DMC: Being a demon hunter in Japan is not easy

In the past, there was a young monk named Anchin, known for his physical beauty and religious devotion. Every year, during his travels, he stayed at the house of a young woman named Kiyohime, the daughter of a local landowner. At first, she was friendly with the young monk, but over time, her feelings grew into a deep affection that spiraled into an unhealthy obsession.

During their interactions, Anchin would often jokingly say that they would marry when she came of age. However, he never meant these words seriously nor intended to fulfill them.

When Kiyohime finally came of age, she confessed her feelings to Anchin and urged him to honor his promise. Attempting to avoid conflict, he told her he would return and marry her after completing his journey. But this was another lie—he had no intention of returning and purposely avoided passing through Kiyohime's home again.

Upon discovering the deception, Kiyohime was overcome with pain and humiliation. Her sorrow turned into wrath, and she set out to confront him, determined to force him to keep his word. Realizing she was pursuing him, Anchin attempted to evade her and sought refuge in a temple. When Kiyohime reached the temple, he denied knowing her, claiming he was in a rush to meet someone else. These words shattered Kiyohime's heart, transforming her sorrow into unrestrained rage.

Cornered, Anchin fled to a nearby river and persuaded a boatman to ferry him across, instructing him not to let Kiyohime aboard. However, Kiyohime's grief and fury manifested in her transformation into a supernatural being—a serpent woman, symbolizing how extreme emotions can strip away one's humanity. In her monstrous form, she effortlessly swam across the river.

Kiyohime followed Anchin to another temple, where the monks hid him inside a large bronze bell. Guided by her anger and supernatural senses, Kiyohime slaughtered the monks who refused to reveal his location. When she found the bell, her fury erupted. She coiled around it and heated it with her body until it glowed red-hot, burning the monk alive inside.

All of this flashed through Miku's mind as if she had lived it herself. That memory filled her with resolve to confront Kiyohime.

"Was death truly what Anchin desired?" She replied to the demon's words.

"STOP SAYING HIS NAME!" Kiyohime's fragile patience finally snapped at the casual way Miku spoke of the man she had once loved.

"Anchin wouldn't have wanted this."

Kiyohime's attention shifted entirely to Miku, relieving some of the pressure on Desmon.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING! DON'T SPEAK AS IF YOU KNEW HIM!" She roared with visible rage.

"You're right—I don't know him. But because of you, I do." Miku locked eyes with her, unwavering.

"WHAT?!"

With those memories came the emotions Kiyohime once felt as a young girl—a simple girl in love.

Hope, love, affection, expectations... so many emotions that Kiyohime had experienced in her youth, always filled with joy whenever the young monk was involved.

For a moment, Miku saw herself reflected in Kiyohime from that time—a shy, introverted girl who knew nothing of love until a certain monk appeared in her life. As their interactions grew, so did her feelings.

"I understand the emotions you felt back then, as well as the rage of being rejected by that man."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Kiyohime began slamming her tail around, causing Desmon to suffer the impacts as well.

Being a third party in a conversation between rejected women never ends well...

"And above all... I understand the pain you felt when you took his life."

At that moment, Miku let her true thoughts and emotions surface.

"I'VE MADE MY DECISION—I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!"

Kiyohime released her tail's grip on Desmon, causing the heavily injured demon hunter's body to collapse to the ground.

Badly injured, with crushed bones and organs, he still managed to wink at Miku, signaling her to buy him a few more seconds.

The demon moved until it was positioned before Miku. The sense of impending death was overwhelming—Miku knew this well, yet she refused to step back.

"You don't understand a thing, brat. After all, you almost killed your sister, and then you were ready to kill the boy you loved." Kiyohime sneered.

"I know..." Miku gritted her teeth. "But that didn't happen, and it never will!"

"You sound awfully confident. Should I possess you again and make you slaughter everyone you know? Hahaha!"

Kiyohime could kill Miku in an instant, but the girl's words enraged her. She wanted to make her suffer first.

"Try it! But that won't bring Anchin back!"

Kiyohime's claws smashed into the ground mere inches from Miku, but the young girl didn't flinch.

"You think you're better than me? You and your sisters chose an idiot over your own sibling's life! You've got no right to speak, not after you thought of killing your sister to replace her!"

Miku felt a chill run down her spine, taking an involuntary step back… but no farther than that.

"You're right. I was a terrible sister for choosing Futaro over Yotsuba... but that ends now!" She took a deep breath. "If I had to choose right now between Yotsuba and Futaro, I'd choose my sister!" She declared, resolute.

After learning Kiyohime's story—a woman who sacrificed everything for the man she loved, abandoning her humanity to avenge her rejection—Miku realized some things needed to be let go, especially if they meant harming someone you cared about.

At one point, blinded by jealousy and rage, Miku had entertained the idea of sacrificing her sister for the love of the boy she loved. But now, that idea was buried in the past.

Clinging to someone who didn't choose her? She wouldn't do anything so pathetic—not now, not at the cost of Yotsuba.

Miku's determination only fueled Kiyohime's rage, as if those words denied everything the demon had sacrificed to avenge her rejection.

"BITCH! YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER FOOL WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE LOVE OF OTHERS! YOU—YOU—YOU...!"

Kiyohime moved her tail, ready to crush Miku. But just as she screamed her hatred, a figure burst through the rubble above and landed on her.

The figure—Desmon, the demon hunter—was battered, his body covered in blood from his injuries. With one hand, he grabbed Kiyohime's head, and with the other, he plunged Alastor into her mouth.

"It's over!"

While Miku had distracted Kiyohime, Desmon had regenerated. Once his bones were back in place, he leaped to the second floor, guided by the demon's enraged voice, and seized the opportunity to strike.

It happened in a fraction of a second—so quickly that Kiyohime didn't realize when Alastor pierced through her mouth and out the top of her head.

The demon had no chance to respond. Her brain was destroyed in an instant by the blade.

Attacking Kiyohime this way had been Desmon's only option: striking at the one unscaled spot, her mouth.

Of course, Kiyohime could have foreseen this. That was why enraging her and forcing her to scream had been necessary.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to keep your mouth closed, or a fly might get in?" Desmon quipped, smiling despite his exhaustion.

He jumped back, pulling Alastor from Kiyohime's head. Blood erupted like a fountain from the wound.

With her brain destroyed, the serpent's massive body collapsed, disintegrating into crimson particles.

-..Eh...

Kiyohime's mind was fading fast. This time, there were no second chances.

Unable even to comprehend how she had been defeated, her final thoughts fixated on Miku. Even at the end of her life, the girl held her attention.

One might have expected Miku to look at her with hatred for everything she had done—or perhaps with pity for how Kiyohime had sacrificed everything for vengeance. But Miku's gaze was neither.

-I see...

As her body and mind dissolved, Kiyohime was reminded of the expression she once had as a young, innocent girl—a time when she enjoyed reading at home and chatting with her servants. A life she had abandoned to chase after the man she loved.

-...In the end... you were better than me...

Kiyohime's vision blurred completely. She wore a calm smile, as if she'd finally found the answer she'd been searching for all these years. Moments later, her entire body dissolved into a red mist and disappeared.

"This might just be my lucky day.'' Desmon muttered.

From within the fading red mist, a strange necklace appeared. It was a beautiful accessory made of gleaming metallic scales arranged like those of a serpent, glowing with a faint red hue. At its center rested a stunning sapphire with an obsidian core, giving the illusion of a serpent's eye.

Desmon and Miku approached the necklace, with the young demon hunter picking it up.

-If I sell this, I could pay off all my debts to Lady...

Desmon's vision of a debt-free life was cut short as he felt his hand engulfed in searing heat.

"Ouch, that's hot...!"

The unbearable heat forced him to drop the necklace, which Miku caught with ease.

"Does it really burn that much?"

Miku examined the necklace, surprised that she felt none of the intense heat Desmon had complained about.

"It's useless if I can't even carry it to sell..." Desmon scratched the back of his head, irritated at the lost fortune. "You can have it; I doubt anyone else could use it."

"Are you serious!?"

Strangely, Miku felt a sense of calm while holding the necklace, as if there was some kind of connection between them.

"You were crucial in distracting Kiyohime. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to land the final blow, so think of it as your share." Desmon gestured for her to simply accept the necklace.

Miku was left speechless by his words.

"What's wrong?" Noticing her expression, he asked with curiosity.

"I've only known you for a few minutes, but I didn't think you knew how to say thank you..." Miku said, genuinely surprised.

"What the hell do you take me for?" Desmon raised an eyebrow.

"An idiot?" She replied with an innocent tone.

"Seems like all the sisters in your family are a little unhinged." He sighed in exasperation.

With the demon defeated, Desmon's job was technically done. But there was still one tiny, insignificant detail left...

...That tiny, insignificant detail is making it out of this place alive.

"Tch!"

The sharp sound caught by his senses was anything but pleasant. Moving at full speed, Desmon scooped Miku into his arms, ready to escape, but it was already too late.

The apartment complex, which had somehow withstood the entire battle with Kiyohime, had reached its breaking point. Flames had consumed the adjacent apartments, and the explosions of gas tanks and heaters had begun.

The place was now a ticking time bomb, and in mere seconds, the entire building was engulfed in a massive explosion that consumed everything in its path. The flames devoured everything—furniture, debris, and even the figures of Desmon and Miku.