Hantengu, curled into a tight ball, looked at Raiden lying unmoving on the ground. His voice trembled as he asked, "We're friends now, can you let me go?"
He wanted to escape, but the force of Raiden's defeat of Zohakuten had been overwhelming. Every time Hantengu recalled the moment, his legs felt like jelly, begging him to flee.
"Let you go? That won't happen."
Raiden's tone was calm but cold, his mood oddly uplifted. He had anticipated drawing Hantengu's Blood Demon Art, expecting something inferior or disappointing. Instead, the result had been far more powerful than he'd expected, a pleasant surprise.
"Why?! I'm willing to be your friend. Why won't you let me go?"
Hantengu's voice was high with fear. He had agreed — hadn't he? So why was Raiden still refusing to release him? He was already a pitiful heap on the ground. Why tease him like this? Was this how friends treated each other? What an untrustworthy companion!
"I never said that being friends means I'd let you go," Raiden said plainly, spreading his arms.
The transparent world Raiden had entered was slowly fading, and he felt no rush. Most of Hantengu's strength had been concentrated in Zohakuten, and the demon's main body was weak enough that even Tanjiro could have killed him, let alone Raiden, a Pillar‑class fighter. ([Deltia's Gaming][1])
"No — no, don't kill me… Don't kill me. We're friends, friends… please…" Hantengu whimpered, his tiny body shaking violently.
"Yes, I'm friends with you. Gyokko and Doma are my friends too."
"Doma's already dead, Gyokko's next, only I'm left…"
"Don't kill me, please…"
Hantengu's voice shook as Raiden approached step by step.
In the dark, thick forest, a flash of blade light suddenly cut through the shadows like lightning. The blade was sharp and cold, its fierce gleam streaking toward Hantengu's neck without hesitation.
Hantengu crouched, frozen in fear, clutching his head as though bracing for pain. His eyes brimmed with despair. He didn't resist when the blade was about to strike.
But just before the blade connected, a black shadow sprang from Hantengu's body. It solidified into a larger version of himself, attempting to shield his weakened form.
That effort was futile.
Raiden's blade sliced through the shadow like paper. The larger form shredded instantly, flesh and blood splattering as the blade continued without pause. In moments, the larger shadow was cleaved in two, then Raiden's blade turned back toward the real Hantengu.
There was a muffled thump. Hantengu's head rolled onto the grass, his face still frozen in terror even in death.
Raiden exhaled hard as Hantengu's corpse dissolved into ash. It was finally over — for him and for Gyokko as well.
Through his Lord's report, Raiden learned that after Gyokko had used Blood Prison Vase to trap Muichiro, he had not gone to interfere with Haganezuka's work as in the original timeline. Instead, he wanted to finish the battle quickly and leave Swordsmith Village. Thankfully, Inosuke had bought time, allowing Muichiro to recall his memories and awaken his Speckles ability, ultimately killing Gyokko.
The draining fatigue of the transparent world state left Raiden exhausted as it ended, and he sank onto a nearby stone to rest. His reserves weren't damaged, but exhaustion was unavoidable.
As he caught his breath, he considered how the plot might unfold differently now that the Swordsmith Village conflict had shifted. Two major divergences from the anime's ending stood out.
One was that Doma had died in Swordsmith Village. Without Doma at the Infinity Castle, Shinobu Kocho wouldn't have had to give her life, and Kanao wouldn't have lost her eye. The other was Nezuko; because of Raiden's presence, Tanjiro didn't have to choose between saving Nezuko or defending the villagers, meaning the whole struggle with the sun would never have happened.
Without Nezuko's sun breakthrough, would Muzan still launch the Infinity Castle campaign? Raiden wasn't sure. Nezuko might be safe, but Raiden himself had been fully exposed directly under Muzan's notice.
It had taken Raiden only six months from killing Rui to taking down Doma. If he could defeat an Upper Moon in six months, what about another six, or a year? Could Muzan tolerate his continued growth?
If Raiden were Muzan, he wouldn't let a threat like himself develop unchecked.
Would Kokushibo be sent after him? Raiden could handle Kokushibo, but if Muzan appeared personally, it wouldn't end with just killing Raiden — he would annihilate the entire Demon Slayer Corps.
That would effectively be a hidden decisive battle.
He wondered how much leeway Muzan would grant him.
With the Swordsmith Village arc concluded, once Raiden had assimilated Gyokko's and Hantengu's Blood Demon Arts, his strength would soon reach Upper Pillar level. Increasing his affinity with the Pillars would push him to Superior comprehension, advancing him to Super status. With that progression, it would be just a matter of time before Raiden became a Super Pillar.
Even if Muzan didn't give him time, Raiden figured that Super comprehension alone might let him master abilities like Speckles or Crimson Blade. At worst, he could still use himself as bait to lure Muzan into a weakened state, a plan he had once considered for destroying the Ubuyashiki Estate and weakening Muzan's forces.
He couldn't kill a full‑strength Muzan — but maybe he could finish a weakened one.
…
In a lavish villa far from the battlefield, Muzan, in his child form, flipped through pages of a medicinal herb book. He searched each page for information on the blue spider lily, now legendary and central to his desire to walk under the sun without weakness. The pages revealed nothing useful.
Muzan's face remained blank, but the pressure in his room suddenly spiked. With a roar of frustration, he threw the book aside. One hand covered his eyes, and red light burned through his fingers.
"Dead? All dead? Gyokko, Hantengu, Doma — all dead?! Worthless trash!"
His rage erupted like a flood, shaking the bookshelves; books crashed to the floor in a thunderous clatter.
"Raiden… very impressive… truly impressive."