The smoke hadn't fully cleared by the time the council gathered.
The great hall of the rebuilt HQ was dim — one wall still cracked, a chunk of the roof patched with planks and canvas. Oil lamps threw soft, uneven light across the room. The smell of ash and burnt wood lingered like memory.
Around the table sat Kagaya, pale but composed, his soft smile unchanged despite the damage to everything around him. The Hashiras lined the sides — Gyomei kneeling near the corner, Sanemi leaning back with his arms crossed, Rengoku standing because he refused to sit.
Thor stood opposite them, massive arms crossed, his armor still bearing streaks of dried blood. Kratos was near the far side, silent, his gaze lowered.The Slayer stood near the entrance — motionless, visor glinting faintly in the lamplight.
Even Muzan was there — distant, calm, standing in the shadows like an unwanted guest, the Upper Moons behind him, eyes restless. No one had invited him; no one dared to ask him to leave.
Kagaya broke the silence first. His tone was as calm as ever."The enemy grows more organized. This time, the destruction was contained, but… not by much. We were lucky."
Sanemi scoffed. "Lucky? You call losing three squads lucky?"
Kagaya nodded slowly. "Yes. Because we're still here to lose more, if we must. That means we still stand."
Sanemi bit back whatever he wanted to say next.
Thor's voice cut through the room like distant thunder.
"These demons are ruthless?"
Kagaya's gaze shifted to him. "Your arrival — all of you — may have stirred something deeper."
Thor's brow furrowed. "You speak like this world's gods are asleep."
"Maybe they are," Kagaya said softly. "Or maybe they're watching."
The silence after that was thick.
Kratos spoke next, his voice low and controlled.
"The enemy sends generals now. They are not mindless. They study. Adapt. The next will be worse."
"Then we strike first," Sanemi said instantly.
Rengoku frowned. "And where, Sanemi? We can't fight smoke when we don't know where the fire starts."
Sanemi's hand tightened on his sword. "Then we find out."
From the corner, Thor's voice rumbled again. "I've seen their kind. Not these exact creatures… but enough to know—they won't stop. They'll come again."
Mitsuri glanced between Thor and Kratos, quietly. "So… what do we do until then?"
Kratos's gaze moved toward the Slayer.
"He'll keep fighting," Kratos said simply. "So will I."
The Slayer didn't move.
Gyomei spoke then, slow, deliberate. "It seems… fate has brought warriors from many worlds together. Perhaps for this reason alone."
A faint smirk crossed Thor's face. "Fate? I've had enough of fate."
And then — that quiet voice again, soft, smooth, with that strange undertone of venom.
Muzan.
He stepped forward from the shadows, his white eyes reflecting the lamplight like moonlight over blood.
"Your 'fate' is amusing to me," he said calmly. "But perhaps useful. The enemy we fight… they threaten even me. I will not allow pests from another realm to ruin my dominion."
Obanai's hand went to his sword. "You think anyone here trusts you?"
Muzan smiled faintly. "Trust? I don't need it. I just need results."
Kagaya didn't flinch. "And what result do you propose?"
"The destruction of the source," Muzan said, tone sharp. "While you waste your time rebuilding walls, they rebuild armies. If you wait for them to come again, you'll have no home left to defend."
Thor gave a humorless laugh. "Bold words from a creature who hides in the dark."
Muzan turned his gaze to him, smiling wider. "And yet, thunder god, I'm still standing. Can you say the same for your realm?"
The table tensed. Atreus' hand drifted toward his bow, but Kratos gave him a single warning look.
The Slayer stepped forward slightly — just one step — and the entire room's tension spiked.No words. Just presence.
Muzan's grin faltered, just for a second.
"You really are a strange thing," he murmured. "even hell fears you."
The Slayer didn't answer.
Kagaya finally spoke again, cutting the air like quiet command.
"Enough. We can argue after we breathe." He looked at everyone — Thor, Kratos, Muzan, the Hashira, even the silent Slayer. "For now, we rebuild. We train. And we prepare. The next battle will decide more than just our survival."
The meeting ended slowly, people drifting out in silence.
Thor left first, muttering under his breath.
"Fighting beside demons. Never thought I'd see that day."
Kratos followed after, motioning for Atreus to stay close.
Muzan lingered by the doorway, eyes glinting faintly as he glanced once more at the Slayer. "You may not speak," he said, "but your silence is louder than their fear."
He disappeared into the night.
The Slayer stayed behind — alone in the flickering lamplight — staring at the map spread over the table. His gloved hand hovered over the marked battlefields, the lines, the burned-out villages.
And for a long time, no one said a word.
Only the faint rasp of his gauntlet sliding across steel echoed in the stillness.