For a moment, Doma couldn't react at all; he was still stuck on the step of, "preparing to use a defensive Blood Demon Art to block Shinazugawa Sanemi's attack."
Bang! Bang bang bang... Several Water Pillars crashed down, and the ground was directly ruined by the impact.
The spot where Doma stood was even smashed into a large pit.
In the distance, Tomioka Giyu, who had once again used the Twelfth Form, was completely out of energy.
He leaned on his nichirin blade, half-kneeling on the ground, his eyes fixed on the large pit.
Shinazugawa Sanemi's condition was much better than Tomioka Giyu's.
He tightly gripped his nichirin blade, standing beside the pit, ready to strike at any moment.
But when the dust cleared, Doma was nowhere to be seen!
Suddenly, Kocho Shinobu's terrified voice reached Tomioka Giyu and Shinazugawa Sanemi's ears.
"Sister, look out!!!"
Hearing the voice, Tomioka Giyu subconsciously turned his head to look.
He saw Doma approaching Kocho Kanae at a terrifying speed not far from them.
If it had been at the beginning, it wouldn't have been much, but at this moment, Kocho Kanae's stamina was almost completely exhausted.
Taking a direct hit from Doma, she would at least be crippled, if not dead.
"Sanemi! Quick..."
Tomioka Giyu suddenly stopped, because he saw Shinazugawa Sanemi rushing towards him, shouting something.
"Bastard, get out of the way!!"
By the time Tomioka Giyu understood, it was already too late; the chilling sensation from above his head made him realize one thing: this time, he was really going to die.
Tomioka Giyu didn't look up, because it was meaningless; his gaze remained fixed on Kocho Kanae.
"At least don't you die, or wouldn't my efforts be in vain?"
Just at this critical moment, the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest member finally arrived!
"Stone Breathing, First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar!"
With a "bang," the ice pillars above Tomioka Giyu's head were smashed to pieces like tofu blocks by the meteor hammer and axe!
That wasn't all; the moment he landed, the Stone Hashira used the recoil from smashing his meteor hammer into the ground to leap into the air.
Immediately after, he threw his meteor hammer and axe with all his might while in the air, and his target was Doma, who was curiously looking in their direction!
"Stone Breathing, Fifth Form: Hraesvelgr!"
Bang bang bang bang bang bang ——————
Just hearing the sound, Tomioka Giyu, who was in the distance, felt a chill.
One must know that the meteor hammer alone weighed nearly five hundred catties.
With such terrifying, non-stop smashing, Tomioka Giyu wondered if Doma would even have any intact body parts left?
Soon, the Stone Hashira stopped, and the ground he had smashed was scarred and ruined.
When the dust cleared, Doma was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing this, the Stone Hashira subconsciously muttered, "Hmm? Gone? Or already..."
Shinazugawa Sanemi, ready to deliver a finishing blow at any moment, quickly looked around, searching for Doma's trace.
Just then, Doma's voice suddenly entered their ears.
"It's almost dawn, so I won't play with you anymore. I'll remember you well."
"Next time, I'll definitely melt you into my body."
Bang ——————
The Stone Hashira's strike was swift; after confirming Doma was in the trees, he decisively threw his meteor hammer.
Unfortunately, if Doma, as upper rank two, was determined to leave, the people present simply couldn't stop him.
What's more, only the Stone Hashira remained in Peak condition, with Shinazugawa Sanemi being half of that.
Tomioka Giyu and The Shinobu Sisters could be completely ignored.
The sun slowly rose, and the daylight dispelled the darkness. Tomioka Giyu, relieved, lay on the ground spread-eagled, thinking to himself,
"It's done! I saved Kanae! But the cost is a bit high; I'll probably have to lie in the Butterfly Mansion for half a month."
However, this encounter with Doma also significantly reduced Tomioka Giyu's somewhat overflowing self-confidence.
He had thought that with his current strength, even if he couldn't slay Doma, he could at least contend with him for a night.
He hadn't expected to be so far off; if it weren't for Shinazugawa Sanemi and Himejima Gyomei,
He would either have died here this time or abandoned Kocho Kanae and fled alone.
"Alas, I'm still too weak. There are still four years until the plot officially begins, which is when Tanjiro passes the Final Selection."
"During this period, I must find a way to raise my strength by another level, ideally reaching the critical point for activating the demon slayer mark, just like Brother Gyomei!"
While Tomioka Giyu was lost in thought, a large contingent of the support unit, "Kakushi," had already arrived.
They were mostly there for cleanup, as the battle had taken place in a village.
However, it was mostly destroyed by now, with only a few houses further from the center of the battlefield having been spared.
It's worth mentioning that most of the villagers had fled the area immediately.
Only a few unlucky ones were directly killed by Doma's large-scale AOE skills.
Lying on the stretcher, Tomioka Giyu felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, until he could no longer resist the drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, Tomioka Giyu slowly opened his eyes, staring at the wooden ceiling; his consciousness hadn't fully cleared yet.
But the pain throughout his body quickly brought him back to his senses.
"Hmm... I'm back at the Butterfly Mansion, aren't I?"
"Oh my, oh my, you're finally awake, Mr. Tomioka."
With that gentle and sweet voice, Tomioka Giyu knew who it was without even looking.
"It seems you're recovering well, Kanae?"
"Yes, Mr. Tomioka (●'◡'●)," Kocho Kanae walked to Tomioka Giyu's bedside and said with a smile.
"I actually wasn't seriously injured, just exhausted my stamina. But Mr. Tomioka, you..."
At this point, Kocho Kanae's expression was filled with self-reproach, "I'm sorry, I wasn't much help to you, Mr. Tomioka."
"Thank you so much for saving me this time!"
Tomioka Giyu waved his hand, indicating that it really didn't matter. Saving Kocho Kanae was not only to make up for regrets but also for the sake of the future decisive battle.
The next day, the Master, Ubuyashiki Kagaya, arrived.
"Rest well for a while, Giyu. Your dangerous perception is truly amazing."
"It's stronger than my own ability, not weaker. It's truly wonderful that you could become a Hashira."
Hearing Ubuyashiki Kagaya mention this, Tomioka Giyu felt a wave of embarrassment internally, but his expression remained calm as he said,
"Please don't say that, Master. It is my honor to be a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps."
The following days were indeed as Tomioka Giyu had expected; he recuperated at the Butterfly Mansion for nearly a month before returning to Peak condition.
During this time, Tomioka Giyu slowly became familiar with The Shinobu Sisters.
Kocho Kanae, of course, goes without saying, and Kocho Shinobu even regarded Tomioka Giyu as a benefactor.
She even apologized to Tomioka Giyu several times, stating that she shouldn't have doubted him before.
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