Chapter Fifty-Three: It's Not Akaza — It's Hakuji!
Note: If this level of motivation keeps up, we might reach chapter 100 soon… hey, if you want me to keep going, encourage me with a comment!
Question: Did you like what happened in this chapter, or would you have preferred something else?
Hint: I'll soon mention Sakurai's backstory and a character who appeared in the early chapters.
Enjoy~~~
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An absolute silence reigned after the Domain Expansion disappeared. Smoke rose from the ground, and Ren stood in the center, wearing a black kimono that was not stained by even a single speck of dust.
In front of him was the spot where Akaza, the Upper Moon Two, had been stabbed by the Executioner's Sword of the Domain Expansion.
But instead of a charred demon corpse, there was a young man kneeling on the ground. His hair was black, his skin normal and covered in black tattoos, his clothes torn—but his expressions… were human.
"Hey… Reina," Ren muttered coldly as he picked at his ear. "Did the technique malfunction? I asked for an execution, not a full makeover."
[Answer: No error occurred. The 'Executioner's Sword' erased the demonic entity 'Akaza.' What you are seeing now is 'Hakuji'… the human, not the demonic entity holding the rank of Upper Moon Two.]
"I… I'm breathing?" Hakuji spoke in a trembling voice. He looked at his hands, now free of the blue markings. "Where are the claws? Where is the hunger that used to tear at my insides?"
Ren stepped toward him slowly, then stopped and lightly tapped him on the head with the sheath of his sword. "You're drifting off, buddy. You're just a normal human now—weak—and you probably need eye drops, because you look miserable."
Ren said this coldly as he observed Hakuji's pitiful state. It seemed that the Domain Expansion had somehow restored his memories as a human as well.
Hakuji raised his head, his eyes overflowing with tears. "Why? Why did you let me live? I killed so many… I remember their faces now… the Hashira… the innocents… the weak…"
"Oh, the guilt phase is starting now," Ren sighed and sat on a nearby rock in boredom. "Listen carefully, former 'karate fighter.' I'm not a monk, and I'm not interested in your repentance. Judgeman decided that Akaza was the criminal, and that Hakuji was merely a victim of Muzan."
"But I'm a monster!" Hakuji shouted as he slammed his fist into the ground. "How will I face Koyuki (his wife's name)? How will I face my master in the afterlife while carrying so many souls on my back?"
Ren tilted his head and smiled slyly. "The afterlife? Who said you're going there now? You owe me the price of the sword I used to execute your inner demon."
Hakuji stopped crying and stared at him in shock. "I owe you?"
"Of course!" Ren shouted as he pulled out an imaginary list from the air. "A Domain Expansion costs cursed energy, and the effort I put into mocking you is priceless. So instead of dying and going to look for your fiancée in hell, you'll work for me."
"Work… for you?" Hakuji muttered as he wiped his tears. "As a servant?"
"A servant? Don't make it a cheap drama," Ren laughed as he stood up and extended his hand toward Hakuji. "You'll be a demon slayer. The reason? It'll be entertaining to see Muzan get beaten by a Hashira and a former Upper Moon. Don't you think?"
Hakuji looked at Ren's outstretched hand. This boy was strange, arrogant, and irritating to the extreme… yet he was the one who had given him a second chance he had never dreamed of.
"If this will atone for my sins, even a little…" Hakuji grabbed Ren's hand and stood up with difficulty. "I'll follow you… Ren-dono."
"Call me 'Ren-sama' and I'll consider giving you a salary," Ren winked as he turned to walk away. "Now move. We have a Demon King who's going to have a stroke when he sees that his favorite moon is now carrying backpacks."
"His favorite moon… how do you even think like that? …and I'm not carrying any backpacks!" Hakuji protested as Muzan crossed his mind.
"Hurry up, or is an old man like you unable to move at my pace?" Ren mocked, making Hakuji shout.
"Damn you, I'm not old!" Hakuji snapped, veins bulging. "I mean, what… I've lived for centuries. How do you think you're still young?"
"…"
Hakuji muttered as he chased after him, "I still think death would've been kinder than your tongue…"
Ren laughed loudly. "Welcome to my team, Hakuji. Trust me, you'll wish you had stayed a demon once my harsh training begins!"
"Training… do you mean breathing techniques?" Hakuji asked.
Ren smiled but didn't answer. He was thinking of ways to torture Hakuji during training, which made Hakuji freeze and glare at him with narrowed eyes.
"You're thinking of something vile, aren't you?" Hakuji said, making Ren raise an eyebrow and reply, "How did you know?"
"Damn you!"
…
As Ren walked casually, hands behind his head, whistling an indifferent tune, Hakuji walked behind him with heavy steps, trying to process the fact that he could no longer shatter rocks with demonic fists and that he had now become an "assistant" to a boy who might be mistaken for a girl if he didn't speak.
"Hey, Hakuji, don't lag behind," Ren said without turning around. "Humans need to eat three meals a day, and if we're late I'll have to eat you… or has your taste become human and disgusting now?"
"Stop saying disgusting things!" Hakuji shouted, veins popping. "And I'm not food! How did this conversation go from 'saving my soul' to 'your menu' in five minutes?"
Suddenly, Ren stopped walking. His ears caught a familiar sound… fast running, ragged breathing, and the scent of fear mixed with the unmistakable smell of a "healing potion," one that a Sun Hashira's sense of smell could never miss.
"So it's Tanjiro already…" Ren thought as he rubbed his nose in boredom.
From among the charred trees, "Sakurai" burst out. He looked miserable—his clothes completely torn, revealing a body that had fully healed thanks to the potion, but his eyes told a story of terror that hadn't ended yet. He held his sword with a trembling hand, and the moment he saw Ren, he stopped as if he had seen a ghost.
"Ren-sama!" Sakurai shouted while panting, panic filling his voice. "You… you're okay? I went as fast as I could to get support… I ran into some Kasugai Crows and sent emergency signals… I thought you were—"
Sakurai suddenly stopped speaking. His gaze froze on the person standing behind Ren. That young man with short black hair, strange black tattoos resembling those of criminals… and a body that, despite being human, radiated an aura of raw power.
Sakurai took two steps back and raised his sword in an instinctive combat stance. "Ren-sama! Get away from him! Who is this? And why does he smell like… like that monster, just a little?"
"Oh, Sakurai-chan," Ren waved his hand lazily. "You're back? I thought you ran off to live a peaceful farming life and left me to deal with the headache alone."
"Ran off?!" Sakurai shouted, shocked and wounded in pride. "I went to get help! How could I leave you to face Upper Moon Two alone? You were injured… or so I thought…"
Sakurai looked at Ren's intact body, then back at Hakuji with growing fear. "Wait… where is he? Where's Upper Moon Two? Akaza? Did he escape? Did you destroy the area? And why is this person wearing clothes like those of the Upper Moons?"
Hakuji, feeling deeply embarrassed at being "suspected," sighed and looked down. He didn't know how to explain to a demon slayer that he himself was the monster who had tried to kill him moments ago.
"Calm down, Sakurai," Ren said as he placed a hand on Sakurai's shoulder with enough force to make him sink slightly. "Akaza? He retired. Decided that the demon profession doesn't offer a good future, so he resigned permanently…"
"Retired?" Sakurai muttered in confusion. "Ren-sama, we're talking about an Upper Moon who killed Hashira for centuries! What do you mean, retired?"
Ren pointed his thumb toward Hakuji. "This is 'Hakuji.' He's… let's say the 'clean' version of what remained of Akaza. I purified him using my new technique, and now he works for me as a karate instructor and bag carrier… though he's still protesting the last part."
"Whaaaaaaat?!" Sakurai's scream echoed through the forest, startling birds into flight. "This… this human is Akaza? Ren-sama, have you lost your mind? Did you hit your head during the fight? How can a demon return to being human? That's impossible! Even Lady Shinobu never reached this level!"
Hakuji raised his head and looked at Sakurai with calm but sharp eyes. "I am not Akaza anymore, boy. Muzan's blood does not run through my veins, nor do I carry the urge to eat you. In fact… your smell makes me nauseous because it reminds me of how weak I am now."
Sakurai felt a chill run down his spine. Even as a human, Hakuji's presence was terrifying. "Ren-sama, this is dangerous! If Oyakata-sama or the other Hashira learn that you're keeping a former Upper Moon as a pet—"
"A pet?!" Hakuji shouted angrily, almost punching Sakurai if Ren hadn't stepped between them.
"Guys, stop," Ren said with a chilling smile that made both of them fall silent instantly. "Sakurai, you will keep quiet and not tell anyone about Hakuji's true identity. To everyone else, Akaza was killed and crushed. Hakuji is a survivor I found at the battlefield and decided to train. Understood?"
"But—" Sakurai tried to object.
"Did I say 'but'?" Ren tilted his head at an unnatural angle, his emerald eyes glowing with a terrifying crimson light. "Remember, Sakurai… I'm the one who gave you the healing potion that put your intestines back where they belong. So technically, your life belongs to me too. Do you want to become a bag carrier alongside Hakuji?"
Sakurai swallowed hard and nodded rapidly like a madman. "No! I understand! Akaza is dead! And this young man is… Hakuji… your new disciple!"
"Good," Ren patted his head like a small dog. "Now then, since the support you called will be late as usual… Hakuji, carry Sakurai. He looks tired from all that running."
"What?!" Hakuji and Sakurai shouted at the same time.
"I'm joking, I'm joking," Ren laughed as he walked ahead. "Let's go. I had a mission in Asakusa City… Eri wants a kimono and a few other dresses, don't forget that."
"You're enjoying this," Hakuji sighed in irritation as he rubbed his arms, feeling cold.
"What did you say?" Ren replied with a fake smile as he turned around, his emerald eyes beginning to glow crimson.
"Why do your eye color keep changing? That's terrifying…" Sakurai sighed tiredly as he looked at Hakuji, who was apologizing to Ren with a pitiful expression.