The Demon King Was "Saved"

Gyutaro seemed to understand why these matters had to be kept from them. Hearing the two of them talk put his mind at ease.

"All right, I'll leave these two little ones to you."

With that, Muzan turned and left.

Once he was out of their sight, he flashed straight to Doma's side.

He wanted to have a little fun with Doma.

Unable to teleport, Doma had been forced to travel on foot after Muzan dumped him in the middle of nowhere.

Unexpectedly, though, Doma had stumbled upon a gang running a honey trap.

As it turned out, that sort of thing had existed since ancient times.

When several sweet, delicate young women appeared before him, Doma smiled.

But remembering Lord Muzan's orders, his smile became nothing more than a fake one.

Then a group of burly men sprang out, and the young women revealed their true colors. Doma's smile turned genuine.

Time to eat!

When Muzan arrived beside Doma, he found him happily eating.

Hearing footsteps, Doma looked up to see Lord Muzan looking down at him.

With a severed head cradled in his arms, he swallowed the meat in his mouth. He held a leg and sat on a male corpse whose face was frozen in terror, eyes rolled back. Smiling from the heart, he asked:

"Lord Muzan, would you like some?"

Don't get the wrong idea. He was happy purely because he had met "girls he liked."

Muzan, however, was not happy.

Doma acted without the slightest restraint, and the result was simple-the Demon Slayer Corps had been drawn to him.

When Doma slaughtered those people, their screams had alerted more than just ordinary civilians.

Perhaps it was the so-called power of the plot, or perhaps something else. Even though circumstances had forced the Demon Slayer Corps into decline, they were remarkably tenacious. Their ranks of Hashira-level fighters showed no sign of thinning.

Watching four Demon Slayers run toward them with Nichirin Blades in hand, Muzan had an idea.

He took a deep breath and put on a terrified expression. Under Doma's incredulous gaze, he shouted at the top of his lungs, as though he had just spotted his saviors:

"Heeeelp!!!"

His voice rang through the night sky. Doma was utterly dumbfounded.

The Demon Slayers noticed the weak, helpless "survivor" too. They rushed over with all their might, drawing their blades and slashing at Doma without a word.

The four had clearly defined roles. Three held Doma back, positioning themselves between him and the "terrified survivor."

Under the combined assault of two Hashira and one Tsuguko, Doma, who had only just become an Upper Rank, was initially thrown into disarray by his shock.

Lord Muzan, what the hell are you doing?!

But the warning from the Demon King that surfaced in his mind stopped him from saying anything. He could only concentrate on fighting the three attackers.

Looking every bit the rescued victim, Muzan glanced back at the hellish pile of corpses with lingering fear and swallowed.

He looked at the Demon Slayer who had grabbed his wrist to lead him away. Tears brought on by "a wealth of emotions" glistened in his eyes as he said gratefully:

"Thank you. Can they defeat that demon?"

As he spoke, he could not help looking back at the fighters in concern.

The Demon Slayer looked completely confident.

"Don't worry! They're Hashira! They'll definitely defeat that demon!"

Watching the mighty Demon King get "rescued" by a Demon Slayer, Doma could only bow to his genius.

Even emotions he did not possess had been stirred up!

He had always thought the Demon King was simply gentle and principled. That was how Muzan had always behaved around him. But today, Doma finally understood.

When it came to outrageous antics, Muzan Kibutsuji was the master!

What was a mere Doma compared to him?!

Clang!

A Nichirin Blade slashed toward him. Doma waved a hand, raising a blade of ice that met the sword with a metallic ring.

It was merely Doma's first battle. He soon adapted.

His initial fumbling turned into effortless ease, and he gradually began treating the fight as a game.

That fake, cheerful smile returned to his face.

It infuriated all three of his opponents.

He was fighting two Hashira and a Tsuguko, yet he still acted like this. Wasn't he looking down on them far too much?!

Doma waved his fan with a grin.

Blood Demon Art: Crystal Children.

An exquisite little ice figure stood on his fan, wearing the same infuriating smile as him. Holding a tiny fan of its own, it gently landed on the ground.

"Why don't you play with him?"

Doma leisurely took a step back, watching a single ice figure hold them off.

But Doma was clearly not strong enough yet.

Neither Hashira had a Demon Slayer Mark, the Transparent World, or a Bright Red Blade, but they were still Hashira!

Muzan was also watching the battlefield through Doma's eyes. Seeing that Doma had adapted to the pace and was even getting cocky again, he spoke to the Demon Slayer pulling him along.

"Go back and help them. That demon seems really strong."

Seeing that Muzan was already far enough away, the Demon Slayer nodded and hurried back to the battlefield.

Doma leisurely watched the three Demon Slayers fight for their lives.

Suddenly, a cold gust swept past his back.

* ! *

Doma froze. The next instant-

Crack!

A Nichirin Blade struck his neck hard from behind. But his body was so tough that it merely sliced through a layer of skin before lodging in his flesh, unable to advance any farther.

Still, it startled him, and a trace of displeasure crept into his cheerful expression.

Whoosh-

He snapped his iron fan shut and lashed backward.

Thud!

The returning Demon Slayer was sent flying by the tremendous force. He slammed into a rock and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

But the next moment, Doma froze.

His Crystal Child had been destroyed!

Two Nichirin Blades came at him from either side.

Crack!

Both blades struck his neck at once, but neither could cut through.

"Sneak attacks aren't very nice, you know~"

Smiling, Doma opened his fan and swept it with one hand-

Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotuses!

Ice flowers filled the air, forcing both attackers to hastily retreat.

"Tch! Why won't it cut?!"

One of them cursed angrily.

Immediately afterward, a sword plunged hard into Doma's abdomen from the front.

Doma lowered his head, grinning at the Nichirin Blade buried in his stomach.

"Not bad at all~"

Shhk-

The Nichirin Blade was yanked out, and the wound in his abdomen healed instantly.

"I've had enough fun."

Although Doma had suffered no real damage, this was his first battle, and the Demon Slayers' unexpected moves had genuinely startled him several times.

He didn't want to play anymore!

Blood Demon Art: Lotus Vines.

Several ice vines appeared out of thin air. The Demon Slayers hurriedly swung their Nichirin Blades to fend them off.

But demons were hardly honorable gentlemen.

Doma gestured threateningly toward the Tsuguko lying beside the rock, who could no longer fight. Half hiding his face behind his golden iron fan, he grinned.

"Are you going to abandon him?"

"Tch!"

One Hashira clicked his tongue in irritation. "Cover me!"

He severed an ice vine with a single slash, using the time his companion bought him to race toward the Tsuguko.

But holding off the ice vines had already taken everything the three of them had. Trying to rescue someone inevitably meant bearing even greater pressure.

Countless blades of ice lined the vines. Those he failed to dodge scraped mercilessly across his skin, leaving his arms, shoulders, and legs covered in bloody wounds.