Demon Slayer: Seraph of Radiance

The cold, round moon hung high in the night sky. Beneath its glow, a figure with six wings flapped gracefully through the air.

Kawanishi had been flying at full speed for almost two hours, and the northern snowy mountains had finally appeared on the distant horizon.

From afar, the mountains looked like they could fit into the palm of one's hand, but appearances were deceptive—there was still quite a distance to go.

"I wonder if I can make it before sunrise."

By flying high in the sky, he could avoid all obstacles and take the most direct path, a straight line toward the northern mountains. So it was possible he could arrive by dawn.

But fate, as always, had other plans. Half an hour later, the winds suddenly picked up.

At first, Kawanishi didn't think much of it, but soon the wind grew violent, slicing against his body like countless sharp blades, making his black haori flap wildly. It was still bearable—for now.

However, two minutes later, his vision was suddenly consumed by blinding white light, stunning him to the point where he forgot to flap his wings and plummeted toward the ground without making a sound.

Flailing his limbs for a moment, he eventually managed to stabilize himself and rise again, his heart pounding.

A deafening boom had accompanied the brilliant lightning that split the sky like a divine blade, illuminating the dark heavens for a single instant.

That spear of lightning had missed him by mere meters. The close call left Kawanishi shaken.

"Damn, that was terrifying."

As the lightning faded, the roaring winds brought with them fat raindrops that pelted his face like tiny pebbles. The rain quickly intensified into a downpour.

Had he been in a forest, the sound of rain hitting the leaves would have filled the air.

But in the high sky, both wind and rain were far fiercer than on the ground. What had been relatively easy flying now became a struggle as the rain clung to his wings, some sliding off, but many sticking like tiny lead balls that weighed him down.

He could have used his burning feathers to evaporate the moisture, but that would only exhaust him faster.

Fighting nature head-on is unwise.

Annoyed, he glanced up—only for a large raindrop to hit him square in the eye.

Lowering his head to scan the mountains below, he thought, I can't keep flying at this altitude. Who knows if I'll get struck by lightning again.

That last one was too close. If I get hit, I'll be charcoal for sure—and who knows how long it'd take to regenerate.

The more he thought about it, the more unnerved he became. Without hesitation, he folded his wings and dove headfirst toward the ground like an arrow.

Gravity accelerated his descent, and soon a mountain appeared beneath him.

This was Mount Ootake, known for its many ferocious beasts. Kawanishi had heard of it before and chose it as his landing spot.

As he neared the ground, he unfurled his wings and beat them hard, generating enough lift to slow his fall and regain balance. Then he glided gracefully toward Mount Ootake.

But just as he prepared to land, a flash of cold light spun toward his wing like a cutting saw.

"Hm?"

Reacting quickly, Kawanishi reached out and caught the object.

"A Nichirin Blade? Why does it look like this?"

He was astonished. In his hand was a Nichirin Blade—but unlike any he'd ever seen.

Normally, Nichirin Blades followed a fairly standard design, aside from changes in length, thickness, and color to match their wielders.

But this one was bizarre.

Its blade was a deep blue-gray, beautiful yet odd. The cutting edge resembled wild animal fangs—irregular, interlocking serrations that spiraled unevenly.

"Could this belong to a veteran Demon Slayer whose blade got worn down after slaying too many demons?"

Yikes. If that's the case, I probably can't beat them. Maybe I should just fly away.

But... something feels off.

His instincts told him this couldn't be right.

"Wait a second—what kind of seasoned swordsman would just toss their Nichirin Blade like this?"

Hovering on his wings above the treetops, Kawanishi waited for the blade's owner to reveal themselves.

"If it really is a Demon Slayer, I'll need to teach them a lesson. Throwing away your blade like that is reckless. Foolish!"

As rain continued to fall, drumming against the leaves, Kawanishi's sharp hearing caught a different sound mixed within.

The treetops began to shake, branches rustling.

"Big bird, get down here!"

"...Huh? Not a bird?"

The voice was wild, almost beast-like, but with a certain goofy tone.

A figure suddenly burst from the treetops, leaping high and throwing a punch straight at Kawanishi's jaw.

What a hothead, Kawanishi thought, shaking his head.

He flapped his wings and shot higher, dodging the strike before countering with a downward kick.

Though the punch was blocked by crossed arms, the force sent the attacker crashing to the ground.

Retracting his wings, Kawanishi landed on a thick branch and looked down at the person below.

A strange fellow—but definitely human, right?

Standing below was a young man, not quite 170 cm tall, muscular and stocky.

His upper body was bare despite the rain, and he wore nothing but rugged animal pelts around his waist.

What unsettled Kawanishi most was the boar mask covering the young man's face. The mask's oversized, eerie eyes stared up at him, making his skin crawl slightly.

Despite the odd appearance, his keen sense of smell confirmed this was indeed human—though there was also a trace of wild beast in his scent.

"And you are?"

A voice came from beneath the boar mask:

"So you're a demon, huh? I thought you were a big bird at first."

"This is my second time meeting one of you so-called demons. You guys are pretty tough, aren't you? Come on, let's see who's tougher!"

"BOAR RUSH!"

Clearly a young man's voice—and he wasn't interested in conversation.

The boar-masked youth stomped down with his right foot, launching himself toward Kawanishi like the wind itself.

But just as he closed in, he suddenly twisted mid-air and threw a punch behind him.

Thud!

A heavy impact landed as Kawanishi materialized from the void, having blocked the punch and landed on the ground.

The illusionary Kawanishi still perched in the tree vanished instantly.

The boar-masked boy pressed the attack, twisting his body mid-air and launching a kick toward Kawanishi's face.

Kawanishi remained speechless.

This seemingly simple-minded wild boy... somehow saw through my Blood Demon Art illusion.

And not only that—he pretended to fall for it and baited me into attacking, only to counter.

He doesn't seem like the careful type... Could it be pure combat instinct?

Sigh. Guess I'll just have to beat him into submission first.

(End of chapter)