Chapter 56

As I closed in on the energy signatures, they began converging toward me as well. 'Looks like they've finally decided to move.' I stepped into a small clearing, the surrounding forest darkening with the fading light. I didn't have to wait long before Akaza and the other demon emerged from the shadows. I didn't recognize the second one.

He stood at around 6'1", taller than Akaza's 5'8" frame. His skin was pale, and his long, pointed nails were a light blue. His platinum blonde hair hung loosely, shorter around his face, and his eyes… they were unsettling, an odd rainbow sheen from where I stood. 'Upper Rank Two.' The clothes he wore were a red turtleneck, with a black substance dripping down from the upper part, covering the neck and chest. He had straight, tan-colored hakama pants. Altogether, he looked like a well-groomed pretty boy.

Turning to Akaza, I greeted him. "Been a while."

He snorted, immediately dropping into a stance. "I'm going to kill you."

The blonde one spoke up then. "That's not very nice, Akaza!" he chided, his voice sickeningly sweet. But something was wrong with him. 'Those aren't his real emotions.' It was like staring at a blank canvas.

The demon snapped his fan closed near his face, giving a disarming smile. "Hello there, dear Ryou-kun. I'm Doma."

'Doma? Never heard of him.' But if he was Upper Rank Two, that meant he was stronger than Akaza. I hummed in acknowledgment before responding, "So, are we going to stand around talking, or are you two going to fuck off with the rest of your little gang?"

Doma twitched, but Akaza only snorted, tensing for a fight.

"Ryou-kun, that's not very nice! We're here to bring you to our leader. Don't resist." Doma chimed, his fan snapping open and shut. I got into my stance, heart racing. 'I still can't summon Muramasa. I'll have to stall until sunrise.' It wasn't ideal, but revealing my ace to Muzan now wasn't an option.

Akaza made the first move. "Technique Development: Destructive Death, Compass Needle!" As he spoke, I felt a strange pull, but something was off. 'It doesn't feel right.'

Akaza grinned and launched himself toward me. I followed suit, pushinga little cursed magic through my body. Ripping off the wisteria necklace, I threw a straight punch, meeting his own. Our blows collided with a deafening crash, the ground caving beneath us, uprooting nearby trees. He followed with a swift kick aimed at my head. I barely managed to block it, and as we broke apart, I grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him into a throw. He leapt over me, using my head as leverage to launch a kick at my right side.

I blocked it, but the force sent me skidding back. 'Damn.' I didn't have time to think as he attacked again.

"Destructive Death: Air Type!" Invisible air strikes cut through the space between us, forcing me to dodge. I closed the distance, using a feint that caught him off guard. I swung a roundhouse kick, landing it square on his jaw, snapping his head back.

I slammed my foot into the ground, ready to follow up, then I heard it. Ice cracking beneath me.

Before I could react, an icicle shot up from the ground, piercing me clean through the stomach. I coughed up blood, staggering. 'Shit.' I destroyed the ice spike to disconnect me from the ground, but it was too late. I'd forgotten Akaza for a second.

When I looked up, he was already on me. "Annihilation Type!"

'Shit!'

His blow connected with my chest, and I was launched backward, crashing through the trees and shattering everything in my path, blood pooling at my lips. 'Can't take another attack like that again.'

I forced myself to my feet, each movement sending sharp stabs of pain through my body. 'I can't let them get anywhere near the village, Tanjiro and the Hashira's will have their hands full with the other two.' That thought alone drove me to push a little more cursed magic through my veins, ignoring the agony that flared up with every pulse of power. I blitzed back into the clearing, heading straight for Doma this time.

He smiled, snapping his fan open. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but it was a battle fan. "Frozen Lotus." he called out, sending shards of ice and ice lotus shaped projectiles my way.

I dodged, keeping my focus on him, but before I could close the distance, the icicle still embedded in my stomach extended, anchoring me to the ground. My eyes widened in shock as Akaza's voice rang out again, accompanied by Doma's.

"Annihilation Type!"

"Lotus Vines."

Ice lotuses bloomed around me, sharp vines twisting and wrapping around my body, slicing into my skin. The vines held me tight, and I couldn't destroy the icicle pinning me down. Akaza's attack slammed into my right side with full force, sending a wave of agony crashing through my body. My world went dark for a moment, the pain too much to bear.

When I came to, I was rocketing through the air again, the icicle breaking off inside me. I struggled to find my footing, to stop my flight, but my body was numb, barely responding. 

Doma's voice reached me from the direction I was hurtling toward. 'How is he already there?' I barely had time to think before he summoned more ice with a lazy wave of his fan.

"Cold White Princesses."

Two humanoid figures of ice formed, their lifeless eyes fixed on me as they exhaled a frigid breath. Everything in their path froze solid, and I was directly in their line of fire.

I tried to move, but my legs gave out. My body wouldn't listen. The last thing I saw was my skin turning blue as the ice encased me, freezing me solid, just as Akaza launched another attack.

When I woke up, pain radiated through my body. I was pinned to a tree, impaled by my broken shoulders. The cold icicles held me in place, and before me stood Doma and Akaza. Doma noticed me stir, his lips curling into a smile.

"Finally awake, Ryou-kun?" he asked, his voice almost playful. Before I could respond, a sharp pain tore through my side as Doma lazily flicked a small icicle into my injured right side. I coughed up blood.

Akaza stepped forward, his expression dark. "Like I said earlier, we don't need to bring him with us. Just make him talk, then kill him." His grin stretched wider, and Doma adopted a thoughtful look, tilting his head.

"Guess you're right, best friend." Doma mused, earning a twitch from Akaza, though he didn't respond. Doma's attention shifted back to me, and he leaned in close, his breath icy against my skin.

"Say, Ryou-kun," he began, creating another icicle in his hand. He pressed it against my chest, slowly pushing it in, letting it dig into my flesh and freeze me from the inside out. "Where would we find a white haired demon?"

'White haired?' My mind scrambled through the haze of pain, but I couldn't place who he was talking about. My confusion must have shown because Doma laughed, the sound cruel and mocking. He twisted the icicle deeper into my chest, sending waves of agony through me.

"Don't play dumb! That demon girl you have with you!" he sneered, his voice dripping with menace.

'E-Eri?' My heart pounded as realization hit, Doma created another icicle, this time stabbing it into my left leg, the sharp pain making me gasp.

"Ah, seems like you remember something!" he said, his voice falsely sweet. "Come on, tell us. We're friends, aren't we?"

Akaza snorted, clearly uninterested in the theatrics, but I barely heard him through the ringing in my ears.'Muzan must think Eri's a demon.' I wearily thought.

As subtly as I could, I started channeling cursed magic into my lungs, trying to mask it beneath the crushing pain. 'I hope this works...' I thought, my mind growing faint as the frost and blood loss slowly overwhelmed me.

Just before my body gave out, I drew in a steady breath, focusing on the rhythm of my breathing. Pain flared in every part of me, but I had to push past it. 'Focus… breathe.'

With cursed magic reinforcing my lungs, I exhaled slowly, then took in another controlled breath. 'Total Concentration Breathing.' A rush of power surged through me, enough to keep moving, enough to act.

I channeled the cursed magic to my arm, and with a sharp movement, I shattered the icicle lodged in my right shoulder. The pain was sharp, but manageable. Without missing a beat, I thrust my palm forward, striking Doma's chest hard enough to send him flying backward through the clearing.

He crashed into the trees, the force sending a tremor through the forest. I stood my ground, catching my breath, ready to engage the now stumped Akaza. 'Fuck that hurts.'