The battle erupts instantaneously!
"Hehe, this is interesting..."
Doma seemed intrigued by the new power Kanae displayed. A smile reappeared on his face, though this time with less playfulness and more seriousness.
"Let me see what impressive power you've gained after disappearing for a week!"
He launched his attack first!
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Ice!"
Doma violently swung the pair of razor-sharp golden iron fans in his hands. With his elegant yet swift movements, the moisture in the air instantly condensed.
It transformed into countless crystal-clear, knife-edged lotus-shaped ice crystals!
These ice crystals, as soon as they appeared, seemed to come alive, shooting toward Kanae in overwhelming waves!
Each lotus ice petal contained bone-chilling cold, capable of easily freezing and cracking steel!
Facing this blizzard-like crystal attack, Kanae's gaze remained calm as water.
Neither dodging nor evading, just as those ice crystals were about to touch her body—
Skill activated—[Swift Shadow Slash]!
Her silhouette suddenly blurred, as if transforming into a streak of light too fast for the naked eye to catch!
Leaving only a faint afterimage in place, in the next instant, she appeared beside Doma as if she had teleported!
The entire process was lightning-fast; the overwhelming lotus ice didn't even touch the edge of her clothes, all landing in empty space.
They crashed into the ground and walls, making crackling sounds as they shattered, leaving large patches of frost.
"What?!"
Doma's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly not expecting Kanae's speed to have improved to such an extent!
This had already surpassed the speed that he believed a Hashira-level swordsman should possess!
He couldn't even react further before that blade burning with raging flames—the Nichirin Sword—
Had already sliced through the air with a piercing howl, drawing a scorching arc as it violently cut toward his right arm!
"Splutch——!"
A cutting sound rang out!
Doma's right arm, as hard as steel, faced the flame-wrapped blade.
Like a hot knife through butter, it was severed cleanly at the shoulder without any resistance!
The severed arm flew through the air, but the wound didn't immediately begin to regenerate at high speed as usual.
Crimson flames clung to the cross-section like maggots in bone, making sizzling burning sounds.
Those flames seemed to contain some special power, firmly suppressing the demon's regenerative ability, not only preventing the wound from healing but even causing it to expand!
"Ughaaaaah——!!"
The intense pain and panic from the non-healing wound distorted Doma's handsome face—that face that had always worn a false smile—for the first time!
He instinctively covered his severed arm and staggered back a few steps.
Looking at Kanae and the burning sword in her hand with disbelief.
"This... what kind of flame is this? Why... why can't I regenerate..."
He felt the excruciating pain from his wound, like being scorched by a branding iron.
And that strange power that continuously eroded and prevented regeneration finally wiped the flippancy and composure completely from his face.
He put away all contempt, his gaze becoming unprecedentedly grave and serious, fixated on Kanae.
"This is definitely not a Demon Slayer Corps Breathing Style! This power... and your speed... What have you become?"
In his centuries-long life as a demon, he had never encountered such bizarre flames that could so effectively counter his proud regenerative ability!
This instinctively made him feel a trace of unease.
Kanae looked at Doma's expression of shock and anger without any fluctuation in her heart.
She just gently shook her head and spoke in a calm tone.
"What I've done, you don't need to know. You only need to understand..."
Though her voice was soft, it carried a resolute determination to cut through everything.
"I simply went... to obtain power sufficient to cut you down, to cut down Muzan Kibutsuji, to cut down all the tragic fates of this cursed world."
After speaking, Kanae flipped her wrist, and the flame-burning Nichirin Sword emitted a light ring as she slowly sheathed it.
But as the blade returned to its scabbard, the aura around her didn't weaken at all.
Instead, like a compressed spring, it began to gather and surge at a terrifying speed!
An invisible wave of pressure spread outward from her center, blowing her haori and hair.
She was gathering power!
Preparing to launch an even more powerful attack!
"!!!"
At this moment, every hair on Doma's body stood on end!
An unprecedented sense of danger instantly gripped his heart like a cold snake!
From this woman before him, whom he had originally viewed as prey, he sensed a horrifying killing intent substantial enough to threaten his life!
As if in the next second, as long as she drew her sword, he would be completely slain by that incomprehensible power!
Fear!
Yes, fear!
This emotion, which he had long forgotten since becoming a demon and gaining immense power—
Even scorned by him—
Actually surged into his heart for the first time in centuries, so clearly and so intensely!
Making his blood feel as if it were about to freeze!
"I can't let her draw her sword!"
This thought flashed through Doma's mind like lightning!
He knew he absolutely couldn't let Kanae complete her power gathering!
He had to completely destroy her with his strongest power before she launched that fatal strike!
"It seems... I can't play around anymore..."
The last trace of a smile disappeared from Doma's face, replaced by an extremely cold ferocity.
He suddenly raised his remaining left hand, the blood within his body boiling at an unprecedented speed, demonic power surging frantically!
"Since you've obtained strange power, let me show you the true terror of Upper Rank Two!"
"Blood Demon Art: Ultimate Technique——"
Doma's voice became deep and full of pressure, the temperature in the entire hall suddenly dropping!
Countless fine ice crystals condensed in the air, and a thick layer of frost rapidly covered the ground, walls, and pillars!
"[Mist Ice: Sleeping Lotus Bodhisattva]!!!"
With his final roar, the space behind him seemed to collapse!
Endless cold air gushed out frantically, condensing and taking shape before him!
In just the blink of an eye, an incredibly huge, tens of meters tall ice humanoid construct appeared in the main hall!
It directly broke through the temple's roof, its upper body exposed to the cold moonlight!
This ice construct's form was clearly a giant Bodhisattva statue sitting cross-legged with palms pressed together!
The ice Bodhisattva's face was solemn and dignified, yet carried a strange coldness and deathly stillness.
The cold it emitted almost froze the entire space, even the light seemed to solidify!
As soon as the ice Bodhisattva formed, it immediately moved!
Those giant ice hands pressed together suddenly separated, transforming into two ice hand-blades with edges glinting with cold light.
With a howl that tore through the air, they chopped down from left and right toward Kanae, who looked as small as an ant below!
The force was so violent it seemed as if it would split the earth!
At the same time, the ice Bodhisattva's giant mouth suddenly opened.
Like a broken dam, it frantically spewed out freezing breath composed of countless tiny ice crystals!
Where this breath passed, the air froze, making "crack" sounds under unbearable strain!
Facing this apocalyptic attack, whether it was the giant hand-blades pressing down like falling heavens, or the ice breath capable of instantly freezing everything,
Kanae's expression still showed no change.
She just raised her head, those purple eyes burning with intense battle spirit.
Like the sharpest sword edge, cold and piercing as she gazed at the sky-obscuring ice Bodhisattva.
As if in her eyes, this terrifying sight that would make any Hashira-level swordsman despair was nothing but a paper tiger!
The next second, just as the ice hand-blades were about to fall and the freezing breath was about to engulf her—
Kanae's right hand gripping the sword hilt suddenly exerted force, and from her mouth came an earth-shattering roar!
"Flash Strike—Triple Absolute Slash!!!"
Clang————!!!
A deafening sound of a sword being drawn that seemed to pierce the eardrums echoed through heaven and earth!
With this sword cry, the blade that had already gathered power,
Burning with intense flames, finally left its scabbard again!
And at the instant the blade was drawn, time itself seemed to freeze!
Kanae's figure transformed into a blazing red streak of light penetrating heaven and earth!
With a speed beyond limits, she slashed forward three—
Tens of meters high, incomparably brilliant and violent crescent-shaped flame sword energies!!!
Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!!
Three massive flame sword energies, like three falling suns,
Carrying a terrifying momentum to burn everything and purify all, fiercely met the descending ice Bodhisattva!
Without any suspense!
Whether it was the two giant ice hand-blades capable of splitting mountains and rocks!
Or the savage freezing breath capable of freezing everything!
Or even the indestructible giant ice Bodhisattva body formed by Upper Rank Two's strongest Blood Demon Art!
The moment they touched those three domineering flame sword energies—
It was like snow meeting lava!
Making an ear-splitting "sizzle" sound!
They were melted! Shattered! Evaporated with overwhelming force!
Without even a semblance of resistance!
The giant ice Bodhisattva disintegrated inch by inch with a miserable wail, turning into steam in the air, then being completely devoured by the flames!
Along with the extreme cold it emitted, all swept away by that scorching flame torrent!
And the momentum of those three flame sword energies, after destroying the ice Bodhisattva, didn't diminish at all!
Like three vengeful divine flame punishments, they continued forward.
Instantly engulfing Doma, who stood behind the ice Bodhisattva with shock and fear still on his face!
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Three consecutive muffled sounds of a blade cutting through flesh!
Doma couldn't even let out a scream before his so-called immortal demon body,
Faced with those three massive flame sword energies, was like fragile tofu.
Cleanly and neatly sliced into exactly three sections from head to toe!
Head, upper body, lower body, flying backward like a puppet with cut strings.
They fell heavily onto the devastated main hall floor, blood gushing like a fountain from the cut sections, staining the ground red.
However, even being cut into three pieces, Doma didn't die immediately.
His head rolling on the ground, with rainbow-colored eyes full of disbelief and bewilderment.
His mouth was still slightly opening and closing, as if wanting to say something.