Douma cast an interested gaze towards the demon, feeling something familiar within him.
"Eto… why are you sad?"
He whispered, just enough for everyone to hear. Kurayami's gaze locked with his, a mocking glint in his eyes.
"So you're that demon. Pathetic. To fall for such a weak human. I didn't expect that you've fallen so low."
Douma blinked. Those words caused his heart to itch softly. His eyes narrowed, but his smile remained.
"Are you sure? My little love here might not be as weak as you think."
Hearing his words, Shinobu blinked in surprise, then blushed.
'Who's your little love? Curse you!'
However, Kurayami's words also enraged her. She knew she was weak, but still, it felt like an insult. Douma's words and confidence only warmed her heart and fueled her with determination.
"Do it, Shinobu."
He whispered to her ear. Sighing, she left his embrace and stood between the Hashiras and the demons.
"What are you waiting for? Let's kill these demons."
The other Hashiras immediately unsheathed their swords and attacked the horde of demons. Locking eyes with the new Upper Moon Three, Shinobu smiled flawlessly like a butterfly laced with poison.
"Ara? Are you nervous? Let me help you relax."
She attacked. Her nichirin blade shot forward at an absurd speed, far beyond what she could do before learning about hamon.
Kurayami was surprised, as he almost couldn't react. Thankfully, he was cautious and prepared against the attack.
Clang!
He created a bone staff from his own body and parried Shinobu's sword with it. He had been warned about the Insect Hashira and her poisonous sword. As long as he avoided being stabbed, he could easily overpower her.
At least he thought so.
Bang!
His arms trembled from the impact as he nearly fell, stumbling back.
"What?!"
He couldn't even properly parry the blade. Even though he avoided being stabbed, his arm still got nicked. His skin flared purple beneath his robes and his expression contorted.
Shinobu paused, equally surprised. She hadn't expected that her attack would carry so much force. Still, the result delighted her.
All around, the other Hashiras clashed with the demons, cutting through them like cutlass through weeds. The demons weren't particularly strong. However, their numbers were daunting.
This made the demon slayers confused. Why would Muzan just send weak demons and only one upper moon? Did he think that would be enough to clear them?
"Muzan is not stupid. There's something he's doing." Gyomei said heavily.
Soon, the substantial threats revealed themselves. Lower Moon Demons who had been injected with so much of Muzan's blood that they couldn't fully adapt.
A hulking demon stood before Gyomei, its skin made of lava and cracked stone. Lower Moon Three—Kagutsuchi. Its fierce red eyes locked onto the strongest Hashira with a challenge.
Naturally, Gyomei responded with equal vigor. The two towering beings clashed with a storm of breathing techniques and blood demon arts, shaking the terrain.
Not far away, Giyu and Tengen worked in sync. Despite having lost an arm, Tengen didn't lose his flair. His sound breathing remained flamboyant and deadly. Anywhere he passed by, demons fell in numbers. Beside him, Giyu was like a silent tornado.
Deadly waves of water sliced through the demons, erasing them before they even fell.
Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu were the most brilliant. Their fighting skills and abilities shone with wild abandon. Zenitsu was a blur, always cutting lines of golden dread between the demon horde. Of course, he wouldn't have been this serious if not that…
'… Nezuko-chan is in the Mansion behind me! I have to protect her!'
"Hinokami Kagura!"
Tanjiro's Demon Slayer Mark flared to life as he repeatedly used the sun breathing, becoming a dreaded figure for the demons around him. Some even decided to avoid him. Unfortunately, they couldn't avoid the King of the Jungle.
"Inosuke-sama is here!"
The boar-head's chipped swords cut down the fleeing demons with wild vigor. Like a predator, the Beast Hashira always snagged up his prey and moved with inhuman ease, even twisting his bones at illogical angles.
As for Mitsuri and Obanai, they were both facing a very elusive Lower Moon. Enenra—Lower Moon Five.
The demon was very skinny, looking malnourished. He had smoke wafting from his body, making him look like a spiritual being. However, his sadistic laugh said otherwise. His blood demon art allowed him to remain evasive, while his smoke carried an oppressive weight that suffocates those who were caught within. Still, the Minemi couple were more than enough to handle him.
Bang!
At the center of the battlefield, Kurayami groaned as he blocked one of Shinobu's strikes, yet, five more dug into his skin. He hadn't expected that dealing with the weakest Hashira would be this daunting.
Naturally, Shinobu wasn't this dangerous before she started learning about hamon. Her breathing technique had been tailored to deal maximum amount of damage with speed. This was to compensate for her lack of beheading strength. However, now that hamon served as a serum to strengthen her, how could her attacks be simply annoying?
"Blood Demon Arts: Darkness Sphere!"
All around Kurayami, a sphere of darkness poured from his shadow and vines made of darkness appeared, lashing out at the Insect Hashira.
Unfazed and confident, Shinobu countered.
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Dragonfly—Compound Eye Hexagon."
The Hashira blitzed through the darkness vines, evading every single one of them, then struck the dazed demon on six precise spots.
His robe tore open and blood spurted from the wounds. Holding his neck, Kurayami watched in horror as his body disintegrated after consuming so much of Shinobu's poisons. His eyes darted to the other demons. The ordinary demons had almost been cleared out. Kagutsuchi and Enenra were already dead. Soon, the entire demon army would be wiped out.
Finally, his eyes fell back to the demon watching the chaos with a lazy smile.
'Douma. Master told me to be wary, but… I can only say… I remain saddened.'
He gazed into those rainbow colored eyes for a few seconds, then—
Crack!
The world cracked, jagged mirror-like lines appearing in the space. Without even giving the demon time to think about the distortion, the world shattered.
.....
"Eto… why are you sad?"
The Ice Demon's whisper was soft, just enough for everyone to hear. Kurayami's gaze locked with his, a mocking glint in his eyes. Then, his expression changed. He staggered, holding his head. His eyes flickered with different emotions—confusion, shock, then horror.
Shinobu was still in the Demon's embrace. The Hashiras were still standing, tensed. None of the demons on his side were dead. The remaining Lower Moons hadn't revealed themselves. Most importantly, he hadn't disintegrated!
'So you're that demon. Pathetic. To fall for such a weak human. I didn't expect that you've fallen so low.'
Those words echoed in his mind like a natural response he was supposed to make. However, what he said expressed his true feelings.
"What is happening?!"