Doma's face suddenly broke into a playful smile as he mocked, "Haha, I'm afraid this little girl alone is no match for me. However..."
Suddenly, Doma looked up at Ren, his tone turning cold. "Since this girl is my opponent, I shouldn't let you stay idle either, just to keep you from interfering!"
"Come forth, my followers!"
"Roar..."
Doma clapped his hands casually. Dozens of hideous Berserk Demons rushed out from the surroundings, surrounding the palace so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through. Their crimson eyes stared intently at Ren.
Even though Shinobu said she would handle him alone, Doma still had to be wary of Ren.
'I'll use these Berserk Demons to stall him. Once I deal with this girl, I'll turn back and handle him. Although I'm not his match, escaping unscathed should be no problem.'
'It should be no problem...'
At this thought, Doma waved his hand and ordered, "Attack!"
Roar—
The Berserk Demons roared and snarled, rushing toward Ren like a flood of beasts.
"There are about eighty of them. Heh, it just so happens to be a bit chilly tonight. I should thank you for giving me a warm-up exercise."
"Shinobu, I'll take care of these small fries. You focus entirely on Doma!"
Shua!
As soon as he spoke, Ren drew his blades and rose. The sharp blade light flickered with a chilling gleam under the moonlight, the backs of the blades reflecting the terrifying faces of every Berserk Demon.
"Wind Combat Technique: Whirlwind Dance!"
Charging into the midst of the Berserk Demons, Ren swung his twin blades with great force. Every strike took the life of one or two demons. For a moment, the sounds of tearing flesh and breaking bones rose and fell continuously.
In an instant, the ground of the Eternal Paradise Cult was stained red with blood. The metallic scent in the air grew even thicker; it was simply a one-sided slaughter!
"Ren... thank you!"
Seeing Ren hold back eighty Berserk Demons by himself, Shinobu gave a light chuckle and immediately thrust her blade toward Doma.
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance: Caprice!"
Exerting force with her legs, her petite body shot forward like an arrow from a bow, the tip of her sword aimed straight at Doma's throat.
"Oh my, you're really fast! You even rival my best friend, Lord Akaza!"
"Even so, you still can't escape these enhanced eyes of mine. Blood Demon Art: Barren Hanging Lotuses!"
Doma lightly waved his iron fans. Eight rigid ice vines shot toward Shinobu like eight wildly dancing venomous snakes, carrying infinite killing intent.
"What..."
Seeing the ice vines suddenly strike toward her waist, Shinobu's expression changed drastically, and she couldn't help but cry out.
'These vines are even faster than before. After becoming a Berserk Demon, the power of this guy's Blood Demon Art has increased significantly.'
"In that case... Insect Breathing, Mantis Dance: Phantom Flying Sickle!"
Seeing the ice vines attacking, Shinobu's muscles tensed. Holding her blade with both hands, she slashed with incredible speed, the blade light flashing like lightning.
Following that, the sound of shattering ice echoed through the air.
Within just a breath or two, the eight ice vines were easily severed by Shinobu.
Then, she performed a backflip, lightly stepping on the shattered ice like a dragonfly touching the water. Using the ice fragments as a springboard, she leaped up and thrust her blade directly at Doma!
"Insect Breathing, Locust Dance: Zigzag Flash!"
As Shinobu used the Locust Dance to explode with even more rapid speed, it was Doma's turn to be surprised.
"She's even faster?"
"In that case, Blood Demon Art: Freezing Clouds!"
Doma gripped his twin iron fans and swung them with all his might. Following his movement, streaks of piercing cold wind blew toward Shinobu continuously, intending to completely freeze her small body. A cruel smile appeared on Doma's face.
"Be completely frozen in my cold wind. When the time comes, I'll savor your delicious flavor..."
"I'm afraid you won't get a taste!"
Before Doma could finish his sentence, Shinobu's voice rang out from within the bone-chilling wind.
Bang!
Shinobu suddenly broke through the cold wind, her sharp Nichirin Sword thrusting toward Doma's neck.
"The same trick won't work on me twice! Insect Breathing, Dragonfly Dance: Compound Eye Hexagon!"
In his surprise, Doma couldn't react to Shinobu's speed at all. He could only watch helplessly as the sharp Nichirin Sword descended upon him.
Puchi puchi puchi...
The sound of sharp blades tearing through flesh was endless. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of bloody holes appeared on Doma's body, and the lethal poison on the Nichirin Sword instantly contaminated his entire bloodstream.
For a moment, Doma's body began to rapidly turn purple and rot, bleeding uncontrollably.
But his eyes were filled with shock and confusion. "Why... how were you not frozen into an ice block within my Freezing Clouds? And how can you still use Breathing Styles so freely...?"
"Why? Because of this, of course!" Shinobu smiled slightly and pointed gently at her neck.
Doma looked at Shinobu's neck, his pupils trembling. "That is..."
"Darkness Combat Technique: Nightfall Star River!"
Bang—
After finishing off the last fifteen Berserk Demons, the twin blades in Ren's hands could no longer withstand his monstrous strength and shattered on the spot.
"As I thought, it's no good. The blades are too fragile. Once I use high-powered combat techniques, the metal just can't take it..."
After complaining, Ren looked at Shinobu's neck and cheeks and was shocked. Carved onto her neck was a lifelike red butterfly.
'Is that... a Mark? Miss Shinobu also awakened the Demon Slayer Mark? When did she activate it?'
"Is that the same Mark as Lord Kokushibo? You actually..."
"That's right, it's the Mark!" Shinobu glanced at Ren and murmured, "I couldn't awaken the Mark using my own strength like Ren or Giyu, but I researched a drug to force its activation."
Saying this, Shinobu took a syringe filled with a blue medicinal fluid from her pocket.
Just now, inside the Freezing Clouds, Shinobu had injected the drug into her artery to raise her body temperature and heart rate, forcibly awakening the Mark.
And just like her name, her Mark was shaped like a small butterfly in flight.
'This is... my elder sister's legacy!'
With her extremely high body temperature, Shinobu could instantly evaporate any ice crystals inhaled into her body. Therefore, even within the Freezing Clouds, she could use her Breathing Styles at will.
"I see. So it's the power the Mark granted you. However, hahaha..."
Doma suddenly burst into laughter. The wounds all over his body began to regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, he was completely restored to his original state.
"Heh, it seems that even if you awaken the Mark, you still can't cut off my head. And I'm sorry to say, the poison you meticulously prepared... has been neutralized by me again. Hehehe..."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]