Deep within the mountains, a Shrine was hidden.
A sudden, lazy yawn broke the tranquility of the place.
Douma half-opened his multicolored eyes, leaning comfortably on the cult leader's chair.
As he casually listened to the reports from the believers in front of him, he slowly opened his golden iron fan, and a sense of boredom with his current life suddenly surged within him.
Gently fanning himself, the breeze seemed unable to dispel the vexation in his heart.
"Stop," Douma's voice was cold and emotionless.
These believers' reports were utterly meaningless; hundreds and thousands of them had spent so much time yet hadn't found even a single flower.
If Kibutsuji Muzan hadn't sworn that this flower definitely existed, he would have even thought it was just a flower from a dream.
As Douma's words fell, the believers' reports came to an abrupt halt.
Douma paused slightly, then, meeting the believers' gazes of awe and reverence, he asked with a smile:
"Has anything interesting happened lately? Like a pretty, cute, but somewhat lost girl?"
Although searching for the blue spider lily was his current duty, Douma had not forgotten that he was a demon; how could a demon not eat people?
Coincidentally, with the development of the Eternal Paradise Faith, more and more believers joined, and among them, more and more lost women who couldn't tolerate their relatives joined the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Admittedly, most of them weren't very cute or to his taste, but quantity determined everything.
As long as the number was high, there were bound to be women he cherished.
The believer hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "Reporting,Leader, recently there has indeed been a group of girls joining the cult, but their identities..."
With a snap, the iron fan closed.
Douma narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Their identities are unusual?"
"Yes," the believer looked up, "I often see them whispering together, and at the same time, they are very eager to see you, Cult Leader."
"This is not a normal phenomenon, because currently, when we recruit believers outside, we do not mention your existence..."
"Furthermore, I observed that they are skilled, with subtle hints of martial arts training in their movements. Considering their suspicious identities and motives, I naturally did not report them to you."
Douma's identity in front of humans was merely a cult leader with a divine aura; since he never publicly ate people, no one knew he was a demon.
The believer's concern for Douma's safety was quite normal.
In response, Douma nodded slightly, revealing a brilliant smile:
"I understand, but it's alright. Call them in."
"I also want to see what kind of girls these are."
"No need to worry about me."
Whenever he said these words, the believer knew that the Cult Leader was about to display his divine power.
No matter what kind of personality a woman had, as long as she met him once, she would become docile and peaceful.
Perhaps, even that group of girls who practiced martial arts would be no exception.
The believer nodded, turned, and withdrew.
When the room was empty, Douma opened his iron fan again and fanned himself with a smile.
"Demon Slayer Corps?" he murmured, his eyes curving like crescent moons.
"Haha, how interesting, Muzan. How should I deal with these humans?"
He tried to contact Muzan, but Muzan did not respond, as if he had lost contact.
Douma blinked, silent for two seconds.
Then, with a snap!
"I understand!"
The corners of his mouth curved up, gripping the half-closed iron fan, he spoke to the empty room, his voice feigning excitement.
"You want me to kill them, don't you?"
Muzan still did not respond, which deepened Douma's conviction.
He nodded knowingly.
Following that, a series of hollow footsteps echoed in the corridor.
As the wooden door was pushed open with a whoosh, three young women in various kimonos appeared before Douma.
Douma carefully observed them, his eyes gradually brightening.
...
At the same time, outside the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Several Demon Slayer squads were quietly assembling, setting up a perimeter.
The Hinoe-ranked swordsman, Kaigaku, was assigned to the mountainside.
He looked at the vast, endless deep mountains, a surge of irritation welling up in his heart, and he couldn't help but spit.
Darkness enveloped his surroundings, he gripped his nichirin blade, muttering under his breath:
"Damn it, why do I have to do this low-level, undignified work of patrolling and monitoring?"
"I want to fight, I want to become stronger, so what if it's a suspected Upper Moon?"
"Damn it!"
His molars ground together with a grating sound.
At this moment, Kaigaku thought of his junior disciple, the one who only knew the First Form of Thunder Breathing.
He was clearly the senior, yet he was assigned here, while that junior, Zenitsu, was moving with the main force...
Was this looking down on him?
Jealousy burned like fire within Kaigaku's heart.
He took a deep breath, and an idea of disobeying orders emerged.
Whoever wants to stay in this rotten place can stay.
No matter who the enemy was, staying here would not yield any merit.
On the contrary, moving with the main force, following behind the Pillar-ranked swordsmen, even if they couldn't catch an Upper Moon, they could still gain merit by apprehending believers.
Upon this thought, Kaigaku immediately moved.
This scene was witnessed by a nearby swordsman.
He shouted in confusion, "Kaigaku, where are you going...?"
Before he could finish, Kaigaku instantly appeared in front of him, gripping his nichirin blade and thrusting it towards his neck, gnashing his teeth:
"Shut up!"
"I will never allow anyone to disturb my plan!"
With a thud, a dull impact sounded, and the swordsman immediately fainted.
Until he fainted, his vision still held the lingering image of Kaigaku's ferocious expression, as if for fame and fortune, he would stop at nothing...
Watching his companion fall limply to the ground, Kaigaku quickly glanced around, his eyes somewhat nervous.
Only after confirming that no one had witnessed this scene did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, "Pah!"
He kicked the swordsman, as if venting the dissatisfaction in his heart.
"How can you, this bastard, understand my situation!"
"I want to become stronger, I want to achieve a higher position, I want that Head Captain to see me!"
"Agatsuma Zenitsu, just you wait, this time, I will be the victor!"
After speaking, Kaigaku clenched his fists, a flame called ambition burning in his eyes.
Taking advantage of no one being around, he quickly and quietly left the area.
...
At the same time, on the mountain.
Sangishima Jigorō and Urokodaki Sakonji walked side by side.
This encirclement of the Upper Moon was an all-out effort.
The Demon Slayer Corps had accidentally learned of the abnormalities within the Eternal Paradise Faith, which led to this decision.
After all, a cult suspected of being controlled by a demon...
If they were allowed to develop further, it would be a huge disaster.
Tap, tap...
The soil beneath their feet was soft.
Sangishima Jigorō leaned on his cane and suddenly sighed, "Urokodaki, tell me, did I make a mistake?"
"That Kaigaku kid's Thunder Breathing cultivation isn't perfected, so to ensure his safety, I discussed it with the Master and arranged for him to be halfway up the mountain."
"That position allows him to apprehend some fleeing believers and also avoid encountering demons..."
"So why is he so unwilling? Even, hateful?"
Urokodaki Sakonji was silent for a few seconds.
He wore a Tengu mask.
The voice from beneath the mask sounded somewhat heavy:
"It's normal; boys of this age are all like this, always believing their strength is sufficient for dangerous tasks, and thus eager to show off their power."
"Kaigaku, this child, is even more outstanding among them, if I remember correctly..."
"He joined the Demon Slayer Corps and in just two years, he killed nearly twenty demons and became a Hinoe-ranked swordsman?"
"Yes," Sangishima Jigorō sighed softly.
"That's precisely why I'm so worried; he's truly too reckless. Even I, when I was young, was never like him."
"In contrast, Zenitsu is much less troublesome."
"Although he's timid and can't move his legs when he sees a girl, I know he's the strongest one."
"Now..."
Sangishima Jigorō pondered for a moment.
He glanced back slightly at the darkness behind him.
Finally, he let out a helpless sigh: "Never mind."
"I just hope Kaigaku can understand my good intentions; it's not safe on this mountain."
"Since that senior disappeared, although the actions and numbers of demons have decreased, those who survived are undoubtedly stronger than before."
"Hinoe-ranked swordsmen... even Kinoe-ranked swordsmen are not considered much anymore."
"If not for that, why would we old folks need to come out?"
As his words fell, the two fell silent.
The atmosphere around them grew heavy.
Upon reaching a certain location, they tightly gripped the nichirin blades at their waists.
Their gaze fixed on the Lotus Shrine ahead, they quietly waited for Kochou Shinobu's signal to appear.
...
Inside the Lotus Shrine.
"Haha."
Douma let out a hearty laugh.
He sat cross-legged on a cushion, one hand supporting his head.
The three girls reflected in his eyes appeared so docile and charming.
Although he had never seen them before, Douma could feel the dense fighting spirit beneath their beautiful exteriors, just like when he faced Akaza.
—They are all masters!
Of course, Douma didn't care at all.
In his opinion, as long as they were human, they would need to breathe, and his Blood Demon Art specifically countered all humans.
He asked with a smile, "What are all your names?"
Inside the hall, Kochou Shinobu stared intently at Douma, subtly gritting her teeth with barely perceptible force.
Although she had never seen Douma before, a strong feeling told her that Douma was the murderer of her older sister!
The flames of revenge slowly burned in her heart.
Kochou Shinobu took a slight breath; for the Demon Slayer Corps, she tried her best to maintain her usual gentle expression and softly reported her fake name.
Beside her, Kanroji Mitsuri also reported her name.
The remaining Tsuyuri Kanao remained silent, which made Douma look at her a bit longer.
Before Douma could open his mouth to ask.
Kochou Shinobu spoke first, "She is my younger sister, I hope the Cult Leader will understand."
"My sister and I ran away from home because we couldn't tolerate our parents; it's because of them that my sister became like this, not wanting to speak to anyone."
Douma chuckled twice, "I see."
As he was speaking, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
Kibutsuji Muzan's voice abruptly appeared in his mind, completely different from what he had heard before.
This time, Muzan's voice was filled with irritation, anger, and deep urgency.
"Douma, how is the search for the blue spider lily going?!"
"Akaza is dead, no matter what you've found, you must hand it over to me as soon as possible!"
Douma felt as if he was hallucinating.
—Akaza... is dead?
He subconsciously looked at the three people in front of him.
A strange smile curved his lips.
—Did these guys do it?
Only this could explain why Akaza had just died, and they had found him right after...
This was clearly a large-scale purge of the Upper Moons!
Douma's heart didn't ripple in the slightest; he simply replied calmly, "Yes, Muzan."
After the response, Kibutsuji Muzan cut off the connection.
Muzan didn't even take over Douma's will, because he was afraid of seeing that man again.
Douma came back to his senses and slowly stood up.
Akaza's death, though sudden in his view, was nothing much upon closer thought.
He didn't feel any regret for Akaza's death, but instead smiled, facing Kochou Shinobu and the others, and slowly said:
"Girls, though I'd love to play with you, an order has come from our master."
"You killed Akaza, didn't you?"
"How interesting, I didn't expect humans to possess such strength; I truly underestimated you."
"In that case... come."
His words caught Kochou Shinobu and the others off guard; who was Akaza?
Before they could understand the situation.
They suddenly saw Douma quickly open his golden iron fan, wave it forward, and softly chant, "Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice."
Instantly, the temperature plummeted.
Lotus-like ice crystals appeared in the air, rushing towards the three.
Ice mist swirled around the ice crystals; merely taking a breath, one could feel a bone-chilling cold, as if their soul would freeze.
Kochou Shinobu immediately held her breath, knowing the situation was dire.
Her pupils contracted, and pulling the two with her, she performed a backflip, smashing through the wooden door, and burst out of the building.
The wooden shrine trembled.
With a crash, a wall collapsed.
The ice crystals then froze it, and subsequently, due to the extreme low temperature, it completely turned into dust, exploding and scattering.
"Heh heh..."
Douma smiled, his movements unhurried.
Although the three girls were extremely fast, escaping the attack range of the Lotus Leaf Ice in mere blinks of an eye, he didn't only have this one Blood Demon Art.
Reflecting the girls' figures as they landed, drew their swords, and looked wary in his multicolored pupils, Douma waved his iron fan again.
However, at this moment.
Whoosh!
A golden bolt of lightning surged forward with a roar, like a flash of lightning.
As soon as Douma saw it, the lightning was already upon him.
It was an old man, his breathing deep, the blade in his hand wrapped in lightning, his strike swift.
[Thunder Breathing...]
[First Form...]
[Thunderclap and Flash!]
The speed was incredibly fast, but Douma still reacted.
He gently lowered his iron fan, and with a "clank," the thunderous strike, imbued with immense power, was steadily caught by Douma.
He smiled, "What is this, it's an old man? Is the Demon Slayer Corps out of people?"
Whoosh!
He casually waved, and along with the ice mist, Sangishima Jigorō was sent flying backward.
Thud.
Barely managing to land safely, Sangishima Jigorō coughed twice.
That Thunderclap and Flash just now was his limit; he had slightly incorporated Sun Breathing.
Even though he had lost a leg, within the Demon Slayer Corps, he was undoubtedly still the fastest.
He had originally thought that by using the cover of night and a surprise attack, he could behead Douma, but he didn't expect that from such a close distance, he could still react...
As expected of Upper Moon One.
No... to be precise, this was the strength Upper Moon One should possess.
That previous senior had slain Kokushibou too easily.
So much so that they thought they could do it with their own strength.
...
At the same time, down the mountain.
Yoriichi instantly appeared in an open clearing.
He looked up, listening to the sound of thunder echoing from deep within the mountains, and slightly furrowed his brows.