"Akaza, make sure to minimize the casualties. I'll handle the rest," he said, taking the lead after issuing a few more instructions.
However, the ice demon noticed a shadow of uncertainty on Rin's face.
'Damn, I almost forgot my conversation with Akaza when I arrived at the monastery,' he thought, lightly slapping his forehead for his tactlessness.
Rin was addicted to fighting and undoubtedly the least intelligent of his descendants, after Ogai Mori's death.
Yet those traits didn't make her stupid. Far from it, since she excelled in the art of combat.
It was simply that strategic and academic intelligence weren't her strong suits.
That was also why she had begun to suspect Doma of being inhuman since her talk with Akaza.
Why not a demon? Because Rin had seen him countless times under the sun, without him dying.
As a Hashira, she knew what a demon looked like, and Doma was far from checking all the boxes.
After all, why would a demon stroll around surrounded by humans in broad daylight? Especially since there had never been any stories of strange disappearances since his birth.
'Could he be some kind of yōkai that Grandpa told me about when I was a kid?' Rin thought, an idea that was almost comical to behold.
However, Doma decided to put an end to this little charade.
The ice demon began to goad the young girl into speaking by staring at her, knowing full well she couldn't stand that pressure.
Thus, Rin finally spilled the beans under his insistent gaze.
"Doma, are you really human?" she asked, when she could no longer avoid the multicolored eyes fixed on her.
Rin's tone was low and laced with guilt, for she suspected her adoptive brother of being an unknown creature.
Yet Doma didn't take her words or the troubled emotions she expressed in that moment badly.
The young girl had grown up in an environment where hatred of demons was deeply rooted.
Prejudice against inhuman beings was therefore inevitable.
'It's a bit of a shame she's having thoughts like that, but it's the most logical conclusion to draw,' the demon thought before gently stroking her head.
Rin froze for a moment, then narrowed her eyes like a cat under Doma's caress.
"Rin-chan, this isn't the best time for that conversation," Doma declared in a soft, clear voice.
It was neither the place nor the time to broach a subject as sensitive as his true nature, but he let Rin know they'd talk about it later.
Though reluctant, Rin decided to give her Onii-san the benefit of the doubt and obeyed his orders.
Was it strange for a Hashira to obey an unknown creature? Yes. But Rin didn't yet have confirmation that Doma was a bad person.
Beyond that, she trusted her adoptive brother far more than a demon like Akaza.
One was a confirmed unknown demon, while the other remained shrouded in mystery.
She nodded and positioned herself at his side—a gesture immediately mimicked by Mugen and the survivors of the Shadow group.
These Japanese natives from the island of Hokkaidō were determined to fight to the bitter end, despite the terrible losses inflicted by Akaza.
From the perspective of the Shadow group's men, their benefactor was facing an unprecedented crisis.
And nothing could stop them from intervening—not even their grudge against the former Upper Moon Three.
Their action pleased Doma, since they had managed to set aside their resentment to serve his selfish interests.
He immediately activated his biological manipulation, then created several tentacles akin to Rize Kamishiro's kagune from the manga Tokyo Ghoul.
The cultists and Shadow group members were shocked at the sight, but what followed proved even more impressive.
All those injured by Akaza were brought back to their feet thanks to his cellular- and spiritual-level biological control.
A feat made possible after Doma stabbed each of them and used his powers on their human bodies.
"Listen up! You're free to stay here and potentially perish with me," Doma declared after a short pause, as the aura of Satan's fragment manifested violently around him.
Everyone was intimidated, and the same went for the demons frantically approaching.
Their survival instinct temporarily overrode the one driving them to obey Muzan.
"I won't hold it against anyone, but if you stay anyway, expect to live a wild adventure that future generations will never know, one that'll make you sound like rambling old fogeys!" the demon shouted in a loud voice, quite different from his usual teasing and reserved tone.
"So? Who wants to dive into this battle whose stakes are crucial for humanity!" he roared, before charging toward the demons.
He didn't wait for their answer.
Doma had always been alone in the abyss of his mind and had always acted with the possibility of being alone.
Yet that night, the demon cracked a smile that two people caught: Kokushibo and Taiga.
The former Upper Moon briefly felt, once again, that sensation called brotherhood.
The roars of the Shadow members and cultists echoed at his side as he executed a forward leap to plunge into the midst of the demon horde.
'Your speech was cringe-worthy; you could've done better, hehe,' Hlokk's voice rang in his mind, as an icy wind swept through the Infinity Castle.
"Indeed, but I'm not a great orator ~" Doma replied lightly.
His remark earned only an exasperated tongue-click from the girl, who didn't believe that obvious lie for a second.
Throughout the exchange, Doma wasn't idle. He executed the Winter Breathing style and mowed down all the unlucky ones in front of him.
He was ruthless!
…
Unknown to Doma, the latter was being observed from the shadows by Muzan's Twelve Kizuki.
"Indeed, you are worthy of being defeated by me," Kokushibo muttered as he unsheathed his katana.
The murderous aura of the Upper Moon One soon drew the attention of all the humans and demons, who until then had been engaged in chaotic battle.
"Kokushibo-dono, don't you think you're rushing things?" Nakime spoke in a calm tone, though her voice betrayed a certain hesitation.
One detail didn't escape the former samurai, who was already advancing at a steady pace toward the battlefield.
"Nakime-san, don't forget which side you're on," he said without turning around.
As for Kokushibo's direction? He was heading straight for the chaos Doma was creating with his rampage.
"Kokushibo-sama isn't wrong, but—" Enmu began in a nonchalant, drawling voice, before attacking his hierarchical superior's back.
The Upper Moon easily perceived the attack but didn't even turn to parry it.
'I already knew a man like Doma would never rebel alone, nor with only humans as his main force,' he thought, completely ignoring Enmu.
Kokushibo had long anticipated a division within the Kizuki, especially after the official announcement of the former Upper Moon Two's betrayal.
That was why the demon, drawing on his knowledge as a former Sengoku-era lord and old friend of the ice demon, had foreseen the current situation: an inevitable fracture among the Twelve Demon Moons.
Neither Muzan nor Kokushibo understood how Doma had managed to escape their control.
But if the ice demon had succeeded… then others could very well do the same.
Especially since Doma, unlike many of his peers, was more of a strategist than a true fighter.
It was therefore perfectly logical that the former cult leader had been planning his betrayal for years… or even an entire century.
Even Muzan hadn't dismissed that hypothesis, remembering their first meeting perfectly.
Doma had sought him out intentionally, almost as if he wanted to be transformed by him.
And all of it had ultimately led to the scene unfolding under Nakime's watchful eyes:
one Upper Moon attacking another—but missing his target at the last second.
"What?! You still haven't learned your place from last time sigh so pitiful hehe~" declared the new Upper Moon Three, after Gyokko had blocked his attack.
Despite his opponent's mocking words, the demonic artist remained impassive.
The grotesque demon had lost his position after a total defeat to Enmu, but he didn't falter against the dream demon.
'If I hadn't underestimated him back then, I'd be Upper Moon Three today,' he thought as he charged at Enmu.
"Gyutaro, have you also escaped Muzan's control?" Nakime asked in an apathetic tone, as veins appeared on her pale fingers.
She was about to play the biwa.
Yet she didn't seem to harbor any real murderous intent toward her opponent.
Nakime seemed absent, lost in her thoughts.
'Did Doma really abandon me? Didn't he consider the possibility that I might have chosen him, and not Muzan-sama?' she thought, as a spark of anger began to germinate in her usually indifferent heart.
"Not exactly, but I wouldn't really know how to explain it," replied the former demon slayer, clad in the clothes he once wore with his deceased rival.
A demon slayer outfit that had been altered for him.
'Enmu talked about putting Muzan's consciousness to sleep, the one in our minds, but that stuff is too weird and complicated,' he thought as he drew his sickles.
Enmu and Gyutaro's actions weren't isolated, as other demons also began attacking their own companions.
"In the end, we're going to fight again, Kikyo-sama~" Ubume declared in a calm tone, advancing with graceful steps despite the oppressive atmosphere reigning over the area.
The priestess with gentle eyes fixed the new Lower Moon One.
An ethereal blue glow then began to dance around her body, revealing the spiritual power she hid behind her tranquil smile.
"Not quite, my dear Ubume-san…" Kikyo replied in a soft but tense voice.
Before she even finished her sentence, she pulled several talismans from her sleeve.
They immediately ignited with blue flames, undulating like specters around her.
"This isn't a fight, but an execution," she declared coldly, her gaze filled with barely veiled disgust.
Ubume wasn't ugly, far from it. Her refined appearance could even evoke that of a noble, if one didn't know the darkness lurking behind her eyes.
However, Kikyo knew certain fragments of her history—confidences obtained thanks to Ume, Gyutaro's sister.
The latter had tried to bond with other female demons, but the warped and cruel nature of some had deeply marked her.
The ones who stood out were: Nakime and Ubume.
She had nevertheless maintained good relations with them, while warning Kikyo: never trust Ubume.
Because, while Nakime had killed her husband in a fit of anger and despair, Ubume had destroyed her own household out of pure sadism and madness.
Author's Note:
After Doma and Akaza's betrayal, the demon king Muzan reacted as in the manga.
He reorganized the Upper Moons:
1/ Kokushibo (as always).
2/ Hantegu.
3/ Enmu.
5/ Gyutaro.
6/ Kikyo (she had already defeated Ubume before Doma's treachery was revealed. Remember Kokushibo's plan for Muzan, to compensate for Doma's "disappearance" and strengthen the Lower Moons).
Another Author's Note:
Chapter 79 is available on Patr*on, and Chapter 80 will be released today, with a potential Chapter 81. (The Pro Adept tier will get 5 additional chapters and will be available this Wednesday, so don't miss out!)
Another little note: if you want a bonus, reach 450 stones before the Monday reset.