"I didn't expect her to get lost afterward, running to the edge of a cliff while holding you, then throwing you, still an infant, down from such a height. She was so clumsy until the very end…
But don't worry, I ate very cleanly, not even a single bone was left!
She would have been abused by her husband and mother-in-law back home, and after getting lost in the wilderness, both mother and child would have died in destitution.
How unfortunate Kotoha's life was~
Did she ever have a moment of happiness? What a meaningless life it was~"
Douma squinted and smiled as he spoke to Inosuke, his tone seemingly filled with regret.
…
"I'm sorry, Inosuke… I'm sorry…"
…
The figure that appeared in Inosuke's mind when he was on the verge of death at Mount Natagumo reappeared, her face now clear, eyes brimming with tears, sad and reluctant.
Immediately after, she let go, her figure gradually shrinking in his vision, followed by the sensation of cold river water.
…
"My Inosuke is so cute~ Such chubby little hands~ Such warm little cheeks~ My priceless treasure~ With you by my side, Mommy is truly so happy~"
…
Childhood memories gradually awakened, and Inosuke's anger continued to rise, veins bulging on his arms and cheeks, his body even beginning to tremble from rage.
"It's a damn miracle that I ran into you here…
Heaven has eyes! To let me just happen to meet you, the scoundrel who murdered my mother!!"
Gritting his teeth, Inosuke glared at Douma, raising his Nichirin Sword and pointing it at him.
"I should thank you for making me remember all this! But just cutting off your neck isn't enough to express my gratitude!
I'm going to make you witness a true hell!!"
Looking at the enraged Inosuke before him, Douma still wore a smile.
"You were raised by wild boars, yet you speak human language quite well~"
Douma said to Inosuke.
Just as he was about to chat with Inosuke and the others a bit more, something unexpected happened: one of his Crystal Dolls was shattered, and the opponent of that clone was none other than Sound Pillar Tengen.
"Hahahaha! The Score has been completed! All your filthy techniques have been seen through by me! Prepare to meet the flamboyant death I'll bestow upon you!"
The Sound Hashira laughed as he shouted at Douma, the ice person in front of him completely shattered. As he finished speaking, an eighth note Demon Slayer Mark appeared on his left forehead.
The Score, as his unique technique, once completed, allows him to predict the opponent's moves, converting the rhythm of their attacks into musical notes. The opponent's attack habits and blind spots will be seen through by Tengen.
Similar to adding chords to a song, by attacking during the gaps in the rhythm, effective strikes can be made.
The effect of the Score is somewhat similar to the Transparent World to a certain extent. Such a powerful effect also comes with strict activation conditions, which is that Tengen must engage in a prolonged battle with the enemy to study and judge the rhythm of their attack movements.
Weak enemies don't require the Score at all, while powerful enemies are difficult to hold out against until the Score is completed. The limitations of the Score mean Tengen doesn't have many opportunities to use this ability.
However, today's situation could be described as a perfect opportunity. The ice person created by Douma perfectly inherited his attack habits and techniques, but was somewhat lacking in power. Furthermore, Douma himself had other companions helping to fend off attacks, making this an excellent time to complete the Score.
Originally, if Tengen had directly activated his Demon Slayer Mark, he could have immediately crushed this clone, but he chose not to do so, precisely to use this clone to complete the Score.
Leaping to Kochou Shinobu's side, another ice clone swung its ice fan, attacking Tengen.
He blocked the ice fan with the Nichirin Sword in his left hand, while the other Nichirin Sword in his right hand turned crimson, then directly struck the neck of the ice clone.
A booming explosion sounded, and the ice person resembling Douma was blasted to pieces.
"Let's flamboyantly take down this trash together!!!"
As the fastest among the original Nine Hashiras, after dealing with the ice person in front of Kochou Shinobu, he instantly appeared in front of Kanao. Again, as if completely predicting the opponent's movements, he struck and shattered the opponent during a gap in their attack.
"That truly is an incredible ability~"
Douma's attention was also drawn by this, and he spoke with a shocked expression.
"You scoundrel!!!"
At this moment, Inosuke swiftly approached Douma, swinging his Nichirin Sword when still a distance away from him.
"You can't hit me from that far away~"
Douma heard the sound, saw the distance between them, and smiled as he spoke to Inosuke, not even bothering to block with his iron fan.
However, the next moment, the blade, which had been some distance from Douma, suddenly extended. The uneven blade sliced past Douma's left ear and exited from the other side, directly severing half of Douma's head.
Beast Breathing, Ninth Fang: Extend, Winding Rend!
Inosuke's right arm was extended in a bizarre posture; he had dislocated his joints in an instant to increase his attack range, and this technique indeed had a good effect.
"To dislocate your own joints, how reckless~"
Douma now understood the reason why that attack had been effective, and he spoke to Inosuke while regenerating the other half of his head.
However, before he could finish regenerating, five figures had already surrounded him simultaneously.
Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!
Giyuu had once again charged up his Tenth Form, and a water dragon roared towards Douma.
Insect Breathing: Dance of the Dragonfly, Compound Eye Hexagon!
Kochou Shinobu activated the mechanism on her Nichirin Sword, changing the poison within the blade, and a large amount of poison was poised for injection.
Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Futile Peony!
Kanao swung her Nichirin Sword, and red and white slashes converged from all directions to one point, like the petals of a peony.
Beast Breathing, Eighth Form: Explosive Rush!
Inosuke had already reset his joints to their original state. At the same time, he charged recklessly towards Douma, his gaze fixed on the demon who had killed his mother, wishing he could tear him into a thousand pieces.
"Ah~ So many people~ Blood Demon Art: Winter Icicles."
Douma said with a surprised expression, then swung his iron fan. Many sharp icicles suddenly appeared in mid-air and fell downwards, targeting Inosuke and the others rushing from all directions.
"Your techniques have already been flamboyantly seen through by me!"
At this moment, Tengen leaped from the ground into the air, throwing many explosive bombs with his right hand. He swung his twin Nichirin Swords, and with clanging and crackling sounds, all the icicles above Inosuke and the others were shattered by him.
At the same time, his body descended from the air towards Douma. Raising his twin Nichirin Swords, disregarding the potential damage the ice crystals in the surrounding environment might cause to his lungs, Tengen fully activated his Breathing Technique.
"Sound Breathing, First Form: Roar!"
The next moment, Kochou Shinobu's slender Nichirin Sword pierced into Douma's brain, injecting a large amount of poison in an instant, causing Douma's reaction to slow down slightly at that moment.
Then Giyuu's attack landed on Douma's waist, and the Constant Flux, which had already rotated more than twenty times, directly cut Douma in half at the waist.
Almost simultaneously, Kanao's concentrated slash pierced through Douma's chest, also causing his upper body to tilt forward.
At this moment, Inosuke also arrived, swinging his twin Nichirin Swords upwards towards Douma's neck. However, although he did hit Douma's neck, the force was not enough to sever it.
At the same time, Tengen, descending from the air, struck Douma's back neck with both of his twin Nichirin Swords simultaneously. A booming explosion sounded, and both pairs of twin Nichirin Swords cut into Douma's neck at the same time.
Am I going to die…
Feeling the four blades embedded in his neck, Douma, whose body was already in pieces, felt no fear.
What expression should I make now…?