{Since we got 10 powerstones, I'm uploading a bonus chapter}
~~~
[A few moments earlier]
"Isn't it too quiet?"
Aoyama's voice came out as a faint whisper as he walked through the empty streets alongside Shinobu and Gyomei. Each of their footsteps echoed just a little too loudly, bouncing off the closed doors and shuttered windows that lined the road. No lanterns burned. No dogs barked in the distance. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath.
"Mhm." Shinobu nodded absentmindedly as she walked alongside Aoyama. "After all, this is an Upper Moon we're dealing with—a threat we've never faced before. Naturally, we had to evacuate all the civilians and the… 'workers' from here."
"No, I mean…" Aoyama said, rolling his tongue as he searched for the right words. "I don't even hear any animals or insects. There's really nothing here except the Demon Slayers and the Upper Moon."
"It is because of instinct," Gyomei replied. "All living beings possess an instinctive desire to survive, no matter how small. Naturally, the presence of a powerful, bloodthirsty demon and multiple powerful Demon Slayers has driven every animal away from here."
"Is that so?" Aoyama hummed as he continued walking, a faint crease forming between his brows.
"Still… how exactly did they manage to evacuate this entire part of the Red Light District?" he asked, glancing around the empty buildings. "I mean, these aren't just random houses. This area holds some of the most popular establishments here, doesn't it?"
"Oyakata-Sama sent a letter to the Emperor of Japan to clear out this area," Shinobu responded
"For real?"
Shinobu looked at Aoyama with a hint of amusement before letting out an inaudible giggle.
"For real real."
Say what you want, but the Ubayashiki family really could pull strings. Whether it was their authority or just a bunch of cowardly high officials jumping at the chance to finally see an Upper Moon die, they cleared this place out in an instant.
Either way, it's impressive.
"We're here."
Aoyama and the others came to a halt a short distance away from the target location. The building before them loomed larger than the rest, its entrance draped in heavy curtains that fluttered listlessly in the still air.
"So." Aoyama said, turning around to face the others, the faintest hint of a grin tugging at his lips. "Weapons, please."
*Shink.*
In one smooth, practiced motion, Shinobu and Gyomei drew their weapons. The sound of steel and iron leaving their sheaths echoed down the empty street, sharp and clear against the Aoyama couldn't help the amused huff that escaped him.
Aoyama couldn't help the amused huff that escaped him.
On one side: a petite girl with a pretty, pink, almost ornamental-looking blade. On the other hand, a towering man carrying a humongous black mace and an equally intimidating axe, both built for pure, crushing force.
'So much for gender stereotypes'
FiThwump.
A sound akin to a heartbeat reverberated throughout the street as Gyomei's mace and axe suddenly flared, turning bright red. The glow bled across the metal like molten veins, bathing the three of them in a harsh crimson light.
Aoyama turned to Shinobu as he raised her hand. Shinobu hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head and sheathing her sword.
"I'm sorry, Aoyama," she said at last, her voice soft but steady. "But I don't know how my poison will react to high temperatures. I know how they behave in blood, in flesh, in a demon's cells, but a smoldering-hot katana? That's an experiment I haven't run yet."
She looked as composed as ever, but he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her thumb kept brushing the guard of her sword—a tiny, restless motion she probably didn't even notice.
"That's fine, Shinobu-san," Aoyama replied, his tone gentler than before. "Best not to throw away your only advantage on a hunch."
"Mhm, you do have a point," she conceded, the corners of her mouth lifting as though some sort of invisible weight had been lifted off her shoulder. "Recklessness doesn't suit me, unlike someone else here."
Shinobu tilted her head, casting a sidelong glance at Aoyama. Her look was light, almost playful, but there was a softness there now that hadn't been there a moment ago.
"And please, no need for formalities, just call me Kocho."
"Uh, haha, sure. Kocho"
'FU-'
Behind them, Gyomei didn't so much as shift his weight. He stood perfectly still, doing his absolute best to blend into the background.
'Don't breathe, don't make a sound.' Gyomei silently thought 'I am not here, don't interrupt anything.'
And just as the atmosphere was getting warmer.
*CRASH*
Instantly, the three of them tensed up, eyes snapping toward the source of the explosion.
A section of the building ahead had blown outward, vomiting debris and smoke into the night. Through the cloud of dust and falling splinters, they saw a figure hurtling out.
'Tengen!'
He crashed into a nearby rooftop, tiles cracking under the impact before his body slid and came to a stop.
"Wha—"
Before Aoyama could let a sound out, everyone froze as a feeling of dread descended on them
'Th-this pressure!'
It pressed down on them from every direction at once, an invisible hand clamping over their lungs, their throats, their hearts. The air grew thick, heavy, like trying to breathe through wet cloth. A cold shiver crawled up Aoyama's spine, then dug in its nails and stayed there.
"Kgh"
The strangled sound tore itself out of his throat as his chest squeezed tight. His heartbeat hammered against his ribs, too fast, too loud, like it was trying to break out. It felt like his heart had migrated to his ears as he heard the loud beats inside his head.
Beside him, Shinobu's usual composure had cracked. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and a faint tremor ran through her hand as she adjusted her grip on the hilt of her sword. Though she tried to hide it, she couldn't stop the shaking of her hands.
Gyomei, on the other hand, appeared more composed, but even he couldn't hide it completely. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth creaked, a faint grinding sound barely audible over the ringing in Aoyama's ears. Sweat beaded at his temple and slid down his cheek, cutting a thin line through the dust on his skin.
*creak*
His axe, despite being solid metal, began to creak under the immense force Gyomei unconsciously poured into his grip as he fought back the growing fear.
'Upper Moon… it has to be—'
The thought never finished, because the pressure moved.
The weight that had been pressing down on the whole district suddenly drew closer, like a hand closing into a fist.
"For mere humans, you are not weak."
Every instinct in Aoyama's body screamed at once. His skin prickled. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood upright. Something was wrong with the air between them, too still, too dense, as if reality itself had thickened.
For some reason, his gaze flicked sideways.
Shinobu's shoulders were tense but steady.
Gyomei's broad back, unmoving.
And then—
His stomach lurched.
There was space between them. A small gap where none of them had been standing a moment ago. A perfectly ordinary bit of empty ground.
Except it didn't feel empty anymore.
'Someone's there!'
"Martial Union-"
"Stone Breathing-"
Aoyama and Gyomei moved at the same time, instantly launching into action towards the unannounced intruder.
The ground beneath Aoyama's feet seemed to lurch as he kicked off, body exploding forward toward that impossible gap between them. Every sense screamed at him not to close the distance, but his training shoved that fear down, turned it into motion. His muscles burned as he pushed past the crushing weight bearing down on his chest.
Gyomei shouldn't have been that fast for a man his size. He drove forward, each step a heavy thud that shook the stones. The chain between his mace and axe jangled once, then snapped tight with a sharp metallic clink when he shifted his grip.
"Oh?"
*swish*
The demon, letting out a sound that indicated he was surprised, vanished in front of them.
'He vanished?" Aoyama thought with surprise 'No, he just moved so fast that I couldn't see him!'
*clink*
Upon realizing that the intruder had vanished, Gyomei immediately pulled back his mace, canceling his attack.
"To be able to sense me…Not bad"
The voice came from directly behind Shinobu.
She hadn't heard footsteps. No rustle of clothes. Nothing. But suddenly there was warm breath at the side of her neck, the faintest shift in the air as if someone had leaned in over her shoulder.
It was only then that Shinobu reacted to the Upper Moon.
"But this one" It said, raising its hand "Is a bit slow."
"Shinobu!" Gyomei screamed
"Martial Union Sun Breathing: Sunflower Thrust"
Aoyama wasted no time. He cut off his previous motion and sucked in a sharp breath, drawing in far more air than his body was ready for. Pain shot through his lungs at the sudden shift, but he ignored it, forced his stance to change, and dashed forward, driving his fist straight out.
*clang*
AClang.
Metal screamed as sparks exploded from the violent impact, a blast of wind and force rippling out from the point of contact as sword and fist met.
*squelch*
Aoyama's arms bulged before his blood vessels exploded, and his bones cracked from the force of the swing. His skin tore apart as a fountain of blood sprouted out from his wounds, dyeing the ground red.
'Endure it!'
Aoyama gritted his teeth, planted behind Shinobu, his outstretched knuckles pressed hard against the flat of the blade. The Upper Moon's sword trembled there, stopped cold with its edge frozen just before it could so much as brush a single strand of her hair.
However, when Aoyama looked at the sword he was holding back, he almost recoiled in disgust.
The "sword" had multiple eyes, each blinking and looking at him. Being completely encased in flesh, Aoyama could feel the wriggling and pulsing flesh on his hands, like a bunch of wriggling worms crawling over his body all at once.
"Insect Breathing Fourth Form- Dance of the Dragonfly: Compound Eye Hexagon"
Shinobu did not stay still while Aoyama blocked the sword. Jumping over Aoyama, Shinobu swiftly dashed towards the figure before sending out six rapid thrusts, each filled to the brim with Wisteria poison.
However, the figure didn't even look at her. Just lifting up his hand, he casually deflected all of the six thrusts before a second sword sprouted out from his hand, heading towards Shinobu at blinding speeds.
*clang*
Raising her sword just in time, she barely blocked the attack before being thrown backwards by the sheer force of the attack.
*swish*
At the same time, before Aoyama could fully reset his stance from the block, the figure kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back as well.
He was a tall man with a muscular build and a sickly pale complexion. His long, spiky black hair—with sharp red tips—was tied back in a rough ponytail, two wavy bangs falling to his collarbone on either side of his face. But what stood out most were his eyes: three sets of them, stacked unnaturally across his features, each with yellow irises and raw, red-fleshed sclera, Upper Moon 1, Kokushibou—the second strongest demon in existence.
Unlike the other demons, he was on a completely different level. Even when compared to Upper Moon 2, there was an overwhelming gap between them.
Not only was he a user of Breathing Techniques, but he also possessed the See-Through World and the Demon Slayer Mark. Those buffs, stacked on top of his already high base stats from his demonic abilities and nearly a millennium of experience, made him the undisputed leader of the Upper Moons.
black straight lines radiating outward from every pupil like cracks in the skin.
And on each of the eyes was a number
[Upper Rank 1]
Digging his feet into the earth, Aoyama skidded to a halt as he stopped to stare at the demon in front of him.
'Tch, so it is him.'
"That demon" Shinobu said, getting up "he's nothing like the other demons."
"Yeah, no shit."
Upper Moon 1, Kokushibou, the second strongest demon in existence. Unlike the other demons, this one was on a whole other level, even compared to Upper Moon 2; there was a huge gap between the two of them.
Not only was he a user of Breathing Techniques, but he also possessed the See-Through World and the Demon Slayer Mark. Those buffs, stacked on top of his already high base stats from his demonic abilities and nearly a millennium of experience, made him the undisputed leader of the Upper Moons.
*zing*
The world turned gray.
Aoyama's gaze pierced through Kokushibou's clothes and skin(ayo?), allowing him to peer directly into the demon's internal body.
'Amazing'
As disgusting as demons were, their physiologies never failed to impress Aoyama. Their compressed and powerful muscles, their hardened bones, their tough skins. No matter what, every part of their body was much more enhanced than a human's.
But Kokushibou's body was on another level.
'His muscles are packed so densely and coiled so tightly that they're like bundles of compressed steel springs, and his bones are tougher and more unyielding than forged steel itself.
Not to mention, his internal organs, like his brain, are constantly shifting around in his body. Even if we cut his head off, there's no guarantee his brain would be there, rendering decapitation useless.'
Seemingly noticing Aoyama's piercing gaze, all six of Kokushibou's eyes shifted to him.
"You can see the other world as well?" Kokushibou asked before nodding to himself, as if accepting his own conclusion "Yes, I should atleast expect that much from a Breath of the Sun user.
However… It seems that your capabilities end at just that. Unlike 'Him', you have not truly stepped into the other world; your intent to blow my head apart is radiating from you like heat from a volcano."
'The other world?' Gyomei frowned 'Does he mean Aoyama's ability to perceive one's inner body? And he said as well, which means that, like Aoyama, he too can predict our moves from the flexing of our muscles and counter-attack.'
Gyomei glanced over to Shinobu, who nodded towards him, indicating that she too had arrived at the same conclusion.
'Stepping into the other world? Does he mean the Selfless State?' Aoyama frowned. 'What he's saying is that, unlike what I initially thought, Selfless State isn't a martial technique, but rather it's like how my vision transcended this world and peered into the other world, except I have to do it with my whole body instead of just my eyes?'
"You two, what is your name?"
"I have nothing to say to a demon." Gyomei coldly replied.
"My name is none of your concern." Shinobu scowled
"Not you, woman." Kokushibou replied disinterestedly. "I am asking about the young one."
'Me?' Aoyama wondered.
"You two are strong." Kokushibou said, breaking his chain of thoughts "Hashira, your body has reached the peak of human refinement. I have not seen such a perfect body in 300 years. Not to mention, your loss of vision has only made you more formidable by heightening your other senses.
As for you, child, your body is even more fascinating. Your refinement is already on par with the other one, but not only has your body not been completely refined from Total Concentration: Constant, but you have yet to reach sexual maturity, meaning your body is still developing. You will only grow stronger from here on out."
"However, one day you will grow old." Kokushibou said as if reminiscing "The skills you are so proud of today will eventually fade away as your body slowly decays. The effort you have put in, and the body you refined so carefully, will eventually be nothing but dust, regardless of your strength."
"Stop with the fancy speech." Gyomei sharply interrupted "Get to the point already."
"Become a demon." Kokushibou offered "You will not only gain eternal life, but will also be able to preserve your skills and strength. Furthermore, with eternity awaiting you, you will be able to reach heights you could never think of."
"I refuse." Gyomei cut him off. "Eternity, skill, strength, what's the use of it all if you have no one to share it with? As time passes, your mind will just crumble away piece by piece until the only thing you can do is swing your weapon.
Anyways, as a Demon Slayer and a Hashira, I had already resigned to the fact that I may not live to see tomorrow. So don't you dare instill your moronic ideologies into us, we're born as humans, and we take it as a point of pride to die like humans."
Kokushibou let out a small nod before moving over his eyes towards Aoyama.
"And you?" Kokushibou asked "You could not have been in the Slayer Corps for long, so their poisonous hatred could not have seeped deep into you. Furthermore, unlike the other two whose bodies are roaring with hatred at seeing me, your heart remains calm, meaning you don't have any form of hatred towards demons."
Aoyama remained calm as he assessed Kokushibou's question. However, Aoyama's quietness was not a denial.
Gyomei's brows drew together, a tight knot forming between them. Aoyama wasn't reckless, but he was never soft on demons either. The lack of an immediate refusal felt wrong, and his grip unconsciously tightened around his weapon.
Shinobu felt something unpleasant sink in her chest. Aoyama's usual calm, which she'd always found reassuring, suddenly seemed distant. Her eyes searched his face for even a hint that he was about to deny the offer, but she couldn't find any.
"Aoyama?" Gyomei asked "You're not seriously considering it right?"
"Aoyama, so that is his name?" Kokushibou said as if testing the name "Aoyama, you may not know this, but demons produce more hormones than a normal human. If you turn into a demon now, you will achieve even greater power as you go through maturity, far outclassing that of a normal demon."
"Yeah, that's great, I guess," Aoyama said, finally breaking the silence as he scratched at his eyebrow.
"But here's the thing, I'm really selfish. I don't care if my skills fade from the world, if they never get passed down, or if everything I've worked for disappears when I die. Because, quite frankly, I won't be alive enough to give a damn.
And immortality? Eternal life? Sounds miserable. Living forever just sounds like a chore, especially for someone like me who's not obsessed enough to devote an eternity to a single craft like you."
Gyomei and Shinobu visibly deflated in relief as they heard Aoyama's response. Kokushibou, on the other hand, stood still for a moment, as if looking through Aoyama's body, trying to find something.
"If that's what you both say" Kokushibou finally said, "Then I won't bother asking anymore."
*woosh*
Aoyama's hair snapped to attention as a razor-cold gust tore past the three of them. Every instinct in his body blared at once, screaming at him to turn and run.
"Wait!" Aoyama shouted, whipping toward the source of the wind. "Don't tell me, Dom—"
Before any of the three could respond, the temperature plunged.
*screech*
A roar like grinding glass ripped through the air as a thick wave of ice rushed toward them, swallowing the street in an instant. The ground cracked and glazed over, walls and lanterns flash-freezing mid-gust. In under a heartbeat, Aoyama, Shinobu, and Gyomei were locked where they stood, turned into statues of ice.
"Huh, I expected more. What a let down~~"
He was a tall, young man with a solid, muscular build and an almost unnaturally pale complexion. His long, pointed nails were stained a faint lavender, adding to the eerie refinement of his look. His hair, a striking platinum blond, was parted to the right; shorter strands framed his face, flaring out and curving back, while a single lock fell between his eyes. The longer sections trailed down his back in a thinning spiral, like a silken ribbon.
His eyes were a mix of soft pastel tones, the colors fading into one another like a muted rainbow. And on each of his eyes, the number two was inscribed.
[Upper Rank 2]
"I don't know why we wasted this much time talking to them" Doma said, closing his fan. "We both know how stupid and stubborn Demon Slayers are."
"They had talent" Kokushibou said as his eyes still remained on the frozen statues. "As a swordsman, I could not bear to see such talent wither away. It was nothing more than a selfish desire."
"Eh? Really?" Doma said as he rested his head on his palm "For Kokushibou-Dono to have such a selfish desire… Mmm~ I don't get it. If they were as exceptional as you said, then they wouldn't have been done under by a single attack from me…
Hahh, forget it. Lord Muzan will turn one of them into a demon, so your wish will be realized anyway. Once that's done, how about I organize a battle so I can see how strong these guys are?"
"No, there's no need for that." Kokushibou said, gripping his sword. "For it appears that you will get a demonstration right now…"
"Huh?"
*CRASH*
The ice surrounding the street shattered outward, exploding into countless fragments as a thick, white mist burst free and rolled through the district. Shards of ice clattered across the rooftops and skidded along the stone, but within seconds, everything vanished into fog as if suddenly melting after coming into contact with something extremely hot.
*whoosh*
Then, from within the mist, a glowing red figure burst into view in front of Doma, driving a punch straight toward him.
*Clack*
Reacting to the attack, Doma pushed his fan in front of the punch while pushing his head down. The fan held on for a second before breaking, but that was more than enough time for Doma to move his head down, avoiding Aoyama's punch altogether.
*swish*
However, in the next moment, a glowing mace burst from within the mist, heading straight towards Doma. Still occupied by Aoyama's attack, Doma wasn't fast enough to dodge the incoming mace.
"Moon Breathing First Form: Dark Moon, Evening Palace"
However, at the last moment, Kokushibou stepped in. His body slid into the mace's path, sword already swinging.
With a single horizontal cut, he met Gyomei's glowing weapon head‑on. Metal shrieked as the blow was knocked aside, the mace skidding off the blade in a spray of sparks before it could cave in Doma's skull.
'A breathing technique?' Gyomei internally wondered as he redirected his mace 'Don't tell me, that demon used to be a Demon Slayer once!'
"Freezing Clouds"
As Kokushibou deflected the strike, Doma raised both hands toward Aoyama and exhaled.
A pale vapor poured from his palms, then thickened into heavy white clouds that surged straight at Aoyama's glowing form. The temperature crashed as the freezing mist closed in on him, layer after layer of biting cold stacking on top of each other until it felt less like air and more like a moving wall of ice.
*ssss*
However, the ice melted as soon as it came into contact with Aoyama's skin. In the end, the ice was a Blood Demon Art, and Aoyama was like a miniature sun, two complete opposites.
"Moon Breathing Tenth Form: Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves"
Seemingly noticing the disadvantage, Kokushibou shifted his stance and swung his blade in a smooth arc. Three rotating crescent blades of flesh and steel tore free from his sword, spinning through the air like circular saws as they screamed toward both Aoyama and Doma, seemingly not caring whether Doma would be struck as well.
*whoosh*
Noticing the danger, Aoyama swiftly retreated backwards. As soon as he left, the area he was standing on was shredded into pieces along with Doma standing nearby. However, unlike the road, Doma regenerated from the damage in a matter of seconds.
*step*
After dashing, Aoyama ground his feet into the ground, slowing him down as he skidded towards Gyomei and Shinobu.
"Are you two alright?" Aoyama asked
However, Aoyama regretted asking the question after seeing the condition of the two.
Ice clung to both of them, crawling up their uniforms in jagged patches. Their sleeves and collars had gone stiff, edges rimmed with white. Shinobu's lashes were dusted with frost, tiny crystals catching the light every time she blinked.
They couldn't stop shaking, and it wasn't just normal shivering from cold, either, but rather more like violent seizures. Their shoulders, their arms, even their jaw quivered with every passing second. Each breath came out as a thin, white puff that hung in the air for a moment before fading, only to be replaced by another, and another.
"W-we're great" Gyomei said chattered "Don't worry about us-s"
*zing*
The world turned gray.
'Damn!'
The cold had sunk deep, past skin and muscle, into bone. It looked less like they were standing after a fight and more like they'd been dug out of a glacier and told to keep moving.
For a split second, Aoyama had the sickening thought that if he touched them, their skin might feel as hard and fragile as the ice around their boots, like one wrong move would make them crack.
*whoosh*
Dashing toward them, Aoyama closed the distance in a few strides and hauled both of them into a tight, crushing hug. Shinobu's body felt light and brittle in his arms, Gyomei's body felt strangely rigid, like he was grabbing hold of half-frozen statues instead of living people.
"Hold on," he muttered, more to himself than to them.
He pulled them in closer, pressing his chest and arms against their ice-stiff uniforms, and willed the heat in his body to surge. Warmth roared out of him all at once.
*ssssssss*
Steam hissed up around the three of them as the ice began to melt on contact, white frost turning to droplets that ran down their sleeves and dripped off their fingers.
Luckily, this wasn't normal ice, but a Blood Demon Art. Instead of slowly thawing, it reacted violently to the concentrated heat and light pouring off Aoyama, breaking apart and vaporizing almost instantly, turning to mist that curled away into the night.
"Moon Breathing Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail"
However, the demons weren't going to give him time to heal his allies.
He shoved Shinobu and Gyomei behind him and stepped forward, putting his body between them and the incoming storm.
*CLANG*
For a split second, it sounded like steel hitting steel. The arc of the slash skidded across his skin, as sparks emerged from the harsh collision as if the slash was trying to carve through steel instead of mere flesh.
Pausing slightly for a second from surprise, Kokushibou's eyes widened imperceptibly before he continued swinging.
*Squelch*
However, steel might as well be paper in front of an Upper Moon Demon. The slash only struggled for a few seconds before it finished grinding apart the skin and started shredding the muscles.
*Squelch**Squelch**Squelch**Squelch*
A barrage of slashes assaulted Aoyama's back, each one digging deep into his flesh. Blood sprouted from his back like a fountain as waves of pain shot through his body.
"Urgh!"
Aoyama wasn't a battle-hardened veteran. Unlike the others, he was nothing more than a city boy lazing his life away in his room, who suddenly dropped into a fictional world out of nowhere a few months ago.
As such, his pain tolerance was awful. Sure, he could somewhat handle pain like a fracture or a bruise, but getting his skin torn off and the muscles in his back being shredded away as he felt his bones and spines tremble…
It was beyond words.
Yet when Aoyama looked at the people nestled in his arms, dying of cold, he immediately shut his mouth.
"Wintry Icicles"
Shards of ice suddenly drove into Aoyama's back, freezing his already shredded muscles.
'Endure it!'
Even if he wanted to, the pain was so intense that Aoyama could no longer scream. He could feel the ice slowly spreading through his body into his muscles and bones, only being stopped by the meager amount of heat he could spare in the current moment.
"Doma." Kokushibou said, lifting his hand. "Let them heal. If we attack them now, they'll die, and Lord Muzan will be angry with us."
"Pooh!" Doma exclaimed, scratching his head "Whatever, I don't care if they live or die either way."
"Aoyama!"
"Young Aoyama!"
"Shut up!" Aoyama snapped, voice cracking. "Don't— ngh— don't distract me! If I lose focus now, you two are dead!"
"Aoyama, you're shaking," Shinobu said, her tone tight. "Your back is bleeding through your haori. Stop this for a moment and—"
"I can't stop!" He sucked in a ragged breath, teeth grinding as another wave of pain hit. "If I let go, that ice is going to crawl right back into your bones. J-just stay still and let me handle it!"
"Aoyama, your body's freezing too!," Gyomei shouted in panic, unlike his normal calm voice. "At this rate, your body's going to shut down!"
"My body's already screwed!" Aoyama barked, a strained, almost hysterical laugh slipping out. "Back's shredded, muscles frozen, spine feels like it's getting chewed on. Believe me, I noticed, but unlike you two, I can handle this on my own! Even if I look like this right now, I'll be all better soon."
Shinobu flinched at the hoarse desperation in his voice. "Aoyama…"
"Just…" he hissed. "Just trust me, alright? Just stay warm."
His whole body trembled, heat pouring off him in visible waves as more steam hissed around them.
"...Alright" Gyomei said at last, bowing his head. "We will trust you, Aoyama."
"How heart-touching!" Doma swooned as he heard the exchange "Exchanging words of concern in such a dire situation! This feeling of concern and anger, Bravo! Bravo! You Demon Slayers are always such good sources of entertainment."
In an instant, all traces of amusement left Doma's face, being replaced by an ice-cold stare.
"Unfortunately for you, I don't have the emotions to appreciate this." Doma said, touching his own face as if surprised by the amount of hostility he himself was displaying, "No, this annoys me. It annoys me so much…
Sorry, Kokushibou-Dono, I don't know why, but I despise this group of Slayers. I've never felt any form of emotion, but for some reason, I can't bear to see them live. I want to kill them right now. There are other Hashira, too, right? We'll just take one of them with us, but not these three."
Kokushibou silently listened to Doma's complaints before shaking his head.
"For even someone like you to be riled up… Very well. Truthfully, I do not wish to see the Sun Breather alive as well. Since our goals intersect, I will excuse this attempt at insubordination. Do not attempt something like this again."
"Then, I'll do it."
Doma raised his hands as icicles formed in the air around him.
"Wintry Icicles"
*whish*
Like the sound of an arrow, multiple icicles launched from around Doma's arms, each atleast multiple inches long. Unlike the others, this one wasn't meant for slowing a person down, but rather, to impale their body, resulting in a quick death.
However, the conversation between Doma and Kokushibou was more than enough time for Aoyama.
In Aoyama's vision, the ice that had penetrated their body had finally vaporised.
'Finally!'
*whoosh*
Blurring in front of Aoyama, the now thawed Gyomei quickly raised his weapons.
"Stone Breathing Third Form: Stone Skin"
Swinging his axe, he met the first wave of icicles head‑on. The massive blade swept out in a hard, clean arc, smashing through the front row of ice spikes with a deafening crack.
CRASHCRACKSHATTER
The icicles exploded on impact, breaking apart into chunks and glittering shards that spun away in all directions. Without pausing, Gyomei shifted his grip, letting the weight of the chain pull his weapons back around.
"Hah, hah." Aoyama let out heavy breaths as he looked down. "I'm gonna lie down for a bit, so… I'll leave the rest to you guys."
*thud*