NOVEL WEB Chapter 22: Towards the Battle
When He Was A Child, He Was The Strongest Demon Slayer Alive.
When He Was Twelve, He Was The Strongest Human Alive.
When He Turned A Teenager, He Became A Mystery.
Transcending The Limits Of Human Beings, He Becomes A Legend.
Now He Is Gone, He Will Still Be Remembered...
For Eternity...
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Some new demon slayers are talking about Ren Hajime. Now it's been more than a month since he left the corps.
"I can't believe this is real. How can someone so otherworldly exist? Especially when he is just a kid."
"I believe him. Even the hashiras and Oyakata-Sama believe in him. This Hajime guy doesn't seem to be a human. He must be a god or an angel who ascended from Heaven," a female demon slayer replies.
"Some rumors say that he is dead now. If someone like him exists in this world, there is no way to defeat him," says another demon slayer.
...
Nameless and Rinka are listening to them from some distance.
"Thank God that Hanako-San isn't there. She would explode with anger," says Nameless.
Rinka nods in agreement.
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During the daytime.
Ren is standing outside Kasumi's house, waiting for him to come out.
Kasumi comes out of his house with some items carried with him.
"Is it okay to leave our home already?" asks Kasumi.
"Yes, we can't stay at any place forever. Demons are already after us," says Ren.
Kasumi has a confused expression, he is disappointed with his response. "Are you really scared of demons? Even though no one can defeat you in this world."
Ren says in a calm voice, "I am not doing this for my sake. I just don't want to lose any of my friends. I don't want to cause any trouble. Every demon is right after me, and if they find out that they're my friends, they will kill them."
.
"Didn't you teach them how to unlock Demon Slayer Mark?"
"No, I didn't. I didn't want them to lose their lifespan. But now I'm regretting my own decision."
"That's gross..."
Kasumi has a lot of questions to ask him, but he doesn't ask them. He continues to carry his items and prepares to leave.
They both leave his house and go into exile once again.
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2 years later.
At night, during a full moon.
Nameless and Rinka are still training in the training ground.
Rinka knocks him down on the ground. The impact is so high that it breaks the ground and sends him 10 meters deep.
"Finally! I've won!! Yay!!!" exclaims Rinka.
Nameless jumps in front of her and appears in no time. "That's because I let myself lose against you. I've been defeating you for 2 years straight. I can't even tell how many countless times I've defeated you."
Rinka feels embarrassed and has a disappointed face.
"... You're right..."
"But don't let your guard down. You've improved a lot in these two years. You couldn't even keep up with me back then, but now you can go toe-to-toe with me."
...
They see Chikafusa running towards them, a hint of excitement on his face.
"Nameless-kun! Kumagami-San! We have got a mission."
"Mission, huh? What kind of mission?" asks Nameless.
"We will go to the south and north sides. We have to save people and slay demons."
"You could even ask your crow to convey the message to us. Anyway, are we all on the same team?"
"No, only me and Kumagami-San are teammates. You have to go to the north side."
Nameless's expression suddenly turns into anger and jealousy. His hands are visible with veins, and he furiously looks at Chikafusa. "WHAT?!! What did you just say?!! Don't you dare to get too close to her? Or else I'll kill you."
"Yay! I can't believe we are on the same team, Yamamoto-kun. I am so excited about it." She feels more energetic and excited after listening to him.
Chikafusa is confused yet scared at the same time. "You've got it wrong, Nameless-kun. You're not alone, you've got Hanako-San as a teammate."
His eyes widened again in surprise.
... "WHAT?!! HANAKO-SAN?! You've disappointed me even more."
Rinka slightly giggles and says, "Hanako-San is a good teammate. I hope she won't scold or beat you. She might be short-tempered, but it doesn't mean she is bad or something. I'm sure she will understand you, Nameless-kun."
"Now allow us to leave, Nameless-kun."
Chikafusa and Rinka leave him alone and go on the mission towards the south.
... *Tch*
"You'll pay, YAMAMOTO!!!"
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Some moments later.
Nameless is standing alone at the entrance of the forest on the north side, waiting for Ai Hanako to arrive.
"She is scary though. We don't get along really well. I don't know what will happen next," thinks Nameless.
...
"Konnichiwa, Nameless-kun!" Ai finally arrives and approaches him, and she waves her hand in the air towards him.
Nameless slightly turns his face and looks at her. She has a slim build and has worn a purple dress with floral mesh sleeves. She looks even more beautiful in the moonlight.
Nameless blushes a bit at her appearance but he manages his composure and says, "So you've finally arrived."
She looks around with a confused expression and says, "Only we're here? I've seen that Yamamoto-kun has at least 15 corps members with him."
"We alone are enough. No need for anyone."
"Oh, so you alone are enough for demons huh? I didn't know you were that powerful," she teases.
He ignores her and is lost in his thoughts. "I hope Chikafusa won't try to use his charm on her. He is already good enough to do that. I swear if I see him the next time, I'll—"
Ai pinches his back tightly and says in frustration, "Don't ya dare ignore me the next time, okay?"
His entire body shivers in pain, "Ouch! Ah! Stop it, Hanako-San!"
She stops pinching him but is still angry. She narrows her striking purple eyes and says, "You're so cold, aren't you?"
He manages his composure and says, "Oh, look who is saying. Anyway, do you always pinch Yamamoto this hard whenever he annoys you?"
She fakes a smile on her face, and says formally, "Oh, you're right, mister. How did ya guess it?"
... "I don't know. I am feeling sad for Yamamoto now."
They travel toward the north and continue their conversation.
"They're going to the urban areas?"
She replies, "Yes, and we're stuck alone in this forest. They're going to save humanity and we're here to slay demons."
Some demons attack them from behind but they instantly kill the demons without even turning back. They continue walking and killing demons without any effort.
"But why did Oyakata-Sama even send so many slayers toward the south? I know that they have to save others, but it doesn't make sense," he asks.
"Perhaps an upper-rank demon is there. I'm not sure but it's my opinion," she replies without showing any care.
"Like if Kumagami and Yamamoto can handle an upper-rank demon."
He thinks about Rinka once again, "I wonder what Kumagami-San is doing there. Yamamoto looks innocent, but he isn't; I hope he isn't getting too close to her."
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On the south side, Rinka and Chikafusa are enjoying talking to each other along with other demon slayer members.
"You're so sweet, Yamamoto-kun. I'll make some pancakes for you once you come to my place, will you?"
He says in excitement, "Definitely, Kumagami-San! I'll come."
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On the southern side, there lies a district with the tallest house. At its peak, two formidable demons stand side by side – Naraka and Eliza, the upper-rank demons.
Naraka, known as the upper moon 6, towers at a height of 5 feet and 10 inches. His presence is marked by a long, menacing scythe, a lethal extension of his formidable stature. Standing by his side is Eliza, the upper moon 4, with a height of 5'5 feet. Unlike Naraka, she stands without a weapon.
"Don't you think that demon race is in danger?" asks Naraka.
She laughs and says in a playful tone, "And why do you think so?"
"Since Jigen found the blue spider lily, the purpose for making demons vanished. Now we have around only a thousand demons," he says in a serious tone.
"Oh my, you don't have to think too much about it, Naraka-kun. We don't need demons anymore, but at least we will stay alive. It's fun, isn't it?"
He becomes angry and says in a more serious tone, "Lady Eliza, it's my honor to work with you. But please behave yourself, don't be childish around."
She softly chuckles and says, "Just kidding! Don't be so rude, Naraka-kun."
He becomes furious at her nonchalant behavior.
He throws her transparent veil over her head away and grabs the neckline of her white dress.
He says furiously, "Don't act dumb, you fool. Have you ever been serious in your life? No matter how goddamn beautiful you are, if you don't take things or tasks seriously then you're worthless. Are you even listening to me?"
Her demeanor suddenly grows quiet, and her piercing blue eyes glares fiercely at him. An immense bloodlust begins to emanate from her.
The intensity of her bloodthirsty emotions becomes so overwhelming that Naraka collapses to the ground. The sheer force of her bloodlust aura causes him to lose consciousness.
She sits next to his unconscious body and says with concern, "I'm doing this for you, Naraka-kun. I thought we would fight with slayers together, but now I'm counting on you."
She disappears instantly into the air and leaves his unconscious body behind.