FULL STORY SUMMARY

Rated E for explicit. Reader discretion advised.

After Kibutsuji Muzan and Mujōna conquered the Sun and converted the Demon Slayers, its up to a new organization to stop the Demon Overlords.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

💌有り難う💌

MEDIA DICTIONARY

* Thoughts

* "Dialogue."

* 'Telepathic dialogue.'

* '"Hearing someone's thoughts.'"

* "Past conversation."

* {Sound}

* [Movement]

HIKARI

Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho settled Hikari in a small room. The room wasn't much, but the priestess was very grateful.

"Thank you so much, Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho," she said. "I look forward to helping in any way I can."

Kiyo left, then returned with a list. "Sister Hikari, Aoi-sama has a list for you! Each day, you must fulfill all of your duties from sunrise to sunset!"

"The first thing on the list is to help wash and sort clothing!" Sumi said.

"The second thing is to help with the kitchen!" Naho said.

"The third thing is to help care for the sick!" Kiyo said.

"This is all Aoi-sama has for you to do," they said in unison. "Then she'll tell you what you need to know! You start tomorrow!"

The three girls said their goodbyes and went their merry way.

Now alone, Hikari sat on the edge of her cot. Her feet were swollen from so much walking, but she was thankful to be in such a place.

In a way, this is just like how it is at home.

The priestess stared at the ceiling for a while, then fell into a deep sleep.

The agonizing sounds of bells awakened Hikari. She opened her eyes and saw the three servants surrounding her.

As they rang their bells, they said, "Good morning, Sister Hikari! It's a new day, so we must make haste!"

The three girls gave Hikari a quick tour of the Butterfly Estate, and took her to the laundry area.

"After completing a few loads, you must assist the chefs in the kitchen!" Naho said.

"Then you'll be allowed to go in the infirmary!" Sumi said.

"If you need any guidance, we'll help you!" Kiyo said. "Goodbye, Sister Hikari!"

For many hours, Hikari handled many loads of laundry, and assisted in the kitchen.

Now, it's time to go to the infirmary.

Hikari entered the infirmary and saw many patients laying on cots. A lot of them were terribly injured, and a few were suffering from diseases.

The priestess sensed which patient was in the worst pain and condition, and approached him. A man with acidic burns all over his entire body groaned. His flesh was dissolved and grotesque, and he couldn't open his eyes.

Demonic energy emanates from his injuries, and will surely kill him. I must ease his suffering and purify the wounds.

Hikari's hands hovered above his body, and her spiritual energy penetrated him. The man's flesh gradually healed, and his groaning softened.

She caressed his hair and said, "I've purified your wounds and eased your suffering so you won't die, but I'm afraid that I can't completely heal you in one sitting. I'll take care of you each day, alright?"

The man's lips quivered as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

"Just rest," she said softly. Then Hikari went to tend to the other patients.

DAKI

Daki buried herself underneath many blankets, and felt numb. The woman was in such a depressed state, not even abusing courtesans at the Red Light District could help her.

I know that His Lordship never loved me, or liked me for that matter.

To Him, I'm just a tool. He's always favored Gyutaro, and I don't blame Him.

I knew this a long time ago, but I still fell for Him.

There was no warmth in His touch; His touch and stare were always cold. Oh, so cold.

But I still loved Him.

And deep down, a part of me still does and always will.

And of course, the only woman I've found a friend in is gone as well. Why are things always so out of reach for me?

After sulking in bed for an eternity, Daki forced herself to get up.

She took a long, steaming bath and dressed herself. Then she wandered through the halls and went to abuse some of the lower demons.

A green-haired demon with diamond markings was tending to a bouquet of white roses.

Mujōna.

In an act of anger, Daki knocked the vase to the floor. The green-haired demon gasped and backed away from the mess.

"Why did you do that, bitch?" Daki sneered.

"Me? I didn't do that!" the lower demon cried.

"Then who the hell did?"

The green-haired demon trembled against the wall, her lips quivering. Demons and humans alike knew that it wouldn't be wise to anger demons of high rank.

Daki stalked closer to the woman. "I said, who did it? Who broke Queen Mujōna's vase?"

"…I-It was me!" she cried. "I'm s-sorry!"

"Oh, it looks like I'll have to tell Lady Mujōna about this. Nice knowing you!" Daki laughed with a devious grin.

"No! Please don't tell Lady Mujōna! I'll c-clean it up!" The green-haired demon went to clean the mess, but Daki stopped her.

"I won't tell Her of your misdeed, so fuck off," she hissed.

The lower demon trembled and dashed away. Now alone, Daki stared at the shattered pieces and watched as the white roses wilted.

Just like my heart.

The vase repaired itself and new white roses took its place. The bouquet looked perfectly fine as if nothing happened.

Suddenly, Daki heard a piercing roar coming from one of the training simulations.

Finally, there's some action. I need to take my mind off things.

SANEMI

Sanemi angrily punched an enchanted punching bag. In his mind, the punching bag was Giyu.

He defeated me without even breaking a sweat! Am I really that weak?

Did I underestimate him, or did I overestimate myself?

With an angry roar, Sanemi's fist impaled the punching bag.

"It's like you're always angry," a voice scoffed.

Sanemi turned and saw the green-eyed female demon behind him. "…What the hell do you want?"

"Nothing. I just heard your screaming," she sighed. "And I was bored."

"What is your problem?" he growled.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Sanemi scoffed and summoned another punching bag. He grunted as he landed devastating punches.

"I'm surprised you aren't using your sword," she said.

Sanemi paused and barked, "What's that supposed to mean? What are you trying to imply?"

"Nothing!" she said in disbelief. "God, you people are something else. I'm just saying that most of the others use their swords. It's a surprise to see someone using their bare hands."

"Why are you here anyway?" he growled. "Don't you have anyone else to bother?"

"Alright, I'm going." Before she left, she said, "Also, your stance is all wrong. Don't let my brother or Kokushibou see you disgracing the martial arts."

"Disgracing? What the—" Before he could finish, she disappeared.

Who the hell is that chick anyway? She's aggravating! Disgracing the martial arts my ass.

With that, Sanemi continued clobbering the punching bag.

KAIGAKU

Kaigaku and Gyutaro had just returned to The Dimensional Infinity Fortress after a hunting in the human realm. The two demons walked through the halls until Kaigaku abruptly paused.

"Dude, what's wr—"

"Shut it," Kaigaku said. "You smell that?"

"…Smell what?"

Kaigaku smirked and said, "Human. There's a human in here. I wonder what for."

"Oh, that," Gyutaro chuckled. "That's Lady Mujōna's slave."

"Her slave? Hm. Her Eminence didn't strike me as someone who liked things of that nature. Interesting…"

Then they saw Nodoka and a woman enter the hallway. The woman wore a kimono that looked similar to something Mujōna would wear, but not as royal. A snowflake marking that emitted demonic energy was upon her cheek.

"Hey, Nodoka," Gyutaro said.

Nodoka nodded and began to leave, but Kaigaku stopped her. "Who's this?"

"Me?" the human asked.

"Yeah, you."

"I'm Sunō," she said, her pink eyes glimmering in the light. "What's your name?"

Kaigaku raised his eyebrow, perplexed.

I've never seen a human so comfortable around demons, let alone live in the demon realm. And she doesn't look like a slave at all! She looks like an apprentice or something.

I heard that this place had changed , and now I see that they weren't lying.

"It's Kaigaku. I'm Upper Moon Three," he said.

A strange, mystifying look crossed Sunō's face, but only for a moment. "Upper Moon Three? Woah, that's a high rank!"

"We must leave," Nodoka abruptly said.

"Wow! She speaks!" Kaigaku laughed.

The white-haired demon rolled her eyes and took Sunō away.

"Dude, I wouldn't talk to her like that if I were you," Gyutaro said.

"What do you mean?"

"…Just be careful how you speak to her. If you didn't already know, that's Upper Moon One's woman."

The mere mention of Kokushibou brought chills down Kaigaku's spine. He audibly gulped and his legs trembled.

…H-him?

Gyutaro punched his shoulder and said, "Dude, are you alright? You look faint."

"…I-I'm fine, Gyutaro. I'm fine." Once Kaigaku calmed himself down, the two demons continued wandering around the fortress.

TIMESKIP: FOUR DAYS

HIKARI

Hikari had stayed at the Butterfly Estate for a few days, and all of the patients were in better condition.

Even the acid attack victim was in better health. Although he still couldn't move, he wasn't in excruciating pain anymore.

As the priestess finished up, Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho approached her.

"Sister Hikari, Aoi-sama would like to see you!" Naho said. They guided her to Aoi's office and shut the door.

There, she saw Aoi staring out the window.

"Aoi, is something wr—"

"I'll tell you everything you need to know," Aoi abruptly said. "But only if you tell me what you're really doing."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked.

"I've been thinking about this for a while. A priestess with extraordinary powers comes out of nowhere looking for the legendary Sakonji Urokodaki. Strange, isn't it?"

Silence.

Aoi turned to her and said, "There's something off about you, but I can't put my finger on it. It's not only your impassive behavior, but it's also your ability. Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're asking me," Hikari said dully.

Aoi stood before her and gazed into her eyes, scowling. "Why do you need to see Sakonji Urokodaki so badly?"

"Because I've been called upon by—"

"By The Gods, blah, blah, blah," she sneered. "But for what?"

With a blank expression, Hikari said, "I cannot say."

Seething, Aoi slammed a book on her desk. "If you won't tell me, then I won't tell you about Urokodaki!"

If she doesn't tell me what she knows, then all of this would've been in vain. All of this wasted time…

It seems that I have no choice.

Hikari took a deep breath and said, "I must slay a powerful demon."

Aoi's face softened and she heaved a sorrowful sigh. "I knew it. Let me guess: Muzan? If so, good luck trying. People have been trying to kill him for centuries."

"Yes, but he isn't my exact target," she said.

Perplexed, Aoi raised a questioning eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Hikari?"

Silence.

"Hikari, if you don't tell me, I won't—"

"My specific target is his counterpart, Mujōna," she interjected.

"So, it's true," Aoi gasped. She shakily sat in her chair and breathed heavily.

"What is true?"

"…I-I heard that some powerful demoness had taken the Hashiras a while ago, but I didn't believe it," she whispered. "…I thought it was a lie because there's no way just any demon could do all that; a high ranking one had to. Yes, Muzan can shapeshift, but he wouldn't abduct the slayers. He would kill them."

"I've also heard that they've been converted," she said, trembling. "Oh my God…" Aoi covered her face and slightly rocked back and forth.

Hikari reached to touch her, but Aoi slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!"

"I apologize, Aoi. I understand your pain."

"Oh, what do you know?" Aoi hissed. "Try having someone you love turned into one of those things!"

If only you knew.

"Aoi, I really need you to tell me where Sakonji Urokodaki is," Hikari said. "This is important."

Aoi lifted her head and said, "…I can do better than that. I'll go with you."

The priestess was shocked by her words. "…What?"

"I admit that I'm not a fighter, but I'm educated in medicine and poisons. I could help, and I know the Hashiras. One of them was my mentor!" Aoi tidied her desk and said, "We're leaving today!"

"But don't you have a facility to run?" Hikari asked.

"Someone else can run it. I'm tired of this hellhole anyway."

"Aoi, this seems very impulsive and—"

"I've been under the assumption that the slayers were murdered, and now I know that they're all probably demons. They would want me to end their lives out of respect, so I'll do anything I can to help make that happen!" she shouted.

Then Aoi pushed past her and said, "We leave in an hour, so get ready!"

AOI

After packing, saying goodbyes, and settling who was going to handle the Butterfly Estate from now on, Aoi and Hikari began their journey. The two women walked along the path with Aoi leading the way.

"Urokodaki went to live in the Taikyū Mountains after he retired," Aoi said. "It'll take a week to get there."

"Sounds good," Hikari said.

"So, you want to become a Demon Slayer?"

"Not exactly. I was told that Urokodaki would train me for combat, and have a weapon of my choice made for me."

"Then I'll train with you," she said.

As they walked along the path in silence, Aoi would steal glimpses of Hikari.

I get the feeling that there's more to this story. I'll keep a close eye on her.

RYŌSEI

The acid attack victim laid upon his cot, and stared at the ceiling. Memories of the gentle touch and soft voice of a woman flooded his mind.

…That woman saved my life. I would surely be dead if it wasn't for her.

The face of the woman who cared for him was all he could think about. Although he could barely open his eyes, he strained to catch a glimpse of her whenever she was near.

That maiden was truly beautiful. She looked to be an angel, and probably was.

"Do you need anything else, Mr. Ryōsei?" a nurse asked after she finished changing his wraps.

"…Y-yes," he muttered. "…I'd like to see the woman who was taking care of me."

"There's a lot of women taking care of you, Mr. Ryōsei," the nurse laughed.

"…The woman was beautiful; truly beautiful. She looked to be angel in the flesh."

The nurse was taken aback by his words and said, "...I think I know who you're talking about. That priestess, right?"

"…I guess so."

"Well, she and Aoi-sama left about an hour ago."

"…Left? Where to?" he strained to say.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Ryōsei. No one knows," she said.

Ryōsei felt his heart clench, then split in two.

…She's gone. I mustn't rest until I find her. The injuries I have will take forever to heal, but I'll wait!

The nurse left, then returned with a jar of ointment. "Alright, Mr. Ryōsei. I need to moisturize your back."

As the nurse applied ointment to the burns on his back, he said, "What was the priestess's name?"

"Oh, it was Hikari. I didn't catch her last name, though," she said.

Hikari…

I promise that we'll meet again.