mocking me with a smug look. "You get five cheats. Three make up for the lives I accidentally forgot to give you. The fourth is for your upcoming journey. And the fifth one…" He leaned in with a grin. "...a freebie. Think of it as a 'my bad' bonus."
I scowled. "So I could've survived Bug Island if you gave me even one of those cheats?"
He shrugged. "Eh. Not really sure, to be honest."
"What do you mean 'not sure'? What if I got, like, a super overpowered ability?"
"It doesn't work like that," he said, twirling a card between his fingers. "Cheats are scaled to match the world you're going to. Gotta be balanced, you know?"
He began pacing, arms crossed, deep in thought. "Let's say you got thrown into the world of Devil May Cry. The cheat would have to be strong enough to keep you alive there. But it also depends on your ability to use that power."
"So what? In Bug Island, I'd get… what? Super strength?"
"Maybe a martial arts skill. Something practical, not flashy. But with the kind of enemies there? Giant centipedes, wasps the size of cars? Most of them could've speed-blitzed you anyway. Honestly, the only reason you lasted that long was thanks to your girlfriend."
I paused, thinking about Mutsumi.
"…Fair point."
"But enough about that," he said, waving the thought away as he laid the cards down on a table that appeared out of nowhere. "Go on. Pick your cheat."
I sighed and flipped the first one.
Yukihira Style – Food Wars
Skill Description:
A wild, unorthodox cooking style that makes food so good, it literally blows people's clothes off.
A dramatic swirl of light revealed the card art: knives, flames, and a smug teenager in a headband.
"…You serious?" I asked,
The being snorted but said nothing, clearly enjoying himself.
I flipped the next card.
Golden Rule – Fate/Grand Order
Skill Description:
The user is destined for a life of unimaginable wealth. It enhances their fortune, making them absurdly lucky with money and resources. Wealth will always come easily, and money troubles will never exist for the user. It's like being the universe's financial golden child.
As the light faded, it revealed a golden-framed card. A smug figure in white and gold robes stood amid floating coins and overflowing treasure chests.
He raised an eyebrow as I looked at it.
"Oh? That's interesting," he mused with a smirk. "Fortune and resources… might be handy in your next life."
I rolled my eyes.
I pulled the third card.
Craftsman - Tensura
Skill Description:
A creator's divine gift, Craftsman allows the user to design, forge, and build anything they can imagine, limited only by available materials and their own creativity. From weapons and armor to enchanted gear and complex structures, this skill empowers limitless innovatio
Sub-Skills:
– Omni Analysis: Instantly analyzes items and can recreate them using available materials.
– Spatial Storage: A pocket dimension to store tools, materials, and creations.
– Transmutation: Alters and upgrades materials for example, turning scrap into high-grade ingots. Essential for forging.
The being nodded. "Craftsman, huh? Not to shabby."
I frowned. "I mean… cool and all, but I was kinda hoping for Beelzebub."
The being burst out laughing. "You're really pushing it! Don't be greedy now."
Then I drew the next card.
Zenos Character Card – The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows
A soft blue light glowed from the card, steady and quiet. The art showed some guy in robes, hands glowing as he stood over a bunch of injured people, everyone else standing because of him.
"Zenos?" I frowned, flipping it over. "Never heard of him."
The being leaned back, grinning. "An underated protagonist if you ask me but trust me. A great support type. The man can make barriers, cast reinforcement magic, regenerate limbs.
"At least I won't be dying anytime soon."
Then I flipped the last one.
Megumin Character Card – Konosuba
The second I saw her name, I groaned. "Ugh. Megumin? Really?"
The being lost it, practically wheezing. "Bwahaha c'mon! Don't be like that!"
I shook my head. "She's the definition of glass cannon. One shot, then she faceplants. Hell, I'd even take Darkness at this point!"
Still chuckling, the being waved his hand. "Okay, okay, sure. But you got to give her a chance"
I raised a brow. "What, did she finally figured out to increase her mana stat?"
"NOPE but she mastered the Explosion spell to the max. She doesn't need to chant anymore, can go full power instantly thanks to High-Speed Incantation. Her mana pool's insane now, her explosions is big enough to engulf a mountain."
I stared at him. "…And I'm supposed to believe she doesn't fall over anymore?"
"Oh, she still does," the being said, barely hiding his grin. "You cast Explosion, you're gonna need someone to drag you away."
I sighed "…Guess I'll make it work."
"Well," he said, collecting the cards into a neat pile, "now that you've got your loadout, it's time for you to enter the next world."
He paused, fingers hovering midair, eyes glinting.
"And hey… try not to die this time. I'm running out of retries."
I narrowed my eyes. "Where am I going?"
They winked. "You'll find out when you wake up."
The world around me began to glow. My body started to dissolve into light, particles lifting into the air.
"Wait, at least tell me—!"
"Too late!" the being laughed. "Good luck!"