Kochou Shinobu's exact height was unknown to her, but it definitely wasn't under 1.6 meters.
The person in front of her was definitely taller than that.
Moreover... that strange Sword Form didn't seem like Insect Breathing; it was light and airy, with sword energy blossoming like flowers.
Mizuki couldn't help but quicken her pace.
Mizuki finally got a clear look at the girl wearing the butterfly haori; she had magnificent long hair and was absolutely not the Kochou Shinobu she remembered.
Her memory wasn't strong, but some scenes could still be recalled if she replayed them in her mind.
However, this girl definitely had some familial relation to Kochou Shinobu; she looked so similar and was even wearing Kochou Shinobu's haori.
Perhaps it was inherited from her... a memento.
As she drew closer, she heard Douma's irritating voice.
"How diligent~"
He was playing.
The girl in front of her possessed the strength of a Hashira, Mizuki had no doubt about that, but her luck was bad; she had encountered an Upper Rank demon, second only to Muzan, and it was Douma, a guy whose abilities were extremely restrictive to Breathing Techniques.
After more than a hundred years, Douma had successfully been promoted from the former Upper Rank Six to Upper Rank Two.
Mizuki hesitated for a moment, choosing not to act immediately.
Upper Rank Two, the guy second only to Kokushibou.
She wasn't confident in defeating him in one blow, and if Douma were to return to Muzan with information about her, all her years of hibernation (lying low) would be in vain.
At least, she had to wait until Tanjirou grew stronger.
She could only see if there was a chance to save the girl in front of her.
Since she had already decided to change something, she wouldn't remain indifferent when encountering such matters.
Mizuki looked at the horizon; dawn was breaking.
Douma was still toying with the girl in front of him, looking completely at ease.
To be honest, if the timeline were pushed back to before Douma became a demon, Mizuki might actually have had a chance to set his mind straight.
He was just a chaotic evil thrill-seeker.
If this guy wanted to play any longer, Mizuki would have to try and see if she could keep him there.
The girl in front of her seemed to realize this too and proactively started a conversation.
"You can't feel human emotions, can you?"
She started with a bombshell.
Douma almost unconsciously froze, which caused him to be grazed on the chin by the girl's Sword Form.
Douma retreated rapidly, casually rubbing his already healed chin.
"Many years ago, someone seemed to have said the same thing to you."
"Speaking of which, I suddenly find you a bit similar to her." Douma suddenly looked at the girl with interest. "Both of you are the type who communicate with me calmly."
"Much better than other Demon Slayers who get blinded by anger the moment they meet me."
"It's a shame you're both women, otherwise, I might have had two friends." Douma wiped away the tears flowing from the corners of his eyes.
Mizuki felt a chill, goosebumps rising.
The girl adjusted her breathing and asked, "You ate her?"
Douma said with a hint of regret, "No, that person immediately got away after realizing my ability."
His ability?
Wasn't it ice?
The girl appeared calm on the surface, but her heart couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Her composure did not deceive Douma.
Douma smiled and fanned his face, "Although your personalities are very similar, in terms of strength and perceptiveness, you are far inferior."
"Back then, I kept waiting for her to appear before me again, but unfortunately, over a hundred years have passed, and that woman never reappeared."
"Perhaps she died in some unknown corner."
"By the way, Miss, could you tell me your name?" Douma said with a face full of regret. "Not being able to ask that person's name back then bothered me for many years."
The girl, who had been about to state her name, decisively closed her mouth.
Douma, covering his face, looked towards the horizon.
"Dawn is almost here, I must leave before the sun rises."
With that, Douma's emotionless eyes turned to look at her.
The girl's pupils suddenly constricted, and she trembled uncontrollably.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
It became thick and oppressive.
This was... Upper Rank Two!
She would die.
Mizuki placed her right hand on her Nichirin Blade.
"Blood Demon Art: Profound Winter Ice Pillars!"
Douma swung his iron fan, and sheets of ice thorns assailed the girl like a torrential downpour.
The girl exerted force with her legs, about to evade, but her movement suddenly paused.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed slightly; the effect on her lungs... it had come!
Breathing became difficult.
The girl's head felt somewhat dizzy, yet the ice thorns above her did not stop.
Just as Mizuki was about to make her move, her transparent vision clearly saw the change in the girl's eyes.
This was... "Flower Breathing, Final Form: Vermilion Eyes of the Equinox!"
The girl's pupils became peculiar, outlined with a circle of crimson, as she dodged the ice thorns one by one at extremely precise angles.
"How amazing~ A technique I haven't seen before." Douma exclaimed how amazing it was while closing in on the girl at an unimaginably fast speed.
So fast!
Her peculiar eyes clearly saw Douma's figure, but he was too fast.
This angle... she couldn't evade... no, there was that move... Suddenly, the girl's breathing rhythm changed.
Hmm?
A wisp of white mist exhaled from the girl's mouth.
Mizuki was slightly stunned.
As the tip of Douma's iron fan touched the girl's fair and delicate neck, the girl's attack was also unleashed.
"Snow Breathing, Eighth Form: Endless Snow."
A white line, moving with extreme speed, swiftly grazed Douma's neck.
The two figures crossed paths.
Douma watched the girl collapse powerlessly, covering his neck in surprise, blood continuously flowing through his fingers.
Too shallow.
The girl's eyes held regret, blood spilled from her mouth, and the sharp iron fan had also cut her neck.
Douma paid no attention to the wound on his neck, smiling as he said, "What was that just now?"
"A Breathing Technique and Sword Form I've never seen before."
He was interested in asking more, but the girl no longer had the strength to respond to him.
Douma sighed, looking at the sky with some regret.
Can't eat her now.
It had been so many years, and he had finally encountered such a woman again.
Can't kill her now.
Mizuki watched the horizon; Douma had already left before the morning sun rose.
She had no confidence in stopping an Upper Rank Two who was determined to escape, unless she exposed the fact that she was immune to sunlight.
But fortunately, the girl in front of her could still be saved.
Just as Mizuki was about to step out of the shadows, a petite figure passed by her, leaving a trail of wisteria flower scent.
"Sister!"
The petite girl arrived belatedly, frantically helping her sister up.
It was Kochou Shinobu.
No mistake this time.
Although she wasn't wearing that familiar haori yet, her appearance perfectly matched the image deep in Mizuki's mind.
The Insect Hashira of the Taisho Nine Hashira.
Kochou Shinobu, with tears in her eyes, helped up her sister Kanae. As a physician, she immediately recognized the severity of her sister's injuries.
Too severe.
"Who! Who did this!" Kochou Shinobu cried out with tears and indignation.
"Shinobu..." Kanae reached out to wipe her sister's tears, speaking with great effort, "Leave the Demon Slayer Corps."
"You try very hard... you really try very hard, but..."
"Shinobu might..."
Lose to that demon.
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