The Eternal Paradise Faith's stronghold was hidden deep within the mountains.
The peaks were covered in snow all year round, giving the place the air of a holy sanctuary, far removed from the noise of the human world.
At this moment, Butterfly Kanae and Butterfly Shinobu were taken by the sect's followers to bathe and change. They were dressed in the sect's distinctive robes and then led to the library, where they were instructed to study the teachings of the Eternal Paradise Faith.
It was there they learned from the followers that the sect's leader was named Dōma.
Flipping through the teachings, Kanae frowned deeply.
"This is nothing but brainwashing drivel!"
The doctrines were filled with deranged rhetoric, things that violated human morality and reason.
The Eternal Bliss Sect also operated under a hierarchy. New initiates were not permitted to join the evening banquets unless they had first studied and internalized the teachings. This rule was not imposed by the sect leader himself but rather devised by the followers as a method of control and selection—something the leader tacitly allowed.
Since the Butterfly sisters had just joined, they were not eligible to attend the evening banquet. This troubled them greatly.
Kanae immediately made a decision.
"Shinobu, night is falling. We'll stay here just for tonight. At first light tomorrow, we'll head down the mountain, prepare ourselves properly, and then return."
Shinobu nodded silently in agreement.
What they had assumed to be an ordinary cult had now proven to be tied to demons. They had neither their Nichirin blades nor enough of Shinobu's specially crafted wisteria poison.
Even the most skilled cook cannot work without ingredients—so preparing fully and returning later was the wisest choice.
With that plan in mind, the sisters mingled among the crowd, quietly observing everything about the Eternal Paradise Faith.
Night descended. After reciting the teachings together with the other followers, the Butterfly sisters were assigned to a dormitory.
In the room with them were three other young women, all about Kanae's age, who had been members of the sect for some time.
Two of them spoke with excitement, their eyes shining as they gushed over the thrill of seeing the leader during the banquet.
The third, however, sat pale-faced, her expression shadowed, her body trembling uncontrollably as though she had witnessed something truly horrifying.
Shinobu approached and asked softly,
"What's wrong? You look so frightened."
The girl only cast her a glance and gave no reply, still trapped in her world of fear.
Kanae knelt beside her, speaking gently, her voice warm and soothing.
"Is there anything we can do to help you?"
As though healed by Kanae's tenderness, the girl's trembling slowly eased.
"…Can I trust you?"
Kanae and Shinobu both nodded.
The girl seemed to steel herself, taking a deep breath before whispering:
"The Eternal Paradise Faith isn't what it looks like on the surface. I once saw the leader… eating people."
The memory alone made her body shudder with fear again. She continued,
"Before I came here, I encountered a mysterious group. They told me there are creatures in this world called demons. They feast on flesh and blood, they fear sunlight… and everything about the leader matches what they said.
I just wanted protection—that's why I came here. But now… I don't want to die!"
She broke down into sobs. The two other girls in the room looked over curiously, but made no comment, returning to their chatter about the banquet.
With that, the Butterfly sisters' suspicions were confirmed beyond doubt: the sect leader was indeed a demon. The only option was to leave the mountain at dawn, acquire the weapons necessary to fight, and return to free the brainwashed humans trapped here.
Seeing the girl cry in terror, Shinobu comforted her,
"We're demon slayers. Tomorrow, when we go down the mountain, come with us."
"D-demon slayers? Really?" The girl suddenly became wildly excited, clutching Shinobu's hand.
Shinobu was taken aback by the intensity of her reaction, but still answered firmly,
"Yes. We are."
The girl's eyes widened with hope.
"I've heard the others speak about it—once, two people who called themselves Hashira ambushed our leader. They couldn't kill him, but they gravely wounded him. If you're demon slayers, then… then there's hope!"
"Two Hashira?!" Kanae and Shinobu both stiffened in shock. The Hashira were the strongest among the Demon Slayer Corps. For two to fight together and still fail to slay the sect's demon leader—just how powerful was he?
The girl went on,
"In the middle of the Lotus Pond, the leader keeps their weapons—their Nichirin swords—as trophies. They're still stuck in the central stone pillar."
The sisters exchanged a glance. Those swords must indeed be Nichirin blades.
Kanae asked,
"Where is this Lotus Pond?"
"You want to retrieve the swords? At night, followers aren't allowed to wander freely… but later, when it's deep into the night, I can sneak you there."
Kanae nodded.
"Then we'll rely on you. Ordinary weapons are useless against demons—only those swords will work."
As the night deepened, silence fell over the Eternal Bliss Sect.
The girl slipped from her bed and whispered to the sisters,
"I'll take you there now."
Kanae and Shinobu followed her to the Lotus Pond.
At the pond's center stood a stone pillar, and embedded in it were two Nichirin blades of different hues. Under the moonlight, their edges gleamed coldly, as though crying out with unquenched resentment.
The sisters removed the swords from the pillar. The warmth that emanated from the blades gave them a measure of reassurance, a newfound confidence.
Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the night from somewhere beyond the pond.
Shinobu pointed toward the sound and asked the girl,
"What's that place?"
Her eyes went wide with terror.
"That's… that's the leader's residence!"
Kanae's expression hardened.
"This is too dangerous. Go back. Tomorrow, we'll take you down the mountain."
After warning her, she turned to Shinobu.
"Come on, Shinobu. Let's go take a look."
The girl hurried back as instructed. The Butterfly sisters tightened their grip on their Nichirin blades and rushed toward the source of the scream.
When they reached a building, the stench of blood was overwhelming, thick in the air, filling their nostrils.
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