Perhaps because he had already experienced a life-or-death battle against Akaza, Asuka had been extremely cautious even before entering this courtyard.
He carefully observed whether there were any other demons nearby, cautiously sensed the fluctuations of the Upper Rank demon's spiritual pressure before him, and carefully avoided the range of Doma's Blood Demon Art.
Compared to launching attacks, he spent most of his time trying to protect his comrades, trying to prevent the near-death situation Kyojuro had once faced from happening again.
He had been waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for the instant when that demon exposed a flaw so he could kill him in one strike.
But now, Shinobu Kocho had collapsed behind him, her life or death uncertain.
The glaring crimson was like a resounding slap, striking Asuka hard across the face.
[I will help you kill that demon with blood on his head who wields a pair of fans. I promise you.]
The memory surged from the depths of Asuka's mind along with an unbearable heat.
It was uncontrollable anger, and even more so an extreme disgust toward himself.
"What the hell am I doing..."
He tightened his grip on the sword hilt. The veins on his hand stood out, and blood seeped from his palm.
Perhaps Nugata sensed its master's fury. Or perhaps the abnormal grip resonated with the blade itself.
Nugata was burning.
"Tomioka!!"
Asuka's eyes were already completely crimson as he shouted at Giyu Tomioka, who was dodging Doma's attacks.
"Work with me!!"
Although Giyu Tomioka had not met Asuka many times, he had never felt such violent killing intent from him before.
Before he could respond, the bricks beneath Asuka's feet shattered instantly.
Bang!
Asuka gathered the Reishi power around his body beneath his feet and squeezed it to the limit.
His entire body turned into a bolt of black lightning, crossing more than ten meters almost instantly and appearing directly in front of Doma.
"My, what a frightening expression." Doma tilted his head, his rainbow-colored eyes filled with teasing compassion. "Are you angry? How pitiful..."
"Second Form: New Moon!!"
Asuka had no interest in hearing another word. The long blade in his hand erupted into a storm of savage slashes.
The power of this sword form far surpassed anything before, and the murderous aura coming from it made Doma frown slightly.
"Blood Demon Art: Barren Hanging Willow."
The golden fans fluttered, turning freezing wind into nine intertwining slashes, attempting to freeze Asuka together with that strange sword.
In Doma's battle logic, as long as humans touched his frost, their lungs would rot and their strength would rapidly decline. Whether they fought or fled, sooner or later they would become prey on his plate.
Yet Asuka's blade showed no sign of slowing.
The ice Doma unleashed, capable of freezing the air instantly, melted the moment it touched the blazing blade.
It was like throwing a red-hot iron into snow. The solid ice formed by the Blood Demon Art completely dissolved under the high temperature.
What was this supposed to mean? Wasn't he a Wind Breathing swordsman?
Doma couldn't understand. His elegant figure drifted backward, but Asuka had no intention of letting him escape.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Asuka clung tightly to Doma's retreating path, forcing him to desperately block the violent pursuit with his golden fans.
Although Doma continuously fanned out icy mist to slow Asuka's attacks, that terrifying sword seemed able to directly devour most of the ice fragments, making it impossible to cause effective damage...
No. Damage was still being done.
Blood flowed from Asuka's nose. His breathing was heavy and ragged like a broken bellows.
He simply no longer cared.
The tremendous force transmitted through the fan handles made even the demon Doma feel his arms go numb.
The heat of the red blade scorched the fans, thin wisps of smoke rising from them. Through the clash of the two weapons, he could feel a strange suction force wildly devouring the demon power inside his body.
"...What is this memory?"
In the midst of the fierce battle, Doma suddenly became distracted for a brief moment.
He seemed to see a vague figure deep within his soul.
Holding a crimson blade, wearing Hanafuda earrings, with ferocious marks spreading across his face.
Before that figure, he felt uncontrollable fear...
Not him. Was Lord Muzan trembling?
"This is... Lord Muzan's memory?"
Doma was startled. He realized the black-haired swordsman before him might be far more troublesome than expected.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
While the two were locked in combat, Giyu Tomioka finally moved.
His figure turned into a ripple of azure water. The Nichirin Blade traced a curved trajectory and precisely cut toward the back of Doma's neck.
"Blood Demon Art: Creeping Lotus!"
Doma sensed the danger behind him. Several barbed ice vines instantly burst from the ground, entangling toward Giyu.
"...Gale Force: Tengu Wind!!"
Centered on Asuka, a massive crimson cyclone roared outward.
Mixed within the storm was the spiritual pressure emitted by Nugata. Like a gigantic grinding wheel, it shredded the surrounding ice vines into pieces in an instant.
Even so, one extremely concealed ice vine slipped past the attack of Tengu Wind and thrust out from a dark corner.
If Giyu Tomioka completed his strike, he would be pierced through at the same time.
This was a killing blow.
A desperate resolve shone in Giyu's cold eyes.
He knew Asuka was using a suicidal fighting style to create an opportunity for him. If he failed to seize it, all three of them would die here today.
At the edge of life and death, the expressionless face of Giyu finally showed fluctuation.
He heard his own heartbeat, beating so fast it seemed ready to burst from his chest. His body temperature surged to a level no human should endure.
In that instant, many people and memories flashed through his mind.
Master... Teacher... Sabito, Makomo... Tanjiro...
My sister...
In the end, I'm not worthy of being the Water Hashira. I don't deserve to stand equal with the other Hashira...
I'm not like them... I only joined the Demon Slayer Corps by luck...
If it were Sabito, he would have killed this demon long ago...
"Don't hesitate!!"
Asuka spat blood as he roared loudly, waking Giyu from his thoughts.
"Slash!!"
Just as Doma's ice vine was only centimeters away from Giyu's chest—
A deep crimson mark, flowing like waves, suddenly appeared on Giyu's left cheek.
Buzz!
Giyu's mind instantly became clear. His speed surged to another dimension.
His movement, which had been a step too slow, reversed itself at the last possible moment, turning the Nichirin Blade into a beam of pure blue light.
"Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"
This was Giyu's self-created technique.
The deadly ice vine was reduced to its most primitive dust by invisible sword energy the moment it approached him.
Doma's attack failed. Not only that, Giyu's counterattack followed immediately.
Slash!
Empowered by the mark, the strike carried overwhelming force, carving a wound so deep on Doma's neck that bone could be seen.
"What?!"
For the first time, Doma let out a sound of surprise.
Using the demon blood spraying from his neck as cover, he violently shook the fans in his hands.
"Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotus!"
Demon blood condensed into countless razor-sharp ice petals, shooting out from the fans. Each one carried freezing poison capable of causing cells to rot.
Although this attack was quickly crushed by the blood-crazed Asuka, it still bought Doma a moment to widen the distance.
He retreated several steps before finally steadying himself, somewhat blankly touching the wound on his neck.
"Another one?"
His rainbow-colored pupils spun rapidly as he examined the marks on Asuka and Giyu's faces.
"This thing... can it spread?"
The smile completely disappeared from Doma's face. Perhaps that empty expression devoid of sorrow or joy was his true nature.
He could no longer continue fighting casually.
If it were merely two Hashira-level swordsmen whose physical abilities had improved, that alone would not trouble him.
What truly made him uneasy was the feeling Asuka gave him.
As the battle continued, that long sword seemed to continuously devour small traces of demon power from the scattered ice crystals and the collisions of their weapons.
Even though he had been extremely careful and had not been struck once, Doma could clearly feel—
His stamina was slowly declining, while his opponent's aura was steadily rising.
Doma brought his twin fans together and placed them before his chest.
A terrifying aura never felt before surged from his body. The entire mountain shrine began to tremble violently, frost spreading rapidly across the walls and roof.
"Since you're working so hard..."
"I suppose I should show a little sincerity as well."
"Blood Demon Art: Frozen Mist — Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva!"
At the center of the courtyard, the ground suddenly split open with a thunderous crack.
A gigantic statue of a Bodhisattva, formed entirely from transparent solid ice, slowly rose from the earth.
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