Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

Under the cold moonlight, two figures—one tall and one short—walked along the street, their laughter echoing intermittently.

"Shinobu, don't worry. I'm the most tight-lipped person you'll ever meet. I won't go blabbing about it, hahaha! So what if you got scared and cried? It's no big deal, haha!"

Shinichi, with twin swords strapped to his waist, was laughing so hard he could barely stand straight.

But beside him, Shinobu Kocho was fuming.

No matter how much she had calculated, she never expected to burst into tears in front of that blockhead Shinichi.

In protest, she could only clench her small fists and repeatedly pound Shinichi shoulders—the more he laughed, the faster she hit.

Amidst their playful bickering, the two arrived in Osaka, where the Eternal Paradise Cult was located.

"I wonder where my sister is investigating right now. This place feels so strange" Shinobu murmured, a trace of worry crossing her face as she glanced around.

There wasn't a single soul in sight—the area where the Eternal Paradise Cult was situated was downright eerie.

Shinichi also wiped the smile off his face.

Shinobu concerns weren't unfounded—the unsettling environment had put him on high alert as well.

He had initially thought it was just some minor cult, but it seemed he had underestimated this so-called Eternal Paradise Cult.

With Shinobu in tow, Shinichi knocked on the door of a nearby house, but there was no response even after a long wait.

He tried several more houses, but the result was the same—no one answered.

He Frowned, before he could speak, an impatient Shinobu cut in.

"Could something have happened to these people? Should we force the doors open and check?"

Shinichi raised a hand to stop her.

Through his heightened perception, he could clearly sense life energy pulsing within these homes—people were inside, they just refused to open the door.

Even if they forced their way in, they likely wouldn't get any answers.

"Something's wrong, Shinobu. Have your Kasugai Crow and mine relay orders to gather the nearby Demonslayers. We might—"

Before Shinichi could finish, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from a distant direction!

Whoosh!

Both Shinichi and Shinobu whipped their heads around just in time to see a raging fire burst into the sky before abruptly extinguishing moments later.

Shinobu might not have noticed, but to Shinichi senses, an overwhelmingly powerful Demon aura was unmistakable, even from this distance.

And there was another familiar presence—Kanae!

"Shinobu! Kanae might be in danger! I'm going to back her up—you contact headquarters for reinforcements immediately! That Demon's aura… it's strong! There's a good chance it's an Upper Rank!"

With those final words—

BOOM!

Without a second thought, Shinichi stomped the ground with tremendous force, sending tiny fissures spiderwebbing across the earth.

Whoosh!

Propelled by the recoil, his body transformed into a streak of emerald light, hurtling toward the direction where the Demon and Kanae auras emanated.

"An Upper Rank?! Nee-san!" Shinobu violet eyes widened in disbelief at Shinichi words.

At the same time—

Clang!!

A piercing metallic screech rang out as a figure tumbled through the air before crashing clumsily into a wall.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her lips.

Raising her head, Kanae small face was filled with a grave expression as she stared at the figure leaping down from the rooftop not far away.

Landing nimbly from the roof, the figure multicolored eyes narrowed slightly, his tone as deceptively gentle as ever.

"Ara ara, I didn't expect to meet such a capable little girl. I've encountered Hashira from the Demon Slayer Corps before, but most of them couldn't even withstand a single strike from me. You're quite impressive~"

As he spoke, Douma smiled and opened the golden iron fan in his hand, its surface adorned with pink-purple lotuses and emerald-green lotus leaves.

Seeing Kanae stagger slightly as she stood back up, raising her Nichirin Blade toward him once more, Douma continued with a gentle smile.

"Such a resilient little girl is rare indeed. But I suggest you give up now—otherwise, it's going to hurt a lot~"

Kanae only met his gaze with unwavering determination, her soft voice carrying a resolute tone.

"As one who bears the title of Hashira, I will never lower my Nichirin Blade as long as I live. Many demons were pitiable people in their past lives and I truly wish to befriend them. But I'm certain—you are not one of those demons. Your malice is far too evident!"

Douma blinked at her words, tilting his head curiously.

"Befriend demons? Ohoho, what an amusing idea~ So, do you want to be friends with me? Oh, wait—you just said you didn't. Ahh, what a shame~"

He deliberately feigned a "disappointed" expression before suddenly "realizing" something.

"Ah! That's right—if you won't befriend me, I can befriend you! I'm quite familiar with friendships. Akaza and I are the best of friends, you know. And for my friends, I'll make sure to twist off your head and place it in the finest spot on my shelf~"

While Douma was still rambling, Kanae endured her injuries and launched another attack.

"Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peonies of Futility!" Nine consecutive slashes in cherry-red hues shot toward Douma from all directions, their trajectories resembling the petals of peonies.

Facing the assault, Douma kept his smile but moved swiftly, sweeping his golden iron fan in a single motion.

"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice!"

In an instant, countless lotus-shaped ice crystals rapidly expanded in a fan-shaped pattern around him, the temperature in the air plummeting.

Clang! Clang!

Kanae strikes were all deflected, but she wasn't done yet.

Seizing the moment Douma was defending, she closed the distance between them.

"Flower Breathing, Fourth Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!" Her cherry-red Nichirin Blade arced upward in a slash aimed straight at Douma.

Unfortunately, the swift strike was abruptly blocked by Douma free hand—another golden iron fan now in his grip.

"A bit slow~" Douma remarked with a smile before striking back instantly.

The sharp edge of his fan sliced through Kanae's arm, the wound bleeding briefly before freezing over.

A bone-chilling cold momentarily paralyzed her movements.

Thud!

Despite his gentle words, Douma kick sent Kanae flying without mercy.

"Ah~ this is so delightful. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun. Much more entertaining than listening to those foolish prayers every day."

Douma closed his iron fan and clapped his hands, speaking with apparent "joy."

'What a powerful Demon... So this is an Upper Rank?' Kanae covered her abdomen, struggling to stand as she looked at Douma.

Just as Douma was about to continue toying with his prey like a hunter, a sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced through the air behind his head.

"Forest Breathing, Thirteen Form: Niten Ichi-ryu, Hawk Strike!"

"Hmm? What's that sound?" Douma had barely registered the noise behind him when—

stab!!

A Nichirin short sword instantly pierced through the back of his skull, emerging directly from his eye socket.

A multicolored eyeball dangled from the blade's tip, the characters for "Upper Rank" still clearly visible upon it.

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