"Bang!"
A tremendous impact sound came from below.
Having already been engaged in a fierce battle with Doma for some time, Teiichi quickly realized that the sound was caused by the Ice Sculpture Bodhisattva's hand strike.
Upon hearing the sound, Teiichi was slightly taken aback.
If the chop wasn't aimed at him, then who was he hitting?
The question had barely surfaced in my mind when my brain instantly provided the answer.
Kanae...?
Teiichi's figure, who was about to launch an attack with his sword, froze instantly as if struck by lightning.
"Call out!"
Several icicles shot towards Teiichi at just the right moment.
Teiichi only realized what was happening when it was almost upon him, but by then it was too late to block all the ice spikes.
The Nichirin Blade slashed rapidly in front of him, cutting down most of the ice spikes. The remaining few were too many to cut through, Teiichi his might.
"Laugh--"
"Laugh--"
"Laugh--"
As the ice pick cut through, several deep wounds, each several centimeters deep, appeared on Teiichi's body, and fresh blood gushed from the wounds.
Fortunately, his body wasn't pierced!
The thought Flash through my mind.
Teiichi quickly arrived at the edge of the ice sculpture Bodhisattva's head.
Look downwards.
At this moment, the girl got up from the ground and started running quickly. Although her speed was quite fast, Teiichi could already tell from her staggering figure that she was a girl.
Kanae won't last much longer...
After glancing at the commotion below, Teiichi quickly turned around, his gaze fixed on Doma not far away.
The attack needs to be even more intense than before...
It needs to be 1, 2, or even 3 degrees stronger than before...
At the very least, Doma needs to be unable to focus on controlling the ice sculpture of the Bodhisattva...
suck--!
The surrounding air rushed into Teiichi 'Teiichi body as he inhaled.
Teiichi's chest quickly swelled up.
" Wind Breathing!"
The gale gathered around Teiichi.
" Ninth Form, Idaten Typhoon!"
Before he could finish speaking, Teiichi's figure flashed like lightning, rushing towards Doma.
Before anyone even arrived, the strong wind was already making Doma's face tremble.
Looking at the Demon Slayer was now significantly faster than before, Doma's eyes revealed an unusual seriousness and focus.
"Clang!"
The Nichirin Blade and the folding fan separated upon contact, then clashed again at an even faster speed.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
" Blood Demon Art: Barren Hanging Garden!"
Doma stood still and whispered a command.
Holding folding fans in both hands, she swung them rapidly, frost flying forward along the fan to deflect the Nichirin Blade's repeated slashes.
Teiichi also stood in place, but unlike Doma, he did not use a sword form.
At this moment, both sides are so close that they can attack each other with a simple wave of their hand.
In this situation, being one step ahead is more important than anything else.
Using the sword form might indeed increase the power significantly, but if that extra power isn't enough to break through Doma's defenses, then there's absolutely no need to use it.
Using the sword shape will only waste more time.
Although the sword form was not used, the Breathing Style was operating at full or even above full power.
"Call--!"
Visible puffs of white, turbid air escaped from Teiichi's mouth.
Unbeknownst to Teiichi, a blue wind pattern appeared and disappeared on his right cheek, as if it was about to emerge.
It was clearly the Demon Slayer Mark from the original work. Although the Demon Slayer Mark had not yet fully appeared, they had already significantly increased combat power.
Teiichi felt that he had never been in such good condition. Although his body was burning hot, his mind was exceptionally clear, and his Nichirin Blade was wielded faster and faster with each strike.
Looking at the Demon Slayer before him, whose attacks were faster and heavier than the last, pressing down on him, Doma couldn't help but feel a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Shouldn't human bodily functions be relatively fixed?
The power should be exerted within the range that allows it to be effective!
The Demon Slayer in front of me is clearly much stronger now than he was at the beginning!
"Clang!"
A crisp, clanging sound rang out, and I felt my arm trembling slightly.
Doma couldn't help but drift off into thought. For the first time, Oni-sei began to consider whether he should develop more melee-focused Blood Demon Art in the future, so that he wouldn't end up in a situation where, after fighting in melee for so long, he only had one move, "Barren Hanging Garden," to use.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several more crisp clanging sounds rang out, and feeling his arm trembling even more violently, Doma quickly came back to his senses.
No! That's not right!
No matter what happens in the future!
Now, we can no longer continue close combat with this Demon Slayer!
I need to find a way to get away from this Demon Slayer right now.
As his thoughts raced, the plan he had just devised for evasion and attack quickly came to mind.
The ice that had dissipated underfoot gathered again.
Then.
"Laugh--!"
As the Nichirin Blade slashed through the air, Doma stared blankly at the half-head he had severed before him, and at Teiichi, who sank rapidly and disappeared in an instant.
The wind patterns, which had been flashing faster and faster, gradually disappeared as the battle abruptly stopped.
Just as Teiichi stunned, a shadow fell over the head of the ice sculpture Bodhisattva.
A loud whooshing sound followed.
Teiichi quickly woke up, looked up, and saw the huge ice sculpture arm rapidly slapping down towards the head of the ice sculpture Bodhisattva.
Upon seeing this, Teiichi's pupils suddenly contracted.
They quickly reached the edge of the ice sculpture Bodhisattva's head, and just as they were about to jump down, they heard a slight strange noise behind them.
Seeing that the ice sculpture of the Bodhisattva's arm was still a little distance from the top of his head, Teiichi his gaze and looked back.
Doma was seen peeking out from above the head of the ice sculpture of the Bodhisattva, with only half of his body visible.
As the Demon Slayer looked at him, Doma smiled and raised his hand to wave.
"Sayo la la!"
Upon Teiichi, Ding Yi's lips twitched involuntarily. He glanced at the approaching ice sculpture arm, gritted his teeth, turned his head, and jumped down onto the shoulder of the ice sculpture Bodhisattva.
He then slid down a few steps and landed steadily on the ground.
After quickly moving away from the ice sculpture of the Bodhisattva, Teiichi turned around and looked back.
The enormous arm was slowly retracting, as if nothing had happened.
Teiichi has no regrets about jumping.
Don't be fooled by the fact that his hand didn't clap down; it's simply because he got down on his own.
If I stay up there, my hand will definitely fall down.
He'll either die or be crippled, while Doma will be a hero again in a little while.
However, since he jumped down, it means he can forget about killing Doma today.
but...
Teiichi turned his head and glanced at the pale light that was beginning to appear on the horizon.
This ending is alright; at least Kanae was saved.