"Boom!"
Between the two demons, countless ice shards grew, intertwined, and reformed. The first thing to take shape was a lotus pedestal, each petal covered in fine ice thorns. The flowing cold air condensed into a giant Bodhisattva-like figure.
Yoizumi's movement of swinging his nichirin blade was interrupted. The fine ice thorns pierced his body by surprise, and blood splattered on the benevolent and solemn face of the Bodhisattva, adding a strange touch.
The ice sculpture, shaped like a Bodhisattva, was extremely oppressive. Its hands were pressed together, eyes tightly closed, and it was entwined with ice lotuses and constantly wriggling ice vines. Though it represented divinity, it had become an accomplice for a demon to harm living beings.
"I won't be killed by an ant like you!" With his arm slowly regenerating and the frozen cells in his body beginning to disintegrate, he would fully recover in no time. Douma stood high atop the ice Bodhisattva, his cold, iridescent eyes darkly looking down at Yoizumi, who was covered in blood.
"Cough..." Kneeling on one knee, he could only use his nichirin blade, which was plunged into the ground, to maintain his posture and keep himself from falling.
Blood uncontrollably overflowed from his mouth, and his consciousness began to blur. Yoizumi could barely make out the ice Bodhisattva in front of him. The endlessly spreading ice mist made his eye sockets ache, and his golden hair tips were frozen.
"Can't hold on anymore?"
"The sun is about to rise. Let him die unable to move under the sunlight!"
Douma controlled the ice Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva, which had been closing its eyes, suddenly opened its giant eyes, devoid of a Buddha's mercy. Its eyes held mockery for life, and its tiny pupils looked down contemptuously at the kneeling Yoizumi.
The giant Buddha's hand, when raised, brought with it a biting cold wind that pierced Yoizumi's will. In a daze, he saw his family smiling and looking at him in the snow.
"Yoizumi-nii!"
"Yoizumi!"
"Yo-nii!"
They called his name.
It seemed they were saying something... saying... swing the blade... swing the blade!
He forcefully pulled out the nichirin blade that was plunged into the ground. Facing the hand blade that was almost upon him, he gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, pouring all his strength into his arms, and slashed upwards.
The frosty white blade and the clean Buddha's hand resisted each other. The constantly splashing ice shards hurt intensely as they landed on his body.
His arms trembled, but the grip on the hilt did not weaken in the slightest.
"He still has the strength to resist?"
Douma's right arm, which had regenerated first, was raised, and he pressed his palm down slightly. The power of the ice Bodhisattva's hand blade doubled, and Yoizumi gritted his teeth. The ground where he knelt caved in, and his raised arms were pushed back inch by inch.
Douma's lips curled. "That blade won't hold up much longer."
During their previous clash, he had created so many nicks in it; it would probably break very soon. Douma counted silently, as if he had already foreseen his victory.
"Three ~"
"Two ~"
"One!"
"Snap ~" He exhaled audibly, hearing the sound of the nichirin blade breaking, just as he had wished.
"Boom!"
The Buddha's hand smashed to the ground, and the violent roar caused the ground to tremble. Dispersed ice mist enveloped the Buddha's hand.
"He must have been squashed into a meat paste ~" Douma said with a gloating laugh.
"Too slow." Yoizumi's voice still came from below, and Douma's smile froze. "How is that possible?!"
"Wasn't he already at the end of his rope? How could he have escaped!"
"Ah... sorry, sorry ~"
"Relieving the inhaled ice crystals took longer than I thought!"
"But, the flamboyant me!"
"Has made another flamboyant entrance!"
Uzui Tengen had grabbed Yoizumi by the back of his collar and rescued him the second before the Buddha's hand smashed down.
Yoizumi rubbed his neck. He hadn't been crushed to death, but he had almost been strangled.
Uzui Tengen smiled, then looked up at Douma above. This Upper Rank Two was incredibly strong; his Blood Demon Art was too targeted. If it weren't for Yoizumi, who was a demon, and himself, a ninja, other Hashira facing him probably wouldn't have had a good outcome.
Less than an hour remained until dawn. Given Yoizumi's current state and his own half-crippled body, could they defeat him?
Uzui Tengen's breathing was shallow. After inducing a state of suspended animation by compressing his heart with his muscles, he had been regulating his breathing to slow the effect of the ice crystals on his alveoli. His eyes were frostbitten, and his vision was blurry.
In the areas extensively damaged by ice, his muscles were necrotic, making it difficult even to stand.
"It hurts like hell, you bastard!"
Hearing his heavy breathing, Yoizumi, holding the broken half of his nichirin blade, asked in a low voice.
"Can you still move?"
"Ah ~ Of course!"
"Be careful." After Yoizumi finished speaking, he pushed off the ground and leaped high. Uzui Tengen also jumped away.
"Boom!" The Buddha's hand slammed down on the spot where Yoizumi and Uzui had just been, creating a deep crater. The splashing dust made Uzui Tengen cough a few times.
If he had been hit, he probably would have turned into a meat patty!
"How exaggerated!"
"Breath of Snow First Form: Falling Snow!"
Changing his falling posture, the half-broken nichirin blade was held horizontally below him. The First Form's impact was stronger the higher it fell. The frosty white sword qi swept half a circle, but ultimately, with only half a blade, it couldn't completely sever the hand.
"Sound Breathing First Form: Roar!"
He forcefully swung his two blades downwards, cutting through the solid ice that Yoizumi couldn't sever. Accompanied by the roar of an explosion, the broken Buddha's hand was shattered to pieces.
Blood overflowed from his lips, and Uzui Tengen tried to swallow the coppery taste in his mouth. Indeed, it was still a bit too much for him.
However, this demon was also nearing his limit; he no longer had the extra strength to regenerate the ice Bodhisattva's hand!
"Tsk!"
"Wasn't that man dead!"
"Why is he still standing!"
Controlling the ice vines of the ice Bodhisattva, his right hand retrieved the golden fan, and his left hand slowly regenerated with an itching sensation. The sun was about to come out!
He had to kill them quickly!
"Blood Demon Art: Spreading Lotus!"
The ice vines entwined with ice lotuses, along with the dense ice vines on the base of the ice Bodhisattva, all shot out simultaneously, sweeping towards the two.
The overwhelming ice vines blocked all paths, vowing not to stop until they were killed.
Uzui Tengen threw out the last few bombs he had. This time, Douma had used his full strength on the ice vines, so they couldn't be blown apart.
"Is it no good?" He gritted his teeth and spun his two blades, but his speed was noticeably much slower than before.
"Breath of Snow Fourth..." "Ugh..."
The Fourth Form was already unusable for his current body... but he was a demon and couldn't die. He had to get Uzui Tengen out of here!
He forced himself to use his last bit of strength to clear a path for escape, then kicked Uzui Tengen, who was about to use a breathing technique, out of the way.
Uzui Tengen felt a sharp pain in his waist, and his body was sent flying backward.
"Wh... Yoizumi, you... Don't you know a man's kidneys are very important?!"
As his body was about to be pierced, there was no pain, only the crisp sound of countless ice shattering.
"Hinokami Kagura Third Form: Blazing Niche!"
"Insect Breathing: Dance of the Bee Sting: True Thrust!"
Tanjirou continuously unleashed two arc-shaped slashes, like a red sun in a mirror, severing the ice vines.
Shinobu, who arrived with him, used a powerful thrust to block the remaining ice vines, standing with her back to Yoizumi.
"Shinobu... are you okay?" A night of continuously using powerful sword techniques had been a significant drain on Shinobu. Sweat dampened her forehead, and her chest heaved. Yoizumi called out to her softly.
Shinobu didn't turn her head.
"Worry about yourself first!"
He actually wanted to solve it this way again, and he had just told her to trust him!
If he cared about her so much, why didn't he care about himself!
Shinobu... seems to be angry again...
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