"Ah～I've been beheaded～I'm about to die～"
Just as Tanjiro was feeling puzzled, Doma's head on the ground suddenly began to speak.
His physical body was rapidly disintegrating—this was undoubtedly the sign of a demon being beheaded. This demon had indeed entered the process of death.
"Young man～"
Using his remaining eye to gaze at Tanjiro's face full of confusion, Doma suddenly asked:
"What do you think real hell looks like?"
Tanjiro didn't respond. He couldn't even understand why Doma would ask such a question at this moment.
What meaning did this question have at a time like this?
But Doma had no intention of explaining either. He simply smiled and, in the final moment before dissipating, spoke his last words.
"I think I'll see it very soon."
And so, Doma's body completely disintegrated, leaving only his magnificent religious garments behind.
This powerful Upper Rank Two had been successfully exterminated by them.
The entire process was unexpectedly smooth—at the cost of Uzui Tengen's two wives.
With Doma's passing, that enormous ice Bodhisattva also collapsed in an instant.
"Finally... we succeeded..."
Behind Tanjiro, Kanroji Mitsuri clutched her chest and staggered out from among the shattered ice crystals.
She had no visible external injuries, but strangely, a purplish-black trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Somehow I feel a bit... short of breath..."
As she said this, Kanroji Mitsuri suddenly fell to her knees.
"Kanroji-senpai?!"
Instantly casting aside his doubts about Doma's death, Tanjiro hurriedly turned and rushed to her upon hearing this.
"Senpai, what's wrong? Are you injured somewhere?!"
"I-I don't know. It's just that while I was entangled with that ice Bodhisattva earlier, I suddenly felt like I couldn't catch my breath, and my chest hurt a bit..."
[Short of breath?]
His nose twitching, subconsciously turning to look at the pile of rapidly dissipating ice fragments behind him, Tanjiro finally realized.
"It must be that ice mist! That demon's Blood Demon Art wasn't just about creating constructs!
While fighting us, he was definitely simultaneously using his Blood Demon Art to release those tiny ice particles into the surrounding air!
Especially that ice Bodhisattva—every time it moved and attacked, it continuously released large amounts of ice crystals into the air.
These ice crystals would enter our lungs with every breath we took, destroying the alveoli. Senpai, you were entangled with that ice Bodhisattva for too long, so that's why, that's why..."
"I see..."
Although Tanjiro didn't finish his final sentence, Kanroji Mitsuri understood his meaning.
She, who had been fighting in close quarters with the ice Bodhisattva just now, had unknowingly been forced to inhale large amounts of ice crystals into her lungs, causing massive damage to her alveoli.
Now, although Doma was dead and these ice crystals had dissipated along with him, her destroyed alveoli could never regenerate on their own.
For Demon Slayers who relied primarily on Breathing Styles, this damage was undoubtedly devastating.
No matter how exceptional her physical gifts, the reduction in breathing efficiency would greatly affect the strength she could exert.
With her current condition where she felt short of breath after just using a few sword techniques, whether she could even muster half her normal combat strength was uncertain...
"Tanjiro."
Realizing this, Kanroji Mitsuri's face didn't show too much sorrow.
She turned to look at the worried Tanjiro and simply smiled helplessly:
"It looks like I can only go this far... The road ahead can only be left to you and the others to continue."
"Senpai..."
Tanjiro seemed to want to say something more, but Kanroji Mitsuri gently shook her head, interrupting him.
"Go quickly. Don't worry about me. Just let me sit here by myself and rest for a while..."
"Yes, I understand... Senpai, please take care of yourself."
At present, this was indeed not a time for hesitation or sentimentality.
Even though his heart was heavy with grief, Tanjiro still stood up and left the church without hesitation, continuing to rush forward.
Watching him leave, Kanroji Mitsuri leaned against a corner of the wall and slowly sat down.
As Tanjiro grew distant, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.
In this empty, boundless city, sound was an extremely rare existence.
[Right now, the other comrades of the Demon Slayer Corps must still be fighting hard in other places, right?]
Leaning her head back, quietly listening to the sound of her own heartbeat in her chest, a question suddenly surfaced in Kanroji Mitsuri's mind.
What was she fighting for here?
This was a common question, yet also a profound one.
Common because, apart from true madmen, everyone has their own purpose in mind when doing anything.
Profound because, very often, people are unaware of what their true purpose actually is.
Just like at this very moment—Kanroji Mitsuri didn't quite understand what she was fighting for here.
When she first joined the Demon Slayer Corps, it was simply because she heard there wasn't much of the discrimination she faced in outside society here, and there were many good men.
Later, she decided to stay because she really liked the atmosphere within the Demon Slayer Corps, finding it much easier than living in outside society.
But now, as the decisive battle with the demons drew near, this atmosphere she once loved was gradually fading away.
Everyone was gradually becoming unlike their former selves, and within the Demon Slayer Corps, she had no one close enough to give her life for, nor any deep-seated hatred...
Even Kanroji Mitsuri herself felt that, logically speaking, she should have followed Shinobu's earlier advice and chosen to leave.
Compared to the other Hashira in the corps, she was truly the most "outsider" of them all.
But why hadn't she left in the end?
Even Kanroji Mitsuri herself didn't know the reason.
Perhaps it was simply the so-called herd mentality?
Because no one else spoke up, she didn't speak up either.
Because everyone decided to fight to the very end, she decided to go along with it...
And then, she came here.
Honestly, when she realized her alveoli had been massively damaged and she could basically no longer participate in subsequent battles, Kanroji Mitsuri actually felt quite relieved in her heart.
Because this way, she had fulfilled her duty as a Demon Slayer without feeling like she owed anyone.
At the same time, she wouldn't have to continue participating in this battle that, to her, was utterly meaningless.
Of course, saying all this now seemed rather pointless...
After all, she was currently trapped in this boundless space as well.
Death was probably just a matter of time.
Then she would close her eyes and rest well for a while...
[Hmm?]
Although she thought this in her heart, an anomaly not far away still caught Kanroji Mitsuri's attention, preventing her from truly closing her eyes.
It was the set of religious garments Doma had been wearing earlier.
She noticed that after Doma's body disintegrated and vanished, something seemed to be bulging beneath that pile of garments on the ground?
[Strange... is there something under there?]
Curious, Kanroji Mitsuri got up and walked over, subconsciously lifting a corner of the garments.
And then, she saw what was pressed beneath them.
It was a flower.
A black datura flower.
...
(Doma's Bizarre Adventure is about to begin～)