Upper Rank Two, Douma.
He was sitting cross-legged on the wooden bridge, surrounded by girls who had died dressed in white, like believers.
They had been cruelly murdered.
Kanae had long thought she would encounter this monster again in the Infinity Castle, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.
So fast that they had stepped inside without hardly realizing it.
"It has to be him..." Compared to Kanae's worry, a trace of anger surfaced on Kochou Shinobu's face.
This was the demon who had nearly caused her to lose her sister.
Although Mizuki's drawing was somewhat abstract, she still recognized him.
Rather, his features were distinct enough.
White hair, multicolored eyes, and religious symbols.
The moment he saw the three of them, Douma smiled too.
He smiled brightly.
"Oh, long time no see. What a lovely night," Douma said with a grin. "I didn't expect you to actually still be alive."
"Did you work so hard to stay alive just so I could eat you?"
Seeing the butterfly haori, a memory quickly revived in Douma's mind.
That was one of the few times he had felt a human emotion.
The emotion named pity and regret.
Pity that he hadn't managed to eat that girl, regret that he hadn't managed to eat that girl.
Kanae had not yet spoken, but Kochou Shinobu could no longer hold back, veins appearing on her forehead one by one as she angrily said: "It was you!"
"You're the one who hurt my sister!"
Douma didn't feel offended; instead, he smiled even happier. He opened his mouth, just about to say something.
"H-help... save me...!!"
A girl lying on the wooden bridge, not yet dead, cried uncontrollably, trembling as she stretched out her hands to beg the three of them for help.
Douma raised a finger: "Shh, I'm talking right now..."
Swoosh~
A figure whistled past. Douma instinctively swung his hand but hit nothing.
Kochou Shinobu appeared on the other side of the bridge, holding the girl.
"Are you alright?" Kochou Shinobu asked worriedly.
Douma smiled: "Wow, so fast! That's amazing~"
Suddenly.
Kanae, who had been staring intently at Douma, noticed something was wrong.
That guy's movements were so fast!
Douma casually swung the golden iron fan in his hand toward Kochou Shinobu.
"Shinobu! Watch out!"
As Kanae spoke, she was already slashing towards Douma.
Kanao followed closely behind; they couldn't let this guy hurt their sisters.
Is that the Demon Slayer Mark?
She's much stronger than a few years ago.
Just based on Kanae's speed, Douma had judged her strength.
But at this distance, it couldn't be stopped now.
Just as his iron fan was about to swing down, a blast came from the wall in front of him.
Bang!!!
With a sound.
"What?"
The sudden strong wind sweeping past from behind forced Kanae and Kanao to stop and look back cautiously.
Swoosh~
A piece of wood flew past them at an extremely fast speed, completely smashing Douma's arm.
Douma's pupils constricted slightly.
This force... it's not human.
"So, what's the situation here?"
In the dust and smoke, a white Nichirin Blade swept away the debris, revealing a slender figure.
It was Mizuki.
Mizuki kicked away the room blocking her path. The room was met with a strong, pungent smell of blood.
And the familiar scent of the three sisters.
"Young Miss Mizuki." Seeing her sister safe, Kanae greeted Mizuki with a look of surprise.
"Mizuki."
Taking advantage of the time Douma needed to regenerate his arm, Kochou Shinobu returned to the front of the group, her face showing joy.
"I'm so glad you're safe."
Mizuki scanned the surroundings while replying: "I was the one gaining the upper hand, but he managed to escape."
She saw the corpses lying on the bridge and the squint-eyed guy smiling.
"Really..." Douma suddenly sat down obediently, placing his hands on his ankles and swaying them gently, looking relaxed. "Long time no see, my cute Demon Slayer Young Miss~"
"Tch." Mizuki's eyelid twitched, and she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Demon Slayer Young Miss...?" Kanae looked at everyone and realized Douma was indeed talking to Mizuki.
Mizuki explained: "I've dealt with this guy before, in my capacity as a Demon Slayer."
"That's right, that's right, if I recall correctly~" Douma nodded, tapping his chin with his finger. "That must have been two hundred years ago."
"You tricked me so badly~"
"I was heartbroken for a long time because of it~"
Mizuki couldn't help but feel a chill; that face was, in some ways, even more disgusting than her older brother's.
At least, she couldn't imagine Kokushibou looking so affected.
It was too terrifying.
Douma tilted his head and asked curiously: "I didn't expect you to be the younger sister of Kokushibou Your Excellency. Why would you oppose Muzan Lord?"
Mizuki glanced sidelong at him: "A monster like you, who has no emotions, wouldn't understand even if I explained it."
This guy was still the same as before, with a very low desire to attack, even chatting casually with humans.
But that didn't mean one could survive encountering this monster.
The opposite was true.
This guy's danger level, in Mizuki's mind, was even higher than Kokushibou's.
The reason?
Of course, it was because he was too twisted.
Douma's expression subtly shifted, and his entire aura froze for a moment.
Everyone felt a brief moment of dread because of it.
But it was only for a moment; Douma immediately returned to his grinning appearance, as if his expression had never changed.
"That's really harsh to say~" Douma tilted his head, resting his cheek on his hand as he smiled at Mizuki. "Demon Slayer Young Miss, do you remember the child you rescued from my grasp two hundred years ago?"
"The... rescued child?"
Kochou Shinobu was startled, having never heard this story from Mizuki.
It probably... wasn't a good memory.
Mizuki gave a cold laugh: "It seems a certain someone isn't emotionless after all, and is quite vengeful."
"Don't say that; I just have a very clear memory." Douma smiled slightly, poking his temple with his finger, as if recalling something.
"That girl named Aiko."
"She voluntarily came back the day after you rescued her~"
"And she said a lot of bad things about you."
Douma rubbed his stomach: "But please don't worry, I ate that bad child."
"I am the Cult Patriarch of the Eternal Paradise Cult. No matter how wicked the child is, I have the duty to save them."
"That's disgusting." Coldness flashed in Mizuki's eyes. "It might be better if you just shut your mouth."
To be honest, she didn't feel sadness or regret.
Because the girl had returned voluntarily.
But this guy's intention in saying this was clearly to disgust her.
Douma's expression remained unchanged, and he said with a smile: "Although Muzan Lord wants to eat you too, I hope taking one bite first won't be an issue?"
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