The instant Giyu thrust out his left hand, the pale-blue vortex of water shot forward like a living creature. The spiraling current spun at blinding speed, forming a whirlpool as thick as an arm, its edges shimmering faintly with a cold metallic gleam.
It was water infused with the searing energy of Sun Breathing—retaining water's softness while carrying a heat and sharpness strong enough to slice through steel.
Douma tried to retreat, but it was already too late. The vortex wrapped around his torso in an instant. It constricted with violent force, the razor-edged water slicing through his robes and carving deep gashes down to the bone.
Black blood spiraled into the air, breaking apart into droplets that were shredded within the swirling current. Douma felt the heat within the water burning into his wounds, the scorching temperature seeping into his flesh like poison, slowing his regeneration at once.
He knew that if he stayed trapped any longer, he'd be torn apart completely. Without hesitation, he activated his Blood Demon Art, summoning blades of ice to sever his own waist where the vortex bound him.
Half of his body was left behind, shredded to pieces within the whirlpool, while the upper half flew backward, black mist surging from the torn stump as he tried to regenerate.
But before the new flesh could form, Giyu was already in front of him. The golden radiance of his Nichirin Sword flared, burning bright as the sun. "Hinokami Kagura, Third Form: Raging Sun!"
The blade sliced down like noon sunlight, cutting through Douma's right shoulder cleanly.
With a sharp hiss, his right arm was severed completely, spraying black blood across the floor.
This time, the heat of Sun Breathing suppressed his regeneration completely. Only faint wisps of black mist rose from the wound, but no new limb formed.
Douma staggered back, clutching the bleeding stump, confusion flashing across his face. He had never encountered a demon like Mushiki before—this Upper Moon Six was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
Giyu didn't give him a chance to recover. His left hand swept outward, and the remaining water vortex exploded, sending streams of glowing blue water surging around the room to form a circular domain.
Tiny vortices spun along the edges of the flowing ring. The water glimmered faintly with golden light, swirling across the ground like a living current.
Each spinning whirlpool increased Giyu's speed even more—this was the second stage of his Blood Demon Art:
Water Vortex Domain.
Inside the domain, his movements accelerated beyond recognition. His black-clad figure blurred into afterimages.
He appeared behind Douma in an instant, his Nichirin Sword swinging down. "Water Breathing, Twelfth Form: Raging Surge!"
Blue light erupted like a tidal wave. Douma spun, conjuring an ice shield with his remaining arm.
With a deafening clang, the shield shattered under the force. The impact rattled his insides, forcing a mouthful of black blood from his lips.
"Blood Demon Art: Frozen Lotus Bodhisattva!"
Douma unleashed his Blood Demon Art in full.
Dozens of ice Buddhas rose from the streams circling the room. Though the scorching heat from Giyu's water caused them to melt quickly, they still radiated a biting cold, each statue wielding an ice sword that stabbed toward him.
Giyu didn't evade. An ice sword pierced straight through his left shoulder, but he swung his blade in a horizontal arc, decapitating three ice Buddhas in one motion.
Another struck him square in the chest. The blow blasted apart half his torso in an explosion of black blood and shredded flesh that splattered across the glowing water.
But before Douma could even smile, thick black mist surged from Giyu's wound, and his body began regenerating at incredible speed.
In just three breaths, the half of his body that had been obliterated was whole again—without a single scar.
"Lord Mushiki," Douma said with a smirk that barely masked his unease, "looks like you've been given quite a lot of Muzan-sama's blood."
Giyu didn't answer. His foot tapped lightly on the water's surface, and he vanished once again.
He darted through the glowing domain at impossible speed, every swing of his blade cutting deep into Douma's body. Each strike carried the searing heat of Sun Breathing, preventing the wounds from healing.
Douma tried freezing the water that made up the domain, but the scorching energy within it refused to fade. Each time ice touched the stream, it melted instantly, leaving him defenseless.
"Ah… this water—it won't freeze?" he muttered in disbelief.
Douma's proudest ice-based Blood Demon Art was useless before Giyu's flowing water.
Finally, Giyu spoke. His voice was calm but carried a piercing chill. "My water carries the power of Sun Breathing. Your ice… isn't cold enough."
As his words faded, the water in his domain began to surge violently—he was about to unleash the third and final stage of his Blood Demon Art.
"Secret Essence of Water: Heavens' Blade Spiral."
This was a destructive release technique that consumed the entire domain, converting all circulating water into countless miniature blades for an omnidirectional assault. The cost was the collapse of the domain itself—but its power could tear apart any defense.
A resonant hum filled the air.
From the streams around him, innumerable pale-blue water blades rose upward, each glowing faintly with golden heat. The sky itself seemed to shimmer as the blades surrounded the entire domain like a storm.
Douma's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to retreat, but the whirlpools at the domain's edge seized his ankles, trapping him in place. He could only watch as the blades shot toward him.
The air split with the deafening sound of slicing wind.
The blades rained down like a violent storm, each one cutting cleanly through flesh and bone. Douma's left arm was severed, his chest carved open by dozens of gashes, even his golden hair shredded into fragments by the onslaught.
Black blood splattered across the domain, staining the glowing water red. His body was torn apart piece by piece under the relentless assault—until only his severed head remained, rolling weakly in the flowing stream.
Giyu stepped forward slowly. The golden radiance of his Nichirin Sword ignited once more.
Douma's eyes, still flickering faintly with awareness, showed no emotion. His lips trembled as if to speak, but only a weak groan escaped.
"Upper Moon Two, Douma," Giyu said evenly, his tone flat and cold.
"Your sins end here."
"Hinokami Kagura, First Form: Dance!"
The golden blade flashed.
In an instant, Douma's head was cleaved cleanly from the rest of his body.
Black mist poured from the wound, but the heat within Giyu's flowing water burned it away. The remains of the demon dissolved completely into vapor, leaving not even a trace behind.
The swirling currents within the domain gradually calmed. The luminous water blades lost their power, turning back into ordinary streams that trickled quietly through the cracks in the floor.
Giyu slid his sword back into its sheath, his dark-blue eyes flickering with a faint trace of exhaustion.
Even a demon's endless stamina could not spare him from the mental drain of sustaining so many techniques and Breathing forms at once.
He turned toward the doorway, gazing out at the still-glimmering lights of the Entertainment District. His fingers brushed lightly against the scabbard of his sword.
That battle had not only ended an Upper Moon—it had confirmed the strength of his Blood Demon Art. More importantly, it had proven his worth to Muzan.
That would earn Muzan's trust, giving him the chance to pass information and obtain Tamayo's drug without suspicion.
"Three more…"
He murmured quietly, images of Kokushibo, Akaza, and Muzan flashing in his mind.
"Soon, it'll be your turn."
The night wind swept through the ruined chamber as Giyu turned and walked away, leaving behind shattered wood, scattered water, and blood that had yet to dry.
It marked the end of one Upper Moon—and the beginning of a far bloodier battle between Muzan and the Demon Slayer Corps.
…
Far away, Muzan suddenly felt Douma's connection vanish. His crimson eyes glimmered with faint surprise.
"Douma… defeated?"
"But why didn't I sense any increase in Mushiki's cell concentration? Did he not devour Douma?"
He paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"No matter. Dead is dead. That fake smile of his annoyed me for quite some time anyway."