[Eternal Paradise Cult]
After their conversation and realizing Shinobu's resolve, Douma brought her to the underground section of his cult. It was something he'd built in resemblance to his portion of the Infinity Castle after the strange time travel. Since it was something new and done secretly, none of his followers knew.
"This place..." Shinobu said softly, her body quivering with an odd familiarity.
Turning behind her, she saw Douma dressed in new regal clothes. On his blood-red turtle neck top was draped a lavender cloak that shimmered softly beneath the lights. A black and gold crown-like headpiece was nestled gently on his head, giving him the aura of an overlord.
"What are we doing here?" Shinobu asked, perplexed. A dressing competition?
"No, no." Douma waved dismissively, "I'm here to train you."
'Train me?'
The words hit Shinobu like a rock dropped in a calm lake. A demon training a demon slayer? How ironic.
Suddenly, Douma threw something at her. Catching it firmly, she realized it was her sword. However, it seemed to have been improved somehow. Though, the exact adjustment still eluded her.
"Shinobu." Douma's smile dropped slowly. "Fight me with the memories of your dead sister in your heart. Her weak cries, remember everything."
Shinobu froze, her eyes glazing over. What—was he saying? Was he provoking her?
Despite sayings such cruel words, a light smile played at Douma's lips as he reminisced the event. He indeed provoked Shinobu intentionally. He wanted to see her struggles again. Just like she had fought him with pure hatred during the Infinity Castle invasion. He wanted to feel her poisons, coursing through his veins.
'Ah~ that feeling!'
His body quivered from sheer excitement. Suddenly, he realized Shinobu was staring at the floor, not moving.
"Ah? Is something wrong, Shinobu-chan?" He asked innocently.
With her face covered by her bangs, Shinobu's voice sounded darker.
"You..." She growled. "You think just because I've forgiven you, I've forgotten my sister's pain?"
Her voice cracked, rage and sadness seeping through.
"You think I've forgotten the fact that you killed someone important to me?!"
Unsurprisingly, Douma smiled. "Is that how you feel? Ah, what a shame. I should have eaten her before the sun rose. Such a waste."
That statement drove in the nail.
"Shut up!!!"
Before her voice even reached him, she was already before him, her sword digging into his eyes.
'Ah~ this same action. So exciting!'
Smiling while her sword dug through his skull and exited from behind, Douma spoke in admiration. "You're fast."
Shinobu disengaged a moment later when Douma lazily swung his fans, scattering icy mist into the air.
'That ice makes it a pain to breathe.' she realized, covering her nose. 'It's the bane of demon slayers.'
Then, she clicked her sword in its sheath.
Douma's eyes turned purple, blood spilling from his mouth. The poison spread quickly as the demon wheezed.
Soon enough though, his face gradually recovered, the veins disappearing under his pale skin.
"Your poisons are still strong. Though at this level you better forget about killing me."
Twirling her sword in her hand, Shinobu attacked.
As swift as wind, she descended on Douma. Although Shinobu wasn't particularly strong, her speed was insane. Yet, Douma matched her with unbelievable ease.
The crisp sound of metal grinding against metal filled the chamber as they clashed in a blur of speed and blades. Finally, after a while, Shinobu landed a few meters away from him. Her eyes burned with quiet determination.
"Dance of the Beesting—True flutter."
A green, almost holographic semi-sphere appeared before her sword and covered her as she shot towards him.
Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!
Six precise cuts were dug on Douma's neck, shoulders, head, torso and hands. He gasped, blood spurting from the wounds like small fountains.
As Shinobu softly landed away from him, she suddenly shook, blood spurting from her chest as a clean cut appeared.
Unknown to her, Douma had actually cut her when she passed by him.
Still surprised, Douma praised her.
"You're really fast. In fact, the fastest Hashira I've ever met."
Shinobu groaned, her previously suppressed hate overflowing like a broken dam. She staggered like a puppet with broken strings, then turned to face him.
"I'll... kill you."
Suddenly, Douma's eyes widened.
A blur of red struck towards him in a straight line, startling him. Although he continued to slide back gracefully, the storm of attacks kept coming closer and closer.
Soon enough, he was caught in the center. His fans moved hurriedly to parry the attacks that came from everywhere like the coil of a centipede.
'This is... impressive.'
Douma's eyes turned cold. She was becoming a threat. Suddenly he spun in a wide circle, ice spreading from his fans. A piece of Shinobu's torn haori drifted in the cold air, alerting him.
'She dodged?'
As his eyes looked down, he realized Shinobu had slid below him, her sword raised to stab upwards. Unfortunately, he was unable to react in time.
Bang!
Shinobu's sword dug into his neck as she pushed him off the ground with startling strength. As she fell to the ground, her eyes burned with satisfaction as she watched him writhe in pain.
'That's good for you bastard!'
Suddenly, her mind cleared. Wasn't Douma supposed to be stronger?
Before she could fully process the thought, the world dissolved into a black hole with a small rotating snowflake at the center.
After the disorientation, she suddenly realized she was standing before Douma, staring at his eyes.
'Did the world get absorbed into his eyes?'
She shook, seeing the spinning snowflake slow till it stopped entirely.
Gasp—!
Shivering, she collapsed to her knees, sweat covering her body.
'W-what the hell was that?'
Douma, still retaining his smile, walked towards her slowly.
"Hmm. I really find your struggles a delicacy." His eyes glowed a myriad of colors. "Still, I believe that showed you the difference between us right?"
Shinobu could only stare at him blankly, a single thought in her mind.
'Damn!'