Being driven back by Shinobu Kocho and Kanao's combined assault was an exceedingly rare occurrence in the fighting career of Upper Rank Two, Doma.
Yet rather than feeling humiliated, he felt an excitement unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He liked this feeling.
Watching frail humans burn through their lives for that laughable hatred, unleashing power beyond their limits.
To him, this was entertainment more enjoyable than any delicacy.
"It seems I'll have to show a little of what I can really do."
The smile on Doma's face faded for an instant, then grew even more feverish.
He leaped backward, putting distance between himself and the Kocho sisters.
At the same time, he rapidly shaped something before him with his own blood and ice.
These were no simple ice puppets.
They were ice sculptures that looked exactly like him, right down to their lifelike expressions.
"Blood Demon Art: Crystalline Divine Child."
Doma softly spoke the name of his technique.
As his words rang out, the eyes of the ice sculptures suddenly lit up with the same rainbow glow as Doma's.
They came to life.
And though the aura they exuded was nowhere near as powerful as Doma's true body, it far surpassed that of the ordinary ice puppets from before.
"This..."
Shinobu Kocho and Kanao stopped in their tracks at the same time, their expressions turning grave.
With her Equinoctial Vermilion Eye active, Kanao could clearly see thin streams of demonic energy flowing within those "Crystal Children," sharing the same source as Doma's.
This meant these clones were not merely for show.
They could attack independently and even use weakened versions of his Blood Demon Arts.
"The game just got harder."
Doma's true body stood at the very back. Like an elegant conductor, he pointed at Shinobu Kocho and Kanao