He stopped overthinking and slowly returned to his cushion, placing his hands on his knees.
"Becoming a demon… it's the only solution," he murmured to himself.
An attempt at self-persuasion to solidify this idea, which he considered a future decision at the time of his reincarnation.
"Besides that, I'd gain something interesting by joining Muzan."
Blood Demon Art.
A supernatural power possessed by demons in the KNY universe.
It allows for an immense variety of feats, defying common sense and logic.
Doma had once theorized that a demon's power depends on their obsession or personality, or perhaps both.
This reflection was far from baseless, as the original Doma manipulated ice in the manga.
A clear manifestation of the coldness in his heart.
There's also Tamayo's hallucinogenic ability, which Doma interpreted as her desire to see her family again. An illusion.
Now, the question is… could he have a different Blood Demon Art due to the interference of his first life?
After all, he had lived and felt emotions unlike his counterpart. So, he had aspirations.
"Everything points to Muzan being the solution~," Doma complained in a lazy tone.
The idea of using a demon to reclaim his humanity, after losing the identity of a human, is strange. Some might even call it paradoxical.
But Doma didn't see it that way.
"It can't be worse than ending up without desire…"
Desire is the source of many human problems, but it's also the driving force of their evolution.
The original Doma was a genius. Yet, he hadn't evolved as much as he could have in decades, or even centuries.
The reason Doma, after reviewing his life as Jay, found was simple: a restricted diet (women) and a cruel lack of interest…
Thus, even if the outcome was to become a pathetic monster, Doma decided he would have no regrets.
That's the common thread among all living beings, isn't it? Before succumbing completely to destruction, they would always choose to struggle in their agony.
"So, let's become a demon… and this time, it's by choice."
Doma smiled, pressing the iron fan against his lips in an attempt to hide the satisfied grin slowly spreading across his face.
An extremely rare event, as it was a genuine smile of satisfaction, without pretense.
"Hmm… that faded quickly," he sighed.
The Momonga phenomenon really didn't want to stop and let him savor emotions.
…
After mobilizing more believers to keep an eye on all the stories of monsters devouring humans at night, Doma's life remained almost unchanged.
Doma's only active intervention, aside from Muzan, was ordering his disciples to follow a few major directives.
He asked most of them to stay at the foot of the mountain at night, leaving only a few high-ranking members in the monastery.
The official reason he gave was that the monastery had become too cramped due to the growing number of people in need.
Thus, some disciples would have to stay in dormitories specially built at the base of the hill.
He also decided to mobilize a group of individuals to build another monastery near the closest town.
Doma chose only the "most reliable and important" people for this project.
Of course, this cost nearly all the money Doma had accumulated over the years and distanced poor Kikyō from him.
The young girl was bewildered by the situation and wanted explanations, but Doma remained stone-faced.
He couldn't tell Kikyō that he was keeping all the efficient and loyal people away from potential danger, could he?
Especially since he had already taken control of the region in the shadows through trade.
If Doma wanted to increase his influence, he needed to start opening branches of his sect all over Japan, a bit like restaurant chains.
For a project like that, he had to rely on good-hearted people, as he couldn't oversee everything himself.
It would be a shame if there were rotten branches in the great tree that is the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Observing them as subjects of study on the human heart wasn't a bad idea, but it would be regrettable if the sect's reputation were tarnished because of an overly greedy individual in a monastery far from his sight.
In any case, he couldn't tell Kikyō about the corrupt nature of some cult members or the true nature of Muzan, the man he was seeking through these believers.
Thus, all these events led to this "tragic" night.
…
Late at night, Doma was cheerfully humming an unknown nursery rhyme from this era under the moonlight.
"What a shame… Muzan doesn't seem to want to meet me."
His attempt to meet the progenitor of demons had once again been unsuccessful.
Normally, Muzan can see and hear everything through his demons.
Combining this information with the number of sect disciples who disappeared while investigating places with high rates of mysterious vanishings, two conclusions emerged:
First, Doma's disciples might have only encountered a demon uninteresting to Muzan, so he paid them no attention.
The second possibility: Muzan wasn't interested in Doma.
That was the worst option, as it would make Doma's plan to become a demon fail.
"Besides that… I have a certain feeling."
The monastery seemed darker than usual, according to Doma's perception that night.
After a brief investigation, he began to hear groans of pain echoing through the hallway.
Doma opened his golden folding fan to prepare for a possible confrontation before heading toward the source of the noise.
By now, Doma was no longer an ordinary human.
He had enough confidence in himself to defeat a standard demon or a bandit, thanks to his physical training.
So, there was no risk… in theory.
Doma walked to the room where the sounds were coming from, hesitated for a second, then discreetly peered through the slightly ajar door.
*Thud—*
A blood-stained body was thrown to the floor in front of him, its familiar face twisted in extreme terror.
The lifeless eyes of the unfortunate soul stared directly at Doma.
Yet, Doma paid no attention to this detail.
He looked further into the darkness and noticed a gruesome spectacle: corpses. All dead in a brutal and cruel manner.
Blood flowed to Doma's feet as he took a step inside the room.
He could have fled, which would have been the most logical solution, but Doma knew:
If he left now, he might miss a potential opportunity here.
The strong smell of blood in the air was nauseating, but he ignored it.
There was something more important.
A beautiful woman in a dark kimono stood calmly among the corpses.
She was of supernatural beauty, despite the morbid environment around her.
In a slightly unsettling movement, she turned her head toward Doma.
Her face was pale, her features delicate and elegant.
Yet, Doma noticed something even more striking: her vertical plum-red pupils, like a blood moon in the sky, fixed on Doma.
It was the progenitor of demons, Muzan Kibutsuji (female form).
"Oh my God, this is going to be a pain to clean up," Doma said, slightly pouting.
Then he smiled and waved in greeting: "Good evening~"
Muzan approached unhurriedly, her cold and merciless plum-red pupils observing Doma with interest.
Thanks to her superhuman senses, she had already detected Doma's abnormal existence.
The imposing man wasn't afraid.
'Is this recklessness?'
That was the first thought Muzan had upon seeing his nonchalant face.
"Are you the young lord of this religion?"
The woman's voice interrupted the "hentai" thoughts Doma was having while admiring her appearance.
Unfortunately, Muzan's voice ruined all his mental plans and brutally brought him back to reality.
Muzan… was a man.
Her dangerous and masculine voice was a harsh reminder of that.
"Yes, yes, do you know me?" Doma nodded with a smile, his rainbow-colored eyes lighting up even more.
But Muzan didn't respond immediately and continued to observe the specimen before her.
She thought she had seen something in Doma's pants, but it vanished right after her first sentence.
'Did I see wrong?'
Muzan would never have believed the truth, even if someone had told her.
It was just too absurd.
"'Sir,' are you a demon?"
Doma's question finally broke the silence, as it confirmed Muzan's suspicions.
After all, how many humans would send their disciples into the hands of demons just to meet her?
In Muzan's view, Doma was truly insane.
"So you're the one who wants to see me?"
"That's right! I'm the one who told everyone to ask about you among the demons."
A cruel decision, as many of Doma's disciples had died at the hands of demons.
The only upside: Doma had sent those deemed irredeemable.
He unfolded his fan with elegance and flashed a carefree smile.
"Your goal?" Muzan slowly approached, intrigued by the fact that a human was actively seeking her.
No Demon Slayer would have sent civilians like this, ruling out that possibility.
Curious, Muzan had come merely to satisfy her curiosity.
"Say, Demon-san, could you turn me into a demon?" Doma asked, closing his fan, his face filled with impatience.