The air around them tightens, an eerie silence envelopes them.
Blood streaming down Jigen's face. His skin, pale like moonlit bone, glowed with an unnatural radiance.
His crimson eyes, like dying suns, glimmering like a bloody moon.
His long, obsidian hair and long black robes are messed with his blood.
Across from him stood Eliza—flawless, untainted, glowing with celestial grace. A divine entity born of beauty and silence. Her presence was that of an angel, but her stare was clinical… studying the monster before her.
Jigen looked like a walking apocalypse.
A nightmare wearing the skin of a fallen god.
She lets out a soft, amused chuckle. "Aw, don't look at me like that."
With deliberate tenderness, she wipes the blood from his face—only to smear it further, painting him in a deeper mess.
He finally speaks, voice calm. "Why did you come here?"
"Don't worry," she says sweetly. "I came to thank you."
She licks the blood from her fingers, her eyes glinting. "If you'd exposed that I was the one who summoned you… well, I'd be in serious trouble."
"That's my burden," he replies.
She giggles. "You'll do anything when I summon you… won't you?"
Then—she sees it.
A colossal, horned shadow behind him—his aura, looming like a devil god. Its presence presses against her soul.
She flinches. Just a bit. But recovers fast, smiling again.
He'd destroy the world for me.
No one can touch me. Not while he's here. No one can kill me, not even the strongest ones… as long as he's protecting me.
———————————————————————
44 years ago.
The time after the downfall of demon slayers and victory of demons.
Inside the Infinity Castle, the air was heavy with power. All the Upper Moons were present. All except Akaza and Douma.
At the center stood two unfamiliar figures— Eliza and Jigen. Neither were Upper Moons—yet.
Eliza's presence alone shifted the air. Her otherworldly beauty stunned even the upper moons. A fragrance—subtle, hypnotic—wrapped around the castle like a spell.
But she was nervous. Terrified. She stood surrounded by the apex of demonic power. Especially Kokushibo and Jigen.
She nervously looks at Kokushibo, she thinks. "This aura… this power… I have never seen anyone like him before."
Next to her, Jigen's shadowy form radiated darkness that seemed to devour the light around him.
A black sun beside a radiant moon.
Then he spoke—his voice a cold dagger that scraped bone. "Lord Kokushibo… this demon is no ordinary creature. In truth… she surpasses even an Upper Moon."
A crushing silence fell.
He continued. "Her Blood Demon Art manipulates abstraction… transcendent concepts. Power like this is born once in a billion lifetimes."
"I see…" Kokushibo's many eyes narrowed. "Tell me why do you want to keep her alive?"
"There are so many reasons. She will be the greatest addition to our team, a pinnacle of the demons. She has even better power than Muzan-Sama himself."
The stillness shattered.
Former Upper Moon 5—Kyoko—stepped forward, her voice sharp with jealousy.
"What nonsense are you spouting?! No one surpasses Muzan-Sama! You don't know anything, outsider!"
Jigen turned slowly. His crimson eyes locked on her.
Kyoko froze.
That gaze—just a glance—felt like it reached inside her chest and crushed her soul.
Before she could move, another upper moon rose.
Former Upper Moon 3, Maharaurava, stood, towering over all, his form monstrous and metallic, nearly scraping the castle's ceiling.
"Jigen. You're not even an Upper Moon. Don't overstep. Say one more word, and I'll crush you both where you stand."
Eliza's brows furrowed with anger, but she composed herself.
"Upper Moons are so loud. If not for those two…" she glared toward Kokushibo and Jigen, "…I would've ended all of them already."
Jigen didn't flinch. He says in a cold, serious voice. "Maharaurava…
You talk too much."
Maharaurava tried to speak… but nothing came. "Why do I feel the urge to stay away from this man? Even though he's not even an upper moon, his presence alone rivals Muzan-Sama's."
Jigen looks back at Kokushibo. "Allow me to hunt all the stray demons. Lord Kokushibo, may I take this girl with myself?"
Eliza's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-What?! What the hell is he saying—?"
Kokushibo gave a slight nod.
"Go ahead."
Before she could react, Jigen seized her wrist.
"Wait! You monster—!"
The space around them distorted, and in an instant, they vanished into darkness.
They reappeared deep within a bleak, forgotten forest. Blackened trees twisted like cursed bones under a blood-red sky.
Jigen released her. His face, as always, was unreadable.
Eliza yanked her arm back, fury igniting in her eyes.
"What the hell was that?! Are you seriously picking a fight again?"
Her voice trembled despite the anger. Her hands clenched, but she couldn't meet his gaze.
Jigen says in a calm voice, opposite to his previous tone. "Don't worry, I won't do anything with you."
She scoffed, stepping back.
"You literally tried to kill me moments ago! And do you even see what you look like? Anyone would be terrified!"
Silence…
A stillness fell like snow…
Then—
Jigen's silhouette began to glow.
The shadows peeled away like dead skin, revealing his true form— long obsidian hair flowed like ink down his back. His pale skin shimmered with a ghostly light. Crimson eyes glowed with haunting intensity—neither cruel nor kind, just... otherworldly.
Eliza blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change. "So… this is the real you?"
She folded her arms, brow raised.
"Then why the hell do you always walk around like some cursed wraith? This form actually suits you."
Jigen turned slightly, gaze distant.
"I just hate humans."
She sighs, "Alright, now don't start here."
Jigen suddenly turned."It's there."
His eyes locked onto a faint flicker in the distance—a demon, trying to hide.
He raised a single finger.
FWASH—!
A brilliant beam of light shot out, tearing through the air at light-speed.
In less than a blink, the demon was reduced to nothing—ash didn't even have time to fall.
Then—
Without warning, the beam rebounded—blazing straight toward Eliza from behind.
Her crystal blue eyes flashed.
CRACK.
With a mere glance, the beam shattered like glass against an invisible wall around her.
"Hmm… Interesting. That attack covered the entire globe in just 0.13 seconds and is as fast as light, but you've stopped it easily."
She glared. "What do you even want from me?"
He says calmly, "Let me cut to the straight. I want to know your powers."
She scoffed. "You tried to murder me an hour ago, and now you want a full breakdown of my blood demon art?"
"Is that what you're upset about?"
She crossed her arms. "Whatever. I'm not telling you anything."
From the deep inside, she knows that she has talked so much against him.
God, I've said too much already… I'm glad he hasn't done anything wrong yet, or else who knows what would happen to me.
He says, "I'm not here for a conversation. We need to hunt down demons outside the Upper Moon hierarchy."
And with that, he began walking deeper into the forest.
She didn't follow. Not yet.
Eliza watched him disappear into the shadows, arms still crossed.
"Hmph~ Whatever he's planning... it doesn't feel wrong. At least, not yet."
Nonetheless, she follows him.
"Uh— Excuse me. Is this why you tried to kill me earlier?"
After a long pause, "That's right."
"Oh… makes sense."
Out of nowhere, she asks a dumb question, "I just wanted to ask… who is stronger, you or Kokushibo?"
He stops moving.
She realised her mistake. "Oops, never mind. Pardon me."
Without a word, Jigen begins floating, slowly ascending like a drifting specter, higher and higher into the sky.
She frowns. "Where's he going now?"
She shoots up after him, gliding alongside him, their black and white robes whipping through the wind like silk banners caught in a storm.
A thought crosses her mind as she watches his unreadable expression. "Though I must admit— He's the first and only person to see me beyond my appearance. Anyone, even Muzan, was mesmerized by my beauty, but he didn't even flinch to kill me straight.
Is he into something else? Or…" she shakes her head, "That's absurd to even think about."
They rise above the clouds.
Below them, the entire world stretches out—cities, forests, shadows… and demons, crawling like insects under the pale moonlight.
Jigen stares down, the wind brushing through his obsidian hair. His face is still. Distant.
To Eliza, he looks less like a man now… and more like an evil god preparing judgment.
He speaks, voice low and certain. "You've shown me nearly everything… except one."
Her eyes narrow. "How do you know—?"
"I deduced it. Your patterns. Your limits. And that single gap."
"There's only one ability left," she admits, reluctantly. "But it didn't work on you."
His gaze sharpens. "Tell me."
She exhales slowly. "It's the ability to manipulate fate itself… to twist the outcome of anyone's life however I choose."
His eyes widen, for the first time… genuinely shaken. "W-What…? That's…"
She speaks with eerie calm. "I can alter reality. Rewrite destinies. But only if they're weaker than me. And there's more… I can see everything—your memories, your secrets, your entire life story."
He freezes, as if his entire existence had been stripped bare.
She smirks. "What happened? Cat got your tongue?"
He responds slowly, voice careful, curious. "Do you only need a glance…?"
"No," she replies. "I must touch them to change anything."
He stares at her, intensity simmering in his crimson eyes. "H-How can I obtain that power?"
She laughs, playfully cruel. "You can't, idiot. It's mine alone."
He breathes in deeply. "I knew… from the moment we met."
"Well well… This ability will become extinct if I die, and what if someone like you tries to me again?"
He stays silent.
After a long pause, he says in a low, calm voice.
"No one can kill you from now on. I will protect you," his voice unwavering.
Her brow arches, amused. "What a lovely commitment. And how exactly will you do that?"
"All you have to do," he says, "is remember me. Think about darkness… and I'll come."
She stares at him, heart fluttering despite herself.
If someone like him protects me… I really might be immortal. No matter how powerful the enemy is… he'll be there.
She tilts her head, curious. "But… how exactly am I supposed to summon you?"
His voice is cold, smooth like a whisper carried by the night. "I dwell wherever shadows breathe. Just think of me… and I'll come. I'll do anything you ask."
A-Anything?! Does he actually mean that?
His eyes drift downward, scanning the distant land. "Only 203 left."
Suddenly…
Darkness uncoils from his body.
203 souls, twisted and black, burst forth like spectral daggers, racing through the air. One for each remaining demon.
Screams echo in the wind briefly, then silenced.
In mere seconds, the world is quiet again.
The souls return to him… melting back into him like ink in water.
He glances at her. Still expressionless. "We'll meet again."
And without a sound—
He vanishes.
She crosses her arms. "Hmph~ That's not gentle though."
She thinks, "Whenever he looked at me, it didn't seem like he was looking at me. Instead… it seemed like he was staring right into my very soul."
She shakes her head, "Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore. He's more like a personal guardian to me now."
The next night.
She sat beneath a dead tree, moonlight bleeding through the twisted branches.
Silence wrapped around her like a coffin. Still. Suffocating.
A pale figure beneath the shadows.
Her eyes filled with emptiness. "It's been a century… of my loneliness…"
Her voice is low, hollow.
Suddenly, a thought of Jigen hits her.
"He doesn't seem human to me… Unlike other demons who were once humans, I think he has always been a demon."
Suddenly—
Reality fractures.
The sky glitches open into a kaleidoscope of infinite space— stars spiraling, timelines unraveling, the laws of the universe warping like fragile glass.
She lifts a glowing, divine book into her hand— summoned from nothingness.
"I am curious about him… Was he once a human?"
She flips the pages. Time freezes, stars hold their breath.
She reads.
Closes it.
She sighs, "I was completely shocked to read about him. I was right. He had always been a demon… even more than that."
The stars shatter.
The book vanishes. Space folds back to normal.
"The only thing I can say to him— Leave the country and start a new life."
A thought suddenly snaps in her head. "He said that I can summon him whenever I want. But how can I..?"
She closes her eyes, remembering that cold stare—those crimson eyes burning like dying suns.
She opens her eyes.
And he's there—
A dark silhouette standing before her, his glowing eyes piercing through the void.
She gasps, startled, but composes herself quickly. "Oh… so you're here…" she hesitates.
His voice is slow, commanding. "Tell me, what's your motive to summon me?"
"Ah… I just… ummm…" she can't look at his eyes, finding excuses.
"Oh yeah, I was just getting bored."
She doesn't realize what she just said, "Oh f—! I've messed up…"
After a long pause, silence, he says. "Mhm… How is this even relevant?"
"See… Boredom and loneliness are my biggest enemies. They're killing me from inside."
"As long as you're alive from outside, it's fine—"
"That's not! It's even more painful than death."
He stays calm. "How am I supposed to help you in this? You'll have to command me once you've summoned me. Whether it's to kill someone, destroy something, etc."
She tapped her chin. "Hmm… You'll do whatever I say?"
"That's right. I hope that's not irrelevant."
She thinks. "I'll give him something impossible for him. Irrelevant for sure."
"Hey, how about you… do my makeup…" she stammers.
Her heart skips a beat.
He stands still. The tension between them stretches.
After a long silence—
Without any words, he approaches her calmly. His shadow form slowly vanishes, turning into his true form."
His long, black clothes and hair are flowing as if they've their own mind.
He reaches for her silky, ethereal hair, touching them gently.
She is completely stunned, her mind frozen. Is this happening for real..?
He moves with silent elegance, as if every motion was rehearsed for eternity. After some time, he finally stops.
With a flick of his wrist, a shimmering crystal hairpiece materializes from nothing, placing it gently upon her head.
"All done."
He summons a clear mirror to her.
She gasps, her eyes widened.
Her already otherworldly beauty now increased tenfold.
Her skin glows like moonlight. Silver ornaments lace her forehead, trailing down her temples in delicate floral patterns.
Her hair—brushed to perfection, cascading like starlight to her knees—glistens beneath the crystal pin.
Silver earrings dangle like constellations.
Her dress, long and white, now looks woven from angelic light itself. Her lips, eyes, and cheeks shimmered like art crafted by a divine hand.
Even her own beauty—already incomprehensible—now looked impossible.
The mirror broke, couldn't handle her sheer beauty.
If I walked into any kingdom like this… nations would fall.
She wants to say, but her words can't form. "He made me completely different… anyone can pass out by looking at me. I underestimated him…
I wonder what will be his reaction? Now I'm confident that he'll fall this time, or at least react."
She thinks. "If I control him, I'll have the entire world dancin' on my palm. He's already willing to do anything for me." She smiles.
She turns her face back, "Thank you for your—"
But he wasn't there. Nowhere near. He's gone.
Her heart sank, unable to show her beauty to someone she wanted.
"You—"
———————————————————————
Now, in the present time.
They stand face to face.
The world around them is still. Silent.
Jigen's face is drenched in blood, a deep crimson running down his deathly pale skin like cracked porcelain painted with violence.
But his expression…
Unchanged.
Emotionless.
As if the pain meant nothing. As if even dying was beneath his concern.
"If I remember correctly, didn't you say that either you or Yoriichi will survive? But you both are alive. How is this possible?" She teases.
"You're right, I must've done it before."
Suddenly—
His hand pierces through his own chest.
The sound is wet, visceral. Blood erupts from his mouth.
Eliza flinches—not in fear, but in sheer disbelief.
His fingers curl around something inside him.
His heart.
"Retreating from the battle means defeat, and I lost it."
He pulls out his heart—beating, blood-soaked. And crushes it without hesitation.
The sound is dull. Final.
"It was a mere game for me that I couldn't win… for the first time…"
Then—
He crashes to the ground with the grace of a dying god, his black cloak pooling around him like spilled ink.
The blood floods outward, slow and steady, reaching the tips of Eliza's feet. But her face remains calm. Unmoved.
"There's no use of it you know.
Even though you just can't die."