Disclaimer: Demon Slayer is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
---
"Are you angry?"
Doma's infuriating voice echoed through the spacious hall.
He looked up at the ceiling, straining to catch even a trace of Muzan's voice.
With his eyes wide open, Doma tilted his head back and forth in confusion, like a child.
Yet even when he tried to sense it through the depths of his bloodline, he could not perceive any emotional feedback from Muzan.
His expression gradually lost its frivolity.
'It seemed that Muzan-sama was truly angered this time.'
Doma slowly lowered his head and looked at the few people holding swords before him.
A look of sudden realization dawned on his face.
This was all the fault of those who had barged in.
Snap!
He closed his fan.
...
"Brother, he turned to ash!"
Muichiro pointed at the remnants of ash on the floor in surprise, his expression filled with shock.
"What did you say?" At those words, his older brother's expression darkened. He turned to look at his younger brother, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
He glanced behind him at Shinobu, whose demeanor was a stark contrast to her usual gentle and kind nature.
Then he looked beside him at Sanemi, who looked even more ferocious than before.
He couldn't help but feel a slight sense of unease.
For this mission, he and his brother had been dragged along without knowing why.
All their uncle, Kamado-san, had explained on the way was that they were going to defeat an Upper Moon demon.
But...
This was probably the first time so many Hashira were acting together.
He averted his gaze.
The scar-faced man and Shinobu-san also seemed deeply troubled.
Sanemi gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, holding his breath as he suppressed the anger within. His eyes were fixed on Doma with a fierce glare.
But he did not act rashly.
'This was the plan.'
He focused his mind.
He would draw the enemy's attention with his strongest frontal defense.
Meanwhile, those skilled in stealth would circle around and seize the chance to sever the demon head in one blow, aiming to eliminate it with minimal casualties.
This is Tengen's proposed plan as their most senior member of the Corps.
Now, the demon's gaze kept lingering on him.
A ferocious, rage-filled smile spread across Sanemi's lips.
Which meant his task of drawing attention was going perfectly.
Doma slowly lowered his hands. His tone no longer held its earlier cheerfulness.
"I see. I think I understand now."
Doma noticed the ashes of Muzan at the entrance. The playful glint in his colorful eyes gradually faded.
"Muzan-sama has yet to find the Blue Spider Lily, and now he's been disturbed by Demon Slayers."
"This is my negligence."
Snap!
He swung his arm sharply. The sashes on his shoulders fluttered with the motion.
The glossy, golden surface of his fan spread open, instantly forming ice crystals that began to spread.
Mist-like ice crystals emanated from his body, and the temperature in the room began to plummet rapidly!
His feigned expression slowly vanished. Doma's pale face looked quite grim as he announced his creed.
"Allow me to eliminate you now."
His gaze settled on Sanemi.
But then, his eyes slowly shifted elsewhere.
Doma has decided what his true target was.
The Tokito brothers crouched behind Sanemi.
He pushed off with his foot.
Whoosh!
The demon became a blur, instantly traversing the distance from the other end of the hall.
"Here he comes!" Sanemi tensed and was on high alert, his pupils contracting sharply.
His concentration was so intense that the flow of time seemed to slow.
'He's not coming for me!'
His eyes barely managed to track the direction of the charge. After discerning it, he clicked his tongue.
Instantly, he snapped his head to look behind him.
The Tokito brothers hadn't even reacted to their sudden demise and danger.
Sanemi quickly took a step to the side.
Bang!
He used his shoulder to deliver a powerful shove, slamming hard into Yuichiro.
"Ah!" Yuichiro cried out in pain, his expression bewildered as he looked at Sanemi. Caught off guard, he tumbled back into Muichiro behind him.
Thud!
The two fell flat on their backs, landing in the corridor behind them.
Ignoring how they felt, Sanemi quickly raised his sword in front of him.
Digging his feet into the ground to steady himself, he positioned himself in front of the Tokito brothers and Shinobu.
Just as Sanemi prepared to raise his blade to defend, he noticed the enemy abruptly stop his charge.
Whoosh!
"Though you are quite ugly, you truly possess a very earnest spirit."
At that moment, Doma raised his golden fan high, enveloped in a layer of icy mist.
Tap.
His tall, slender form appeared before Sanemi. With an expressionless face, he looked down at him, his tone airy.
"Living with such a face must have been a constant torment."
"I understand. I've spoken with many people before, and they were all told terrible things by others, feeling immense sorrow."
"After all, humans are such sad creatures, delighting in slandering one another." Doma lamented, his eyes seemingly filled with sorrow.
"Of course, I've already helped them attain paradise." He shook his head resignedly.
His colorful eyes stared intently at Sanemi.
"Allow me to free you from your suffering as well and deliver you to paradise."
The playful tone of his voice contrasted starkly with his scary expression.
Sanemi's expression stiffened. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, veins of anger bulging on his forehead as he gritted his teeth.
"What the hell did you say, you bastard?"
His pupils contracted to pinpricks, the whites of his eyes bloodshot.
"I'll kill you!"
…
On the ceiling.
Tap.
Tengen had been listening intently to the exchange and pressed his hand to his forehead in exasperation.
He sighed inwardly.
Having Sanemi draw the enemy's attention had indeed not been a good choice.
Instead, the demon had managed to provoke him first.
Meanwhile.
"That hurts."
Muichiro clutched the back of his head, struggling to open his eyes and stiffly propping himself up.
Being shoved out of the doorway with such force by a Hashira was no ordinary pain.
Especially since they were both just young teenagers.
His dazed gaze fell on the floor beside him.
"Oh no!" Muichiro's eyes widened. His pupils contracted as he stared in shock at the object on the floor.
Yuichiro quickly scrambled to his feet, looking worriedly at his younger brother. "What? What's wrong, Muichiro?"
He followed his brother's gaze to the floor.
There, on the floor.
Lay a flute, snapped in two.
A trickle of dark red blood was seeping from the broken ends, forming a small puddle.
It was the flute that Uncle Michi had given them after Mount Natagumo.
"It… it broke."
Muichiro murmured sadly, his head lifting to look at Yuichiro.
Last time, after the flute shattered, Uncle Michikatsu had come to save them.
So, this time too…
The brothers exchanged glances, seeing the tension in each other's eyes.
But.
Before, Uncle Michikatsu had said that the Demon Slayer Corps would not welcome him, a demon who had done terrible things.
If the two sides met, they would become hostile immediately.
Muichiro glanced at Sanemi blocking the doorway and at Shinobu concealed beside the frame.
Forget about the several others hiding on the ceiling!
Four of the Demon Slayer Corps' strongest Hashira were right here!
His eyes widened gradually.
If Uncle Michi showed up now, wouldn't he be immediately cornered?
Muichiro and Yuichiro exchanged another look.
Almost simultaneously, they both sent a silent prayer up for Uncle Michi not to show up.
---
At Tamayo's Estate.
Michikatsu sat in the living room with his back straight. He pinched his teacup and took a small, deliberate, formal sip of his tea.
He had insisted that Yushiro pour him tea as an apology for his sudden departure last time.
Yushiro was left speechless since it was Michikatsu who went missing!
"Okay, I understand."
Hakuji sat on the floor with abandon, smiling at the empty air in front of him, occasionally nodding his head.
He would even make some inexplicable gestures with his hands.
"More and more weirdos are showing up."
Yushiro leaned against the stairs, a baffled expression on his face as he watched Hakuji smile at thin air.
"This isn't a shelter for problematic demons."
He sighed, looking wearily towards the room where Tamayo-sama was working, his gaze passing over the two demons.
Thinking about what he had seen in his illusion caused by the medicine.
A deep sadness clouded his face.
Clatter!
The peaceful atmosphere of the demon meeting was broken by Michikatsu suddenly standing up, still holding his teacup.
His six eyes were wide open, his golden irises fixed on a specific direction.
"That way is..."
He murmured to himself.
"Doma."
Yushiro flinched. He warily shuffled his feet, looking at Michikatsu with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
"Akaza." Michikatsu addresses his fellow demon after deliberating for a while.
"It's Hakuji."
Hakuji didn't turn around to face the man. "Akaza is dead." He corrected Michikatsu's address casually.
Michikatsu didn't dwell on the form of address; after all, he himself had abandoned his demon name and could sympathize with Akaza's choice to rename himself.
"Hakuji." He turned his head to look at Hakuji. The usual placid calm of his emotions seemed to ripple slightly.
"Come with me."
Whoosh!
Michikatsu vanished in a blur, disappearing from the spot.
Hakuji merely glanced up at where he had vanished, ignoring him, and looked away.
"Hakuji-dono."
Seeing this, Koyuki looked back and forth between him and the direction Michikatsu left, a hint of unease in her voice. She sat beside Hakuji, biting her lip.
"Is it alright not to go?"
Hakuji's gaze was gentle. He let out a deep, weary sigh, the corners of his eyes softening slightly as they curved, and he gave a small smile.
"It's fine."
He gently placed his hand over hers, his eyes filled with sorrow and apology.
At this moment, Hakuji only wanted to spend his remaining time quietly with Koyuki.
And then, calmly depart for the next world to accept whatever punishment he deserved.
The demon and the 'human' sat together peacefully, smiling, understanding each other without words.
As for Michikatsu,
It seemed he had waited at the gate for him.
But Hakuji didn't follow.
Whoosh!
A grim-faced Michikatsu reappeared, standing behind Hakuji.
Smack!
He seized the back of Hakuji's neck, hoisting the entire demon off the floor with brute force.
"Gah!" The immense pressure on his neck made it hard for Hakuji to breathe. His pink lashes fluttered as he twisted his head, glaring fiercely behind him.
"Ah!" Koyuki was startled. She scrambled to her feet, trying to pry Michikatsu's hand away, her soft voice straining.
"Let go of him!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Hakuji quickly tried to calm Koyuki.
He glanced sideways, clicked his tongue in irritation, and was about to throw a punch to blow Michikatsu's arm off.
"The target of this mission is Doma…" Michikatsu leaned in and said the one name that will make Akaza take arms.
"…What?!" Hakuji froze, frowning with disgust.
"You want to free that bastard from Muzan's control too?"
"No." Michikatsu cut off Hakuji's words, his tone measured.
"He is not a man of potential. To leave him alive would only breed more trouble…"
"This time, we are going to kill him."
!!!
Hakuji's raised fist froze midair.
He glanced at Michikatsu, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Hurry up and follow me."
Michikatsu set Hakuji down. Without another word, he vanished again in an instant.
Hakuji hung his head.
He stared at the tattoos on his hands, marks that spoke of his sins.
"Hakuji, are you hurt?"
Koyuki's cheeks flushed slightly involuntarily as she stood before him, cautiously leaning in to look towards where Michikatsu had gone.
'What an unfriendly guy.'
She thought indignantly of Michikatsu.
"Koyuki." Hakuji lifted his head; his eyes revealed a complex emotion of realization.
"What is it?" Koyuki turned back, asking with a puzzled look.
"I…"
Hakuji spoke hesitantly, his eyes gradually clearing, the golden hue slowly receding from his irises.
"…I am off to do a good deed."
The last traces of gold vanished from his eyes as he finished speaking.
They became as clear and blue as a lake that Koyuki loves, reflecting her image with perfect clarity.
"…Alright then." Koyuki's lips curved gently. Her voice was soft as she gave a firm nod.
…
Back to where the action happens, not far away from the fighting
A follower of the Faith, who had been knocked unconscious earlier, was now hazily opening his eyes.
"…Some… anyone… come…"
He crawled little by little toward the exit of the temple, moving painfully forward, murmuring unconsciously.
"…Intruders…"
"…Protect… the Great Founder…"
…
Inside the main hall.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Sparks flared in the dim room.
Sanemi raised his blade, blocking a strike from Doma's swung golden fan.
White, icy mist spread around them.
"Cough!" Sanemi coughed, having inhaled some of the mist. A searing pain shot through his lungs.
Frost marks spread across his skin.
Understanding dawned on Sanemi. He quickly held his breath.
"Impressive reaction." Doma showed no sign of surprise.
All of his Blood Demon Arts were designed specifically to counter breathing techniques.
The icy crystalline mist was formed from frozen droplets of his blood. Humans that made contact suffered frostbite, and inhaling it led to difficulty breathing and lung damage.
Before any more exchanges, though, the ceiling above Doma creaks ominously.