Anime/Manga: Bankai Starting with Demon Slayer

An elderly woman with white hair and cloudy eyes, accompanied by a middle-aged couple with blank expressions and several curious and restless children behind them, bowed respectfully to the person in front of them, listening to his teachings.

The person in front of her was dressed in coarse monk's robes and was speaking in a low voice. Clearly, the family had not yet recovered from the sudden situation of the bird breaking into the house.

With just one glance, the bird pinpointed the source of the ghostly aura.

The monk was emanating a chilling, bloody stench, so intense that even the Lower Moon's Nightmare couldn't compare!

Whoosh—!! The Zanpakuto hurtled towards them!

Asuka was too lazy to listen to what the other person was saying, and didn't care whether what she was doing counted as a sneak attack.

He had only one thought: to cut off the demon's head before it could react!

The leopard tore a deep green halo through the air; it was a hybrid sword technique combining the breathing of wind and the breathing of fire, which he had not yet named.

"die!"

However, just as this lightning-fast, ruthless, and decisive slash was about to touch flesh, Asuka stopped herself.

Something's not right.

This demon's reaction... is far too slow?

Throughout the entire ordeal, the monk never turned around. Faced with such a chilling killing intent, even the weakest ghost should have the instinct to dodge or resist, right?

Feiniao forcefully twisted the blade and slammed the back of the knife hard into the monk's shoulder and neck!

boom! !

"Ouch—!!"

A dull thud rang out, and the monk immediately let out a short, embarrassed scream as he spun away!

He landed heavily in a corner of the courtyard, curling up in pain under the horrified gazes of the old lady's family, groaning and complaining as if he couldn't even catch his breath.

Asuka hopped down in front of him and frowned when she saw his eyes rolling back as if he were about to faint and look utterly pathetic.

He activated his spiritual pressure perception again and finally discovered something at such close range.

This monk is a human being.

The extremely dense ghostly aura came entirely from the object he was holding in his arms.

A crystal-clear, ice-blue Buddha statue, as if carved from ice.

It sits cross-legged, its face serene, and its details are clearly visible.

Strangely, in this not-too-cold late autumn season, this ice Buddha showed no signs of melting whatsoever...

A thin layer of white frost had formed on its surface, and wisps of cold air were constantly emanating from it, coating the ground near it with a layer of chilling vapor.

"Ouch...it hurts so much...murder! Murder! Robber! Bandit!"

The monk struggled, writhing on the ground with tears streaming down his face, muttering incoherent curses.

Even so, he still held the jade Buddha tightly, as if afraid of bumping or damaging it, as if it were more important than his own life.

"Master! Master, are you alright?!"

The elderly woman who owned the house trembled as she tried to go forward to check, but she was frightened back by the bird's cold eyes and the still gleaming blade. The family huddled together, shivering, watching this sudden turn of events in terror.

The middle-aged man behind the old woman mustered his courage and stepped forward, shielding the family behind him. Trembling, he questioned, "Who are you people?! In broad daylight, armed with weapons... you assaulted monks who were spreading Buddhism! Is there no law anymore?!"

However, even so, in this desolate wilderness, if they were to encounter powerful bandits... the man dared not imagine what the consequences would be, and could only do his best to protect his family.

Ignoring the family's astonishment, Asuka strode forward to the monk who was writhing like a maggot:

"I'll only ask you once, where did this thing come from?"

"Wh...what is this!" The monk's eyes flashed, and he forcefully shielded the ice Buddha behind him, roaring with a fierce but cowardly tone, "This is the sacred image of the Buddha of Eternal Bliss! A treasure bestowed by the Master! It can avert disasters and bring blessings!"

"You uncouth brutes, ignorant of the true Buddha, dare to desecrate sacred objects! You will surely be punished by Heaven!"

Faced with the monk's vague and evasive answers, Asuka's patience had run out.

The ghostly aura emanating from this ice Buddha is so intense and pure that it could not have been created by an ordinary evil spirit... It must be a creation of some powerful blood demon magic!

The monk was lying through his teeth, clearly knowing the truth.

Time is of the essence, and the ghost lurking behind the scenes is likely nearby:

"I don't have time to waste with you." Asuka's eyes sharpened, and her wrist suddenly sank downwards.

puff!

"Asuka!!" Shinobu's eyes widened, and she quickly tried to stop him.

The raccoon stabbed with precision and ruthlessness.

However, the expected blood splattering did not occur.

The bird's blade pressed tightly against the monk's fingers, digging deep into the muddy ground between his fingers.

The piercingly sharp blade sliced ​​through the monk's fingers, drawing out thin lines of blood, but ultimately failed to pierce his palm.

The sudden pain and fear of death made the monk tremble violently, and he could no longer care about protecting the ice Buddha. He instinctively tried to pull his hand away.

"You can move, but the next knife will stab your palm, and the one after that will stab you in the back," Asuka said coldly. "Now explain yourself clearly: what's the deal with this Buddha statue? And who are you?"

The monk was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat and his face was as white as paper.

His lips trembled, his eyes filled with terror, and he finally broke down, wailing, "Spare me... spare me, sir! I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"I'm just a lowly novice monk running errands, but this is indeed a sacred object of our religion! We...we spread our faith outside, and it's all thanks to the divine grace of our leader that we can gain people's trust! I really didn't lie!"

"Are you a monk from the Eternal Bliss Sect? What are you planning to do here?" Fei Niao pressed, bringing the blade even closer to the monk's fingertips.

The monk wept uncontrollably; how could he dare to conceal anything?

"Indeed! Indeed!"

He pointed to the homeowners, the middle-aged woman with a blank expression: "Miss Saya has been depressed because of her child's problems. We're just doing a good deed and came to comfort her!"

"Doing good deeds?"

"Indeed!" The monk quickly used his other hand to push the ice Buddha away, and spoke in trembling voice: "The so-called 'calmness and tranquility in navigating the mortal world, those who observe freely attain liberation'..."

"Stop talking nonsense and get to the point."

"Okay, okay... In other words, as long as Miss Saya accepts the offer, all your troubles will disappear!"

Asuka understood now and exchanged a glance with Shinobu Kocho, who was frowning.

This guy is here to deceive respectable women.

Chapter 75 The Eternal Bliss Cult

Based on known information, the Eternal Bliss Cult is a very special and very small-scale organization.

The exact origin of this sect is unknown, but the name "Gokuraku-kyō" was mentioned in rumors at the end of the Edo period, so the Demon Slayer Corps speculates that it has existed for at least a hundred years.

This sect rarely develops schools or conducts large-scale religious activities.

The only opportunity for them to come into contact with ordinary people is when their monks occasionally appear in the county or city to provide psychological counseling and emotional release to those who are frustrated or desperate.

You can confide in the monks of the Pure Land sect about anything that makes you sad or in pain, whether it's about life, love, or wealth.

The most extreme case seems to be nothing more than what Fujino Genkuro described as 'guiding the people to a negative value of hedonism and decadence,' which seems insignificant compared to those large temples that readily bully men and women and possess thousands of acres of fertile land.

However, there is one thing that makes it a particularly special existence in the religious world, where such people shine like stars.

It particularly enjoys guiding young women from impoverished or oppressed backgrounds to participate in religious activities, and these women later mysteriously disappear.

Initially, the women's families would report the incidents to the local police station, but the conclusion was always that everything was normal and the women's disappearances had nothing to do with the Bliss cult.

As these incidents became more frequent, some people suspected that either the Blissful Cult was trafficking these women to other places and splitting the profits with the police, or that these women were actually pitiful people who had been secretly rescued by the Blissful Cult, which was why the government wasn't intervening...

Furthermore, it is said that during the sect's prayer rituals, the supplicants can actually hear the deity they are praying to speaking to them, and those favored by the deity are said to enjoy good physical and mental health... This adds to the sect's unique and mysterious aura.

And now, the monk in front of Asuka has the same idea.

Saya, the daughter of the Fujino family, suffered a miscarriage at the beginning of the year due to poor health and has been depressed and unable to eat or drink since.

Her family found doctors and prayed to other deities, but her condition never improved.

It wasn't until late spring that I met this novice monk of the Blissful Religion by chance.

With his help several times, Saya did indeed change a lot; her complexion became much rosier, and she no longer spoke so gloomily.

However, each time she received spiritual healing, she would soon revert to this state, sometimes even more severely than before.

The family had been eagerly anticipating the monk's return, but their visit was abruptly interrupted by a bird.

"Excuse me, but please let me take a look!" Upon hearing the homeowner's explanation, Shinobu's face instantly darkened, and she immediately reached for Saya's wrist to examine her.

Her husband stepped forward to stop Shinobu, but was deterred by Asuka's murderous gaze and watched cautiously as Shinobu gently grasped Saya's cold, fair wrist.

As soon as she got her hands on it, Shinobu Kocho frowned:

"Her body shouldn't have been in this condition before, right?"

"...What do you mean?"

"According to you, she was definitely exhausted and haggard before... but her body wouldn't be this cold. This isn't an illness; she's been eroded!"

"what!!!"

The elderly woman who owned the house stood up in surprise, trembling as she examined her daughter-in-law's body. She exclaimed in disbelief, "No...no way! What has corrupted her? A monster?"

“Worse than that, you demon!” Shinobu Kocho said with certainty, pointing to Saya’s lifeless eyes: “Even at this point, this lady is still so oblivious to the outside world. Her spirit has probably already been eroded by the Blood Demon Art.”

She looked at the ice Buddha in front of the monk and speculated:

"I guess this evil spirit will use blood demon magic to stimulate the human nervous system and internal organs, making them feel a kind of dying ejaculation, thus proving its 'redemption'."

"In the short term, the feeling of recovering from a long illness is wonderful, but once you are free from the stimulation of the Blood Demon Art, your body will be consumed many times over, and may even produce huge side effects!"

"Were you just about to use that ice Buddha to 'treat' her?"

Hearing Shinobu Kocho talk about all sorts of weird stuff—blood demon arts, thrills, and all that—the elderly woman and man looked at each other, completely at a loss for how to react. It was the child who spoke first:

"Yes, the master said that after healing Mom today, he will take her to see the sect leader!"

Asuka's gaze sharpened, and she looked back at the monk at her feet, turning the hilt of her sword: "Master? Where is he?"

The monk, being interrogated by the bird, cried out in distress, trying hard not to look at his fingers, which were being held to the blade: "Let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!"

At that moment, Kanao also led Fujino Genkuro, whose mouth was gagged, into the house.

Seeing Asuka and Shinobu drawing their swords against their own family, Fujino flew into a rage. He broke free from Kanao's grasp and stumbled to the old woman's feet.

"...Pah! Aunt! Are you alright?!"

He ripped the handkerchief out of his mouth and looked at his family with concern.

Just as he was about to lash out, he suddenly noticed that Shinobu Kocho seemed to be treating her cousin-in-law, checking her temperature with concern.

On the other side, Asuka merely held the knife to the monk's hand, showing no intention of harming his family. This made him realize the situation immediately after a moment of confusion:

"Who are you? What is your purpose in disguising your identity and coming home with me?!"

Fujino Genkuro asked questions as friendly as possible, but also with great caution.

At this moment, Asuka had already lifted the monk up and used the tip of her knife to lift the ice Buddha that exuded the aura of blood demon magic.

The monk, rubbing his fingers nervously, pleaded repeatedly, "The Master is right here...right here..."

Before he finished speaking, the ice Buddha suddenly emitted an unsettling fluctuation.

The icy Buddha statue, which should have been calm and still, suddenly began to move on its own, emitting a series of cracking sounds.

Upon closer inspection, a sinister smile was clearly visible on the Buddha statue's lips.

boom!

Several ice spikes, formed from the shattering of the ice Buddha, shot out from within and flew towards the monk's neck with a few rustling sounds!

With lightning speed, the bird pulled the monk behind it and swung its talisman to cut down most of the incoming ice spikes!

Clang clang clang!

After a violent impact, cracks were visible all over the Ice Buddha's body, as if it could collapse completely at any moment.

Ice Buddha's attack was swift and deadly, and the dense ghostly aura within it made Asuka frown.

Winding?

He also noticed that he had indeed shattered the ice spikes, but they did not lose their power because of the shattering!