Redemption

The scorching summer suddenly felt like a world of ice and snow as Doma lowered his hand.

Countless rhombus-shaped ice crystals, their edges like blades, rained down from the sky, targeting the crowds throughout Lotus Town. The dense ice crystals reflected a faint cold light in the night, beautiful and dreamlike like scattered silver fragments, yet deadly dangerous.

Kurozawa looked up as he charged forward, reaching out to catch a few, then crushing them in his hand.

Seeing the white marks that appeared between his fingers, Kurozawa's expression shifted slightly. He turned his head to look at Doma's main body behind him and said, "That's brutal."

From Kurozawa's perspective, figure after figure was impaled by the sharp ice crystals, falling powerlessly to the ground.

They seemed to know that the deadly ice crystals filling the sky came from Doma's hand, and their fear and awe of death completely vanished in an inexplicable joy.

Some cult members knelt on the ground, raising their heads reverently, receiving the ice crystals with their throats. Then, the sharp edges broke through their skin, severing their throats, and clear blood flowed out.

In an instant, streams of warm, crimson blood flowed to Kurozawa's feet, where they were scorched by the Pitch-Black Aura around him, rising as blood-colored gas.

Doma's actions were decisive and ruthless, and he specifically targeted the crowds around Kurozawa, unwilling to give him even a sliver of Potential Points.

Kurozawa looked around. Centered on him, the Eternal Paradise Cult members fell like wheat in the wind, giving him no opportunity.

The ground, buildings, and ponds were all damaged by the sharp ice crystals. Lotus Town looked as if it had been plowed by a storm; everything visible was ruined, a scene of devastation.

Stopping his movements, Kurozawa stood still.

In the distance, the giant humanoid ice sculpture beneath Doma's feet suddenly trembled and activated its legs, taking steps towards Kurozawa.

On the ice sculpture, Doma watched the layers of people falling, his expression not good.

His mood was somewhat complex.

When he was very young, still a human child, Doma was regarded as a child of God. He became the Cult Leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult and watched it grow stronger little by little.

More and more people came to Lotus Town, telling Doma of their suffering and praying for God's blessing. They hoped they could ascend to the Paradise Divine Realm after death, gaining liberation and no longer suffering in the human world.

Doma sat on the Cult Leader's seat, a merciful smile on his face, but in his heart, he only felt that the people at his feet were too pathetic.

"Where is there a god?"

"When you die, you just die. Nothing exists, everything returns to nothingness... There is no Paradise Divine Realm, no next reincarnation."

"But since death is salvation for you..."

He really wanted to tell these believers the truth, but seeing the radiance in their eyes as they prayed, Doma knew that telling them would only make their eyes lose their brilliance, and they would continue to live like walking corpses, barely surviving.

And after becoming a Demon, Doma had an epiphany.

Demons possessed immortal bodies, and Doma himself was the deity in their hearts. Therefore, being devoured by him and merging with him was the liberation these cult members prayed for.

Death should have turned into nothingness, but by being eaten by him and becoming a part of him, they could live forever in another way.

The so-called Paradise Divine Realm truly existed; it was Doma's body.

"They yearn for my salvation, yet they are dying for nothing." Doma looked at Kurozawa, a coldness appearing in his eyes.

His emotions were indifferent, but the Eternal Paradise Cult, which he had been responsible for since birth, held a special meaning for Doma. He truly saw himself as the deity of these suffering people, saving them through consumption.

Now, because of Kurozawa, Doma had to personally destroy the Eternal Paradise Cult.

Those believers who thought they could receive salvation would ultimately return to nothingness.

After almost all the believers were killed by the falling ice crystals, Lotus Town seemed to be covered in a layer of blood and a layer of frost.

The Ice Crystal Domain silently spread throughout Lotus Town. The air was filled with fine, pervasive ice crystals and a somewhat bloody smell.

Kurozawa held Mingzhou at an angle. The Pitch-Black Aura on his sword and body became increasingly turbulent and dense. He was completely enveloped within it; his face was almost indistinguishable from the outside, only a vaguely distorted humanoid figure visible within the flames.

Doma's Ice Crystal Domain was now completely ineffective against Kurozawa.

He had gained not only Potential Points but also a large amount of human Power of Despair.

This large amount of Power of Despair allowed Kurozawa's Pitch-Black Aura to reach a level where it could roughly cover his body and condense around Mingzhou.

With the protection of the Pitch-Black Aura, the fine, dispersed ice crystal dust could no longer possibly erode his body.

"So, are you planning to abandon your identity as a Swordsman?" Looking at the burning demonic fire, Doma turned his head again to look at the sealed Kanae and said indifferently.

A few seconds later, Kurozawa's voice came from the flames, his voice lower due to being distorted by the flames: "They were just constraints. It's better to break free sooner."

After examining his inner self and witnessing his true nature, Kurozawa no longer hesitated or wavered.

In the original timeline, the Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka's Secret Technique Sword Form was called 'Calm'.

That Secret Technique could dissolve almost all attacks, possibly the strongest instantaneous defense technique in the Demon Slayer world, like a boundless sea protecting oneself. Considering Giyu Tomioka's path of growth, it's not hard to imagine the state of mind required to comprehend such a protective Secret Technique.

And Kurozawa's Secret Technique also came from his true heart, it couldn't be faked.

What he thought of was never protection and defense, and the Demon Slayer Corps was asking him to go against his own heart.

As for his master's threat... breaking ties might be a good thing for both him and Mount Sagiri.

Kurozawa knew that Sakonji Urokodaki would not abandon the Demon Slayer Corps, but he also valued him very much. In the future, he would only find himself in a difficult position, so it was better to make a decision sooner.

Doma suppressed his killing intent and said softly, "You indirectly destroyed my Eternal Paradise Cult. I really want to kill you."

"But looking at your current performance, you should be one of us."

"So, I'll give you a chance. Join the Upper Moons and help me rebuild the Eternal Paradise Cult, and we can consider this..."

Looking at Kurozawa, Doma felt that there was a high probability of the Master's handiwork on him, which is why he said such a thing.

Kurozawa smiled, interrupting Doma. "You're overthinking it. I chose to leave the Demon Slayer Corps, but I'm not a Demon either. I am simply myself."

One thousand, three hundred, and forty-one points – that was Kurozawa's total Potential Points right now. And the Power of Despair had accumulated to 199 points.

Kurozawa had discovered that every hundred points of Despair seemed to be a leap. He hadn't been able to gain that final 200th point even after killing over sixty people. Perhaps, just like needing to kill Rui to break through to 100 points, this hurdle required the life of an Upper Moon to overcome.

At this moment, the Pitch-Black Aura around Kurozawa was already quite dense. Previously, after fully concentrating Mingzhou, he couldn't spare any attention for himself, but now he had enough power to wrap it around his body again. Still, it felt like something was missing.

Hearing Kurozawa's answer, Doma wasn't surprised.

He shook his head and said, "Although I don't know why, you seem very eager to kill me. I see greed in your eyes." As he thought, Doma suddenly realized, "Oh, it's not just killing humans that makes you stronger, but killing Demons too?"

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