Although neither the human nor the demon was fighting seriously, the deep of night was naturally silent, and even the slightest disturbance would be infinitely amplified.
What's more, even without going all out, the battlefield where they clashed was not somewhere a mere Lower Rank demon could ever set foot.
With such a huge commotion, even the deaf would nearly be able to hear it.
Looking at Doma's carefree, smiling face, Yuko's gaze darkened slightly.
Blood Demon Arts do not possess great variability.
Simply put, Blood Demon Arts are supernatural abilities—but that doesn't mean one cannot possess multiple abilities.
However, the ice-based Blood Demon Art that Doma wielded, no matter how much it was developed, would always extend from the core premise of "ice."
The intelligence… was more or less enough.
Yuko felt the urge to retreat.
Once the cultists arrived, she would no longer be able to explain herself.
She even suspected that even if those fanatical believers were to witness Doma eating a person in public, they wouldn't feel fear.
Instead, they would probably admire him even more for his immortal, transcendent methods.
They couldn't be reasoned with.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yuko glanced at the girl beside her. After hesitating several times, she let out a silent sigh in her heart.
Doma's eyes narrowed.
Yuko's emotional shift was subtle, but to him, it was extremely obvious.
Although Doma did not possess human emotions, this very lack made him abnormally sensitive to emotional fluctuations in others.
Is she planning to escape?
Doma raised his iron fan to cover his face, a trace of seriousness appearing in his eyes.
The poison… still wasn't enough.
Even he hadn't expected that she would detect the abnormality in such a short span of time.
At that moment, although the poison had already entered her body, it hadn't even had time to take effect.
He had eaten Demon Slayers before, but none of them had reacted this quickly.
She had noticed it almost the instant the toxin entered her body.
This woman was far too perceptive.
Although Doma enjoyed collecting intelligence on others—and would even let enemies display all their techniques before killing them for the sake of gathering combat data—that didn't mean he enjoyed being researched by others.
If this woman escaped, it would become troublesome.
That thought flashed through Doma's mind as he suddenly appeared in front of Yuko without any warning at all. With a regretful expression, he said,
"That's really unfair, miss—trying to run away like this."
"Blood Demon Art — Frozen Lotus."
With a swing of his fans, lotus-shaped ice crystals scattered outward.
Yuko deliberately covered her mouth and nose as she retreated backward.
"Clearly, if you'd just let me eat you, we could enjoy eternal life together and ascend to paradise."
While expressing his "regret," Doma mercilessly swung his golden iron fans.
"Blood Demon Art — Cold White Princessesa!"
As the fans moved, two lifelike, maiden-shaped ice lotuses appeared before Yuko, exhaling freezing cold air that surged outward.
This guy…
If he entered a sculpting competition, even Michelangelo would have to admit defeat.
While mocking him inwardly, Yuko had no intention of continuing to tangle with him.
Just as she thought, no matter how strange these Blood Demon Arts were—whether freezing breath or anything else—they were all built on the single concept of "ice."
There was no longer any need to gather more intelligence.
Using the moment as the freezing air swept in, Yuko performed several agile backflips, reached the girl's side, seized her by the arm, and rushed straight out the door.
"Don't think you can escape!"
At this point, even Doma grew a bit serious.
"Blood Demon Art — Barren Hanging Garden!"
Dozens of sharp ice spikes rained down from the sky, aiming to skewer Yuko clean through.
As expected, the techniques of the Upper Ranks were each more troublesome than the last.
The scale alone was something ordinary swordsmen could never imagine.
But who was Yuko?
Even before becoming a demon, she had been second only to Yoriichi in the Demon Slayer Corps—the second person to awaken the Mark.
This kind of speed… was merely so-so.
Yuko's speed surged another level higher, causing all of Doma's attacks to miss.
Just as Yuko was about to escape with the girl, Doma instinctively swung his fan.
"Blood Demon Art — Rime — Water Lily Bodhisattva…"
Dozens of cultists wielding torches suddenly surged in. Doma's swinging arm paused, then slowly lowered.
He watched as Yuko carried the girl over the wall and disappeared from sight.
After a while, he raised his fan to cover his face again, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Well, I suppose I'll let it go this time. If things get too noisy, Lord Muzan will scold me."
"And that girl… she'll definitely come back…"
The crowd surrounded him with torches.
"Are you all right, Cult Leader?!"
Doma smiled warmly at the gathered cultists. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a ferocious demon came knocking at the door, but I've already driven it away."
"As expected of Cult Leader!" Seeing the inhuman destruction in the room, the believers couldn't help but reveal fervent expressions.
Doma merely continued smiling at them.
...
On the other side, Yuko carried the girl out of the city and gently patted her cheek.
The girl named Aiko jolted awake instantly. Looking around, then at Yuko, she said in terror, "What do you want to do?!"
Yuko explained calmly, "Your founder is a demon. I just rescued you from his hands."
Aiko froze for a moment, then snapped angrily, "Stop talking nonsense!"
"Cult Leader took in people like us who had nowhere to go. He is clearly a divine child who shows benevolence to the world."
"Compared to him, you—the one who attacked Cult Leader—are the real demon!"
"..."
Yuko said quietly, "If you want to go back, I won't stop you. But I suggest you seriously think about what I said."
Even the cleverest cook cannot prepare a meal without ingredients.
That was Yuko's situation now—she lacked concrete proof that Doma was a demon.
Upon hearing this, Aiko hesitated, stood up, and cautiously backed toward the city. She wasn't sure whether Yuko was lying to her.
When she confirmed that Yuko made no move, she turned and ran.
...
Watching Aiko's figure disappear around the corner toward the Eternal Bliss Cult, Yuko silently turned and left.
Just as she had never resented Namiko for kicking her back then, Yuko would not scold this girl either.
When you can't get enough to eat and have no place to stay, someone who takes you in and feeds you is a benefactor in any era.
Unless you witness Doma eating someone with your own eyes, it's impossible to accept.
No—so long as the one being eaten isn't yourself, perhaps it doesn't even feel like a big deal at all.
...
Eternal Bliss Cult.
Doma fanned himself happily as he watched the believers carry out the damaged furniture one by one and clean the room.
Suddenly, one of the cultists entered with a girl.
"Cult Leader, Aiko has returned."
Doma beamed with delight. "You're back—how wonderful."
"You may all withdraw now." He waved the crowd away.
"Yes." Everyone quickly finished clearing up, closed the door, and withdrew.
The last trace of doubt in Aiko's heart vanished. She knelt on the ground, quietly awaiting the Cult Leader's favor.
Doma crouched down in front of her and smiled.
"So, how did you escape?"
Aiko lifted her head and looked at Doma's handsome face. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart fluttered wildly.
"That bad person… she… she didn't stop me."
"Is that so~" Doma smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was deep in thought.
She's completely different from the demon hunters I've met before.
She went through so much trouble to save her—yet simply let her go just like that?
Didn't she know she would come back?
---
Currently at chapter 300 for advance chapters
https:// ko-fi.com/rabi08