Doma is dead?
Deep within the Infinity Castle, Muzan Kibutsuji suddenly sensed that he had lost his connection to Doma, leaving him momentarily stunned.
When he closed his eyes, Doma's final moments before death appeared in his mind.
In those final memories, Doma was bathed in sunlight as his body slowly disintegrated.
Through the hazy fragments of that memory, Muzan Kibutsuji saw the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen surrounding Doma.
It seemed that, for some unknown reason, Doma had been dragged into the sunlight by those swordsmen and forcibly exposed to it.
At that moment, Muzan Kibutsuji could not help clenching his fist.
He, too, feared that one day he might meet such an end.
But Doma's death had not ended under the sunlight.
Instead, someone bathed in sunlight stepped forward and severed Doma's head with a Nichirin Sword, ending his life ahead of time.
No…
It was not a human.
It was… a demon.
Muzan Kibutsuji almost instantly rose to his feet.
This demon was one he had once seen in Akaza's memories. It was also the demon who had silently slipped free from his control.
At the time, he had sent demons under his command to search for him, but there had been no results. It was just like when he sent the demons beneath him to search for the Blue Spider Lily—nothing ever came of it.
He had always brooded over this demon who had escaped his control.
And now, that demon had appeared again.
What made Muzan Kibutsuji find it even harder to believe was…
This demon was now bathed in sunlight.
How did he do it?
How could he?
As the first demon, the progenitor of demons, and the absolute controller of all demons, even he, Muzan Kibutsuji himself, could not stand beneath the sunlight.
No matter what, he could not believe such a result.
But immediately afterward, he felt the blood in his body beating rapidly, and his entire being entered a state of extreme excitement.
How did he do it?
How did a demon stand beneath the sun?
Muzan Kibutsuji's thoughts churned wildly, countless possibilities flashing through his mind.
He stared almost fiercely at that figure bathed in sunlight, as if he wanted to split open that body and see through the secret hidden inside.
The Blue Spider Lily?
Almost instantly, he thought of it.
According to legend, the Blue Spider Lily could allow demons to break free from the shackles of sunlight. It was also because he had failed to consume the Blue Spider Lily that he had never become the most perfect life, and had never been able to make up for the flaw of demons.
Unless the other party had eaten the Blue Spider Lily, then why?
Why could a demon stand beneath the sun?
If there was a demon in this world who could stand in sunlight, that person could only be him.
Muzan's fingers dug deeply into his palm. Greed and jealousy surged up almost at the same time, twisting together into an even more scorching desire.
Capture him. Interrogate him. Cut him open. Take every last one of his secrets.
He even thought that if he ate him, perhaps he himself would also be able to bathe beneath the sunlight.
This demon…
He had to be found.
At any cost.
...
After devouring Doma, Soma continued leading the group toward the entertainment district where Upper Rank Six had been active.
Along the way, he kept adapting to the sudden surge in his strength.
At first, he was still somewhat unused to it.
But as he continued walking, his control over himself became better and better.
This sudden leap in power made Soma feel that he was now frighteningly strong. His gaze almost unconsciously fell on Gyomei Himejima.
Soma's build could be considered tall in this place, but compared with Gyomei Himejima, he was still far behind.
Gyomei Himejima was not only towering in stature; his strength, physical power, and combat ability were all at the very top among the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps.
It could be said that Gyomei Himejima was the strongest of the Hashira.
At this moment, Soma could not help wondering how his strength compared to Gyomei Himejima's.
As someone who had awakened the Mind's Eye, Gyomei Himejima was extremely sensitive to his surroundings and soon noticed Soma's gaze.
"Namu Amida Butsu."
Pressing his palms together, Gyomei Himejima chanted a Buddhist prayer.
"Mr. Soma seems quite eager to test his strength against me."
Kyojuro Rengoku, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Kanae Kocho could not help but look over. Yet when their gazes landed on Gyomei Himejima, they felt a faint trace of fear.
As the strongest Hashira, Gyomei Himejima's sheer brutality was famous. Just the thought of sparring with him made one's heart tremble.
Even among the Hashira themselves, Kyojuro Rengoku and the others felt that sparring with Gyomei Himejima was simply asking to be beaten.
So they instinctively assumed Soma would not be so foolish. If he truly wanted to spar, he could have chosen any of them.
"I do have that intention." Soma spoke at that moment.
Hearing this, Kyojuro Rengoku, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Kanae Kocho were all slightly startled. Sparring with Gyomei Himejima truly was not a rational choice.
Even Gyomei Himejima was faintly stunned. Then he smiled.
"It seems Mr. Soma is very confident in his newly increased strength."
When everyone heard this, they finally understood. Previously, Gyomei Himejima had sensed that Soma had grown stronger, and everyone had been somewhat puzzled. Now, it seemed that it was true.
"I did make a little breakthrough." Soma chuckled lightly.
"Namu Amida Butsu."
Gyomei Himejima pressed his palms together and chanted a Buddhist prayer.
"Then let us begin."
"All right." Soma nodded and drew his Nichirin Sword, standing ready.
Gyomei Himejima also rose to his feet and lifted his massive flail.
The two of them stood roughly seven or eight meters apart.
Even before the spar began, the air between them had already grown tense and lethal. A sharp, killing intent spread through the surroundings.
...
"Lord Himejima is going to spar with Mr. Soma! Quick, come watch!"
"Really?!"
"Yes! Though Mr. Soma might be in for a rough time. Lord Himejima is incredibly powerful."
"I also do not think Mr. Soma will be a match for Lord Himejima."
...
In just a short time, quite a few people had gathered around them.
Neither Soma nor Gyomei Himejima cared about the crowd watching. In fact, they had even intended it.
If these swordsmen could improve by observing their spar, then that was something both of them hoped for.
At this moment, Soma had already drawn his Nichirin Sword, the tip angled toward the ground. Sunlight poured down, and the cold gleam flashing along the blade seemed sharp enough to suppress even the light of the sun.
Gyomei Himejima also lifted his spiked flail. A faint breeze blew past, making the robes on his body flutter.
At that moment, Soma gripped the hilt of his blade and looked at Gyomei Himejima.
"Soma. Please guide me."
After giving that simple warning, Soma stepped forward. His first two steps were not fast, but on the third step, he suddenly accelerated. His speed, in that instant, almost reached its limit.
Whoosh!
Only a blurred afterimage could be seen in the air.
The completely blind Gyomei Himejima could not see this scene, but under his Mind's Eye, he could sense the source of danger appearing before him almost instantly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he brought the spiked flail up in front of himself.
Boom!
When the blade struck the spiked flail, the sound that rang out was not the sharp clang of metal colliding, but the heavy roar of a hammer blow.
Gyomei Himejima felt the hand gripping the spiked flail tremble, the web between his thumb and forefinger going numb. His legs sank down, and the ground centered beneath him shook violently at that moment.
This scene caused almost everyone watching to widen their eyes in shock.
Some ordinary swordsmen only saw the surface—the overwhelming power of Soma's slash. But Kyojuro Rengoku, Sanemi Shinazugawa, and Kanae Kochou saw something far deeper in that single strike.
...
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