The battlefield fell silent.
Not because the war had ended—But because something far more dangerous had begun.
Amidst the shattered buildings, blood-soaked ground, and fading screams of demons, two figures stood facing each other.
One—calm, yet trembling with suppressed fury.The other—smiling, as if this was all a game.
A soft breeze passed through the battlefield.
Kanae's hair swayed gently… but her grip on her sword tightened.
Her violet eyes… were no longer gentle.
They burned.
Douma tilted his head slightly, his rainbow eyes shimmering with curiosity.
"My my…"
"What a terrifying expression for such a beautiful girl."
His golden fans clicked open with a soft sound.
"Tell me… why do you look at me like that?"
Kanae didn't respond immediately.
Her chest rose and fell slowly.
Then—
"You don't remember… do you?"
Douma blinked..
"Hmm?"
Kanae took a step forward.
Each step… carried weight.
"One and a half years ago."
"You slaughtered a squad of demon slayers."
Her voice began to tremble—not with fear… but rage.
"You fought a Hashira."
Douma's eyes lit up slightly.
"Oh?"
Kanae's aura surged.
"She had green eyes."
"Black hair… with green at the tips."
For a brief moment—
Douma's smile paused.
Then widened.
"Aaah…"
"I remember now."
Kanae's fingers dug into her sword hilt.
"Her name…"
"Was Shizukana Hoshino."
Silence.
Then—
Douma laughed.
Softly at first.
Then louder.
"Ahh~ yes, yes… that woman."
"She was quite… interesting."
Kanae vanished.
BOOM
The ground shattered as her blade stopped inches from Douma's neck.
His fan barely blocked it.
Shockwaves exploded outward.
"You…"
Kanae's voice cracked.
"Took… everything from me."
Douma leaned in slightly, smiling even wider.
"Oh?"
"Was she important to you?"
Kanae's aura erupted.
The air trembled.
"She was my sister."
For the first time—
Douma's expression changed.
Not to anger.
But… realization.
"Aaaah…"
"So that's why."
"You've been trying to kill me from the very beginning."
He gently pushed her blade away and leapt back.
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"And here I thought you were just another emotional human."
Kanae didn't chase immediately.
Her breathing deepened.
"She saved us."
"She raised us."
"She gave us a reason to live."
Her voice dropped—
cold.
"And you killed her."
Douma sighed softly.
"Now that you mention it…"
He tapped his chin.
"I do regret one thing."
Kanae's eyes sharpened.
"I didn't get to eat her."
The battlefield froze.
Douma continued, smiling innocently.
"You see… if I had consumed her—"
"She would have lived on inside me forever."
"Isn't that beautiful?"
CRACK
The ground beneath Kanae shattered.
Her aura exploded violently.
Pink energy spiraled around her like a storm of petals.
"Don't…"
Her voice trembled.
Douma tilted his head.
"Hmm?"
Kanae raised her blade.
Her eyes—completely consumed by rage.
"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!"
BOOOOOOM
Her presence erupted.
Even the demons in the distance froze.
Even the slayers stopped fighting.
Jin, standing far away on a ruined rooftop—
narrowed his eyes.
'This pressure…'
'She's not holding back at all.'
Kanae took her stance.
Petals of energy spiraled around her blade.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
"Today…"
Her voice steadied.
"I will kill you."
Douma smiled.
Slowly raising his fans.
His aura began to spread—cold, suffocating, unnatural.
"Then come…"
"Show me the hatred of a little sister."
Silence.
Then—
BOOM
They vanished.
Total Concentration.
The air changed.
Petals began to swirl.
Violent.
Like blades hidden in beauty.
Flower Breathing — First Form
"Petal Dance of Slaughter"
A flash of pink.
Clang!
Douma barely raised his fan in time.
The impact shattered the ground beneath him.
"Oh?"
His smile widened.
"You're fast."
Kanae didn't stop.
Second Form — "Plum Spirit Severance"
A spiraling slash tore through the air—
Douma twisted—
—but his shoulder was sliced open.
Blood sprayed.
Then froze mid-air—
turning into crystalline shards.
"Beautiful…"
Douma whispered.
"Let me show you something even more beautiful."
He waved his fan.
Blood Demon Art — Frozen Lotus Bloom
The battlefield exploded into ice.
Giant lotus structures erupted from the ground—
freezing everything they touched.
Kanae leapt.
Spun.
Danced between them.
Her blade flowed like a living thing.
Fourth Form — "Crimson Hanagoromo"
A flowing arc of strikes—
graceful—
relentless—
unavoidable.
Douma blocked.
Dodged.
Countered.
BOOM
CRASH
CLANG
The city was being erased.
From a distance—
Jin watched.
His eyes narrowed.
'This is… insane.'
'Every strike… is lethal.'
He moved across the battlefield—
cutting down demons—
supporting the squad—
But his focus never left them.
Back at the center—
Kanae advanced again.
Faster.
Sharper.
More violent.
Douma's smile widened.
"Yes…"
"Show me more…"
Minutes passed.
Neither side yielded.
A stalemate.
Douma spun one of his fans lazily.
"Oh right…"
"I remember something interesting."
Kanae's eyes flickered.
"She blamed herself."
Kanae froze.
He grinned.
"For not being strong enough."
Her fingers trembled.
"She said—"
"'If I were stronger… my sisters wouldn't suffer…'"
A pause.
"So I helped her."
Kanae's pupils shrank.
"I showed her… exactly how powerless she was."
Silence.
"She died with regret."
Everything stopped.
Kanae's eyes—
lost their warmth.
Something broke.
And something else…
awakened.
Her aura exploded.
The petals—
turned darker.
Sharper.
"You…"
Her voice trembled.
"…will die."
The battlefield changed.
No—
Kanae changed.
She disappeared.
Even Douma's eyes widened.
Fifth Form — "Peony of Finality"
A storm of slashes—
too fast—
too precise—
too deadly—
SPURT
Douma's torso was sliced open.
For the first time—
he stepped back.
"Oh…"
His smile faded slightly.
"Now this is interesting."
Kanae didn't stop.
Sixth Form — "Whirling Blossom Catastrophe"
A vortex of petals consumed everything.
Buildings.
Ice.
Demons.
All shredded.
Jin stopped moving.
'She's winning…'
The squad had already wiped out the remaining demons.
Only Douma remained.
Victory—
was close.
Too close.
And that's when—
Douma sighed.
"Alright…"