"Tap tap tap..."
Under the cover of night, only the crisp, hurried sound of footsteps echoed through the quiet streets.
Kanae's figure darted quickly through the streets, her steps light and agile, occasionally turning at intersections, trying to shake off Doma was relentlessly pursuing her by changing directions.
About ten minutes had passed since Kanae turned and ran away. At first, she could still hear Upper Rank Two's Doma and mocking voice behind her, echoing in the night air and sending chills down her spine. But as time went by, the voice gradually disappeared, as if swallowed by the endless darkness.
At this moment, all was quiet behind her, as if Doma had given up the pursuit. However, Kanae's heart sank uncontrollably.
She didn't think she could escape Upper Rank Two's grasp so easily. It was more likely that Upper Rank Two didn't take her too seriously and was just playing a cat-and-mouse game with her.
Kanae might feel a little resentful if she were usually looked down upon, but being looked down upon by Upper Rank Two might be her only chance to escape.
Thinking of this, Kanae quickened her pace.
After running for another ten minutes or so, Kanae reached the outskirts of Mine City. There were hardly any houses left in the area, and she was about to leave the city.
However, to this day, Doma has still not appeared.
This made Kanae start to wonder if her earlier worries were unnecessary.
Was it just that Upper Rank Two was in a good mood today and let himself off the hook?
Just as a glimmer of hope welled up in Kanae's heart, her rapidly moving legs suddenly came to an abrupt halt. After taking a few more steps forward to cushion the impact, she came to a stop in place.
A figure slowly emerged from the end of the road; it was none other than Doma.
At this moment, Doma had two golden iron fans in his hands, which were particularly eye-catching.
Doma walked slowly to the middle of the road, turned to face Kanae, opened a fan and waved it at himself, as if enjoying the cool night breeze.
"Hey hey hey, we were having a nice chat, why did you have to run away? I had to chase you for ages!"
Looking at the figure in the distance, Kanae frowned deeply, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank.
If we can't escape, is fighting the only option?
No, we definitely can't win in a fight; we can only stall for time!
Thinking of this, Kanae quickly drew her Nichirin Blade back from its sheath, which she had previously sheathed while fleeing. She gripped the hilt tightly with both hands, her eyes fixed on Doma, ready to respond to any attack from Doma.
Hey! I still don't know your name?
Doma's voice was soft and melodious. As he spoke, he leisurely shook his exquisite iron fan, his gaze gently fixed on Kanae standing in the distance, as if he were asking a long-lost friend.
" Kanae Kocho!" A cool voice came from Kanae's mouth.
Upon hearing this, Doma's lips curled into a playful smile, and his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were savoring the meaning and beauty contained in the five characters " Kanae Kocho ".
" Kanae Kocho? What a beautiful and poetic name!"
Then, he gently placed one hand diagonally across his chest, while elegantly extending the other, and gave a slight bow, introducing himself in an almost ritualistic manner.
"Hello, Ms. Kanae! I am Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki Doma. Nice to meet you."
" Upper Rank... No. 2 - Doma?"
Hearing Kanae repeat herself, Doma seemed very happy and looked at Kanae a question.
"Hehe... How about it? My name is pretty good, isn't it?"
However, Kanae did not respond further. She gripped her Nichirin Blade tightly with both hands, her eyes resolute and cold, clearly ready for battle.
Seeing that Kanae had no intention of continuing the conversation, Doma's smile gradually faded, and he sighed softly, seemingly disappointed by Kanae's cold attitude.
He unfolded his folding fan with his right hand and fanned himself, looking at Kanae with a relaxed expression.
The two stood there, locked in a brief stalemate.
Seeing that the Demon Slayer in front of him showed no intention of attacking first, Doma had no choice but to break the silence.
"If you're not going to attack, then I'll attack first!"
A playful remark echoed across the battlefield. After speaking, Doma his left arm over his abdomen, rested his right hand on his left, and propped his chin on the tip of his fan as he pondered.
"Let me think, which approach should I use?"
"I've got it! Let's use this trick!"
Two exquisite folding fans unfolded gently between Doma Mo's slender fingers, like blooming lotus flowers or bamboo leaves swaying in the early spring breeze, carrying an indescribable elegance and danger. They swayed slightly in front of him, drawing smooth arcs.
" Blood Demon Art - Crystalline Divine Child!"
As the voice faded, the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Then, an invisible chill quietly gathered and slowly condensed into a small ice figure on his chest.
The little ice figure was about half a person's height, and its appearance was exactly the same as Doma's. It also held two folding fans made of ice.
"Go, My Prince!"
After the little ice figure was formed, Doma Doma's lips curled into a playful smile, and he suddenly closed the folding fan in his right hand, pointing it at Kanae.
Upon receiving the command, the little ice man lightly touched the ground with both feet, then unleashed a force that could not be ignored. His figure transformed into a streak of ice-blue light, rushing towards Kanae at an astonishing speed.
far away.
Seeing that the first wave of attacks was just a small ice doll created by Doma using his Blood Demon Art, Kanae breathed a sigh of relief.
If they were to directly confront Doma, the difficulty of stalling until dawn would undoubtedly be extremely high.
Even though he knew that Doma wasn't taking him seriously right now, Doma would definitely get serious if he didn't defeat him by dawn, and that would be the real challenge.
But let's stall for time if we can.
However, is the Upper Rank Two's Blood Demon Art controlling ice?
While she was pondering, the little ice man had already arrived in front of Kanae.
"Keng"
"Keng"
"Keng"
A series of metallic clanging sounds echoed in the air. Although it was just a folding fan made of ice, its hardness was no less than that of Nichirin Blade.
Looking at the little ice figure fighting fiercely against her, Kanae couldn't help but sigh.
As expected of Upper Rank Two! Even with just a Blood Demon Art skill, the creation it generates is no weaker than that of an ordinary team member.
With Kanae deliberately holding back, the battle became a stalemate, with both sides exchanging blows back and forth, unable to gain the upper hand.
Just as Kanae was about to swing her sword again, a sudden change caused her Kanae to shrink slightly.