The three of them walked straight through the forested area, following a stone-paved path that led toward the brilliantly lit temple complex.
The faint hint of blood in the air grew stronger as they approached, thickening with every step.
Miko wrinkled her nose, her stomach churning with discomfort from the pungent scent.
Before long, they arrived at the temple's main entrance.
A grand, crimson-red wooden gate stood wide open. Within, the lights blazed brightly, and faint music mixed with the sounds of men and women laughing and chatting drifted out.
The scene was utterly at odds with what a temple should be—serene and sacred.
Instead, it exuded a debauched, decadent aura, filled with the stench of indulgence and depravity.
Without a hint of hesitation, the three strode straight through the main gate and entered the main hall of the temple.
The sight before them caused Miko, who was experiencing the true brutality of this world for the first time, to go pale as if struck by lightning.
The spacious, luxuriously adorned main hall was decorated extravagantly.
The thick scents of sandalwood and makeup mingled into a nauseatingly sweet aroma that clung to the air.
In the center of the hall, on an elevated platform covered with lush carpets, reclined a figure.
He had shimmering platinum-blonde hair, a face of ethereal beauty, and eyes that gleamed with a rare seven-colored brilliance.
He lounged there with an air of utter relaxation, dressed in an elaborate and resplendent kimono.
His face wore a gentle, spring-like smile—soft, inviting, like the warm glow of a saintly preacher.
But what he was doing stood in stark, horrifying contrast to his saintly appearance.
Before him lay the lifeless, half-dressed body of a young woman.
Her body was mutilated and bloodied, showing clear signs of brutal mistreatment.
And that man—Doma—had a touch of crimson at the corner of his mouth, savoring his meal as if it were the finest delicacy.
Gracefully, he lifted the severed hand of the woman and placed it in his mouth, chewing with unhurried elegance.
The faint crackling of bones echoed in the otherwise silent hall, crisp and sharp.
The moment Miko saw this, Doma finished consuming the hand and licked the blood from his lips, as though savoring the last drop of a rare vintage.
The serene smile on his face never wavered, as if he had just enjoyed an exquisite dessert.
"Uuugh—!!!"
The visceral sight and the psychological impact shattered Miko's composure.
Her stomach lurched violently, and she doubled over, clutching her mouth as she heaved painfully.
"Calm yourself, Miko," Phaethon's voice rang gently by her side.
A warm hand rested on her back, patting her lightly to help her breathe.
"Look closely. This is the true threat that Kanae's world faces.
These creatures feast on human flesh, possess immense power, and are practically immortal.
They call them—Demons. Carnivorous beasts in human form."
Phaethon's voice was calm, but his words were like icy water, extinguishing any flicker of hope Miko might have had.
"They are not mere spirits, not manifestations of grudges, nor are they hallucinations.
They are real, living predators who sustain themselves on flesh and blood.
To them, humans are nothing more than livestock for slaughter."
Still coughing and retching, Miko lifted her tear-streaked face, feeling a chill crawl up her spine.
She clutched her mouth tightly, unable to imagine how such cruelty could exist beneath the surface of what appeared to be a normal world.
Compared to these flesh-eating demons, the ghosts and spirits she encountered in her world seemed almost harmless.
At least they didn't physically devour her if she pretended not to see them.
For the first time, Miko fully grasped the enormity of the danger in different worlds.
What Kanae faced on a daily basis was a nightmare on a scale Miko could barely comprehend.
At that moment, Doma, lounging on the platform, finally noticed the uninvited guests who had entered his hall.
When his gaze fell upon Kanae, his seven-colored eyes sparkled with glee.
His face lit up with an expression of pure delight, as if he were greeting a long-lost friend.
"Ahhhh, isn't this the young lady who ran away last time?"
He even stood up with exaggerated enthusiasm, spreading his arms wide as if to welcome her back.
"What a surprise! I thought I'd never see you again!"
He was so overwhelmed with joy that he seemed to completely disregard Phaethon and Miko standing behind Kanae, as if they were merely unimportant decorations.
Doma indeed had reason to be surprised.
He clearly remembered that just a week ago, he had nearly killed this Flower Hashira.
Just as he was about to savor her tender flesh, she disappeared in a sudden flash of light.
That had left him sulking for days, lamenting the loss of a fine delicacy.
Never did he expect that only a week later, the woman he thought to be near death would reappear, perfectly healthy.
Not only that, but her presence seemed stronger—richer, more potent.
"I'm so glad! I was still thinking about you!"
Doma's smile grew even brighter, his eyes shimmering with undisguised greed and excitement.
"I was so disappointed when you vanished. But it's fine now. Since you came back on your own, I'll make sure to savor every bit of you this time."
As he spoke, he licked his lips, his tongue flicking across the remnants of blood.
However, in the face of Doma's grotesquely cheerful greeting, Kanae's expression remained ice-cold.
Her eyes were devoid of emotion, but beneath the surface, a lethal intent simmered.
"Clang—!"
With a sharp metallic hiss, she drew her Nichirin Blade without a moment's hesitation.
The blade glinted under the hall's lights, reflecting a cold, merciless light.
Kanae raised the tip of her sword, pointing it directly at Doma.
Her voice was calm, but it carried an ironclad resolve and a chilling edge.
"There was a time when I foolishly believed that coexistence between humans and demons might be possible.
I thought that with understanding, with communication, hatred could be dispelled."
Her gaze flickered past Doma to the mutilated corpse of the woman behind him, and her eyes sharpened like blades.
"But now, after standing on the edge of death, I understand.
A demon is just that—a monster that devours humans to live.
Coexistence? That was nothing more than a naïve dream."
Her mind flashed back to the vision Phaethon had shown her of the future—
Her sister, Shinobu, sacrificing herself to poison Doma, only to perish alongside him.
"...And after witnessing the future steeped in despair, I have abandoned that childish fantasy.
Kanae's voice grew stronger, her tone filled with unyielding determination and a thirst for battle.
"The only thing I want, the only thing I will do, is to wipe out every last one of you vile creatures—"
"I will kill every last demon from this world!!"
The moment her words fell, an immense surge of energy erupted from Kanae's body!
But it wasn't the typical sharpness of the Breath Techniques—it was something deeper, something stronger, something from another dimension entirely.
Skill Activation—[Elemental Sword Manifestation]!
At her will, four ethereal swords, each radiating different elemental energy, appeared around her, floating gracefully in the air:
One blazed with crimson flames, burning with fierce intensity—"Prominence of Blazing Flame"
One shimmered with icy blue frost, exuding a biting chill—"Frost of Kaledin"
One crackled with bolts of lightning, surging with raw energy—"Thunder of Stormbringer"
One pulsed with dark flames that whispered of death—"Abyssal Fire of Barizad"
The four elemental swords revolved around her Nichirin Blade, emanating a powerful magic aura that even made the very air tremble.
This was the power Phaethon had granted her—a strength drawn from another world entirely!
"Oh?"
Doma's smile slightly faltered, his seven-colored eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"That's not the Breath Techniques... it feels... foreign. An ability from another world, perhaps?"
Kanae did not answer. She knew too well that last time, Doma's ice-based Blood Demon Art had overwhelmed her.
But this time... she would burn it all to ash.
"If your power is ice..."
With a thought, three of the four swords vanished, leaving only the "Prominence of Blazing Flame," which burned brighter and hotter.
Her Nichirin Blade ignited with blazing fire, turning into a sword of flames.
"Then I will incinerate you to nothingness!"