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Noe kept one hand on the hilt of her Nichirin Blade, maintaining her muscles at six times their normal density, just as Cold Cry had instructed. She was ready to draw her sword at any moment.
The instant the Water Demon lunged head-on at Cold Cry, she instinctively wanted to rush forward to help.
But before she could move, the demon's head was already flying through the air.
Cold Cry's swordsmanship was as swift and flawless as ever.
Only after calming down did Noe realize how fortunate she had been not to interfere. If she had charged in and failed to kill the demon—or worse, allowed it to escape—she might have become the one lying dead in its place.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, a strange fragrance drifted through the air.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She immediately remembered what Cold Cry had told her on the way there.
The two demons possessed two troublesome abilities.
One was invisibility.
The other was a mysterious scent capable of weakening anyone who inhaled it.
Noe hurriedly tried to cover her nose and mouth.
However, the moment she raised her arm, her expression changed.
Her entire body had already gone limp.
Her fingers lost their strength.
Clang!
Her Nichirin Blade slipped from her grasp and hit the wooden floor.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed helplessly to the ground.
Noe stared at Cold Cry in despair.
She wasn't afraid of being eaten by a demon.
What truly terrified her...
...was that she had disappointed him again.
He had warned her to stay alert.
Yet she had still fallen for it.
He said he wouldn't save me again...
Cold Cry naturally noticed Noe's condition.
Knowing how troublesome the two hidden demons were, he didn't recklessly rush toward them.
Instead, he immediately assessed the situation.
One of the demons had already leaped down from the second floor and was calmly walking toward Noe.
Cold Cry glanced at the other demon still standing by the window.
The strange fragrance undoubtedly came from her.
Regardless of their intentions, he had only one option.
He had to subdue one of them immediately.
Whether as a hostage or to weaken their combat strength, capturing one demon would greatly increase both his and Noe's chances of surviving.
Negotiating with demons sounded absurd.
But at the moment, it was his only choice.
Besides...
He also wanted answers.
Yushiro walked over to the Water Demon's corpse with a syringe specially prepared for collecting demon blood.
Believing Cold Cry had already been completely immobilized by Lady Tamayo's Blood Demon Art, he lowered his guard.
He had no idea...
...that he had become the target.
"Yushiro! Behind you!"
Tamayo called out immediately.
Unfortunately—
She was a moment too late.
A white blur flashed across the courtyard.
Yushiro had just bent down to collect the blood when he suddenly felt an icy chill behind him.
He instinctively turned around.
A pair of pale blue eyes stared directly into his own.
Before he could react—
A cold hand clamped around the back of his neck.
The grip was overwhelming.
He felt as though his neck would snap with the slightest movement.
In the blink of an eye, Cold Cry had already dragged him back several meters.
He slammed Yushiro face-first onto the wooden floor.
One hand pinned the back of Yushiro's neck.
Both knees pressed firmly against his back.
His Nichirin Blade rested against Yushiro's throat.
Yushiro struggled furiously, shouting curses.
He couldn't understand it.
How could this swordsman still move after inhaling Lady Tamayo's Blood Demon Art?
From the side, Noe watched everything unfold.
At first, she thought Cold Cry had rushed over to rescue her.
For a brief moment, she was overjoyed.
Then she saw him return carrying... someone.
A young man's furious voice suddenly echoed through the courtyard.
Noe's eyes widened.
Beneath Cold Cry's restraint was a young man with light-blue hair and a youthful face.
So...
The invisible demon had finally revealed himself.
Was this the demon hiding here last night?
Was this really the one who had been in the hot spring with us?
A shiver ran down Noe's spine.
"Blood Demon Art: Blindfold. Concealment."
Yushiro hurriedly produced a paper talisman bearing an eye-shaped seal and slapped it onto himself.
His body immediately vanished from sight.
"Blood Demon Art: Blindfold."
He pulled out another talisman and tried to stick it onto Cold Cry's forehead.
Unfortunately, Cold Cry had him completely pinned.
He couldn't move an inch.
"That's enough, Yushiro."
Tamayo spoke gently.
"Stop struggling."
"He came prepared."
"He has already blocked his sense of smell... as well as his sight and hearing."
"My Blood Demon Art and your concealment technique won't work against him."
Just then, Noe heard a gentle female voice beside her.
A pair of embroidered sandals appeared before her eyes.
She froze.
Another demon...
Standing beside me this whole time?
Her mind went completely blank.
Moments later, terror flooded back.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Cold sweat soaked her back.
"Little girl..."
Tamayo crouched beside her.
"Are you alright?"
Noe slowly looked up.
She expected to see a hideous demon.
Instead...
She saw an elegant woman wearing a refined kimono, smiling warmly at her.
Noe was stunned.
Is... this really a demon?
Tamayo gently helped her to her feet.
"I'm sorry for frightening you."
"The fragrance isn't harmful."
"You'll recover shortly."
Noe simply stared blankly, unable to process what she was hearing.
Tamayo calmly picked up the blood-collection syringe that had fallen beside the Water Demon's corpse.
She drew a vial of the demon's blood before turning toward Cold Cry and raising it slightly, silently indicating her purpose.
Cold Cry remained silent for several moments.
Finally, the frost covering his eyes, ears, and nose slowly dissipated.
His sight, hearing, and sense of smell returned.
Even so, he kept his blade firmly against Yushiro's neck.
After all...
Tamayo and Yushiro were still demons.
And Noe was still within their reach.
"Who are you?" Cold Cry asked.
After a brief pause, he added,
"...Are you really demons?"
"You're nothing like the demons I've encountered before."
"Let me go, you arrogant bastard!"
Yushiro continued struggling violently.
He silently swore that once he escaped, he would personally tear this white-haired swordsman apart for humiliating him in front of Lady Tamayo.
Tamayo smiled calmly.
"The demons you've fought until now were ordinary demons."
"Please release Yushiro."
"If we truly wished to harm either of you..."
"...we could have done so last night."
Seeing that Cold Cry remained cautious, she continued,
"My name is Tamayo."
"I am a demon..."
"...and a doctor."
"We came here to collect blood samples from demons for our research."
Cold Cry carefully considered her words.
She didn't appear to be lying.
Moreover, she was right.
If she and Yushiro had truly intended to kill them, they had already had several perfect opportunities.
After a moment's silence...
Cold Cry slowly lifted his blade and released Yushiro.
The instant he was free, Yushiro sprang to his feet with a furious roar.
His claws flashed as he lunged straight at Cold Cry.
Cold Cry calmly sidestepped with Ice Breathing, Sixth Form: Phantom Step, effortlessly evading the attack before appearing beside Noe.
Yushiro was about to charge again—
"Enough, Yushiro."
Tamayo's gentle voice stopped him in his tracks.
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