The Hashira charging this way realized it at the same time.
Gyomei attacked again. If they wanted to restrain Kibutsuji Muzan, they had to keep crushing him down, again and again, until he couldn't move.
Suddenly, Muzan extended his left hand toward the incoming Gyomei.
In the next instant, countless black thorns shot from his fingertips, spreading like a net as they swallowed Gyomei whole!
"Stone Breathing, Third Form!"
"Stone Skin!"
Gyomei swung his chained flail, the spiked iron ball roaring through the air as he closed his guard around himself!
Any black thorn that tried to close in was smashed to pieces!
"Is it you, Kibutsuji Muzan?! What did you do to our Master?!"
Sanemi finally arrived, his voice tearing across the battlefield.
Almost instantly, everyone converged.
"So synchronized?" Muzan murmured, almost impressed. "Ubuyashiki really did set this up well."
At the same time, every blade turned toward Muzan, every Hashira ready to unleash their strongest killing moves!
"Mist Breathing, Fourth Form!"
"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Butterfly!"
"Serpent Breathing, First Form!"
"Love Breathing, Fifth Form!"
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form!"
"Wind Breathing, Seventh Form!"
Tanjiro surged to the front, his Nichirin Blade wreathed in flame.
"Hinokami Kagura! Sun Halo Thrust!"
Their confidence was absolute. This strike would cripple him.
Just as their attacks were about to land, Muzan smiled.
A sudden biwa note rang out, sharp and jarring, and everyone froze for a split second.
Then came a strange weightlessness.
In an instant, the world changed.
The ground vanished beneath their feet, and everyone plummeted.
Even Vincent Fox was caught in it.
"You thought you'd cornered me?"
Muzan grinned like a beast, shouting down at them, "All of you bastards are going to hell!"
"The one going to hell is you!"
Vincent snorted, snapping his right hand forward.
A fireball detonated.
Boom!
Muzan's body exploded again, half an arm blown clean off.
And still, he didn't panic.
"You useless demon hunters. Tonight, I'll wipe you all out!"
The biwa sounded again and again, faster and faster. The ground beneath them kept shifting and folding, and everyone was dropped into separate depths.
"So this is the Infinity Castle…"
Vincent breathed out, awed despite himself, as he carved marks into the walls with his Nichirin Blade.
Then he spotted another figure falling nearby.
He kicked off the wall, shot across the gap, and caught up to her.
"Shinobu. So it's you."
Shinobu Kocho paused for a heartbeat, staring down into the bottomless dark.
"Vincent Fox… this looks troublesome."
"Yeah. Let's deal with landing first."
As he spoke, black armor-like Haki wrapped around Vincent's feet.
Boom!
He stomped.
The wooden floor beneath him exploded like it had been hit by a blast, cracks spiderwebbing through the entire room.
Compared to him, Shinobu's landing was almost silent.
She touched down with the tip of her foot and flipped lightly, bleeding away the force as if it were nothing.
"There's a demon's presence!"
Shinobu's expression snapped cold. Her eyes locked on a direction.
"Then we end it quickly," Vincent said. "And go help the others. I'm betting everyone's about to get dragged into a hard fight."
They darted through crooked, twisting corridors, moving fast through the warped architecture, until they reached the door of an opulent room.
"It's in there," Shinobu whispered.
"Then let's go in. No point hiding."
Vincent waved it off and kicked the door.
The panel burst apart with a thunderous crash.
The sound instantly drew the demon's attention.
Inside was a lotus pond. On the only stretch of flooring, human corpses lay scattered in heaps.
Every one of them was a young woman.
Doma turned around, holding an arm he hadn't finished eating.
His gaze fell on Shinobu first, and delight lit his face.
"Ah, I really should thank Nakime. A young, beautiful girl like you… what a treat."
He removed the hat on his head with a flourish, like a host greeting guests.
"Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm Doma."
"What an exciting night."
"Sa… save me…"
On the wooden platform, a girl reached out a trembling arm, begging toward them.
"Hm? Still alive?" Doma tilted his head, mildly surprised.
Then his iron fan spun with a sharp snap.
Slash!
A blade of air flashed out, but Doma blinked in surprise as the girl vanished from where she'd been.
"Oh? That was fast. A Hashira?"
Shinobu didn't answer him. She set the girl down gently and spoke softly, almost soothing.
"It's alright. You're safe for now."
"Tha… thank you… th…"
Before she could finish, the girl vomited a mouthful of blood, her body slackening as life drained away.
Vincent crouched and checked her.
"Her abdomen was torn open. That demon did something during the attack. Be careful."
He murmured it close to Shinobu's ear.
Shinobu nodded, her attention fixed on the pair of golden fans in Doma's hands.
Her sister's last words echoed in her mind.
The demon who killed her… wielded razor-sharp twin fans.
Doma shook his head and adopted a gentle, almost pitying tone.
"Just leave her there. I'll eat her properly later."
Then he stood, swaying the fans lightly as he spoke like a preacher giving a sermon.
"I'm the leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult. Guiding my followers to true happiness is my sacred duty."
"I'll make sure I finish eating her."
Shinobu's brows drew together. Her voice turned to ice.
"What kind of foolish 'happiness' is that? She was begging for help. Couldn't you hear her?"
"So I saved her," Doma said calmly, spreading his hands as if this were obvious.
He continued, serenely explaining his version of "salvation."
"From now on, that girl will never suffer again, right? No fear. No pain. Isn't that the happiness she wanted?"
"They were all afraid, so I ate them and ended their suffering."
"From now on, they'll live inside my body, together with me, forever!"
"My followers' feelings, their flesh, their spirit, I accept it all."
"And I lead them to a higher state of being. That is my duty as their leader."
Doma looked intoxicated by his own words. A blissful smile even rose to his lips.
"What is that smile?" Shinobu snapped, the gentleness she'd worn earlier gone without a trace. "Are you insane?!"
Veins bulged at her temple. Her fury had reached the edge of control.
"You're disgusting. Are you just here to make people sick? Do you ever think before you speak, you filthy bastard?"
Doma still looked innocent, almost hurt.
"Huh? We just met and you're already saying such cruel things."
"Oh, right. Why are you here?"
"Do you have some unspeakable pain you want me to save you from?"
He opened his arms toward Shinobu, welcoming her like a devotee.
"The Eternal Paradise welcomes you. No matter what pain you carry, I can free you."
"Your mind and body will exist with me forever, all the way to paradise."
"Stop spewing that garbage!"
Shinobu's voice sharpened into a blade.
"What pain? What salvation?"
"Do you recognize this uniform?"
"You killed my sister, didn't you?!"
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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