Chapter Thirty-Five

Not only were Doma and his group stunned, but even Chinatsu herself was taken aback. She had no idea what had happened; she only heard a "clang—!" sound, and then the world around her had changed.

The icy chill that once permeated the training ground had vanished, replaced by a pungent odor of rotten wood mixed with a heavy, bloody smell.

Above, the eaves of buildings are constantly flying up and down, the scene is distorted and swaying, as if you are in a distorted 3D image.

Genya and Doma, who were just in front of me, have vanished. In their place are two unfamiliar women.

One person knelt on the ground, holding an ancient zither in their arms. The other person, seemingly slender, exuded a bone-chilling pressure. When those scarlet eyes swept over, Qianxia felt as if her blood was about to freeze.

Kneel down!

The moment the two words fell, an invisible force pressed heavily on her shoulders, and her knees uncontrollably went weak and trembled.

She had a pretty good idea who it was from that voice.

Ghost Dance Tsuji Mukai.

But......

How could the Ghost King be a woman?

A cross-dressing master?

As Chinatsu scrutinized Muzan Kibutsuji, Muzan also coldly examined her.

It really is a ghost.

He sensed a kindred spirit in her.

but--

She was completely out of his control.

Uncontrollable ghosts...

"They all have to die."

Chika's heart pounded, and she almost instinctively bounced backward.

"Boom—!" The spot where she was standing was smashed through by a violent mass of flesh and blood, splinters of wood exploded, and jagged cracks appeared in the floor.

Chika's pupils constricted sharply, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

Assessing the strength of both friend and foe is a fundamental skill for mercenaries, and she knew it all too well at this moment—

The gap between himself and Muzan was like heaven and earth.

escape!

The thought came to her, and she twisted and leaped, recklessly crashing into a dilapidated building on one side.

"Trying to leave?" Muzan's voice rang out, calm yet filled with chilling killing intent.

Before Chika could even turn around, she felt a sharp, bloody gust of wind chasing after her from behind.

"Sizzle!"

As she turned to the side, a searing pain shot through her shoulder blade; sharp claws had torn her flesh apart.

She dared not stop, and used the momentum to roll forward.

As soon as he stood up, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and Muzan appeared like a ghost blocking his way. His pale face was expressionless, except for his red eyes, which were as cold as ice.

"This whole place belongs to me. Where can you run to?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several fleshy tentacles covered in viscous liquid shot out from his sleeve.

Chika's pupils contracted, her body reacting before her brain could process it. An electric current enveloped her, striking the building beneath her feet and plunging her downwards.

Suddenly it was lifted into the air. Although it barely avoided being swallowed, its left leg was still grazed by the edge of the tentacle, and its skin was torn open and blood gushed out.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that she seemed to be a demon now, so why couldn't she heal the wounds Muzan had inflicted on her?

This is not scientific!

"Well!"

Her thoughts raced, but her movements didn't falter. She braced herself with one hand, endured the pain, and leaped up, landing on a pile of ruins.

“A futile struggle.” Muzan, hanging upside down on the building, said coldly. “I thought there would be some special surprise. It turns out it’s nothing special.”

"I don't know why Douma would take a liking to such a useless thing as you."

Chika looked up at him, panting, but her mind slowly began to wander.

This Muzan seems to be keeping his distance the whole time. Could it be that he's only good at ranged attacks?

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

Since we can't escape, we might as well fight!

The moment she leaped up, supporting herself with one hand, she advanced instead of retreating, lowering her body and lunging at Muzan's lower body like a cheetah.

"Liking me is better than liking a piece of trash like you who only knows how to exploit people! Even capitalism doesn't know how to exploit!"

As he drew nearer, he brought his right hand together, his palm like a knife, gathering all his strength to stab fiercely at his heart!

Even if he's a demon king, he's still human. If you can't cut off his head, surely digging out his heart will do some good? I refuse to believe it, does this person have multiple hearts?

Muzan seemed not to have expected his dying prey to dare to fight back, and his movements paused almost imperceptibly.

With a muffled "thud," Qianxia felt as if her finger bones had hit an iron plate, and the pain was excruciating.

"Ants!"

For the first time, Muzan's voice carried a clear hint of displeasure. A tentacle lashed out with even more terrifying speed.

Chika had no time to dodge and could only cross her arms to take the hit.

"Bang!" She was sent flying backward by the tremendous force, her arms went numb instantly, she felt a sweet taste in her throat, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She crashed heavily to the ground, ignoring the excruciating pain that felt like her body was falling apart, and rolled away to escape the pursuers.

Her gaze swept across the ground, and she suddenly grabbed a handful of powder mixed with wood chips and dust. Just as Muzan approached again, electricity crackled around her, and she forcefully flung it towards his face!

This harmless act was purely intended to distract the viewer.

Taking advantage of Muzan's subconscious tilt of his head and the moment when his attack slowed down, Chinatsu gritted her teeth and attacked again, this time targeting his throat!

She poured all her strength into this one strike.

"Take this thunderous strike! Die!"

Amidst the flashes of lightning and thunder, an electric arc tore through the air, emitting a short, sharp whistle, and pierced the opponent's neck.

But her joy was short-lived. Her wrist, which she had struck, was easily grasped by a cold hand and then twisted—

"laugh--!"

Chika clearly heard her wrist bones groan as they succumbed to the strain...

"The dying struggle of ants is more interesting than begging for mercy."

Muzan looked at her, his crimson eyes filled with pure contempt and a hint of anger at being offended. "But... no matter how strong an ant is, it is still an ant."

With a flick of his wrist, Qianxia was slammed to the ground like a rag doll.

Chika curled up on the ground, coughing violently and uncontrollably. Each gasp aggravated the wounds all over her body, and blood kept flowing from the corners of her mouth, leaving dark stains in the dust.

Damn! How can there be such a difference in abilities between ghosts!

Is it scientific? Is it scientific?

My vision began to blur, and I started experiencing ringing in my ears.

She could feel her life force rapidly draining away with her blood, and a feeling of coldness and numbness spreading from her limbs to her heart.

Is it over yet?

So, they died here for no reason?

She's not reconciled... She hasn't even kissed or had sex with Douma yet...

Her unfocused gaze inadvertently swept over the distance not far away.

The woman who remained kneeling on the ground, holding her zither.

She remained meek and obedient, as if everything before her had nothing to do with her.

Yes, that's right, she came here after hearing that piano music...

The moment that thought flashed through his mind, Muzan's attack came.

There's no escaping it...

Suddenly! A flash of inspiration struck!

Almost on her last instinct, Qianxia used all her remaining strength to hoarsely call out the name that had flashed through her mind towards the woman holding the zither.

"Nekome!"

The moment the name slipped out, she was stunned.

How did she know that name?

Time seemed to freeze for a moment. Muzan's crimson pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, he truly showed an expression of surprise.

Nakime, who had been as still as a statue, twitched her knuckles almost imperceptibly.

"Zheng—"

Everything before Chika's eyes began to distort and spin, as if space itself was melting. Muzan's figure blurred in her vision, but the cold, probing gaze fixed on her was imprinted on the depths of her soul as if it were a tangible thing.

Suddenly, she heard Muzan's voice, filled with absolute killing intent.

"Doma!! You come here and die!!"

......

The mountaintop was still covered in snow, and Chinatsu was still in Doma's arms. But this time, the air was filled with a different kind of solemnity.

"Hahaha, the adult's furious! So funny, so funny!"

Doma's smile remained arrogant, and he even shook his head triumphantly, but deep within his seven-colored, glass-like eyes surged complex emotions that Chika had never seen before.

For some reason, at that moment, Chika suddenly had a bad feeling, "Doma?"

"Hmm?" he responded, blinking at her. "What's wrong?"

“Your eyes…” Chika reached out and gently touched his eyelids, her voice trembling without her even realizing it, “are crying.”

Yes, those eyes that once held iridescent light were now brimming with tears, which were silently streaming down his pale cheeks.

Doma was taken aback at first, then looked up and laughed loudly. His long eyelashes trembled, and large tears rolled down his cheeks.

"He was probably just too excited about meeting his followers."

His face still wore that nonchalant smile. "But, I'm a little disappointed that Chinatsu isn't there... Chinatsu..."

As he spoke, he tightened his arms around her, gently rested his chin on her hair, and whispered something like a sigh.

"I want to be with you so much, I want to chat with you, I want to go shopping with you, I want to see you in a pink kimono, I want to show you my new clothes, ahhh, what I want most is to hold you like this forever... I finally learned how to tie a ribbon..."

Before the words were even finished, the surrounding wind and snow suddenly intensified, as if stirred by an invisible force, wildly sweeping across the heavens and earth. The next second, countless tentacles made of flesh and blood burst forth like thorns from hell, instantly engulfing the two of them.

"What is that?" Qianxia's heart stopped beating.

At that critical moment, a force came from her shoulder, and she was pushed away unexpectedly.

Below her lay an endless cliff, powerless to resist. In the raging wind and snow, time seemed to stretch out, and everything stagnated. She saw the shape of Doma's lips struggling to move as he disappeared into the crimson light.

That was something he had said to her many times.

"I love you, Chinatsu~"

"If we meet again next time, be sure to choose me!"

"Bang--!"

Doma was completely swallowed up by countless tentacles made of flesh and blood, with only one arm stubbornly reaching out in her direction.

His five fingers were slightly bent, as if he were trying to grasp something in the void, or as if he were saying a final goodbye.

......

Consciousness seemed to sink to the bottom of icy water, only to be slowly lifted up at a certain moment.

Vague perception precedes visual awakening.

A faint, bittersweet aroma of herbs lingered in my nostrils, mingling with the scent of old paper and aged wood, creating a strange sense of tranquility.

She struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, and it took her a moment to focus her gaze.

The unfamiliar ceiling, low and wooden, suggests a secluded Japanese-style room.

"You're awake."

A gentle female voice sounded from the side. Chika's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly turned her gaze in that direction.

A woman dressed in a classic kimono stood by the bed. She had a gentle demeanor, but her eyes held a calmness that came from years of experience.

Behind her, a boy with an unfriendly expression and sharp nails stood with his arms crossed, watching her warily.

On the other side, Tanjiro, whom they had met once before, sat down with a worried expression.

Her gaze was mainly fixed on the man and woman in front of her, whose auras were so different, and her body tensed up for a moment involuntarily.

"You are..." Chika's voice was dry and hoarse, "...ghosts!?"

“I am Tamayo, and this is Yushiro.”

The woman nodded slightly, her tone calm.

“We found you near some ruins outside the city. You were badly injured, with marks on your body from Muzan’s attack. It was Yushiro, Tanjiro, and I who rescued you.”

Tamayo...Yushiro...

The moment the name entered her ears, some vague fragments of information automatically surfaced in Qianxia's mind.

The demon, now free from Muzan's control, possesses exceptional medical skills and has been operating underground, fighting against Muzan...

Wait! Why would she have this information?

"I..." She opened her mouth, trying to explain or ask, but found her thoughts were in disarray and she didn't know where to begin.

She slowly sat up, her gaze turning to Tanjiro, the only person in the room she could somewhat recognize. "You..."

She instinctively reached out her hand towards him, wanting to make sure this wasn't a hallucination.

A string of hot Buddhist prayer beads between the wrist bones collided with each other as the movement occurred, producing a crisp and abrupt "clattering" sound.

The sound made her freeze abruptly.

Muzan's cold gaze, the distorted space, the snow-covered mountain peaks, the wildly swirling snow, and...

Tears kept rolling down those seven-colored glass eyes.

"I love you, Chinatsu~"

"If we meet again next time, be sure to choose me!"

It felt like her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and the sudden, intense pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

My vision blurred uncontrollably, and warm liquid slid down my cheeks, dripping onto the rough cloth and leaving dark, damp stains.

"Doma..."

She murmured unconsciously, her voice trembling with sobs she herself was unaware of.

Suddenly, a warm hand grasped her fingers.

Unlike her cold hands, the boy's palms were warm and comforting, like the warmth of charcoal fire.

"Miss Chinatsu, although I don't know what happened, please be sure to cheer up!"

His brows furrowed, and his face showed genuine worry. "Everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps is worried about you and looking for you."

Chinatsu: "..."

Tears still clung to her eyelashes as she looked up through her blurry, tear-filled eyes at Tanjiro, momentarily unable to grasp the meaning behind his words.

......

The news that Chinatsu is back spread like wildfire among Hashirama of the Demon Slayer Corps.

When Sanemi received the news, he was watching his younger brother exude an inexplicable chilling aura and then smash a small mountain to pieces with a single punch.

The hawk-like crow overhead cawed loudly, then told him that Tanjiro, carrying the demon sister, had found Chinatsu.

Just as Shimi was about to ask something else, Sora said that the Lord was going to hold the second Pillar Meeting of the week.

The date is tonight.