A lonely road echoed with the sound of footsteps early in the morning. Along with that rhythm, the sweet voices of birds and animals filled the air, bringing a gentle calmness to the mind. A ray of sunlight fell on Hakatushi's eyes, and he smiled.
"Oh, the sun is already up. These soft, sweet bird songs give me a unique peace. Running in this calm feels wonderful," he said, continuing his morning run.
Meanwhile, Kangiten was sitting on the roof of the house when Hakatushi approached. Kangiten noticed him running and called out. Hakatushi stopped immediately after hearing his voice. Kangiten jumped down from the roof and said,
"Hakatushi, isn't it too early for you? It's barely morning."
Hakatushi smiled.
"No, it's just my habit. I woke up early and went for a short walk. No big deal."
"I see… but you shouldn't go alone like that. This is a forest—demons appear here often," Kangiten warned.
Hakatushi nodded.
"Alright, I'll be careful from now on. And… thank you for taking responsibility for my brothers."
Kangiten laughed.
"It's nothing. I simply took permission from the royal officials and got your brothers admitted to The Royal Magic and Sword Academy. Otherwise, they would've had to pass the entrance exam. Since they didn't take the exam, they'll have to stay there two extra years to study."
Hakatushi brightened.
"Oh, so that's how it is. You really relieved my worries. Thank you again."
"Good. Now come inside. We all have to leave soon," Kangiten said.
Hakatushi was about to ask something, but Kangiten gently pushed him forward.
"Come on, you can ask later."
---
After some time, Kangiten and everyone else teleported outside a large, luxurious mansion. It was enormous—big enough for at least twenty people to live comfortably. Kangiten smiled to himself.
Good thing I told Lusana earlier to find a big house. She did it perfectly, and right near the capital too. She never makes mistakes.
Lusana was the secretary of the NK Magical Elements Collector Company, and Kangiten's personal secretary. Kangiten himself was the owner of the company and also belonged to a royal household.
They entered the house. Everything inside was expensive, polished, and spotless. The outer grounds were huge—perfect for training.
Kangiten said,
"I don't think any of you got proper sleep, so choose whichever room suits you. Each room has two beds, so two people will share a room. Rest for now. At exactly twelve, gather outside for training. And if anyone is hungry, tell me."
Everyone chose their rooms:
Hakatushi with Hiroto, Itsuki with Ganami, Onaki with Shizami, Mayushi with Akemi, Anelia with Megara, Amaya with Fumiko, Neshima with Oki, Kawakami with Saeki, and Kangiten with Sakaguchi.
Kono left for a mission after informing Kangiten. At twelve sharp, everyone gathered downstairs.
---
Kangiten coughed lightly.
"Since everyone is here, we'll first go buy clothes for you all—"
Mayushi interrupted, "But why do we need clothes?"
Kangiten continued,
"You need flexible clothes for training. And if you want other outfits, you may choose them too."
They teleported to a large clothing store in the capital. As they approached the entrance, the bodyguards stopped them.
"Sorry, but you all cannot enter," one guard said.
Neshima asked, "Why not?"
"These clothes are too expensive. You don't look wealthy enough to buy anything here."
Oki frowned, "And who are you to decide what we can or cannot buy?"
"Don't create a scene. Go somewhere else," the guard snapped.
Just then, the store manager came out and immediately greeted Kangiten.
"Welcome, Kangiten sir."
Kangiten shook hands.
"Thank you for fulfilling my request so quickly."
"It was a small request," the manager said with a smile. "You may ask for even bigger things anytime."
Kangiten pointed at the guard.
"I can't go inside. Your guard stopped us."
The manager froze.
"Oh… I see. I'll deal with him later."
Facing Kangiten, he bowed. "I sincerely apologize for him. He's new and didn't recognize you."
Kangiten laughed softly.
"It's alright. But I'm angry that he judged people by rich or poor. You don't need money just to look around."
The terrified guard apologized, and then everyone entered.
Inside, the store was huge and bright, filled with luxurious furniture and displays.
The manager guided Kangiten to a wall. He tapped the upper corner, and the wall slowly vanished, revealing a hidden chamber with special clothing. Inside a glass case was a white shirt, black pants, and a black coat. On the coat's chest was a round emblem of a half-moon and sun.
"These clothes were made as you ordered," the manager said nervously, "but only four uniforms are finished. The rest will take six more months."
Kangiten narrowed his eyes.
"So only four so far?"
"Yes… but they are special. These uniforms are built according to your warriors' power levels. Anyone without at least one percent of your energy will die wearing them. The suit drains energy to convert into magical force."
Kangiten handed him his card.
"Finish them soon. And take the payment."
The manager hesitated,
"No, sir, the company is covering the expenses—"
"As company president, I can't allow that. And I told you to make daily training wear too. Take the money, or it's disloyalty."
Shaking, the manager accepted the card and withdrew money equivalent to twelve lakh gold.
He also charged for all the expensive clothes the rest of the group had chosen.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Demon Slayer Association, Chairman Takamoto sat in his office.
"Do you know where Kangiten is right now?" he asked Nagamine.
"How would I know? Maybe working on the task you gave him," she replied while sorting books.
"If he is doing the task, then why doesn't he report progress? Does he think it's unnecessary?" Takamoto yelled.
Nagamine calmly handed him tea.
"Please don't get angry. Getting angry won't affect Kangiten. He must be doing his job properly."
After a sip, Takamoto felt his anger fade.
"Yes… I know he's doing well. But this mission is extremely important. Even a little carelessness is dangerous. Yet he never listens to me."
Nagamine laughed.
"When he was a child, he listened to everything you said. Now he's grown up, so he doesn't. But he knows his goal, and he knows how dangerous his path is. Let him work."
---
In the Spirit World…
White light spread endlessly, like a universe made entirely of light. Small orbs of different colors floated everywhere. At the center sat a black sphere—the God of All Elements.
A deep voice echoed:
"The Ruler has defeated all main elements and mastered their power."
The God of Elements said,
"But why hasn't he come to defeat me yet? I don't understand."
"Maybe he is busy with something else," the Ruler of Destructive Elements said calmly. "Don't be impatient."
"I don't have much time left. After this, I must hand my duties to the Ruler and sleep forever," the God of Elements said.
"That will free us from our duties too," the Ruler of Destruction replied.
---
"Teleport."
Kangiten and everyone returned to their mansion. Outside, Neshima and Oki were training with swords. Hakatushi and Mayushi arrived and were shocked by the speed of their sparring. Only the sound of clashing steel was audible—their blades moved too fast to see.
Suddenly, one of Oki's strikes headed toward Hakatushi, but she quickly redirected it toward a tree, slicing it clean in half. Hakatushi stepped back in fright.
"Oki, be more careful! You almost killed him," Neshima scolded.
"Hakatushi, you barely survived that," she added.
Oki laughed.
"Don't worry, Hakatushi. Next time, I'll try not to kill you. Maybe just scratch you a little."
Mayushi leaned toward him and whispered,
"Next time, maybe your arm or leg might get cut off. So stay alert."
Hakatushi gulped in terror.
Kangiten came from behind.
"Mayushi, why are you scaring him so much?" he asked gently.
Mayushi giggled.
---
Kangiten gathered all twelve children and said,
"My name is Kangiten, and I am your instructor. You twelve have been chosen to become warriors. I know many of you have questions, but all the answers are the same—you were chosen by destiny."
Ganami raised his hand nervously.
"Why were we chosen? And what is our goal?"
"Warriors are Demon Slayers who destroy Black Demons and protect this world. You were chosen because of your abilities. And your final goal… that depends on you," Kangiten replied.
Hakatushi raised his hand.
"I still don't understand. Honestly, none of us understand."
Kangiten sat down and pointed at them.
"If you don't understand now, you will in time. For now, and for the coming years, your only goal is to become Demon Slayers and fight demons. If you don't want to, you may leave. But remember—no one will protect you outside. The choice is yours."
No one spoke. Then all twelve bowed together.
"We accept."
Kangiten smiled.
"Don't worry, I'm not taking away your childhood. You'll enjoy your childhood while training as well. If you have questions, ask."
Megara raised her hand.
"How do we kill demons? And what are their weaknesses?"
"Good question," Kangiten said.
"There are two main methods:
1. Kill a demon using magic.
2. Slice its neck cleanly with a sword.
If both fail, the last option is using your full physical power—but that will kill you too."
Ganami asked,
"Which method is most effective?"
"Both. It depends on what you master—magic or swordsmanship."
Then Kangiten went to each child and identified their magical elements:
Hakatushi: Sound & Lightning
Mayushi: Metal & Infinite Time
Itsuki: Fire & Lava
Akemi: Water & Ice
Hiroto: Wind & Earth
Fumiko: Mud & Wood
Ganami: Black Magic & Demon Magic
Amaya: White Magic & Holy Magic
Onaki: Time & Space
Megara: Light & Darkness
Shizami: Mind & Gravity
After all the testing, it was revealed that Destroy was Anelia's only magical element. Once everyone discovered their elements, Kangiten smiled and said,
"So, all of you finally understand your magical elements. Each of you is special—that's why you were chosen. Your elements are rare, found only in a few gifted individuals. Anelia, even though you possess only one element, 'Destroy', it is more than enough for you to be selected as a Demon Slayer."
Hearing this, Anelia hesitated and replied softly,
"I'm sorry… I only have one element. I'm afraid it might not be useful for everyone. But I'll be happy if I can kill demons and protect humanity."
Kangiten quickly shook his head, almost panicking.
"No, that's not it at all. Your element is extremely dangerous—you must learn to control it. And if you use it correctly, it can become a great strength."
Anelia's face brightened with relief and happiness.
Soon, Kangiten began their training. Surprisingly, the first task he assigned was throwing stones. Everyone was shocked that they had to start by throwing rocks. Kangiten then explained,
"If this surprised you, let me be clear—you are all very weak right now. So you must build strong and powerful bodies. That is why this training is important. For the next month, this will be your daily task. And it begins now. Take these stones and throw them as fast and as far as you can."
As he said this, the stones floated in the air by themselves and drifted toward the trainees. The moment they touched them, the stones dropped to the ground. Everyone picked them up and hurled them into the forest with all their strength, continuing for a full hour.
After an hour, all the stones were gone. Their hands were hurting badly from nonstop throwing—except Itsuki and Hakatushi, who seemed mostly fine. The rest, however, were exhausted and sat down on the ground to rest.
Just then, Kangiten arrived and said,
"So you've thrown all the stones. Now you must head into the forest and collect small stones for tomorrow's training. You only have two hours. Get up and complete your task. Come on—hurry."
Everyone was shocked and irritated, but they had no choice. Reluctantly, they all stood up. Kangiten raised his hand and said,
"Your time starts now."
They entered the forest, only to discover that the area was filled with huge boulders. There wasn't a single small stone in sight.
Hakatushi frowned.
"Where did all the stones we threw land? We threw them in this direction."
Everyone began thinking hard. Itsuki suddenly said,
"Don't think too much. Kangiten-sir did this. He always does something unexpected."
"You're right," Mayushi agreed. "Kangiten-sir surely has some different intention. We must understand it."
Itsuki examined the surroundings, then said confidently,
"Yes… I think I understand what he wants."
"What?" Akemi asked.
"He wants us to break these huge rocks and collect the smaller pieces. So let's do it—let's break them."
The girls were shocked that Itsuki was seriously suggesting breaking such massive stones. Mayushi didn't react much, but the other girls refused. The boys, however, agreed.
They tried punching the boulder with their bare hands, but their fists just turned red and swollen. Hakatushi then asked Anelia to use her Destroy magic, but she refused, embarrassed.
"I still don't know how to control my magic," she said.
So Mayushi stepped forward. Using her Metal Magic, she created several tools and weapons. Everyone grabbed one and began striking the boulder. After an hour of effort, they finally managed to break it and gather small stones—but it wasn't enough.
They were about to break the second boulder when suddenly, a giant spider monster appeared behind them, charging at them. Terrified, everyone started running as fast as they could, deeper into the forest, eventually getting separated from one another.
Meanwhile, outside the forest, Kangiten sat calmly on a chair, waiting for them.