Demon Slayer : Breath of The Forest

Squelch!

In the blink of an eye, Douma severed arm regenerated completely.

However, as he looked at his newly restored arm, his expression remained far from pleased.

He had underestimated Shinichi sudden burst of strength.

If not for the relentless bombardment and protection of his Blood Demon Art: Bodhisattva, Douma might have lost more than just an arm when Shinichi closed the distance.

But the battlefield left no room for "what ifs."

No matter how many possibilities existed, the result was clear—though Douma was somewhat disheveled, Shinichi was in far worse condition.

His stamina was completely depleted and the last-minute activation of Raging Blood: Third Stage had placed an immense burden on his body.

Even with the combined recovery of Forest Breathing and his demonic constitution couldn't compensate for the damage Shinichi had sustained.

His internal organs were almost entirely decayed—some due to inhaling too many ice crystals, others from his own body overheating.

In short, Shinichi had completely lost the ability to move.

If he were an ordinary human, he would have died long ago.

But the demon blood in his veins, not yet entirely dried up, barely sustained his life.

Even so, his breathing was now shallow and labored.

"It's over, little one. You're truly impressive. If you're willing to serve Muzan-sama, you could become an Upper Rank immediately. What do you say?" Douma extended an olive branch to Shinichi one last time.

If Shinichi refused, Douma wouldn't be so "gentle" with his words anymore.

Shinichi vision blurred further, his consciousness slipping.

Yet, with the last of his strength, he forced out a single word from his throat.

"…Scram."

Douma rainbow-colored eyes remained devoid of emotion, but he murmured softly.

"What a shame~"

Swish! A violet claw shot straight toward Shinichi.

Whoosh!!!

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound tore through the air, forcibly halting Douma movement.

BOOM!!!

A crimson longsword plunged deep into the ground before Douma, its tremendous impact cracking the earth with countless fissures!

"Ah~ Really now? Who else is here? Honestly, I'm starting to get a little annoyed!" Douma laughed, but veins visibly bulged on his forehead.

For a creature that had never understood emotions, he now seemed to grasp what anger truly meant.

Thud!!

The moment Douma finished speaking, a figure crashed down between him and Shinichi.

A black martial artist's coat, golden eyes, short black hair and a headband bearing the character "Martial''.

Gleaming black claws and sharp fangs confirmed the identity of this sudden arrival.

"Huh? What's going on? Another demon? What kind of demon are you?" Douma blinked in confusion.

Why had another unfamiliar demon appeared?

What was happening? Was this some new game of Muzan-sama?

But The Martial Demon had no intention of explaining himself to Douma.

He glanced back at Shinichi, who was barely clinging to life.

"Didn't take you for the stubborn type, kid. But recklessly exposing your identity in front of humans—aren't you afraid of the trouble that follow later? Those humans harbor nothing but hatred for demons."

"Hey, hey! Newcomer-san, you still haven't answered my question! How rude!" Douma crossed his arms in protest.

But The Martial Demon merely glanced sideways with his golden eyes before suddenly erupting without warning.

He stomped the ground, his stance firm as steel and his palms split open as crimson blood instantly gushed forth, rapidly coalescing into the shape of a longsword.

"Blood Martial Art: Sword Form—Starburst Thrust!"

The blood-red longsword exuded a dense aura of bloodlust.

With a flash of his blade, he thrust toward Douma's face at a speed beyond human reaction.

Clang!

A golden iron fan barely managed to block the strike, but Douma's hand trembled uncontrollably from the sheer force behind the blood sword.

Baring his fangs, The Martial Demon's golden eyes burned with battle lust as he spoke with undisguised hostility.

"This little one is coming with me. Upper Moon? Hah! Go back and tell Muzan to wash his neck and wait for me!"

Douma's face remained hidden behind the iron fan, his expression unreadable, his voice betraying nothing.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Behind him, the cracked Lotus Bodhisattva raised its massive crystalline palm and brought it crashing down upon The Martial' Demon!

***

Huffing and puffing, Shinobu Kocho desperately ran forward, carrying her sister on her back.

The warmth against her back told her it was her sister's blood soaking through her clothes.

Her small frame was already exhausted, but Shinobu didn't dare stop.

Tears streamed endlessly from her violet eyes, her heart wrenched as if being torn by a sharp blade.

Shinichi's face and the image of him turning into a demon and charging at the Upper Moon replayed relentlessly in her mind.

'Why? Why? Why?' Shinobu's heart screamed, but no one could answer her.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Shinobu tripped over something, her small body stumbling uncontrollably.

Her sister Kanae tumbled to the ground with her.

"Nee-san! Nee-san!" Ignoring her own disheveled state, Shinobu scrambled to her feet and rushed to Kanae's side.

Summoning the last bit of her strength, she cradled her sister in her arms, watching helplessly as blood continued to seep from Kanae chest, her breathing growing fainter.

Shinobu could hold back any longer and burst into loud sobs.

***

At the same time.

Sanemi Shinazugawa, who had been sprinting madly, suddenly halted, his bloodshot eyes scanning the surroundings.

Beside him, Sabito quickly stopped as well.

"Shinazugawa, what is it? Did you find something?" Sabito gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, his expression grave.

Sanemi didn't answer, continuing his search until his gaze locked onto a direction.

He charged toward it like a madman.

'That voice—it can't be wrong! It's Kocho little sister!' Sanemi thought frantically.

Sure enough, under Sanemi's lead, the two soon found the barely breathing Kanae and the wailing Shinobu.

"Kocho!" Seeing the grievously wounded Kanae, Sanemi instinctively roared in panic, veins of anger bulging across his forehead and arms.

Sabito reacted faster, pulling out emergency medical supplies and tearing off a large piece of his haori to use as a bandage.

Before Sabito could assist the Kocho sisters, Shinobu Kocho, who was crying uncontrollably, grabbed his arm urgently and sobbed.

"Shin... Shin... Shinichi... Save... save Shin... him! Upper Moon!"

Sabito froze for a moment, then instantly reacted, shouting without turning back.

"SANEMI!!"

***

The shattered streets were littered with debris, burning ruins crackling everywhere, and frost-covered ground.

The pockmarked earth and devastated buildings bore witness to the terrifying battle that had just taken place.

However, when the Wind Hashira and the Wave Hashira desperately searching something at the scene, they found no trace of the Demon or the Forest Hashira, Shinichi.

After searching for a long time, all they discovered in a corner was a broken dual-colored Nichirin Blade and half of a tattered blue-green battle robe.

"Shinichi-senpai..." Sabito stared blankly at the tattered robe, speechless.

"Damn it!!" Sanemi Shinazugawa angrily punched a nearby wall, cracking its surface.

Has the Forest Hashira fallen in battle?

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