As the smoke cleared, Shinobu could finally see the four figures who had appeared on the battlefield.
She stared blankly at the four who had suddenly appeared in front of Kanae:
"...Who are you?"
"Hakuji!"
"Koyuki!"
"Gyutaro!"
"Ume!"
Gyutaro scratched at his cheek obsessively, leaving bloody streaks that healed almost instantly. He eyed Kanae with a crooked grin:
"Huh? These two are supposed to be Yosuke-sama disciples? They look kinda weak to me."
Hakuji immediately cut him off:
"Don't say that, Gyutaro. For humans, their strength is already quite impressive."
Koyuki knelt beside Kanae, her hands glowing with frost as she melted the ice that bound Kanae's feet. She gave a gentle smile:
"It's all right now. Yosuke-sama sent us here."
Ume, meanwhile, spun around in excitement:
"Eh? Where's Yosuke-sama? Isn't he coming?"
"He didn't come with us…"
Ume instantly pouted, cheeks puffed out, sulking with frustration.
Shinobu rushed to Kanae's side.
"Onee-sama, are you hurt?"
"I'm fine…" Kanae's head was still reeling. She hadn't expected to encounter the four who Yosuke always kept so close to his heart here of all places.
Facing Dōma, Hakuji's fighting spirit burned:
"Upper Rank Two of the Twelve Kizuki, the one they call the Ice Demon—we've been searching for you for a long time!"
Dōma offered his harmless smile.
"Oh my, am I supposed to be trembling in fear right now?"
"I'm looking forward to this! Technique Deployment—Destructive Death: Compass Needle—Flying Planet Thousand-Wheels!"
Unleashing a blizzard of snowflake-like markers, Hakuji shot forward like a meteor, his movements unpredictable, chaining together a relentless flurry of kicks aimed at Dōma.
"Hakuji-san is still just as impatient as ever. But hey, I wanted to fight too~" Gyutaro muttered, scratching his face raw again before it healed instantly.
Koyuki shook her head softly at the sight of Hakuji enjoying battle, then turned back to tend to the sisters. She lifted them both gently.
"You're both poisoned. Wisteria can suppress it, but it can't purge it. I'll cleanse it for you now."
Snow blossomed from her palms, seeping into their wounds. The venom destroying their cells melted away instantly.
Kanae and Shinobu's attention, however, was drawn back to Akaza and Dōma's clash.
"Destructive Death: Leg Style—Crown Splitter!"
Akaza launched a devastating rising kick that tore upward from below. It struck Dōma's head cleanly, blowing away half of it. His body was hurled back, crashing into the Lotus Pool.
"So strong!" Shinobu gasped, wide-eyed. The demon who had so easily overwhelmed her and Kanae was now being struck down as if nothing.
A dull roar echoed from the pool.
"Blood Demon Art: Crystal Child!"
From the frozen waters of the Lotus Pool emerged four crystalline clones of Dōma, each charging toward Hakuji, Koyuki, Gyutaro, and Ume.
"Oh, now you've gone and dragged me in," Gyutaro sneered. "Don't blame me for joining the fun, Hakuji."
"Blood Demon Art: Flying Blood Sickles!"
Countless crimson blades spiraled outward, instantly shattering Dōma's icy duplicates.
Gyutaro's legs coiled like springs, and in a blink he vanished—reappearing above the Lotus Pool.
"Blood Demon Art: Circular Slashes—Flying Blood Sickles!"
Spiral arcs of blood wrapped his sickles as he unleashed a ferocious strike at Dōma, who had just surfaced.
The force of the attack sent water spraying violently skyward. Rain began to fall in a fine mist. Across the lake's surface floated fragments of Dōma's dismembered body.
"D-did they finish him…?" the sisters whispered in disbelief.
But Koyuki shook her head.
"Impossible. None of the Upper Ranks die so easily. And those weren't Nichirin blades that struck him—no matter how severe the damage, he'll regenerate."
Even as her words fell, Dōma's mutilated form reassembled. Ice spread across the Lotus Pool, freezing it solid. He stood atop the frozen lake, calm and expressionless.
"Incredible strength. Truly, the two of you are strong enough to be Upper Ranks yourselves. But tell me… why would demons like you fight for humans?"
Hakuji's voice was sharp with conviction:
"Hmph. We're nothing like the wretched monsters Muzan Kibutsuji created. We may be demons, but we've never abandoned our humanity!"
Dōma clapped politely.
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating. To think demons who cling to their human identities exist…"
Ume huffed impatiently.
"Hakuji! Onii-sama! Stop wasting time with this freak. Let's finish him and go see Yosuke-sama already—I can't wait!"
Hakuji's eyes softened with longing.
"…Yes. I too wish to see Yosuke-sama soon—and show him how much stronger I've become."
Dōma blinked in realization.
"Yosuke? …Ubuyashiki Yosuke? I see now. You're the demons created by that man, his little thorns in Muzan's side. If I kill you here, that man will be delighted."
"Blood Demon Art: Ice Mist—Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva!"
From the frozen lake rose a towering ice statue shaped like a seated bodhisattva with hands pressed in prayer. Dōma's true body was hidden within it.
The giant ice monk swung down massive palms toward Hakuji and Gyutaro.
"Destructive Death: Annihilation Type!"
Akaza met the blow head-on with a shattering punch. The collision exploded violently, tearing one of the ice giant's arms clean off—only for it to regenerate instantly and strike again.
"Destructive Death: Final Form—Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"
From his center, Hakuji unleashed hundreds of explosive strikes in every direction. The bodhisattva's body was riddled with countless gaping holes.
With her Equinoctial Vermilion Eye open, Kanae saw the moment Dōma's true form was exposed through Akaza's assault.
Kanae's breath sharpened.
"Flower Breathing, Third Form: Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Her body vanished into a swirl of petals, reappearing right before Dōma. Her Nichirin Blade, cloaked in blossoms, slashed toward his neck.
The strike was about to land—when suddenly, the sound of a biwa rang out.
In that instant, everyone's vision faltered. Kanae was flung backward.
Standing before Dōma were four new demons, each with eyes branded by the same markings.
"Upper Rank Three."
"Upper Rank Four."
"Upper Rank Five."
"Upper Rank Six."
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