"You know… there's no need to hide anymore."
Dôma calmly turned his gaze toward the concealed presence of the demon slayer.
An eerie silence settled over the isolated alley before a young man wearing a haori adorned with flame patterns emerged.
Kamiya observed the demon with the serene smile and slowly drew his katana from its scabbard.
"What a beautiful night, isn't it, Kamiya-san ~?" Dôma said in a carefree tone.
He hadn't learned that name from the man himself but through Kikyo's whispers, when the priestess had apologized because of Kamiya.
"You've been following me for so long… are you hoping to debate doctrine with me?" Dôma continued, deliberately ignoring the nichirin blade the hunter had just unsheathed.
"I'm here to kill you," Kamiya Rengoku declared, stepping forward cautiously.
"You want to kill me? Have I broken some law? If so, do you have any real evidence? And in that case, shouldn't you bring me before the proper authorities?"
Dôma's words, though perplexing, weren't devoid of logic and caught the young Rengoku off guard.
He hadn't expected a demon to speak of human laws in such a way.
"Demons aren't human and shouldn't exist in this world," the slayer retorted, resolute.
He had no intention of debating, but he couldn't help responding, as if justifying his future actions to his own conscience—somewhat like Konrad Curze in Warhammer 40k.
"Oh… I see. So you're the owner of this world.
My apologies, Your Majesty, for existing, just as a predator hunts to feed in the forest."
Dôma gave a theatrical bow, his apologies dripping with irony.
"I find it strange that humans accuse demons of hunting men,
yet fail to examine their own actions toward other creatures… or even their own kind.
And yet, you reproach demons for eating humans, a natural act you yourselves perform on other species, don't you?"
Kamiya furrowed his brow. The demon's words irritated him, despite himself.
He took a deeper breath, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his katana.
He was ready to strike at any moment.
Dôma raised his fan to cover the lower half of his face, his multicolored irises glinting with a light both captivating and mocking.
He had succeeded in creeping into his opponent's mind.
"Demon Slayer-san, I have an excellent proposal that would benefit both your organization and me."
Kamiya remained silent, but the subtle flicker of interest in his eyes didn't escape the demon.
Dôma adopted a serious expression and continued:
"Tell me how you found me… and join me.
Of course, I'm not asking this for nothing: I promise you immortality… and a chance."
He paused briefly, his smile widening.
"The opportunity to cut down Muzan with your own hands."
Silence.
The atmosphere between Kamiya and Dôma crackled with invisible tension, but anyone could see that the young demon slayer was intrigued by the demon's proposal.
The conflict on his face was undeniable proof.
'But… no… he's surely lying!'
According to the common sense of the Kimetsu no Yaiba world, demons cannot scheme against Muzan.
But Kamiya's sense of smell didn't lie: Dôma wasn't lying.
No, it would be more accurate to say he had never lied since their encounter at the festival began.
Despite his whimsical behavior, which deeply annoyed Kamiya, the demon before him had always shown disarming honesty.
Even when he had invited Kamiya to the festival or "forgiven" him, Dôma had never lied.
Impeccable logic: a human doesn't need to lie to prey or livestock.
And Dôma saw things the same way.
The ice demon felt no need to resort to lies in his daily life.
For example, when he spoke of heaven and hell in his cult, their existence had been hinted at in the manga…
The proof was the death of the original Dôma, when he encountered Shinobu Kocho's soul.
Beyond this aspect of the KNY universe, there were other things Dôma was wary of:
– The possible existence of a world's will, like in Tensura, explaining the Ubuyashiki clan's curse and Yoriichi's birth.
– The exact origin of the medicine Muzan consumed.
'For now, these are things beyond my understanding… I must focus on my target.'
Kamiya Rengoku.
Dôma genuinely wanted to recruit him and turn him into a demon capable of reaching the level of the Twelve Kizuki.
Like Kaigaku, who would become one in the future.
Though confident in his strength, Dôma wasn't arrogant.
He didn't know Muzan's true power, as the demon progenitor had been consistently weakened during the final battle.
Nor did he believe himself capable of defeating the entire Demon King's organization alone.
This left him with three choices:
1. Remain a mere hunting dog, destined to perish once the "hunt" was over—that is, when Muzan achieved true biological immortality.
2. Contact the Demon Slayer Corps and join forces with them to prepare an attack.
3. Create an organization, the option Dôma decided to pursue now: a group uniting humans and demons, working hand in hand to eliminate anything that might disrupt his "chill" immortal life.
However, he had underestimated Kamiya's determination to eradicate demons.
"I refuse…"
Kamiya's response slightly surprised Dôma, but he quickly attributed it to his diet.
'Are demon slayers racist?' The thought sprouted in his mind, but he chose to give Kamiya the benefit of the doubt.
He decided to clarify things.
"Is it because I'm a demon?"
Kamiya didn't respond, but his silence spoke volumes.
"*Sigh*… listen to me… I've never killed or devoured an innocent without their consent, and I always ensure those I consume deserve my judgment."
Dôma quickly explained to Kamiya the workings of the passage ceremony, noticing a subtle anger at the mention of devouring innocents.
Unfortunately, this effort was in vain.
"So, my dear Kamiya-san, do you still think I'm an evil demon?"
Dôma spoke with confidence, convinced of the integrity of his way of life.
"How could you not be? All those desperate people who came to you for solutions… you devoured them! They could have led decent lives, given time and real help…"
Kamiya Rengoku gripped his katana's hilt tightly, his eyes burning like blazing flames.
He had made his decision.
"Hmm…" Dôma tapped his chin with his folding fan, speaking in a calm tone:
"I doubt they could have recovered. Some were so deeply mired in suffering, unable to escape, wishing only to flee this world's trials.
So I saved them, guided them to a new life… where's the harm, Demon Slayer-san?"
Dôma hadn't lied, but he hadn't told the whole truth.
Yes, he could save those people using his Blood Demon Art: Vanity's Paradise.
All he'd need to do was erase the source of their suffering… but then, he wouldn't be able to devour them, would he?
Kamiya clearly had no intention of talking further, but Dôma kept trying to convince him.
He didn't want to force Kamiya to work for him, as Muzan did with others like Akaza.
"Others were people who caused pain to others, 'evil' in the eyes of the human world. But I'm always ready to offer them salvation, so they can atone for their sins in hell sooner…"
Dôma was about to continue, but a katana strike interrupted him. Fortunately, he easily blocked it with his fan.
Demons are naturally stronger than humans.
Especially since Dôma wasn't an ordinary demon but Lower Moon one and a user of vector power.
He could have shattered Kamiya's katana during that exchange, but… Dôma didn't want to be entirely hostile for now.
"It's not for you to judge!" Kamiya roared.
"Taking lives without valid reason, based on your own ideas, is evil in itself!"
As they traded blows, Kamiya failed to land a single hit on Dôma.
Tessenjutsu is a martial art practiced by few and remains unpopular in the world of martial arts.
Dôma had never had a master to teach him but had acquired texts on the subject.
Thus, he compensated for his lack of experience with sheer physical dominance.
'I really should ask Kokushibo for advice…'
Upper Moon One is an entity from the Sengoku era.
Dôma figured Kokushibo wouldn't refuse to spar with him occasionally, in purely technical matches.
"Besides, you keep talking about saving the world from suffering… so why don't you exterminate the demons causing the most harm?"
This statement wasn't wrong, but it was in bad faith.
It was like asking a wolf to exterminate other wolves to protect humans.
What right did Dôma have to criticize their diet?
Had he become an "extremist" vegan?
Kamiya stared at him intensely, awaiting a response. It was… shocking to his common sense:
"Because I save people, not demons."
Dôma said this like a dogma, his expression seeming to say, 'How can you be so foolish as to not even see that?'
"Demons eat humans; it's in their nature."
He glanced slightly at the night sky after kicking Kamiya in the stomach, sending him crashing into a wall.
"Though it's tragic, I don't feel the need for salvation, and I don't think I can offer it to them."
Hell exists in the KNY universe.
This truth is real, and Dôma had long accepted it.
For him… no more salvation.
If Kaguya and Kikyo died of old age, he would ensure they reached paradise.
As for himself… he would watch the sky from hell, should he die.
'Yes… I must not die, for the path I've chosen is tragic.'
Tragic… yes, but he chose to accept it anyway, for Dôma desired to "control" his life and live a "chill" existence.
To achieve his goal, there would be deaths.
It was inevitable.