~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
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"Kuroha, we've been traveling for two straight days. How much farther to Corps Headquarters??"
"CAW! Almost there! Almost there! Just over the mountain! Over the mountain!" The crow circled overhead, his voice carrying down through the evening air.
"You said that yesterday!" Kaidō called back, exasperation bleeding into his tone. Not that complaining would change anything—when the Master summoned you, you came. Even if it meant hiking halfway across Japan.
...
Night fell like a curtain dropping over a stage.
Kaidō was passing through a small village when the system's voice echoed through his mind, stopping him mid-stride.
[Ding! New Quest Available.]
[Quest: Eliminate Lower Rank Six—Kamanue.]
[Rewards: Permanent Demon Slayer Mark, Enhanced Body Reinforcement Serum x1, Random Interdimensional Energy 5-15%]
[Failure Penalty: -10% Interdimensional Energy]
Wait... WHAT?
"A quest? Right now?" Kaidō's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the village ahead. "Lower Rank Six is here? In this tiny backwater?"
His mind raced through everything Urokodaki had taught him about the Twelve Kizuki. The Upper Ranks were genuine monsters—Hashira-level threats that could slaughter entire squadrons. But the Lower Ranks, while dangerous, were still within reach of skilled swordsmen.
A competent Hashira could kill a Lower Rank demon. The question was whether Kaidō qualified as "competent" yet.
"I've trained for months. Mastered Dragon Breathing. Survived the Final Selection. I can handle a Lower Rank." He paused, reconsidering. "Probably. Maybe. God, I hope so."
But the rewards—
A permanent Demon Slayer Mark. The power-up that turned good swordsmen into legends, amplifying physical abilities to superhuman levels. In the original story, unlocking it meant sacrificing your lifespan—no marked warrior lived past twenty-five.
[System Response: The Mark's side effects have been completely removed. No lifespan reduction will occur.]
"Seriously??" Kaidō nearly shouted aloud before catching himself. "Holy shit, System, you're a lifesaver! Literally!"
System: [(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧]
The Enhanced Body Reinforcement Serum was nice too, but the real prize was the Interdimensional Energy. Eight percent if he won—bringing his total to twenty-three percent.
But ten percent lost if he failed.
That stung. Interdimensional Energy wasn't easy to come by—it was his ticket home, his one chance to see his family again. This wasn't just a quest. This was a gamble with stakes he couldn't afford to lose.
"No pressure or anything," he muttered, adjusting the greatsword on his back. "Just my entire future riding on one fight."
...
The village was eerily quiet.
Seven, maybe eight houses total—a tiny farming community tucked into the mountains where civilization barely reached. This far from major towns, the population would be sparse. Maybe a dozen people at most.
But something was wrong.
"No lights. No voices. Not even dogs barking." Kaidō's instincts screamed warnings his conscious mind was still processing. "It's nighttime—someone should be awake. There should be something..."
The surrounding forest pressed close, trees swaying in the wind like skeletal fingers. Every rustle of leaves made his hand drift toward his sword. The air itself felt wrong—heavy with an unnamed dread that made his skin crawl.
It reminded him of being watched by a predator. That primal awareness that something dangerous had marked you as prey.
"Kuroha!" He gestured to his crow. "Scout the area. If you spot anything unusual, report back immediately."
"Understood!" The crow took flight, disappearing into the darkness.
Kaidō moved deeper into the village, every sense on high alert.
The further he walked, the more convinced he became that something terrible had happened here. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was the silence of a tomb.
He approached the first house, raising his hand to knock—
The smell hit him like a physical blow.
Blood.
Faint, but unmistakable. The metallic tang of spilled blood mixing with something else. Something rotten.
His right hand closed around the greatsword's handle. "Hello?" His voice carried through the stillness. "Is anyone home? I'm a traveler looking for shelter for the night."
No response.
He tried the door. Unlocked.
The moment he pushed it open, the smell intensified a hundredfold—a wave of copper and decay that nearly made him gag. Moonlight spilled through the doorway, illuminating the scene inside.
Bodies. Or what was left of them.
Limbs scattered across the floor. Blood pooled in the corners, already starting to congeal. The walls were painted with arterial spray. It looked like someone had detonated a bomb made of human beings.
"Oh god..." Kaidō stumbled backward, hand clamped over his mouth. His stomach heaved. For a moment, he thought he'd actually vomit.
He'd known intellectually that demons killed people. He'd seen the Hand Demon's victims during the Final Selection. But this was different. This was a family home—probably parents and children—torn apart and scattered like trash.
He forced himself to breathe through his nose, swallowing the bile rising in his throat. "Get it together. You're a Demon Slayer now. This is the job."
But knowing that didn't make it easier.
After several long seconds, he regained enough composure to check the other houses. Each one told the same story. Massacre. Slaughter. An entire community erased in a single night.
"Bastard," Kaidō whispered, rage replacing nausea. "Whoever did this... they treated human lives like they meant nothing."
Suddenly—
"Hello there, little snack!"
Kaidō spun, greatsword already leaving its sheath. The blade carved through the air in a deadly arc—
His target leapt backward, landing in a crouch several feet away. "Whoa! Close one! You almost tagged me there!"
Now Kaidō could see him clearly.
A demon with a kanji character carved into his left eye: Lower Six. His forehead bore markings resembling the character for "WORK". And in one hand, he casually held a severed human arm, blood still dripping from his mouth.
"Lower Rank Six—Kamanue."
"Oh? Someone actually recognizes me!" The demon's grin widened. "You must be with the Demon Slayer Corps. And such delicate features too... I bet you taste amazing."
"The people in this village." Kaidō's voice was cold, controlled. "You killed them all, didn't you?"
"Every last one!" Kamanue laughed, taking another bite from the arm. "They should be honored, really. Becoming food for one of the Twelve Kizuki? That's a privilege most humans never experience! Their sacrifice makes me stronger—they should thank me!"
Rage burned through Kaidō's veins like molten iron. But he kept it leashed, channeled it into focus rather than letting it control him. This was his first real fight against a Lower Rank demon. If he let anger cloud his judgment, he'd die.
Simple as that.
He lowered the fox mask over his face—the one Urokodaki had given him, marked with a crimson spider lily. Then he raised his greatsword and settled into stance.
"Dragon Breathing, First Form: Dragon's Breath."
Power flooded his body. Muscles enhanced beyond human limits. Reflexes sharpened to superhuman levels. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he launched forward.
"Shit—Blood Demon Art: Tiger Transformation!"
Kamanue's arms warped grotesquely, his hands becoming massive tiger claws. He crossed them defensively—
CLANG!
The impact sent shockwaves through the air. Kamanue skidded backward, furrows carved into the earth by his heels.
"What the hell??" His eyes widened in genuine shock. "You're so small—how are you this strong?? And that speed—"
Kaidō didn't give him time to finish the thought. He pressed the attack, greatsword singing through the night. Every strike carried enough force to shatter bone, every movement precise and deliberate.
Slash!
Both of Kamanue's hands hit the ground, severed cleanly at the wrists.
"AHHH! You bastard!"
The demon retreated, limbs already regenerating. Pain etched across his features despite the supernatural healing. "I'll kill you for that! Blood Demon Art: Monkey Transformation!"
His body contorted again—this time taking on simian characteristics. Longer arms, hunched posture, fingers that could grip with crushing strength. His speed doubled instantly.
The fight became a whirlwind of steel and claws. Kaidō's greatsword clashed against transformed limbs again and again—clang clang clang—each impact reverberating through his bones. Kamanue managed to land several hits, claws raking across Kaidō's arms and shoulders, drawing blood.
But Kaidō didn't slow down. Didn't even flinch. He kept swinging, kept pushing, treating pain like an irrelevant distraction.
"You're strong for a Lower Rank," Kaidō admitted, breathing hard. "But you're making a mistake underestimating me."
"Dragon Breathing, Third Form: Divine Dragon's Tail!"
He pivoted, swinging the greatsword in a massive horizontal arc. The attack expanded outward in a fan-shaped wave of pure cutting force—amplified by the First Form still active in his system, turning an already devastating technique into something apocalyptic.
Kamanue's eyes went wide. "Too big. Can't dodge—"
SLASH!
The wave of energy carved through the demon's torso like butter, bisecting him at the waist. His upper body flew backward, tumbling across the ground before sliding to a stop.
"Impossible..." Blood poured from the wound as his lower half dissolved into ash. "You... you can't be just a regular swordsman! You have to be a Hashira! There's no way—"
Kaidō walked forward, greatsword resting on his shoulder. "You're wrong. I only just joined the Corps a few days ago. I'm about as new as it gets."
"LIAR!" Kamanue's voice cracked with desperation and fury. "This is impossible! I'm one of the Twelve Kizuki! I can't lose to some rookie! You're lying—you have to be lying!"
"Believe what you want." Kaidō raised his blade. "The reason you lost is simple: I'm stronger than you. That's all there is to it."
"No... no, I refuse to accept this! I worked so hard to become a Kizuki! I can't die here! Not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!"
"Goodbye!"
The Greatsword fell.
Kamanue's head rolled across the ground, eyes still wide with disbelief as his body crumbled to ash. His final thoughts were a chaotic mess of rage and incomprehension.
All that effort. All those humans consumed. All that power accumulated—and for what? To die at the hands of a fresh recruit who wasn't even a Hashira yet.
The injustice of it burned worse than the blade that had killed him.
Then nothing.
Kaidō removed his mask, letting it hang from his head as he stared up at the moon. The adrenaline was fading now, leaving exhaustion and a dull ache from his injuries.
"This is just the beginning," he murmured. "The fights are only going to get harder from here. More brutal. More desperate."
He clenched his fist around the sword grip.
"The system helps, but I can't rely on it completely. I need to get stronger on my own. Otherwise, I'll never make it home... I might not even survive long enough to worry about it."
[Ding! Quest Complete!]
[Rewards: Permanent Demon Slayer Mark, Enhanced Body Reinforcement Serum x1, Interdimensional Energy +8%]
[Current Interdimensional Energy: 23%]
[Initiate Demon Slayer Mark fusion?]
"Do it."
[Fusion commencing... Fusion successful!]
Heat blossomed across Kaidō's forehead—not painful, but intense, like someone had pressed a branding iron against his skin for just a moment. When it faded, he reached up instinctively to touch the spot.
He couldn't see it, but he felt it. A mark, etched permanently into his flesh.
A blood-red dragon, coiling in an S-shape from his hairline down to his brow.
"Can't check it now without a mirror, but I'll deal with that later. The Enhanced Serum can wait too—I'm not about to undergo physical reconstruction in the middle of nowhere. Save that for when I'm somewhere safe."
He took a deep breath, savoring the victory.
"Twenty-three percent total Interdimensional Energy. Almost a quarter of the way there." A genuine smile crossed his face. "I'm coming home. Just wait a little longer."
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~# Every 300 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!