Demon Slayer: I am a Demon.

There were no weapons.

A Demon Slayer Corps swordsman who doesn't even have a Nichirin Blade.

Even though he couldn't feel any emotions, Doma felt a vague sense of absurdity. How could a swordsman without a Nichirin Blade kill a demon?

Chapter 260 Voluntarily Becoming a Ghost

In order to infiltrate Doma's side, Kanae Chocho did not carry a Nichirin Blade, because the Nichirin Blade carries the energy of the sun, which is very sensitive to demons.

As soon as she carries a Nichirin Blade, Doma will almost immediately realize that she is a swordsman.

However, Kanae's goal was not to sever Doma's head with her Nichirin Blade.

Then

Whether or not she possessed the Nichirin Blade was not actually that significant to Kanae Chocho.

For Kanae Chocho, successfully infiltrating Doma's inner circle and delaying him until now is already a success.

For Kanae Kocho now, all she needs to do is ensure her own safety.

Of course, without the Nichirin Blade, Kanae Kocho's fighting ability is undoubtedly greatly diminished.

…………

Doma opened his rainbow-colored eyes wide and observed for a while before he could truly confirm that the swordsman who was going to hunt demons was not carrying a Nichirin Blade.

It's hard to imagine a swordsman being so negligent.

"I remember that for a swordsman, the Nichirin Blade is an extremely important companion. I never thought that a swordsman like you would abandon it."

Two golden iron fans appeared in Tong Mo's hands at some point, with pink and purple lotus flowers and green lotus leaves engraved on the fan surfaces, and the edges of the fans were almost as sharp as knife blades.

As he spoke, Douma gently fanned himself with his fan, causing tiny ice crystals to fall and begin to mix into the surrounding air.

Just now, Kanae dodged his attack with great agility, and Doma could roughly sense Kanae's strength.

He has killed many swordsmen, and his quick reflexes are among the top five.

If one is ranked in the top five, then within the Demon Slayer Corps, that at least represents the status of a 'Pillar'.

However, even the title of 'Pillar' doesn't really mean much to Doma. His Blood Demon Art is a perfect counter to swordsmen who practice 'breathing techniques'.

Many powerful swordsmen are struck by their own Blood Demon Art almost without realizing it while they are breathing.

Even if you notice it, it won't do any good, because as a human being, you can't stop breathing. As long as you 'breathe,' you will definitely be able to absorb the ice crystals that you spread in the air through the fan.

At that moment, Kanae Kocho held her breath and took out a mask from her pocket and put it on.

For this hunt, face masks are a must.

Of course, with current technology, it may not be able to completely block ice crystals, but it is enough to play a significant role.

Upon seeing Kanae Kocho put on a mask, Doma stopped waving his fan: "It seems they came prepared."

As he spoke, Douma had already stepped off the ground.

Swish!

Almost instantly, he blurred into a blur, wielding a golden fan whose sharp edges gleamed with a chilling light.

Without her Nichirin Blade, Kanae Kocho naturally dared not take Doma's attack head-on and could only dodge immediately.

As a powerful 'Pillar', Kanae Kocho's strength is naturally not weak, but compared to Upper Moon Two of the Twelve Demon Moons, Doma the Ice Demon, she is far inferior, especially without her Nichirin Blade.

In just a short while, the situation became extremely dangerous.

Sensing Doma's power, Kanae Kocho could only grit her teeth and try her best to dodge.

However, it's impossible to avoid all attacks.

"Tear it!"

The sharp edge of the fan grazed Kanae's arm, tearing her clothes and slicing through the flesh of her fair skin.

Blood flowed down the wound almost immediately.

At the same time, the ice crystals mixed in the air also adhered to it, almost flowing into the body along with the blood from the wound.

Sensing this, Kanae's expression changed slightly. While enduring the pain from her wounds, she dodged another attack from Doma.

"It seems your hunt has failed."

Looking at the girl who had quickly fallen into a disadvantageous position in his hands, Douma said softly, "Let me take you to paradise? To redeem you?"

"True redemption is ending your life. Killing you will save more people who might have been eaten by you and free you from this tragic cycle."

Even in such a dangerous situation, Kanae's voice remained gentle, even showing pity for the demon who wanted to eat her.

"You are so gentle!"

Doma smiled gently: "You want to save a demon like me? You're probably the first swordsman I've ever met who wants to save a demon. Other swordsmen always look at me with deep-seated hatred and have no intention of saving a demon at all."

Can you tell me why?

"Because, even a ghost like you was once a human being!"

"We were once people who could bask in the sunlight, just like us, but now we are afraid of even the warm sunlight."

Kanae Butterfly dodged Doma's attack once again, looking at the demon with her purple eyes filled with pity for him.

"It's a really rare idea; I've never heard it from any other swordsman."

Doma shook his head.

"I just want to break the chains that bind this tragedy completely."

Kanae Butterfly suffered another cut from the fan, but her voice remained gentle.

"That's a pity."

Doma shook his head: "Because I don't think becoming a demon is a sad thing. On the contrary, I think becoming a human is a very sad thing."

Deep down, Doma believed that humanity was a regrettable existence.

It would be truly tragic to become a human being.

They really look down on humans.

Unlike the vast majority of people in this world who are forced to become demons or deceived into becoming demons, Doma actively asked adults to let him become a demon.

Kanae Butterfly took a step back, her voice low:

"It's simply because a ghost like you has long forgotten the memories that once belonged to humans, forgotten the past, and once you remember the beauty that once belonged to humans..."

"I'm sorry, but I haven't forgotten my memories of being a human being."

Douma maintained a gentle smile throughout, then pointed to his head: "My memory is excellent."

Kanae Butterfly slightly raised her beautiful purple eyes; she was probably the first demon to have seen one who had not forgotten her memories of being human.

Every demon she slew, when recalling their memories of being human before their death, would have endless regret and sorrow in their eyes.

What's before us is probably a real ghost.

It's truly unimaginable how someone who was once human could feed on their own kind.

How did they manage to do that?

"Don't you feel any inner turmoil, any sense of loss, sadness, or pain when you devour your former kin?"

Even though she harbored compassion for demons and wanted to liberate them from the cycle of sorrow, Kanae Butterfly was unusually enraged at this moment.

"Sadness? Pain? Unacceptability?"

Doma shook his head:

"I've never experienced these emotions before. What does pain feel like? What does sadness feel like? What exactly do human emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness feel like?"

Whether as a human or a demon, Doma could not understand human emotions. Doma's heart never fluctuated, and naturally, he could not feel joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

In Doma's view, all human emotions are illusory and do not exist.

Kanae Kocho hadn't expected Doma's answer. Looking at the oni with the gentle smile in front of her, her purple eyes filled with tender pity: "You oni, you are truly pathetic."

"Is it pathetic? I don't feel it."

Doma shook his head:

"On the contrary, you should be feeling sad and in pain, right?"

"That's almost always the case; they all turn out this way when I eat them."

As he spoke, Douma smiled gently: "But I will still 'redeem' you. Perhaps you don't think it's 'redemption'."

"But in my view, making your flesh and blood one with mine is to 'redeem' you."

Chapter 261 The Grinding of Blood

The Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps all possess the ability to slay the Twelve Demon Moons, but this ability is specifically for the Lower Rank Demons of the Twelve Demon Moons.

Almost none of the Pillars were a match for the Upper Moon Demons.

Over the years, I've only heard of the 'Pillars' who were killed by Upper Moon demons.

There are almost no stories of Upper Moon demons being killed by the Pillars.

The only time was recently when Gyomei Himejima, the 'Stone Pillar,' slew the Upper Moon demon, Hantengu.

Kanae Kocho has done everything in her power, but she is still no match for Doma. Almost every second she is dancing on the edge of a knife, and she could die at any moment.

"Tear it!"

The sharp edge of the fan swung again, slicing through the girl's chest and abdomen, cutting open large chunks of flesh. Fortunately, Kanae Butterfly dodged in time; otherwise, she might have been killed by having her internal organs cut open.

Even so, the physical injuries still left Kanae Kocho pale-faced.

The Upper Moon demons' formidable strength is far beyond what a single Pillar can handle. For instance, to fight Doma to a draw, it would probably require the cooperation of three or four Pillars.

Before this infiltration, Kanae Kocho, as the 'Flower Pillar', was actually quite confident. She always felt that even if she was no match for the Upper Moon Demon, she should be able to hold out until dawn.

However, she clearly overestimated her own strength and underestimated the power of the Upper Moon demons.

Although both are the twelve demon moons, the upper-moon demons and the lower-moon demons are almost completely different concepts.