I popped another handful of popcorn into my mouth as I watched Shinobu move.
"Then let's see if a butterfly's poison is just as harmless," she said coolly.
Doma blinked.
Then his smile wavered, just a little.
Shinobu moved again, her body light as air, almost weightless as she flipped over him, striking from above.
Inhale… exhale…
I narrowed my eyes, focusing.
Her technique—it was all centered around speed. Unlike the brute force of flame or water breathing, hers relied on swift, unpredictable strikes.
Insect Breathing, Fourth Form: Dance of the Centipede—Hundred-Legged Zigzag
Her feet barely touched the ground as she dashed toward him, zigzagging at an impossible speed. The very air crackled with the force of her movements.
Doma's eyes widened as she appeared in front of him in an instant. He raised his fans just in time to block a stab aimed straight at his throat.
But Shinobu wasn't done.
She twisted her wrist, angling her blade downward, grazing his arm. Just a scratch.
Barely enough to break the skin.
But it was more than enough.
Doma jumped back, frowning slightly as he examined the wound.
"Oh dear," he murmured. "That's not good, is it?"
The small cut on his arm was already darkening, veins turning an eerie shade of purple.
Shinobu's grin grew.
"No, it isn't."
Doma exhaled dramatically, shaking his head. "How cruel. Poison, huh? That's quite the nasty trick."
He didn't seem too worried, though. And that was interesting.
I leaned forward in my seat.
Shinobu's poison was specialized for demons. It was crafted, refined, and perfected to be deadly even to high-ranking ones.
Yet Doma, even as it spread through his body, still smiled.
Shinobu didn't care.
She dashed forward again, her movements growing faster.
Insect Breathing, Third Form: Dance of the Bee Sting—True Flutter
She reappeared beside Doma in a blur, aiming a precise stab at his ribs.
Doma twirled his fans, using them to redirect the force of the attack just enough to avoid a fatal hit. But she still cut him—another scratch, another dose of poison.
"Tsk, tsk," he clicked his tongue. "You sure are persistent."
Shinobu's expression darkened.
"Do you remember a girl named Kanae Kocho?" she asked.
Doma blinked.
Then, to my surprise, his expression didn't change.
His lips parted, his smile still there. "Kanae... Kocho?" he repeated, as if testing the name on his tongue. "Hmm… That does sound familiar."
Shinobu's grip on her sword tightened.
"You killed her," she said, her voice low, almost trembling.
Doma tilted his head. "Ahh, I see! So she was someone important to you?"
Shinobu didn't answer.
Doma hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I have eaten a lot of people. It's hard to remember them all."
Shinobu lunged at him.
Insect Breathing, Second Form: Dance of the Dragonfly—Compound Eye Hexagon
Six consecutive thrusts. All aimed at vital points.
Doma moved, but not fast enough. He blocked four, but two found their mark—one at his collarbone, the other just below his ribs.
Poison flooded his body.
Yet he still smiled.
Still acted as if none of this truly mattered.
I shifted my focus, watching not just the fight but Shinobu herself.
Her footwork. Her breathing. The way she moved.
She wasn't attacking with brute force. She didn't have the raw power of someone like Rengoku or Uzui.
Instead, she used speed. Precision. Fluidity.
She danced rather than fought.
A style built around agility.
Since I am going to make a breathing technique for myself. Shinobu style, Precision, Fluidity, is something I should Integrate.
I smirked thinking about that.
Inhale… exhale…
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, memorizing the patterns of her movements and the rhythm of her strikes.
But first, I wanted to see how this fight played out.
Doma let out a small sigh, rolling his shoulders. His wounds were still there, still oozing purple from the poison—but something was off.
He wasn't weakening.
Not in the way he should have been.
I frowned.
"Strange," I muttered.
Shinobu must have realized it too. Her eyes narrowed.
"Why, isn't it working?" she murmured.
Doma chuckled. "Oh, it is working. Quite effectively, in fact!" He lifted his arm, showing how the veins had turned black. "Your poison is truly impressive. It's spreading so fast. If I were a lesser demon, I'd be writhing in agony by now."
Shinobu didn't speak.
"But you see," Doma continued, "I am Upper Rank Two for a reason."
Then, something changed.
The air grew colder.
Frost.
Creeping along the floor, spreading from Doma's feet.
His body was literally freezing the poison inside him.
I clicked my tongue. "That's a neat trick."
Shinobu took a step back, her expression unreadable.
Doma exhaled, and a visible mist left his lips. "Ice is quite wonderful, don't you think?" he mused. "It preserves things. Stops them from rotting. And, in this case... "
He flexed his fingers.
"It keeps your little poison from killing me too quickly."
Shinobu's jaw clenched.
Doma twirled his fans. "Well then," he smiled. "Shall we continue?"
I leaned back in my chair, taking another bite of popcorn.
~~~
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