Chapter Thirty-Four
Chika felt her head was about to explode.
What's going on?
What is Douma doing here all of a sudden?
Before she could figure it out, the figure on the roof had already given her the answer through its actions.
"Chika-chan!!" Douma sat high on the edge of the roof and waved vigorously at her. "I've come to pick you up."
As he shouted, he stretched his knees and stood up with a "heave-ho" sound, then spun around several times on his own.
"Look, look! I changed into new clothes especially for you. Don't I look good? Don't I look good?"
"Chika loves you the most~"
As soon as he finished speaking, he started twisting around on his own, ending with a gesture where he raised both hands above his head with his fingers tucked inwards, the nature of which was unclear.
"Sending love~~~"
==
Qianxia was speechless; she felt utterly humiliated. What kind of ridiculous movements were these? Who taught him?
Ah, for some reason, she suddenly had the illusion that her idiot boyfriend was causing trouble in front of the company's leaders.
What's worse, this boyfriend is a core member of a rival organization.
What to do?! Someone please save her!
While Chinatsu was still racking her brains for a solution, Doma had already dropped his harmless, playful demeanor.
He flipped his wrist, and a pair of iron fans appeared in his hands. With a sharp "whoosh," the iron fans unfolded, and under the moonlight, the intricate patterns flowed with the light, gleaming with a chilling gleam.
"Ah, right, right."
He held a fan in one hand, partially obscuring his face, while raising the other, his sleeves fluttering, and his sweet voice deepened slightly, "Just a friendly reminder to all the Pillars here, don't move around too much. Otherwise..."
He tilted his head, revealing half of his scarlet eye and a grin that stretched to his ear.
"You'll die~"
These words infuriated everyone. Uzui Tengen, who was also on the roof, suddenly stood up, pointing his twin swords at Doma. "You bastard, you've got some nerve! How dare you swagger in alone at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters?!"
His voice boomed like thunder, and he already held two swords in his hands, the tips pointing directly at Tongmo. "This is truly arrogant."
His words were provocative, yet he made no move. This was both a pre-battle challenge and a direct warning to his comrades: do not underestimate the enemy.
This is Demon Slayer Corps territory, yet this demon managed to infiltrate silently and only be discovered now. The sheer power of this demon is chilling to the bone.
However, not everyone can remain calm.
"Whoosh—!"
Before anyone could react, a blue figure shot through the air like an arrow, heading straight for Doma!
"You evil spirit, prepare to die!"
The speed of the movement stunned even Chinatsu. Upon closer inspection, it was actually Shinobu Kocho?
Wow! I was even more surprised.
"clang--!"
The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out!
With a casual flick of his iron fan, Doma precisely blocked Shinobu's thrust.
"Oh dear, this young lady is so impatient!"
His seven-colored eyes curved with pleasure, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he easily forced Shinobu Kocho back several steps.
"However, I also really like girls this energetic..."
"Shut up! You demon! You hurt my sister, I'll kill you!"
Shinobu Kocho roared, interrupting his frivolous words. This only made the already bewildered Chika even more flustered.
Did she hurt her sister?
How come she didn't know about this?
When did this happen?
Wait, is this still the gentle Butterfly Sister? Why has she suddenly become so irritable??
Upon hearing Shinobu's words, Doma was taken aback for a moment. "Huh? I hurt your sister? Huh? I don't remember."
He tilted his head and looked her up and down, then his eyes widened. "Hmm~ Ah, that dress you're wearing looks familiar, but let me think about it~"
Just as he tilted his head in thought, Uzui Tengen's figure had already rushed to Doma's side like lightning, his twin swords whistling through the air, transforming into magnificent arcs of death, slashing down in a crisscross pattern!
"Ugh! I was just trying to find my memories, and you ambushed me! That's so mean!"
Even so, the smile on his face remained unchanged.
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice".
In an instant, countless lotus petals formed from ice crystals appeared out of thin air, spreading outwards with a chilling aura capable of freezing one's lungs.
"Uzui Tengen! Be careful! Don't inhale this cold air, it's poisonous!" Shinobu Kocho retreated in a few steps, not forgetting to call out at the same time.
Upon hearing this, Uzui Tengen stepped back, but Douma's smile widened even more. "Oh my! Oh my! You actually knew that? You're so familiar with me? That's amazing!"
"Hmm~ Now that you mention it, I do seem to be thinking of someone. Ah~~~ the butterfly hair accessory, I remember now."
Doma remained standing on the roof, a bright smile on his face, as if the vicious and cunning attack from just moments ago had nothing to do with him.
"That woman, she should also be a pillar, right? Is she dead? I don't think so, I remember I held back."
"Oh... but I remember her internal organs were all frozen... What happened? Could it be...?"
"Or is he dead?"
His smiling eyes passed over the ready-to-fight Uzui Tengen and landed precisely on Kocho Shinobu once again.
Chika was completely devastated.
Oh my god! Just shut up.
If I keep talking, I'll really get beaten up by a mob.
"You—you—bastard!!"
Shinobu Kocho could no longer suppress her emotions; with a flash of her blade, she swiftly darted out.
The Nichirin Blade drew a sharp arc, aiming straight for Doma's throat, its speed so fast it almost left an afterimage in the air.
"Wow, what a scary expression~" Douma feigned surprise, waving his fan to dodge. "So angry, it seems that woman is really important to you?"
"Endure! Calm down!" Uzui Tengen shouted, knowing that Doma was trying to provoke him. His twin swords were already drawn, and he slashed fiercely from the flank. "Don't fall for his trick!"
"Two against one? How exciting~ Ah~ I only wanted to take my Chinatsu away, why is this happening~"
Douma laughed lightly, his figure flickering like a ghost, and he unleashed his Blood Demon Art once more, "Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotus!"
More ice lotus flowers bloomed, carrying a deadly poisonous chill, sweeping towards the two like a storm, and the surrounding ground was covered in ice and snow.
"Wind Breathing - First Form: Dust Whirlwind - Slash!"
Sanemi made his move. His incredibly violent slash suddenly cut into the battlefield like a tornado! The azure wind blade instantly tore apart the pervasive ice crystal lotus, shredding it into dust.
"Today! You're not taking Qianxia away! You... you're not leaving either!"
With a menacing aura, Sanemi landed with a thud, his eyes fierce as a demon, fixed on Doma.
His unique, rarer-than-average scent made Douma's eyes light up slightly. "Ah! It smells so good. Rare blood!"
The words fell.
"Bang!"
A gunshot shattered the noise. Doma turned his head slightly, and the bullet grazed his cheek, bringing with it a small shard of ice that instantly grazed his face.
Not far away, next to Chika, the muzzle of Shinazugawa Genya's gun was still smoking.
"Oh? Oh! Oh~~~"
Doma turned his head back, lightly touched the wound with his fingertips, then held it to his nose and sniffed it, as if he had discovered a new and interesting toy, his tone full of surprise.
"How interesting, there are even kids with guns~ The Demon Slayer Corps is keeping up with the times."
In the blink of an eye, the wound on his face had healed instantly, as if he had never been hurt.
"Genya!?" Sanemi turned around and roared, his words full of anxiety, "This is none of your business. Take Chika and get as far away from me as possible."
Xuanmi did not obey; he stubbornly reloaded the bullets, his eyes resolute.
"I...I can fight too! I won't let him take Chika away."
Chika blinked.
Wow, this kid's gotten a lot bolder since learning Nen.
"Sanemi! Forget Genmi, let's go."
Uzui Tengen shouted loudly, brandishing his twin swords, and together with Sanemi's all-tearing wind blades, met the deadly ice tide.
The battle situation changed instantly with the arrival of Sanemi and Genya.
The alliance between Shinobu Kocho and Tengen Uzui suddenly turned into a four-on-one encirclement.
But when facing the three pillars, Doma still maintained a smiling expression, showing no fear whatsoever.
"Blood Demon Art: Withered Garden Snowfall!"
He swung his fan wildly, and in an instant, a storm of icy winds mixed with deadly poison surged outwards like a waterfall, violently erupting in all directions.
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance, Teasing!"
Shinobu Kocho's figure transformed into a streak of light, nimbly weaving through the gaps between the dense ice crystals and wind blades, calmly searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Xuanmi stood there, watching the chaotic yet magnificent battlefield, his heart pounding in his chest.
He knew this wasn't a battle he could participate in, but his feet just wouldn't move forward.
"Don't go and get yourself killed!"
A hand pressed firmly on his shoulder, and a warning voice came from his ear, "This is not a battle you can get involved in. Just stay by my side."
Genya swallowed hard and looked at the person beside him. "Aren't you going to stop it, Chika? That demon seems to have come for you."
Chika shrugged. "Stop? How can I stop it? What can I use to stop it, my hand?"
She tilted her head. "Or I could stand here, crying and shouting, 'Stop fighting! Stop fighting!' Like that?"
"Please, this is so embarrassing."
Genmi was completely enraged by her indifferent attitude. He gritted his teeth, his eyes practically spitting fire, "Chika, how could you do this!"
“You know, demons can recover from any injury as long as their heads aren’t cut off, but humans can’t. When they are injured, they are truly injured.”
"Brother and the others... they're all fighting for you! How can you just stand by and do nothing!"
Qianxia's lazy smile faded slightly. She looked at Xuanmi's face, which was flushed with excitement, and a complex emotion flashed deep in her eyes.
"Xiao Xuanmi, what do you think I should do now? Rush in and become a burden they need to protect?"
However, in the midst of their conversation, another unexpected event occurred at the heart of the battlefield!
"Blood Demon Art: Crystal Child!"
Doma laughed loudly, and a chilling aura surged around him, instantly condensing into several ice crystal dolls that were identical to his appearance.
These puppets moved with incredible speed, each wielding an ice crystal folding fan, and entangled Uzui Tengen and Shinazugawa Sanemi respectively.
"Damn it! This is never going to end!"
Sanemi roared, and the wind blades howled as they tore an ice puppet to pieces, but a new ice puppet immediately took its place.
Meanwhile, Doma's true form, with that chilling smile, pierced through the battle like a ghost, his gaze fixed on the direction where Chinatsu was.
"Chika!! Look at me!! I'm really good~~" He waved his hands happily, his tone sweet and cloying, "But don't worry, I didn't use poison. They are all people you cherish, I won't kill them."
"Arrogant!" Butterfly cursed angrily, her figure flashing like lightning, the tip of her Nichirin Blade aimed straight for Doma's back.
However, Doma didn't even turn around; he simply swung his fan backhand.
In an instant, several lotus vines formed from ice crystals burst forth from the ground, heading straight for Shinobu Kocho's feet.
Although she managed to cut it off in time, her offensive was thwarted by this treacherous first-year student.
Step by step, Doma got closer and closer to Chinatsu.
"Don't come any closer!"
The only one who could move, Xuanmi, raised his gun to block her way, his hand trembling but his eyes resolute.
Shinazugawa Sanemi's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to rush back to help, but he was held back by the fearless ice puppet.
Doma looked at the boy blocking his way with great interest, as if he were looking at a praying mantis trying to stop a wheel.
"What touching courage, but... it's all meaningless."
He slowly raised his hand, and frost gathered at his fingertips.
"Enough!"
Chika moved, she raised her hand and gently placed it on Genya's tense shoulder, then pulled him behind her.
She looked at Doma, a very faint smile curving her lips.
"Who told you I would go with you?"
Before she finished speaking, an invisible yet powerful force spread out from Qianxia's center.
It wasn't a murderous aura, but it carried a chilling sense of oppression, even causing the surrounding icy air to pause.
For the first time, a slight crack appeared on Douma's perpetually unchanging smile. "Eh? But... you're mine. You won't come with me..."
"Who told you I belong to you!" Qianxia interrupted sharply. "I belong to myself. Even if I become a ghost, I will still be myself."
Have you ever heard the saying?
Chika looked up at him and approached step by step, forcing the Upper Moon demon, who had previously been able to fight three opponents with ease, back several steps.
"Life is precious, love is more precious, but freedom is the most precious of all."
"So! Don't mess with me, or I'll go see the sunrise right now!"
Doma remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, he spoke in an almost coquettish, aggrieved tone.
"....Chinatsu is so cruel."
These feigned pitiful words contrasted sharply with the increasingly biting frost that was quietly gathering at his fingertips, like the calm before a storm.
The next moment.
"Whoosh—!"
He suddenly waved his hand, and a chilling white mist containing deadly freezing air poured out like a waterfall.
"It's all your fault! You're the ones who wouldn't let Qianxia come with me!"
Doma's voice suddenly rose, carrying a childish sense of displeasure, "Alright, now you've made Chinatsu angry! That's so mean, you guys are really going too far!"
This sudden, wide-ranging attack and the accusations that distorted the truth sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
Sanemi Shinazugawa, Tengen Uzui, and Shinobu Kocho retreated almost simultaneously, holding their Nichirin Blades horizontally in front of them, their breathing techniques pushed to their limits, ready to face the dangerous icy mist.
However......
"Huh? Chika... Sister?"
Xuanmi called out in a daze.
This sound successfully attracted the attention of everyone present, including Doma.
He turned around abruptly.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing there.
Chika was standing right in front of him just a second ago.
It's gone.
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