Late into the night, along the paddy fields of a rural vilge somewhere in japan. Currently three figures were moving fast.

  Kanae Kocho’s lungs burned. Every breath felt like inhaling jagged gss. The mission had spiraled; no one expected a coordinated pair of demons. Individually, they were manageable, but together, they possessed a lethal synergy that would give even a Hashira trouble.

  ?The battle spilled toward the marshy paddy fields. In the chaos, a crude wooden cage—some forgotten vilge construct—was smashed into splinters along with casualties among her comrades.

  Kanae didn't have time to see what was inside. She traded flesh for a finishing blow, successfully beheading the first demon, Iburo, but the cost was high. She was fgging, her stamina drained.

  ?"Hehe... it’s a shame Iburo died," the remaining demon cackled, his eyes gleaming with predatory greed. "But now I don’t have to share. I’ll devour you, little Syer, and become twice the monster he ever was."

  ?Kanae didn't waste breath on a retort. She centered her grip, preparing for a final, desperate charge, when she saw it—a shadow rising from the muck behind the demon. It held a discarded Nichirin bde with a grip that looked like it could crush stone.

  ?Before the demon could finish his monologue, the figure lunged, driving the bde straight through the creature's spine and out its chest.

  ?"Who...?" the demon gasped, rage bubbling in its throat.

  ?"Solomon Grundy, motherfucker," a voice rasped—low, angry, and sounding like gravel grinding in a blender.

  ?Furious, the demon shed out with a back-swing, the force of the blow sending the newcomer flying into the dirt and debris like a ragdoll.

  ?Kanae didn't miss her window. Before the demon could utter another word, her bde hummed through the air. A clean arc. A severed head.

  ?"I didn't... want to share..." the demon whimpered, his voice fading into ash as his body began to disintegrate.

  ?

  ?Kanae exhaled, her shoulders dropping as the adrenaline ebbed. The silence of the marsh returned. Remembering the man who had intervened, she hurried toward the heap of rags and limbs in the dirt.

  ?She expected a fallen comrade. She found something else entirely.

  ?He wasn't a member of the Corps. His clothes were nothing more than filthy, blood-soaked tatters, and his skin had a hue that didn't quite belong to the living. He y there perfectly still, staring up at the moon with wide, unblinking eyes.

  ?For a heartbeat, Kanae feared he had passed. Then, the "corpse" spoke.

  ?"Lady," the voice was dry, tired, and dripping with venomous wit. "If you’re gonna stand there admiring my handsomeness, you’d better start charging admission."

  ?He finished the sentence by coughing blood in a way that would make a chinese master nod in approval.

  ?Kanae snapped out of her daze, kneeling beside him. "Don't speak! You’re severely injured."

  ?The man rolled his eyes toward her, the expression ft and unimpressed.

  ?"You don't say?" he rasped, his voice straining against the pain. "And here I thought I was just having a very aggressive nap. Thanks for the medical update, Doc."