The moment she saw the other party, Shinobu's delicate body began to tremble.
Tanjiro could smell a scent of anger, an aura a hundred times more intense than the anger previously emanating from Shinobu.
What made Shinobu tremble was not the "Upper Two" characters in the other person's eyes, but that hair soaked in blood and the multicolored pupils.
There's no mistake, the one in front of her is the murderer who killed her elder sister. Also, the demon she has always longed to kill.
His face carried a trademark smile, his gaze swept over everyone at the scene.
"Tamayo? I didn't expect you to be here too. If I kill you, Lord Muzan will surely be pleased."
"This girl..." He looked at the petite Nezuko and was momentarily dazed, showing slight pity.
"She's also quite cute... but, she's a demon."
He didn't pay much attention to Tanjiro. This kind of poorly-raised male, he usually just kills them outright and throws their bodies into the wild.
He touched his head and smiled apologetically. "Nice to meet you all. I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Douma. What a lovely evening this is."
Unlike Douma's calm demeanor, everyone else had tense and grim expressions.
Tamayo, more than anyone, clearly understood the overwhelming power that Upper Moon demons possessed. The moment she saw the "Upper Two" in his eyes, she knew that their group had little chance of survival.
Douma seemed approachable, but the aura radiating from him made Tanjiro extremely uneasy. He held tightly onto Nezuko's hand, growing alert.
The veins on Shinobu's forehead bulged, her expression quite unfriendly.
Douma looked at her and smilingly asked, "Why such a face? Poor child, did something sad happen to you? Tell me. I'll listen."
"You are utterly disgusting!" Shinobu's voice seemed squeezed out from between her teeth.
Douma pretended to be a little hurt. "Why say such hurtful words the first time we meet?"
Shinobu was already burning with rage. She lifted the butterfly-patterned haori.
"Have you forgotten this haori? My elder sister was killed by you."
Douma examined her for a moment and suddenly realized, laughing, "Ah! That girl who used the Insect Breathing. Because the sun rose, I couldn't eat her..."
His face showed a look of regret. The next second, a slender long blade pierced through his eye.
Shinobu's eyes were furious, her expression terrifying. Under the continuous focus of Total Concentration Constant Breathing, her speed had reached its peak.
Even as the Nichirin blade pierced his body, Douma wasn't flustered in the slightest. Instead, he complimented her.
"Such an impressive thrust attack. I couldn't block it with my fan bones. With that speed, are you a Hashira?"
He took out a pair of fans and made a sweeping motion.
'Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice!'
Around him, the temperature dropped drastically. Water vapor condensed into crystal lotus flowers of ice, gathering around Shinobu.
The ice crystal lotuses were extremely sharp, they not only cut flesh but also froze it rapidly.
'So cold...' Shinobu's pupils trembled slightly. In that instant, she had hoped to use poison and transmit the ripple into Douma's body. But her lungs felt as if they were frozen.
She couldn't form any ripple at all.
The wound from the stab healed in the blink of an eye. Douma sighed, "Indeed fast, but what a pity. A thrust can't kill a demon. You have to cut off a demon's neck."
"If a thrust won't work, what about poison?"
When Shinobu said that, Douma's face turned a sickly purple, and he collapsed in pain, vomiting blood, miserable to look at.
But soon he stood up again and laughed loudly, "Poisoning is truly interesting! It feels addictive. You went to the trouble to poison me, but it seems I already broke it down."
Shinobu's eyes lost focus. She knew that poison had limited effect on such high-level demons. But what she didn't expect was that the poison she had carefully created was so easily neutralized by the other party.
A feeling of helplessness surged in her heart.
Douma looked at her with a smile, then suddenly his gaze sharpened, and his folding fan slashed through the air.
Not far away, Tamayo's extended arm was instantly cut in two.
"I originally wanted to eat this girl before dealing with you... but it seems you can't wait to die."
Seeing her small trick discovered, cold sweat trickled down Tamayo's forehead. Looking at Shinobu, she said, "I know you don't trust me, but right now, only by working together is there a sliver of hope. Even if we die here, we must let them escape."
After listening to Tamayo's words, Shinobu glanced at Tanjiro and Nezuko. She froze, then smiled faintly, "Miss Tamayo, I trust you now."
She whispered, "Kamado-kun, while Miss Tamayo and I hold him off, you and Nezuko should take the opportunity to escape."
"But..." To abandon his comrades and flee alone, Tanjiro felt immense inner conflict.
Shinobu said sternly, "I don't want to say this, but staying here will only hold us back."
Tanjiro could no longer speak.
Shinobu sighed and said, "Go find Jotaro-san. He will protect you two."
"What are you whispering about?" Douma asked curiously. "Trying to escape?"
"Too late, you're not going anywhere!"
"Go! Kamado-kun!" Realizing their conversation had been overheard, Shinobu shouted and, together with Tamayo, blocked Douma's path.
Tanjiro nodded solemnly and turned to flee with Nezuko.
Splurt~
Blood splattered. In a flash, Tamayo had collapsed into a pool of blood.
Shinobu wasn't in good condition either, her body had been struck by Douma. That momentary loss of strength made her fall to the ground.
Douma slowly walked over and smiled, "You've done very well... but everything was in vain. Come, gain eternity with me."
"Stop!" At some point, Tanjiro had rushed back and shouted, "Ripple Overdrive!"
Tanjiro had only studied Ripple for a little over ten days. Before this, he had trouble even generating a ripple. But now, a dazzling golden light shone from his hand.
"Kamado-kun, why didn't you run?!" Shinobu turned her head in shock. She hadn't expected this. At this rate, he would die too.
Tanjiro said, "If I abandon my comrades and run away, how could I ever face Jotaro-san again?!"
Shining like the sun's radiance, Shinobu squinted, unable to believe it, the same Tanjiro who couldn't even produce a ripple days ago was now releasing such overwhelming Ripple energy.
With his Ripple-charged fist rushing toward Douma, Tanjiro shouted, "Jotaro-san's Ripple notes once said, Ripple is born from courage!"
"The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage! The greatness of humans is the greatness of courage!"
"You demons who hide in the darkness of night will never understand, what courage truly is!"
"Ripple Overdrive!"
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