Chapter Summaries

Giyu and Sanemi followed a bald cultist through the temple to Doma’s room, planning to catch him off guard. After knocking the cultist unconscious, they coordinated an entry, and Sanemi rushed through the opened door to attack.

• Giyu told the bald cultist to identify Doma’s room from a distance so they could avoid drawing attention.
• The bald cultist led Giyu and Sanemi to a corridor and pointed out the room where Doma was meeting a believer.
• Giyu knocked the bald cultist unconscious and quietly lowered him to the floor.
• Giyu and Sanemi listened at the silent room, then agreed that Giyu would open the sliding door while Sanemi charged in first.
• Giyu opened the door, and Sanemi rushed inside while beginning Wind Breathing, Seventh Form.

Sanemi and Giyu found the cult leader Doma gone from the room, though Giyu discovered the cushion was still warm. Meanwhile, Doma appeared before Kotetsu in the Swordsmith Village woods and claimed to be a demon, but Kotetsu laughed and dismissed him as a liar.

• Sanemi and Giyu searched the empty room and found no sign of Doma.
• Sanemi brought the bald cultist back and accused him of lying, but Giyu confirmed that the cultist had told the truth.
• Giyu noticed the cushion was still warm, suggesting Doma had left shortly before they arrived.
• Kotetsu complained about being sent away while Tetsumoto finished polishing a sword, then laughed to himself on his way home.
• Doma approached Kotetsu in the woods, called himself a demon, and was dismissed by Kotetsu as a liar.

Doma let Kotetsu mistake him for a Demon Slayer and decided to experience the Swordsmith Village’s hospitality before killing its residents. As Kotetsu escorted him toward the guesthouse, he asked Doma about his rank, leaving Doma unsure what ranks Demon Slayers had.

• Kotetsu mistook Doma for a Demon Slayer visiting to have a sword forged, and Doma agreed to the misunderstanding.
• Kotetsu offered to take Doma to the guesthouse and explained that the village’s visiting Demon Slayers had separate lodgings.
• Doma followed Kotetsu up the mountain and studied the village homes and swordsmith workshops below, planning to kill the Demon Slayers and residents after his visit.
• Kotetsu asked Doma what rank he held, and Doma realized he knew little about the Demon Slayer Corps’ ranks beyond the Hashira.

Doma disguised himself as a Hashira while Kotetsu led him toward the guesthouse, where two Hashira were staying. After learning that Kato Teiichi had already left, Doma relaxed, while Kotetsu decided to help the two men make up when Kato returned.

• Doma told Kotetsu he was a Hashira and learned that two Hashira were still at the guesthouse.
• Doma asked Kotetsu to summon the Hashira without revealing his name so he could surprise them.
• Kotetsu named the Hashira who had visited, including Kato Teiichi, and Doma froze at the name.
• Kotetsu told Doma that Kato had already left on a mission, and Doma sighed with relief.
• Kotetsu mistook Doma's fear of Kato for a past disagreement and promised to help them make up when Kato returned.

Doma arrived at the Swordsmith Village guesthouse, ate dinner, and waited for Kotetsu to bring Mitsuri and the others to meet him. Mitsuri and Tengen reached the dining room, where Doma greeted them with a cheerful “Konnichiwa.”

• Kotetsu brought Doma to the guesthouse and asked Yamashita to serve him dinner.
• Doma ate the meal Yamashita prepared while waiting for Kotetsu to fetch Mitsuri and the others.
• Kotetsu led Mitsuri and Tengen to the dining room without revealing who they were going to meet.
• Mitsuri entered first, saw Doma, and froze in disbelief.
• Doma waved to the arriving group and greeted them with “Konnichiwa.”

Giyu and Sanemi searched the Eternal Paradise Cult for Doma but found only his display cabinet of preserved human heads. Giyu reasoned that Doma had left to do something rather than flee, so they waited in the room where he received followers as footsteps approached.

• Giyu questioned the bald cultist and made him lead Sanemi and Giyu to Doma's room.
• Sanemi and Giyu found Doma's display cabinet filled with preserved human heads, including one displayed in a vase.
• The bald cultist led Sanemi and Giyu around the temple, but they found no trace of Doma.
• Giyu told Sanemi that Doma had likely gone to do something and would return, so they waited in the reception room.
• Footsteps sounded outside the room as Sanemi and Giyu waited.

Teiichi reunited with Giyu, Sanemi, Kanae, and Nezuko at Doma’s temple, where they confirmed Doma was missing and considered where he might have gone. Teiichi decided they should wait for Doma to return, then discovered a concealed door opening onto a view of mountains beneath dark clouds.

• Giyu and Sanemi attacked Teiichi when he opened the door, mistaking him for Doma, but Teiichi stopped their blades.
• Sanemi told Teiichi that a follower had confirmed the temple belonged to Doma’s cult.
• Giyu explained that Doma had been at the temple earlier but had disappeared, and Teiichi confirmed with his Wind Field that he was not there.
• Teiichi considered whether Doma had left or been summoned through the Infinity Castle, and worried that he might have been sent to the Swordsmith Village.
• Teiichi told the group to wait for Doma to return, then found and opened a door concealed in the wall.

Doma attacked Mitsuri, Tengen Uzui, and Kotetsu in the Swordsmith Village while they were unarmed, destroying the guesthouse with a giant ice arm. Tengen stayed behind to hold Doma off as Mitsuri took Kotetsu to warn the villagers to evacuate.

• Mitsuri recognized Doma at the dining table, and Tengen Uzui pulled her and Kotetsu away before they could confront him without their Nichirin Blades.
• Doma opened his folding fan and created a giant ice-sculpted arm that burst through the corridor ceiling and pursued them.
• Tengen Uzui and Mitsuri escaped through a window as the ice arm struck the ground and began demolishing the guesthouse.
• Mitsuri realized their Nichirin Blades and Uncle Yamashita were still inside, but Tengen said they could not fight Doma bare-handed.
• Tengen Uzui handed Kotetsu to Mitsuri and ordered her to evacuate the villagers while he held Doma off.

Mitsuri ran down the mountain with Kotetsu to get Nichirin Blades while Tengen Uzui stayed behind to hold off Doma. After sending Rei to warn the village and summon help, Mitsuri continued toward the swords, leaving Uzui alone against the Upper Rank demon.

• Tengen Uzui ordered Mitsuri to flee with Kotetsu, bring back two Nichirin Blades, and leave him to hold off Doma; Mitsuri ran downhill after promising to return.
• Kotetsu blamed himself for leading Doma to the mountain, but Mitsuri reassured him that he had helped protect the village.
• Mitsuri's Kasugai Crow, Rei, arrived, and Mitsuri sent it to report Doma's attack, warn the villagers to evacuate, and ask Corps members to bring two swords.
• Mitsuri decided to keep running downhill rather than return to Uzui without weapons, hoping to get the Nichirin Blades back to him sooner.
• Kotetsu asked whether a Kasugai Crow could carry the swords, and Mitsuri explained that they were too heavy before confirming Doma was an Upper Rank.

Mitsuri reassured Kotetsu that Teiichi could defeat Doma, though she did not know where Teiichi was. Tengen Uzui stalled Doma without his Nichirin Blades while Yamamoto and Sato began preparing to evacuate the Swordsmith Village after a Kasugai Crow confirmed the attack.

• Mitsuri told Kotetsu that Teiichi could defeat Doma but explained that Teiichi was away on a mission and his location was unknown.
• Doma emerged from the destroyed guesthouse and confronted Tengen Uzui, who stayed behind to buy time for help and the Nichirin Blades to arrive.
• Doma attacked Tengen with a giant ice-sculpted arm, and Tengen dodged its blows by crouching beneath a sweeping strike.
• Yamamoto ordered Sato to gather the Demon Slayer Corps members and evacuate the villagers from the Swordsmith Village.
• A Kasugai Crow announced that Upper Rank Three, Doma, was attacking the village and urged an immediate evacuation.

Tengen Uzui continued holding Doma off without his Nichirin Blades or other weapons, dodging Doma’s ice attacks and using a stone to defend himself. As Doma kept firing ice pillars, Tengen faced an unending barrage with his injured palm while Doma watched calmly.

• Tengen Uzui dodged Doma’s sweeping ice-sculpted arm to keep Doma from heading down the mountain path.
• After the ice arm became still, Doma used Blood Demon Art: Frozen Lotus to send ice pillars at Tengen.
• Tengen dodged the first attacks, then grabbed a large stone when hundreds of pillars made escape impossible.
• Tengen broke and deflected the ice pillars with the stone, hurting his palm as it wore down.
• Doma repeatedly formed and launched more ice pillars while Tengen struggled to defend himself.

Tengen Uzui fought his way through Doma’s icicle barrage using stones and Sound Breathing, but Doma’s frost began numbing his hand. As the battle stalled, Doma proposed that they stop interfering with each other, and Tengen refused.

• Tengen Uzui’s palms began bleeding as he kept knocking down Doma’s icicles with stones.
• Tengen threw two stones at Doma, then charged through the slowed barrage with Sound Breathing’s Third Form: Sound of No Echo.
• Tengen’s sound-wave attack affected Doma only slightly, and Tengen wondered whether using stones instead of Nichirin Blades weakened the technique.
• Tengen reached Doma and struck his folding fan, shattering his stone and leaving frost spreading over his hand and wrist.
• Tengen worried that Kanroji had not yet made it down the mountain, while Doma suggested they leave each other alone and Tengen rejected the offer.

Tengen Uzui explained to Doma how his father's brutal training and sibling killings shaped his past. He left off as Doma asked what happened after only Tengen Uzui and his younger brother remained.

• Tengen Uzui refused Doma's offer to become a demon and said demons could not understand humanity.
• Doma admitted he lacked emotions but wanted to learn about humanity and feelings.
• Tengen Uzui recounted how his father forced his nine siblings through deadly training, killing three through its harshness.
• Tengen Uzui said his father made the surviving siblings wear masks and kill one another, and he killed two brothers before discovering the truth.
• Tengen Uzui subdued his younger brother and explained their father's purpose, but his brother killed their two remaining siblings, leaving only the two of them.

Doma questioned Tengen Uzui about his family and learned why Tengen had fled rather than kill his father and brother. Doma attacked with his ice-based Blood Demon Art, and Tengen was left badly wounded as Doma asked whether he regretted standing in his way.

• Doma misunderstood Tengen's account of fleeing his abusive family, and Tengen explained that demons should feel kinship with people like his father and brother.
• Doma asked where Tengen's father and brother were, but Tengen refused to reveal their location because he could not bear to have them killed or turned into demons.
• Doma summoned the Cold White Princesses and released freezing air as he moved toward the mountain path.
• Tengen attacked Doma with Sound Breathing, Sixth Form: Rattlesnake Flash, but fought through the lung-chilling mist as Doma countered with Barren Hanging Garden.
• Doma slashed Tengen across the chest and sent him crashing to the ground, then crouched beside him and asked whether he regretted his choice.

Doma taunted the badly wounded Tengen Uzui, who clung to his ankle to stop him from reaching the village. Doma proposed a game in which Tengen would have to choose whether to save the villagers as Doma prepared to attack them.

• Doma struck Tengen Uzui again, leaving him unable to rise.
• Tengen Uzui grabbed Doma’s ankle and insisted Doma would have to kill him before going to the village.
• Doma and Tengen discussed Doma’s reading, his lost Blood Battle against Akaza, and Tengen’s laughter at the phrase “a hymn to humanity.”
• Tengen Uzui said dying as the god of festivals would be a flashy end.
• Doma dragged Tengen Uzui to the cliff’s edge and said he would kill the villagers, leaving Tengen to decide whether to go save them.

Doma offered Tengen Uzui a choice: stay on the mountain and live, or pursue him despite his injuries and likely die. After Doma headed down to attack the Swordsmith Village, Tengen agonized over his duty and the people waiting for him before roaring that he was the flashy god of festivals.

• Doma explained that he would spare Tengen for now and let him choose whether to remain on the mountain or follow him toward the village.
• Doma froze Tengen’s hands to the ground and challenged him to decide, claiming he wanted to see what an emotional human would do.
• Tengen argued that the villagers would have time to evacuate and Kanroji could stop Doma, but Doma warned him not to assume demons would follow human expectations.
• Doma leapt from the cliff, unleashed Blood Demon Art: Rime - Water Lily Bodhisattva, and caused a tremendous boom in the valley.
• Tengen weighed his duty against his injuries and his loved ones, then roared that he was the flashy god of festivals.

Mitsuri received the swords and discovered Doma’s Water Lily Bodhisattva after a massive crash, leading her to fear that Mr. Uzui had fallen. She saw the Bodhisattva heading toward the residential area and split up with Yamamoto and Kotetsu to protect the Swordsmith Village.

• Mitsuri waited at a fork in the road with Kotetsu for the Corps member bringing the swords, then chose to head toward the residential area.
• Yamamoto arrived with two Nichirin Blades, and Mitsuri asked him to take Kotetsu to shelter while she carried the swords uphill.
• After hearing a huge crash, Mitsuri climbed into the trees and spotted Doma’s Water Lily Bodhisattva.
• Mitsuri feared that Mr. Uzui had fallen when she saw the ice statue, then watched it charge toward the residential area.
• Mitsuri ordered Yamamoto and Kotetsu to check the workshops and evacuate any villagers while she went to intercept Doma.

Doma descended into the valley on his Water Lily Bodhisattva and set his sights on the Swordsmith Village’s workshops and residential area. As Mitsuri rushed toward the village and Sato tried to organize its evacuation, the villagers struggled to flee in the growing chaos.

• Doma summoned his Water Lily Bodhisattva to break his fall, healed his injured legs, and considered whether Tengen Uzui would follow him down the cliff.
• Doma identified the workshops and residential area from Kotetsu’s directions and wondered whether he could attack both from where he stood.
• Mitsuri hurried toward the residential area, worried that her unfamiliar replacement Nichirin Blade would weaken her in a fight before reinforcements arrived.
• Sato coordinated the villagers’ evacuation, but disbelief, confusion, and panic slowed their efforts.
• Sato shouted instructions from a rooftop, urging the villagers to split up and help elderly people and children.

Sato organized the village evacuation as the ice Bodhisattva approached, then led four Demon Slayer Corps members to hold off the Upper Rank. Elsewhere, Yamamoto discovered the threat was heading toward the residential area and continued carrying Kotetsu toward the workshop to check on its evacuation.

• Sato saw the ice Bodhisattva nearing the village and urged the crowd to evacuate quickly.
• Yoshida carried the village chief while the chief repeatedly struck him and demanded to be put down so he could fight the demon.
• Sato called Takahashi, Ito, Nakamura, and Honda to join him in buying time, and the five leaped toward the ice Bodhisattva.
• Yamamoto stopped in the woods to look at the distant ice Bodhisattva and realized it was the source of the rumbling.
• Yamamoto told Kotetsu that the Upper Rank was heading toward the residential area, then set off for the workshop to check whether everyone there had evacuated.

Yamamoto searched the workshops while carrying Kotetsu and found that Tetsumoto Homura had stayed behind to finish forging a Nichirin Blade. As they left for shelter, three small ice figures appeared on a rooftop, watching them.

• Yamamoto carried Kotetsu through the workshops and checked lit houses to make sure everyone had evacuated.
• Kotetsu pointed out a house where a Demon Slayer Corps member was waiting because a villager refused to leave before finishing his blade.
• Tetsumoto Homura came out carrying the Nichirin Blade he had forged for Kato, and Yamamoto told him that Upper Rank Three, Doma, had invaded the village.
• Yamamoto, Kotetsu, Tetsumoto Homura, and the Corps member finished checking the workshops and headed toward the forest for shelter.
• Tetsumoto Homura stopped and looked toward a rooftop, where three small ice figures watched them.