CHAPTER 296: CHAPTER 47: BLAZING THRUSTS, SEARING STRIKES

While Tengen Uzui and Tanjiro’s group battled the Upper Rank Six siblings—Gyutaro and Daki—and while Muichiro Tokito, Mitsuri Kanroji, and Obanai Iguro engaged the Upper Rank Five demon, Gyokko...

Somewhere else, Gyomei Himejima and the Shinazugawa brothers had encountered another formidable foe.

It was the Upper Rank Four demon—Hantengu—who had transformed into a grotesque old man with a massive forehead, countless eyes embedded in his body, and a pair of sharp horns protruding from his head.

As Sanemi Shinazugawa severed the demon’s head with a single clean slash, Hantengu’s true ability revealed itself—manifesting four emotional avatars representing Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure.

Genya Shinazugawa took on the Demon of Sorrow. Sanemi faced off against the remaining three—Joy, Anger, and Pleasure.

Himejima Gyomei stood by silently, not yet making a move.

Even without Gyomei’s help, the two brothers—sharpened by Ron’s intensive training—quickly pushed the emotional avatars into a corner.

That’s when Hantengu was forced to reveal his trump card.

The Demon of Anger absorbed the Joy, Pleasure, and Sorrow avatars into himself, evolving into Hantengu’s ultimate form—Zohakuten, the Demon of Hatred.

"Anyone who dares harm the original body shall be deemed unforgivable... deserving of death, a thousand times over."

The youthful form of Zohakuten stood tall, cold and composed, lifting his twin drums with solemn reverence. His chilling voice cut through the night as he locked eyes with the trio.

"I shall send you all to the afterlife."

As his words echoed, the earth quaked violently beneath their feet—like a slumbering dragon stirred from its dream.

A colossal wooden dragon erupted from the ground beneath them, hurtling forward with tremendous momentum, threatening to crush them under its mass.

Gyomei swiftly grabbed Genya and leapt to safety just in time.

Sanemi, meanwhile, had already launched himself high into the air, the green blade of his Nichirin Sword glinting under the moonlight.

Without turning back, he called down to his comrades, voice sharp with resolve:

"You two—stay back."

"This one... is mine to kill."

As the words left his lips, his Nichirin Blade instantly turned crimson red. The green wind that danced along its edge morphed into searing flames, spinning violently like a flaming cyclone.

Bloodshot eyes filled with unyielding rage, Sanemi swung down his blade with a fury that tore through the sky.

Wind Breathing, Seventh Form—Gale Slash: Demon Severance!

...

Meanwhile, in the town that housed the Eternal Bliss Cult...

Night had fallen.

Inside the cult’s grand estate, eerie silence filled the air.

"L-Lord Founder... a new believer... has arrived," a trembling cultist stammered as he knelt before a closed sliding door. A blade was pressed firmly against his neck.

"Wait a moment," came a strange, almost seductive male voice from within—followed by the sound of something wet being licked.

"I’m currently enjoying a fine meal..."

BANG!

The door exploded open, cleaved clean in two by a single slash.

Inside, blood dripping from his mouth, sat Doma—feasting on a severed human leg. His icy blue eyes turned lazily toward the newcomers.

When he saw who had come—Kyojuro Rengoku, Shinobu Kocho, and two others—his face brightened with a carefree, boyish smile.

"My, my~ Barging in during a meal? What an impatient bunch of devotees you are~"

"F-F-Founder...?!"

The cultist’s voice trembled in terror as Doma casually tossed the leg aside and stood up, twin golden fans gleaming in his hands.

He licked the blood off his lips with childlike glee, smiling serenely as if this were all part of a tea party.

"Pleased to meet you. I’m Doma."

"What a lovely night this is, isn’t it? Such fine delicacies coming to me of their own accord. Looks like I’ll be feasting well tonight~"

His gaze slid toward Shinobu and Kanao with clear hunger, and he licked his lips again—unable to contain his ravenous desire.

SWOOSH!

In a blur of motion, Shinobu appeared right in front of him—no longer wearing that ever-present, serene smile. Her eyes, once filled with kindness, now brimmed with nothing but hatred and deadly calm.

This was the demon who had murdered her sister.

Nine streaks of violet flashed in the air.

In the next instant, blood sprayed everywhere—Doma’s body pierced in nine precise locations.

His eyes widened, stunned.

"Ah...?"

Before he could react, Shinobu’s razor-thin Nichirin Blade thrust forward—so fast it was almost imperceptible—and drove straight through his left eye, skewering his skull completely.

"...Such an impressive thrust. Faster than I imagined," he murmured, the shock finally settling in.

Doma didn’t seem fazed by the vicious blow that had pierced his neck. He simply offered Shinobu a calm smile and raised his gleaming golden war fans in a smooth, sweeping motion.

Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice.

Shinobu, who had awakened the Transparent World, reacted instantly. The moment he swung, she bent backward with flawless precision, dodging the slash entirely. Yet, the icy mist that followed still coated her arm in a thin layer of frost.

"Shinobu," came the booming voice of Rengoku Kyojuro as he stepped forward, Nichirin Blade in hand, "watch out for the cold air his fans spread. Inhaling it could be dangerous."

Doma’s multi-colored eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the Flame Hashira. "Oh? Two Hashira?"

"But I must say... I prefer eating women. I have little interest in men. So how about you die first?"

With that, he swung his fans once again.

Blood Demon Art: Scattered Lotus Bloom.

Countless razor-sharp icy flower petals burst forth like a blizzard, slicing through the air as they aimed to tear through Kyojuro and Shinobu.

"Kill me?" Kyojuro let out a bold laugh, his voice unwavering. "Don’t get ahead of yourself!"

He slashed forward.

A blazing flame erupted from his sword, taking the shape of a roaring tiger. The flaming beast surged ahead, incinerating the icy petals into nothingness.

Doma’s expression stiffened for the first time.

This man... is strong!

Shinobu, holding her breath, lunged forward again—her movements too fast for the eye to follow. Only streaks of afterimages and the gleam of her thin blade flickering in the cold could be seen.

"She’s aiming for... my neck, isn’t she?"

Sensing the imminent danger, Doma conjured a dense mass of ice vines wrapped in lotus petals all around himself. One step too close, and they’d instantly entangle and restrain her.

But Shinobu didn’t rush in recklessly.

"We’re joining in too," Inosuke said to Kanao, who gave a small nod in reply.

Both charged together.

Beast Breathing, Fifth Fang: Crazy Cutting Fang!

Flower Breathing, Fifth Form: Peony of Futility!

Their dual strikes cleaved apart the entangling ice vines surrounding Doma with explosive power.

Seizing the perfect opening, Shinobu thrust forward with a deadly stab.

"So fast... but—"

Doma’s carefree smile faded for a split second. His rainbow-colored pupils dulled into an emotionless void.

Shing!

Her blade pierced straight through his neck.

"You won’t sever it," he said coldly, even as her sword went clean through. "My neck can’t be cut that easily."

Without hesitation, he swung his fan straight at Shinobu—ignoring the blade stuck in his throat.

Clang!

The blow was intercepted by a glowing crimson blade, hot like a branding iron.

"What?!" Doma’s eyes widened.

"She doesn’t have the strength to finish you... But what about me?"

Rengoku stood in front of Shinobu, eyes blazing with unwavering fire. His Nichirin Blade emitted an intense heat that made Doma recoil instinctively.

That heat—it was unbearable for an ice demon like him.

This man’s very presence—his aura, his blade—was like the sun itself.

"I must say," Doma muttered through narrowed eyes, "you’re truly... unpleasant."

"Why thank you!" Kyojuro laughed heartily—and with that, slashed upward.

Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!

A crescent-shaped slash surged forth, blazing like a solar arc, enveloped in searing flame.

With Shinobu’s blade still lodged in his throat, Doma couldn’t dodge. He immediately summoned an ice wall, trying to block the strike.

But it was too late.

BOOM!

The flaming slash shattered the ice and hurled him across the chamber. A massive gash tore through his torso—his upper body nearly sliced in two.

"What kind of scorching blade is this...? Why won’t the wound heal?!"

He stared at his chest, where the injury smoldered like it had been branded by molten iron. The regeneration was excruciatingly slow—far slower than he had ever experienced.

Panic flickered across his face.

He had never heard of this before.