[𖤐 Mission: Slay Douma]
[𖤐 Reward: Absolute Authority of Kenja-sama]
Glancing at the mission, Tanjiro cursed inwardly.
'What the fuck does that mean? Absolute Authority… So basically I'll become the new Lord of this cult?'
Thinking about it for a second, his crimson eyes lit up.
Wait a second…!
How much money and jewelry had this guy amassed since becoming a demon so long ago?
Not to mention most followers of the Eternal Paradise Faith were devoted girls. Their faith in Kenja-sama was far beyond normal, almost fanatical.
'…Okay, that's a sweet deal!' Showing an evil grin to Douma, he replied nonchalantly. "Who knows."
His grip on the Heavenly Demon Sword tightened as he stood straight next to the only exit, trapping the demon in the dungeon thick with rotting stench.
Upper Rank Two Douma, though tense, tilted his head and stared at the bizarre sword in Tanjiro's hand. "Wah, what kind of sword is that? Eh, why do I feel my Lord's presence from it…" His lips parted into a smile. "Say, would you tell me, pretty please?" Pleading with hands joined, he swayed his body like a weirdo even though he stayed rooted in place.
"You will know soon enough." Tanjiro grinned wider, showing no interest in playing with this demon bastard.
Out of all the Twelve Kizuki, Douma was the one he detested the most. Gyokko came second, Kokushibo third. First was an emotionless psychopath, second a narcissistic sadist, and third just a piece of shit whose inferiority complex had left him mentally broken.
Tanjiro sensed Shinobu's presence above and nodded inwardly. While he kept the demon pinned, Shinobu would evacuate the innocent people from the battlefield. This was one of the strategies they'd agreed on. As one of the fastest Hashira, Shinobu was confident she could move more than fifty people to safety in under a minute. The method didn't matter as long as they were unharmed. So she had decided to simply knock out whoever she found and drag them outside.
'She'll be finished in a minute…' Calculating in his mind, he yawned slightly, feeling no rush at all.
Standing some distance away, Douma fidgeted his fingers unconsciously, unnerved by the overwhelming pressure radiating from the boy before him.
Douma wasn't the one afraid… His body — or more accurately, his demon cells — were convulsing badly.
'I'm stuck in one place… Though my senses are screaming to run, my body refuses to budge…'
Realizing that, he suddenly felt something.
'AH~ So this must be Lord Muzan's fear~ It's so vivid~! I can feel it throughout my entire body~' Cheeks reddening, he pressed a hand to his chest and felt his forever-silent heart thudding loudly after ages.
He was feeling it… the emotion of fear! For the first time in his life…!
"Muzan-sama's~ inside me~" He let out a soft moan, shaking himself in pleasure.
Next to him, Tanjiro's gaze narrowed as his face twisted in pure disgust. "What the fuck, you sicko."
A repulsive look flashed in his eyes and he barely held himself back from finishing this guy right then and there.
A few seconds passed~
"Say, why are you taking my followers away? If you're thinking I'd cause any harm to them, then you're mistaken. They are my good believers, after all. There was no need to do that."
Douma said, showing an honest smile that looked more like mockery.
Not answering, Tanjiro completely ignored him.
Perceiving the threat from the human boy just by standing still, Douma knew better. If he moved, something was definitely going to happen to him. So he remained rooted like a good mutt.
"How did you know I was here? I thought I did a pretty good job staying secretive, hm." Putting a finger to his chin, he asked childishly.
There was a brief silence in the dungeon.
With a smirk spreading across his face, Tanjiro replied, "Your good friend Akaza sent me here… to say hello."
'…'
Say what?
Douma chuckled lightly, waving his hand. "That's weird. Why would Akaza-dono tell you that? First of all, you Demon Slayers hate us, so why would you trust a demon's word…" A pissed-off look flashed on his face. "Don't lie."
Snorting, Tanjiro lifted his sword and rested it on his shoulder. "What are you gonna do about it, bitch." Wearing a contemptuous look, he added, "You're just another maggot in my eyes. Wriggle over there, and don't you fucking act up. Just hearing your filthy voice is making my ears sore."
All expression vanished from Douma's face.
Had any lowly creature ever dared to say such a thing to his face before?
"You sure got an unrestrained mouth." Returning to his usual state, he summoned two golden war fans by bursting the blood vessels on his wrists. His own blood turned into tangible weapons.
'Hantengu's clones did the same, that staff and leaf fan… What a great ability.' Tanjiro licked his lips. 'I can have it too, one day…'
On the other side, Douma decided to take action — not because he was ticked off or anything, but because he refused to be looked down upon by some measly human. He had never once thought of humans as his equal for over a century. They were pitiful, weak, stupid, and born with the sole purpose to be a demon's playthings. But the one before him he had to take very seriously.
Not intending to act like a captured rat anymore, Douma waved his fan slightly, and a cloud of icy mist and cold wind surged toward Tanjiro.
[Blood Demon Art: Freezing Clouds]
The speed of Douma's attack was fast. So fast that Tanjiro had to swing his sword almost instantly to destroy the air-type assault.
A blast of wind from his slash dispersed half the attack, in addition to making a mess in the dungeon.
Next, the Heavenly Demon Sword buzzed and absorbed the rest of the icy mist into it, completely countering Douma's ice-based technique.
Tanjiro's lips curved upward in clear mockery. "So you want to play, huh."
Swinging his sword four times with full strength, he blasted powerful winds all around him.
Skulls dropped from the shelves one by one as Douma's hair and clothes fluttered wildly from the sheer force.
"Fine, bring it on then." Tanjiro showed him a middle finger and wiggled it.
Nerves visibly twitched on Douma's forehead. His face calm yet extremely cold.
'How do I escape from this monster… Muzan-sama isn't responding either.' He thought, finding it impossible to connect with his lord. Because of thick Demon Blood inside them, the Upper Ranks could send signals to Muzan. Though only their lord could utilize the telepathy, they couldn't communicate at all.
If he was above, he would have used other humans as meat shields to run away easily. But in his current situation, with the only way out blocked by this predator, it was difficult to admit, but he was thoroughly cornered.
As he pondered, a sharp voice came from ahead. "What, too scared to move?"
Douma's rainbow eyes caught the human boy's delighted crimson gaze.
"Can you let me go?" Douma said with crescent eyes. "Otherwise, I'd explode myself here. All the humans you tried to save and the ones living in the village would die, and I'm sure you and the girl above would suffer a fate no less than death… So how about it?"
Lowering his war fans, he looked at the human boy patiently.
Seeing this, an expression of surprise appeared on Tanjiro's face. "Oh…"
But it took only a second for Tanjiro to decide.
"Hell no." He said with a warm smile.
Douma's lips parted unknowingly.
A moment of long silence followed.
Then, out of nowhere, Douma moved his hand and ten miniature ice replicas of himself manifested next to him.
[Blood Demon Art: Crystalline Divine Child]
As if that wasn't enough, he coughed out lots of his blood and activated his most powerful technique.
[Blood Demon Art: Rime — Water Lily Bodhisattva]
Douma's coughed-out blood turned into an enormous Bodhisattva statue made of ice, surrounded by lotuses.
Looking at the frantic moves, Tanjiro mumbled aloud. "It will do no good. Why are you trying so hard…"
"Better than begging or exploding myself to death." Douma answered playfully, sitting on the statue's shoulder where an ice lotus bloomed.
"So be it." Gripping the Heavenly Demon Sword with full strength, Tanjiro noticed Shinobu was about to arrive and launched himself forward.
Those small replicas moved their fans wildly.
[Blood Demon Art: Lotus Vines]
[Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotuses]
[Blood Demon Art: Wintry Icicles]
An attack of several lotuses made of ice, long frost vines, and a blizzard of long-ranged razor-sharp ice shards shaped like lotus petals.
[Sun Breathing Third Form: Raging Sun]
Feeling the chilly wind, Tanjiro swung his sword hard two times and countered the attacks with ease. Lotuses, vines, shards, icicles… everything either broke apart or got absorbed by the Heavenly Demon Sword.
Tanjiro suddenly vanished from his place as a powerful gust of deadly ice blew from the Bodhisattva's mouth.
Douma's eyes narrowed in disbelief. 'Those aren't human movements, are they…'
He jumped off the statue's shoulder and dashed toward the exit when he found the chance.
Expecting him to run away, Tanjiro looked at the miniature replicas and Bodhisattva, and thought inwardly. 'Time to get serious…'
~~~~
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