The courtyard was so quiet that everyone could hear each other's heartbeats. The Fujino family had fallen into deep panic.
It was not only fear of the wandering swordsmen who had barged in with blades drawn and caused a sudden commotion.
They also never expected that the seemingly kind and gentle monk would be carrying something so deadly as a "holy relic." It was almost impossible to believe.
Dr. Fujino's cousin-in-law, Miss Saya, had collapsed onto the ground. Her eyes were hollow as she stared at the spot where the monk had fallen.
Her husband pulled his mother behind him, clutching his wife and several children tightly while his body trembled violently.
At that moment, Shinobu's figure lightly swept past Asuka, landing beside the monk like a butterfly weaving through flowers.
"Shinobu!" Asuka did not approve of her actions. He swung Nugata casually yet cautiously, dispersing the lingering mist left behind by the shattered ice Buddha. "Be careful. Something's wrong with this fog."
"Saving him comes first."
Shinobu lifted the hem of her haori and quickly took out her medical pouch from her waist, pulling out a slender metal syringe.
She pried open the monk's lips, which had already turned bluish-black, and injected the antidote for Blood Demon Art deep into his throat.
"Cough! Cough—!"
The monk could barely breathe. Most of the injected medicine was violently coughed out, making its effect minimal.
His skin rapidly turned gray before the naked eye. Pinkish blood foam mixed with tiny ice crystals seeped from his mouth and nose with every cough. The situation was extremely critical.
When they first entered the courtyard, Fujino Genkuro had been frightened by the sight of Asuka and the others pointing swords at him.
But now, seeing Shinobu risking her own safety and concentrating fully on saving the man, he began to feel that things might not be as he had imagined.
"Miss, what can I do!"
He suddenly gritted his teeth. As a doctor, his sense of duty overcame his fear, and he rushed to Shinobu's side.
After a professional observation, his face turned pale as he spoke.
"The blood vessels under his skin have turned blue. His organs must have been affected by extremely cold gas. His alveoli have ruptured!"
"Be careful, Mr. Fujino. This is Blood Demon Art, not ordinary frostbite!"
Shinobu spoke rapidly while her hands never stopped moving. She took out another syringe from her pouch and precisely injected a cardiac stimulant into the monk's chest.
"Lift his jaw and keep the airway open!"
Fujino did not hesitate at all and immediately complied.
His steady and powerful hands pressed against the monk's ice-cold chest, rhythmically compressing it again and again, trying to pull him back from the edge of death.
One used specialized medicine against Blood Demon Art. The other used the emergency treatment of an ordinary doctor.
Together, they fought to snatch a dying man from the hands of a demon.
Asuka never lowered Nugata.
The blade hummed as its faded edge vigilantly swept across every corner and shadow of the courtyard, guarding against a possible second attack. Kanae also stood quietly at a distance, her purple eyes sharply observing the surroundings while protecting the civilians.
Time passed under suffocating tension.
Sweat beaded across Fujino's forehead, and his arms ached from the continuous compressions.
The antidote and stimulant injected by Shinobu seemed to disappear into a void, showing no effect whatsoever.
The monk's breathing grew so weak it was almost nonexistent. Every inhale produced broken sounds from deep within his chest, like ice shards scraping and tearing through his lungs.
Suddenly, the dying monk's body convulsed violently.
His gray eyes bulged as he stared at the sky. His throat produced a ragged sucking sound.
"Ugh... hhh..."
His lips trembled wildly while blood mixed with ice fragments continuously poured out.
"What is he trying to say?" Fujino asked anxiously, looking toward Shinobu.
Shinobu quickly leaned down, pressing her ear close to the monk's blood-soaked lips.
"A name! Tell me—who is your leader? Where is he!"
The monk's pupils shrank violently on the verge of dispersing. His body grew colder and trembled more intensely.
A broken and twisted name, soaked with blood foam and fanatical devotion, was squeezed out from the depths of his frozen throat with the last of his strength.
"Do... Doma-sama... may you have... eternal blissing..."
The moment the name fell, the monk's bulging eyes lost their final trace of light.
The claw-like hand gripping Fujino's wrist loosened weakly. His body stiffened for a moment before collapsing completely.
Only a cold corpse remained, crimson ice crusting around his mouth and nose.
The autumn wind blew through the icy mist, scattering the last trace of demonic presence into the air.
Shinobu slowly stood up.
The gentle, mask-like smile that she usually wore had vanished, replaced with a grave expression.
She reached out and gently closed the monk's unblinking eyes.
Every time a life was taken by demons, the flames within her heart burned stronger.
After confirming that no demonic presence remained in the courtyard, Asuka flicked his wrist and sheathed Nugata.
Looking at the bruises on his wrist where the monk had grabbed him, then at the rapidly cooling corpse on the ground, Fujino Genkuro's gaze toward Asuka and the others became extremely complicated.
Shock. Fear. Lingering dread. Perhaps even a trace of realization.
"You... aren't reporters, are you?" he said hoarsely.
"You knew something was wrong with this religion, so you followed me here, didn't you?"
"What did you say earlier? Demons? Do you mean the kind I'm thinking of...?"
"Yes, Mr. Fujino."
Shinobu turned to the Fujino family and bowed deeply, her butterfly hair ornament swaying gently.
"I sincerely apologize for not telling you beforehand. But please understand that fighting demons is difficult for ordinary people to believe. Hiding our identities was not done with malicious intent."
Under Shinobu's gaze, Asuka also gave a slight bow, though his movement was somewhat stiff.
His eyes swept over the shaken family as he spoke in a low voice.
"Demons are real. They wear human skin and feed on humans. The Eternal Paradise Faith you worship is nothing but a demon's nest."
The words struck the Fujino family like thunder. Their faces turned pale, yet none dared refute it.
They had personally witnessed the monk being killed by the very evil object he brought. No matter how unbelievable it felt, it was real.
Saya, who had just been immersed in the dreamy atmosphere created by the ice Buddha, now curled into her husband's arms, trembling with hollow despair.
"Th-Then... my cousin-in-law..." Fujino Genkuro looked at Saya, his voice holding a final trace of hope. "You said she was 'eroded' earlier. Can she still be saved? That demon thing..."
Shinobu crouched beside Saya again. She gently placed her fingers on her wrist to check her pulse, then carefully examined her pupils and breathing.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand. Her brows furrowed slightly as she slowly shook her head.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness and pity as she spoke heavily.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Fujino. I don't know."
"The power of the Blood Demon Art has already invaded deep into her organs. The fact that she survived is already fortunate. As for what happens afterward... we can only try to care for her body and leave the rest to fate."
She did not finish the sentence, but as a doctor, Fujino understood immediately.
"I understand... Thank you, Miss."
Fujino Genkuro's voice was filled with bitterness.
He took a deep breath and looked at Shinobu with firm determination.
"Please... you must kill that demon leader named Doma! I beg you!"
He bowed deeply.
"It's our duty," Asuka replied simply.
Shinobu nodded and added, "The Demon Slayer Corps exists precisely to prevent tragedies like what happened to Miss Saya from happening again. Please rest assured!"
She turned toward Kanae, who had been standing quietly nearby, and calmly gave an order.
"Kanae, take the monk's body to the nearest Kakushi contact point as quickly as possible."
"Inform the person in charge there that the Blood Demon Art responsible for this death is very unusual. They must begin research and analysis immediately to determine how it works."
"Yes!"
Kanae responded without hesitation or emotion.
She swiftly removed the white cloak she was wearing and carefully wrapped the monk's body in it with solemn efficiency before lifting it onto her shoulder.
Though her small frame carried the heavy weight of the dead man, she remained remarkably steady.
She nodded slightly to Shinobu and Asuka, then with several light leaps, her petite figure disappeared into the vast mountain forest beyond the courtyard.
The atmosphere in the courtyard did not become lighter after Kanae's departure.
The monk's death, the family's despair, and the shadow of the Eternal Paradise Faith weighed heavily on everyone's heart.
"It's time to go, Asuka," Shinobu said, looking at him. Deep within her eyes burned a flame of anger.
"Mr. Tomioka is already on his way here. Let's meet him at the station."
"Though it happened by coincidence, the leader's little welcoming gift is certainly unforgettable."
Her words were gentle.
Yet they carried chilling killing intent.
As she herself had said, she simply could not learn how to get along with demons.