As Kanae exhaled, white mist slipped from her nose due to cold. Suddenly, her form disappeared! In lightning speed, she reached Doma and executed her slash.
It all happened in an instant, in the blink of an eye.
But, as her Nichirin sword decapitated Uppermoon Two, Kanae sensed something was wrong. Her instincts screamed at her to leap back.
There's no time to react. Time slowed down in her eyes as she noticed the form that she slashed was a fake body made of ice. The next moment, Doma's fake body turned into an ice shell and protruded spikes all over its body.
One of the spikes went for heart but she could nothing to evade. Though she knows what's happening thanks to the focusing technique, her body can't react to it. For a moment there, she saw death.
At that moment, Kanae suddenly felt someone grabbing her Haori and the next moment, a strong force yanked her back.
Ice spikes missed the targets as she escaped unharmed and landed on her feet, sliding a little. Her heart thumped loudly, escaping death at hair's breadth.
After a second, she reacted and glanced back to see a young man around her age. She let out a sigh of relief, glimpsing he was a human.
But then, she once again focused her attention on the Uppermoon demon. Sitting on the rooftop of a house, Doma smiled at Kanae fanning his fan.
'When did he create a clone? I didn't even notice it.' Kanae thought as she gripped her sword. Only then did she notice her hands were sweaty and trembling.
'It's not good!' She exhausted her strength and couldn't use her breathing technique because of the cold. 'I have to warn him not to breathe the air as it's contaminated with cold.'
At that moment, Doma also switched his attention to Ryou and grinned, "My, my. Another one came! Are you also a Demon Slayer? The night's getting better!"
After saving Kanae Kocho from the life-threatening injury, Ryou calculated the time. The Sun will rise in three to five minutes. 'I can do it!'
Unsheathing the sword 'Ikazuchi' from his back, Ryou stood tall, eyes fierce and radiating power. His instincts were at their peak, ready to be unleashed.
He won't underestimate the Upper Moon demon, Doma. With the force to his feet, the ground cracked as he bolted towards Doma. Getting to him,
'Natural Breathing, Fifth Form: Lightning Storm' Ryou shouted as slashed his blade.
Unlike he played with Kanae, Doma used his gold-plated Japanese war fan to parry his slash. Weapons collided in mid-air, creating sparks of blue arcs!
Doma exclaimed. "Oh my, you have some strength. And, your sword looks threatening, where did you buy it?" Speaking, he waved the fan in his other hand.
Ryou saw a fan come at him, it was swift and merciless. Knowing he won't be able to evade it, he silently muttered, 'Tekkai.'
Something heavy smashed his chest and sent him flying back, the way he came from. The strike froze his chest region.
Before his body could crash into the ground, he was hugged by Kanae. Ryou felt two soft orbs reducing his impact. He didn't expect Kanae to hide such huge ones by sporting loose-fitting clothes.
"Are you okay?" Kanae asked in a concerned tone. She saw him take a direct hit. At such a close range, she knew it would be fatal.
"No. I am okay. It's completely worth it." Rubbing the chest area, Ryou commented. Cheekily, he rested his weight on Kanae, feeling the softness again.
'Worth it, what is he talking about?' Kanae wondered for a second, before feeling the sensation on her breast.
"You? Rogue!" Kanae's complexion changed as she carelessly pushed him to the side, no longer caring about his injury.
"Ahh!" Ryou groaned in pain while a drop of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Though he activated his Tekkai, it reduced the strike force by 50 - 60% as it's only at the intermediate level.
On the other hand, Kanae was furious. He didn't expect the young man to be a pervert. 'What kind of person is he? Flirting with me while fighting the Upper Moon 2!'
Doma narrowed his eyes, watching the play before him. His grin long disappeared, "You are a gutsy one. Snatching my prey, ruining my snack time!'
For a second, Ryou and Kanae felt cold chills upon the spine while a chilly breeze covered the entire area.
But, the next second everything disappeared as if what they felt was nothing but an illusion. Ryou knew he completely angered the Upper Moon demon.
He cursed his perverted mind and lousy mouth. It's his first time behaving like this with a girl, don't know how it happened and when his personality altered.
Forgetting about these useless things, Ryou stood up and looked at the Demon Doma. "Hey Doma, before we fight, let me ask you a question. I know you like to devour only girls but what kind do you really like?
I mean young, middle-aged, old, plump, slender, or something along the line?"
Suddenly, Doma's figure disappears and appears behind Ryou. One of his fans aimed at his head, ready to blow it.
Though Ryou failed to react to Doma's speed, he instinctively reacted and fired a backkick. 'Swish!' Doma's body took a step back under the impact while his fan missed Ryou's head by a centimeter.
Using the kick as a springboard, Ryou hopped back and kept his distance from the Demon. Fighting the Upper Moon Demon at close range with his current strength is nothing but suicidal.
Without feeling Ryou's blow, Doma rushed at him, winding his fans that formed a blizzard of long-ranged razor-sharp ice shards shaped like lotus petals. 'Scattering Lotuses'.
Facing Doma's attack, Ryou's breathing shifted to a natural state while his hand tightened the grip around the sword hilt.
'Nature Breathing: Second Form, Current of the Ocean.'
Ryou swung his sword in a circular motion. Suddenly, a huge amount of water formed around him before billowing outward in the form of a monstrous wave reaching 10m in height.
The wave was fast and destructive, carrying powerful currents. Upon contact with Doma's Ice shards, they tore it apart as if it were nothing.