"Then, goodbye!"
As Upper Rank Two, Doma's regenerative ability was, of course, incredibly strong.
However, at this moment, his entire body was covered in wounds, and his head had already been blasted off by Yohan. Each time he tried to regenerate, Yohan would instantly blast him apart again.
"Frustrating, isn't it? Wanting to fight back so badly."
Yohan looked down at the headless corpse in front of him and said mockingly.
Doma struggled furiously. He wanted to kill the man in front of him—but he couldn't.
His usual ice crystal attacks were rendered completely useless against Yohan's armor. For the first time, he had no idea what to do.
"Yohan, what's going on here?"
Shinobu Kochou arrived with her sister, Kanae.
Thanks to Shinobu always carrying antidotes during missions, Kanae had regained consciousness after treatment. However, the severe damage to her lungs would still require a long period of recovery.
The moment she woke up, Kanae had begged Shinobu to bring her to Yohan.
Among them, it was Kanae who understood best just how terrifying Doma truly was.
But the scene that greeted them stunned the Kochou sisters.
This… what is this? Could that mess beneath Yohan really be Doma?
"Yohan, is that… is that really…?" Shinobu asked hesitantly.
"That's right. It's Doma, Upper Rank Two."
Yohan casually punched a chunk of freshly regenerated flesh, smashing it to bits again.
The scene felt oddly frozen in time.
Shinobu didn't even know how to comment.
Kanae, still too weak to speak, simply stared at the mangled corpse with eyes full of hatred.
The three of them simply sat around the twitching remains, while Yohan continued his work—occasionally smashing whatever regenerated.
Every time a piece of flesh grew back, Yohan would immediately crush it again. The brutality of it all made Shinobu instinctively shrink back.
It was surreal—this was an Upper Rank demon?
The creature on the ground didn't look like a fearsome foe anymore… more like Yohan's toy.
Something to squash and mold at will.
"Kanae, now I need to scold you," Yohan said suddenly, turning toward her.
"You knew he was Upper Rank Two. If you couldn't win, why didn't you retreat? Did you not value your own life at all?"
This time, just a few steps slower and they might never have seen Kanae again.
Yohan understood what these Demon Slayers were like. The moment they saw a demon, they charged in headfirst—even if they couldn't win, they would still fight.
But come on—when the gap in power is that obvious, is it really so wrong to back off and regroup?
Kanae looked up at the armored Yohan. Though she couldn't see his expression, his voice was filled with concern. A smile bloomed on her face, and she opened her mouth to speak.
"Alright, sis, stop right there and just rest already."
This time, even Shinobu didn't take her sister's side. She had almost lost her forever.
…
The sky in the distance began to lighten—dawn was breaking.
"Goodbye forever, Doma."
The mutilated Doma was still struggling furiously. He could feel it—the sunlight!
For the first time in his emotionless existence, he felt fear.
Real, genuine fear.
He was scared.
He didn't want to die.
But as the sun rose, Doma's body disintegrated piece by piece, turning to dust and scattering on the breeze.
Upper Rank Two, dead.
"Let's go home," Yohan said, glancing one last time at Doma's vanished remains, then turning toward Shinobu.
"O-okay…"
Shinobu was still stunned. The Upper Rank Two that nearly killed her sister… was just gone? It all felt like a dream.
The demon-bound sword transformed back into a blade and was stowed away by Yohan. He looked at Shinobu for a moment.
Under his intense gaze, Shinobu blushed. "W-what are you staring at! Aren't we leaving?!"
Yohan picked Kanae up effortlessly and began walking.
"I was just thinking about Kanae."
His voice echoed in the distance.
"Hmph!"
Shinobu stomped her foot angrily.
"Wait for me!"
The three of them headed back toward the Butterfly Mansion.
Crack!
A test tube shattered.
"Doma… actually died?!"
In the depths of the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji's face was like iron.
It had been so long—so long even he couldn't remember clearly—since one of the Upper Six had died.
They were his creations. The strongest six demons he had molded with his own hands. The nightmares of the Demon Slayer Corps.
And now, Upper Rank Two was dead.
"Nakime! Gather all the Upper Ranks. Immediately!"
"These useless trash!!!"
Muzan's laboratory within the Infinity Castle was reduced to rubble in a single instant.
He was truly, genuinely furious.
Several days had passed since Doma's death.
Kanae was still recuperating in the Butterfly Mansion. Though the external wounds and ice poison had been treated by Yohan and Shinobu, the frost damage to her lungs was still unresolved.
She could only rest patiently and wait for her body to recover.
On the very day they returned, Kagaya Ubuyashiki himself came to visit the Butterfly Mansion.
He had heard of Kanae's critical injuries and Doma's death. As soon as he knew she was there, he had to come.
When he later heard the full account of Doma's demise from Yohan and Shinobu, Kagaya repeatedly confirmed: "Are you sure it was truly Upper Rank Two?"
He asked so many times that even Shinobu nearly lost her patience.
But once he was certain that Doma had indeed been slain, Kagaya's entire demeanor changed—he was overcome with emotion.
The intensity in his expression made his already cursed features even more striking.
He walked straight to Yohan and bowed deeply.
"…Lord Ubuyashiki?"
Yohan looked startled.
"Yohan-kun, thank you. Truly, thank you."
"To have saved Kanae's life… and to have killed Upper Rank Two, Doma."
"Either of those would've been enough to warrant my deepest gratitude. But you accomplished both."
Kanae was not only a Pillar—one of the Corps' strongest—but also someone Kagaya considered family. He cherished every single member of the Demon Slayer Corps as his own.
Saving her life meant everything.
And Doma—one of the most powerful demons in existence—was gone. Kagaya had never imagined Yohan was this powerful.
As leader of the Demon Slayer Corps, Kagaya knew exactly how long it had been since any Upper Rank had been slain. To be honest, the usual outcome was just more deaths on their side.
Even to kill Muzan himself, Kagaya had only planned to delay him until dawn using the entire Corps.
But now—Yohan had defeated Upper Rank Two on his own.
No Nichirin Blade.
No prolonged battle.
Just crushed him, and waited for sunrise.
Kagaya was certain—if the Corps had Yohan's strength on their side, they could end Muzan in this generation.
"Lord Ubuyashiki, Kanae is my friend."
"I didn't do it for gratitude."
Yohan understood Kagaya's meaning, but he meant what he said.
From the first battle against Upper Rank Three… to bringing Tamayo to the Butterfly Mansion and receiving unconditional trust… to their journey to the Swordsmith Village—
Though their interactions had never been many, Yohan and Kanae had long treated each other as true friends.
And that was reason enough.
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