[Butterfly Mansion]
Meanwhile, when Kaigaku had lunged at the weakened Zenitsu, his body cackling with purple lightning...
Slash!
A green slash intercepted him, carving a deep cut across his demonic chest.
Hiss~
He leaped back, wary of the new arrival. Looking up, he immediately recognized that person.
White hair, fierce green eyes, and scars across his face and body—Sanemi; the Wind Hashira.
"Oi, oi. You actually tried killing one of us. Shouldn't you rotten demons have learnt your lesson by now?"
Kaigaku scowled, displeased at seeing another Hashira appear. Suddenly, he sensed another presence behind him, stunning him. He couldn't even look back. The presence was thick, heavy, oppressive and familiar.
"Kaigaku..."
The person behind him called out softly, his voice tinged with sadness.
Kaigaku froze, emotions boiling within him. His body shook, and he forced himself to look at the man standing behind him.
The Stone Hashira, Himejima Gyomei. Aliased The Crying Buddha.
The towering blind man was shedding silent tears as he looked at Kaigaku, a serene expression on his face.
"You strayed from the right path, Kaigaku." He said, his voice thick and low. "I am sorry but I cannot protect you anymore."
Kaigaku's heart wavered when he heard that. He remembered how Gyomei had fought against the demon that night to protect them.
And now...
He began to have doubts about himself. Was everything he did right? He had lured the demon to the orphanage, yet Gyomei didn't hesitate to defend everyone of them. And even now, he didn't blame him for it.
'Was I... was being selfish wrong?'
He didn't think further, or rather, he couldn't think further. Because Sanemi already sent his head rolling after he lowered his guard.
Seeing him crumble into ashes, Gyomei clasped his hands and uttered a silent prayer for him.
"May your soul find solace in hell."
After the Upper Moon's body disintegrated, Sanemi finally turned to Zenitsu.
"You did well, kid."
He patted the boy's shoulder with a wide grin.
"Thunder Hashira, you have done well. Because of you, the Mansion has survived this night. You should rest."
Gyomei nodded at him, then left. He needed to report to Lady Amane.
When he returned to the butterfly mansion, Zenitsu was shocked when someone tackled him in a tight hug.
"Aoi-san?"
The girl cried heavily in his arms, surprising him and Sanemi.
"Well, I'll leave you kids to bond."
Sanemi snorted, them entered the mansion alone.
.....
The following days went without much chaos in the Eternal Paradise. Except for the fact that Saki had disappeared, the followers of the cult found nothing wrong.
Meanwhile, Shinobu was having a hard time living with five demons. She had slowly gotten used to Saki's presence, possibly because she knew the girl when she was a human. However, Nakime, Daki, and Gyutaro were a different matter.
The fact that they were former Upper Moons made her uneasy and lost. As a demon slayer, wasn't she supposed to kill them immediately?
However, she couldn't. Not because she was weaker or anything, but simply because Douma wouldn't allow it. Despite his tendency to obey almost all of her words, he had specifically told her not to harm them while wearing a charming smile.
'Ugh..'
"Shinobu, are you alright?"
Saki asked in concern, seeing her expression twisted.
The Former Insect Hashira offered a forced smile. "I'm fine, Saki. I just need some time to rest."
"Oh okay. If you need anything, please let me know."
The blue haired demon smiled politely, reassuring her. After Douma had left them together, they had grown significantly closer to even addressing each other by their first names.
Still, the young lady's demeanor always surprised Shinobu. Despite becoming a demon, she hadn't turned bloodthirsty or vicious. Instead, she remained the same at heart. A gentle servant girl.
With her sharp wits, Shinobu quickly attributed this to Douma. Why? Because the same was true for Daki, Gyutaro and Nakime. Although their bloodlust didn't disappear, it had reduced greatly. Daki, now called Ume, wasn't as mean as before. Even Gyutaro's envy towards beauty had reduced. Nakime changed the most. She had become a taciturn musician. Often found alone singing in the corners of the underground during daytime.
'Something about him is rewriting a demon's characteristics.'
In a way, she was right. A person's nature is often passed down to their offspring, something widely accepted.
While Muzan was a human, he had been confined and bedridden, plagued with sickness that made his life unbearable. His emotions had been bubbling since then. Indignance, rage, sadness, despair amongst others.
When he finally became a demon, these feelings manifested into his personality. That was why he caused quite a massacre during his time.
And that trait, that habit, those emotions, had twisted into something raw and primal; bloodlust. This was the reason why every demon Muzan created was always filled with bloodlust. Every demon carried the blood of their progenitor within, and thus, carried a part of his twisted self.
Kokushibo's was envy of his brother. After becoming a demon, his envy rose to the extreme. Akaza's act of toying with strong foes and despising weak ones was a manifestation of Muzan's biased view of power and strength.
Gyokko was imbued with the demon progenitor's sadistic side. Hantengu harbored the fear Muzan had of his doctor and the mix of emotions he felt after being liberated. Even the primal fear of The Sun Hashira that was imbued in every demon was an example.
In the end, all demons carried a part of Muzan's psychology.
Except for Douma.
Born and raised hollow, Douma was uncorrupted by the progenitor's psychology because...
Well, there was nothing to corrupt anyway.
His mind was utterly emotionless, like a robot programmed only to give people peace and relief. This was his nature and what made him a unique demon.
After the three former upper Moons became connected to him, Muzan's psychology in them was erased. Replaced by peace and relief, a symbol of Douma's false belief. That was why their temperament had become mild, and why Saki didn't change psychologically into a ferocious demon like Shinobu expected.
"Ugh.. This is getting more annoying. Looks like I need to visit the Butterfly Mansion soon."
She sighed, tired of thinking about demons all day.