Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 3 — First Demon and Joining Demon Slayers? (Re-written)
Ren walked back to the restaurant.
"Hey, old man, I'm back. Give me something to eat."
The restaurant owner looked at him.
"Kid, did you rob someone or something? Where did you get the money?" he asked suspiciously.
Others in the restaurant turned toward them, smelling gossip and drama.
Ren's mouth twitched.
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
"And about the money, I got it from a few people who tried to rob and kidnap me. Don't believe me? Go and ask the police."
He sat down and looked at the menu.
Everyone was stunned hearing him.
"No way... that kid must be joking," one muttered as they started discussing it among themselves.
Ren ignored the chatter and ordered some food.
Well, it was enough for six or seven people to eat.
Under the disbelieving stares of the restaurant owner and the other customers, Ren devoured everything.
Slurp! Slurp! Chomp! Chomp!
"Pheww... that was good!"
He exhaled after drinking some water.
After eating, he finally felt full.
"Hey, old man, do you know anywhere I can stay for the night?"
Ren asked the old man as he put the money on the tray and looked at him.
The old man took the money and replied happily,
"Well, there is one place I would recommend. It's affordable, and the owner is my friend, so I can guarantee the quality."
After getting the directions, Ren went to the inn.
After freshening up, he stretched and walked outside.
It was getting dark as the sun was almost below the horizon.
Ren walked out of the town and headed toward the location he had gotten from the robbers about the demon.
He left the town and entered the woods.
"Hmm... so how strong will this Demon be? Surely my luck won't be bad enough to meet a Moon, right?"
Ren kept muttering to himself as he walked.
The noises of the forest gradually quieted down.
As Ren reached the Demon's location, he found an old shrine.
There was light inside it, but Ren didn't see anyone around it.
"Is this Demon using this shrine as bait to lure travelers?"
Ren said with a frown.
The shrine was quite a distance away from the town.
At night, most travelers would definitely choose the shrine to rest for the night, making it perfect bait.
"Anyone inside? I'm a traveler here to rest for a while," Ren called as he approached the shrine.
Inside the shrine, a Demon giggled.
"Kekekeke... another idiot here to die. How delightful."
Its mouth started drooling.
Outside, Ren was getting impatient.
"Why is this stupid Demon wasting my time? Should I just burst in and kill it? But if there isn't a Demon inside, it'll be really troublesome to explain why I just burst in."
Ren scratched the back of his head.
He swore that if there really was a Demon inside, he would surely give that bastard a good beating before sending him to the afterlife.
Just then—
Rustle... Rustle...
He sensed something.
Ren turned and saw an eighteen-year-old-looking boy walking his way.
"Hmm... a traveler? Well, looks like things might get a little annoying. If the Demon takes the boy hostage..."
Ren sighed.
Why did a deadweight have to show up now?
But he couldn't just let him die.
"Well, I'll just have to kill the stupid Demon as soon as possible," Ren sighed.
The boy who was walking toward the shrine also noticed him.
His calm eyes studied him.
The moment his eyes landed on Akatsuki at Ren's waist, his calm gaze rippled slightly.
He paused as he evaluated Ren.
'A boy around fourteen or fifteen carrying a sword around?'
'Is he a member of the Demon Slayer Corps?'
'But he isn't wearing a uniform...'
'Is he just a traveler?'
Just then, a voice came from inside the shrine.
"The doors are open. Please come inside. I'm busy with some work and will be there in a few moments."
Ren looked at the boy, then toward the shrine.
"Well, might as well take care of the Demon before the boy gets close."
The boy noticed Ren move inside and froze.
'No... that shrine has a Demon!'
The boy's stoic face changed as a panicked expression appeared.
Whoosh!
The boy dashed forward at surprising speed and ran toward the shrine as his hand reached for the sword at his waist.
Inside the shrine, Ren looked around.
"Well, so you wanna show your face, Mr. Demon?"
He had sensed the demonic aura the moment he entered.
The aura felt wrong, and the killing intent that followed the moment he spoke only confirmed that it was a Demon.
"Kekekekeke! A Demon Slayer? What good luck! To think I can have a Demon Slayer today!"
Following that eerie laughter, a male Demon walked out.
His shaggy olive-brown hair framed a pale, scarred face where two jagged horns jutted from his forehead. Golden slit-pupiled eyes gleamed with savage hunger beneath a crooked grin, while black markings spread across his face. He wore tattered robes, and his clawed hands twitched with anticipation.
"Hmmm... well, so not a Moon after all. How disappointing," Ren muttered as he looked at the Demon in front of him.
"Kekekek... how arrogant. But where is your uniform?"
The Demon studied Ren with confusion.
"Who said I was one? What kind of stupid Demon did I encounter?"
Ren muttered with a sigh.
"Not a Demon Slayer?"
The Demon froze.
"Aren't you the stupid one here? You aren't a Demon Slayer, and you dare come here to kill me?"
The Demon was completely baffled. Only a Nichirin Sword or sunlight could kill a Demon.
"Just a stupid kid here to kill a Demon."
"Well, enough of the chat."
Ren said as he drew his sword.
Shing!
The moment he did, the aura around him changed. The Demon froze as he heard his own heartbeat.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His body began to shake as a deep, instinctual fear spread through him.
"W-What? What's happening to me?"
His heart started beating violently.
Ren moved.
One simple single swing.
SWISH!
The Demon's head was beheaded.
Its head separated cleanly from its body.
An image flashed before the Demon's eyes as his body began turning into ash.
A swordsman who looked similar to Ren, but older and with an emotionless face, stood with a bright crimson-red sword in his hand.
"W-Who... was that?"
With the question forever unanswered, the Demon turned into ash.
Fwoosh...
Ren exhaled and sheathed Akatsuki.
Click.
Even with Yoriichi's Character Card not fully fused, low-ranking Demons like this were no issue for Ren, it was easy peas.
"So, how was it?"
Ren asked, looking toward the doorway where the eighteen-year-old boy was standing.
The boy stared at the ashes and are Ren. His calm and Stoic deminor retired. But inside, he was anything but calm.
'Who is he?'
The boy silently stared at Ren.
Ren also looked back at him.
'So it was are Water Hashira 'Giyu Tomioka' . Then this area must be the eastern part of Japan.'
Ren thought, though he felt stupid for not asking the townspeople where exactly this place was.
"You... killed a Demon."
Giyu said, his voice flat but carrying an edge of intense scrutiny.
He looked from the pile of dissolving ash up to the young boy standing before him.
Ren smiled and replied "Yeah, I did. Is there a problem, mister?"
Giyu didn't answer right away. His gaze locked onto the weapon at Ren's waist.
He stepped closer, his haori swaying gently, his expression returning to its usual emotionless mask.
"You are not wearing a uniform. Yet you possess the standard-issue blade of the Corps. Who are you?"
"Just a wandering swordsman." Ren replied, leaning back against a wooden pillar of the shrine, maintaining a relaxed posture.
"I don't have a fancy title. I'm an orphan who travels from place to place. I happened to hear some rumors in the last town about people disappearing near this old shrine, so I thought I'd come by and take care of the problem."
"It's as simple as that."
Giyu's brow twitched.
A wandering swordsman?
Taking care of a Demon based on mere rumors?
This boy was no older than fourteen or fifteen, yet he spoke of hunting man-eating Demons as if it were a simple daily chore.
"Hunting Demons without proper training is suicide."
Giyu said bluntly, his voice cutting through the quiet forest air.
"But more importantly... where did you get that sword?" He pointed toward Akatsuki.
"That is a Nichirin Blade, and it is meant only for slaying Demons. A civilian should not possess it."
Ren looked down at his sword before looking back at Giyu. He had already prepared a cover story.
"This?"
Ren tapped the hilt.
"It's a sword I've had with me since I was born. I don't actually know its true origin. I grew up in an orphanage, and the caretakers there told me it was left behind by the man who brought me to them when I was just a baby."
Giyu remained silent, listening intently, his analytical mind already parsing every detail.
"They said the man was gravely injured."
Ren continued,
"He was bleeding out, heavily traumatized, and missing an arm. He dropped me off, left this blade beside my basket, and disappeared into the night. I've carried it ever since."
Hearing those words, a tragic and familiar scenario instantly formed in Giyu's mind.
Missing an arm...
Gravely injured...
Giyu thought, his chest tightening slightly with familiar somberness.
It makes sense.
A Demon Slayer must have been on a mission and encountered a Demon attacking this boy's family.
The Slayer managed to kill the Demon but was fatally wounded in the process and lost his arm.
Only the infant survived.
Knowing he was dying, the Slayer must have carried the baby to the nearest orphanage, leaving his own Nichirin Blade behind as a silent apology—
An apology for not arriving in time to save the boy's parents.
Giyu looked at Ren with a newfound sense of quiet understanding.
To him, Ren was another child broken by the cruelty of Demons, saved only by the final desperate act of a dying swordsman.
Yet, despite having no official training, this boy had grown up to wield that very blade and slay a Demon with incredible efficiency.
His talent was undeniable.
Giyu looked directly into Ren's eyes.
"You have remarkable skill, and you possess a weapon meant for this duty," Giyu said, his voice steady and formal.
"But fighting alone in the dark will eventually kill you."
"Become a Demon Slayer."
"Join the Corps."