Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 3 — The Flower Hashira
Weeks passed as Ren continued traveling from village to village.
Demons occasionally appeared along the roads and forests, but every encounter ended the same way. The moment they attacked, Ren's blade flashed once—and the demon was already dead.
Most of them didn't even understand how they died.
They were weak demons, barely surviving on a few humans. None of them could even survive a single slash from Ren.
During those weeks of travel and constant training, something else had finally happened.
{DING! Synchronization Complete — 100%}
Ren stretched lazily as he walked along a dirt road.
"So it finally reached one hundred percent," he muttered with a satisfied smile.
With Yoriichi Tsugikuni's Template fully synchronized, Ren's body had completely adapted to the legendary swordsman's abilities.
His breathing was always calm and steady.
Thanks to the template, Sun Breathing now flowed through his body naturally—like breathing itself.
Total Concentration Breathing… Constant.
Ren sighed while kicking a small stone off the road.
"Man why haven't I mate demon slayers courps?" he complained to himself.
"It's been a week."
He had expected to meet members of the Demon Slayer Corps by now.
But strangely enough, he hadn't encountered a single one.
The road ahead slowly led toward a small mountain village.
Ren had heard rumors about the place.
A cult operated somewhere nearby.
"The Paradise Cult…" Ren muttered thoughtfully.
Of course, Ren knew exactly what that meant.
It was the cult where Doma lived.
Ren's eyes glimmered slightly with interest.
"I wonder how strong an Upper Moon really is," he said quietly.
"I have Yoriichi's peak strength… but I still lack real combat experience."
All the demons he had encountered so far were too weak.
Every battle ended in a single slash.
That wasn't a fight.
That was just execution.
As Ren walked toward the village, a faint sound suddenly reached his ears.
Clang!
Boom!
The sound of battle echoed faintly through the forest.
Ren immediately stopped walking.
"A battle near here?" he said quietly.
He tilted his head slightly while focusing his senses.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"Could it be Kanae?" Ren murmured.
"So she is alive?"
A smile appeared on his face.
Without hesitation, Ren dashed toward the direction of the fight.
The forest blurred around him as he moved silently through the trees.
Soon the battlefield appeared before him.
And there they were.
A young woman around Seventeen stood facing a pale demon holding two decorative fans.
The girl's soft smile contrasted with the sharp determination in her eyes.
Kanae Kocho.
And standing across from her—
Upper Moon Two, Doma.
Ren stopped at a distance and quietly observed the fight.
"The battle had just began," he murmured calmly.
"And Doma is just playing… no danger to her life yet."
His Transparent World activated automatically.
Every muscle movement.
Every shift in breathing.
Every change in blood flow.
Ren could see everything.
Kanae attacked with elegant sword movements, her blade dancing like flower petals in the wind.
Doma simply laughed while blocking with his fans.
Ren crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.
"If Kanae is in danger I'll jump in," he said quietly.
"But fighting with Doma will be good experience for her."
Real battles were the only way to grow stronger.
"Only after realizing how weak she is will she strive to become stronger," Ren added calmly.
Minutes passed as the fight continued.
Kanae's breathing grew slightly heavier while Doma remained completely relaxed.
Ren looked toward the sky.
The horizon had begun to glow faintly.
"Hmm… morning is near," Ren said quietly.
"Looks like it's time."
Doma's fake smile widened as he glanced toward the sky.
"Well little Flower," he said cheerfully.
"It seems the sun will be rising soon so let's end this."
Kanae narrowed her eyes and immediately rushed forward.
Her sword flashed toward Doma in a graceful arc.
Doma casually waved one of his fans.
A nearly invisible mist of frost scattered through the air.
Tiny particles floated toward Kanae silently.
They were aimed directly at her lungs.
Kanae didn't notice them at all.
Just as she prepared to strike—
A sudden blur appeared.
Ren grabbed Kanae by the waist and jumped several meters away in a single movement.
Kanae and Doma both blinked in shock.
Kanae stared at the red-haired boy beside her.
"W-who are you?" she asked in disbelief.
She hadn't sensed him approaching at all.
A cold chill ran down her spine.
If he had wanted to kill her…
She wouldn't have even noticed.
Even Doma looked slightly surprised.
He hadn't sensed Ren either.
Ren casually placed Kanae down.
Then—
Bonk.
"Owwww!"
Kanae grabbed her head and glared at him angrily.
Even Doma blinked in confusion.
Kanae puffed her cheeks in anger.
"Why did you hit me?"
Ren simply smiled and casually messed up her hair.
"You girl in heat of battle you stopped paying attention to seroundings," he said calmly.
"You were so focused of killing him you don't notice his blood demon Art."
Kanae frowned, still unconvinced.
"What are you talking about? His is ice menipulation how can I not noticed it?"
Ren stared at her speechlessly for a moment.
Then—
Bonk.
"Owww!"
Kanae held her head again with teary eyes.
"You ideot!" Ren said bluntly.
"Ice can be in air too."
He pointed toward the battlefield where tiny frost particles still floated.
"If you have inhealed that frost wind your lungs would have frozen," Ren explained.
"You would have suffered internal injuries before even landing your attack."
Kanae blinked.
Then she shuddered slightly.
She had completely missed that.
"So-sorry," she said quietly.
Doma's smile twitched slightly.
"Hay I'm still here," he said casually.
"Are you ignoring me?"
Ren looked toward him as if he had just remembered something.
"Ahh sorry about that," Ren said casually.
"This girl is little slow."
Kanae's face instantly turned red.
"Hay I'm not stupid!" she shouted.
"And Stop messing my hair!"
Ren laughed lightly while ruffling her hair again.
Kanae tried to fix her hair while glaring at him angrily.
This guy…
Kanae had never lost her composure like this before.
She was always the calm and reliable big sister.
But this strange boy had suddenly appeared…
Grabbed her.
Bonked her head.
And messed up her hair like she was a child.
The more Kanae thought about it, the redder her face became.
She puffed her cheeks in anger and embarrassment.
Completely forgetting about Doma.
Doma watched the two of them bickering like children.
For the first time in a long time—
The Upper Moon demon didn't know how to react.
"…What exactly is happening?" Doma muttered in confusion.