The Infinity Castle shuddered with every battle that raged within its endless halls, but here, in a grand chamber of frosted pillars and crystalline floors, the temperature plummeted like death itself. Ice spread across every surface, beautiful and merciless.
At the heart of it stood Upper Moon Two—Dōma. His smile was wide, angelic almost, but beneath that porcelain mask of kindness lurked cruelty older than centuries. His fans glimmered in his hands, sweeping arcs of frost that turned air into daggers.
Facing him, Shinobu Kocho's violet eyes burned with quiet determination, her sword poised like a serpent ready to strike. Beside her, Inosuke crouched low, twin jagged blades gleaming, his boar mask dripping with condensation as his breath steamed in the frigid air.
"Well, well," Dōma cooed, tilting his head. "Two little insects who've come to dance with me. One's so delicate, so fragile, and the other—so wild, so savage." He chuckled, spreading his arms as a blizzard of ice petals cascaded around him. "How delightful."
Inosuke growled, muscles flexing as he tightened his grip. "Shut your damn mouth, pretty boy! I'll tear that fake smile right off your face!"
Shinobu's voice cut sharp, calm, laced with steel: "Focus, Inosuke. He wants you to lose control."
Then, they moved.
Inosuke charged like a beast unleashed, his blades hacking through waves of ice as he spun and slashed with raw fury. Shinobu darted in his shadow, swift and precise, her stinger-thin strikes aimed at gaps in Dōma's guard, each one carrying poison designed to rot a demon from the inside.
But Dōma's smile never faltered. His fans swirled, summoning walls of crystalline frost, shattering Inosuke's slashes into icy shards. He caught Shinobu's thrust with a twist of his wrist, her blade clinking against the iron-like edge of his fan.
"Poison? How clever," he said sweetly, eyes twinkling with mockery. "But my body adapts. Did you really think you could kill me with something so… weak?"
Shinobu's jaw tightened. She slipped back, feinting low before slashing at his leg. He deflected easily, his free hand brushing her cheek with unnerving intimacy. She darted away, breath trembling but focus sharp.
Meanwhile, Inosuke roared. "Beast Breathing—Seventh Fang: Spatial Awareness!"
His instincts sharpened, every nerve on fire. He felt Dōma's killing intent flicker behind the mask of kindness, felt the subtle shifts in the ice storm around them. With a wild grin, he adjusted, blades crossing in an X as he charged straight through an oncoming wave of ice spears.
The chamber exploded in shards, the air ringing with the clash of steel and frost.
"Wonderful!" Dōma laughed, spinning elegantly. "Such spirit, such rage! You remind me of animals clawing at the edge of their cages." His fans blurred, unleashing a blizzard that threatened to swallow them whole.
Shinobu leapt high, her small frame weaving between shards of frozen death. She thrust downward—"Insect Breathing, Dance of the Bee Sting: True Flutter!"—her sword slicing toward his head.
At the same moment, Inosuke dived low, both blades slashing upward in a brutal cross.
For the first time, Dōma's smile faltered. He raised his fans to block—but their combined assault broke through. Shinobu's blade grazed his shoulder, pumping poison into his flesh, while Inosuke's jagged strike tore through his thigh, splattering ichor onto the ice.
Dōma stumbled back, laughter bubbling out of him even as his wounds sizzled with venom. "Oh, how thrilling!" he cried, spreading his arms as if welcoming the pain. "You two… are fun."
His wounds closed in seconds, ice spreading to seal them. He licked the blood from his lips, eyes gleaming. "But fun only lasts so long. Shall I show you despair?"
The temperature plunged. Ice lotus flowers erupted from the ground, their petals razor-sharp, spinning outward in a storm meant to shred flesh and bone. The chamber howled with cold, a frozen hell.
Inosuke and Shinobu stood side by side, backs brushing for the briefest heartbeat. He growled low through his mask, and she gave the faintest nod.
No words needed. Predator and poison moved as one.
They surged forward into the blizzard.
And the battle of fangs and venom against frozen cruelty raged, louder, sharper, deadlier than before.
The blizzard howled louder, drowning out even the sound of their own breaths. Shinobu's lungs burned from the cold air, each inhalation a stab of ice in her chest. Her small frame darted, weaving between the razor-petal storm, while Inosuke's blades tore at the frost with desperate ferocity.
But no matter how fast they struck, no matter how cunning their rhythm, Dōma was faster. Stronger. His laughter, high and mirthful, echoed through the frostbitten chamber as if he were playing with toys rather than fighting to the death.
"Ahh, you're slowing down already," Dōma teased, spinning effortlessly through his own storm. His fans blurred, ice lotus petals exploding outward. One slice grazed Inosuke's arm, drawing blood. Another nearly clipped Shinobu's shoulder, missing by a thread as she twisted away. "Don't worry—I'll preserve your beauty forever in ice."
Inosuke growled through clenched teeth. His blades clanged together, the vibrations buzzing in his bones. "You smug bastard!" He lunged again, but his strike faltered under the weight of fatigue and blood loss.
Shinobu's movements grew lighter—too light. She was pushing her body to its limit, her poison strikes faster and sharper, but her stamina could not keep pace. Her chest heaved, sweat freezing against her skin. She knew it. If this keeps up… we'll both die here.
Dōma saw it too, his grin stretching wider. He raised his fan for the finishing strike. "Playtime is over."
Then—
BOOM!
A thunderclap split the chamber.
The air exploded with golden light as a blur of speed slashed past Dōma's face, leaving a thin line across his cheek. He blinked, startled for the first time, as blood dripped down his flawless skin.
Before his laughter could return, another crack echoed—a strike from the opposite angle, golden arcs flashing in the storm. Then another. And another. Thunder rattled the walls, each burst faster, sharper, more ferocious.
Dōma spun, fans whipping around to block—but he was suddenly on the defensive.
Zenitsu stood at the edge of the frost field, blade trembling in his hands, his golden eyes fixed with fire. His breathing was ragged, his body screaming from his earlier duel, but his spirit blazed brighter than ever.
"Inosuke! Shinobu!" Zenitsu shouted, his voice breaking but strong. "I'll carve the opening—don't waste it!"
Inosuke's boar mask tilted, his grin feral. "Tch! About time you showed up, scaredy cat!"
Shinobu's lips curved in the faintest smile despite her exhaustion. Her eyes hardened with renewed resolve.
Zenitsu vanished again—Thunder Breathing, First Form: Sixfold! Lightning blurred, striking from every angle. Dōma blocked one, two, three slashes—but the fourth grazed his arm, the fifth sliced his thigh, the sixth tore across his chest. The poison in his blood reacted violently, burning like acid.
For the first time, Dōma hissed. His smile cracked.
And in that moment—Inosuke charged, blades roaring with savage momentum, while Shinobu darted in his wake, her needle thrust aimed at Dōma's heart.
Golden thunder, beastly fury, and venomous precision converged.
The ice storm shattered under their combined assault.