The scorching flames whistled and swayed in the cold wind, instantly evaporating the ice men created by Doma's Blood Demon Art, while simultaneously causing the surrounding temperature to soar by more than ten degrees.
For a moment, Kocho Shinobu, who had been besieged by the ice men, felt the cold vanish completely. Raising her eyes to look at Ren, she felt as if the God of Fire had descended, bringing light and warmth to the world.
"Ren, you finally came out, that's great..."
Seeing that Ren was safe and sound, Kocho Shinobu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. At the same time, she was secretly angry, but this time she was angry at herself!
'Why? Why am I so weak? Are Upper Rank demons really this strong?'
Watching Ren easily behead Akaza first, and now inflict heavy damage on Doma as easily as taking something out of a pocket, Kocho Shinobu hated her own weakness and incompetence immensely!
While Ren was fiercely fighting the Upper Rank demons, she could only watch from the side. She couldn't even protect herself and needed Ren to run over and save her...
Thinking of her own fragility, a trace of unwillingness instantly sprouted in Kocho Shinobu's heart. Lying on the ground, she gripped the Nichirin Sword in her hand tightly, and hot tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
"Are you alright, Miss Shinobu?"
Ren didn't notice the change in Kocho Shinobu's emotions; he only thought she was crying from the pain of her wounds.
It was no exaggeration to say that the current Kocho Shinobu was covered in cuts and bruises. Terrifying lacerations were visible everywhere on her limbs and waist, dripping with blood and mangled flesh. Even the butterfly haori left behind by her sister Kanae had been torn to shreds in the cold wind.
Fortunately, Kocho Shinobu's wounds were all superficial. They looked scary, but at most, they damaged the skin and flesh without injuring the bones or endangering her life, which was a small mercy amidst the misfortune.
"Miss Shinobu, rest here for a moment. Once I finish off that guy Doma, I'll take you back to the Wisteria House to heal."
After speaking, Ren took off his coat and gently covered Kocho Shinobu with it. Then, carrying the Solar Heavy Sword, he stepped on the floating ice on the water's surface, reached the center of Black Water Lake, and looked down.
But Doma was already nowhere to be seen. He clearly knew he was no match for Ren, so he had contacted Nakime to transport him to the Infinity Castle.
'Humph, I thought I could kill two Upper Ranks today. He ran fast; otherwise, I would have definitely let him taste my Fire Combat Technique and see if my Dragon Dance could evaporate him!'
Thinking this, Ren put away the Solar Heavy Sword and returned to Kocho Shinobu's side.
By this time, Kocho Shinobu had sat up from the ground and hurriedly asked, "Ren, where is Doma? Is that bastard dead?"
As she spoke, Kocho Shinobu looked at Ren with hopeful eyes, wishing to hear an affirmative answer from him. However, to her disappointment, Ren shook his head slightly.
"Regrettably, when I got there, he had already run away. There was no one left in the lake."
"I'm sorry! It's all because of me..."
Kocho Shinobu said apologetically, "If you hadn't tried to save me, Ren, you probably would have beheaded him long ago, right? It's all because I'm too weak, it's all because I'm too useless, that's why that bastard got away! And next, to recover from his injuries, that bastard will go and devour more young girls and children. The reason those people will lose their lives is all because..."
"Miss Shinobu, stop talking!"
Ren covered Kocho Shinobu's small, cherry-like mouth with his hand and spoke gently.
"No one is perfect, so don't take all the responsibility onto yourself. That would be too cruel to you. Since that guy got away this time, just work hard to hone your swordsmanship when we get back, and kill him next time. Don't think about anything else! Do not use self-harm as a way to shoulder responsibilities that are not yours! That isn't just hurting you; it's also hurting everyone who cares about you!"
While comforting Kocho Shinobu, Ren rubbed her smooth, silky hair. At this moment, she was like a docile and cute little kitten.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Suddenly, Kocho Shinobu raised her small fists and hit his large hand hard. Ren looked down and saw that Kocho Shinobu's face had turned purple from holding her breath, so he hurriedly let go to let her breathe.
His strength was too great, and he had been pressing down on Kocho Shinobu's mouth the whole time, making it impossible for her to breathe.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Miss Shinobu, I almost suffocated you to death," Ren said as he gently patted Kocho Shinobu's back.
"Cough, cough, cough, you suffocated me. You guy, your strength is too great. And you dared to touch my head just now—don't you know I won't grow taller if you do that!"
Kocho Shinobu smiled through her tears, but she pouted and complained to Ren coquettishly.
Seeing Kocho Shinobu cheer up, a smile also appeared on Ren's face.
"Hehe, it doesn't matter. Even if Miss Shinobu is a short winter melon, I still think you're very cute."
"You bastard, who are you calling a short winter melon? Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"
As she spoke, Kocho Shinobu waved her small fist and tried to sit up from the ground. However, before she could stand firm, she fell forward due to the wounds on her legs.
Fortunately, Ren had sharp eyes and quick hands. He caught Kocho Shinobu, his arm instantly feeling a wave of warmth and softness.
'As expected of my goddess, this figure is not bad! Although you can't tell from the outside, this is at least a B-cup size!'
Ren couldn't help letting his imagination run wild, and a wicked, roguish smile appeared on his face. Then, with one arm around Kocho Shinobu's waist and the other supporting her slender legs, he picked her up in a "princess carry."
"Alright, I'll take you back to the Wisteria House. Chinatsu should have a medical kit at home, and I'll apply medicine for you then."
After speaking, Ren gently held Kocho Shinobu and walked slowly toward Black Water Village. Kocho Shinobu, being held by him, blushed completely and scolded him coyly.
"Re-Ren, put me down, I can walk by myself!"
"Don't be stubborn. You have wounds all over your body; you can't even stand steadily, let alone walk. Besides, I'm faster than you, so we can get back sooner this way."
Ren paused, then suddenly teased with a wicked grin, "By the way, Miss Shinobu, your body is really soft. It's so comfortable holding you like this; it feels like holding a little puppy."
"Get lost! You pervert, lecher, lolicon, stinking trash fish..."
"Hehe! The more you scold me like that, the more excited I get!"
Looking at Ren's perverted smile, Kocho Shinobu was completely out of options. She could only blush and lean on his shoulder, letting him carry her back to Black Water Village.
As they walked, Kocho Shinobu actually started to enjoy the feeling a little, because Ren was simply too warm.
'Ren is so warm! This feeling can't just be called warm; it's even a bit hot.'
At this moment, Ren still had his Mark activated. His body was burning hot, essentially a large fireball. For a moment, Kocho Shinobu felt her body and mind being warmed through.
It was only then that she noticed the Mark on Ren's head and asked in surprise, "Ren, what is that mark on your forehead?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]