Demon Slayer: Seraph of Radiance

The man in black reloaded with practiced ease, stuffing his weapon with fresh rounds before firing at Kawanishi in a crazed frenzy.

But the result was the same — Kawanishi easily dodged every shot. The man's wild look only grew more deranged, his trembling hand barely able to steady the gun.

Kawanishi had no interest in playing this game any longer. This was his first time encountering a firearm in this world, and while initially curious, he quickly lost interest.

This weapon — it couldn't kill demons. At least, not in this man's hands.

The projectiles were fast, certainly deadly if fired in a surprise ambush.But in face-to-face combat, Kawanishi could predict their trajectory easily, reading the man's body and arm movements, avoiding every shot with his heightened reflexes.

With explosive power in his legs, Kawanishi stomped the ground, leaving deep spiderweb cracks as his body surged forward like thunder.

Bang!

The black-clad man's vision blurred. Kawanishi vanished from sight. Before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his right arm — the wrist twisted, crushed, and the gun clattered to the ground.

In close, Kawanishi had wrenched the man's arm and delivered a crushing blow to his chest, caving in his ribcage and sending him flying into the wall behind.

He had controlled his strength — enough to severely injure, but not kill. He wanted answers.

Standing over the man, his gaze cold and sharp, Kawanishi spoke each word clearly:"Speak. Why are you doing this?"

The man shuddered violently, blood seeping through the white bandages covering his mouth.

"Demons... all demons must die!"

"Hahaha! We'll die together, monster!"

Ignoring Kawanishi's questioning, the man trembled as he laughed hysterically, pressing a hidden switch with his still-functioning left hand.

An overwhelming destructive force surged around him as soon as he triggered it.

BOOM!

A massive, white-hot orange explosion erupted, accompanied by a deafening roar like a dragon's breath. The inferno consumed both Kawanishi and the black-clad man in an instant.

The force came too fast. Though Kawanishi tried to shield himself, he could only cross his arms over his head as the shockwave blasted him away.

Cough, cough.

Slowly, Kawanishi pushed himself up from the scorched ground, his entire body aching with a burning pain — except for his iron hands, which remained unscathed.

With a flick of his hand, several metal pellets clattered from his palms.

He then dug into his own flesh, easily pulling out one of the embedded pellets.

"He had no intention of surviving from the start. How much explosive did he strap under his clothes?"

The blast had also scattered countless metal balls — steel shot — embedding them into Kawanishi's flesh. But his iron-hard body had blocked them from penetrating too deeply.

Flexing his muscles, he slowly squeezed the remaining projectiles out of his body. As the metal balls dropped one after another, his charred flesh rapidly regenerated.

"These are coated with special alloys, maybe even laced with poison… designed to inhibit a demon's regeneration."

Clearly, the man had already given up on living — willingly sacrificing himself to kill a demon at close range.

If not for his iron body, those pellets could have caused serious internal damage.

Suddenly, Kawanishi noticed something that made his veins bulge in fury as he glanced at his burned, tattered sleeve.

"Damn it! Sayuki, I'm sorry — the haori you just gave me!"

"Should I start stripping naked before every fight from now on?!"

But before his frustration could erupt, an acrid burnt stench drifted from the charred fabric.

Kawanishi froze.

This wasn't the smell of scorched cloth.

It was… the same smell as burnt flesh — the same scent he once encountered when his family's remains burned with the wooden cabin.

"This scent… why?"

Dread filled Kawanishi's mind as he ripped the ruined haori open.

Terrified of being mistaken, he lifted the garment to his nose and inhaled deeply.His expression only grew darker.

The thick scent of charred human flesh wafted from the lining — the strange stitching unmistakably made from... skin.

"This is... human skin?"

"No… no, I must be mistaken..."

Burying his face into the fabric again, the smell only grew stronger, more real.

The haori slipped from his fingers onto the ground, exposing the blackened, fleshy material inside.Both the sight and the smell left no room for doubt.

"Stay calm… It really is human skin..."

"Sayuki... what happened to you?"

"What I didn't want to face… turns out to be true after all…"

Kawanishi lowered his head, eyes swirling with chaotic emotions, finally settling into a deep sadness that mirrored his heart.

The very first time he saw Sayuki again, he had detected faint traces of demonic aura on her.He had grown suspicious — but after testing her reactions to his killing intent and sharing meals with her, everything seemed normal.

He had convinced himself that Sayuki had merely come into brief contact with a demon.But now reality struck him like a cruel hammer. He didn't want to believe — but he could no longer deny it.

He recalled the black-clad man's hateful, frenzied words:

"Demons? There's more than one…""All demons must die!"

A bitter thought arose within Kawanishi.The "other demon" he spoke of — was it Sayuki?

She had also said strange things: admitting she had done "bad things." But Kawanishi hadn't taken it seriously.

Why… why did it come to this?

Who was that man?Why was he so obsessed — willing to strap explosives to his own body to fight demons?

Was I wrong?

Did Sayuki harm him, or his family?Is he... like me — someone consumed by revenge?

Kawanishi's chest tightened painfully. He knelt down, clutching his heart, drowning in countless thoughts.

He wanted to escape, to give up — but the despairing net of weakness and regret wrapped tighter and tighter around him.

Then — a familiar voice gently rang in his ears. It was Nezuko.

"Do you see now? The world is filled with such darkness…"

The net constricted, as if to crush Kawanishi's very soul.

But then came the soothing voice of Tanjuro:"Kawanishi… don't despair… The true source of this darkness is still out there…"

And finally, the raspy growl of Kurokiba:"Stand up. You still have to face him for me — demand answers!"

The true source of darkness... Muzan…

In an instant, a brilliant flame ignited within Kawanishi's heart, burning the choking net into nothing.

Yes. I cannot give up.

The true root of all this evil still lives — I will kill him!

Exhale.But… Sayuki… what am I to do about you?

After a long silence, Kawanishi slowly stood. His back straightened; the despair in his eyes vanished, replaced by clarity.

Yes — I mustn't fall into despair. It does me no good.

There are countless tragedies still unfolding in this world. Many remain trapped in hopelessness, awaiting someone to cut through the darkness.

Kawanishi — even if Sayuki has become a demon, and you want to run away from the truth… you cannot.

You must become cold. You must grow stronger.

Because if you're not cold enough, you won't be able to swing your blade.If you're not strong enough, you won't be able to protect anyone.

(End of Chapter)