[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/talkfictome]
===
"I've already told you everything I know, let me see my sister immediately!"
Gyutaro's roar carried a hint of pleading.
Ever since he heard Ume's voice last time, his psychological defenses had completely collapsed, and he had become entirely submissive to Kael.
"Are you sure you want to see her? In your current state?"
Kael looked at Gyutaro's monstrous appearance and asked in return.
Well, even before becoming a demon, the man had looked like a monster anyway, so there wasn't much of a difference.
"You must have a way to make me the brother Ume remembers, right?"
Gyutaro placed all his hope on Kael.
Unlike most demons, Gyutaro's will and mind had not been twisted or alienated by Kibutsuji Muzan. In the Demon King's eyes, this one—much like Doma—was likely already twisted enough to begin with.
With their hatred for humanity, there was simply no need for further alienation.
This also made Gyutaro one of the rare demons who fully retained his memories and emotions from when he was human.
His sister was the reflection of his soul.
Once Ume replaced Daki, Gyutaro also began trying to find his human side again.
"You are different from Ume. You chose to become a demon voluntarily. With the sins you've committed, whether your body can change back or not doesn't change the fact that you are a demon."
Kael spoke in a flat tone.
Turning a demon back into a human was no simple task, especially for an old demon like Gyutaro who had been wallowing in depravity for a century.
Strictly speaking, Daki hadn't succeeded either; she had died halfway through, and it was simply Ume who had come to life from that body.
Just as back then, Doma hadn't exactly resurrected Ume; he had merely turned that not-yet-dead body into Daki.
Moreover, Kael had no such intention from the start. He was willing to spare Gyutaro's life purely because he still had value to be exploited.
"What did I do wrong! Ume is the greatest meaning of my life! All those people deserved to die!"
Gyutaro never believed he had done anything wrong.
Back when he held the charred, unrecognizable Ume and begged those around him for help, not a single person was willing to lend a hand. In the end, the only one who helped them was the demon Doma.
Therefore, Gyutaro didn't regret becoming a demon in the slightest.
However, he soon fell silent.
Because regardless of the past, Daki was gone now, Ume's life had resumed, yet he—this man-eating demon—could never become human again.
"I will let Ume meet you."
Kael left those final words and turned to leave.
Even for an execution, there is a visitation period for family.
The basement remained silent for a long time, until finally, a faint, raspy murmur sounded.
"...Thank you."
...Eternal Paradise Cult.
This was a small cult with only about two hundred members.
Due to its quite limited scale, only a small number of locals knew of its existence.
Rumor had it that the cult leader possessed a pair of rainbow-colored irises and hair as white as pure oak, which his followers regarded as a symbol of divinity.
However, people born with such abnormalities usually have an illness, specifically genetic diseases.
This cult leader belonged to the category of being severely ill.
He was born unable to understand human emotions; from childhood, he lacked any emotional fluctuations, knowing neither the joy nor the sorrow of a normal person.
However, in the eyes of Kibutsuji Muzan, such a twisted personality made for excellent demon material.
And so, one day, this cult leader was transformed into a man-eating demon by Kibutsuji Muzan. He indeed did not disappoint, quickly rising to become an Upper Rank demon, ranked second.
"Upper Rank Two, Doma!"
Shinobu Kocho gritted her teeth as she looked at the exceptionally handsome man before her, dressed in cult leader attire with a fake smile plastered on his face.
She could never forget that it was this demon who killed her older sister.
"Oh my, Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps? How did you all find this place?"
Doma tilted his head, asking with his smile unchanged.
His location was quite hidden, and with the cult members helping to cover for him, he hadn't been discovered by the Demon Slayer Corps for over a century.
Looking at the state of the few people before him, it seemed they had known about this place for a long time; it didn't seem like a coincidence.
This was, naturally, leaked to Kael and the others by Gyutaro.
In the past, Doma had invited the siblings to his cult more than once to hang out.
Unlike the other Upper Ranks, this number two usually stayed in his cult playing his role-playing games. To put it in modern terms, he was a shut-in, making him much easier to find.
"I heard from Lord Muzan that someone among you killed upper rank six. You're quite capable; that really made Lord Muzan quite angry."
Doma spoke to himself, resting his iron fan against his chin without a trace of emotional fluctuation. Suddenly remembering something, he leaned forward slightly.
"Oh right, right, have I introduced myself yet? My name is Doma. Note the numbers in my eyes, Upper Rank Two. What are your names?"
"What did you say? Can you speak a bit louder!"
Rengoku Kyojuro shouted loudly. His ears had been injured in the past, causing some hearing loss, and he hadn't clearly heard Doma's introduction.
"He said his name is Doma and asked for your name."
Kael turned and said to Rengoku Kyojuro.
"My name is Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps! I have come here today to slay you, foul demon!"
Rengoku Kyojuro's voice was clear and resonant, his smile bright and sunny.
Looking at him after looking at Doma made one feel warm inside.
"Great spirit, as expected of my little brother!"
"Big brother, you flatter me."
Rengoku Kyojuro showed a row of white teeth, looking very pleased.
"And you, beautiful lady?"
Doma's gaze fell upon Shinobu Kocho, clearly showing more interest in her; young, beautiful women were more to his taste.
"I have nothing to say to you! Prepare to go to hell."
The smile that had always been on Shinobu Kocho's face had vanished, replaced only by the purest killing intent.
"The haori you're wearing looks a bit familiar, let me think."
Doma put on a thoughtful expression, but before he could find the answer, a foot came down from above, stomping his head into the ground.
A'squelch' was heard.
The head was like a rotten tomato dropped on the floor.
This naturally couldn't kill Doma, and even though his head had burst, his body could still move freely.
The iron fan unfurled in his hand and swung upward.
(Blood Demon Art: Frozen Clouds)
In an instant, a large amount of ice crystals scattered like a misty cloud, forcing Kael back.
Doma's blood was highly toxic. His Blood Demon Art involved freezing his own blood into fine ice crystal powder and then dispersing it with his fans.
This ability was extremely threatening to the Hashira. If one were slightly careless and inhaled even a bit of the powder, their lungs would be poisoned, causing breathing difficulties at best and instant death at worst.
One must remember that the key to Breathing Styles lies in the use of the lungs for respiration.
"Minty."
Kael took a breath and gave his evaluation.
His current body was simply not something that could be threatened by this small amount of toxic blood ice crystals.
However, now was not yet the time to kill Doma.
Subduing the demon was the primary goal of this trip, but training the Hashira was equally important. The Hashira of this generation had never faced an Upper Rank demon before and lacked combat experience in this area.
With such a rare opportunity, Ubuyashiki Kagaya naturally did not intend to let it go.
This was also preparation for the final decisive battle.
Just like the previous siege of the Gyutaro siblings.
If it weren't for the fact that they truly couldn't spare the manpower, Ubuyashiki Kagaya would have wanted to bring all the Hashira to take turns practicing on Doma.
"Eh? Are you alright?"
Doma propped himself up and sat back down, his head regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye as a look of feigned confusion appeared on his face.
"Be careful of the ice crystal powder he swings from his fans. If you inhale it, your lungs will be poisoned."
Kael gave a warning to Rengoku Kyojuro and the other.
"What an insidious and wicked method. Thank you for the warning, big brother."
Rengoku Kyojuro nodded, his gaze serious and solemn.
He wasn't worried at all about Kael being poisoned or injured; his big brother was invincible under the heavens.
It was a well-known fact within the Demon Slayer Corps.
The Flame Hashira was Sakuragi's number one fan.
"Hey, hey, you haven't answered my question yet."
Doma called out to Kael, hoping to get his attention.
However, a blast of scorching heat was already rushing toward him.
(Flame Breathing First Form: Unknowing Fire)
The trajectory of the nichirin blade in Rengoku Kyojuro's hand was like a blazing flame.
Before it even reached Doma, that scorching heat had already melted and evaporated the ice crystal powder floating in the air.
"My, what a truly fiery man."
Doma raised his iron fan and blocked the strike, his face still maintaining that nonchalant look.
The next second, a cold flash pierced through his variegated eyes.
(Insect Breathing: Bee Sting Dance)
Shinobu Kocho's speed was even a few notches faster than Rengoku Kyojuro's, and her angle of attack was even more cunning. Doma didn't have time to dodge, and a hole was pierced through his head.
But he hadn't actually intended to dodge; what threat was there from a blade that didn't aim for the neck?
"Such incredible speed."
Doma praised with his smile unchanged, preparing to swing his fan in a counterattack.
(Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice!)
At such close range, even if one held their breath, there was no way to avoid the damaging effects of the ice crystal powder.
However, the Hashira he faced was not just one.
Rengoku Kyojuro bumped Shinobu Kocho out of the way.
(Flame Breathing Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation)
Scorching sword qi whipped up a vortex of flames in the air, completely melting the ice lotuses formed by the Blood Demon Art.
"Piercing the head won't kill a demon; you have to cut off the neck. You should know that."
Doma looked at Shinobu Kocho and tilted his head.
The next second, the toxin from the wound spread. Doma's expression changed instantly, his veins bulged, blood gushed from his mouth, and his entire body slumped down weakly.
"This poison is much more intense than what the intelligence said..."
Even while vomiting blood, Doma didn't forget to complain.
After all, this was specifically prepared for Doma by Shinobu Kocho.
To this end, Gyutaro had gone through several cycles of near-death.
If it weren't for Kael's superb medical skills, he probably would have gone to the underworld to report early.
With an Upper Rank demon contributing experimental data for Shinobu Kocho's poison, and Kael providing various refinement techniques, one could imagine the lethality this latest generation of Wisteria Toxin would have on demons.
"I feel like I'm kind of dying..."
Doma had a smile at the corner of his mouth, truly feeling the danger to his life, but he had no emotional fluctuation regarding this, instead savoring this novel experience of being poisoned.
Rengoku Kyojuro naturally wouldn't let such a good offensive opportunity pass. He raised his blade and aimed for Doma's neck.
(Flame Breathing Fifth Form: Flame Tiger)
Doma's eyes rolled, and he raised his hand to swing his fan.
(Blood Demon Art: Crystalline Divine Child)
An ice crystal doll that looked similar to him but smaller in stature formed, opening its mouth to spit out a blast of invisible freezing air, hindering Rengoku Kyojuro's attack.
"Cough, cough..."
Doma's body became increasingly hunched as the toxin began to spread throughout his body. At this moment, one could see the violent tremors his body produced while fighting intensely against the toxin for survival.
"This poison... is not good..."
Although Doma had no fear of death, he still possessed life's instincts. His original playful attitude was completely gone, and he used all his existing power.
Two more ice crystal dolls formed; one guarded in front of Doma, wary of Kael, while the other attacked Shinobu Kocho.
The strength of these ice crystal dolls was no weaker than Doma's main body, and the Blood Demon Arts they released were equal in power, posing a fatal threat to any Hashira.
"This guy's physical adaptation is much stronger than Gyutaro's. You need to increase the dosage; you can't give him time to develop antibodies."
Kael instructed Shinobu Kocho from the side.
However, she was in no mood to listen right now, exhausted from dealing with the ice crystal doll's attacks.
This thing countered Shinobu Kocho too much; her nichirin blade had difficulty destroying its body formed from the Blood Demon Art, while the opponent's attacks were hard to block, forcing her to rely on her slight advantage in speed to dodge.
On the other side, Rengoku Kyojuro's battle situation was quite good; he was already gradually dismantling the ice crystal doll.
After all, he had been trained by Kael, and his strength had a qualitative improvement compared to the past.
It was just that if this continued, once Doma endured the toxin, it would still be a bit difficult to kill him.
Among the Upper Rank demons, the higher the rank, the larger the gap in strength.
Doma's strength was not something the Gyutaro siblings could compare to.
Kael reached out and grasped the nichirin blade at his waist. This action was seen by Doma, and his heart couldn't help but tighten—it was his body's instinct issuing a warning.
The next second, Doma's rainbow-colored pupils were flooded and covered by a piercing reddish-gold light.
He couldn't see anything at all.
By the time his vision cleared again, Doma's lifeline had already been severed.
Kael stood by his side at some unknown point, the nichirin blade already returned to its sheath with a soft clicking sound.
"Such a fast blade, I couldn't react at..."
Doma spoke as he raised a hand to touch his neck, his fingertips still feeling the residual heat at the wound.
He had never experienced such a scalding nichirin blade.
The moment the blade passed through, it felt as if it were going to evaporate all the blood in his body.
Kael ignored Doma, quietly watching as his head slid off his neck and his body gradually turned to ash.
This strike of his would surely leave Little Shinobu mesmerized.
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 175 on my patreon, go check it out
exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
p4treon.com/talkfictome
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 10 Power Stones == Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter