"Ora ora ora ora ora ora!"
"Ora!"
With the final punch thrown, Douma's broken and battered, bloodied body flew out like a kite with a cut string.
Irreversible injuries caused his cells to gradually turn into flying ash. His body from the neck down had already completely dissipated.
Death was destined to be his end.
Jotaro no longer cared about him, allowing him to live or die on his own.
Shinobu opened her eyes wide and watched this scene. Although she felt regret for being unable to personally avenge her sister, such an ending already made her feel incomparably delighted.
Especially seeing Douma's face filled with hatred yet helplessness.
"Your strength is small, there are many things you can't do, it's true, but there are also many things that only you can do."
Throwing the materials collected from the research facility to Shinobu, Jotaro said blandly, "These materials should be able to serve a purpose in your hands."
Shinobu numbly caught the materials. Jotaro's words were like a ray of strong light, dispersing the darkness in her heart.
'Yes, even someone like me, there are still things I can do!'
She tightly held the materials, and the light lost in her eyes gathered once more.
She lifted her delicate head, tilted her head slightly, and beamed brightly, "Thank you, Jotaro-san."
Seeing the girl regain her spirit, Jotaro closed his eyes and faintly smiled.
Shinobu stood up, holding the materials, and asked, "Besides these materials, Jotaro-san, have you found any clues about Muzan?"
"Mm." Jotaro, with his back to Douma's soon-to-disappear head, spoke in a low voice, "Muzan most likely has already escaped from Japan."
"Anyway, let the Demon Slayer Corps stop the search for now. It would just be a waste of effort."
Shinobu spoke with disdain, "That guy Kibutsuji is truly a coward."
Douma's head turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared completely between heaven and earth.
Jotaro slightly turned his head, his gaze cold as he glanced over, and muttered, "Muzan... your death date is not far off."
Shinobu asked in surprise, "Jotaro-san, what are you saying?"
Jotaro turned his head, uncaringly said, "Nothing."
He inserted both hands into his trouser pockets, walked briskly to Tanjiro and Nezuko's side, and helped them up.
Tanjiro's breath was weak, but after Jotaro's vast Ripple energy entered his body, his breathing gradually stabilized, and he fell into a deep sleep.
As for Nezuko, since she doesn't eat humans, there wasn't much energy stored in her body, and her regenerative ability was already very weak.
Added to that, the part of her body severed by Douma was still frozen with frost, and even until now, her injuries hadn't healed.
Star Platinum emerged from Jotaro's side, cleaning off the ice shards on Nezuko's body, which finally made her feel a little better.
"Yare yare…" Jotaro's gaze landed on Tamayo nearby. Frowning, he asked, "What's the situation with this demon?"
Shinobu quickly said, "Wait, Miss Tamayo shouldn't be a bad person."
Tamayo's reaction when facing Douma made Shinobu choose to trust her. Also, the slow healing speed of Tamayo's body already indicated she hadn't eaten humans in a long time.
Under Douma's attack, Tamayo, whose whole body was injured, was listless, and her consciousness was about to scatter.
Jotaro handed Tanjiro and Nezuko to Star Platinum, then used his hand to lift Tamayo up.
"Let's go check out the research facility below." Jotaro spoke calmly, and the weight of a few people did not burden him in the slightest.
Shinobu sent the news of Upper Rank Two's death, along with some of Jotaro's suggestions, back to headquarters via Kasugai Crow.
When the Demon Slayer Corps' morale was boosted, they followed Jotaro's instructions, halted the search for Muzan, and resumed the prior method of slaying demons.
With no new demons appearing, under the corps' extermination efforts, the number of demons appearing in Japan decreased more and more.
All signs indicated Muzan really seemed to have already left Japan.
———
[Tamayo's Residence]
These days, Jotaro and the others had been recuperating here.
Yushiro was extremely dissatisfied with this, but after angering Jotaro and getting beaten up, he became much more well-behaved.
It's worth mentioning that when Jotaro beat up Yushiro, Shinobu was also present. After clapping and cheering, she sighed and felt that Jotaro had actually gone too easy on him.
At the last research facility of Ken Takakura, Jotaro not only took valuable research data but also obtained an extremely rare blood sample.
After these few days of research by Shinobu and Tamayo, it could be fully confirmed, this was Muzan's blood.
This provided them both with extremely valuable research material.
The two were both experts in the medical field, and through collaboration, achieved considerable results in a short time.
As for Jotaro, he couldn't help at all with the research. These days, aside from smoking and drinking, he just read manga to pass the time.
Scholars should have the appearance of scholars.
Just like now, he was half-lying on the ground with one hand propping his head up, flipping through a manga book, with an ashtray full of cigarette butts next to him and a few empty soda cans rolling around nearby.
Nezuko curled up, lying next to him. Sometimes she blinked and looked at the manga, sometimes she looked up at Jotaro's face.
Muzan didn't leave Japan. Back then, the reason he said that was only to create a misperception for Muzan.
Muzan's specific location he still didn't know, but as long as his guess was right, in just one year, no, in half a year, he could find Muzan.
He hadn't acted immediately, because now was not the time to execute Muzan. Before that, he needed to confirm one thing.
With his gaze withdrawn from Nezuko's body, Jotaro stood up.
The door was opened. Yushiro walked in with a bad expression and said, "Lady Tamayo is looking for you."
After saying that, he left in a hurry, clearly not wanting to stay with Jotaro a moment longer.
Jotaro frowned, then put both hands in his pockets and walked out of the room.
At the moment Jotaro stood up, Nezuko also jumped up, taking small steps and leisurely following Jotaro.
Inside the lab, both Tamayo and Shinobu wore white lab coats. They had made a major breakthrough, and the joy on both their faces was overflowing.
"This is great, Miss Tamayo."
Shinobu stretched lazily. Her exquisite curves were completely revealed, full of temptation.
Tamayo smiled gently and said, "At this pace, we should be able to develop the medicine very soon."
"Really thank you, Shinobu. Without your help, I definitely couldn't have made such progress alone."
Shinobu smiled and waved her hand, "Not at all, Miss Tamayo, I should be thanking you."
After Nezuko, Tamayo was the second demon she respected.
While the two were talking, Jotaro knocked and walked in, with Nezuko following close behind.
Seeing them, Tamayo gently said, "Jotaro-san, about the question you were concerned about earlier, I think there should be no problem."
"Nezuko has already completely severed her connection with Muzan. Even if Muzan dies, she won't be affected."
She reached out and patted Nezuko's head, making Nezuko go "Mm mm" twice.
"Also, based on the test results, Nezuko's body seems to be evolving."
"Shinobu and I speculate that it won't be long before she can overcome sunlight and become the first demon to move under the sun."
Jotaro looked deeply at Nezuko. No wonder lately, when Tanjiro was training with Ripple, Nezuko would come over. Turns out the girl's body was undergoing such a transformation.
The Ripple energy that used to make her uncomfortable now didn't cause much of a problem anymore.
A cold glint flashed across his eyes. Now he could deal with Muzan without worries.
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