You're The Demon, Aren't You

Even though neither the human nor the demon was fighting seriously, the quiet of the late night meant any slight movement would be amplified infinitely.

Furthermore, even in a non-serious state, the battlefield where they clashed was not something any Lower Rank demon could tread upon.

With all the commotion they were causing, even a deaf person would be able to hear it.

Looking at Doma, who wore a carefree, smiling expression, Yuko's eyes darkened slightly.

Blood Demon Arts didn't have much variability.

Simply put, Blood Demon Arts were superpowers, but it wasn't impossible to possess more than one.

And Doma's ice-based Blood Demon Art, no matter how it was further developed, all stemmed from the premise of ice.

The intel... was almost enough.

Yuko felt a desire to retreat.

Once the cultists arrived, she wouldn't be able to explain herself.

Yuko even suspected that the fanatical cultists wouldn't be afraid even if they saw Doma eating people in public.

Instead, they would grow even more in awe of his immortal, otherworldly methods of achieving eternal life.

There was no reasoning with them.

Yuko's gaze flickered to the girl beside her. After hesitating for a long time, she sighed inwardly.

Doma narrowed his eyes.

Although Yuko's emotions didn't change much, they were extremely noticeable to him.

While Doma lacked human emotions, this made him exceptionally sensitive to the emotional fluctuations of those around him.

Is she planning to escape?

Doma covered his face with his iron fan, a serious expression flashing in his eyes.

The poison... isn't enough.

Even he hadn't anticipated that she would be able to sense something was wrong in such a short amount of time.

At that time, the poison had already entered her body but hadn't had a chance to take effect at all.

He had eaten Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen before, but none had reacted this quickly.

She noticed it almost as soon as the poison entered her body.

This woman is too sharp.

Although Doma enjoyed collecting information on others, even going so far as to let his enemies unleash all their moves before killing them to gather combat data, this didn't mean Doma liked being spied on.

If this woman escapes, it will be troublesome.

This thought flashed through Doma's mind. Without any warning, he appeared before Yuko, saying with a look of regret, "How cruel of you, Miss, to try and escape."

"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice."

Doma waved his fans, and a large expanse of lotus-shaped ice crystals rained down.

Yuko deliberately covered her mouth and nose, retreating backward.

"If only you'd let me eat you, we could enjoy eternal life together and ascend to paradise."

Doma expressed his feelings with regret as he mercilessly swung his golden iron fan.

"Blood Demon Art: Frosty White Princess!"

As the fan swung, two lifelike ice lotuses in the shape of young girls appeared before Yuko's eyes, blowing out icy cold air that swept outwards.

This guy...

If he entered a carving competition, even Michelangelo would have to bow down.

While Yuko made a couple of mental quips, she had no intention of getting entangled with him any further.

As for these peculiar Blood Demon Arts, whether it was the freezing air or anything else, they were all based on the concept of 'ice.'

There was no need to collect any more intel.

Using the sweeping freezing air as cover, Yuko performed several agile backflips, landing beside the girl. She helped her up and they fled through the door.

"Don't think you can escape!"

At this point, even Doma couldn't help but take it a bit more seriously.

"Blood Demon Art: Winter Solstice Icicles!"

Dozens of sharp ice spikes rained down from the sky, aiming to impale Yuko.

These Upper Rank techniques are truly more troublesome than the last.

The range alone is beyond what ordinary swordsmen can imagine.

But who was Yuko?

Even without demonizing, in her days in the Demon Slayer Corps, she was second only to Yoriichi as the second person to awaken the Markings.

That speed is just so-so.

Yuko's speed increased another notch, causing all of Doma's attacks to miss.

Seeing Yuko about to escape with the girl, Doma swung his iron fan almost instinctively.

"Blood Demon Art: Frost Lotus..."

Dozens of cultists holding torches swarmed in. Doma's hand, which was swinging the fan, paused and then lowered.

He watched Yuko climb over the wall with the girl, and they disappeared from sight.

After a while, he covered his face with his fan, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Well, I'll let it go this time. If I make too much of a scene, Lord Muzan will surely scold me."

"Besides, that child... will definitely come back..."

The crowd, holding torches, gathered around. "Cult Master! Are you alright!"

Doma smiled brightly at the arriving cultists. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I was just visited by a ferocious demon, but I've already driven it away."

"As expected of our Cult Master!" The cultists noticed the inhuman destruction within the room and couldn't help but show fanatical expressions.

Doma just smiled at them.

Meanwhile, Yuko led the girl out of the city and gently patted her cheek.

The girl named Aiko instantly woke up, looked around, and then at Yuko, her face filled with fear. "What do you want!"

Yuko calmly explained, "Your Cult Master is a demon. I just saved you from him."

Aiko froze for a moment, then retorted angrily, "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Cult Master takes in us homeless people; he is clearly a divine child who loves the world."

"Compared to him, you're the demon for attacking him!"

"..."

Yuko said quietly, "I won't stop you if you want to go back, but I suggest you seriously consider my words."

A clever wife cannot cook without rice.

This is Yuko's current situation; she lacks evidence that Doma is a demon.

Hearing this, Aiko hesitated, then stood up and tentatively moved back towards the city. She wasn't sure if Yuko was lying to her.

Confirming Yuko made no move, she turned and ran.

Yuko watched her back disappear around a corner, heading towards the Eternal Paradise Cult, and silently turned to leave.

Just as she never held a grudge against Namiko for kicking her back then, Yuko wouldn't scold this girl.

Without food or shelter, someone who takes you in and gives you food is like a benefactor in any era.

Unless she saw Doma eat people with her own eyes, she simply wouldn't...

No, as long as it wasn't her being eaten, it probably wasn't that big of a deal.

Eternal Paradise Cult.

Doma fanned himself, smiling as he watched the cultists move out the damaged furniture and clean the room.

Suddenly, a cultist entered with a young girl.

"Cult Master, Aiko is back."

Doma's face lit up with joy. "You're back, that's wonderful."

"You all go ahead," he waved his hand at them.

"Yes." The cultists quickly tidied up, closed the door, and withdrew.

Aiko's last sliver of doubt vanished. She knelt on the ground, awaiting her Cult Master's favor.

Doma knelt before her, smiling. "So, how did you escape?"

Aiko looked up at Doma's handsome face, her cheeks blushing slightly, her heart pounding.

"That bad person... she, she didn't stop me."

"Is that so~" Doma smiled, but his mind was racing.

She's completely different from the demon slayers I've encountered before.

She saved someone with so much effort, yet she just let her go. Doesn't she know she'll come back?