"Huff... huff..."
Kanae maintained her posture after executing the devastating blade technique.
Her eyes remained sharp and focused, the fire in her spirit still burning fiercely.
"S-She... she did it!"
Miko, who had been hiding behind Phaethon, finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Her heart, which had been pounding like a drum during the entire battle, gradually began to settle.
Kanae had won!
However, as Miko's gaze fell upon Doma's head, still very much alive and aware, her relief quickly turned to dread.
The head lay on the temple floor, his eyes still blinking, his lips twitching in a mockery of life.
"H-He's still not dead? Even after all that?!"
Miko whispered in disbelief.
"How can a demon's life force be so stubborn... It's practically cheating!"
Phaethon's calm voice rose to explain, his tone steady and clear.
"A demon's core of life doesn't rely entirely on its body," he began.
"As long as the head remains intact and it isn't exposed to sunlight, in theory, they can regenerate infinitely.
To truly kill a demon, sunlight is the most effective method—it contains a purifying power that disintegrates their cells completely."
He glanced outside at the deep, unyielding darkness of the night.
"But right now, it's night, so that option is clearly not available."
Phaethon then shifted his gaze back to Kanae and the still-burning Nichirin Blade she held in her hand.
"The second method," he continued, "is to decapitate them with a special Nichirin Blade,
one that's been tempered with sunlight and can sever their connection to Muzan's curse."
Kanae, after taking a few breaths to steady herself, grasped her sword tightly once more.
Without hesitation, she began walking toward Doma's head.
Her steps were firm, her eyes cold as ice, filled with the certainty of final judgment.
Doma, still conscious, stared up at the approaching swordswoman.
Despite being reduced to just a head, his eyes glimmered with malevolent intent,
the twisted smile never leaving his face.
But just as Kanae raised her blade to execute the final blow—
"Protect the Guru!!!"
"Kill that woman!!!"
A frenzy of crazed shouts erupted from all directions, surging like a flood into the main hall!
"What the—?!"
Kanae paused and turned her gaze.
It was the members of the Eternal Bliss Cult, Doma's fanatical followers.
The temple's halls, side rooms, and corridors had all emptied, pouring hundreds of people into the main hall.
Men, women, elderly, children—at least two hundred of them, all wearing the ceremonial garb of the cult.
Their faces twisted with blind devotion and unyielding faith in their "savior," Doma.
When they saw their revered Guru lying decapitated on the ground, they went mad with fury.
With makeshift weapons—wooden staves, farming tools, and even kitchen knives—they charged at Kanae without hesitation.
They were ready to die for him.
"These fools..."
Kanae frowned deeply.
Though she despised demons, these were still technically humans—people who had been brainwashed by Doma.
For a brief moment, she hesitated, her hand slightly relaxing on her blade.
"Hmph, pathetic wretches."
Phaethon's voice was ice-cold, filled with undisguised disdain.
He looked down upon the surging masses, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp, icy light.
He turned to Miko, who looked utterly confused and panicked by the sudden swarm of zealots.
"Look carefully, Miko," Phaethon spoke, his voice steady.
"These people may still look human, but their minds are already twisted beyond salvation.
Their devotion to Doma has corroded their souls.
They would kill anyone they see as a threat to their so-called 'Guru,' even innocent children."
His gaze darkened as he continued.
"From a certain perspective, they are no different from demons.
Twisted souls festering with darkness...a plague upon this world."
Phaethon raised his right hand slowly, and with that motion, a wave of energy began to emanate from him.
The air rippled, bending with the sheer force of his presence.
"It seems I should stretch a bit...
...and test out this power I've reclaimed."
He took a deep breath, his expression calm and unhurried.
"No, perhaps I shouldn't say 'reclaimed.'"
Phaethon's eyes glimmered with a strange light as he spoke, almost as if talking to himself.
"More accurately, I should say... I've remembered it."
Miko blinked in confusion. "Remembered? What do you mean?"
Phaethon's eyes became deep and faraway, as though peering across countless lifetimes.
"This power is from my second life.
I once wielded it with mastery... but it was sealed away with my memories.
Yet, thanks to the trigger of Kanae's breakthrough and the resonance of higher laws...
I have now awakened it once more."
He clenched his hand into a fist, feeling the immense energy coursing through him.
"Its name is—
Ultimate Asura."
His eyes snapped open, filled with divine brilliance.
The space around him crackled, and the ground vibrated as if it recognized the reawakening of a godly presence.
"Heart of Lightning, Pulse of the World," Phaethon intoned, his voice echoing with ancient resonance.
"In darkness, find the eye of the storm. In battle, feel the pulse of the universe."
"Awaken, True Sight."
A low hum, barely perceptible, radiated from his body.
"With this eye, you will perceive the essence of all things.
See all that you desire to see, feel all that you wish to feel."
The temple trembled as a wave of cosmic energy expanded from Phaethon.
The very molecules of the air began to vibrate, pulsating with his breath.
"In the flow of all things, power knows no bounds."
Phaethon's eyes snapped open, now glowing with an electric blue light.
He could see everything: the energy coursing through the air, the ripple of life force in the zealots,
the vile corruption festering in their souls... it was all laid bare before him.
"This sensation... it's just like back then," Phaethon mused.
His hand sparked with pure lightning, the currents dancing across his fingertips.
"If I were to unleash its full power here, this entire world might shatter to dust."
But of course, he had no intention of destroying the world for mere ants.
His eyes focused back on the fanatics charging toward Kanae, faces twisted with devotion and madness.
They surged forward with desperation, willing to throw their lives away.
Phaethon raised his right hand, fingers outstretched, and then... he casually pushed forward.
There was no grand explosion, no spectacle of light.
Just a gentle wave of energy, pulsing outward like the beating of a heart.
"Wave Burst."