Sun Mark, Born For You

Shinobu Kocho gently set her sister down, drew her blade, and charged forward. She had seen the Upper Moon's strength—he alone had suppressed two Hashira-level Swordsmen.

Yet she was not someone suited for head-on close combat. Douma, meanwhile, stared at Shinobu Kocho and fell into thought once more. These two girls looked so alike.

What incredible luck today. Not only could he kill the person Lord Muzan had specified, but he could also eat two beautiful girls. What a profit.

"I wonder if you can withstand my attacks, little girl. I intend to attack Kanae, so it's fine if you move aside!" Douma said with a smile.

"I'll kill you vile demons. Even if I die, I won't move!" Shinobu Kocho declared firmly. She was a Hashira too; she could not hold the others back.

"I truly admire you. Compared to Miss Kanae's gentleness, you're quite different. I like both flavors!" Douma said with a smile.

"Put away that fake smile of yours!"

Shinobu Kocho raised her Nichirin Blade and attacked. Rather than let herself be controlled by her opponent, she might as well strike first.

"Such commendable courage!"

Douma immediately swung his Pair of Fans, sending a cross-shaped attack of ice lotuses rushing at her. Shinobu Kocho bent her waist a full ninety degrees. Could a person really possess such monstrous flexibility?!

The instant the attack passed, Shinobu Kocho used Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance - Trickery, stabbing Douma repeatedly and injecting a great deal of poison into him in an instant.

Douma smiled. He knew something filthy had entered his body, but it had already begun to break down. That was what it meant to be an Upper Moon—perfect control over every change in one's body.

"So you're not aiming for my neck!" Douma actually lowered his head in the middle of battle to look at the spots where he had just been stabbed.

"You're too arrogant. You'll know when the poison takes effect. Hmph!" Shinobu Kocho said as she stabbed toward Douma again.

Douma summoned several Ice Lotus Vines to bind Shinobu Kocho, but she slipped straight through them like a fish.

This was the benefit Shinobu Kocho had gained from practicing Tai Chi. Her body had become more flexible, and her speed had increased greatly as well.

In the instant Douma let his guard down, Shinobu Kocho stabbed him more than twenty times in rapid succession. Nearly all the poison on her had been injected into him.

What puzzled Douma was that, just like last night, he wanted to hit her but could not. This woman was even faster than Kanae, flitting around like an insect. How annoying.

Douma simultaneously unleashed Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotus and Winter Chill Pillars. Scattering Lotus targeted Shinobu Kocho, while the Ice Cones appeared above Kanae Kocho.

He had carefully adjusted the angle. It would not kill Kanae, though having her body pierced through would surely hurt. Would gentle Miss Kanae cry out in pain? Such a question flashed through Douma's mind.

"Big Sister!" Shinobu Kocho resolutely turned and rushed toward Kanae Kocho.

Countless petal-shaped ice blades flew toward her, but by sheer coincidence, Douma's attack sent Shinobu Kocho flying directly in front of her sister.

Ignoring the wounds on her body, Shinobu Kocho used herself as a shield and protected Kanae beneath her.

"Little Shinobu, move! You'll die!" Kanae said weakly, but she did not even have the strength to push Shinobu Kocho away.

"No. Ever since we were little, Big Sister has always protected Little Shinobu. Today, it's Little Shinobu's turn to protect you!" Shinobu Kocho said with a smile.

Yet her gaze was fixed on the distant woods. The usual mischief was gone from her eyes, replaced by a unique tenderness.

Idiot, I'm sorry!

Sanemi Shinazugawa desperately tried to charge over, but ten Ice Crystal Figures surrounded him, leaving him completely unable to break free.

All he could do was roar furiously, "Tsugikuni Kuuga, what are you waiting for?! Your wife is about to die! Are you even a man?!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa never wanted to see any companion die before his eyes, but this helplessness reminded him of the death of his close friend Masachika Kume. It was the kind of regret that would last a lifetime.

In the distance, Tsugikuni Kuuga was already frantic. Through the gaps between broken trunks and branches, he could see everything clearly.

Tsugikuni Kuuga dragged his injured body to his feet and tightly gripped his Nichirin Blade with both hands. Before long, the blade turned red.

At the same time, Tsugikuni Kuuga felt his body temperature rapidly rise, while his heart pounded at a frenzied rate. The birthmark on his forehead spread to cover the entire area around his right eye.

Several small black-and-white suns climbed up from his neck. They were in the shape of Tai Chi. Of course, the Scarlet Blade and the Mark appeared only for an instant.

Sun Mark, be born for her, Shinobu!

The instant Shinobu Kocho saw Tsugikuni Kuuga rush out of the woods, she cried, because she did not want to die.

Once a person had something to care about, they became attached to this mortal world. Tsugikuni Kuuga was Shinobu Kocho's attachment.

A dazzling blaze tore through the sky, turning the black night bright as day. The Ice Cones melted and evaporated in an instant.

Tsugikuni Kuuga glared fiercely at Douma and said in an icy voice:

"Touch my woman, and you die!"

It was the first time Shinobu Kocho had seen Tsugikuni Kuuga this angry. She knew it was because of her.

Douma remained calm. Could a strange pattern appearing on someone's face really make them stronger? Impossible, right?

But when Tsugikuni Kuuga swung his blade horizontally at him, Douma felt fear. It was a sensation he had not experienced in centuries, terror born from the very depths of his cells.

Why did this guy resemble that man so much—the man even Lord Muzan feared?

That's impossible! Impossible!

Douma denied the thought over and over in his heart. It was nothing more than his own speculation. That man was already dead.

"Blood Demon Art: Withered Garden Falling Snow!"

After dismissing the thought, Douma swung his Pair of Fans, releasing an ice lotus-laden slash in an instant.

But Douma's attack was immediately neutralized by Tsugikuni Kuuga. With a single downward slash, Tsugikuni Kuuga sent Douma's arm flying.

A burning sensation, as though scorched by the sun, swept through him. The fear buried in his cells awakened once more, and Douma cried out:

"It can't be—you're not him!"

Even Douma, who had always been devoid of emotion, felt fear. It was terror etched into his genes, no longer something he could control.

"That's right, I'm not him—but you're going to die!" Tsugikuni Kuuga replied.

Then another slash came down, leaving a massive gash across Douma's chest. Wounds inflicted by Tsugikuni Kuuga's Scarlet Blade were already difficult to heal.

With Shinobu Kocho's poison acting up as well, Douma felt that he might truly die today. Yet he quickly calmed down.

He released his Blood Demon Art while thinking of a countermeasure. In the end, Douma directly unleashed his ultimate technique: Blood Demon Art: Mist-Ice Water Lily Bodhisattva.

But before he could release it, Tsugikuni Kuuga's Scarlet Blade had already cut into his neck, halfway through. Instead, Douma became completely calm.