It's freezing?
Interesting, does she want to compete with his Blood Demon Art?
Douma didn't notice the strangeness. Waving his golden iron fan, several small ice figures ran to the edge of the wooden bridge and exhaled cold air downwards.
Crack... The cold air covered the surface of the pond, spreading rapidly towards the crimson area.
Suddenly, a subtle abnormal sound came from behind him. Douma subconsciously looked back, only to see that the blood nails originally stuck to the wall had turned into blood water and were flowing down the wall at some unknown point.
On the floor, crimson patterns spread out like tree roots.
"What does this mean?" Douma instinctively took two steps back, then suddenly caught sight of the pond's scene from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but be slightly astonished.
His Blood Demon Art... was suppressed.
In the center of the pond, red blood ice collided with blue-white ice. With almost no resistance, the crimson color continued to spread, quickly covering the entire room.
Douma had a premonition that if these ice blocks were to occupy the entire room, he would have no place to hide.
Thinking of this, Douma expressionlessly waved his iron fan. Shimmering ice flowers flew out from between the fan blades, and the small ice figures even rushed into the pond, attempting to obstruct the advance of the blood ice.
However, something unexpected happened to Douma. As soon as the small ice figures touched the blood ice, their water-blue bodies quickly turned red, then lost connection. After a moment of stiffness, they turned around and attacked him.
They were converted!
Douma surprisingly dodged the incoming attacks. These small ice figures were actually using his Blood Demon Art, but the manifestation of the Blood Demon Art had turned crimson.
It was surprising.
His Blood Demon Art was completely suppressed.
Is this woman's Blood Demon Art like this?
Douma couldn't help but ask in confusion. This seemed to differ quite a bit from Muzan-sama's intelligence.
Without giving him more time to think, the crimson patterns on the floor behind him merged into the pond via the wooden bridge, and the entire room seemed to be stained crimson.
"This is a bit tricky." Douma looked around, contemplating a way to break the situation.
Battles between demons, unless the gap in strength is particularly large, are not easily decided.
But the opponent can use a Nichirin Blade, plus these Demon Slayer Corps members, which means—he is at a unilateral disadvantage.
How troublesome, a demon actually using a Nichirin Blade.
Well, never mind... judging by the time, it should be about ready.
The true purpose of his Blood Demon Art.
In the previous exchange, these Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen had more or less been contaminated by his Blood Demon Art.
It was a lethal ability, specifically for humans.
Douma's narrow eyes narrowed into a line.
Although it's a bit regrettable, I should retreat for now. I believe Muzan-sama will understand.
Suddenly.
From the pond beneath him, the crimson ice suddenly shattered, and crystalline chains, seemingly dyed with fresh blood, shot straight towards his ankles.
A shaping ability?
Douma secretly thought, 'Just as I expected,' and quickly dodged to the side.
Douma didn't know the consequences of being caught by this thing, so he didn't want to take the risk.
The Kocho Sisters also did not stop, their frequent joint attacks forcing Douma to flee in disarray.
"Perfect."
While dodging, Douma retaliated with his Blood Demon Art. The slight ice mist was unknowingly inhaled into the lungs of the group... How strange... The poison was taking effect much slower than he had imagined.
Logically, as soon as this ice mist was inhaled, breathing problems should appear immediately.
Even with intentional concealment, breathing absolutely couldn't keep up with such high-intensity movements.
But in his observation, the attack frequency and strength of these few people had not weakened at all.
"What are you surprised about?"
While Douma was slightly stunned by the surprise, Mizuki was already standing behind him, holding her scarlet blade.
"Not good!"
A cold sweat trickled down Douma's forehead. Turning back now would definitely mean death!
At this moment, the only way to break the situation he could think of was... "Blood Demon Art: Freezing Mist - Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva."
A massive ice Bodhisattva rose from beneath Douma's feet, narrowly avoiding Mizuki's slash. This strike shattered a considerable part of the ice Bodhisattva's body, but it was ultimately blocked.
The ice Bodhisattva had only manifested its upper body, yet it had already exceeded the room's height, causing cracks in the ceiling above.
"That was close..." Standing on a lotus flower at the ice Bodhisattva's shoulder, Douma looked down with a face full of sweat.
He had almost died just then.
He wasn't sure if he could survive decapitation like Akaza.
"One minute left."
The sudden flash of events had only taken place within two minutes. Mizuki raised her head expressionlessly.
Size doesn't mean anything; on the contrary, it easily exposes one's weaknesses.
At this point, Douma had already noticed something amiss.
In his haste earlier, he hadn't had time to think much, but now that his Blood Demon Art had formed, he noticed that the Bodhisattva's body, connected to the ground, was already submerged in the crimson ice of the pond.
A crimson light ascended along the Bodhisattva's towering body.
Is it going to be eroded again?
What a joke.
He felt his abilities were completely suppressed, with no chance to struggle.
Now that he thought about it, the children's breathing wasn't affected, probably because of this blood ice here.
Douma pondered secretly, feeling more and more that Mizuki's Blood Demon Art was too much of a counter to him.
"Mizuki, are you alright?" Kochou Shinobu ran over from a distance, and seeing Mizuki's figure swept away by the ice Bodhisattva, she couldn't help but ask with concern.
"I'm fine." Mizuki shook her head, a cold glint flashing in her eyes as she looked at the several-meter-tall ice Bodhisattva. "Chop it into pieces."
"Step back a bit." Mizuki gestured to the three of them and retreated a few steps.
She didn't have the patience to wait for the blood to erode the Bodhisattva.
It was time to decide the victor.
The Kocho Sisters, hearing her, chose to trust her and retreated to stand guard in front of the young girl.
Mizuki took a deep breath, her Transparent World vision fully activated in her eyes. She gripped her Nichirin Blade and stepped onto the ice Bodhisattva, heading towards Douma.
Douma naturally wouldn't let her approach, commanding the ice Bodhisattva to bring a massive palm down hard on Mizuki.
Crack crack~
Before long, the descending palm cracked into spiderweb patterns, and a snow-white slash, covered with a hint of crimson, shot straight towards Douma's head.
Without relying on the Blood Demon Art, merely by exerting her demonic abilities, the Breathing Technique showed a tendency to change color.
A chill ran down Douma's spine, and he quickly leaped off the ice lotus.
Sure enough, the moment he stood up, Mizuki struck the ice lotus with her sword, smashing it to pieces.
"Snow Breathing, Thirteenth Form: Peak-Facing Silver Slash."
Giving Douma no chance to catch his breath, Mizuki stood on the shattered ice lotus, launching sharp, snow-colored slashes mixed with blood energy continuously into the air.
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