In the courtyard, the silence was so profound one could hear everyone's heartbeat. The Fujino Family was plunged into immense panic.
Not only were they afraid of these few armed ronin who had burst in and caused such a scene for no apparent reason-
But more than that, they never imagined that the seemingly kindly monk's sacred object could be such a deadly thing. It was simply unbelievable.
Fujino's cousin, Saya, lay slumped on the ground, her eyes vacantly staring at the spot where the monk had fallen.
Her husband pulled his mother behind him, tightly embracing his wife and children. His body trembled violently.
At that moment, Shinobu's figure gracefully swept past Taka, landing beside the monk like a fluttering butterfly.
"Shinobu!" Taka did not approve of her action. He warily swung Tonan, dispersing the mist left by the shattered ice Buddha. "Careful. This mist is not right."
"Saving a life is more important." Shinobu flipped up the hem of her haori and quickly took out her medical kit from her waist, pulling out a thin metal syringe.
She pried open the monk's already purple-black lips and injected the antidote injection targeting the Blood Demon Art deep into his throat.
"Cough! Cough cough!!"
The monk was already struggling to breathe. Most of the injected liquid was coughed up by his violent coughing, with little effect.
His skin rapidly greyed and withered at a visible pace. Pinkish blood froth, carrying fine ice crystals, seeped from his mouth and nose with each cough. The situation was extremely critical.
When Fujino had first entered the courtyard, he had been terrified by Taka and the others pointing their swords at him.
But now, watching Shinobu's profile as she focused entirely on saving him, heedless of her own safety, he felt that things might not be as he had imagined.
"Miss, what can I do!" He suddenly gritted his teeth. His responsibility as a doctor overrode his fear, and he rushed to Shinobu's side.
Through professional observation, he paled and spoke: "The blood vessels under the skin have turned blue. The internal organs must also be affected by the extreme cold gas. The alveoli have ruptured!"
"Careful, Fujino-san! This is a Blood Demon Art, not ordinary frostbite!"
Shinobu spoke rapidly, her hands never stopping. She took another cardiac stimulant from her medical kit and precisely injected it into the monk's chest. "Please lift his jaw and keep his airway open!"
Fujino didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately complied.
His steady, powerful hands pressed against the monk's ice-cold chest, continuously pressing in a regular rhythm, trying to help him back to the world of the living.
One used specific medicine targeting the Blood Demon Art, while the other used ordinary first aid techniques. Together, they fought for a dying life from the demon's grasp.
Taka's Tonan never lowered. The blade hummed. Its faded edge warily swept over every corner and shadow of the courtyard, guarding against a possible second wave of attack.
Kanao also stood quietly and warily at a slight distance, her purple pupils sharply observing the surroundings, protecting the safety of the ordinary people.
Time passed in suffocating oppression.
Sweat beaded on Fujino's forehead. His arms ached from the continuous compressions.
The antidote and cardiac stimulant Shinobu had injected seemed to vanish without a trace, having no effect whatsoever.
The monk's breathing was so faint it was almost gone. With each inhalation, a broken sound came from deep within his chest, like icicles scraping and tearing at his lungs.
Suddenly, the dying monk's body violently convulsed.
His greyed eyes abruptly bulged, fixedly staring at the sky. A gasping sound came from his throat.
"Urgh... hah...." His lips madly fluttered. Blood mixed with ice chips continuously welled up.
"What is he trying to say?" Fujino looked urgently at Shinobu.
Shinobu quickly leaned down, pressing her ear to the monk's still-bleeding lips: "Name! Tell me, who is your cult leader! Where!"
The monk's pupils, on the verge of dilating, violently contracted. His body grew colder, trembling more violently.
A broken and twisted name, soaked in blood froth and extreme fanaticism, was forced from the depths of his frozen throat with the last of his strength:
"Do... Doma-sama... Eternal blessings...."
The moment this name fell, the monk's bulging eyes completely lost their last glimmer of light.
The withered claws gripping Fujino's wrist weakly released. His body suddenly stiffened, then immediately slumped.
Only a cold corpse remained, with scarlet ice dregs frozen at its mouth and nose.
The autumn wind blew through the icy mist, scattering the last traces of demonic aura into the wind.
Shinobu slowly straightened up. The mask-like gentle smile she usually wore was gone, replaced by a somber look.
She reached out and gently closed the monk's eyes, which had died with them open.
Life taken by a demon. Every time she saw such a scene, the flame within her heart grew a little stronger.
After confirming there were no more demonic aura fluctuations in the courtyard, Taka flicked his wrist and sheathed Tonan.
Looking at the blue-purple marks on his own wrist grabbed by the monk, and then at the rapidly cooling corpse on the ground, Fujino's gaze towards Taka and his group became extremely complicated.
Shock, fear, lingering dread, perhaps even a hint of sudden understanding.
"You're... not reporters, are you?" He spoke hoarsely. "You knew this cult had problems, so you followed me here, right?"
"What you said just now? Demons? Is that what I think it is...."
"Yes, Fujino-san." Shinobu Kocho turned and bowed deeply to the Fujino family. The butterfly hair ornament swayed gently with her movement. "We are terribly sorry for not informing you in advance. But please understand, fighting demons is always hard for people to believe. Concealing our identity was not malicious."
Under Shinobu's gaze, Taka also bowed slightly, his movement somewhat stiff.
His gaze swept over the still-terrified family. His voice was low: "Demons are real. They wear human skin and do the work of eating people. The Eternal Paradise Faith you venerate is the den of demons."
These words shocked the Fujino Family into ashen faces, but no one dared refute.
Having witnessed with their own eyes the eerie sight of the monk being killed by the evil object he himself brought, even if it seemed unbelievable, it was real.
Saya, who had been immersed in the hazy feeling brought by the ice Buddha, curled up in her husband's arms, trembling with hollow, desperate eyes.
"Then... my cousin..." Fujino looked at Saya, his voice carrying a last shred of hope. "You said she was eroded... Can she be saved? That demonic thing...."
Shinobu walked over to Saya and crouched down again. Her fingers lightly touched her wrist, and she carefully examined her pupils, mouth, and nose.
After a moment, she withdrew her hand. Her delicate brows slightly furrowed. She gently shook her head.
Her eyes held helplessness and compassion. She spoke heavily: "I'm sorry, Fujino-san. I don't know."
"The power of the Blood Demon Art has already invaded deep into her organs. It's a mercy she survived at all. As for the future... we can only do our best to nurture her body and leave it to fate...."
Shinobu didn't finish, but as a doctor, Fujino naturally understood her meaning.
"I understand..... Thank you, swordswoman." Fujino's voice was thick with bitterness.
Fujino took a deep breath. His gaze towards Shinobu became exceptionally firm. "Please, by all means slay that demon cult leader named Doma! I beg of you!" He bowed solemnly.
"It is our duty." Taka's reply was simple and powerful.
Shinobu nodded and also responded: "The Demon Slayer Corps exists precisely to prevent tragedies like Saya-san's from continuing to happen. Rest assured!"
She turned to Kanao, who had been standing quietly at the side, and calmly ordered: "Kanao, as quickly as possible, escort this monk's remains to the nearest Kakushi contact point—"
"Inform the person in charge there that the Blood Demon Art which caused this man's death is very special. Be sure to immediately begin research and analysis, trying to find out its operating mechanism."
"Yes!" Kanao had no unnecessary questions or emotions. She responded crisply and efficiently.
She quickly took off her draped white cloak, moving quickly and solemnly wrapping the monk's remains, carefully lifting them onto her shoulder.
That slender body bore the weight of death, yet appeared exceptionally steady.
She nodded slightly to Shinobu and Taka. With a few light leaps, her petite figure disappeared into the vast mountain forest beyond the courtyard.
The atmosphere in the courtyard did not lighten with Kanao's departure.
The monk's death, the family's despair, the shadow of the Eternal Paradise Faith… all pressed heavily on everyone's hearts.
"Time to go, Taka." Shinobu looked at Taka. Deep in her eyes, flames of anger burned.
"Tomioka-san is on his way. Let's go to the station and rendezvous with him."
"Although it was by accident, this first greeting from the cult leader is truly impressive, isn't it."
Her words were soft, yet carried a grim killing intent.
As she said, she truly could not learn to get along with demons.