His grandfather had always told him stories when he was young about the Demon Slayer Corps, and the epic battles they fought to eradicate demons and their terrifying leader, Muzan. But each time Kai listened, he would start to drift off to sleep, as if these tales were nothing more than old legends from a distant past.
He never expected to see demons with his own eyes, staring at him with their cold bodies and savage gazes. Even worse, he saw his grandfather bound before them after a week-long battle, trying to save hundreds of lives in this grim hospital.
How had they reappeared? How had they crossed the boundary of oblivion? Kai didn't have answers to these questions, but what mattered now was saving his grandfather, standing face-to-face with creatures far removed from humanity.
Yet, here he was, paralyzed and unable even to utter his own name, let alone save the only family he had left in this harsh world. Fear consumed his body from head to toe, leaving him unable to stand.
His grandfather was bound to the ground, his face showing all the exhaustion and pain his weary body bore, surrounded by demons as if he were trapped in a nightmare only heard in ancient tales.
Above him stood their leader, a terrifying demon with a massive, towering body, gray skin marked by twisting black scars like dark wounds, and burning red eyes filled with smoldering hatred, glowing unmistakably to any living creature. His claws stretched out menacingly, and his fanged smile seemed made for killing.
The leader looked at the bound grandfather, pressed under the demons' crushing grip, and spoke in a cold voice, "What a shame, old man... What a tragedy you've reached this point. You humans are weak, always trying to resist, yet deep down, you know your end is inevitable.
If I hadn't been preoccupied with greater matters, I would have ended you on the very first day." He paused briefly, as if savoring the malice in every word, then continued, his voice rising like a storm, "But no matter. I'll end it here... today. There's no place for troublemakers like you in His Majesty's world."
He turned to the other demons behind him, raising his voice high, "To all you users of breathing techniques! We'll finish you off completely, putting an end to this bloody war that's lasted three hundred years! No trace of you will remain; we will eradicate you all and create a world ruled by demons alone."
He approached the grandfather, smiling a devilish smile as he said, "There's no place for you in this world anymore, you weak humans. Pathetic creatures who can't even survive a dog's bite... We'll turn millions of you into demons, building an army for His Majesty to conquer this mortal world." He added with a tone filled with twisted pride, "Isn't it a brilliant plan? The pinnacle of intelligence? Today, I reveal our plans here to any who dare listen, any who have the courage to stand in my way... I'd be delighted to exterminate them."
The demon continued his ranting and threats, speaking loudly as if addressing thousands of demons around him, then began pacing heavily, laughing maniacally, until it seemed he'd lost control of his mind.
Unexpectedly, he stumbled over a small rock beneath his foot, falling face-first in a ridiculous manner, causing Kai to stifle a laugh, while strange, eerie chuckles erupted softly from some of the surrounding demons.
The leader looked around quickly, trying to regain his dignity after the humiliating incident, standing up abruptly and exclaiming in embarrassment, "Damn it... who put this rock here?"
He turned toward the grandfather, whom the demons forced back to a seated position, then approached him with a vile sneer, his red eyes glowing with malicious glee as he glanced over the wounds and bandages covering the old man's weary body. Pretending sympathy, he whispered, "Oh, look at yourself now, great warrior, hero of the tales who once terrified demons across generations. How cruel time is when it tears down its heroes until they fall to their knees. You're nothing but a faint shadow of what you once were."
He laughed loudly, then continued in a cold tone, "How amusing it is to see you like this... Do you think your resistance has any effect on us? Look around; you humans are nothing more than weak insects, clinging to life pitifully... but we'll root you out, reshape this world as we desire, and not even your memories will remain!"
The grandfather lifted his head, his eyes filled with bitter defiance, and smiled mockingly before spitting at the hideous demon's face, the saliva splattering and igniting his rage. The demon trembled with anger, his eyes darkening with an even more sinister glow, then raised his claw-like hand and struck the old man with brutal force, leaving a deep wound on his face, blood trickling slowly, each drop falling in a terrible silence.
The grandfather sighed slowly and, despite his pain, looked at the demon with a deep, sorrowful gaze, his voice weak but filled with unwavering resolve: "Perhaps I fall here today... maybe my existence will fade in your hands, but... remember my words... other forces will rise, and this land will stand against you no matter how long it takes... You won't rule for long, and this land will never yield to your darkness."
Kai stood there, unable to move, his body injured and exhausted, but deep within, he felt an overwhelming anger ready to explode. Pain and rage mixed within him, and despite his weakness, he tried to stand, his hands trembling with fierce determination...
"I'm growing tired of this! Let's finish this here; we have much to do." The demon leader shouted sharply at his followers, gesturing angrily, "Hold him tightly!"
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison, grabbing the grandfather, forcing him to his knees, his frail body facing the demon leader with clear weakness.
The leader slowly advanced, studying the grandfather with a mocking gaze before sneering, "Let's see... how many blows can you endure before you collapse, old man?"
In a swift moment, the demon raised his massive arms, his fists crashing down like thunder on the grandfather's body and face relentlessly, each blow falling like a lightning strike, breaking his bones and deepening his wounds from a week of battles.
With every passing second, the pain intensified, the injuries deepened, but the grandfather refused to surrender as Kai stood by, helpless. The agony he felt, watching his grandfather receive those merciless blows, tore at him, his mind racing with questions: Why? Why was his grandfather being tortured like this? What crime had he committed to deserve such cruel treatment?
"Stoppppppppppppppp!" Kai screamed at the top of his lungs, shaking the walls around him, catching the attention of everyone nearby. By the hospital's inner door, a few people peeked out, puzzled by the desperate young man's scream.
One of them murmured to his companions hesitantly, "What's that fool doing there? Doesn't he fear for his life? We spent a week just trying to stay alive without daring to leave our rooms, and this kid goes straight to them!"
The demons paused for a moment, halting their assault on the grandfather, and turned towards the source of the voice. All their eyes focused on Kai, who stood there, crying and shouting, unable to control his emotions. But the leader barked angrily at his followers, "Leave those little insects alone! Focus on what matters!"
The leader's words were like a stab to Kai's heart; he felt despair and helplessness gnawing at his soul. How could he not be in such a pitiable state? What could he do, so young, against this army of demons?
The blows rained down again on his grandfather's body, this time without pause, as blood began to drip onto the ground, his old wounds reopening. The grandfather realized deep inside that his end was inevitable, that there was no escape from this fate.
Suddenly, the blows stopped. The demon leader raised his hands, looking down at the kneeling grandfather, muttering with malevolent delight, "This fate awaits all who master breathing techniques and dare to oppose us! Now I'll show you the true difference between humans and demons... and I'll shatter your spirit forever!"
Then, with a fierce shout, he proudly declared, "Demon Blood Art!"
A sinister aura gathered around his hands, transforming into shards of dark, glowing energy. In a terrifying instant, that energy shot toward the grandfather, like ominous bolts. It pierced the old man's chest, creating a deadly wound. He fell to the ground motionless, the blood spreading slowly across the earth.
Kai, trapped behind the door, gasped in horror and sorrow. He felt an indescribable pain, as if he'd taken the blow himself. For the first time in his life, he witnessed a loved one killed before his eyes, utterly powerless.
The demons withdrew, led by their murderous leader, ready to depart after fulfilling their mission to eliminate humanity's last threat. Their heavy footsteps left deep prints in the ground, dampened by the rain that started to pour down heavily, washing away the traces of the battle that ended in their victory.
Kai wept bitterly, his tears falling like the rain now soaking the place. But amid his sobs, he gathered the last of his strength, stood with difficulty, and shouted at the demon leader, his voice filled with indescribable fury: "Grandfather will survive, I swear! And I will hunt you down under every roof, across every sky... I will wipe you all out!"
The leader paused for a moment, looking at Kai with both amazement and mockery. Such powerful words coming from the mouth of a young man, barely able to stand. The demons around him stared at Kai in shock, unable to comprehend how this frail child could possess such resolve.
At that moment, the rain intensified, accompanied by a heavy silence. The demon leader smirked, a wicked grin on his face, and sneered before vanishing into the darkness, "Do your best…"
Then the demons disappeared, as if the earth swallowed them. They vanished amidst the rubble, leaving Kai and his grandfather's lifeless body beneath the rain.
In that moment, with the night at its darkest, Kai fixed his gaze on his grandfather's fallen body. He cried out with all his might, pleading, "Open the door! Someone, please open the door!" But only silence echoed back, and the hospital doors remained shut. After repeated attempts, he had no choice but to climb himself. Struggling, he scaled the iron gate, using every bit of remaining strength, then jumped outside. He sprinted as fast as he could toward his grandfather, his eyes filled with desperate tears.
When he reached his grandfather, he knelt beside him, placing his trembling hands on the deep wound in his chest. With a broken voice, tears streaming down his cheeks, he whispered, "You'll make it, Grandpa, please… just hold on a little longer… someone will come to help." Kai's mind was racing, clinging to any shred of hope, talking to his grandfather in despair and crying out for help.
Suddenly, he felt his grandfather's hand gently clasp his. Kai looked up to see his grandfather's pale eyes gazing at him, his voice a strained whisper as he fought to speak each word: "I won't… survive, Kai. I've lived a long time, my boy, and it seems… this is my end." Kai couldn't hold back, pleading with profound sorrow, "Please, don't say that, Grandpa!"
But his grandfather continued, despite the difficulty, the blood trickling from his mouth, making each breath a struggle. "I'm sorry, Kai… sorry I couldn't save… your family. I'm truly sorry…" A deep sorrow etched itself on his face, and he continued, his voice filled with sadness, "All I could save… was you, and I'm… glad for that. I'm so sorry… for not being there in time."
Kai froze, not understanding what his grandfather meant, as he remembered nothing of a former family. In a hushed tone, he muttered, "What are you talking about?… Don't worry, we'll talk about this later. Right now, what matters is… saving you."
But his grandfather gave no further response, and everything around Kai fell silent. In that instant, he realized these were his grandfather's final words, and that he had lost him forever. His face fell onto his grandfather's chest, and he wept bitterly, like a child who had lost his last refuge, his cries echoing in the quiet night that enveloped them with silent sympathy.
At that moment, Kai was unaware that what awaited him was more than just a path of revenge, but deep secrets, truths about his past, and powers he could not imagine even in his nightmares.
Would his iron will guide him to uncover the mysteries hidden in his blood? Or would the demons remain supreme in their sinister game?
And on that day, in that dark night, humanity felt fear once again—the fear they thought they had laid to rest in the pages of history hundreds of years ago. The demons had returned to drag humankind back to an era of terror and darkness, turning the frightening tales of ancestors into reality once more.
.
.
.
————————···
Join my Patreon at:
🔗 patreon.com/elyon_om
and my ko-fi:
🔗 ko-fi.com/elyon_om
to support me and reach more than 10 advanced chapters