The next morning.
Clouds drifted low in the grey sky, their bellies heavy with the scent of coming rain.
Beneath them, Ren, Kasumi, and Miyuki walked quietly along a dirt path, their footsteps imprinting soft echoes on the moist earth.
Miyuki broke the silence, her voice gentle.
"Hajime-Sama… I'm still glad we saved that village from the demon."
Kasumi glanced sideways. He says nonchalantly, his voice low. "That was two days ago. You're still thinking about it?"
None of them knew that the village they'd once saved no longer exists.
The clouds shifted, parting slightly to let shafts of pale light spill over the distant hills.
Then—
They stopped.
"What the hell…" Kasumi whispered.
Before them stood an impossible sight—
A mountain. Split clean in two.
As if some divine blade had sliced it with absolute precision.
The cliffs stood like holy monoliths, impossibly symmetrical. The air around them felt sacred. Still.
Kasumi squinted at the enormous cut, his breath catching. "Hajime-San, what is that?"
Ren stood silently, the wind brushing his maroon ponytail to the side. His eyes, fixed on the distant rift, softened with memory.
A faint, almost nostalgic smile played on his lips.
"It's a long story… It's been six years..."
Both Miyuki and Kasumi turned to him, eyes wide with surprise.
"You know something about this?" Miyuki asked, her voice breathless.
Ren nodded, walking towards the mountain.
They followed Ren without a word.
As they climbed the winding path up the sundered mountain, the world grew quieter—as if nature itself held its breath. The mist curled low, brushing their ankles like the whispers of old ghosts.
At the summit, the ground bore ancient scars—burnt earth, broken stones, and fractured terrain frozen in time.
Miyuki's voice broke the stillness, soft and awed. "Hajime-Sama… it feels like a great battle was fought here."
Ren's answer came, low and distant.
"This is the place where my friends fought the Lower Moon One."
Kasumi's eyes sharpened. "I knew it. Hajime-San, was… Tanjiro also there?"
Ren gave a silent nod, his gaze focused ahead.
There, at the mountain's crown, stood a tree.
But not just any tree.
It was unlike anything they'd seen before—
Its trunk shimmered faintly with a silver hue, and its leaves danced like whispered prayers. Flowers bloomed at its base, delicate and pale as moonlight, even though no one had tended them.
All three stopped.
The wind turned strange.
Ren stepped forward, each footstep as quiet as falling petals. He reached the tree, then slowly knelt before it. His hands came together, fingers laced in silent prayer.
Kasumi took a step forward.
"Hajime-San… what are you doing?"
Ren didn't look up. His voice came softer than wind.
"This is her resting place. Michiko Inoue… My friend. She died in this battle."
Miyuki moved beside him, stunned. "She… fought here?"
Ren gave a slow nod.
"She was the kindest soul I've ever known. The kind of kindness that could've turned even demons into light. She was like a living prayer. Gentle. Pure. Untouched by hatred."
Kasumi blinked. "Someone even more kind than Hajime-San?" he thought, almost disbelieving.
Ren continues, his voice even softer now.
"She died… because I was late. I was supposed to protect her. I failed. Only her head remained. I buried it with my own hands, right here.
And then this tree… it bloomed. It wasn't here before. Even nature honors her death."
A stillness followed his words—solemn and sacred.
Then, without being asked, Kasumi and Miyuki stepped forward.
They knelt beside Ren.
Together, all three joined their hands beneath the tree that stood as Michiko Inoue's monument—A living memory. A divine bloom born of sacrifice.
"May her soul rest in peace…"
The wind stirred again—gentle now—carrying their prayer into the clouds.
Some time later.
The wind carried a softer chill now, brushing through the grasses as the three prepared to leave the mountain.
Ren glanced back one final time at the sacred tree, its silvery leaves catching the sun like scattered fragments of a dream.
Then, slowly, his gaze drifted toward Miyuki and Kasumi, who were quietly waiting for his word.
Their presence stirred something in him—faint, familiar.
He looked at them a moment longer.
"Ai Hanako… Chikafusa…"
Same bond. Same warmth. Same ache. Different souls.
A bittersweet smile touched his lips.
"Shall we leave now?" he asked gently.
They both nodded. "Yes… we're ready."
They turned and walked down the slope, leaving behind the peak and the tree that bloomed from grief.
As they descended, Ren's thoughts stirred like fallen leaves on a breeze.
"Life… it's strange. Unpredictable. People enter it like fleeting seasons—they come, they become everything… and then they leave. Over and over again. That's the cycle we live in—until maybe, one day, we find some kind of salvation.
It's beautiful in its own way… but it hurts.
I always wanted a quiet life. Just something peaceful. A place without noise, without expectations. I didn't ask to carry the weight of the world, or be anyone's hope.
But somehow… I became the one everyone leans on. The one who can't afford to fall.
Every step I take now feels like it could be the beginning of a disaster. One small mistake, and it could all collapse. It's like walking on the edge of the end, every single day.
My friends… they were part of my past. People I laughed with, bled with… people I buried.
And now, I live with Kasumi and Miyuki. And yes… I'm still happy. I truly am. But I know—one day, they'll be gone too. Whether by time, fate, or something darker… I'll lose them too.
And I'll be alone again.
That's just how it is. People come. People go. And I stay behind, remembering all of them… pretending I'm still whole.
And the cycle repeats. Always."
The mist thickened as they walked, blurring the horizon.
Miyuki looked up at him, noticing the distant look in his eyes.
"Hajime-Sama… is something wrong?"
Ren shook his head slowly. "No… everything is fine."
They continued walking in silence until Kasumi spoke, his voice soft and unsure. "Hajime-San… Do you think we'll ever wipe demons from this world completely?"
Ren turned to him. "Why this question so suddenly?"
Kasumi looked down.
"Because… As long as you're alive, I don't think Muzan will ever dare come out of hiding. I feel like he's waiting for something. Or afraid."
Ren gave a faint laugh—more breath than sound. "Don't worry… We are born to eradicate demons from this world. Let him hide in his shadows… One day, the sun will rise over his darkness."
He turned his gaze to the horizon.
From the mountainside, the world stretched out like a painting—endless, quiet, bathed in silver light. Below them, the trees swayed like a living ocean.
A soft wind tugged at Ren's long hair.
My life is hard and painful… but beneath it, there lies beauty about it. New experiences. New people. And most importantly… memories.
There is no salvation but responsibilities for me… until I die…
———————————————————————
At night.
The moon hung in the sky—full, pale, and watching.
The half-sliced mountain, once peaceful in daylight, was now veiled in an unsettling stillness.
A distant hum of cicadas, the dry caw of lone crows echoing through the valley.
Then—
Something shifted.
A chill swept the mountain like a crawling plague.
One by one, the animals began to emerge.
Foxes. Deer. Owls. Rodents. Insects.
Their movements unnatural—jerky, cautious. Their eyes all fixed in the same direction, as if drawn by an invisible thread of terror.
The crows cried louder.
The smaller creatures began to tremble.
And then—
Panic.
Birds burst into flight. Rodents scattered. Wings beat furiously against the cold air, trying to flee, trying to escape—
SLICE!
Without warning—
Heads severed mid-flight. Bodies fall like leaves.
Rodents crushed. Insects vaporized.
Fur and feathers scatter across the ground like ash after a fire.
There was no sound of footsteps. No blade. No roar. No flash.
Just the sudden, horrifying realization—
Nothing was left alive.
Silence returned. But it was no longer peaceful. It was choking.
Then—
From the dense shadows of the cliff, twocrimson orbs opened.
Glowing. Watching. Hungry.
A figure emerged…
Step by step, slowly, silently, the silhouette approached.
Each footstep left no imprint. Yet the earth itself seemed to recoil.
A dark mist trailed behind him—Thick. Heavier than air. Alive.
The shadows bent toward him. The mountain exhaled something cold.
The figure came into view.
Jigen.
His hands drip with fresh blood. Each drop vanishes into the scorched earth like it was claimed by something darker below.
His movements are still—calm, weightless, too quiet for someone who just slaughtered a mountain's worth of life.
"This aura… this power… it's familiar and toohigh…"
As he climbs the path to the mountain's peak, the air thickens.
Gravity itself begins to feel heavier. The sky, once moonlit, dims into a celestial dusk, despite the hour.
"It's neither Kokushibo nor Ren Hajime… I know this one."
Then—
He sees her.
At the peak, where the wind refuses to howl and the shadows dare not linger, she stands—
A being too perfect for the mortal world. A divine vision carved from the stars and clothed in eternity.
Her six angelic wings spread from her back, each feather shimmering like stardust and opal light. A radiant halo glows behind her head, rotating slowly like a celestial ring of judgment.
Her hair, long as the horizon and pure as snow, flows upward as if gravity does not dare touch her.
Her gown is woven of moonlight and clouds, layered with veils that flutter without breeze. Her skin—brighter than porcelain, flawless as untouched snow. Her lips—the softest curve of crimson silk.
Eliza.
But not as Jigen had last seen her.
This was her celestial form—the true visage of her divinity.
Jigen stops.
Even he hesitates before this light. His glowing crimson eyes meet her azure eyes from a distance.
"So she's here."
She doesn't turn, just tilts her head slightly, peeking at him.
"Hmph," she exhales, like the queen of gods turning away from a forgotten subject.
Jigen's eyes narrow.
"She couldn't last even one night without me… and now she acts as if I no longer exist.
Her powers are overwhelming… I need to be in my stronger form before anything happens…"
He steps forward.
And with each footfall, his shadowed body shifts, morphs—his shadow dissolving, replaced by black robes.
His obsidian hair cascades around him like oil in water. His crimson eyes are still like dying suns.
He stops beside her, not close.
"So you've figured it out…" his voice is low, unshaken.
She finally turns.
Her voice rings like divine bells dipped in acid—mocking, sharp. "Oh, Jigen-Sama so you've got time to talk huh. Tell me what do you want now?"
After a short pause, he says. "... That's not—"
"That's not what I think?" She cuts him off. Her wings flick, feathers glowing furiously.
"You go everywhere without telling me anything. You say that you've to attend secret meetings with Kokushibo, your followers, and your summoners, that's why you don't have enough time. But you went to the slayers' already exposed hideout, playing mind games with a female demon slayer. Now I see this is where you go as an excuse for meetings."
He stays calm, then says again. "Listen. I have nothing to do with her… with anyone else—"
She interrupts again, "Then why did you even go there? What did you find interesting in them? At first, you were interested in knowing Ren Hajime. Then you followed Kenzo Fuji. And now this new girl, Ai Hanako.
Why don't you tell me that I don't matter to you? I'm just a beautiful puppet to decorate your throne of silence."
He slightly lowers his head, thinking. "She won't listen. Not when she's like this."
He turns around, says without looking back at her. "We'll talk about it later."
Just as he takes a step—
The air tightens.
Silken threads of divine origin—glistening with celestial energy—wrap around his body, emerging from nowhere and everywhere. They suspend him mid-stride, like a puppet caught in a web spun by the heavens themselves.
But still—
Jigen doesn't flinch.
His face remains utterly blank. His crimson eyes remain forward. Unmoved. Unbothered.
Then—her voice, sharp and furious, cuts the silence like a blade:
"You don't get to walk away without answering me."
She floats through the darkness, a radiant specter of wrath and love.
Her wings beat once—like thunder—and she appears in front of him, inches from his face. Her glow is divine. Blinding. Overwhelming.
Jigen stares at her. Cold. Still. Unbending.
He says, still unflinched. No expression. "Listen… She is the only one who can kill Douma. I'll help her until she achieves her goal, and then I'll kill her. She is nothing more than a ragdoll to me."
She narrows her eyes, "Instead of making such a complicated plan, why don't you plan to kill Douma with your own plan and strength?"
Jigen's gaze dips slightly, his voice calm. "I tried to… but I can't do that 'cause…"
He explains everything to her.
————
44 years ago.
In the Infinity Castle.
Jigen, Douma, Akaza, and Kokushibo, four of them are in a meeting.
The meeting ends in quiet tension.
Jigen turns to leave.
Not a word spoken. Not a glance exchanged.
Until—
"Oh, Jigen-dono~!"
Douma's saccharine voice slithers behind him. "You seem so confident lately. How about a little Blood Demon Duel? Just you and me~?"
Jigen stops. Slightly turns his head.
His voice—more death than sound.
"Sorry, Lord Douma… but I am busy. I'll definitely do it later, and that will be your last time when you see this world."
Akaza's brows furrowed, "What? You'll kill him..?"
He stomps forward, his rage erupting. He puts his hand on Jigen's shoulders.
"Douma is my target! Don't you dare to kill him. I'll be the one to kill him with my own hands, tear him apart!"
Then—
A voice echoes inside Akaza's head—low, ancient.
"AKAZA. None of you will touch Douma. When I return… I will kill him myself… and I will rise through him."
Akaza's eyes widened. "Muzan-sama…?"
Jigen watches his reaction in silence.
Douma puts a hand to his cheek.
"Oh dear~ everyone wants me dead. So sad~!"
Kokushibo says nothing, but his gaze lingers on Jigen.
————
Now.
Eliza stares at him, lips parted slightly in shock.
Then—
She laughs.
A genuine, bright laugh—like silver chimes in the wind. Her body shakes, and her eyes water.
"That… must've been one hell of a moment.
Even Muzan couldn't resist joining the drama."
She wipes away a tear with the tip of her glowing finger.
"So… what happens if Douma dies early?"
Jigen answers simply. "Then Muzan will be forced to kill Akaza instead…
And return. With both of them gone, it will be easier to kill Muzan."
She taps her chin thoughtfully. "I see… multiple targets with one shot. Quite a master plan."
But then she fixes her eyes on him again, her expression hardening.
"Still doesn't explain what you plan to do with her."
He says, his voice calm yet thrilling. "Once she kills Douma, I'll be the one to kill her and steal her soul."
Her brows furrowed. "Quite a psychopath, aren't you? Can't you choose a less violence path?"
He continues, "Not only that, I'll kill every friend of hers, comrade, or even everyone she knows till now."
She hesitates a bit. "Alright… Alright… You don't need to be cruel."
"And trap their souls with me for eternity."
Eliza blinks, clearing her throat. "Okay, now you're just being dramatic."
She floats closer, flicks his forehead, and then chuckles.
"Idiot. You don't need to be that brutal."
With one fluid motion—
Jigen flexes his body, and the celestial threads around him snap like fragile strings, tearing through his flesh as they go.
His skin splits open, deep lacerations etching across his arms and torso. Blood spills…
—but in moments, it sizzles and vanishes. His wounds close. Flawlessly. Instantly.
Eliza's eyes widened.
"W–Wait!"
She floats down, eyes panicked, her glow dimming slightly. She brushes her fingers across his arm, inspecting the fading wounds.
"Do you even understand how painful that is?!" Her voice trembles—half scolding, half shaken.
"My threads… they're divine restraints. Even demons can't handle them. It's like having your body carved open with a knife the size of a needle—slowly. Or burning… from the inside out."
Jigen doesn't react. Not even a blink.
"I don't care about pain."
She exhales deeply.
Her divine glow fades, her wings folding into nothing, her halo dissolving like light in water. Her white hair slowly bleeds into jet black.
She's no longer a goddess.
Just Eliza.
"Anyway…" she murmurs, quieter now, "Do you know why I came here?"
He glances at the ground. "Ren Hajime was here. I saw his footprints. You're probably tracking him too."
"What?! Hell no!" she snaps.
She turns toward the tree, her expression softening.
"I came here… to visit my favorite person. Michiko Inoue."
Jigen stares at the tree. The wind quiets. The world seems to pause.
Beneath its roots, a skull rests—delicate, buried, sacred.
Eliza continues, her voice soft now.
"She was… the gentlest soul I'd ever known. Her mercy could've saved this damned world. She didn't fight demons with blades… she changed them. Turned them into people again."
Jigen taps his chin, thinking.
"If she were still alive… She'd be my first target. Not Ren Hajime.
I'd kill her. Capture her soul. And use it for all eternity…"
Her fist clenches. Her azure eyes gleam.
"What did you just say in your mind?"
He meets her gaze without hesitation. "Can you make another human being like her? I mean, can you give someone the similar power as you gave her…"
Crack.
She slams her fist into his face, a burst of light exploding around her knuckles.
He's slammed into the ground, crashing into the rocky earth.
"I know exactly what you're trying to say!"
He rises slowly. Blood drips from his mouth, trailing down his jawline.
But his expression remains the same. Still, like glass.
"I was just asking…" his face still expressionless.
She kneels beside him, reaching out.
Her fingers trace his lips, gently wiping the blood away.
"You should stop killing everyone for no reason."
He stays silent.
Then—he speaks.
His voice is deeper now. Still calm, but it echoes with something ancient. Something colder than death.
"I won't change. I never will. The world made me into this—this darkness, this monster. It wanted me this way… so I became everything it feared.
I won't stop. Not until both the Demon Slayers and the demons lie in ash and ruin.
Muzan Kibutsuji, Kokushibo, Ren Hajime… not one of them will survive.
And more than that… If God truly exists…
Then He better come down Himself… Because He'll have to kill me first."