BOOM!
A dull, thunderous impact exploded through the cave, so forceful it seemed to shake the very air itself.
Akaza's fists lashed out like a storm. Each punch carried violent, surging battle aura, slamming into the rock wall. In an instant, the seemingly unbreakable stone shattered piece by piece, crumbling under the relentless assault.
Blow after blow rained down. Before long, the entire cave began to tremble, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Soma retreated far back, shielding Kanao as he watched the tireless demon rampage.
Who knew how much time had passed before Akaza finally stopped, slowly clenching his fists.
"…I'm still too weak."
His voice was low, almost dissatisfied.
"When will I become stronger? I want to fight someone truly powerful… that would be interesting."
His golden eyes shifted toward Soma.
"You, brat—you're far too weak. You're not even worthy of being my sparring partner."
Soma said nothing.
Akaza quickly lost interest. He glanced toward the cave entrance. Dawn had already broken—it was impossible to leave now.
He casually found a spot and sat down.
Soma rebuilt the campfire. Flames flickered back to life in the darkness, and he carefully prepared a resting place for Kanao.
Akaza opened his golden eyes again.
Silently, man and demon sat across from each other by the fire.
In the wavering glow, Akaza noticed something—
On the ground beside the flames, the other demon had written two words:
"Koyuki."
Just two simple characters.
And yet, they seemed to carry an inexplicable pull, as though infused with some strange power that rooted his gaze in place.
So familiar…
Boom.
It felt as though his mind had exploded.
Something—something profoundly important—had been awakened.
A memory.
A memory from when he was still… human.
...
A fireworks festival. Crowds of people.
Fireworks soared into the sky, bursting into brilliant colors, their shimmering trails painting the heavens.
Akaza stood within this long-forgotten lake of memories.
He looked up.
The dazzling fireworks felt both familiar and distant, as though he had seen them once before.
As though he had lived this moment.
Then suddenly—
Darkness swallowed his vision.
The fireworks vanished. His sight was covered, cool hands pressed gently over his eyes. Behind him, something soft and warm leaned against his back.
A delicate body.
A pair of hands covering his eyes.
"Hakuji-san, guess who I am?"
A soft, slightly weak, yet beautiful voice drifted into his ears.
"Koyuki!"
He answered without hesitation.
The name—so familiar, yet so distant—slipped from his lips naturally.
"Silly Hakuji-san, how did you guess so fast?"
The hands covering his eyes withdrew.
Akaza turned around almost eagerly.
A girl with long hair cascading to her waist.
Her complexion was pale, but her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
The person he had struggled so desperately to remember—
Now stood vividly before him.
"Do I look pretty, Hakuji-san?"
She grasped the hem of her dress and spun in place. Her skirt fluttered, and under the glow of fireworks, her delicate face flushed with a soft blush.
He could only stare, stunned.
Her soft hand reached out, taking his.
That warmth—he remembered it so clearly.
"Hakuji-san, will you marry me?"
Her sudden question fell like a stone into still water.
Fireworks burst brilliantly around them.
"I will." His voice was quiet but firm. "I'll keep getting stronger. I'll protect you forever."
"Then, Hakuji-san... you must... remember that always!"
Her voice grew clearer.
Clearer—
"AAAAAAH!"
Akaza roared, his golden eyes snapping wide open.
Those memories.
The ones that belonged to him as a human.
The one person he should never have forgotten—
And yet had.
Everything…
was coming back.
Bit by bit, the past was returning.
...
A crowded train was about to arrive at the station.
A man in a black suit stood among the passengers. His long black hair draped behind him, his pale face emotionless—until, suddenly, he lifted his head.
A flash of violent crimson gleamed in his eyes.
"A sudden sign of breaking free?"
The man muttered to himself, eyes closed—as if, in that very moment, he could see Akaza clutching his head in agony.
"Forget... forget it. Why bother remembering such a painful past?"
"Let it all scatter with the wind."
His voice was low, almost soothing.
"Hey! Are you getting on or not? You're blocking the way."
Someone stepped up from behind and gave him a shove.
A flicker of violence flashed across the man's eyes.
He turned abruptly—
A streak of blood cut through the air.
The person behind him froze, clutching his throat, eyes wide in disbelief as life rapidly drained from him.
"Murder... it's a murder!"
A horrified scream broke out nearby.
The man frowned slightly, as if annoyed. Then, with a casual flick of his finger, he sent a drop of blood into the dying man's mouth.
The man—who had been on the verge of death—suddenly convulsed.
His eyes bulged.
His teeth sharpened.
"Grrr…!"
With a guttural roar, he lunged at the nearest person, tearing into flesh as screams erupted.
"AHHH—!"
In an instant, the entire station descended into chaos.
"There's a demon! A demon's eating people!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
Before long, several swordsmen clad in Demon Slayer uniforms arrived. They quickly scanned the area—only to find the flesh-devouring demon.
"A demon? How did one suddenly appear here?" One of them frowned.
"Kill it first. There are too many people—we can't let this escalate." Another spoke sharply.
Without hesitation, they drew their Nichirin Swords and beheaded the demon in a single, decisive strike.
...
Back in the cave—
Soma stood in front of Kanao, shielding her as he watched Akaza clutch his head in visible agony.
Veins bulged across the demon's powerful body, crawling like twisted patterns beneath his skin.
This incredibly strong demon—
Had been deeply shaken by just two characters: Koyuki.
Those characters carried a strange, almost irresistible power, as if they had unlocked something buried deep within him.
But soon—
Soma sensed something else.
A terrifying presence began to emerge from Akaza, one that felt as though it could completely dominate him.
The aura of Muzan Kibutsuji.
The progenitor of all demons.
The first demon.
A being infinitely close to perfection.
The moment Soma felt that presence, he quietly erased the words he had written.
As that aura spread—
Akaza gradually calmed down.
The ferocity in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion.
"I... I seemed to have thought of something?"
"What did I just remember?"
He looked up, his expression blank, almost lost.
"I think… I forgot something…"
"I can't recall it..."
Murmuring to himself, he turned to Soma, who sat by the fire.
"Do you know… what I forgot?"
Soma shook his head.
But as he looked at Akaza's confused expression, a chill crept into his heart.
This demon—
One of the Twelve Kizuki. Upper Rank Three.
A being who continued to grow stronger.
And yet—even without standing before Muzan Kibutsuji—
He could still be sensed.
Still be controlled.
A cold shiver crawled from Soma's spine to the back of his head.
Even an Upper Rank demon remained under Muzan's absolute control.
With a single thought, Muzan could decide his life or death.
It was utterly terrifying.
"…What did I forget?"
Akaza stood up, frowning as he tried—and failed—to recall.
He shook his head.
"Forget it. I'll just keep training."
"I need to get stronger… I have to become stronger!"
BOOM!
His fist slammed into the cave wall, sending tremors through the cavern.
And just like that—
Akaza resumed his endless training.
Again.
And again.
...
Soma led Kanao to a corner of the cave, silently watching the demon who had lost his past—left with nothing but an obsession to grow stronger.
A pitiful existence.
"Uncle… I want to practice swordsmanship too." A soft voice came from behind him.
Soma turned.
The girl's pink-purple eyes shone with determination.
He hesitated for a moment… then nodded.
Kanao picked up the wooden sword he had made for her earlier. Her gaze locked onto Akaza, her eyes flickering as she carefully observed his movements.
Akaza moved at blinding speed—yet she memorized every motion.
"Technique Development… Destructive Death: Compass Needle."
"Destructive Death: Disorder."
"Destructive Death: Air Type."
"Destructive Death: Leg Type — Crown Splitter."
"Destructive Death: Leg Type — Flowing Flash Lotus Light."
"Destructive Death: Leg Type — Flying Planet Thousand Wheels."
"Destructive Death: Shatter Type — Ten Thousand Leaves Flashing Willow."
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type."
"Destructive Death: Eight-Layered Demon Core."
"Technique Development — Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow."
As Akaza cycled through one technique after another during his training, Kanao stood quietly to the side, watching.
Though her uncle had allowed her to practice swordsmanship, he had never truly taught her. Yet witnessing the sheer destructive force Akaza displayed—even in casual training—she couldn't help but imitate him.
At first, her movements were clumsy.
Awkward.
But gradually…
They began to take shape.
Meanwhile, as Kanao focused on memorizing each of Akaza's techniques, the demon himself had already stopped training at some point. Arms crossed, he stood there watching her practice.
"…Too weak. Far too weak."
Akaza shook his head.
"That's not how 'Technique Development: Destructive Death — Compass Needle' works. You center it on yourself—spread it outward in twelve directions, like a snowflake formation."
"The key is your aura. Gather it—use your own energy to sense others. Like a compass drawn by an invisible magnetic force, you should be able to detect your opponent's vital weak points."
"Right—when you raise your hand, faster."
"And your footing—plant it firmly. Your steps are too light."
"…Tch. Too weak. Way too weak."
He kept criticizing her, shaking his head as he spoke.
Kanao, however, listened carefully—adjusting herself again and again based on his words.
At first, she stumbled.
But little by little…
Her movements began to resemble Akaza's techniques.
"Heh… this human girl's got decent talent."
Akaza tilted his head slightly.
"Her body's just too weak."
His gaze shifted toward Soma.
"If she became a demon, that flaw would disappear. She'd gain far more power."
He smirked.
"Well? Want to turn her into a demon?"
"No."
Soma refused without hesitation.
"Heh… you really are a pathetic excuse for a demon. You don't understand anything."
Akaza shook his head.
"What's so bad about becoming a demon?"
"Humans are fragile. Get injured—you weaken. Get sick—you die. The older you get, the weaker you become… and in the end, you just rot away with age. What's so great about being something so weak?"
Soma lifted his head, meeting his gaze.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Akaza slowly clenched his fist.
"Humans age. They die. But as a demon, none of that exists anymore."
"You can walk the path of strength for decades… centuries… refining yourself endlessly."
"And humans? How much time do they even have? How far can they really go?"
"There is no need," Soma shook his head.
Turning Kanao into a demon—
That thought had never once crossed his mind.
A creature whose very existence could be controlled by another.
A being whose life or death could be decided in a single thought.
A monster driven by uncontrollable urges…
One that might even lose its past, its memories—until nothing remained but an empty shell.
What was so good about that?
But he didn't say any of this out loud.
Because standing here might be Akaza—
But who could say whether Muzan Kibutsuji was watching… or listening?
That monster…
Was far more terrifying than anyone could imagine.
If there was one flaw—
It was that he was cautious to an extreme.
"Heh… so you're planning to fatten her up and eat her later, huh?"
Akaza smirked, as if he had seen right through Soma's thoughts.
Soma opened his mouth—
But in the end, said nothing.
"Tch. Just like Doma—a weakling who likes to prey on women."
Akaza sneered, glancing at Kanao as she practiced.
To him, her fate looked no different from the women who once stayed by Doma's side.
He vaguely remembered—
There had been one woman Doma kept around for quite some time before eventually devouring her.
She even had a child.
What was her name again…?
Ah.
Kotoha Hashibira.
That effeminate piece of trash had nearly let her escape, too.
Unbelievable.
Though he eventually caught her…
Her child had managed to get away.
And yet—
Someone like that was Upper Rank Two.
Above him.
It was nothing short of an insult.
"…I can't wait for the next Blood Battle."
Akaza clenched his fists, his expression dark with frustration.
"I truly want to twist that coward's head off."
"Why the hell does a useless bastard like him rank above me?"
...
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