Night Market
It should have been a quiet night, but suddenly the streets came alive. Lights flicked on in thousands of houses, and the air buzzed with chatter, laughter, and the clatter of food stalls.
Some houses stayed closed, while others opened their doors to sell snacks. Vendors set up toys and trinkets in the open.
"Boss, five orders of octopus balls, please!"
I stood before a small stall. A silver, bell-like voice called out as an elderly man packed my order. I wore a black-and-white outfit with intricate patterns stitched haphazardly across the fabric. A white cloth covered most of my face, leaving only my blood-red eyes visible. Over my clothes, a haori embroidered with red spider lilies draped over my shoulders. A small, delicate brush hung from my waist, and a black jade magatama dangled from a red cord.
The old man handed me the package with a warm smile. "One portion has two skewers. Five portions make ten skewers, total…"
I nodded, paid, and walked slowly toward the darkness beyond the lights.
The man counted the money and froze. "Sir… you gave me too much…"
He squinted down the street, but I was gone. Instead, two figures in green cloth sneaked along the shadows, heading toward the darker alley. The man wanted to chase them, but he was stuck.
"It's been two years… Tanjiro's final selection should be coming up soon. I need to see for myself."
I carried the bag of snacks deeper into the dark alley. Behind me, two men watched with curious, greedy eyes. I noticed them immediately—they were repeat troublemakers.
"Don't move. Hand over everything you've got!"
One grabbed my shoulders, while a knife pressed against my back. One came from the front, eyes sharp. I stayed calm.
"How long have you been doing this?"
They froze, startled by the question. In that instant, I twisted the arm of the man behind me—he collapsed, screaming.
"Ah! My arm…"
The man in front swung at me out of reflex. I struck his face with my other hand. He hit the ground instantly, groaning.
"I think I heard bones break… hmm, still alive, I guess."
I lifted the man behind me and let his weight crash onto the one on the ground. The pressure woke them.
Now, both looked at me like they'd seen a ghost. Arrogance drained from their faces. Knees hit the ground. They begged for mercy.
I ignored them.
"You… when you were young, you burned a neighbor's animal alive for fun. As a teenager, you killed someone in a dispute and ran away. As an adult, you kidnapped children for money… hundreds of times. And the money? Spent on brothels. Until now."
"And you… almost the same. You two really share a taste for greed."
Their faces went pale. Sweat ran down their foreheads. Every word I spoke was true. The begging vanished, replaced by absolute silence.
I pulled the cloth from my face. Pale, delicate skin, sharp red eyes. Beauty hiding a god of death.
"It's impossible to let you live… so… die."
My voice sounded childlike, a silver bell, but they felt the whisper of death. Their only thought: escape. But their bodies wouldn't move. Legs frozen. Hands useless.
I drew the black brush from my waist, stepped forward, and wrote on their foreheads:
"Destroy."
The brush didn't touch ink, yet red light glowed where it passed. Terror gripped them. Their bodies slammed into the dirt, pinned by some invisible force. Their limbs twitched uncontrollably, and their bones felt like they were being crushed by countless hammers. Pain radiated through every cell, like millions of ants gnawing at them.
In less than a minute, their bodies disintegrated into dust, leaving no trace—no scent, no sign they had ever existed.
The sin of greed—the forbidden sin.
I returned the brush to my waist. Red light formed beneath my hand, a flat platform. I stepped on it, waved my hand, and it shot into the sky like a flying sword.
"I didn't expect this brush to work so well with my new Blood Demon Technique. Better than the Sun Sword, and my hands stay clean."
I unpacked some meatballs and started eating. Delicious. Simple. Perfect.
"Two years of slacking… time to end the fun and go watch Tanjiro's final selection. Hopefully, Tsugikuni Yoriichi won't be in the way."
The Final Selection
"The time for the selection… has come, Tanjiro."
I stood by the window, feeling the warm sunlight on my face. My red eyes scanned the endless forest before me, calm and unreadable.
Next to me, Tanjiro Kamado stood with his bags packed. He had decided to join the selection, but now that the day had come, a little nervousness lingered on his face.
"Yes! Master!" he said, his voice firm but a little shaky.
Yoriichi Tsugikuni nodded at him but didn't say anything.
A moment later, Tanjiro stepped onto the Fujisakayama selection grounds. Yoriichi stayed at the doorway, watching him go.
Watching his back as he disappeared into the forest, Yoriichi felt an odd mix of worry… fear… and a strange premonition.
"It's… not a good feeling," he muttered to himself.
Seventh Day
It had been seven days since I snuck into Mount Tengai. Not all of it was sneaking—I was disguised as one of the final candidates. The final selection lasted seven days, and today was the last. I perched high in a tree, my red eyes scanning the ground below.
Tanjiro stood on the forest floor, hands clasped, eyes closed, facing a fading demon as if he were praying.
Suddenly, he flinched, covering his nose instinctively.
"The smell… decay?" he whispered.
Turning, he saw a horrifying sight.
A massive demon towered before him—over ten meters tall, purple-skinned, with black roots wrapped tightly around its chest. In its hand was one of the candidates—dead, blood flowing from every orifice, gnawing on a head as it walked.
I froze for a moment. That's… not a normal demon. What is this thing?
The giant stopped. Its two black-and-green eyes rotated unnaturally, scanning everything around, until they locked onto Tanjiro hiding behind a tree.
"Hehehe… a little mouse," it hissed.
Tanjiro realized he had been spotted. But he didn't panic. He knew his strength, knew his purpose—protect his family, save Nezuko—and the fear vanished, replaced by firm resolve.
"You will be… the seventy-second!"
The demon hurled the body it held and reached for him. Tanjiro's breathing sharpened, and he leapt, dodging with incredible speed.
"The God of Fire Kagura—Second Form: Biruten!"
Flames danced along his Nichirin blade, carving a fiery circle through the air toward the demon's neck.
I watched, perched in the tree, my pulse racing. I expected a simple trial, but this… this was exciting.
The demon calmly raised its other hand, blocking the blade with its own.
Click!
Tanjiro felt the impact as if striking rock.
"Like… hitting a rock," he muttered.
Before he could recover, the demon's other hand slammed into him, hurling him backward.
Boom! Click!
He crashed into a tree, spat blood, and groaned. Bones broken, but he struggled to stand, blade still in hand, eyes fixed on the demon.
"Why… why do demons eat people?" he asked.
The giant paused, then laughed—a hollow, sharp, terrifying sound.
"Hahaha! Why? Do demons need a reason? Lower beings exist… only to be food for us!"
It lunged again. The forest trembled beneath its steps. Tanjiro's heartbeat surged.
Suddenly, golden sparks appeared overhead. They rained down on the demon, each igniting and exploding. The massive creature screamed, caught in the strange chain reaction.
Before Tanjiro could react, a figure fell from above, landing in front of him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The figure was delicate… cute, maybe? About Tanjiro's age, but alert.
"Who… who are you?" Tanjiro asked.
"I'm… just another candidate in the selection, like you," the figure said, smiling. "If you want my name…"
He paused, eyes meeting Tanjiro's.
"I'm Senju Kurenai."