"Flowers... flowers? Games?" Tengen Uzui looked at Doma with some confusion.
He couldn't quite understand the current situation.
Shouldn't the situation be quite clear by now?
Shouldn't a normal person end their own life, then quickly descend the mountain and kill everyone in the Swordsmith Village Swordsmith Village before they're all evacuated?
What is Doma dawdling about here for?
Is this something a heartless person would do?
Doma nodded, looking at Tengen Uzui seriously and said:
"Actually, you don't really want to die! Your current desire to die is just out of desperation!"
"I... I don't really want to die?"
Tengen Uzui repeated the sentence, feeling that something was off about it, but he couldn't seem to refute it.
Doma nodded and explained:
"You only want to die now because you have no other choice. Your humanity and your duty leave you with no choice but to fight to the death when facing me!"
"And I will give you another chance to choose!"
"I won't kill you now, but I'll go down and hunt down those people."
"And you can choose again: stay up there, or continue!"
"If you stay up there, you've fulfilled your duty to protect others, so there's no need to feel... well, in your words, guilty!"
"If you go down, in your current state, you won't be able to stop anything! You'll just be throwing away your own life!"
At this point, Doma's lips curled slightly as he looked at Tengen Uzui with great interest, and said:
"And I'm really looking forward to seeing which one you'll choose!"
Doma's words made Tengen Uzui open his mouth slightly, momentarily at a loss for words.
Doma down and pried open Tengen Uzui's fingers one by one.
During the prying process, Tengen Uzui realized what was happening and tried to grab it again with his other hand, but Doma him to the ground with ice.
Snap! Snap!
Doma clapped his hands, freezing both of Tengen Uzui's hands to the ground.
Just as they were about to descend the mountain, Tengen Uzui spoke up again.
What good will it do you to do this?
"The benefits..."
Doma unfolded his folding fan and gently waved it a few times, then explained with a smile:
"I want to see whether you choose to stay up there or go down to your death! I'm really looking forward to that answer!"
"What if I don't go down?" Tengen Uzui voice.
Doma laughed and said, "It's best if you don't go down. I like it when you don't go down! I'll be unhappy if you do!"
Tengen Uzui was silent for a moment, then said heavily, "A test... of humanity?"
"Hey! How can you say that! I'm just an emotionless person who wanted to see how people with feelings would react in this situation! It's just that small wish!"
Doma said with a grin, then added:
"Besides, this isn't without its benefits for you!"
"Benefits? What benefits would I get?" Tengen Uzui asked, looking at Doma.
"Look!" Doma explained, "If you don't go down, you'll survive! If you go down, you'll have died alone and lonely here, but if you go down, you can die in front of everyone. In your words, this is..."
Doma thought for a moment and said:
"Hmm, gorgeous! Yes, absolutely gorgeous!"
Doma opened his arms wide, his face beaming with joy, and said:
"Imagine dying surrounded by a crowd—isn't that a magnificent thing?"
"Then I should thank you," said Tengen Uzui.
Doma replied with a smile, "That won't be necessary. Just give me your answer!"
Tengen Uzui said, "Even if I don't go down, it's fine. By the time you go down, the villagers will have almost finished evacuating. That guy from Kanroji will be there to stop you, and that will be enough time for them to escape!"
Doma didn't reply immediately, but instead gave Tengen Uzui a deep look.
Is this because she's already struggling to choose, and is she using these questions to mask her inner anxiety?
Doma smiled and asked, "Didn't you just say that I, a person without emotions, shouldn't make wild guesses about what a person with emotions would do?"
"Yes, what's wrong?" Tengen Uzui nodded.
Doma laughed and said, "So, according to you, if you're alone, you shouldn't even think about what the demons will do!"
Tengen Uzui frowned, suddenly having a bad feeling.
What do you mean?
Doma smiled and explained, "Why would you think that even though I knew the other pillar went to the village below, I would still be willing to stay here and play with you?"
Why do you think a ghost would obediently descend the mountain step by step, just like you humans?
Doma's words made Tengen Uzui quickly realize his thoughts. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Doma took two steps toward the cliff, then stopped, turned to look at Tengen Uzui, smiled, and said:
"By the way, if you want to continue, think about the people who are important to you! Is it really meaningful to keep going and die like this?"
Having said that, without waiting for Tengen Uzui's response, Doma continued walking forward.
Soon, as the footsteps faded, Doma's figure disappeared above the cliff, leaving only a voice echoing from below.
" Blood Demon Art: Rime — Water Lily Bodhisattva!"
The voices faded into the distance, and soon a tremendous booming sound echoed from the valley below.
Tengen Uzui lay quietly on the ground, momentarily at a loss as to what he should do.
His duty as Demon Slayer told him that Doma would soon begin slaughtering the villagers, and he needed to hurry down the mountain to protect them!
Can...
I'm not a ghost, so I can't jump off the mountain like one. I can only run down the mountain path, but that will definitely be too late!
Even if I make it in time, given my current physical condition, even if I manage to get the Nichirin Blade after going down there, encountering Doma would just be suicide!
Besides, I've already fulfilled my duty by keeping Doma for so long!
And... Suma, Makio, and Hinatsuru are still waiting for me at home.
One reason after another surfaced in Tengen Uzui's mind.
Every reason he gave was a way of telling him that he had done his best that day and that he didn't need to go any further.
There are countless reasons not to go, but only one reason to go.
The two sides seemed to need no comparison, but Tengen Uzui was still painfully conflicted.
I tried to find more reasons to tell myself that I didn't have to continue with my severely injured body.
Can...
The stars twinkled silently in the night sky.
After a long while, a roar came from halfway up the mountain.
"I am the god of magnificent rituals!"