Chapter 342

But he was slashed backward by a single sword strike, a massive wound appearing across his body, his upper torso nearly cut diagonally in half.

"Such searing heat—this wound heals too slowly! What exactly is this?!"

Douma stared at his chest, where the wound resembled a branding iron's mark and healed with agonizing slowness, finally losing his composure.

He had never heard of such a thing.

48, go to hell.

"You demon who killed my sister, go to hell!"

With a cold expression and murderous intent, Butterfly Shinobu stomped hard, her figure vanishing from her spot with a powerful thud.

Insect Breathing: Centipede Dance—Hundred-Legged Serpent Belly!

She pierced Douma's chest with one sword thrust and pinned him firmly to the wall.

"Cough…"

Douma spat out a mouthful of blood.

It was due both to Butterfly Shinobu's strike and the poison within his body.

But this blow alone was not enough to finish Douma.

He smiled innocently at Butterfly Shinobu before him: "Is that so… I remember now. There once was a woman wearing the same haori as you, using Flower Breathing."

A flash of fury passed through Butterfly Shinobu's eyes.

Douma swung his golden folding fans and activated another Blood Demon Art.

Blood Demon Art: Frozen Cloud.

Vast quantities of ice crystals surged toward Butterfly Shinobu like a fog.

"Step back."

Rengoku Kyojuro grabbed Butterfly Shinobu by the back of her collar, yanking her out of the ice cloud's range, then slashed out a searing sword qi that incinerated the entire mass of ice.

Inosuke and Kanroji launched fresh attacks on Douma from both sides.

Blood Demon Art: Crystal Offspring!

Douma created five ice dolls identical to himself to face them both.

He was currently occupied breaking down the poison inside his body.

"It's over."

Rengoku Kyojuro swung his blade toward him.

Douma sensed his killing intent and the danger it carried, his face hardening with coldness.

"You really are… annoying."

As the words ended,

The ground trembled violently; behind him, a colossal ice figure rose, shaped like a Buddha in prayer with hands clasped, smashing straight through the roof.

Douma's ultimate technique.

Blood Demon Art: Mist Ice—Lotus Buddha!

The entire house swayed precariously, on the verge of collapse.

The followers of Wan Shi Sukkokukyo, witnessing this sight, turned pale with terror.

"S-Something's come out of the Founder's house!"

"Aaaah!! What the hell is that giant thing?!"

The colossal ice figure slapped Rengoku Kyojuro away with one palm, sending him crashing through several buildings.

"Brother Rengoku!"

Inosuke couldn't help but cry out.

The house shattered completely, collapsing into ruin; Butterfly Shinobu and the others, along with Douma, emerged into the night.

Covered in slashes and punctures that healed rapidly, mouth full of blood, resembling a demon, Douma appeared before the followers of Wan Shi Sukkokukyo, who stared in disbelief, eyes wide.

"T-That… is the Founder?!"

"Good heavens! Is this a joke?! The Founder is a monster?!"

Many followers stared blankly at Douma now.

Boom!

Inside a shattered room.

Rengoku Kyojuro, blood streaming from his forehead, rose from the rubble, wielding his Hell Blade.

Butterfly Shinobu, Inosuke, and the others, seeing him unharmed, all exhaled in relief.

Rengoku Kyojuro shouted loudly to the followers: "This place is dangerous—leave at once!"

Hearing his shout, the followers snapped out of their shock and scattered in panic.

After dispersing the followers,

Rengoku Kyojuro gripped his Nichirin Blade with both hands, eyes fixed intently on Douma beneath the colossal ice figure, a strange Madara pattern slowly emerging on his forehead.

"Demon, let me show you the strongest sword I've forged over years of honing it to kill Gyutaro Muichiro."

At this moment,

The blazing aura radiating from him had never been so intense—he burned like a sun in the night.

One foot stepped into the Transparent World, his Madara awakened, wielding the Hell Blade, Rengoku Kyojuro unleashed his strongest sword strike to date.

Flame Breathing, Secret Art: Inferno!

Enveloped in searing flames, roaring like thunder, he surged forward like a meteor.

The several buildings between him and Douma were pierced through, then exploded in a thunderous crash!

The colossal hand of the ice figure, slamming down toward him, shattered instantly; even the surrounding toxic ice mist was incinerated the moment it neared him.

In Douma's widened eyes.

Rengoku Kyojurou, wreathed in blazing flames all over his body, shot across in front of it like a meteor, his Nichirin blade slicing its body clean in two at the waist.

Right after that.

Shinobu Kocho appeared behind it, her slender Nichirin blade slicing toward its neck with absolute resolve.

Clang!

The edge of the Nichirin blade struck its neck, producing a crisp sound like steel being cut.

Douma sneered: "Shorty, with your strength alone, you can't cut through my neck."

"With my strength alone, it's true that it's not enough to cut through your hard neck, but what if we add someone else's?"

Douma was taken aback.

The next second.

Inosuke and Kanao appeared beside Shinobu Kocho, their Nichirin blades swinging down, both striking the back of the blade in Shinobu Kocho's hand. With a clang, and bolstered by the strength of the two of them, Shinobu's slash directly broke through Douma's hard neck and chopped off its head.

Douma's head flew into the air.

"Eh?"

It stared at the upside-down world, still not having processed what had happened.

Shinobu Kocho looked at it, a gentle smile, the same as always, surfacing on her face:

"Go to hell, you trash."

At the same time.

Hantengu was slain by Sanemi Shinazugawa.

Gyokko's neck was severed by Muichiro Tokito.

Tanjiro, employing the Hinokami Kagura, and Tengen Uzui, at the same moment, cut through the necks of Daki and Gyutaro.

Upper Rank Two, Upper Rank Four, Upper Rank Five, Upper Rank Six.

Annihilated!

……

Crash!

Kibutsuji Muzan, who had been conducting a drug experiment inside the room, dropped the medicine bottle in his hand to the floor, producing a crisp crash.

In his boy-form, his crimson slit pupils trembled violently, and a rare expression of shock and fury surfaced on his face.

"Upper Rank Two, Upper Rank Four, Upper Rank Five, Upper Rank Six… all of them were killed at the same time?!"

"Just what… is going on?!"

Kibutsuji Muzan was completely unable to stay calm at this moment.