Chapter Text
I remembered everything like it happened yesterday. The peaceful world, I found myself in, was nothing more than a fleeting dream. Like I would wake up any moment now and would find myself back in the past.
Each day, each night.
I would think about the things that happened. The people we met, the battles we fought, the memories we made together. The demons we encountered.
Yeah, during the time demons existed.
I can’t express how unimaginable it is to me, to live in a world where there were no more. It felt too unreal.
But demons were very real, as real as the pain people endured due to them.
And so was the long journey that eventually lead to the end of all demons. I was there, seeing it all with my own eyes. I will never forget the sacrifice we made to bring it all to an end and neither will I let the world forget.
The story I want to let people know of shall be remembered for years and years to come. For eternity.
This is the story of humans and demons. The story of how they were in constant clashes and conflicts with each other. Of how their battle lasted many centuries and how that clash eventually came to an end.
The story of how our world came to be what it is today and what the future will be.
How the strength of so many that came together changed it all. They all started differently and took different paths but ended up connected by the same fate. And their sacrifice brought an end to the everlasting reign of demons.
And eventually took down the King of Demons himself
What I have seen was way beyond anything I could have ever expected and something that should never be forgotten by the world.
The demon slayer corps was a place to bring them all together.
Kamado Tanjiro was nothing more than a coal seller, living on a mountain with his family. They were happy and they were not at all bothered by their poor life state. But one day when he was not home a demon evaded their house killing all of them, only his sister survived by turning into a demon. To avenge his family and to turn his sister back into a human. He found his way into the demon slayer corps and met new allies. Agatusma Zenitsu is an easily frightened and very annoying boy, that can be surprisingly reliable, and even when very scared he won’t leave his friends’ side. Hashibira Inosuke is a feral and aggressive boy who is always out to challenge people and fight to the fullest. Despite all that deep down he is a good-hearted boy and only needs people around him that can teach him more about the world around him. But the corps has many members, many that found their specific reasons to be there and many that were very strong.
.
.
.
Tanjiro and his friends had stayed inside the Wisteria Mansion for several days now, resting. During their time he heard many stories from Zenitsu. He said that his master used to be a very strong member of the demon slayer corps and lectured him daily about all this. He gained so much knowledge that Tanjiro was dying to learn from him. Whenever Zenitsu talked about his master he throws in tons of things, at times how cruel that man can be and how much he tortured the young slayer but then he would smile brightly and talk about how kind he can be.
He really loves his master. Tanjiro could not help but smile. Inosuke on the other hand had nothing to say, aside from the mountains being his home. No human had been there with him, at least none that were significant to him. Or maybe he cannot remember them.
They were here at the mansion for several days at this point. A crow instructed them here to rest and get treated. Which of course was important but was it really a good idea to stay away from work this long? What if people were in danger, did they not need as many slayers available as possible? The dar-haired teen sighed. He tried to convince them to let him go but he only got scolded. ‘You won’t be able to work properly if you don’t heal up completely!” One of the doctors said to him. He had no choice but to comply.
Zenitsu was fine with it, though he wished the blond would stop pestering his sister. Inosuke was even worse, constantly complaining about their stay and nearly attacking the people taking care of them a few times.
Tanjiro was feeling dizzy from the many times he needed to bow in apology to them. Luckily the old lady just smiled and waved it off. Honestly, she seemed oddly amused by the boar-headed boy. He sighed. But smiled nonetheless. It might be loud and annoying with them, but this has been the closest it felt to having his siblings around, ever since he lost them. It felt nice but also sad. He rubbed his eyes before the tears could even form. No point in thinking about the past, it might make Nezuko sad to see him cry. He needed to be strong.
They had a few kakushi stationed here to help take care of the wounded slayers. Tanjiro and the others were only a small part. He watched others come and go as they were resting. Every time he saw them it hurt. It hurt a lot to see people struggling like this.
So many. And it was all because of demons. He thought a lot about Kibusuji Muzan and how he keeps spreading demons around. How many people he must have killed and put into pain?
Why? Why would someone be so inhuman? So unreasonable. Why was it that people that should not have anything to do with this had to suffer too?
Demons are an unnatural being and that needed to end.
“So. You’re three Mizunoto. I see.” The kakushi in front of him was collecting information. What kind of demons they fought, how well they did fight. What wounds they received.
“This is important. So, the leader knows everyone well enough. And so that your ranks can be right. We need people with promise.”
Promise?
The man in front of him finished taking notes, only noticing Tanjiro’s confusion. “You don’t know?”
Tanjiro shook his head. Zenitsu side-eyed him. definitely. Inosuke denied too.
What are those two even doing here? Zenitsu wondered.
“The Ubuyashiki family has formed the demon slayer corps. They are the leaders that collect information about all members. Their progress and everything. They need to know how many people represent the different ranks. You guys are in the lowest and that is the most we have. We do have a few Tsuchinotos and Hinotos. Even Hinoe ranks. And three currently are Kinoe ranks. They are the highest you can go.”
Tanjiro remembered the names. When they passed the entrance exams, they were informed about them. Still in the lowest class? Only three currently. Probably not any of the others he saw that day.
“The higher your rank, the more respect you get. So, if you guys ever encounter them, be very respectful. They are our greatest hope to defeat the demons. Especially the hashira.”
With those words, he packed up and left to see some of the other people there.
“what’s a hashira?” Tanjiro looked at Zenitsu for answers.
The blond was nearly facepalming hard. Unbelievable!
“How come you are a member of the demon slayer corps and know nothing about it?!” He snarled. Sarcastically. Tanjiro only gave him an apologetic look.
Zenitsu sighed. “The hashira are the greatest swordsmen among all demon slayers. they are even above the kinoe ranks. They are the most respectable people the corps has.
He had tons of time to think about it. Think about the rankings, think about demons, about Lady Tamayo.
Many times, until now he was reminded of the pain demons gave to people, and how people reacted to them. How would they react to Nezuko? Or were they fine inside the corps?
There are many demons that are far too strong for some to take on It was important to understand their strength and to send the slayers with an appropriate rank to deal with them. At least one crow stays with them, even during battle so it can be sent off as soon as possible to get backup when needed.
He wondered about the other members; how strong they were and how he could compare to them. Maybe he can find people that could teach him a lot more.
He heard Nezuko humming inside her box He smiled brightly.
“I wonder what kind of people we’ll meet along the way. You too, right Nezuko.”
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Shirakawa village, Gifu prefecture. Late evening. The sun is about to set.
A group of Kanoto ranks, led by a tsuchinoe-rank were sent here to investigate an incident of different demon sightings near one area, as well as the possible presence of an unusually strong one.
Demons were only active at night. That's the time they can roam the world without the dangers of the sun. This is the time for demon hunters to be awake too. Adjusting to a life like this was hard. especially fighting off the tiredness that comes along with never sleeping during the night. Even if you sleep after that, it can only be for a few hours. You need to train a decent amount too.
This mission was led by the young tsuchinoe rank boy named Kyujitai Hayaki. A boy with darkish-brown hair and reddish-pink eyes. He wore a deep red, Manchu-style haori, with a dragon embroidered on the front side. His face had three scars evident, two long ones on the right side and a short one on the left. Unlike most others, he hated receiving any missions at all. This one was his third one in a row, with little time to spare in between. He barely slept for three days or more.
Hayaki yawned. He rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes, trying his best to focus. They were outside hiding near a wide forest. A forest. An ideal place to find protection from the sun. Even if it was not as dense as other forests, the trees were still enough protection for the demons to come out early. Though they would only come out once the sun was down completely. He looked up to the sky, it was almost time for them to come.
"It's almost time," one of his female colleagues, Aki, said. "we should get ready."
She was probably saying this specifically since Hayaki did look very tired.
It always amazes him how others can still look so fresh when all they do is stay awake at a time that was meant for them to rest at. he sighed, well there was no way of avoiding work now. As a Tsuchinoe rank, he was the leader of this mission. The others around him were kanoto-ranks.
He finally decided to move out of his spot and get to work. Unfortunately for him, he was chosen to be this mission's leader. so no free time for him. Not that he was bad at his position but he was just not motivated to do it. He'd prefer a lower rank mission.
He ran his hand through his brown hair. A lot of work ahead of him.
The night was finally there. Luckily the forest was not too dense, so visibility was no issue. They still needed to take out their torches. It was a double-edged sword. While you could see more around you, the demons will also easily be able to spot one.
Reported sightings of several different demons in one area were received by the headquarters. As a result, a group of Kanoto and Kanoe ranks was sent there to investigate if the reports were true or not. Led by him, they would find and hunt down all demons. Is the mission in any case in dire need of a higher ranking member a crow
Hayaki figured that the core of his mission was to understand what was going on. Demons were solitary in nature, hearing of many in one spot was concerning. Was Kibusuji Muzan suddenly changing his own strategy? Were demons starting to change their own rules? He looked in the direction of the small nearby town. Or maybe they found a good easy food source.
He guessed the latter to be right.
"Kyujitai-san look!" Aki said, watching as a demon was approaching. Guess what the night's going to be about. They had a few appear from all directions. Hopefully, the team he sent off to investigate in town would be fine with the demons.
It is important to assign demon slayers with demons matching their ranks.
Hayaki and his group had encountered a handful of demons. Unusual to see them in the same place, but their behavior was very feral. They were not even thinking anything through before attacking, only wanting fresh flesh o consume. they were much more like animals than anything. And clearly not working together as they got more into fights with each other rather than the demon slayer.
Their behavior and lack of skills strongly hinted at new demons. they probably were turned only weeks before this. He glanced down to the village beyond the forest they were in. That must be what lured them here, the opportunity for an easy meal.
He clicked his tongue. How annoying, how tedious. Demons were truly just odd creatures. For all their advantages he still sees little sense in willingly becoming one. At least they were easy to deal with.
For now, they still have yet to confirm another concern stated in their mission. An unusually strong demon. Hopefully, that one was a false claim. In case things go too out of hand, they had a small station prepared right at the border of the village, with tents set up and filled with medical supplies. A few kakushi were there, waiting for slayers.
The mission would not be too hard if it was just a few low-ranking demons. But there was more to it. The slayers knew something more was out of her, they felt watched. As per the order of Hayaki they moved closer to town. They were fine with the encounters they had. Nothing seemed right.
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Kamanue was hiding out in the big forest. A decent place for him to be even if it was not as ideal as other ones. It gave him enough cover; on this dark night, he could even walk around out in the open. Lately, this place has gotten too noisy. Demons started wandering here, and with them eventually came the demon slayer. He was watching them, stalking his prey. Shiny cat-like eyes observe a few humans. They were scared and nervous. He knew what they were thinking, hoping for. That nothing will go out of hand, and no tough demon should come out. They probably came here mainly expecting those weak ones. He was mad at their arrival. They were not even morphed yet. Could not have been more than a few weeks since they were demons. But so many in one place? What was Muzan even doing? starting to turn people left and right, what was about the chosen ones?
Whatever the reason might have been, they were crossing his territory and that was too annoying. At least they were taking all the attention that gave him time to observe and think. He was a demon for a long time by now, long enough to start being picky about what he ate. Each human had a different quality of flesh, some were fine, nothing too special, and nothing bad, but others were very terrible. Too disgusting. No, he was tired of low-quality food, he wanted something more something better tasting. Many people have crossed his paths for his time here and most of them had decent flesh. It was almost impossible to get a marechi among them.
They were so incredibly rare, and when was the last time he had one? Did he even ever have one? Even if he did, he did not remember it. But he still tested their blood, just in case there would be one among them. Well, at least he might find a few decent ones. Eventually. He hoped that a marechi would find his way here. He laughed at the thought, yea that would be great, the greatest thing to happen for him in a long while. He’d be careful with one though, humans were so fragile that nearly anything he did could be fatal. Marechi were too special to just consume like that, no he would savor it for as long as he could.
He waited only a little bit longer, and then finally jumped out. He took the demon hunters by surprise rendering them useless against his attack. He smashed one’s head. The other ones fell to the ground, unable to move in shock.
Kamanue licked the blood on his hand and cringed immediately. Disgusting. This was not the flesh he was after. Well, a few more tries. They panicked as soon as his eyes fell upon them. Amusing. So, amusing. It was their own fault for believing that they could do anything against creatures like him. They ran, pathetically. He attacked them, but they were faster than he thought, he only cut them. Not fatal.
Tsk! He chased after them.
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Hayaki cut off the head of yet another demon. Their behavior was pretty much more mindlessly trying to get food, rather than properly thinking things through. His work was much easier thanks to them getting into fights with each other more than trying to attack them. Easy targets.
Halfway through the night, things were looking good. Only halfway. He should have expected fate to be against him.
"Kyujitai-san!!"
He turned around, looking at the team he sent off to check out different spots, running at him. Wounded and exhausted. Their faces were filled with terror and they were a down by two. Not good! Not good at all. He cursed under his breath, looking back at Aki. "Prepare to take them to the base."
She nodded, slightly worried.
"We...we are in trouble" one of them muttered in between breaths. "There! There was a completely different demon than the other ones!!" one said, pointing in the direction they came from. "He... he killed the others!!" they fell down to their knees, tears starting to fall down. They were ashamed, and feeling guilty for running away. For being unable to avenge their dead comrades.
Hayaki hated seeing that. On top of that, he sent them off.
He sighed in annoyance; this night was going to be much longer than he hoped for.
A much stronger demon? That was worrying. He asked them about the demon’s eyes, but they were too much in a panic to take note. Two dead? That’s hard. He was hoping for something simpler, but there would not be anything like that. Could the master have expected this?
Hayaki was holding onto his sword. Carefully scanning his surroundings. He instructed the wounded slayers to the town where they had some kakushi stationed to attend to wounds. Their blood would only draw in more issues.
It was silent, not even animals around to make any kind of noise. The brown-haired boy was nervous. Something was definitely not right. “Kyujitai-dono should we move on?” His partner noticed only now that he was on high alert. She was about to ask what was going on when Hayaki pushed her aside. Only barely dodging sharp claws, that would have killed her in an instant. Hayaki got a cut on his arm. Luckily not too deep.
He shielded her while having his sword ready too. His nervosity was only worsening. The demon was out in the open, standing oddly like a quadruplet and looking at him with dangerous golden-yellow eyes. What was really nerve-racking was the words carved into those eyes. Lower six.
One of the twelve moons.
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Kamanue was surprised. The boy had pretty good intuition. He realized that they were being stalked. Well, what a shame he lost out on an easy meal but instead he found a promising opponent. The boy in front of him was definitely a bigger deal than the other slayers, yet not a hashira. Damn! He thought, could he take out a hashira that surely would please Kibusuji Muzan a lot, right?
He suddenly took in a special smell. Something really special, really intriguing, and tasty. It was in the air, just now. Before he attacked there was no smell like it. Blood. One of them was wounded by his claws and that blood smelled special. More so than any other humans- could it be…
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Hayaki stared at the words present in the demon’s eyes. A number. Oh no!
During his earlier times as part of the corps, he remembered when they were called together and taught about a demon’s power. How one could understand if they were outmatched and what to do when you cannot handle a foe.
He learned back then what ranks one should be,
‘In case we have to deal with one of the twelve moons, for the lower half at least a few members of the hinoe rank at best kinoe.
He remembered what their trainers told them. They had people training them and people educating them about crucial matters.
Thanks to their crows they received information on certain demons even if most of the slayers fighting them died.
The twelve moons were nothing to toy around with, and here he was being lucky enough to encounter one. He glanced at his bleeding arm. Sweat ran down the side of his face. He was definitely in big trouble.
But when he looked at the demon, he realized that his foe was distracted. Almost in a daze. It must be the blood. Hayaki didn't think for too long, this here was his chance! He took a deep breath and moved forwards. Fast, surprisingly fast for how he usually was slacking around more than he needed. Aki was always surprised to see the change in him when he needed to handle demons. However, he was not fast enough to cut the head off. The demon dodged and ended up with a giant cut across his upper body. Lots of blood oozing out. And soon after stopping.
Always these inhumane healing abilities. It made it mostly useless to inflict any wounds at all. Dang it! If only it had been easy like this. He realized from the demon's next stance that he was about ready to pounce him, instinctively Hayaki took a step back and used his sword to block those sharp claws. The force of the impact still went through his entire body. His head was pounding and ringing. He immediately was tired from just blocking this. How was he supposed to defeat that thing?
He looked at Aki, a sharp stare and its message was clear. 'Get out of here
She understood it and as much as it pained her to listen to his order, she was not a strong demon slayer. Not at all. She would only be in his way. She turned around and ran as fast as she could. Hayaki saw her disappear, before pushing the demon off him. That monster only kept grinning.
He glanced up. No sight of the morning sun, he had no idea how long it would take until then. But they were out here for a long while surely the night was almost over, right?
Hayaki understood that the was outmatched, so he needed help. He used his swing force to blow the dirt and leaves on the ground around him. It worked as the demon was careful, thinking his opponent was about to attack, it gave the brown-haired boy a moment to distance himself from his enemy. He ran as fast as possible. While running he whistled loudly. He wanted to call over his crow. That annoying thing would probably call him out for running.
“Running away, running away!!”
As expected, his crow started mocking him. She was way too much for him to handle. “Shut up!” He snarled back, “Tori! I am in trouble!! Fly back to the headquarters and let them know we are up against a lower moon. They should at best send us a kinoe-rank member!”
She side-eyed him. Expecting this to be a lie and that he wanted to get off this mission in an easier way.
“Just go!!”
She complied but that side-eye never left. Never.
The demon appeared right as his kasugai crow left, never to be seen by her. (She will probably still talk him down later.)
Hayaki has luckily very good reflexes, he instinctively moved backward and swung his sword in between himself and the demon's claws. He lost balance however and ended up on the ground. The impact knocked out the air from his lungs.
Fuck!!
He cannot stay in this disadvantageous pose, he needed to get free and have more space to move around. It was tough, his body arched and the tiredness was kicking in much harder than it already did, but Hayaki still gathered enough strength to throw the demon off. The demon slayer was still in big trouble. He should have not allowed himself to be wounded at all. The demon's eyes were dilated, so insane looking. So very insane. He got a whiff of Hayaki's blood, he was intrigued by it, craving it. The young Tsuchinoe-rank understood his situation very well, especially the fact that that monster would not let him be, by no means. Surviving this battle will prove to be hard. He always ends up as the main target. Always!
The demon jumped for another attack.
Another deep breath, 'Total concentration'. Before, Hayaki was focused on a strong swing to cut off the other's head but this time he needed to be fast. He swung his sword nearly in a circle-like motion, coming right into the demon’s momentum, and managed to cut off an arm and a leg. Good. That might buy him more time. Full body parts take longer to regrow. When the lower moon was down on the ground, Hayaki tried to close in the distance and go for his neck, but even with just one arm and leg, he managed to move away. Insane strength. He only grazed the demon’s neck.
"Hi hi hi", the demon laughed, "Let’s continue another time, you’re fun to play with.”
With these words he jumped further back, his limps almost completely back and the monster itself gone. Hayaki understood why he ran. Sunrise was probably soon. He looked up and sure enough, the sky beyond the horizon was lighter in color.
He sighed. What luck. He was always very lucky to survive his missions. He started making his way out of the forest. He probably will have to ask for a room in the village, while they had prepared a small station to treat any wounded member, that was by no means a good place to rest at.
The other slayers were already treated and resting. Good. He tried not to think too much about the ones that died, that would not help in this situation anyway. People always died during missions, it was common. He saw some kakushi go to see if they could retrieve their bodies and at least soon after bury them. He was not at fault and Hopefully, reinforcements will arrive before the next night.
As soon as they entered the village a dark blond-haired lady came when they were looking for a place to stay at. A really unusual color for people here, she must be a foreigner. “Hey.” He called out to her. Taking out a crest resembling a wisteria plant and a crow. He showed it to her, “We’re here on behave of the demon slayer corps and our mission will take at least another night, so give us a place to rest at.”
Demons have become a big threat in Japan over time, with many fearing them. The demon slayer corps offered an unusual service at the cost of their own lives, so for people who they encounter offering them at least some hospitality was the least they could do. As soon as the crest is shown they should know.
She nervously turned back, looking at a smaller group of people. Was she waiting for permission from them? They turned around weirdly whispering among each other before finally looking back at them and giving her a nod.
“Please follow me.”
She walked to a small hut, an old and dusty one. Opening its door she took a cloth and quickly wiped the dusty decor. Another woman entered after them offering them bedding. They sat it up very quickly and left. Without giving them a chance to question anything. Aki was nervous, not liking their behavior, but even less since the demon was around in this area. Can they even handle it if he attacked them again? "Go rest for now" Hayaki ordered, "I already sent out my crow, she'll call for backup." Aki complied, only hoping that help would arrive soon. She went outside, wanting to help the other wounded members.
Some villagers were watching them. Nervous and in fear. Maybe even a hint of guilt on their faces. One of them, an elderly man walked to a building into a building near them. It was dark inside, all windows blocked. Not the slightest bit of sunlight coming through. He sat there at the entrance, shaking heavily. Waiting.
A voice spoke to him. "Very good. I don't care about the other ones, but I do want that marechi."