" Flower Breathing, Final Form: Red Spider Lily..."
The resolute words shone like a beam of light onto the battlefield.
" Wind Breathing "
" Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree "
Several crystal-clear Wind Blade suddenly condensed around Kanae, spinning in an exquisite trajectory to weave an impenetrable protective net, repelling the incoming ice spikes.
The moment the ice spike collided with the Wind Blade, it produced a crisp and piercing cracking sound, and then turned into countless tiny ice crystals.
Fine ice crystals scattered in the air, forming a pale blue mist that was temporarily unable to penetrate due to the presence of the Wind Blade.
Turning to look at Kanae, Teiichi wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, which had accumulated from running all the way, and laughed.
"Thank goodness I made it in time!"
Wind Blade swirled around the two of them, the boy's face appearing and disappearing intermittently, but his raised smile remained clearly visible.
Kanae stood there quietly, staring at the boy in front of her, her heart pounding wildly.
As the Wind Blade gradually dissipated, a pale blue mist drifted towards the two of them, Kanae snapped out of her daze upon seeing this.
" Teiichi- kun, after shattering this demon's Blood Demon Art creation, the ice will turn into powder and disperse into the air. Do not inhale this air, or your lungs will be severely damaged, seriously affecting your combat ability."
Even without Kanae's reminder, Teiichi knew that he shouldn't inhale the mist.
He quickly took two steps back, coming to Kanae's side, and gently wrapped his left arm around Kanae's slender waist.
With a powerful push off their feet, the two of them leaped backward lightly and swiftly, like feathers lifted by the wind, taking several steps until they were far away from the gradually spreading, icy mist.
Seeing that Doma did not immediately give chase, Teiichi a slight sigh of relief.
He lowered his arm from Kanae's side, Teiichi around gently, and examined Kanae's condition with concern in his eyes.
At this moment, Kanae's face was pale, and she coughed intermittently, with traces of blood remaining at the corners of her mouth as she coughed.
How are you feeling now? Is your body still holding up?
"I... cough cough cough..."
Kanae tried to answer, but a sudden cough rendered her almost speechless.
"My lungs are severely frostbitten," Kanae finally caught her breath and briefly explained her condition. She looked up at Teiichi, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.
" Teiichi, this is Upper Rank Two. I just fought him. It would take at least three Upper Rank to hold his own, and right now... it's just the two of us, and I'm seriously injured. We... have no chance of defeating him."
At this point, Kanae's voice trembled slightly, but she persisted in continuing.
" The Demon Slayer Corps cannot lose any more power because of me, you..."
"So what?"
A gentle yet unusually firm voice interrupted Kanae's words, Kanae's gaze involuntarily turned to Teiichi's eyes.
At this moment, there was no fear or retreat in those eyes when facing a powerful enemy, nor hesitation or evasion when facing a life-or-death choice.
Yes, there is only the purest form of gentleness—a gentleness that can soothe pain, dispel gloom, and give people boundless strength.
Under that gaze, Kanae felt as if she were enveloped in sunlight, and the icy chill that had been emanating from her lungs lessened considerably.
"So... cough cough cough..." She tried her best to express her thoughts,
"Let me cover for you, Teiichi- kun." Kanae's voice held a hint of determination. "You can definitely escape. Once you're out, remember to tell Shinobu and the others not to seek revenge for me, and..."
Before he could finish speaking, Teiichi gently shook his head, a warm smile playing on his lips. He interrupted Kanae's words of sacrifice and asked instead:
Do you even have the strength to run?
Kanae paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile, "It's possible, but..."
"Then run."
Teiichi's voice is beyond question.
"Leave this battlefield to me."
Upon hearing this, Kanae's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Teiichi.
Having just fought Doma, he didn't believe that anyone in the current Demon Slayer Corps could fight Doma one-on-one and survive.
Yes, even if it's not about defeating Doma, Kanae believes that no one in the Demon Slayer Corps could currently do it, even if it were just surviving from Doma's clutches.
The icy blue mist spreading in the air was so intensely restrictive of Breathing Style.
The longer the fight against Upper Rank Two lasts, the more his own strength will decrease.
Therefore, the only way to defeat the demon in front of you is to defeat it at the very beginning of the battle.
That brief exchange had already made Kanae realize that no one in the Demon Slayer Corps could defeat him at the moment.
Even Mr. Gyomei, who saved him and Shinobu's lives, wouldn't do it.
Therefore, Teiichi's words meant to her that he wanted to exchange his life for hers.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, and a slightly angry voice escaped her lips.
"What the hell are you spouting? No matter what, I'm not going to let you fight Doma. If we're going to die, we'll die together!"
Upon hearing Kanae's words, Teiichi was taken aback.
This was the first time he'd ever heard Kanae use such vulgar language!
"Um! I'm really sorry to interrupt you for a moment, but could you please speed things up a bit? I'm getting impatient!"
Doma's voice, interrupting the battlefield at an inopportune moment, brought the two who were conversing back to their senses.
Meanwhile, Teiichi turned to look at Doma. From the very beginning, he had been keeping an eye on Doma out of the corner of his eye, to prevent Doma from suddenly attacking while the two were talking.
At this moment, Doma stood leisurely a dozen meters away, quietly watching the two of them.
Knowing that Doma wouldn't give them any more time to talk.
Turning his head to look at Kanae, whose face was resolute in her determination to die, Kanae Teiichi n't help but sigh.
It seems that Kanae won't be someone I can persuade to leave in a short time. But if I let her continue to participate in the battle, the two of us have never worked together before, and she's injured. I'll have to distract myself by paying attention to her, which will actually have a negative impact on me.
After thinking for a while with his head down, Teiichi looked at Kanae and said:
"How about this, I'll go fight Doma, and you can watch from the sidelines. If you see me in a dangerous situation, then you can join the fight, okay?"
"This..." Upon hearing Teiichi's words, Kanae hesitated for a moment. She knew her current situation, and after hesitating for a while, she slowly nodded.
Teiichi gently helped Kanae up, then looked at Doma.
I'll settle her to the side first.
Doma smiled and nodded.
"Don't put her too far away, or I'll be in big trouble if she runs away! After all, I don't eat men's food!"
When Kanae first learned of Doma's fetish, she couldn't help but feel a chill.
Teiichi, Teiichi didn't feel that way. He helped Kanae to a spot several dozen meters away and sat her down against a tree.
However, just as Teiichi was Teiichi to turn and leave, Kanae suddenly grabbed his trouser leg, her eyes full of worry.
Teiichi lowered his head, his gaze meeting hers.
" Teiichi- kun, watch out!"