Chapter 1: Transmigration to Demon Slayer – Starting with the Acquisition of the Zanpakutō
A pitch-black night.
Endless wheat fields stretched out under the moon.
A vintage steam locomotive chugged along the tracks beside the fields, belching thick clouds of smoke with a rhythmic chug-chug-chug.
"Delicious…!"
"Delicious…!"
"Delicious…!"
"...!"
The hearty voices echoed through the carriage, piercing straight into the ears of the soundly sleeping Ye Chen.
"Who the hell…!"
"You gotta be kidding me… If it's tasty, just say it once—don't keep yelling…!"
"I swear…!"
Unable to take the relentless shouting anymore, the awakened Ye Chen shot to his feet and yelled toward the source.
But the words died in his throat the moment he saw the scene before him.
"Sorry… Really sorry, sir!"
"Didn't mean to disturb you!"
A boy in a black-and-green checkered haori stepped forward and bowed deeply at 90 degrees, apologizing on behalf of his newly acknowledged "big brother."
"..."
"Sir?"
"Sir?"
"You okay?"
The checkered boy looked worried when the furious young man suddenly froze and stared blankly at him.
"Uh…"
"I-I'm fine now…"
Ye Chen snapped back to reality and stammered a reply.
"Truly sorry for bothering you. We'll keep it down!"
Relieved that the other party wasn't pursuing it, the boy bowed 90 degrees again before returning to his seat.
What the hell is going on…?!
This can't be real.
Wasn't I just taking a quick nap at home? How did I wake up here?
Ye Chen was completely dumbfounded. Had he transmigrated?
He rubbed his eyes hard. Everything in front of him felt painfully real—not a dream.
The vintage carriage interior, the passengers dressed in era-appropriate clothing.
And especially the group who had just apologized—and woken him up.
They were far too familiar.
The boy in green-and-black checkered clothes with a forehead scar: Tanjiro Kamado.
The yellow-and-white checkered boy with blond hair: Zenitsu Agatsuma.
The wild, shirtless boy wearing a boar mask: Inosuke Hashibira.
And the one who caught Ye Chen's attention most—the man in the white haori with flame patterns, wide-eyed and golden-haired like a lion king: the Flame Hashira, Kyojuro Rengoku, one of this world's top demon slayers.
It was him—stuffing his face while shouting "delicious!" and waking Ye Chen up.
Staring at these iconic faces, Ye Chen felt tears well up from sheer unwillingness.
This… this is straight out of the Demon Slayer Mugen Train arc?!
No way…
I'm just an ordinary guy. You drop me into a world crawling with demons—and straight onto the "Mugen Train" instance? You really want me dead that fast?!
Ye Chen panicked hard.
For someone who'd read countless web novels, transmigration itself wasn't scary. Transmigrating into this kind of death-world was.
Get off… I have to get off at the next stop.
Hope I can still make it!
Clack-clack…
"All passengers, please have your tickets ready. Ticket inspection is now underway!"
As Ye Chen dazedly planned his escape, the carriage door slid open. A black-uniformed conductor with vacant eyes stepped in to check tickets.
Thump!
Ye Chen's heart sank the moment he saw the conductor.
He'd watched Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.
The conductor appearing meant the plot was officially starting.
And ticket inspection was the trigger for Lower Rank One: Enmu's Blood Demon Art—Dream Manipulation.
What now?
What do I do?
I don't even have a ticket!
Wait… no ticket means I get thrown off for fare evasion?
Nah… that won't work either.
Should I just tell this obviously demon-influenced conductor: "Hey, I'm evading fare—stop the train and let me off"?
Yeah, right. Like this is a modern taxi.
Watching the conductor mechanically check tickets, moving closer to the Demon Slayer kids, Ye Chen's face paled with terror, cold sweat dripping.
Buzz… buzz…
Suddenly, the brightly lit carriage lights began flickering erratically.
This eerie change felt exactly like the opening of a horror movie.
…
Whoosh! The haori fluttered dramatically.
Having finished inspection and sensing something wrong, Flame Hashira Kyojuro Rengoku stood up. "Conductor, it's dangerous in here. Please step back!"
"Given the urgency, I hope you won't question why I'm carrying a blade."
Silence…
Dead silence.
Even after Kyojuro stood with his sword ready, the conductor didn't react. The other passengers sat calmly as if deaf.
Ye Chen remained frozen in place too.
Not because he didn't want to move—he didn't dare.
Click… The buzzing lights finally went out completely. One second? Two?
When they flickered back on, a grotesque, horned monster with two mouths and three eyes materialized at the carriage door.
Holy crap…
Way scarier in person than in the anime.
Ye Chen stared at the monster, legs trembling, cold sweat pouring. He felt like he might wet himself.
I'm just a fresh graduate, still a virgin… Am I really about to die one chapter in after transmigrating?
Ding! Host has come into contact with demonic aura. Myriad Worlds Transmigration System activated!
Current instance confirmed: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba!
Instance overview: Timeline – Taisho-era Japan. Cause: The thousand-year-old demon progenitor Muzan Kibutsuji seeks perfect immortality immune to sunlight, slaughtering humans and sparking the human-demon war.
Task 1: Protect all passengers on the Mugen Train and defeat/kill all demons! Reward: Diamond-grade Treasure Chest (may contain items, skills, inheritances from myriad worlds, etc.). Chest tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, God-grade. Higher tier = better rewards.
Task 2: Infinite Demon Hunting – Kill any demon in this world for a chest reward scaled to the demon's strength.
Ultimate Task: Kill instance final boss Muzan Kibutsuji. Reward: Return to original world + unlock next instance + God-grade Treasure Chest.
Staring at the monster while the system prompts rang in his head, Ye Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Cry because: This demon has no honor—why crawl right onto me while everyone else ran or hid?
Laugh because: Goldfinger arrived on time. I didn't transmigrate for nothing.
But… bro, I'm a powerless loser right now.
Forget killing Muzan—I might not even survive this.
Ding… Due to system delay… Newbie Gift Pack now issuing!
Would host like to open it?
"Your uncle… The system has lag?!"
"Open it! Hurry—the demon's drool is about to hit my face!"
If not for being on the brink of death, Ye Chen would've cursed the system out for delaying the starter pack until after he almost got eaten.
Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained Shinigami Power: Senbonzakura. Fusion beginning now.
Fusion progress: 0.1%… 0.2%…
Ye Chen didn't receive the Zanpakutō directly—he received Byakuya Kuchiki's Shinigami power.
In the Bleach world, Zanpakutō are forged from a Shinigami's soul, allowing them to slay spirits.
Gaining Shinigami power meant Ye Chen could awaken his own Zanpakutō through fusion and inherit all related skills.
"Young man… Don't panic!"
"With me here, not a single person will die to demons!"
Just as Ye Chen received the reward, the show-off Flame Hashira—Kyojuro Rengoku—finally spoke up, ready to act.
"Your uncle… If you'd acted sooner instead of posing, I'd already be dead!"
Kyojuro's words only fueled Ye Chen's rage. He whipped around and roared at him.
Tanjiro: ???
Zenitsu: Frozen in terror.
Inosuke: Expression hidden by mask.
And Kyojuro Rengoku—hand already on his hilt—froze mid-motion from the sudden骂.
Even the demon, planning to use Ye Chen as a hostage, was stunned by the outburst.
Buzz!
A resonant hum shook the entire carriage.
Clang!
Blade chime!
Countless cherry blossoms appeared out of nowhere, swirling without wind!
As petals multiplied, Ye Chen's aura surged. Faint blue light radiated from his body—visible to the naked eye.
Yes… Shinigami power fusing with him.
Clang!
Boom…!
Cherry blossoms filled the carriage. Ye Chen's presence peaked.
He exploded.
Epic BGM kicked in…!
A towering pillar of blue energy erupted from Ye Chen, blasting a massive hole through the carriage roof.
The demon clinging to him was blasted away, crashing into the door and cratering the wall.
Moments later, the blue surge faded. In Ye Chen's hand appeared a sleek silver blade, its hilt engraved with cherry blossom petals—Senbonzakura.
His original white tracksuit had transformed into a stylish black Shinigami shihakusho. No captain's haori, though.
But Ye Chen had no time to admire his new look or weapon. One thought dominated:
Chop this thing!
"Your uncle… Drool all over my face!"
Whoosh…!
"Ah… It hurts… It hurts…!"
In a flash, Ye Chen appeared before the stunned demon.
One downward slash—from right shoulder to left waist.
Demons are miraculous creatures—only decapitation by Nichirin Blade kills them. Normal blades? They heal instantly.
But now, the demon lay crippled, writhing and screaming. The massive wound writhed with flesh but refused to heal.
Pain seared its soul.
Fear gripped it—unable to regenerate.
Its life force slowly drained.
"Too damn noisy!"
Whoosh!
Out of pure irritation—or rage—Ye Chen delivered another slash.
Silence.
The entire carriage fell silent.
The ferocious demon slowly disintegrated into nothingness.
All passengers stared dumbfounded at the bloodthirsty youth.
Even Kyojuro Rengoku, who'd been about to act, was utterly lost.
Killing demons without beheading?
Who is this kid? And that transformation…?
What was that soul-crushing pressure just now?
A storm of questions raged in the mighty Flame Hashira's mind.