"These things are seriously disgusting... They can directly mess with my memories?"
Ryuji had a fairly good idea of what these parasites were. It seemed like they had some strange ability that let them appear in the form of people you knew—or thought you knew—within your own memories.
But one thing was certain: they couldn't read his mind.
Because if they could, they would've known—Ryuji would never accept a woman he'd slept with multiple times suddenly shacking up with someone else. That was non-negotiable.
Thinking back on the "dream" with Tifa, Ryuji realized it had merely been a patchwork of fragmented memories—borrowed from real experiences with women like Shinobu and others he'd been intimate with.
So they could sense some emotions or memories, sure—but not access them in full.
Or more accurately...
"It must've been because I thought about Cloud that they appeared."
Ryuji narrowed his eyes.
Right after he'd reminisced about Tifa and him making love, he'd had a fleeting thought: "If I took Tifa, doesn't that leave Cloud single?"
And bam—Cloud appeared.
That meant these parasites had targeted him from the start, feeding on the chaos and complexity of his thoughts. The more he imagined, the more they proliferated.
If he hadn't immediately killed the fake Cloud and Tifa, who knows how many impostors might've spawned in his group? That scenario practically wrote itself.
"These bastards feed on our memories and emotions," Ryuji muttered. "Compared to the female monster I encountered earlier, these ones are way more dangerous."
Had he not noticed the inconsistencies in his memories, or lacked the means to resurrect allies, he might've fallen to their trickery.
He sheathed his sword and turned to the others, who had already picked up that something was wrong.
"That monster was terrifying!" Mai clutched her chest, her expression shaken. She couldn't even meet Ryuji's gaze—ashamed she hadn't trusted him right away which made her guilty.
But Shinobu's voice cut sharply through the tension.
"In that case… how do we know there aren't more monsters among us right now?"
The question silenced everyone.
If these monsters could deceive them so thoroughly—embedding themselves seamlessly into their memories—how could they be sure there weren't more such imposters lurking within their group, right now?
The atmosphere in the camp instantly shifted.
Everyone began eyeing each other with suspicion. No one could say with confidence that they were immune to deception—not after what had just happened. When even your own memories could lie to you, how could you trust anything? And during their upcoming operations, what if more monsters appeared out of nowhere, just like before?
How were they supposed to tell them apart?
Ryuji forced himself to recall the memories the monster had planted in his mind—and noticed something off.
In those fabricated memories, his meeting with "Tifa" had been almost dreamlike, filled with romance. She had readily agreed to the idea of him forming a harem—without hesitation or resistance.
Even the memories involving Cloud were suspiciously smooth.
They had gone to school together, messed around together, caused trouble, ogled girls, played games—they supposedly shared over a decade of camaraderie.
Ryuji pressed his lips together.
If he hadn't already felt something was wrong, and if he didn't possess the means to resurrect someone, he never would've dared to attack just now.
The illusion had been too real.
Only now, with the monster's influence fading, did the truth start to show through. The memories lost their luster and revealed their artificiality—some were outright fabrications. Without that revelation, those fake memories could've haunted him for a long time.
But when he compared those implanted memories with his real life, Ryuji reached a clear conclusion.
"The memories these monsters give us are filled only with joy. There's no shame, no discomfort, no fear—not even a trace of mundane daily life."
Ryuji finally spoke.
Because now that the monster's power had worn off, the memories seemed laughably fake.
They didn't even include things like the soreness he'd felt when a girl had been too tight.
Even Tifa, in her "first time," had smiled throughout.
That was impossible.
And most importantly—
Ryuji was just an ordinary man. Like everyone else, he had his own flaws. There was no way he could be as perfect as he was in those memories.
He knew himself better than anyone.
He wasn't flawless, not by a long shot.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Only omniscient and omnipotent gods are perfect.
After his words, the others fell into a moment of silence—then collectively exhaled in relief.
"These monsters are disgusting. Ryuji, do you think someone is targeting us specifically?" asked Mai, gritting her teeth.
Just moments ago, she'd had to recall the intense pain and emotional conflict she'd felt when Ryuji had entered her from behind—just to confirm he was real. The memory left her agitated, even annoyed with him.
"It's definitely intentional. There's no doubt someone's trying to mess with our heads,"
Ryuji spoke through gritted teeth. First, there was that strange monster he didn't know how to fight, then he asked Tanjiro to come with them. Then—even after they discovered and defeated it—another one appeared that could manipulate people's painful memories to create mistrust and paranoia.
If that wasn't part of a deliberate plan by some mastermind, Ryuji wouldn't believe it even if you beat him to death.
He pulled out his map and glanced at the locations marked.
The female monster's silhouette had dimmed, but the other two remained active.
One was a mass of constantly writhing tentacles.
The other… a giant figure cloaked in a yellow robe, whose skin and body looked like they were made of stars. It radiated an eerie glow even on the map.
Ryuji looked at the position on the map—and realized something that made his heart tighten.
He was very close to that yellow-cloaked figure.
"This thing…" Ryuji muttered, "must be the mastermind."
He furrowed his brows.
If he had to match it to the Cthulhu mythos, then this figure dressed in yellow must be none other than the King in Yellow—Hastur. As for the writhing mass of chaos on the map, that might be Azathoth, or perhaps another elder god.
But probably not Azathoth himself—if it were, this world would've been destroyed already. No, like the female monster from before, it was likely a weakened version or just an avatar.
Of course, it was also possible that these monsters were merely imitating the ancient beings they resembled. In any case, Ryuji couldn't communicate with them, and he only knew one thing for certain:
"If I take that thing out, everything else should fall into place."
Yes—Ryuji decided to charge straight in.
He had barely set foot in this territory and already encountered two waves of bizarre enemies, each messing with him and his team psychologically. If he didn't immediately rush in and annihilate the bastard responsible, but instead returned to the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters where there were even more people, it would surely cause massive problems.
One misstep, and the whole thing could fall apart.
But if he kicked down the door now—sure, there was still a chance of failure—but judging by the female monster's performance earlier, it likely wouldn't be too big a risk.
"What do we do now, Ryuji?"
Mai and Shinobu looked to him for direction. They were aware of the dangers he'd considered—so Shinobu's expression had darkened.
"The Demon Slayer headquarters is no longer safe. Mai and I are unfamiliar with that place, and who knows if more memory-tampering monsters will show up. That's why I've decided—we kill every monster in this area, down to the last one."
Ryuji gripped the map tightly, his eyes locked on the monster's position. His tone was resolute.
"But it's still a full day's journey from here…" Shinobu muttered, eyeing the map in his hands.
Once again, she was reminded how much of a burden she was. Even Mitsuri at her side now realized—they were liabilities.
"No problem."
Ryuji drew the massive sword strapped to his back.
With a slight twist of his wrist, flames began to flicker along the blade.
"We burn our way there."
He was certain the nearby forest hid monsters capable of deceiving his senses. In that case, the solution was simple—burn it all to the ground.
After all, there shouldn't be any normal civilians in the wilds of Japan anymore.
"I guess we don't have a choice…"
Shinobu sighed. She understood just how dangerous this strategy was. But this wasn't a problem that could be solved with conventional tactics. Sometimes, extreme situations demanded extreme measures.
"First, blindfold the horses!"
With a sweeping motion, Ryuji sent waves of flame roaring into the trees around them, igniting the surrounding forest.
Shinobu and the others quickly moved to blindfold their horses.
Then, mounting up, Ryuji slashed again—this time unleashing an inferno that set the nearby woods ablaze.
"Let's move!"
Without hesitation, he spurred his horse forward, stretching his senses to the limit to perceive everything around him.
Not only that, he activated his Blood Qi secret arts, pushing his power to its peak.
But then—
"Ryuji? Why are you guys riding so fast?"
A familiar voice called from behind.
It was Huang Rong, his childhood friend, galloping to catch up. Ryuji froze for a split second—but without a word, he swung his sword.
In an instant, Huang Rong and her red horse were obliterated—both splitting apart into golden light and dissolving into his body.
"Looks like it's working."
Ryuji sneered coldly. The golden glow restored his stamina, which he immediately poured back into the raging dragonfire that engulfed the surrounding forest.
As his eyes flared with dragonfire, he noticed something terrifying—the scenery itself began glitching and distorting, as though he were watching a broken television signal.
"Knew it—this place is wrong."
Reassured by the effect, he ramped up the assault. Flames erupted in all directions, carried by the wind that now seemed to aid his destructive rampage. The intense blaze spread rapidly, devouring everything in its path.
Golden motes of light floated from the scorched ground and drifted toward Ryuji, continually replenishing his strength.
His instincts screamed that this strategy was correct.
The roaring fire spread further, encircling the nearby mountains and villages. Smoke and ash surged into the skies, quickly shrouding the region in a choking haze.
And the closer Ryuji got to the monster's marked location on the map, the more twisted and distorted the world around him became.
Then, just as they approached a fork in the road, it happened.
From the wedge of space between the split paths, a pack of grotesque creatures burst forth—beasts made of slime and tentacles, shaped vaguely like wolves but bearing none of a wolf's features. They were simple four-legged horrors, oozing from the cracks in reality itself.
Without hesitation, Ryuji slashed—his flaming blade unleashing a torrent of red dragonfire.
But just before the flames struck, the monsters vanished—and reappeared from the tiniest gap between Shinobu's guard and sword hilt, lunging forward with impossible speed.
The surreal attack left Ryuji momentarily paralyzed. One of the beasts clamped its jaws onto his right shoulder. More poured from the folds and corners of his own gear, biting deep into his flesh from angles that made no sense.
Just as he was about to be torn apart, two brilliant flashes of steel streaked across the air, and Mai, body aflame, charged straight into him in a desperate attempt to knock the creatures away.
But Ryuji knew—it was useless.
The moment blades struck, the monsters shifted again, slipping between the edges of the weapons and disappearing—causing Shinobu and Mitsuri's swords to nearly slice into Ryuji himself.
Mai's tackle missed entirely. The monster she'd aimed for had already moved. Her elbow instead slammed into Ryuji's horse, snapping its neck—and the impact threw Ryuji through the air.
"Ryuji!"
Mai reached out to grab him—but the delay from her attack, combined with the fallen horse throwing off his balance, made her attempt completely futile.
And then, from the angle between her fingers—a long, jagged fang suddenly appeared, followed by the emergence of another hideous monster that leapt into reality.
This time, there was no stopping them.
Mouths wide open, the monsters swarmed toward Ryuji mid-air. He had no room to dodge—could only watch helplessly as their jaws clamped down, injecting strange venom into his veins and pushing parts of their bodies into his, attempting to devour his organs from the inside.
But—
A red glow flickered deep in his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, his Blood Qi surged like a raging bomb, channeling through the monsters' fangs, tongues, and gaping maws—rushing violently into their bodies.
The savage energy tore through the organs of these otherworldly creatures with overwhelming force. Then, under Ryuji's will, it exploded with its full might.
Every monster clinging to him detonated in that instant—bursting apart in midair like overfilled balloons, scattering flesh and blood like shrapnel. Not a single whole corpse remained.
Ryuji flipped midair and used one hand to stabilize his fall, landing smoothly on the ground.
But his wounds hadn't healed. His massive outburst of Blood Qi had drained him, and as he tried to stand, dizziness overcame him. His legs almost gave out beneath him.
Fortunately, the remains of those wolf-like monsters soon disintegrated into shimmering golden motes that flowed into his body. The energy quickly mended his wounds, replenished his blood, and fully restored his stamina.
"Phew…"
Ryuji let out a breath, brushing a hand across his tattered shirt. Though the wounds were gone, the phantom pain of being ripped apart still lingered. If it weren't for his previous Blood Qi training with Rias—conditioning himself to endure such agony—he might not have succeeded in injecting his power into those monstrous bodies.
"Basic training really pays off…"
He stood and glanced at the horse Mai had accidentally killed by ramming into it. Its spine had been snapped clean through. Ryuji couldn't help but shake his head.
Ironically, he'd taken more damage from those seemingly weak monsters than from his fight with the female creature earlier.
"Those things… could they be Hounds of Tindalos or something? They only appeared from angled gaps… fits the mythology, I guess."
He retrieved the items from within his shredded clothes and bundled them in his equally ruined cloak before handing them to Mai, who had just rushed over, worry etched across her face.
"Ryuji, are you alright?"
Though she'd heard about the golden motes and their healing effects, seeing it happen with her own eyes was entirely different. Her hands moved instinctively to touch his chest and arms, checking the wounds.
Had Ryuji not stopped her, she might have started undressing him right there to check the rest.
"I'm fine… but you killed the horse."
He reached out and lightly pinched Mai's cheek to calm her down, then turned to the dying animal nearby.
The horse was foaming at the mouth, clearly about to pass. He couldn't save it, so he gently drove his sword through its skull to end its suffering quickly.
"I was just worried about you," Mai said, arms crossed under her chest, pouting slightly—but clearly relieved.
"We need to be more careful. There are still more monsters waiting for us."
With one horse down, Shinobu ended up riding with Mitsuri, while Ryuji mounted Shinobu's former steed, bringing along Tanjiro and Nezuko.
But since Tanjiro's box had been damaged during the battle, Nezuko now had to hide from the sun by curling up under a cloth—snuggled into Ryuji's arms for protection and ease of movement.
Leaning against Ryuji's firm chest, Nezuko's cheeks instantly flushed. During the previous chaos, her awareness had been dulled by adrenaline and fear. Now, with the rush gone and her face pressed directly against his muscular body, she could feel the overwhelming vitality radiating from him.
That potent life force... it was intoxicating.
To Nezuko, whose senses had been honed as a demon, Ryuji was like an oasis in a desert. His body wasn't just well-built—it was overflowing with multiversal essence, unlike any regular human.
She had the eerie feeling that even a small bite of his flesh would trigger some kind of incredible evolution.
Temptation surged.
She nearly bit him… but stopped herself. She was no longer a mindless demon. Still, her mouth started watering as she resisted the urge. Saliva dripped from the corners of her lips.
Ryuji, noticing this, looked down.
He found Nezuko staring blankly at his chest muscles, her eyes glazed.
"What's this? You want a taste?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Shinobu shot him a sharp glare, and Ryuji could sense Tanjiro behind him going stiff with panic.
Nezuko blinked, stunned by the question. She first nodded… then quickly shook her head, curling into herself to avoid touching Ryuji's body.
She had acknowledged her desire—but made it clear she wouldn't act on it.
Ryuji believed her. After all, she was the adorable little sister from the anime. If she were in her grown-up form, he might've been even more inclined to trust her.
"I wonder though… would a demon survive on semen alone?"
The thought genuinely piqued his curiosity. Demons didn't get much nutritional value from regular human flesh. If they fed on souls, well, Shinobu's sister's spirit still lingered around her—Ryuji could occasionally sense it when he used his observation skill.
Some spirits had already passed on to the underworld, so clearly demons didn't simply consume souls.
So… what exactly sustained their power and regeneration?
If it was biological matter—then bodily fluids should count, right?
Was semen valid?
He recalled that the Demon Slayer universe featured something called "Sanemi's blood," which drove demons into a frenzy. If blood could do that, bodily fluids probably could too.
So… did semen count?
Ryuji was sincerely curious. Every demon he'd encountered so far had either eaten humans or mutated into a spider. Nezuko was the only one who hadn't eaten anyone.
And so, he asked without shame:
"So, what exactly do demons gain from eating humans? What part of the body is essential?"
The question nearly made Shinobu fall off her horse.
She immediately imagined what Ryuji might be implying—possibly trying to find a way for demons and humans to coexist. She shut it down without hesitation.
"No idea. And I don't care to find out."
That much was true. She didn't care to study demons—only how to kill them.
Tanjiro and Nezuko were too stunned to comment, though Tanjiro tried to clarify:
"Um… Nezuko doesn't need to eat anything. She just has to sleep to recover."
He wanted to emphasize that his sister was different from other demons.
Ryuji vaguely recalled that Nezuko didn't fear sunlight either—but right now, she was clearly hiding under a cloth to avoid it, so he decided not to push further.
He didn't know enough about Demon Slayer to get into it.
"Got it."
Ryuji nodded. No one else spoke. The air had grown incredibly awkward.
The rest of their journey was relatively smooth, aside from a few encounters with mysterious shadowy figures. Ryuji and his group simply altered their path to avoid them and made steady progress toward their destination.
Then, as they reached a certain point—
It wasn't just Ryuji's vision that distorted—everyone else's did too.
The familiar forests and mountains around them vanished in an instant, replaced by a world of pure darkness.
Endless, twisted black mountain ranges stretched before them.
The normal world was gone.
The ground was blanketed in pitch-black sludge, but what caught their attention even more were the countless tentacles rising from it—shaped like trees. Aside from their pure darkness, they mimicked real trees almost perfectly.
But there were other stark differences.
The sky, once home to the sun, had dimmed into a cosmic void. Countless stars blazed overhead, each one emitting radiant beams of multicolored light. These luminous shafts pierced the dark land like pillars, shimmering over the strange terrain.
As they walked, the surface of a nearby black lake rippled with glowing waves—like stepping through a river of starlight.
They had arrived.
So when a towering figure emerged before Ryuji—wearing a yellow robe, its skin a canvas of stars and light—he wasn't surprised in the slightest.
"DUA.KFQ... (an incomprehensible series of alien syllables)."[1]
The being spoke in a language unknown to Ryuji, yet he understood the meaning intuitively, as if it bypassed thought and went straight into his mind.
"Oh… so the Fire keeper who wants to reignite the flame and the Purifier of this world have arrived? Very well… I suppose there's no choice but to fight. Come, let me see if you can withstand the power of the stars!"
As the yellow-robed giant raised its massive fist and struck at Ryuji, beams of celestial light cascaded from the sky.
The light itself carried no physical force, but its effects were instant and devastating.
Mai gasped as a sharp pain tore through her insides. Her skin felt like it was melting. Her mind grew foggy, almost paralyzed.
Shinobu and Mitsuri collapsed to the ground, vomiting blood.
Shinobu was hit the hardest—thick, viscous tissue spewed from her mouth, and as it did, she suddenly lost all sensation in her lungs.
She didn't feel pain. Even as she raised her hand and watched it turn translucent—melting away like wax—she felt… nothing.
That's when it hit her.
Her body was dissolving—disintegrating beneath the starlight.
Countless beams of light rained down, unavoidable and inescapable. Ryuji was caught in the center of them all, completely surrounded.
But then—
Ryuji felt full of power.
As the stellar light struck him, the blessing of Alexstrasza within him surged like a thunderstorm. A new force erupted within his body, radiant and full.
He glanced at his fallen companions—his beloved women—and didn't hesitate.
Channeling every ounce of that new energy into his massive greatsword, flames of deep blue burst forth, entwined with crackling lightning. The dragonfire within him—amplified by the power he now wielded—transformed into a brilliant, golden blaze, radiant like the sun itself.
The yellow-robed giant froze.
Its words were still incomprehensible to the others, but to Ryuji, they rang crystal clear.
"Impossible… you actually absorbed the power of the stars—?!"
The titan swung its colossal fist once more. But this time, it wasn't beams of light that fell. It was the giant's raw physical might.
And Ryuji met it head-on.
With a thunderous cry, he slashed his greatsword—now roaring with golden flame and blue lightning—and the wave of energy it unleashed engulfed the giant completely.
The force was so overwhelming, even he couldn't fully comprehend it.
As the slash hit, he felt the last remnants of Alexstrasza's blessing burn away within him, consumed entirely in that one devastating strike.
But the result was absolute.
The yellow-robed giant's body shattered into countless fragments—each piece glowing with golden light—raining down upon the darkened world like divine embers.
And then, slowly, Ryuji raised his hand.
Heart pounding, he called once more to the dragonfire within him, wondering if he could still summon it on his own.
This time…
The dragonfire he conjured…
Was golden.
~~~~~~~~~~
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[1] T/N: LOL in my mind it was THE FUCK