The moon hung low, its light bleeding across the trees as Thor stood with his arms crossed, still watching the Doom Slayer.
The air was tense. Heavy.
Kratos stepped beside the Slayer, arms folded. Atreus trailed close behind, still wary.
The Paladins—those Asgardian warriors Thor brought—were bruised, armor cracked and smeared with demon blood. A few sat slumped near a tree line, tending wounds in silence. They were powerful, but clearly not used to fighting demons like these. The kind that didn't die easy.
Thor didn't speak right away.
Then he glanced sideways, not even hiding his distaste.
"I don't like him," he muttered.
Kratos' eyes flicked to the Slayer. Slayer didn't react. Not even a twitch.
Atreus sighed. "Father—he's saved a lot of lives here."
Thor's lip curled slightly. "That may be. But his silence? It reeks of guilt."
Slayer still said nothing. But his stance shifted just enough to make Kratos tense. Just a flicker. Not fear—readiness.
Atreus noticed too. "Don't—"
Kratos put a hand up, stopping his son. "Enough."
Thor grunted and looked away, spitting to the side. "This isn't over."
They turned, Paladins slowly gathering themselves behind him.
Rengoku was the first to break the tension.
"Let's return to HQ," he said, voice still booming with passion. "These warriors need rest."
Thor gave a nod, and the group moved.
Behind them, the Slayer stood still, the wind tugging at his cape. He didn't move until the others had walked away.
Then he followed.
Night fell. Demon Slayer HQ.
The stars flickered above the barracks. The lanterns along the walkways flickered, casting orange lines across the dirt paths. It felt too calm.
Inside the war room, Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat in quiet meditation, a candle before him. Hashiras flanked the space, seated or leaning on the walls. Some cracked jokes, some stayed silent.
Then—
BAM!
The door burst open.
A Kakushi stumbled in, panting hard. His face pale.
Everyone shot up.
"Sir!" he gasped. "A portal—something massive—it just tore open near the eastern perimeter!"
Sanemi was already grabbing his blades. "We under attack?"
"Yes!" the Kakushi shouted. "Hellspawn—like before—but more. Way more."
Kagaya's calm voice cut through the panic. "Sound the alarms. Evacuate the outer villages."
The Slayer was already moving. He didn't wait.
Kratos rose, cracking his neck. "This time, I'm ready."
Atreus grabbed his bow. "Let's go."
Thor, who had been leaning on a pillar, straightened.
"So they followed you here…" he muttered.
No one answered.
In Hell. The Throne Room.
The Dark Lord sat upon a shifting mass of bone and fire, his fingers curled against the molten steel throne.
A minister knelt before him, armored in obsidian scales, his skull marked by runes from forgotten wars.
"The strike team… was destroyed," the minister said quietly.
The Dark Lord's gaze burned through him. "All of them?"
"Yes, my liege. Thor was there. And the Slayer. The traitor god, Kratos, as well."
A pause.
Then the room shook.
The Dark Lord stood, fury spilling from his frame like boiling oil.
"They dare? They dare?"
The fire rose, forming into a shape of wings behind him. A crown of blades flickered in and out of form above his head.
"I will end this insult myself."
But the minister spoke up, slowly. "Let me go."
The Dark Lord narrowed his eyes.
"I have waited long for this honor," the minister said. "Allow me to unleash the full might of our army. The Slayer's sanctuary—burn it. Their headquarters—reduce it to ash."
The Dark Lord stared for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Take the Marauders. The Barons. Take the skinned beasts. And raze their walls."
The minister stood, smiling.
"It will be done."
Back at HQ – Midnight
The sky cracked open again.
A rift. Not clean like Asgard's Bifrost—this one bled. Red lightning flickered. Screams echoed before the portal even widened.
Kagaya rose to his feet.
"They've come."
Hashiras and Upper Ranks rushed outside.
Sanemi: "I'll slice the first bastard I see."
Tengen spun his blades. "Let's give them a show."
Shinobu whispered something as she dipped her blade in a greenish toxin.
Muichiro: "It's like last time. But worse."
Obanai: "Focus. Don't get separated."
Rengoku unsheathed his sword, eyes burning. "This is where we stand!"
Kokushibo emerged from the shadows.
Akaza stretched, grinning. "Now this is more like it."
Even Muzan stood tall, eyes narrow. His arms pulsed, tendrils already forming.
He glanced at the Slayer walking ahead.
"You've brought your enemies here," Muzan said flatly. "Make yourself useful."
In the dark fields beyond the gates
The first wave came like a storm.
Marauders in metallic hell-armor, charging with axes that gleamed like cursed steel.
Barons stomped behind them, spewing flame like walking furnaces.
The Slayer met the charge with a dash. His gauntlet pulsed as he punched clean through a Marauder's chest. He ducked, flipped, and slammed another with his shoulder into the ground.
Kratos ripped a Baron's jaw clean off and slammed its head into the ground until it was dust.
Thor spun Mjölnir, calling thunder as he struck the horde from above, flattening rows of demons in a single blow.
Upper Moons fought like monsters—
Akaza punched a hole straight through a beast's torso, kicking it back into its allies.
Kokushibo sliced clean through three skulls in one motion.
Hashiras held their own.
Sanemi leapt from rooftop to rooftop, severing limbs and laughing.
Tengen's bombs lit the night like a festival of carnage.
Muzan stood still—then snapped his arms forward, sending a dozen tendrils into a pack of Barons and ripping them apart like paper.
Screams echoed.
Blood painted the earth.
And somewhere in the back, Kagaya's soft voice echoed to the warriors:
"This is not the end. It is only the beginning."