The new group of Demon Slayers froze, horrified by the sight before them.
Eliza stood still, her figure glowing in the moonlight, surrounded by the mangled remains of their comrades.
One slayer hesitated but stepped forward. "What are you doing there? Come here!"
Another whispered, "What's that girl even doing here?"
Eliza's expression darkened, anger flashing in her azure eyes. She stomped the ground, the force sending a tremor through the air. "Fools~ Can't you see? I'm no mere girl… I am a demon! The Upper Moon 4!"
The slayers exchanged uneasy glances. "An Upper Moon? Is she serious?"
"She's got to be lying," another muttered.
Frustrated, Eliza stomped again, cracks splintering beneath her feet as her glare pierced them.
"Alright… If you're not taking me seriously… I'll summon him," she growls.
"Summon what?" they wondered.
Eliza ignored them, kneeling gracefully and pressing her delicate fingers to the ground. "Come here, my fellow… my angel…"
A dark mist began to seep from the earth, swirling around them in an eerie dance. The shadows twisted and grew, coalescing into the elegant form of a woman, her presence as haunting as it was beautiful.
The woman stood tall, her slim, curvy figure accentuated by a flowing dark red dress that shimmered under the pale moonlight. Her fair complexion seemed too beautiful, but it was her piercing crimson eyes glowing like molten rubies that rooted the slayers in place, striking fear into their cores.
The air grew heavy with an unsettling energy, an eerie stillness enveloping the surroundings.
"Who is she?" one slayer whispered.
"How did she summon… something like that?"
A demon crawled toward the woman, snarling and poised to strike.
In an instant, the slayers' bodies erupted violently, torn apart by the mere sight of the woman. Blood and entrails splattered across the forest, painting the scene in crimson horror.
The lady raised a hand, forming an invisible barrier that shielded herself and Eliza from their spraying blood.
"How polite of you!" Eliza teased with a sly grin.
Before the crawling demon could react, the woman vanished and reappeared behind it. She gripped its neck with terrifying ease, lifting it into the air. With lightning speed, she ripped out its tongue, the demon's agonized screams echoing through the night.
Unfazed, she tore out its eyes, then its limbs, her movements swift and merciless. The demon's regeneration faltered under her relentless assault until it died a gruesome, helpless death.
"Idiot, he didn't realize who he was messing with," said the lady in a deep, masculine voice.
That's Jigen's voice.
The other demons immediately bowed down before him.
Eliza chuckles softly, her melodic voice cutting through the tension. "You've become so beautiful."
Jigen, inhabiting the woman's form, cast her a sidelong glance. "Oh… but nowhere near as beautiful as you."
"Ara Ara~ You're a flatterer one, aren't you?" she teased.
"I just speak the truth. Now, tell me what's your motive to summon me here?"
Her eyes widened as she considered his question. She looked away, her voice faltering, "I… ummm…. I-I called you here… for… for…"
"Are you serious? Summoning me for no reason? I have more important things to handle."
She sighs, "Fine. I called you here because you bring chaos wherever you go, and I adore chaos."
"Is this what you think of me? I shouldn't have given you the power to summon me. You misuse it."
"Is that so? Pardon me," she apologized deviously.
"You know if I ever get a chance, I'll kill you first. Does that thought not terrify you?"
She smiles, "Not even the slightest."
Jigen turned his gaze to the other demons, lifting his index finger. In an instant, their heads exploded, their bodies collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Eliza's eyes widened in shock.
"W-What did you do? I spared them, yet you killed them!"
He looked at her coldly. "Didn't you say I thrive on chaos? Humans are deceitful and vile, which is why I kill them. But demons? They're even worse. I kill them too, even if they're on my side. I don't do double standards."
Another group of demon slayers appeared.
But before they could move, Jigen flicked a needle from his fingers toward them.
Eliza instantly materialized in its path, spreading her arms with a sly grin. "Yes, target me. I'm your prey."
But the needle curved, bypassing her entirely and striking the slayers. A massive explosion erupted, obliterating them instantly.
Jigen says calmly, "My attacks can bypass any barrier with perfect accuracy. Don't worry, I won't harm you."
She took a slow step toward him, her grin widening. "Oh? And what if I want you to?"
"Are you a masochist?"
She pouts, "Come on, I haven't felt real pain in over a century. Why do you always treat me like a fragile child?"
Jigen doesn't respond, his gaze fixed on the full moon.
Irritated, she gives his back a light punch. "Hey, are you even listening? What's going on in that mind of yours?"
Without turning to her, he replies coldly, "You disrupted my plan to defeat that Sun Breathing swordsman, Hajime... But it doesn't matter anymore. I'll create another."
She scoffs, folding her arms. "Oh, really? And how will you come up with something so quickly?"
His voice remains calm and unyielding. "Unlike mortals, my intellect surpasses their imagination. Crafting a strategy takes me no time. But when it comes to Ren Hajime… I can't guarantee his defeat… He's not like other mortals…"
Another group of demon slayers arrives, horrified by the sight of their fallen comrades.
They glare at Eliza and Jigen, standing amidst the carnage.
One of them mutters, "What are those two girls doing there?"
Eliza leans in and whispers to Jigen, "Can you use a sword to kill them?"
Jigen nods.
In an instant, he's before the slayers, his presence suffocating. His long hair flows ominously, even in a woman's body.
With a flick of his wrist, a crimson sword, ten feet long, materializes from his blood.
Without hesitation, he swings the blade, cutting through the slayers with brutal efficiency.
Only one remains, trembling in fear at his overwhelming power.
Jigen steps forward, his presence suffocating, and coldly asks, "Tell me… Do you believe in God?"
The slayer, pale and shaking, stammers, "Y-Y-Yeah…"
Jigen's crimson eyes glow with an icy menace, even in a woman's body. "Why do you think so?" he demands.
Eliza chuckles, her voice dripping with amusement. "How many times are you going to debate the existence of God? You've been doing it for centuries."
The slayer remains silent, paralyzed by fear, praying to God as his only hope.
Jigen turns to Eliza, his voice still as cold as ice. "Tell me, what's he thinking?"
"He's praying to God."
Without warning, Jigen grabs the slayer by the neck, lifting him off the ground. "I gave you a chance to defeat me in a debate and prove to me the existence of God, but you lost the opportunity. You could've survived, but not now. How pathetic!"
With a brutal motion, he throws the slayer into the sky. The force sends him soaring through the atmosphere, past the mesosphere, into the void of space… into outer space.
…
"Ara— You've become even way stronger."
Jigen turns to her, his expression cold, "I often stay in my silhouette form, which is too suppressed. In this woman's form, my powers are almost close to my real form."
"Even I've defeated you two times, but it was all in your weak form. In this form, I doubt who would win, you or me. It's possible that you can overpower me in this form," she sighs, her voice a little mocking. "I do feel sorry for that girl who sacrificed herself for your cause."
"Lady Isle's death means nothing to me. It's nothing more than a stepping stone. I'll use her sacrifice to crush Ren Hajime. My secret societies are the puppeteers of this world, and their decisions... my decisions... are absolute."
Suddenly, a chilling scream of crows echoed through the forest, their cries piercing the night air like a harbinger of doom. The sound spread across the trees, an omen of the impending chaos about to descend.
"More demon slayers will come," he says, "and eventually… he will arrive."