Time flew by, seasons changed. The lotus flowers in the temple courtyard went through their cycle of bloom and decay time and again.
Twenty years. The temple of the Eternal Paradise Cult had gained a sense of aged gravity, and the faces that came and went had changed batch after batch. Doma still sat cross-legged on the soft cushion in the main hall. Behind him was a screen adorned with pinkish-purple lotus flowers and green leaves, and the altar was surrounded by passionately blooming fresh flowers.
Twenty years had left no trace on him; his handsome young face was the same as ever. His brilliant rainbow eyes were still clear and bright, as if empty, yet also as pure and innocent as a child's.
"Sister Noriko is leaving too." Doma looked at Noriko, who had come to say her goodbyes, and showed a sad expression. A hint of loneliness arose in his heart, but before he could savor it, it became placid again.
Noriko stood there as gentle and dignified as ever, only with fine lines at the corners of her eyes and a few silver strands in her hair. She looked at Doma's still-youthful face, a hint of a daze in her expression. This must be the Child of God; even time cannot take away his youth.
"Yes, Lord Doma," Noriko bowed deeply. "However, I will be living in the town at the foot of the mountain," she said with a nostalgic and relieved smile. "We will have a chance to meet again."
"Yes. May you be happy, Noriko." Doma smiled gently and calmly, his tone soft, just as it always was with the believers who came to pour out their troubles.
"May you be happy too, Lord Doma," Noriko nodded and blessed him with a smile.
Watching Noriko's back disappear behind the door, Doma propped his chin on his hand and recalled the brief moment of loneliness he had felt. The emotional fluctuation, the physical sensation, replayed in his mind without error. Mmm—I don't like it, so I'll just forget it. Doma pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, stretched, and put on his carefree smile again.
"Honestly, it feels like no time has passed at all," he muttered. "Thinking about it like this, human time is really short." After becoming a demon, he didn't age or get sick, and he seemed less sensitive to the passage of time.
Over the years, the Eternal Paradise Cult had maintained a scale of a few hundred people and had not expanded further. This was the limit of Lord Muzan's tolerance; exceeding it would result in a scolding. In reality, Doma had given the believers a subtle psychological suggestion to ignore the anomaly of their founder not aging and not to talk about it with others, so it wouldn't cause trouble. The cult's leadership, however, was replaced every so often. No matter how pious and devoted they were initially, when power and wealth they had never dreamed of came flooding in, the vast majority gradually forgot their original intentions. In Doma's view, ruining one's reputation for desire was an act of extreme foolishness.
"How pathetic," Doma sighed with a regretful look, then immediately showed a beautiful smile. "But it is precisely because of this that the stubborn few seem especially cute~"
He leisurely walked into the courtyard, stood in a corner untouched by the sun, and admired the brilliantly blooming lotus flowers in the pond with a smile.
After nightfall, just as Doma was about to go for a stroll, he was summoned to the Infinity Castle. He didn't come to the Infinity Castle as frequently now because most of the time, it was just the taciturn Nakime and the completely unresponsive Enyo, which wasn't very interesting. The other Upper Moons rarely entered the Infinity Castle and were always busy with their own affairs. Later, they all unanimously refused Doma's visits. Every time he thought of this, Doma would shed a few tears, as it was supposed to be a sad thing.
Muzan was often in the Infinity Castle, but he was not happy to see Doma, so he simply didn't appear before him. Over the years, Doma only occasionally came to the Infinity Castle to play with Nakime, exchange musical ideas, and deepen their relationship. The only other fun was watching Gyokko's promotion story.
Gyokko really wanted to advance. Back then, Doma had defeated the then-Lower Moon One and was promoted to Upper Moon, and a new Lower Moon One was later brought in. Over the past twenty years, however, Gyokko had applied for two replacement blood battles and had diligently climbed to the position of Lower Moon One.
"His effort is so moving." As Doma thought this, he didn't care at all if Gyokko would choose to challenge him next. Wouldn't it be an interesting thing to be challenged by such a hardworking colleague?
Doma stood on a high platform in the Infinity Castle and saw a pot with beautiful patterns on the other side, wondering if he was finally being challenged by Gyokko tonight. "Mmm—should I look forward to it?" he tilted his head, seriously considering the question.
But with another sound of the biwa, Upper Moon Five, Kikage, appeared beside him. Doma blinked his eyes and greeted him enthusiastically. "Long time no see, Lord Kikage~"
Kikage gave him a fierce look, then turned his head and ignored him. "Eh? Lord Kikage is still so cold. That's so sad~" Doma showed a wronged expression.
"Lord Kikage, Lord Doma," Gyokko said, slowly emerging from his pot and swaying his body.
"Ah, Gyokko, how have you been?" Doma smiled brightly. "Are you finally planning to challenge me?"
"Uh, no..." Before Gyokko could finish, Muzan's lazy voice came from above.
"Gyokko claims to have found the location of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters."
"That's right, my lord!" Gyokko raised his head, a slight blush on his face. "I found traces of several Hashira in that area!"
"Wow—that's a great achievement," Doma said with a chuckle. Gyokko really, really wants to advance!
"Hmph," Muzan sneered, clearly not taking it very seriously. After so many years of failing to find the Ubuyashiki estate and receiving numerous false reports, he no longer held much hope. But he couldn't completely ignore it; he had to send subordinates to confirm.
"Kikage, Doma, you two go with Gyokko," Muzan ordered. "If it really is the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, the top three Upper Moons will go to assist you."
"If it's just another Demon Slayer outpost, you are responsible for destroying it and killing all the Hashira."
"As you command, my lord!" Kikage said mechanically.
"I understand! I will not fail to meet your expectations!" Doma said cheerfully. Oh my, a mission with Lord Kikage. I'm so excited~
Muzan frowned as he looked at them, suddenly recalling the former Upper Moon Six who was killed by two Hashira. And these two below... Kikage's strength was what it was. Doma, on the other hand, had improved quickly and had long surpassed Kikage, but his personality was too unreliable... If they were all wiped out by the Demon Slayer Corps again, it would be a huge slap in the face.
Muzan looked at Nakime. "Nakime, call Hantengu over. Have him go with them."
Kikage reluctantly clenched his fist, feeling he was being underestimated.
"Wow! Lord Hantengu is coming too? How exciting~" Doma cupped his cheeks.
With a sound from the biwa, the old man, hugging his head and trembling, appeared on a nearby staircase.
Twang—
After another sound from the biwa, they found themselves in an unfamiliar forest.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (260 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (110 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (100 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (80 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (80 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (80 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (50 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (60 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (60 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (40 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (40 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (40 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (40 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.