A faint rumble of thunder echoed through the sky.
As summer approached, the weather grew more unpredictable, bringing frequent rain.
At the foot of an unnamed mountain, four members of the Demon Slayer Corps stood together, gazing up at the dark clouds gathering above. Their faces reflected varying degrees of impatience and concern.
"I'm telling you, when is that last team member going to show up? We've been waiting all day!"
One of the boys, his hair spiked like a hedgehog's quills, complained irritably to his companions.
The only girl in the group tried to explain, her tone placating:
"I heard he's coming straight from headquarters, so he's probably taking his time…"
"Tch. I heard there might be a Twelve Kizuki demon around here, and now this guy wants to swoop in and take the credit? What a peach-picker."
The spiky-haired boy's words dripped with disdain and skepticism toward the person they were waiting for.
"Enough," the girl said. "The one coming is the Flame Hashira's Tsuguko. And I heard… he's already killed one of the Twelve Kizuki."
"Huh?" The boy gawked at her, clearly stunned. "He killed one of the Twelve Kizuki? Then wouldn't he have become a Hashira already? But aside from the Mist Hashira, there haven't been any new ones lately, right?"
"I'm not sure," the girl admitted, shaking her head slowly. "That's just what I heard from the people in the Kakushi unit."
The Kakushi, or Hidden Force, serve as the logistics division of the Demon Slayer Corps. Generally, those who lack combat talent but still wish to contribute to the Corps are assigned there.
The girl had friends among the Kakushi, which allowed her to pick up bits of gossip from within the organization.
While the two of them talked, the remaining two team members stayed silent.
Both were older, seasoned veterans of the Demon Slayer Corps. The oldest among them held the rank of Class A Swordsman and was regarded as one of the more experienced fighters on the team.
But if one looked closely, they would notice that this Class A swordsman's body was trembling slightly.
Because he knew—he wasn't a match for a member of the Twelve Kizuki. And today, they might be facing one.
Fortunately, reinforcements were on the way. The successor of the Flame Hashira, the future "Wolf Hashira." If he joined them, they might have a real chance of making it out alive.
That was what the Class A swordsman was thinking.
But the spiky-haired boy grew increasingly impatient.
As the sky grew darker and the first droplets of rain began to fall, he suddenly stood up and marched toward the forest.
"Tch! I'm done waiting! It's getting dark—I'm going in to kill that demon myself. Stay here if you want!"
"Wait! Swordsman Kondo!"
The Class A swordsman called out in alarm, but Kondo was already too far gone. By the time he shouted, the younger boy had vanished into the mountain forest.
The Class A swordsman stood frozen in place.
Despite his high rank, he didn't have much experience leading teams. His survival until now had less to do with his strength and more to do with sheer luck.
As a result, they had no idea how to handle a team member who had suddenly gone off on his own.
Left with no better option, the Class A swordsman hesitated for a moment before turning to the girl.
"Sakura, please go after him and bring him back."
"Eh? Me?" Sakura was visibly reluctant. She looked nervously toward the dark forest and instinctively shrank back a little.
She wanted to refuse, but when she remembered that she was the lowest-ranking swordsman on the team, she swallowed her protest.
"Alright… okay…" she mumbled weakly. After a few seconds of hesitation, she turned and followed Kondo into the forest.
Watching the two young swordsmen disappear into the trees, another team member standing beside the Class A swordsman asked uncertainly: "Is this really okay?"
"…Then do you want to go after them?" the Class A swordsman replied sharply. "I'm not going in there. If we're really up against one of the Twelve Kizuki, I won't stand a chance. Even facing a demon with a Blood Demon Art is risky for me… and you expect me to go after a Kizuki?"
He crossed his arms and muttered to himself, whether addressing his teammate or trying to justify his own fear.
"I'm a Class A swordsman. I get a generous salary every year—I'm not planning to die out here."
There were people like this in the Demon Slayer Corps, too.
Not everyone joined out of some noble desire to slay demons. Some did it because they had no other job prospects and happened to show some talent.
Their motivations were simple: earn the Corps' high wages and survive.
The Ubuyashiki family possesses immense wealth and has never treated any member of the Demon Slayer Corps unfairly.
From the lowest-ranking Mizunoto members, every swordsman receives a fixed salary each month. The higher one's rank, the greater the earnings.
Once someone reaches the level of Hashira, they gain access to the full resources of the Demon Slayer Corps—though most of the time, the Hashira refrain from using them for personal benefit.
Class A swordsmen are already at the top of the ordinary ranks. Their rewards are second only to the Hashira.
It could be said that if this Class A swordsman continued to serve steadily for just one more year and retired safely, he would be able to live a life of comfort and ease.
So his attitude was understandable.
Even the B-rank team member standing nearby didn't seem to carry the kind of burning desire to exterminate demons that one might expect.
But unlike the Class A swordsman, the B-rank swordsman had joined the Demon Slayer Corps out of hatred for demons. However, hatred affects people differently—some grow stronger because of it, while others find their hatred fading with time.
This B-ranker was the latter.
After countless battles, his hatred for demons had gradually waned, replaced instead by a deep-rooted fear.
In contrast, the two who had rushed into the mountains were young, full of energy and fearlessness, seemingly unafraid of anything in the world.
The B-rank swordsman couldn't help but feel a bit envious of them. But he also knew that people like that were often the first to die in the Demon Slayer Corps.
After all, courage alone was not enough to stand against the Twelve Kizuki.
The raindrops finally began to fall, but there was no thunder.
It was a steady rain—not heavy, but persistent—and it looked like it would last for quite a while.
The two remaining team members sat against a tree, waiting for their backup to arrive.
Just a quarter of an hour after Kondo and Sakura had run into the woods, a figure finally appeared.
Through the curtain of rain, a red-haired boy walked slowly toward them.
Although neither of them had seen the support swordsman's face before, they both instinctively knew—this was him.
The person sent to face the Twelve Kizuki was this red-haired boy who looked to be no older than twelve or thirteen.
At his waist hung two Nichirin swords, one on each side, and under the night sky, his white feathered haori stood out prominently.
He walked with deliberate slowness, yet by the time the two blinked again, the boy was already standing before them.
In the rain-drenched darkness, they could finally see his face clearly.
He was young—indeed, still a boy.
His hair and eyes were both a deep crimson, and under the outer corner of his right eye was a distinctive teardrop-shaped mole, unforgettable once seen.
The boy's expression was incredibly calm—far too calm for someone his age. As he stopped in front of them, his gaze fell silently upon the two swordsmen.
Just by meeting his gaze, the two felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on their backs.
It might have been their imagination—or it might have been the overwhelming strength radiating from the boy before them.
Finally, when both of them were trembling slightly, the boy spoke:
"Why only you two?"
He had received a report stating that four high-ranking members of the Demon Slayer Corps would be cooperating with him to take down a member of the Twelve Kizuki.
The team was supposed to include one Class A swordsman, one Class B, and two Class C.
But now, only two people stood before him.
"Kondo… Swordsman Kondo… he broke formation and rushed in on his own, and then… Swordsman Sakura went in after him," the Class A member stammered, explaining nervously.
The boy nodded slightly, then asked, "Which of them is Class A?"
"They… they're both Class C…" The Class A swordsman's throat was dry. Swallowing hard, he added, "I… I'm the team leader."
This time, the boy's gaze fixed on him.
There was no emotion in those calm red eyes—but somehow, that expressionless look exerted immense psychological pressure on the Class A swordsman.
His breathing quickened, and just as he was about to say something more, he heard the boy speak again:
"You stay outside."
"Huh?"
"I'm enough on my own. You'd only get in the way."
The young man spoke bluntly, then looked at both the Class A and Class B swordsmen. "After this, you'll retire."
"…"
"You're no longer fit to serve as swordsmen. Retire."
With those words, he casually decided the fate of the two Demon Slayer Corps members.
They opened their mouths slightly, wanting to protest, but facing the boy, they found themselves unable to speak a single word in defense.
They didn't even dare to voice a rebuttal.
Not just because of the boy's overwhelming strength—but because of his identity.
He was the Tsuguko of the Flame Hashira, and was likely to become the tenth active Hashira in the history of the Demon Slayer Corps—a feat unprecedented in the Corps' long history.
At their rank and level of ability, they had no grounds to disobey his orders.
And truthfully, this time, the fault was indeed theirs.
First, they had failed to manage their own team members. Then, when one of them broke formation and charged into the forest, they hadn't gone after him themselves. Instead, they'd sent another low-ranking swordsman in his place.
Even though rank in the Demon Slayer Corps doesn't always directly reflect one's strength, higher-ranked members are generally expected to be more capable.
Had the Class A swordsman gone in himself, and encountered a demon, at least someone might've survived to report the situation.
But sending two Class C swordsmen into the forest was practically the same as delivering food to the demons.
Team members A and B had refused to enter out of fear—and their fear was plain for all to see. The boy had every reason to make the decision he did.
They truly were no longer suited to continue as Demon Slayers.
After issuing his judgment, the boy turned and walked into the forest without looking back.
Team members A and B exchanged a silent glance. Though neither wanted to leave the Demon Slayer Corps in such a manner, they both understood: the boy's orders were final.
Just as he was about to vanish from sight, the Class A swordsman called out behind him:
"Be… be careful! They say there might be one of the Twelve Kizuki hiding in there!"
"…"
The boy paused, gave a faint nod, and then disappeared into the forest.
Only after his silhouette had vanished did the two men finally exhale in relief.
The Class B swordsman joked lightly, "Didn't you already mention the possibility of a Twelve Kizuki in your report? Why bring it up again?"
"…I don't know. I just felt like I had to remind him. He looks so young… maybe thirteen?" the Class A swordsman replied, his gaze lingering anxiously on the darkening forest.
That boy… he'll be okay, right?
_________
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