~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!
<><><><><><><><>
Mount Sagiri
"You haven't learned a damn thing! Nothing's become second nature! Especially the Breathing technique Master Urokodaki taught you—you just memorized it like textbook facts. Your body hasn't absorbed any of it. What the hell have you been doing for the past six months?"
"Slow, weak, immature—you're nowhere near your senpai's level. He not only created his own Breathing Style, he split a boulder twice the size of yours!"
'What?? My senpai split a rock even bigger than this?? And created his own Breathing Style??' Tanjiro's mind reeled as he picked himself up off the ground.
"Get up! Grab your sword and keep fighting!"
"Yes!"
Tanjiro rose and resumed his bout with Sabito.
Makomo watched from the sidelines, her thoughts drifting to their junior brother, Kaidō.
'I wonder how he's doing now...'
...
One Year Later
'Today's the day Tanjiro takes Final Selection on Mount Fujikasane. I already killed the Hand Demon, so he should have an easier time.' Kaidō sat crouched by the roadside, lost in thought.
'System, of all the times to upgrade—why now? And fine, upgrade if you must, but did it really need to take almost a year? I damn near forgot you existed! And you had the audacity to drain 20% of my Interdimensional Energy for the privilege!'
After swapping territories with Obanai, the system had announced it needed an upgrade—requiring 20% of his energy. He'd worked so hard to accumulate that much. But thinking about the improved benefits post-upgrade, he'd agreed. He just hadn't expected it to take nearly twelve months. The system had been so quiet he'd genuinely started forgetting it was there.
'Whatever. It's my system, and I need it to get home eventually. Time to find some stray demon to punch.' He set off toward a nearby town.
...
After entering the town and searching for a bit, he found two demons lurking in a dark alley. Talk about bad luck—they'd just been about to hunt for humans when Kaidō showed up.
"Well, well! Look at you two, out for a stroll! Perfect timing—I need a stress ball. Hehehehe!" Kaidō's smile was positively sinister.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash."
A horizontal slash decapitated one demon instantly.
After taking the Breathing Affinity Pills, Water Breathing no longer rejected him, and his mastery of Dragon Breathing had deepened considerably. So Kaidō had decided to practice Water Breathing on regular demons.
After beheading the first one, he turned to the survivor. "You—"
The other demon didn't wait for him to finish. It bolted, screaming: "MOMMY, SAVE ME! I'LL NEVER EAT HUMANS AGAIN!"
"Uh... I wasn't done talking. Why are you running?? Am I really that scary?" Kaidō sighed and gave chase at a leisurely pace.
...
A Small Forest Outside Town
'Phew... ran far enough. Should've lost that Demon Slayer by now. That guy was terrifying! Better find food somewhere else—this area's not safe.' The demon was about to leave when a hand clamped down on its shoulder.
"So why exactly were you running? Am I really that scary? Also, who's your mommy?" Kaidō's voice came from directly behind.
"AHHHH—!" The demon passed out cold.
"Seriously? You fainted?? You're a demon. Way to embarrass Muzan—that effeminate piece of... wait, no, that garbage boss." Kaidō poked the demon's head with a stick, utterly unimpressed.
'Actually, hold on. Muzan creates demons and can change gender... doesn't that technically make him their mom? Shame they're not actually born. Would've been interesting to watch Muzan give birth. What a sight that'd be.'
"Whatever. Time to string you up and practice my punches! Good thing demons regenerate. Hehehehe!"
...
"Ah... ohh... urk..."
"Please, Demon Slayer sir—just kill me already! Stop hitting me! Sob sob!" The demon dangled upside-down from a tree, pleading.
"Nah, I'm not done yet! All the other demons are hiding from me—too lazy to hunt them down. Besides, you guys regenerate. I'll let you go once I've had my fill!" BAM. Another punch to the face.
"AHHHH!"
...
Infinity Castle
"Why is there still no news about the Blue Spider Lily?" A demon in a Western suit looked down at the assembled Twelve Kizuki with cold disdain. The Upper Ranks knelt on one knee, while the Lower Ranks prostrated themselves completely, not daring to breathe.
If Kaidō saw this man, he'd instantly recognize Muzan Kibutsuji.
"Oh, Muzan-sama, please don't be upset! My followers and I have been searching diligently for the Blue Spider Lily. I'm sure we'll have news very soon!" Doma's cheerful tone was infuriatingly casual.
"SHUT UP!"
A massive hand swatted Doma's head clean off. "Doma! I haven't forgotten you let that Demon Slayer escape. If it happens again, there will be consequences!"
"Understood, sir! I'll make sure of it!" Doma's head regenerated, smile never faltering.
Muzan wanted nothing more than to erase Doma permanently. But the Upper Rank Two was powerful, and his cult followers were useful for searching for the Blue Spider Lily. He swallowed his rage.
"And you Lower Ranks—I question whether you have any value at all. You'd better deliver results. Otherwise, there's no reason for Lower Ranks to exist." His gaze shifted to Lower Rank Five.
"Rui, I have high expectations for you. Don't disappoint me."
"Yes, my lord."
"Nakime, send me back."
"Yes." The biwa demon plucked a string, and Muzan vanished.
...
"Hm? It's dawn already! Wait, did I really punch him all night?" Kaidō glanced toward the mountains where sunlight was breaking through, then looked at the demon—still strung up, face beaten to a pulp.
Demons could regenerate, sure, but it burned stamina. Lower-tier demons slowed down considerably after repeated damage. This one was a perfect example.
Kaidō cut the demon down and untied the ropes. "Alright, you've got two options. First, you can just let the sun—"
Before he could finish, the demon sprinted into direct sunlight, screaming: "FREEDOM AT LAST!"
It disintegrated instantly.
Kaidō's eye twitched. "...I wasn't done talking. I didn't even hit you that hard..."
"Forget it. Time to find an inn and get some rest. Kuroha, let's go."
The crow landed on his shoulder.
...
Nightfall
After leaving town, Kaidō received an urgent message from Kuroha.
"CAW CAW! Northwest sector—demon activity detected! Multiple villagers missing! Demon Slayers sent to investigate have lost contact! Proceed immediately! CAW CAW!"
"Northwest? If memory serves, there's a wisteria crest house in that area. Better check it out."
...
Arriving in the northwest region, Kaidō located the wisteria crest house.
"Hello. I'm a Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps, here to investigate the missing villagers and the demon slayers who lost contact."
A beautiful woman answered the door.
"Welcome, Hashira-sama. My name is Yuri Shizuka. Please, come in."
Once inside, Yuri shared all the intelligence she'd gathered.
"That's the situation, sir. But there's something strange—every family that lost someone had a peculiar pot in their home."
"A pot?" Kaidō's brow furrowed. That detail felt familiar.
'Could it be him?'
"Sir, is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Just remembered something. What about the missing demon slayers? Any intel on them?"
"I'm sorry, sir. When those slayers went to investigate, they disappeared without a trace. When others arrived at the scenes, there was no evidence left behind."
"Understood. I'll handle it from here. Thanks for the information."
"You're too kind, sir. It's my duty."
...
After leaving the wisteria house, Kaidō headed for the village.
'Only one demon uses pots—Upper Rank Five, Gyokko. Heh... this bastard better hope it's not him.'
Entering the village, he spotted a pot at the entrance.
"What the hell? Why does this look so familiar?"
As he approached to investigate, his Hyper-Awareness flared. He stopped immediately, studying the pot from a safe distance.
'I see. So that's what this is. Upper Rank Five—Gyokko. Well, well, well. In that case, let's play!' That sinister auntie smile returned.
"Oh wow, what's this? Looks pretty... unique. Who left this lying around? So inconsiderate! What a waste of... uh, artistic potential. Shame!" Kaidō performed his dramatic monologue, clearly speaking for someone's benefit.
He walked closer, stopping about two meters away. Then he discreetly pulled a Sticky Bomb from his system inventory.
Inside the pot, Upper Rank Five Gyokko was beside himself with excitement.
'This Demon Slayer called my pot beautiful! Said leaving it here was wasteful! Finally, someone who appreciates my art!'
'Wait, why did he stop? Come closer! How can I grab him from here? Oh, I know—he must be admiring my pot! Yes, that's it! In that case, I won't capture him. I'll turn him into a demon instead! Then he can appreciate my art forever! HAHAHA, I'M A GENIUS!'
If Kaidō could hear those thoughts, he'd have yanked Gyokko out and beaten him senseless.
While Gyokko fantasized about displaying his "art," Kaidō tossed the Sticky Bomb into the pot.
'Hm? What's this? Why is it sticky? Did this bastard just SPIT in my pot?? Unforgivable—AHHH!'
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion shattered the pot. The demon inside was exposed.
"Phantom Eye!"
The instant Gyokko emerged, Kaidō activated Phantom Eye. Time slowed to a crawl—Gyokko's movements reduced to a fraction of their normal speed.
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"
Kaidō unleashed Water Breathing's strongest technique. The more rotations, the more devastating the slash—a water dragon materialized, perfect for surprise attacks. After taking the Breathing Affinity Pills, his mastery of Water Breathing had improved dramatically.
SCHLICK.
Gyokko's head flew off—but Kaidō felt no resistance. No flesh, no bone. He'd only struck Gyokko's surface form.
He'd expected this. The entire performance had been to lower Gyokko's guard before using the bomb to destroy his pot and prevent escape.
"You wretched brat! How dare you destroy my pot—my most perfect work of art! UNFORGIVABLE!"
With his pot destroyed and having molted at the moment of decapitation, Gyokko revealed his true form. Alabaster white body, yellow eyes, green lips, purple fish fins on his head. His mouth was where his eyes should be, his eyes where his mouth and forehead should be. The kanji for Upper Five was carved into his eyes.
Gyokko's true form featured webbed hands, a serpentine lower body, and scales harder than diamond covering his entire frame—yet his body remained flexible.
He possessed the "Godlike Hands," which could transform anything his fists touched into fish.
"However, since you praised my pot earlier, I'll give you one chance. Apologize for destroying it, become a demon, and help me create my art. Do that, and I'll forgive you! What do you say? Quite generous, wouldn't you agree..." Gyokko kept talking, completely full of himself.
Gyokko was cruel and arrogant, talkative and fond of mockery. He loved defying nature's laws. He considered pottery-making the highest form of art and fancied himself an unparalleled artist. His pots were sacred to him—he couldn't tolerate anyone damaging or insulting them, especially through negative critiques.
His loyalty to Muzan Kibutsuji was absolute, bordering on worship.
"So? Have you decided? Become a demon and create art with me! If Muzan-sama recognizes your talent, you might even become an Upper Rank!"
"Are you done talking?"
Kaidō lowered his fox mask over his face and pulled his greatsword from the system inventory. "Here's my answer!"
<><><><><><><><>
~# 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~# Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~# Add to Library!