Having been kicked and sent flying by the Shogun, Yahaba reappeared on the ground, twisting his already deformed neck with a sharp motion.
Crack!
He forced it back into the correct position, then grimaced in pain, shaking his head a few times. Even so, his vision remained hazy, and a faint ringing persisted in his ears.
"What's wrong, Yahaba?! Pull yourself together!"
Feeling mocked, Susamaru shouted angrily at him.
"I don't know! She can see our movements!"
Yahaba was just as confused. The speed from before had been too fast—he hadn't even seen what she did before getting hit.
"Tch... again!"
Hearing that, Susamaru clicked her tongue in irritation, summoning two temari balls in her hands once more. Working in tandem with Yahaba's Blood Demon Art, she threw them toward the woman opposite them with even greater force than before!
Whizz! Whizz!
The two balls accelerated midair, producing sonic booms. The violent shockwave swept through, blowing the Shogun's hair as they shot straight for her eyes!
The Shogun's gaze flicked briefly to the approaching temari. Judging from their previous patterns...
As expected!
Just as she raised her hand, the two balls suddenly changed trajectory midair again... was it that female demon's ability? Controlling the direction of the temari?
Crackle!
Once more, she easily sliced them apart just like before, her mind analyzing the principles of their Blood Demon Arts.
"Huh?! Why can she predict their flight path?!"
Susamaru finally lost it.
Yahaba had already changed the vector direction—so how?! Was it purely reaction speed? That's absurd! And that naginata of hers looked like it weighed dozens of jin—was she really able to ignore inertia and alter her swing direction instantly?! Even for a demon, that would be difficult!
"Susamaru, what do we do?"
He hadn't even realized his voice was starting to stammer.
"Again!!"
Refusing to accept defeat, Susamaru summoned her temari once more. This time, she was going all out. After hurling the two balls toward the Shogun, they multiplied into dozens in midair!
"!"
Seeing this, Yahaba quickly made the pupils in his palms split into as many arrows as there were temari. His Blood Demon Art acted on all of them simultaneously, controlling each vector individually!
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Like a torrential downpour, the countless temari rained toward the Shogun. The moment they passed her, they all changed direction simultaneously, circling around her like a swarm of flies—trying to confuse her and mask the real attack.
The temari curved around her, approaching from impossible angles—toward her back, her legs, her sides!
Crackle!
In response, she moved with lightning-like speed, dodging fluidly while her naginata flashed in her hands. Lightning surged from the blade, spreading outward like a storm, filling the area with blinding flashes.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In mere seconds, most of the temari were destroyed—only a few fragments remained spinning weakly in the air.
"H-How is that possible?!"
Susamaru was utterly stunned. She turned in disbelief to Yahaba.
"Hey! Are you even helping or not?!"
She yelled angrily. Every temari she threw had been neutralized! What good was his Blood Demon Art if it didn't work?!
"I-It's useless! She's too fast—I can't see her movements!"
Yes. Yahaba couldn't react in time. Even though his Blood Demon Art controlled every temari's vector, her speed was simply too overwhelming. By the time he tried to redirect their paths, she had already intercepted them. His ability was completely ineffective.
"Damn it! What the hell is this woman?!"
A human—yet with such terrifying power?! If she became a demon, she might even surpass Lord Muzan himself!
A tremor of fear ran through Susamaru... but the more afraid she felt, the more adrenaline flooded her body.
Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!
Just like before, the countless temari balls flew toward her like raindrops—but to the Shogun, such attacks were mere trifles, insignificant tricks. What caught her attention instead was the earlier exchange between the two demons.
Her gaze shifted to the male demon on her right. Her eyes focused on his upraised palm, upon which a restless eyeball with an arrow-shaped pupil twitched continuously.
So that's how it is... she finally understood.
The male demon wasn't idle—he had been participating in the battle from the very start. He wasn't attacking directly but rather supporting his partner. In other words, his Blood Demon Art must be assisting the temari-throwing of the female demon. That meant... his ability likely controlled the movement and direction of the balls. These two demons' powers complemented one another—they fought as a coordinated pair rather than individually.
If that's the case...
Buzz~!
She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them—her violet irises glowing like starlight. Elemental Vision activated. The world around her shifted into hues of soft lavender.
There—she saw it!
Each moving temari now carried faint trails of red arrow marks—their directions indicating where he intended them to fly.
"...How dull. I suppose it's my turn to strike back, isn't it?"
"!" ×2
The moment she spoke, both demons froze in place, a chill crawling down their spines.
The Shogun's eyes locked onto a temari flying toward her side. Its arrow mark pointed left—directly toward the female demon. Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
Crackle!
In a flash of lightning, she dashed forward, following the ball's intended path, and swung her blade—
BANG!
Instead of slicing it, she struck it flat-on with the side of her naginata, like a baseball bat.
With the combined momentum of Yahaba's vector control and her own added acceleration, the ball's speed multiplied severalfold—faster than a cannon shell!
BOOM!
The temari tore through the air, dragging a cloud of dust behind it as it rocketed straight toward Susamaru's head.
"!"
Susamaru barely had time to widen her eyes—
Splatter!!
A sharp, wet explosion echoed through the air. The temari smashed directly into her skull, bursting it open. Crimson blood sprayed across the ground like rain.
Crash!
Her headless body was sent hurtling backward, smashing through a wall and skidding across the earth, carving a long furrow in the soil.
"Susamaru!!"
Yahaba screamed in shock, his face twisting in panic. Seeing no response from her, a wave of dread washed over him.
Damn it!
He knew she wasn't dead—yet—but she'd need time to regenerate. During that time, he'd have to face her alone. Not good.
"Your turn, little demon."
The Shogun rested her naginata behind her and fixed her sharp gaze upon the only remaining opponent. Her cold voice carried a quiet finality.
BOOM!
The ground beneath her feet cracked as she launched forward, a thunderbolt in human form.
"Tch! Try this!"
Yahaba scoffed, raising his hand once more. The eye in his palm swiveled rapidly, its arrow pupil spinning toward the charging woman. In response, red directional marks shot through the air, rushing toward her body.
"!"
She moved swiftly, twisting and sidestepping midair to evade the incoming marks. Vectors streaked toward her from every angle, too erratic to block with her naginata—she knew better than to let them touch her. The temari earlier had shown her just how dangerous they could be.
A dense wave of arrows surged toward her at once—
She reacted instantly, leaping high into the air, tracing a graceful arc backward.
Buzz~
The next moment—
A pair of massive, slender hands emerged from the ground below, blooming open like a flower. They enveloped her delicate form within their fingertips, protecting her as though cradling a precious blossom. The incoming arrows struck the barrier of hands, their energy dispersing harmlessly.
The Shogun crouched lightly within the palms of the enormous construct, then extended one leg and pushed off gently, landing gracefully back on the ground.
"...What?!"
Yahaba froze, eyes wide in disbelief. What was that?! Was she even human? How could she possess an ability so similar to a Blood Demon Art?!
She had just blocked his Blood Demon Art—completely!
This woman... was she even mortal?!
How the hell were they supposed to fight something like this?!
After landing back on the ground, the Shogun rested her naginata behind her.
"Your Blood Demon Art is rather interesting..."
She teased lightly. Interesting enough that even she had nearly overlooked it.
"Tch... S-So what?! Are you scared now?!"
Yahaba took a shaky step back, cold sweat beading down his forehead as he shouted nervously at her.
"Heh, scared? Not quite... I'm simply surprised your ability can even affect living beings. Quite impressive, really."
She shook her head slightly as she replied.
"...!"
Yahaba's eyes widened, his face growing even darker.
She had already deduced the nature of his Blood Demon Art—just from his earlier exchange with Susamaru, no less.
And worse, she could clearly see the directional arrows of his vectors. Was it those eyes of hers? That faint, dreamlike violet glow radiating from them made him uneasy.
Gulp...
His throat tightened as he stared into those luminous eyes. He swallowed hard.
"However..."
"Huh?"
Her voice cut through his thoughts, making him flinch involuntarily.
"Your vector markers themselves possess vectors, don't they?"
The flight trajectories clearly showed both direction and kinetic force. In that case... why not make use of them?
"What are you babbling about?! Enough of your nonsense, woman!"
Yahaba snapped, his patience completely gone. Between the dust on his clothes and Susamaru's fate, his fury had reached its limit. He no longer cared to listen!
He threw both arms wide—releasing every remaining vector mark in a storm of glowing arrows that shot toward the Shogun like a deadly blizzard! Each one capable of tearing flesh apart.
However—
The Shogun merely smiled faintly. She raised her free hand and gently pinched the air. Her slender fingers curved inward like closing petals.
Crackle!
The enormous construct's hands floating beside her began to transform—their surface layering into an intricate suit of shining armor. Then, in one fluid motion, the hands joined together, manifesting a gigantic Musou Isshin blade.
Under her control, the giant's sword arm lifted high, summoning a roaring maelstrom of lightning around it!
Whoooosh!!
The swirling thunderstorm sucked in every flying vector mark, spinning them within like a raging reactor.
Indeed—if a vector could be controlled, it could also be redirected. That was exactly what she intended.
Whoooosh!!
The lightning vortex intensified, tearing up soil and whipping nearby trees into a frenzy. The violent winds obscured everything, severing their line of sight.
The Shogun leapt onto the giant hand beside her. The massive palm cradled her small figure and hurled her skyward!
In midair, she spun gracefully, her eyes locking onto Yahaba still standing dazed on the ground.
Whizz!!
A deafening sonic boom split the air as she dove straight toward him at blinding speed!
"Wha—?!"
Yahaba's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected such a maneuver—the sheer agility left him no room to react. He stumbled backward, raising his palm eye in panic, trying to fire another volley of vectors.
But—
She had already predicted his movement.
Before he could even activate his art, her body turned into a streak of pure lightning.
Crackle!!
In less than a second, she appeared before him, denying him any chance to counterattack. Her naginata flashed—
Slash!!
A burst of red filled his vision. His world spun wildly as fountains of blood erupted like a geyser.
"AAAH!! MY EYES!!"
From his perspective, he was spinning midair—he could see his own body below, his severed arm nearby. Panic surged through him as realization dawned.
The Shogun didn't give him a chance to recover. After severing both of his "eyes," she twirled her naginata and kicked sharply into his knee.
"Urgh!"
Crack!
His knee buckled instantly, forcing him to kneel. The Shogun's blade flashed once more.
Buzz~
A fine violet arc traced through the air—
Slash!
—and his head slid cleanly from his shoulders, rolling onto the ground.
Not yet finished, she stepped forward and kicked the headless body directly into the roaring vortex of swirling vectors.
Crackle!!
A burst of organs and blood erupted within the vortex, dyeing it crimson. The countless vector marks clung to Yahaba's dismembered body, forcibly tearing him apart until nothing remained—not even dust.
"N-No... impossible... You... you... what... are you..."
Before Yahaba could finish his final words, his head dissolved into ash, vanishing from existence.
"..."
The Shogun lowered her gaze, watching the remains fade away. Then she turned her violet eyes toward the distant street beyond the shattered wall—where she had sent Susamaru flying earlier. She began walking forward calmly. The demon surely wasn't dead... perhaps pretending to be.
Following the trail carved into the ground, she soon found her target. Susamaru lay at the end of a long groove in the earth. Her crushed head had already half-regenerated, the grotesque flesh squirming and knitting together with sickening, wet squelch sounds.
Tap, tap...
Hearing the approaching footsteps, Susamaru didn't even need to look to know who it was.
"...Where's Yahaba?"
Her voice was weak.
"Dead."
The Shogun's reply was brief and calm.
"...Heh... I figured. We never stood a chance against you. Guess we brought this on ourselves."
Her tone was resigned, almost self-mocking.
"If you knew you couldn't win, why throw your lives away?"
The Shogun asked softly.
"Orders from our master... Besides, we wanted to kill that brat, Kamado Tanjiro. We were confident we could at least take him down."
Susamaru even managed a faint, twisted smile as she said it.
The Shogun placed her naginata gently against the demon's throat—as if ready to deliver the final blow.
"Before you do it... can I ask you something, woman?"
"What is it?"
"Are you... a demon?"
Susamaru asked weakly.
"...No."
"Then why—"
"I'm just a humble landlady who runs a small pharmacy."
The Shogun answered simply.
"...!"
Susamaru's eyes widened in confusion—
Slash!
Before she could react, the Shogun's blade traced a clean line across her neck, severing it with ease.
"Phew..."
She exhaled softly, sheathing her naginata and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Under the cold yet serene moonlight, her violet eyes narrowed slightly.
[You've done well... Shogun.]
Ei's gentle voice echoed within her mind, filled with quiet approval.
'It wasn't difficult—just a bit of warm-up. Next time... why don't you handle them?'
The Shogun replied as she turned to leave, retracing her steps toward the ruined house.
[If you truly cannot manage alone... I'll appear.]
'Hmph, funny coming from someone I've had to save before.'
[When? You mean that duel with the Traveler? That was only once!]
Ei's voice took on a faintly indignant, almost cute tone.
'Once is enough. There'll be a second time sooner or later.'
She smiled faintly, teasing her.
[Impossible... such a thing won't happen again.]
'Let's hope so...'
She didn't press further.
[Next time...]
'Hm?'
The Shogun blinked in mild surprise. Was Ei still talking?
[Next time... it'll be my turn to save you.]
Ei's voice softened, gentle and tender, almost affectionate.
'...'
The Shogun fell silent for a moment, lowering her eyes slightly. Then, her voice came out small and hesitant—like that of a shy girl.
"Mm... I-I'll be waiting for you..."
Her words were soft, sincere.
[Yes... wait for me.]
Don't leave me behind... promise me you won't go alone.
That silent plea lingered warmly within Ei's heart.