NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Ai Hanako
The next morning.
At 10 A.M.
18th October, 1947.
In the same forest, Demon Slayers and Kakushi stumbled upon a chilling sight.
The mutilated remains of the Light Hashira.
The body, torn apart, lay arranged within a large pentacle etched into the earth, its sinister symbolism freezing them in place.
"Oh no... Hideyoshi-sama! What happened to you? How could someone kill you like this?" cried one of the Kakushi.
"This shouldn't be possible! Even a Hashira isn't safe. What kind of demon could do this?" a Slayer whispered, fear heavy in his tone. "It must be Kibutsuji. Only he could…"
They cautiously approached the grotesque scene, gathering the scattered body parts with shaking hands. Chikafusa clung to Ren's side, his face pale with terror. Ren, however, stood motionless, his unblinking eyes fixed on the mutilated corpse, unreadable.
"If this were Kibutsuji, why would he leave this... this symbol? It feels more like black magic than anything else."
"Black magic?" another Slayer snapped, "As if demons weren't horrifying enough, now we're dealing with this? If it's not Muzan, how do we even stand a chance against something like this?"
The tension in the forest thickened. Four Slayers, four Kakushi, Ren, and Chikafusa stood frozen.
————
In a dimly lit room shrouded in shadows, eight voodoo dolls lay scattered across the floor, their twisted forms illuminated by a flickering, dying light.
From the darkness, a blackened, clawed hand emerged, its movements deliberate and eerie. It reached for one of the dolls, gripping it tightly before twisting its head with a slow, chilling precision.
————
Back in the forest.
As the group carefully gathered the dismembered remains of the Light Hashira, Ren's voice suddenly cut through the tense silence.
"Everyone! Get out of the circle! Now!" he shouted, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Huh?" a Kakushi muttered, confused.
Before anyone could react, the Kakushi's head began to twist unnaturally, a grotesque crack echoing through the air. Then, without warning, his body exploded in a violent burst of blood and gore.
Screams erupted as panic seized the group, the forest now alive with terror.
Back in the dark room.
The clawed hand reached out again, this time selecting another voodoo doll from the scattered collection. Slowly, it raised an iron nail, driving it deep into the doll's chest.
In the forest.
One of the Demon Slayers suddenly collapses, vomiting torrents of blood. His body spasms violently before he falls to the ground, lifeless.
Without a word, Ren unsheathes his katana, his gaze fixed on the pentacle.
"SUN BREATHING, 2ND FORM: CLEAR BLUE SKY!"
With a swift, powerful strike, he slams his blade into the earth, shattering the ground and obliterating the pentacle.
The remaining Kakushi staggered back, "What... what's happening?"
Ren stands calmly, his eyes unwavering. "Now you're safe."
————
Back in the dark room.
A low, irritated "Tch..." echoed through the shadows.
From the darkness, a pair of crimson eyes flared, their eerie glow revealing the number "Upper-3" etched within the iris.
It was Jigen, the Upper Moon 3.
With a cold, sinister expression, he vanished into the void.
———————————————————————
2 Years Later.
21st December, 1949.
At night, 1 A.M., during snowfall.
Snowfall blanketed the mountain as a small, wooden house stood against the freezing winds. Inside, a Demon Slayer battled fiercely just outside the door, protecting his family.
"Ai, take care of your mom. Don't go outside Okay?" said the demon slayer.
"O-Okay… papa…" sobbed the little girl, Ai Hanako, clutching her mother's hand as the frail woman coughed weakly.
Ai Hanako is an 8-year-old girl. She is the daughter of Flame Hashira's Tsuguko, the demon slayer who is fighting the demons right now. Her mother, pale and weak, lay beside her in sickness.
Tsuguko are the successors of their respected hashiras.
He stood between the house and ten demons ahead of him.
As the Tsuguko of the Flame Hashira braced himself for the onslaught, three more Demon Slayers appeared.
"Sorry for being late, Matsuda-San," said one of the slayers.
Demons still have advantages over slayers whether it's quantity or cold weather.
"FLAME BREATHING 1ST FORM: UNKNOWING FIRE"
"WATER BREATHING 4TH FORM: STRIKING TIDE"
"SNOW BREATHING 1ST FORM: DASHING SNOWFALL"
"WIND BREATHING 6TH FORM: BLACK WIND MOUNTAIN MIST"
Demons and Slayers attacked each other simultaneously.
Both sides clashed with relentless ferocity, screams and grunts echoing through the frozen night.
After a brutal fight, the demons were defeated, but the Wind Breathing Slayer had fallen, and the others were left gravely wounded.
"Is it… over?" thinks Matsuda, the flame-breathing user and the tsuguko.
Then, out of the snowy darkness, a strange figure flew toward them. Its body was cloaked in white fur, its black, soulless eyes and beak giving it an eerie, bird-like appearance. Its height 6'7 feet, it was far too large to be a mere bird— its humanoid frame radiated malice.
"Matsuda-San, be careful! That's no bird!"
Before anyone could react, the creature dashed forward with blinding speed, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
A flash of claws. Blood sprayed across the snow. The Snow Breathing user staggered, clutching his chest, now torn open by the creature's razor-sharp talons.
"Nakamura-Kun, are you okay? Tch…" said Matsuda.
The wounded Slayer, pale and drenched in blood, forced himself to stand. "Matsuda-San, Yoshida-San, I am fine. Don't care about me."
That bird-like thing talks with him via telepathy, "Are you Matsuda, right? I have a proposal for you. I'll leave everyone right now, I won't hurt anyone here. But… Oh, let me introduce myself first. I am Xeran, the god of this land—"
"Shut up, I don't wanna listen to any of your bullsh*ts. Just tell me what's the condition?" Matsuda interrupts the demon furiously.
"Hah… you're even worse than I thought. Anyway, I won't kill you or anyone, but only on one condition…
I want your daughter," said Xeran.
"How dare you, scumbag! Don't you dare to lay a finger on my daughter," yelled Matsuda.
"As I thought, you mortals are so pathetic. You should go to hell and die. If you won't give me your daughter, I'll kill your loved ones and take her by myself. I am the God of this land, the Lower Moon-4, Xeran. Hahahahaha…" Xeran laughed maniacally.
Without hesitation, they lunged at him simultaneously.
"FLAME BREATHING 3RD FORM: BLAZING UNIVERSE"
"WATER BREATHING 2ND FORM: WATER WHEEL"
"SNOW BREATHING 4TH FORM: DAZZLING HORIZON"
Xeran dashes towards them and attacks them with his claws and blood demon art.
">———BLOOD DEMON TECHNIQUE: FREEZING PAWS———<"
Icy waves surged from his claws, chilling the air with every swipe. His speed matched theirs effortlessly, his movements fluid and calculated. Frost spread with each clash, slowing their strikes and freezing their lungs.
The Slayers' attacks faltered under the biting cold. Xeran's overwhelming power drove them back as he deflected their swords with ease, his freezing claws cutting through their defenses like a storm.
"Tch… He's stronger than us, I don't care if I become a Hashira after this battle or die here. My only obligation is towards my family, my daughter...
No matter how strong your opponent is, they can never defeat a family.
That's right! A man can be destroyed, but never defeated," thinks Matsuda.
With blinding speed, Xeran stabbed Yoshida, the Water Breathing user, his claws piercing through his chest. Blood spilled as Yoshida fell, his final act buying Nakamura a chance to hold Xeran back.
"You bastard! Whoever hurts my family or friends, I will never forgive him!!!"
"FLAME BREATHING 1ST FORM: UNKNOWING FIRE"
Matsuda crosses his limits and goes beyond his strength, he finally cuts Xeran's thick neck. But as he crosses his limits, his hand's bone gets broken.
"Is it… over?" says Matsuda.
"Yes… for you…"
When Matsuda looked at his stomach below, Xeran's claw stabbed and pierced through him.
"MATSUDA-SAN!!!!!!"
"PAAAPPAAA!!!" Ai's scream echoed in despair.
In a flash, Xeran vanished and reappeared behind the remaining Slayers. Before they could react, their heads obliterated in an instant.
"You love your family right? Just watch me humiliate your entire family in front of your eyes," says Xeran.
In an instant, he appeared at Matsuda's home. Inside, his frail, bedridden wife struggled to sit up, while Ai stood frozen in terror.
"Ai… run away, sweetie…" his wife whispered weakly to Ai.
"No, Mom! I can't…" Ai sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Please… it's my last wish… Please… run away…"
Xeran grabbed her mother by the hair, dragging her outside. She cried out in pain, her frail body unable to resist.
"Matsuda, I admire your courage to go beyond and save your family. But there's nothing you can do against me. You're too weak. You can't save your family. All you can do is to see me murdering your wife and daughter," his voice cold and mockery.
Before Matsuda could respond, Xeran plunged his claws into his wife's chest, ripping out her heart. He crushed it in his hand without hesitation, her lifeless body crumpling to the ground.
Matsuda's strength gave out, his body collapsing as the blood loss and anguish overwhelmed him. With his dying breath, he whispered, "God... save my daughter... please..."
Xeran's gaze shifted suddenly. Ai was gone. His eyes narrowed as he soared into the sky, scanning the snowy landscape. Her mother's final act had been to send her away before he noticed.
Ai ran, her small feet stumbling over the uneven snow, her breath ragged and visible in the cold air.
Then, out of nowhere, Xeran appeared before her, blocking her path.
He stepped forward slowly, deliberately, while Ai instinctively backed away, her trembling frame illuminated by the pale moonlight.
Xeran's piercing gaze roved over her, his grin widening with twisted satisfaction. Tears streaked her cheeks, smudging her mascara, her amethyst eyes filled with fear. Her sobs only fueled his vile amusement.
He grabs her very long, dark, and wolf-styled hair and says, "Indeed a beautiful child… I've never seen such a beautiful child before. Lord Douma once said that the more beautiful and younger the girl is, the more power she gives by eating her. And soon… I'll become an upper moon…"
Ai closed her eyes, trembling as she accepted her fate.
But suddenly, Xeran's grip on her hair loosened. His confident grin vanished, replaced by wide-eyed shock. He froze, staring above her as though paralyzed with fear.
Confused, Ai turned to look behind her.
Standing there was a towering figure, 7'4 feet tall, radiating an unshakable presence. His massive frame loomed over her.
He is none other than Kenzo Fuji, the current stone Hashira.
He wields a hand axe complete with a spiked flail attached to the hilt through a long chain, basically Gyomei's weapon.
Xeran began to back away, his steps quickening until he spun around, sprinting at full speed to escape.
But in an instant, Kenzo chopped his head with his axe before he could even realize it.
His head fell to the ground, his mind couldn't register what had just happened.
…
"This man… he is even taller than me. I couldn't even blink. What kind of creature is he?" He thinks.
"I wanted to be an Upper Moon... their power is beyond comprehension. I longed for the cruelty of Lord Jigen, the strength of Lord Akaza... Lord Jigen was my idol... Lord Douma was my favorite…
All for her. That girl... she stole my heart with a single glance. To be with her, I had to become an Upper Moon demon…"
…
A familiar feminine sound echoed in his mind via telepathy. "You're a mere piece, idiot~ Do you really think you can kill a child just to impress me? Even if you become an upper moon, you're nowhere worthy of me."
"T-That's… that's that girl… Even she is an upper moon… I thought… No… I can't die… I want to live… No… I…"
But before he could finish, Xeran crumbled into ashes.
The little girl sobbed uncontrollably, grief consuming her as she clutched the remnants of her lost family. Kenzo Fuji knelt beside her, his expression somber.
"Poor child... she's endured too much for one so young," he murmured softly.
————————————————————————
4 months later.
Ai Hanako lies quietly in bed, her bandaged wounds a testament to her survival. She's in the Butterfly Mansion, cared for by Kakushis and other attendants.
Though her body has healed, her heart remains shattered.
"Mama… Papa… I miss you so much… I'm sorry…" she whispers, tears streaking her pale cheeks.
Wiping her tears, Ai clenches her fists. "You told me not to become a demon slayer… but I can't stand by while others suffer like I did. I'll become a demon slayer… and I'll save them all."
Ai glances out the window and notices two figures training together— Chikafusa and Ren, a boy with a striking presence.
"Wait… I've seen that boy before," she murmurs, her amethyst eyes narrowing. "Papa mentioned someone like him once… a boy around my age, but with power beyond imagination. One of the strongest Demon Slayers, almost too extraordinary to believe. Could it really be… him?"