Gyutaro seemed to understand why these matters had been kept from them. Hearing the conversation between the two, he could not help but feel relieved.
"Alright, I'll leave these two little ones to you."
After saying that, Muzan turned and left.
Once his figure vanished from their sight, he flashed directly before Douma.
He wanted to take Douma somewhere interesting.
Lacking any means of teleportation, Douma could only walk after Muzan dumped him in some unknown place.
Unexpectedly, Douma arrived near a gang running a honey trap.
It proved that this sort of thing had existed since ancient times.
When several delicate-looking young girls appeared before Douma, he smiled.
But remembering Lord Muzan's request, Douma's smile became nothing but a fake one.
Yet when a group of burly men sprang out and the girls revealed their true colors, Douma smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Dinner time!
When Muzan arrived beside Douma, he found him eating happily.
Douma noticed the footsteps and looked up to see Lord Muzan gazing down at him.
Holding a human head in his arms, he swallowed the meat in his mouth. Gripping a leg, he sat atop a male corpse with a terrified expression and rolled-back eyes, then smiled sincerely as he said:
"Lord Muzan, would you like some?"
Don't misunderstand. He was happy purely because he had encountered "girls he liked."
But Muzan was unhappy.
Douma acted without the slightest restraint, and the result was simple—the Demon Slayer Corps had been drawn here.
When Douma slaughtered that group, the screams had alerted more than just ordinary people.
Perhaps it was the so-called power of fate, or perhaps something else. Even though the Demon Slayer Corps had been forced into decline by circumstances, they remained remarkably tenacious, and the number of Hashira-level fighters had not diminished at all.
Seeing four Demon Slayers rushing over with Nichirin swords in hand, Muzan got an idea.
He took a deep breath, put on a terrified expression, and, under Douma's disbelieving gaze, seemed to scream himself hoarse as though he had seen salvation:
"Help meeeeeee!!!"
His voice rang through the night sky. Douma was utterly dumbfounded.
The Demon Slayers also noticed the weak, helpless "survivor." At once, they rushed over with all their strength, drew their long swords, and slashed at Douma without a word.
The four had clear roles. Three held Douma back, faintly positioning themselves between him and the "terrified survivor."
Surrounded by two Hashira and a Tsuguko, Douma, who had only just become an Upper Rank, was so shocked that he was initially somewhat flustered.
Lord Muzan, what the hell are you doing?!
But the warning rising from within him, originating from the Demon King, prevented him from saying more. He could only focus on dealing with these three.
Muzan looked like someone who had just been saved. Still shaken, he glanced at the hellish pile of corpses and swallowed.
Looking at the Demon Slayer who had grabbed his wrist to lead him away, his eyes shimmered with tears stirred by "complex emotions" as he asked gratefully:
"Thank you. Can they defeat that demon?"
As he spoke, he could not help turning back to look at the people fighting, as though concerned for them.
The Demon Slayer looked utterly confident.
"Don't worry! They're Hashira! They'll definitely defeat that demon!"
Watching the mighty Demon King get "rescued" by a Demon Slayer, Douma was simply impressed.
Feelings he did not even possess had been stirred up!
He had always thought Lord Demon King was merely a gentle man with principles, and Muzan had always appeared that way before him. But today, he finally understood.
When it came to outrageous tricks, he still had to bow to Muzan Kibutsuji!
What did a mere Douma like him even amount to?!
A Nichirin sword came slashing down. With a wave of his hand, Douma raised an Ice Blade that struck the sword, producing a ringing clash of metal.
This was only Douma's first battle, after all, and he quickly adapted.
His initial fluster gave way to ease, and he gradually began to treat the fight as a game.
That false, smiling expression returned to his face.
This made the three fighting him extremely irritated.
Facing two Hashira and a Tsuguko, was he really looking down on them that much?!
Douma waved his fans with a grin.
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Blood Demon Art: Crystallized Child.
A delicate little ice doll stood atop his fan. It wore the same infuriating smiling expression as Douma, held a tiny fan in its hand, and lightly descended to the ground.
"Let him play with you."
Douma leisurely stepped back, watching one of his little ice dolls hold them off.
But Douma was clearly still not strong enough.
Neither Hashira possessed Scarlet Traces, the Transparent World, or crimson Nichirin swords, but they were still Hashira!
Muzan was also observing the battlefield through Douma's vision. Seeing that Douma had adapted to the rhythm and was even getting cocky again, he said to the Demon Slayer pulling him along:
"You should go back and help them. That demon seems very strong."
Seeing that Muzan had already escaped far enough, the Demon Slayer nodded and hurried back toward the battlefield.
Douma watched the three Demon Slayers fight desperately, feeling utterly relaxed.
Then a chill breeze suddenly swept past his back.
Douma froze. In the next instant—
From behind him, a Nichirin sword viciously slashed into his neck. But Douma's body was exceptionally tough; it merely cut through a layer of skin before getting lodged in his flesh, unable to advance any farther.
Even so, it gave him quite a fright, and several traces of displeasure appeared in his smiling expression.
Whoosh—
He snapped his iron fan shut and slammed it backward.
The returning Demon Slayer was blasted away by the tremendous force, crashing hard into a boulder and coughing up a mouthful of blood.
But in the next moment, Douma froze.
His child had been destroyed!
Two Nichirin swords attacked from his left and right.
Crack!
Both Nichirin swords struck his neck at once, yet they could not cut through it at all.
"Sneak attacks aren't nice, you know~"
Douma opened his fan with a smile and waved one hand—
Blood Demon Art: Scattered Lotus!
Ice flowers scattered through the sky, and the two hurriedly retreated.
"Damn it! Why won't it cut through?!"
One of them cursed furiously.
Immediately afterward, a long sword stabbed fiercely into Douma's abdomen from directly in front of him.
Douma lowered his head and smiled at the Nichirin sword embedded in his stomach.
"Very nice~"
Shk—
The Nichirin sword was yanked free, and the wound in his abdomen healed instantly.
"I've had enough playing."
Though Douma had not suffered any substantial injuries, this first battle of his had truly startled him several times with the Demon Slayers' unexpected moves.
He did not want to play anymore!
Blood Demon Art: Vine Lotus
Several ice vines emerged from thin air. The Demon Slayers hurriedly swung their Nichirin swords to block the incoming vines.
But demons were no gentlemen.
Douma threateningly looked toward the Tsuguko lying beside a rock, already unable to fight. His Golden Folding Fans half-covered his face as he said with a grin:
"Are you going to abandon him?"
"Damn it!"
One Hashira clicked his tongue in displeasure. "Cover me!"
He severed an ice vine with one slash, using the time bought by his companion to desperately rush toward the Tsuguko.
But the three had already exhausted all their strength just blocking the ice vines. Trying to rescue someone meant they would inevitably have to endure even greater pressure.
The ice vines were covered in countless Ice Blades. The vines he failed to evade mercilessly scraped across his skin, leaving bloody wounds all over his arms, shoulders, and legs.
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