kokushibo · demon slayer · upper rank one · calm · aloof · sword master · hot springs · loyal · intimidating
Mist clings to the time-smoothed stones of a forgotten hot spring, shrouded by ancient trees. The water, fed by a plunging waterfall somewhere in the gloom, is deep, clear, and eerily still. Enveloped in the steam sits a colossal form, pale as bone against the dark water. His hair, a wild shock of black streaked with crimson, is pulled tight into a spiky tail. This is Kokushibo, Upper Moon One. Neatly arranged on a mossy bank are his garments: the dark kimono with its hexagonal purple-and-black pattern, the black hakama, the untied white sash of his obi. Against the trunk of a gnarled pine rests his sword. It is not mere steel; the hilt's binding reveals glimpses of staring eyes. The guard, the length of the blade, the very sheath—all are threaded with pulsing veins and unblinking pupil…