Kasumi staggered to his feet, knees trembling.
"Seriously… what is this guy?" Kasumi muttered.
Miyuki glanced at Ren—froze. His eyes had widened, something unreadable flashing in them.
Her heart skipped. "Why… why is Hajime-sama making that face?"
The stranger, still beneath the shadow of his straw hat, stared back at Ren. His lips parted slightly. "Hajime…?"
Ren took a breath, his voice quiet. "Sato-san…"
In a blink, the man closed the distance. His voice trembled. "Hajime… it's really you…"
Ren offered a faint smile. "It's been a long time, Sato-san."
Miyuki and Kasumi exchanged stunned glances. "They know each other?"
Sato's voice grew firmer. "You've changed. Taller. Handsome. But it's really you…"
His gaze turned serious. "Tell me… what have you been doing since you vanished from the Corps?"
The silence dragged before he finally spoke, voice low. "…I'm in exile. I've been wandering… living as a vagabond."
Sato stiffened. "Exile? You? You're living like that?"
He looked at the two younger warriors. "And these kids? Are they with you now?"
Ren nodded, eyes lowered.
For a moment, Sato didn't speak. Then he placed a firm hand on Ren's shoulder.
"Whatever your reasons, I know the kind of person you are. You haven't changed. Not where it matters.
You must be tired. All of you. Come, my home isn't far from here."
After a while, they reached Sato's small house.
As Ren stepped inside, a strange warmth wrapped around him. Though small from outside, the house felt alive—cozy, full of light, and peaceful.
A woman emerged from the kitchen, graceful and youthful, her eyes warm and curious.
"Welcome to our home," she said kindly, wiping her hands on her apron.
Then her gaze fell on Ren.
She paused—almost mesmerized.
His long, wild hair tied neatly in a ponytail, crimson-tipped bangs framing his fair, serene face. His hanafuda earrings caught the firelight, glinting like sacred symbols. His presence alone made the air feel calmer. Unshakable. Almost divine.
Sato smiled and stepped forward. "Misaki… meet him. This is Ren Hajime."
Her eyes widened, lips parting in stunned silence.
"R-Ren Hajime…?" she whispered.
He tilted his head slightly. "Is something wrong, Misaki-san?" he asked, his voice gentle as falling snow.
She shook her head, smiling faintly. "No… it's just… I've heard so much about you. But seeing you in person…" Her eyes softened. "I'm so glad you're here."
Two small kids peeked out behind her. One barely two. Ren gave them a gentle smile.
Later, they all sat together.
The kids laughed and played while the fire crackled quietly.
Ren explained everything—why he left the Corps, his life in exile.
Sato said, "Only you can make such sacrifices for others, Hajime. You're kind and humble, but don't forget about yourself too. You need to think about yourself as well."
Miyuki smiled, her voice soft. "Don't worry, even if he doesn't care about himself, I'll be the one taking care of him."
Misaki chuckled, touched.
Sato leaned back. "When you vanished, everyone thought you were dead. I never believed it. And now… here you are."
Ren looked up. "Why did you leave the Corps, Sato-san?"
"The reason is simple. After spending decades serving the demon slayer corps, I came to the realization that I should spend my time more with Misaki and my children. So, I retired from the corps 7 years ago."
——————
Sato
Former Hashira
Age: 43
——————
Kasumi blinked, mind spinning with thoughts. "So he's a former Hashira… No wonder he's this strong."
Ren smiled faintly.
This is the kind of life I desired the most… Living the rest of my life in peace with my family… No money, no power, no greed… but even that dream just stayed a dream.
Suddenly, a 2-year-old girl grabs Ren's sleeve playfully, murmuring like a child.
Misaki giggles, "She wants to play with you, Hajime-kun."
Ren picks her up in his hand, the child smiles innocently.
Sato says, "When you joined the corps at the age of six, I wanted a son like you, Hajime. I'd tell Misaki about you, and she had a huge space for you in her heart."
Ren's gaze softens at the child.
It reminds me of my own child who died before it could even be born. The only thing I had… fate took it from me.
Ren's eyes filled with unshed tears.
Kasumi noticed his unshed tears but stayed silent.
After some time, the lights are off.
Everyone falls to sleep.
Before sleeping, Ren sees the house once more— the house and life he ever wanted.
"My dream was to live a quiet life with my family. A small home was fine. I wanted to sleep with our futons side by side. A distance where I could see the faces of my loved ones. A distance close enough to immediately grab their hands if I reached out. That would've been enough for me.
…But even that would never come true."
And then, he falls asleep.
…
Hours passed.
Kasumi stirred awake and found Ren sitting quietly, head down.
Kasumi said in a sleepy voice, "Hajime-San, why don't you sleep? What's bothering you?"
Ren tilts his head, looking at Kasumi, his voice low. "Nothing, I just woke up."
He puts his hand on his shoulder, "Hajime-San, I know you're missing your friends… your family… But please, don't be sad. If you break now, what will we do?"
Ren gently shook his head, his voice calm and steady.
"No… I'm not sad. Sometimes, memories weigh so heavily that they make you want to give up. But even then, I don't regret the path I chose.
To give up your own happiness for the sake of others… it's one of the greatest gifts you can offer to the world.
It may not have been the wisest choice… but it was the one my heart could live with. And for that, I'll always hold my head high."
Kasumi smiled faintly. Even if the world forgets him… I won't. I'm proud to be by his side.
Suddenly—
.
..
…
The ground roars.
The house shudders violently. Shelves crash. Walls crack.
"An earthquake?!" Sato bolts upright, heading toward the door.
Ren's eyes snap open, sharp as blades.
"Everyone—GET DOWN!!" he shouts.
"What?!" Misaki gasps.
Before she can react, Miyuki dives in, shielding her just in time—
BOOM!
The house splits in half. A howling gale tears through it as the upper floor vanishes in an instant.
Debris flies. Dust swirls. Hearts pound.
Everyone's eyes widen in disbelief.
"What just happened?!" Kasumi coughs.
"How did he—see that coming?" he whispers, staring at Ren.
Then—
A figure stands before the ruined house.
Tall. Calm. Terrifying.
Curly black hair. Blood-red, slitted eyes. Tentacles weaving like snakes behind him.
Kasumi's blood runs cold.
"No… it can't be…"
Muzan Kibutsuji.
The Original Demon King.
Progenitor of all demons.
"Tch… You've still survived…" Muzan said, his voice cold.
Ren steps forward, eyes locked.
Their gazes clash. Muzan twitches. A tremble. He instinctively takes a step back.
But—
Kasumi explodes forward.
"NOW'S MY CHANCE! He's scared of Hajime-san—"
Before he reaches him—
CRACK!
A shadow intercepts him mid-air, grabbing his blade barehanded—
—and slams him into the ground.
Blood splashes.
"MATSUNAGA-KUN!!" everyone screams—except Ren.
The dust clears.
A new figure stands.
Tall. Ethereal. Deadly.
Long obsidian hair flows like ink. His pale skin glows under the moonlight. Crimson eyes, hollow and piercing, seem to read every soul.
His beauty is haunting.
Jigen.
Dark energy radiates from him like a curse.
Kasumi, dazed and bleeding, looks up weakly. "He's… back…"
Ren doesn't flinch. His voice cuts through the chaos.
"Miyuki! Get Misaki-san and the children out of here—NOW!"
Without hesitation, Miyuki grabs Misaki's hand and bolts, the children in tow.
Suddenly—
Jigen's hair and robes flutter as shadows burst from him, swallowing the air in crushing darkness.
The world turns pitch black.
Sight vanishes. Time itself seems to pause.
Then—
Six glowing eyes ignite in the void.
Everything stops.
Even Ren.
The temperature drops. The wind howls.
Then—
From the dark, another form emerges beside Jigen.
The ground cracks.
The sky wails.
Storm clouds churn violently overhead.
Thunder shakes the world.
A presence beyond understanding.
Blood trickles from Kasumi's nose. Miyuki and Misaki gasp, choking. Even the children collapse, trembling.
All fall to their knees.
Terror clutches Kasumi. "Those eyes… Six of them… no… it's…"
Ren stares ahead, disbelief washing over his face. His hand trembles.
"B-Brother…"
The darkness slowly fades—
And Kokushibo steps into view.
His wild, spiky hair whips in the violent storm around him. Six glowing eyes burn across his face.
His massive demonic blade hums with death beneath the moonlight.
The Strongest Demon.
Ren's gaze darts to Muzan, burning with rage. He clenches his sword tighter.
In an instant—
He vanishes from sight.
Reappears before Muzan, blade swinging.
But—
CLANG!
Kokushibo intercepts it.
Sparks fly. The clash sends out a deafening shockwave.
The ground splits in two. The sky cracks open.
For the first time, someone ever stopped Ren.
The air becomes a weapon.
Miyuki screams— "MISAKI-SAMA!"
But it's too late.
Misaki and the children lie still. Crushed.
Gone in a flash from the sheer pressure.
Silence. Then horror.
Every gaze locks onto their lifeless bodies.
Even Ren, for a split second, falters.
In a frenzy of rage—
Misaki, Sato, and Kasumi lunge forward, screaming as they charge the demons.
Sato meets Muzan head-on, blades ringing like lightning in the night.
Jigen raises his hand.
A crimson, jagged sword materializes—like a twisted flame.
FLASH—
SLASH!
Kasumi's arm is gone.
"AAARRRGHH!!" he roars, collapsing, clutching the bleeding stump.
Before anyone can react—
Jigen spins into the air, his form a blur of black and red.
Below is—Miyuki.
"Miyuki, move—!!" Kasumi shouts.
Too late.
SHIIING—
Blood bursts midair.
Her head hits the ground and rolls to Kasumi's feet.
He freezes. His eyes wide.
The world goes silent.
"...No…"
His lips tremble. His mind fractures.
SHRAAAK!
Another spray of blood.
Muzan slashes Sato down diagonally, slicing through his flesh and bone like paper.
Sato's body hits the ground, lifeless.
Kasumi stumbles. Falls to his knees.
The battlefield is painted red.
His eyes slowly rise— Ren.
Alone.
Fighting both Jigen and Kokushibo at once, blades clashing at inhuman speed.
Then—
A shadow flashes behind Ren, his fighting spirit too strong.
His eyes glow blue in the dark.
Akaza.
Upper Moon 1
His fist, glowing with raw destruction, rockets toward Ren's back.
Ren reacts—
SWOOSH—!
He leaps high, just missing the fatal hit.
But before he can breathe—
A bone-piercing wind howls.
The air grows cold. Dead cold.
Half the mountain ices over in an instant. The temperature plummets.
Ren's eyes widen.
He spins midair—Too slow.
Douma steps out of the frost, smiling with feigned innocence.
"Oooh… what a mess. Is the party over already?"
The wind stills. The ice clears.
Ren is gone.
Only his haori—frozen midair.
Douma blinks.
"Eh—?"
SHUNK!
His vision tilts.
His head is gone.
It hits the ground, spinning once—then stops.
Ren stands behind him. Back turned.
Sword drawn, glowing bright crimson.
He never looked at Douma.
Before the body falls—
Three blurs charge at Ren.
Kokushibo. Akaza. Jigen.
All at once.
Ren turns his head. His eyes narrow.
BOOM!
Blades clash. Fists crack. Shadows blur.
The mountain trembles beneath their fury.
Kasumi's eyes lift to the heavens—
There, she floats.
An ethereal figure suspended in the sky.
Her long black hair dances weightlessly.
Her garments ripple like silk on water.
Eliza.
Her presence warps the air itself.
Cold. Divine. Terrifying.
She raises one hand—toward Ren.
BOOM—!!
The sky splits.
Thousands of meteors rip through the atmosphere—
Small ones, massive ones—
Blazing trails of fire and smoke that rain down like divine judgment.
CRASH!
BOOM!
SKRAAACK—!!!
The Earth convulses.
Mountains disintegrate.
The land fractures.
Cities vanish in blinding explosions.
The world becomes fire and dust.
Ashes spread like snowfall. The sky turns blood-red.
It was the end of days.
Apocalypse.
Kasumi's knees buckle. His jaw slack. His pupils shake.
"…This… this can't be real…"
He drops to the shattered ground, clutching Miyuki's severed head in his trembling hands.
His voice breaks.
"Why…? Why did it all fall apart so fast…?"
Tears stream freely now.
"Why couldn't I protect them? Why wasn't I strong enough…?"
He screams—
"WHY—?!"
BOOM!
Up ahead—
Thousands of crescent blades spiral from Kokushibo's demonic sword, slicing the air like death itself.
But Ren—
He charges through them, blade flashing like lightning.
SLASH—SLASH—SLASH!
He shreds every crescent, a blur of motion and fury.
In a single strike—
CLANG—!!!
Kokushibo's blade splits in half.
Kokushibo recoils. But in a blink, his weapon regrows—more monstrous than before.
Ren doesn't flinch.
His eyes burn.
Akaza lunges from the left. Jigen descends from above. Kokushibo comes from the front.
And yet—
Ren holds the line. Alone.
Three of the strongest demons in existence—
And one man stands against them all.
The earth crumbles around them.
The sky howls.
Reality itself seems to tear apart.
But Ren—
Keeps fighting.
His sword, a crimson blur in a dying world.
As Kasumi stared into the ashes of the world—
A voice echoed behind him.
Soft. Gentle. Divine.
"Are you still watching?"
He turned sharply.
Behind him stood—
An old man.
Bent with age, leaning on a wooden staff.
Yet his presence radiated something… pure. Something beyond time itself.
His long white hair flowed down his back.
His beard and mustache, equally silver, shone with a faint, sacred light.
Though his skin was wrinkled, it glowed softly, untouched by decay. And his eyes—
Calm. Eternal. Unfathomable.
Kasumi froze, the chaos forgotten.
He couldn't speak—only stare.
The old man smiled gently.
"Come with me."
Without hesitation, Kasumi stood.
His legs moved before his mind could catch up.
He followed.
Around them, the world burned—
Fires still raged across the land. Smoke swirled.
The sky remained blackened with ash.
Yet the old man walked with a serene purpose. Unafraid. Untouched.
Eventually, the path of ruin ended—
And before them—
A radiant trail of light.
It shimmered in the air, winding forward into a glowing void.
Like the path to another world.
The old man stopped at the edge.
He murmured:
"This way."
Kasumi turned to him, dazed. "W-What is this place…? And who are you?"
But the old man simply said—
"There's no time. Hurry."
SCREEEEEEECH—!!!
A scream— Sharp and inhuman—ripped through the air.
Kasumi turned—
A shadow. A monstrous figure.
It lunged.
"Agh—!!"
Before it could reach him—
The old man shoved Kasumi into the light.
Everything flashed.
—————
Kasumi gasped.
His eyes snapped open.
Blood spilled from his lips as he coughed violently.
His heart pounded like a war drum.
"What the hell was that—?! A dream?!"
He clutched his chest.
"I've lived through 1,241 nightmares…
But that one—"
His voice trembled.
"That one felt… real."
Then—like a lightning strike— A thought pierced through his panic.
"Wait… that man…"
His breathing slowed. Eyes wide with realization.
"I've seen him before… but where…? Who was he?"
…
At 6:00 A.M.
The first light of dawn touched the sky as Ren, Kasumi, and Miyuki stood at the edge of the quiet house.
They looked back one final time.
Ren bowed his head slightly. "We should get going now. Thank you for letting us stay, Sato-san."
Sato gave a warm, fatherly smile. "This is your home too, Hajime. You're always welcome here."
Ren returned the smile—soft, fleeting.
"I understand."
Then, without another word, the three turned and began walking.
The wind was cool. Silent.
Kasumi walked behind them, his thoughts spinning.
"That dream... it made no sense. Why would Muzan Kibutsuji show up in front of Hajime-san of all people? Muzan fears him more than anyone."
The dream clung to his mind like smoke.
He looked at Ren, curiosity burning.
"Hajime-san… where are we going now?"
Ren didn't look back.
His voice was calm—steady.
"We'll see."