Time passed quietly within the Eternal Paradise Faith.
...
Two years later—
"Hu—breath—"
"Hu—breath—"
In the back-mountain courtyard of the cult, a child about two years old sat cross-legged atop a massive ice lotus, performing a strange breathing exercise.
This was Hashibira Inosuke.
He was no longer the baby who could only lie helplessly in swaddling clothes.
Now he was carved of jade and powdery snow, with fair skin and a pair of emerald-green eyes that greatly resembled his birth mother's.
Yet that roguish, irreverent aura of his was unmistakably Doma's.
If not for the occasional flicker of wickedness in his gaze, he would look exactly like an immortal child stepping out of a New Year painting.
Much of his pre-transmigration memories had faded—but strangely enough, his memories of the original story had grown ever clearer.
And under Doma's "education" over the past few years, his personality had become… increasingly odd.
[System Scan: Current lung-capacity utilization efficiency — 80%.]
[Passive Skill: Lung Capacity Enhancement Lv.1 is undergoing qualitative change through quantitative accumulation.]
Inosuke took a deep breath. His chest swelled high as the surrounding frigid air was sucked into his lungs and limbs like a whale gulping water.
After two years of adaptation, he had discovered that his "dad's" bedroom was basically a natural training ground.
The air there was thin and freezing—ordinary people could barely breathe. Yet with the system-boosted lung capacity, he had managed to develop a crude prototype of Total Concentration: Constant.
"Y–Young Master!
Young Master, slow down!
Why are you sitting here again?
The Divine Child is really amazing…
I can't even keep up at two years old?!"
An anxious voice full of complaints came from the distance.
Inosuke opened his eyes—it was Xiao Mei, the maid who had been responsible for caring for him these past two years.
"Tch. So noisy."
Inosuke flipped over and jumped down from the ice lotus, landing lightly like a kitten.
Though he was only two, the physical specs of this body—and his brain—were downright ridiculous.
Coupled with his deliberate imitation of Doma's movements, even the way he walked around the cult now carried an infuriating, otherworldly elegance.
Just then—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion came from the front hall.
Immediately after, the entire ground shook violently. The sound of tiles shattering rang out nonstop.
"E–Enemy attack?!"
The maid collapsed to the ground in fright.
Inosuke's eyes, however, lit up.
That commotion—
That demonic aura soaring sky-high—
This was definitely not an ordinary human… not even an ordinary Hashira.
At this point in time, there was only one being in the world who would dare to smash Doma's territory.
"So you've finally come?"
Inosuke grinned, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth.
Instead of running away, he pumped his short legs and sprinted straight toward the center of the explosion.
...
The front hall was in ruins.
The once splendid golden gates had been blown into fragments.
Amid the swirling dust, two figures stood facing each other.
Doma still wore his ever-cheerful smile—except half his head had been smashed apart and was regenerating at a visible speed.
He casually waved his damaged fan, his tone brimming with delight.
"Oh my, isn't this Lord Akaza?"
"What brings you here for a visit?
Did you finally come to your senses and decide to join my Eternal Paradise Faith?
I could even make you a Divine Child too~"
Standing opposite him was a powerfully built man with short pink hair and deep-blue tattoos carved all over his body.
Upper Rank Three — Akaza.
Veins bulged on his forehead. His fists were still smeared with Doma's brain matter—clearly, he was furious.
"Shut up, Doma."
Akaza's voice was tightly restrained rage.
"Lord Muzan has summoned us.
And yet you're dawdling here—are you looking to die?!"
"Well, I was playing with my kid."
Doma's freshly regenerated mouth immediately started chattering again.
"Oh, right—Lord Akaza, you have to meet my son!
He's super cute, just absolutely—"
"Destructive Death: Disorder!"
Akaza had no interest in listening. He raised his fist, intending to smash Doma's lower body as well.
But just as the punch was about to be unleashed—
A childish voice suddenly rang out beside them.
"Whoa! A talking striped basketball!"
The air froze—again.
Akaza's fist stopped dead in midair.
He turned his head, golden eyes locking onto the source of the voice.
There, atop a pile of rubble, stood a beautiful little child.
The child stared at Akaza's tattoos with wide, innocent eyes, even reaching out to gesture at them.
"Dad, is this a new toy you bought me? A basketball?"
Doma: pfft.
Akaza: "?"
...
"T–Toy…?"
Two angry veins popped on Akaza's forehead.
He—Upper Rank Three, pinnacle of combat demons—had just been called a striped basketball.
And a toy, at that.
"Doma."
Akaza turned to him, killing intent almost solidifying.
"Is this another one of your sick jokes?
Raising such a fragile thing?"
"Hey now, don't say that."
Doma instantly appeared beside Inosuke and scooped him up, showing him off like a brand-new accessory.
"Look! This is my son, Inosuke! Isn't he adorable?"
"Inosuke, say hello to your uncle.
This is your Third Uncle, you know—his temper's a bit bad, but he never hits women or children. He's a great guy!
Though you shouldn't learn from him~"
Inosuke mentally gave Doma a thumbs-up.
His dad might be dumb, but at critical moments, he really didn't hesitate to sell out a teammate—he straight-up exposed Akaza's no-killing women and children principle.
Well then.
Don't mind if I do.
Inosuke looked at Akaza's face, now black as the bottom of a pot, and suddenly stretched both arms toward him.
"Hug!"
Akaza froze.
Doma froze too.
"I want the striped uncle to hug me!"
Inosuke wriggled in Doma's arms, pointing at Akaza with pure innocence.
"He looks warm! Not cold like Dad!"
[System Warning: Host is performing a high-difficulty suicidal maneuver]
[Analysis: Exploiting Akaza's disdain and his non-killing principles for extreme boundary testing]
Akaza stared at the human toddler reaching out for him. Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
In his entire life, he had killed Hashira, slaughtered demons—but he had never dealt with this.
A creature with zero survival instinct that still insisted on clinging to him.
"Take it away."
Akaza stepped back half a pace, face full of disgust.
"Get it away from me."
"Oh? Lord Akaza is shy?"
Doma, delighted to stir trouble, directly shoved Inosuke toward him.
"Come on, hugging won't cost you a chunk of flesh. This kid really likes you."
Inosuke cooperated perfectly.
The instant he was handed over, he lunged forward—
Like a koala, he latched straight onto Akaza's arm.
"Got you!"
Inosuke cheered.
What he grabbed was solid muscle—and blazing fighting spirit.
Completely different from Doma's icy chill.
So this was the vitality of a battle demon?
Akaza's entire body stiffened.
Shake him off?
With his strength, even the slightest exertion would turn the child into pulp.
Kill him?
His principles made it impossible to strike a toddler who posed no threat—and was even smiling at him.
"Doma!!!"
Akaza roared, a howl of utter revulsion.
"TAKE THIS—THIS THING AWAY!!!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Doma laughed so hard he nearly doubled over.
Hanging from Akaza's arm, Inosuke felt Upper Rank Three's near-breaking emotions and laughed inwardly.
Sure, this was flirting with death—but as long as he bet correctly on Akaza's bottom line, this was the safest shelter possible.
And—
[Ding! Due to successful intimate contact with Upper Rank Three and survival]
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: 'Newborn Calf Fears No Tiger']
[Reward: Base Attribute Enhancement — Agility Lv.1]
[Note: Want to jump back and forth between two Upper Moons? Better have fast legs.]
A light, nimble power surged into his legs.
Inosuke released his grip, landed steadily on the ground, then stuck out his tongue at Akaza.
"Bleh! Stingy uncle!"
With that, he bolted off—at a speed completely inhuman for a two-year-old.
Akaza took a deep breath, fists cracking audibly.
He turned to Doma, eyes icy.
"Lord Muzan is waiting.
Immediately. Right now. Come with me.
If I see that brat again, I'll break my rule and kill him."
With that, Akaza dashed away without looking back, as if fleeing a natural disaster.
"Ahhh, how boring. Can't even take a joke."
Doma stroked his chin, watching Inosuke's retreating figure with a thoughtful look.
"But for Inosuke to dare touch Akaza on his own…"
"That danger sense. That courage."
"Just as I thought—my education was absolutely correct!"
Doma picked up half of his broken fan, his smile growing brighter and more self-satisfied.
"Just wait, Lord Muzan.
I'll be bringing you a huge surprise."