A scream, its pitch cracking slightly, rang out through the dark, silent night.
Before Kanzaki Kumo's mind could react, his body had already instinctively started running toward it.
After all, after so many days of dull, tedious searching, he had finally stumbled across a little diversion. Who could resist going over for a look?
As everyone knew, humans loved a commotion.
So, with a little "I'm already here" curiosity and the hopeful thought of "what if it is?", he hurried over.
Then Kanzaki Kumo discovered Nakime's eyeball, along with Doma, whom he had been thinking about constantly for more than half a year.
After taking out Nakime's eyeball from its blind spot, he raised his blade and slashed straight at Doma, whose figure had just appeared around the corner and who seemed to have noticed something.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
By the time Doma realized that the faint sound had been Nakime's eyeball being destroyed, Kanzaki Kumo's blade was already almost touching his neck, before he could even turn his head to look.
Incandescent lightning illuminated Doma's bloodlessly pale face, and his slightly widened rainbow eyes were reflected in the reddened blade.
As the blade broke the outermost layer of skin on Doma's neck, a searing pain, as though he were being burned by fire-no, as though he were exposed to sunlight-pierced deep into his soul and instantly reached his mind.
In that instant, Doma felt for the first time that death was within arm's reach.
In that same instant, he experienced two emotions he had never felt before: fear and anger.
But within arm's reach was still only within arm's reach. Death had not actually descended upon Doma.
"Blood Demon Art: Rime-Water Lily Bodhisattva."
With a tremor that shook the earth, an ice-crystal bodhisattva three or