Ghost and Specter

A cult?

Yuko stood still, continuing to lean against the wall.

"What do you women know!"

Smack!

Along with the man's angry roar, a crisp slap rang out.

"Being able to serve the Lord Cult Leader is Kyoko's honor!"

"Our whole family can enjoy eternal bliss and no longer suffer. What are you dissatisfied with?"

"You should be grateful and repent for being able to receive this honor!"

In this era, heretical cults like this appeared one after another. Because Buddhist culture was flourishing, these cults often bore traces of Buddhism.

They placed their hopes in the gods of heaven, firmly believing that kind people suffered poverty while alive but would enjoy themselves after death.

And that evil people enjoyed themselves while alive but would fall into the Avici Hell after death.

But if that were truly the case, how would those evil people dare to do evil?

Even in modern times, if you said there were no gods or ghosts in the world, someone would argue with you that just because you had never seen them did not mean they did not exist. Materialist ideas had not completely taken root in people's hearts.

Not to mention ancient times. The impoverished common people desperately needed spiritual comfort, while the ruling class needed such lies to pacify the masses.

That was why cults could flourish.

At least, that was how things had been in the world of her previous life.

But this place seemed different.

Yuko gazed calmly at the sky. This world really seemed to have a concept of heaven and hell.

Just as Tanjiro had met Sabito, and just as she had personally watched Yoriichi's soul disappear that day.

Since then, her eyes had often been able to see things ordinary people could not.

Ghosts.

For example, a young girl with her head lowered was floating out from behind the door right now.

After leaving the house, she squatted at the entrance, clutching her head and pretending to be an ostrich.

Yuko shifted her gaze.

She looked about thirteen or fourteen. Was she this family's daughter?

The girl's body trembled slightly as she hugged her head. Clearly, this family probably argued often, and every time they did, she could only hide outside with her head in her arms.

Yuko was silent for a moment. Then she removed the conical hat from her head and squatted down in front of her.

"Are you all right?"

The girl's trembling body froze, and she raised her head stiffly.

Yuko's face was right before her.

Although the lower half of Yuko's face was still wrapped in white cloth, it was not hard to tell from above the bridge of her nose that she was a gentle person.

It could be seen from her eyes alone.

Despite having a pair of strange crimson double pupils, the girl could read the word "gentleness" in those eyes.

They were just like her mother's eyes.

The girl asked nervously, "C-c-can you see me?"

"Yes, I can."

"Really?"

"...Really." This child may not be very bright.

Yuko said gently, "May I ask you something?"

"Please."

"The question may be a little improper."

There was some confusion in the girl's eyes, but she still replied generously, "N-no... It's fine."

"How did you die?"

The girl's face froze. Then her pupils contracted slightly and began to tremble violently, causing her whole body to quiver.

Yuko did not offer words of comfort, nor did she hurry her. She simply waited.

After quite some time, the terror on the girl's face had not faded. Trembling, she said, "A demon... A man-eating demon!"

Yuko's expression shifted slightly. "Does it have anything to do with that cult?"

The girl nodded shakily. "Lord Doma... is a demon."

"He ate me..."

That was simply how rank and status worked in this era. Even toward someone who had harmed her, she would instinctively use an honorific.

But that was not what caught Yuko's attention.

Doma?

Yuko was slightly stunned when she heard the name. She had an impression of it, which meant that Doma was definitely not a minor character in the series.

One of the Twelve Kizuki?

By now, Yuko could no longer clearly remember the plot.

She had been in this world for several hundred years, and human memories could not be preserved forever.

Perhaps it was the influence of Muzan's blood. Or perhaps it was because her body had always been weak and she had never truly eaten.

After becoming a demon, the situation had not improved. Instead, it had grown even worse.

Especially since Demon Slayer had entered her mind in the form of an anime.

Even things that had truly happened to her in her previous life had already been forgotten completely.

The only reason she remembered some of Demon Slayer's plot was that, after realizing this, she had consciously tried to recall it.

She had even recorded the parts of Demon Slayer she could remember in writing and a format that only she could understand.

"What is the name of the cult?"

"The Eternal Paradise Cult."

"Do you know where this Doma lives?"

"In the cult."

"...I mean, the address."

The girl shook her head blankly.

"Then do you remember the way there?"

She shook her head.

Yuko felt a headache coming on, but at the same time, she inexplicably felt relieved.

Because if this Doma really was one of the Twelve Kizuki, she probably could not kill him.

It was not that she was incapable of doing so. She simply could not.

If he was a Lower Rank demon, then whether she killed him or not did not really matter.

But if he was an Upper Rank...

The power scaling in Demon Slayer was extremely unreasonable. The Hashira could easily kill Lower Ranks, yet they could also be easily killed by Upper Ranks.

That was why people said the entire ending was driven by plot kills.

This was not even a matter of whether the plot changed.

Because fundamentally, even the Twelve Kizuki were merely toys Muzan used to pass the time, creatures he could create on a whim.

Perhaps the Upper Ranks at the very top truly possessed some talent, such as Kokushibo.

His strength went without saying. Muzan had called him a partner, a status no other demon possessed.

Over the centuries, the Lower Ranks had been replaced again and again, and countless Upper Ranks had also changed. Only Kokushibo had always held the position of Upper Rank One through his overwhelming power.

The fact that Yuko had nearly beheaded him back then had truly been a matter of luck.

The description she disliked most was: a plot kill.

At that time, her condition had been as bad as it could possibly be.

It was only because Kokushibo had been too careless that she could use an unexpected Sword Style to disrupt his rhythm.

But if she killed Doma here, the position of Upper Rank would not remain vacant. Muzan would find someone else to replace him.

A demon's strength was basically related to the number of people it had eaten.

That statement was not entirely correct. It was also related to the amount of blood Muzan bestowed upon it.

As long as he was willing, creating an Upper Rank would not be difficult.

The replacement might be stronger than Doma. Perhaps the ending would fail because of this single change.

Yuko fell into deep thought.

At some point, the girl, whose mind had recovered somewhat, raised her head and looked at her.

"Big sister."

"Hmm?"

The girl looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Could you help me?"

Yuko lowered her eyelids slightly. If she wanted revenge...

"Could you stop my parents from arguing?" The girl's words brought Yuko back to her senses.

Yuko's eyes flickered slightly.

She did not want revenge. She only wanted that?

Yuko roughly understood why the girl had not appeared at the cult but had instead remained at home.

Yuko slightly raised her head and looked inside the doorway.

It was because of her lingering attachment.