"So fast! There's no opening to counterattack!" Shinobu's figure raced after the fleeing Demon, yet her speed left her far behind.
Even as she struggled to keep up, she couldn't stop—because the moment she did, she'd face attacks from the demon from all directions.
And the sleepy Demon, whether intentionally or not, kept toying with her.
As long as Shinobu pursued her, she refused to strike.
But the instant Shinobu stopping, she would launch her assault.
*****
BANG!!
The red-green Nichirin Blade clashed violently with the blood-red longsword, producing a grating screech that set teeth on edge.
In the golden pupils of Maito, deep regret flickered.
It seemed this battle wouldn't be as satisfying as he had hoped.
When he saw the blazing fury in Shinichi's heterochromatic eyes, he couldn't help but curse the foolishness of Lee.
Why did she have to provoke Shinichi's little girlfriend for no reason?
(If the sleepy demon could speak right now, even the laziest version of herself would've spat in Maito's face—Who provoked who?! Take a look at who struck first! Where's the justice in this?!)
Still, Maito stepped in front of Shinichi.
The boy was clearly consumed by rage, and if he didn't intervene, who knew what might happen next?
"MAITO, MOVE ASIDE!!"
Shinichi's fangs lengthened as he roared furiously at maito.
If anger could manifest as flames, the sleepy demon would've already been incinerated by the inferno in his eyes.
"Shinichi, calm down! That idiot Lee may be stupid, but trust me—she won't go too far. Just relax!"
It was rare for Maito to plead so earnestly to someone.
But Shinichi wasn't listening.
All he saw was some bastard daring to bully Shinobu right in front of him.
No matter who it was, he would never allow that.
"I said—MOVE!" Shinichi suppressed his rage, growling the words one last time.
Maito tightened his grip on his sword, sighing.
"I can't do that. If you kill that fool in your state, I'll have no way to explain it to Shokyu."
Shinichi took a deep breath.
Fine.
In one swift motion, he kicked hard against Maito's arm, using the recoil to break free from their stalemate.
His deerhide boots carved two long trails through the snow as he skidded to a halt.
Once steady, he gripped the hilt of his Nichirin Blade with both hands and an overwhelming surge of life force began gathering around him.
The energy grew so dense it started seeping from Shinichi's pores and his left eye blazed with an unprecedented emerald-green radiance.
Maito stared in astonishment.
This familiar sensation… That technique?
Damn, kid!
Shunichi Moriki spent over a decade mastering this move, and you've grasped it so quickly?
Impressive!
BOOM!!
The pent-up life force finally found its release, bursting forth like floodwaters through a shattered dam.
The sheer density of energy illuminated Shinichi's Nichirin Blade in a visible glow.
As Shinichi slowly raised the sword past his shoulder, Maito glimpsed the shadow of his old comrade, Shunichi Moriki, in his stance.
A long-dormant excitement ignited in his heart.
Crack!
The crimson longsword in his hand shattered into pieces.
Maito bared his fangs in a grin, then stomped his feet firmly onto the ground, settling into a horse stance.
He excitedly shouted at Shinichi, "Come on, Shinichi! Let me see how much power your 'All-Encompassing Forest' truly holds!"
"Blood Martial Arts·Armor Form·Blood Plate!!"
Squelch! Squelch!
The veins across Maito's body suddenly burst open.
As scarlet blood gushed forth, an endless stream of crimson began coalescing over his form.
A vividly crafted, intricately patterned blood-red armor, radiating a murderous aura that pierced the skies, materialized upon the demon's body.
Meanwhile, Shinichi was entirely enveloped by the emerald-green glow emanating from his Nichirin Blade, his facial features obscured by the radiance.
"Forest Breathing·Tenth Form·All-Encompassing Forest!"
Swish!
Shinichi moved.
In an instant, he closed the distance to Maito—but that was far from all.
The demon's vision blurred.
Though only one figure had charged, within a split second, his entire field of view became inundated with countless emerald-green afterimages.
One, two, three, hundreds, thousands—a dense, overwhelming swarm of green silhouettes instantly surrounded him on all sides.
Despite his preparations, when faced with such an assault, Maito couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.
"Dammit! Shunichi Moriki's techniques are as annoying as ever!"
The All-Encompassing Forest truly made enemies feel suffocated, as if trapped within an endless primordial woodland.
The overwhelming vitality contained within was enough to drown anyone in its illusory depths.
What followed was Shinichi's relentless assault.
In a way, to his foes, these strikes were nothing less than nature's wrath made manifest!
*****
Crack!
"Agh!"
The purple-clad figure suddenly shuddered, then lost her balance, tumbling awkwardly to the ground.
Her white butterfly-patterned haori was immediately soiled with snow and dirt.
Shinobu Kocho's pale face winced as she instinctively glanced at her ankle—sure enough, it had twisted slightly out of shape.
Her gaze shifted to a dark, jagged rock protruding from the snow nearby.
Indeed, due to the intense pressure from the sleepy Demon's speed and her own heightened tension, Shinobu had failed to notice the hidden stone, tripping and spraining her ankle.
Swish!
Suddenly, the sleepy Demon appeared beside her.
Her gray eyes studied her injured ankle and the bandage-wrapped head shook slightly.
"Careless, little girl."
A faint blush colored Shinobu's pallid cheeks, but for the sake of her pride, she stubbornly turned her face away, refusing to look at the demon.
The sleepy Demon paid no mind to her reaction.
Truthfully, she had never intended to truly harm her from the start.
Her sudden seriousness stemmed solely from glimpsing familiar traces in Shinobu—echoes of her own blurred memories.
Readjusting her robes to conceal her form once more and letting her dark hair fall over half her face, the lazy sleepy Demon had returned.
The demon crouched in front of Shinobu and spoke earnestly.
"Little girl, your speed is impressive, and your movements are agile. Although your strength is lacking, the impact of your wrist thrusts is remarkable. If you're willing, I have some techniques that would suit you well—you could learn them. Also, the poison you use is quite good."
"However, relying solely on wisteria toxin works fine against ordinary demons, but if you encounter a powerful one, unless the wisteria poison is concentrated enough, it won't be enough to kill them. This also includes some of my poison techniques—I hope they can help you."
As she spoke, the demon handed Shinobu a rather worn notebook, leaving her momentarily stunned by her actions.
"Am I... being taught how to kill demon by a demon?"
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