Asuka leaned against a cold platform pillar, resting with his eyes closed under the dim yellow glow of the gas lamps.
But no matter how one tried to rest, this had gone on far too long.
He glanced at Shinobu Kocho, who was seated beside him in the waiting area of the platform. She was quietly flipping through the notebook in her hands, occasionally looking toward the railway tracks that stretched into the darkness.
More than half a day had already passed.
They were four hours later than the scheduled meeting time.
"Tch."
Asuka clicked his tongue in irritation and kicked a loose pebble by his feet.
"Getting impatient?" Shinobu smiled lightly and looked at him with curiosity. "I always thought you were the type who wouldn't let the outside world affect your emotions no matter what, Asuka."
"...It's been too long. I'm worried something happened to Tomioka-san," Asuka replied gloomily.
He wasn't pretending.
After the previous battle with an Upper Rank demon, Asuka had developed a much deeper understanding of how terrifying such predators were.
Tomioka Giyu failing to appear at the appointed time made him wonder if the man had already encountered an Upper Rank demon ahead of schedule.
"Don't worry. Tomioka-san is..."
Before Shinobu could finish her sentence, the distant railway tracks suddenly began to rumble.
The roar of an incoming train echoed through the night, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of wheels grinding along the rails.
The night train, billowing white steam, slowly pulled into the station and came to a halt with a sharp screech of brakes.
The doors opened, and a handful of scattered passengers stepped down.
Finally, a figure wearing a two-toned haori over the Demon Slayer Corps uniform appeared at the doorway. His hair was tied in a low ponytail.
The Water Hashira, Tomioka Giyu, stepped onto the platform with a blank expression. His face, which always seemed devoid of emotion, showed no sign of apology or explanation for being late, only the same calm silence as always.
Or rather, a silence that others often found difficult to understand.
He walked straight toward the two who had been waiting.
"Tomioka-san, you're very late," Asuka said bluntly, with no intention of beating around the bush. "Even if you had other arrangements, you should have had your Kasugai Crow deliver a message so we wouldn't make incorrect assumptions."
Seeing that Tomioka had not encountered danger, Asuka's faint concern immediately turned into dissatisfaction.
Time waited for no one. Although he and Shinobu had obtained important information from the Fujino family in the countryside, speeding up the progress of the mission, that was no excuse to move at a leisurely pace.
Tomioka Giyu paused slightly. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he simply replied with a quiet "Mm."
Shinobu stepped forward at just the right moment, wearing a gentle yet knowing smile as she explained softly,
"Ahaha, Asuka, you might not know this..."
She waved to an old Kasugai Crow circling above the train roof, as if greeting it.
"Tomioka-san's Kasugai Crow is quite old. Sometimes it takes the wrong route or forgets things... It probably mixed up the instructions again and wandered around before finally returning to the station."
Shinobu had encountered Tomioka Giyu's muddle-headed crow several times before, so his lateness did not surprise her.
She glanced at Giyu. He didn't deny it, merely shifting his gaze slightly aside, which was as good as an admission.
Asuka thought of his own efficient Kasugai Crow, then glanced at the one perched on Tomioka Giyu's shoulder. The old crow looked somewhat dispirited, its feathers noticeably dull.
The small trace of dissatisfaction in his heart disappeared, replaced by a helpless sigh.
"Forget it. As long as you're here."
Asuka waved his hand, unwilling to dwell on the matter any further.
"Our investigation in the countryside made some progress, although the process was a bit strange..."
Together with Shinobu, he quickly recounted everything that had happened at the Fujino family's rural relatives.
"...Unfortunately that monk died before we could extract more information. Kanae is currently performing an autopsy on him," Shinobu said seriously. "Oh, right. Before dying, he spat out a name: Doma. Have you heard anything about it?"
Asuka added, "The ice Buddha created by the Blood Demon Art can act independently. We don't yet know how many of these remotely controlled puppets that demon can create. Judging from the density of demonic aura within it, there's a high probability that it's an Upper Rank."
Tomioka Giyu nodded silently. After listening to their report, he spoke in a low voice.
"The information I gathered is limited. I can only confirm that the headquarters of that sect is on Mount Myoko."
"Then let's go."
With the objective clear, there was no need for more words.
The three of them wasted no time. Taking advantage of the night, they immediately left the quiet station and headed deep into the Shinetsu mountain range.
Night fell heavily, and the mountain roads were rugged.
Far from human habitation, the scent of the forest became primitive and cold.
In late autumn, the mountains should have been filled with vibrant red and yellow foliage. But on the road leading to Mount Myoko, as their altitude steadily increased, the temperature of the air began to drop sharply.
At the foot of the mountain, the chill had only just begun to appear.
But higher up on Mount Myoko, snowflakes were already drifting through the forest, covering the ground with a thin layer of early snow.
Moonlight spilled over the white slopes, reflecting a pale glow that made the entire mountain appear especially lonely and aloof beneath the deep blue night sky.
It was no wonder the place was known as the Fuji of Echigo.
"Asuka, have you ever heard the story of the 'Mikoshi Nyudo'?" Shinobu suddenly asked during the journey, recalling a piece of folklore.
"It is said that on Mount Myoko there exists a kind of yokai. When travelers climb the mountain path, it silently appears above the road and looks down at them."
"When a traveler, out of fear or curiosity, looks up at it, the creature grows taller along with the person's gaze. It becomes bigger and more terrifying until the traveler is frightened out of their wits and falls off the cliff into the abyss."
"Legends are often another way of describing reality. Perhaps they are not baseless."
"Maybe these tales were originally the deeds of demons, but after being passed down through long years, they became distorted into supernatural folklore," she said seriously.
Asuka nodded, agreeing with the idea, but said frankly,
"If it were me, the moment I saw that monster, I would draw my sword."
"...Asuka, that's not how ghost stories work."
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the group circled around a massive exposed rock wall covered in ice and snow. Finally, they saw a flat clearing in the forest.
There stood a shrine.
But it was completely different from the ancient or dilapidated shrine Asuka had imagined deep in the mountains.
Instead, the building exuded an artificially constructed holiness and luxury that felt almost eerie.
The vermilion torii gate was so vivid it looked as if it had just been repainted, glaring brightly under the moonlight reflected on the snow.
Intricate golden lotus patterns were carefully carved into the bright red pillars, layered one upon another, winding from the base all the way to the top.
Beyond the torii gate, the lanterns lining the approach path were carved from clear ice crystals, casting a cold blue glow over the thin snow that covered them.
Asuka walked ahead and stepped into the courtyard first. From afar, he saw the large characters written on the plaque of the main hall.
"What does it say?" Asuka asked quietly.
Tomioka Giyu replied expressionlessly, "Eternal Paradise Faith."
So this was the main base of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Asuka drew Nugata, entering combat readiness in advance.
And in response, a man's voice rang out.
A voice so deliberately exaggerated that it made one's skin crawl.
"Oh my, oh my. Why are you drawing your weapons before we've even exchanged a word?"
Two human monks slid open the doors from inside.
A man stepped out.
He held a pair of golden iron fans and gazed down at the assembled Hashira with rainbow-colored glass-like eyes.
[Upper Rank Two]
The moment she saw him, Shinobu Kocho's pupils contracted.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
But this was not fear.
It was pure, overwhelming rage.