Moonlight poured down over him, outlining his tall, well-proportioned figure and long platinum-blond hair, radiating an unnatural kind of beauty.
He looked as if he had been carved from ice and snow. His skin was so pale it lacked any trace of blood, and the corners of his lips were permanently curled into a cold, insincere smile.
This was the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith, Upper Rank Two—Doma.
Doma wore a finely crafted black cloak, lined with a crimson inner garment.
He casually fanned himself with a golden iron fan and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"My, my. I didn't expect to have so many visitors so late at night..."
His eyes, resembling multicolored glass beads, swept across the group, reflecting a playful, inhuman gaze.
"So... is there any suffering you wish to confide in me?"
"Who are you?" Asuka tightened his grip on Nugata, using his spiritual pressure to gauge the opponent's strength.
'Tch... the demonic aura is even thicker than Upper Rank Three... how many people has he eaten...?'
Hearing Asuka speak, Doma covered his mouth in surprise and waved his hand repeatedly.
"Oh dear, oh dear! My apologies! Did I forget to introduce myself?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Doma, the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith. What a beautiful night..."
"Help me!!"
Just as Doma leisurely admired the moonlight, a blood-covered girl burst out through the half-open sliding door.
"These people are crazy! They're lying to everyone! They—"
Before she could finish speaking, Doma casually swung his golden fan.
Slash!
The girl's head fell to the ground. The speed was so fast that the Hashira hadn't even had time to rescue her.
"Oh dear, I'm in the middle of speaking with guests, you know? If you're seeking salvation, could you wait just a little while?"
Although his words carried a faint hint of displeasure, Asuka could sense it clearly—
This man felt nothing at all.
From the moment they stepped into the courtyard and saw Doma.
He was neither angry nor afraid, nor was he truly as cheerful or relaxed as he pretended to be.
There was no emotional fluctuation within him whatsoever.
Like a corpse.
"We're terribly sorry, Lord SectLeader!"
The monks inside rushed out in panic, bowing fearfully as they dragged the girl's corpse back into the hall.
"Ah, just place her over there. Thanks for the hard work."
Doma smiled at the monks without the slightest hint of anger.
"Once we're done here, I'll help her ascend to paradise."
"Yes! Blessings upon you!"
The monks didn't seem to find such a bloody and terrifying act strange at all. With utmost respect, they closed the sliding doors of the main hall.
It was understandable.
For these believers, who had grown up hearing stories of their leader—
Immortal, ageless, endlessly patient and compassionate, helping those who could no longer endure life to escape suffering and ascend to paradise...
Wasn't Lord Doma the very "god of this world"?
"Don't joke around..."
Shinobu Kocho's emotional state was clearly unstable as she spoke in a cold voice.
"This person was still begging for help... she was clearly so afraid..."
"Exactly. That's why I said I helped her."
Doma's voice remained sweet and gentle.
"After all, everyone fears death. But now that child isn't in pain or sadness anymore."
"Accepting the troubles of believers and guiding them toward a higher realm is the duty of a leader."
"I'll eat her properly and allow her to live together with me forever."
Doma's syrupy voice, mixed with honey-like sweetness, spoke such twisted nonsense that it made Asuka feel nauseous.
Clang!
Shinobu Kocho had already drawn her Nichirin Blade. With several swift flourishes, she pointed the blade directly at Doma.
"What utter nonsense... it's so disgusting it makes me want to vomit..."
"Huh? It's our first time meeting, yet you're speaking quite rudely..."
Doma pretended to have a sudden realization and chuckled.
"Did something troubling happen to you recently? Why not tell me about it?"
A chilling killing intent erupted instantly, cold enough to freeze the air.
"Shinobu!" Asuka shouted instinctively, trying to remind her to stay calm in battle.
But it was already too late.
Shinobu Kocho had completely lost control of her emotions. Her figure moved so quickly that in the eyes of Asuka and Giyu Tomioka she became nothing more than a faint lavender afterimage.
Her slender Nichirin Blade transformed into a vicious streak of purple light, accompanied by a sharp tearing sound as it shot toward Doma's head.
Thrust!
Even Doma himself hadn't expected the small female swordsman to be this fast. In an instant she had closed the distance and stabbed straight through his eye.
"Wow! What an incredible thrust. You must be Hashira!"
Blood streamed from Doma's rainbow-colored eye as genuine surprise flashed across his face.
"But unfortunately, a thrust like that can't kill me. If you want to kill a demon, you still have to cut off the neck."
As an Upper Rank demon, he would not be defeated so easily.
With a snap, the golden iron fan opened, drawing a perfect arc in front of him with seemingly casual elegance.
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice!"
Countless lotus-shaped ice crystals, formed from his own blood and sharpened along their edges, instantly bloomed across the fan's surface and spun outward.
These ice lotuses were not merely physical attacks. As they flew forward they emitted bone-chilling cold, raising thick clouds of icy mist and freezing the surrounding area into a low-temperature field, greatly slowing Shinobu Kocho's movements.
"So cold... it feels like my breathing is freezing..."
"Wind Breathing, Fourth Form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Seeing the icy mist about to envelop Shinobu Kocho, Asuka burst forward with a fierce roar, placing himself between the two.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Nugata released arcs of icy blue and emerald light, unleashing a towering storm that shattered every ice lotus and blew away the spreading mist.
"Careful! You can't inhale that mist. It's poisonous!" Asuka remembered the monk's agonized appearance.
If a Hashira-level swordsman couldn't freely use Breathing Techniques in battle, then they would be no different from ordinary wandering samurai.
Their blades would pose no threat at all.
"Wow, you're that black-haired swordsman! What luck! Now I can claim credit before that lord!"
Doma happily danced his fan in the air before turning to Shinobu Kocho.
"But you're quite the impatient young lady. What's wrong? Did you quarrel with your lover?"
"...You're truly nauseating. Don't you recognize this haori?"
Though Shinobu Kocho had narrowly escaped danger, the raging fire in her heart made it impossible for her to face the demon calmly.
She grabbed the butterfly-patterned haori she wore and shouted in fury.
"The demon who killed my sister... that was you, wasn't it?!"
From the moment they saw Doma, Asuka had sensed something wrong with Shinobu Kocho's emotions.
And when Doma began attacking with his twin fans, she became certain.
In that dream, Shinobu Kocho's sister had once said—
The demon who killed her wielded two fans, its head stained with blood.
It's this guy...
Asuka tightened his grip on Nugata.
"Huh?"
Doma carefully examined Shinobu Kocho's face, then looked at the butterfly hair ornament on her head before suddenly realizing.
"Ah! I remember now! The girl who used Flower Breathing, right?"
"But the sun was about to rise back then, so I couldn't eat her. That was a bit of a shame..."
"I heard from other demons that she was also a Hashira. What was her name again... Kanae?"
"Shut up!!!"
Shinobu Kocho's eyes were nearly burning with fire, her purple pupils filled with bloodshot veins from anger and grief.
"You are not allowed... to say my sister's name with that filthy mouth!"
Right as Shinobu Kocho roared, Doma suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees.
Asuka suddenly remembered Shinobu Kocho's fighting style.
Poison.