Chapter 69: Judgment and Feast
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Aoki put away his distracting thoughts and said, "Miss Kanae, Mr. Giyu, you can handle the other issues and leave Doma to me."
Kanae looked at him with her beautiful eyes. "Mr. Aomura, are you sure you can manage alone?"
"That's enough," Aoki replied confidently.
They had never joined forces in battle and lacked coordination. More importantly, what if they actually decapitated Doma? Such an elite opponent was a precious resource, one that took more than half a year to find and wouldn't be easily replaced. Aoki preferred to work harder on his own than risk having Doma taken from him.
Kanae and Giyuu exchanged glances.
"Alright!"
Without wasting any time, they rushed towards the temple.
"Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice!"
Doma waved his fan, dispersing a mist filled with ice crystals, which condensed into ice crystal lotuses.
"Flower Breathing: Second Form, Honorable Shadow Plum!"
"Water Breathing: Third Form, Flowing Dance!"
The pink and blue swords flashed, shattering the ice crystal lotuses and blowing away the ice mist. Tomioka Giyuu grabbed the middle-aged man who was paralyzed with fear, and Kanae entered the temple without looking back.
Doma waved his fan, preparing to attack again.
"Your opponent is me!"
Aoki's figure emerged from behind, his fist clenched like a spear, suddenly thrusting forward.
"Aoki-ryu, Judgment!"
This was a new move he had created.
By concentrating all his power on a single point, he could cause devastating damage. While the attack power was immense, it also allowed for easy follow-ups with other moves.
Around Doma, an ice crystal lotus suddenly bloomed.
But in the next moment, with a "bang," the ice crystal lotus shattered into countless shards. Doma fell from the roof like a meteor, hitting the ground heavily. His left shoulder, left hand, and half of his chest were missing, with his flesh and blood squirming, unable to heal.
"His strength has increased!"
Doma didn't hesitate at all.
"Blood Demon Art: Water Lily Bodhisattva!"
Boom!
An ice crystal Buddha more than ten meters high rose from the ground.
Doma had felt it last time; the defector's attacks carried a special power that caused great harm to demons.
To avoid getting hurt, using "Water Lily" was the only option.
But this wasn't enough.
Doma sat on the lotus flower on the Buddha's right shoulder, continuously waving his fan.
"Blood Demon Art: Crystallized Royal Son!"
Groups of ice crystals flew out, transforming into icemen with the same appearance as him but two sizes smaller in physique.
Douma's body slowly merged into the ice crystal Buddha, a soft smile on his face. "I have helpers too!"
The icemen didn't hesitate and immediately launched attacks.
Lotus Leaf Ice, Vine Lotus Flower, Scattered Lotus Flower, Cold White Princess, Cold Winter Icicle—one after another, ice attacks struck Aoki, their power not inferior to those used by Doma himself.
The surrounding temperature plummeted, as if shifting from the height of summer to the depths of winter in an instant.
Tomioka Giyuu looked grim.
"This is the power of Upper Moon Two!"
Not to mention the ice crystal Buddha or Upper Moon Two himself, but even these icemen were formidable. He felt that dealing with them alone would be challenging.
"How will Mr. Aomura respond? Should I assist?"
As Tomioka Giyuu pondered, Aoki's figure suddenly disappeared.
The next moment.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Six simultaneous sounds echoed, and the six icemen instantly shattered, ice shards scattering and forming clusters of white flowers on the ground.
Aoki's figure reappeared in the same spot, as if he had never moved.
"Aoki-ryu, Feast!"
This was another move he had created, combining "space shuttle" and "combat intuition" to maximize power and speed, breaking through the cooldown limit.
The only drawback was its high energy consumption.
"All destroyed?"
Tomioka Giyuu's eyes widened. He subconsciously thought, if they encountered this move during sparring with Mr. Aomura, could they have blocked it?
He shook his head, feeling doubtful.
"How could you take out my icemen so quickly!"
Doma's eyes flashed as his figure merged into the giant Buddha.
At the same time, the Ice Crystal Buddha raised its palm and slashed at Aoki.
It was as if a nerve in Aoki's mind was touched. His body automatically dodged the strike and retaliated with a horizontal elbow strike.
With a bang, the Ice Crystal Buddha's palm and forearm shattered.
After learning "Martial Arts Heart," Aoki's moves became more precise and concise, while "Combat Intuition" improved his fighting instincts, enhancing his combat consciousness and skills significantly.
Hoo, hoo, hoo!
A gust of cold wind came.
Aoki felt that even with his current physique, if he were hit by a blow, his body would become stiff.
He turned sharply to avoid the cold wind, then used "space shuttle" to close in on the Ice Crystal Buddha, boldly engaging in close combat.
While maintaining the giant Buddha, Doma emerged from various locations, attacking Aoki with the Blood Demon Art.
After settling the matter within the Eternal Paradise Sect, Kanae hurried outside and watched the battle between Aoki and Doma, her eyes filled with admiration.
"Mr. Aomura has become stronger!"
Tomioka Giyuu nodded slowly.
The strength of Upper Moon Two was overwhelming.
His previous thoughts were correct.
He and Kanae couldn't defeat Doma.
However, in front of Mr. Aomura, such a powerful Upper Moon Two was almost powerless to fight back.
Neither of them spoke again, watching the battle intently.
Bang!
Half of the Ice Buddha's body shattered, and Doma glanced at Aoki indifferently.
After becoming a demon, he had the thought that he might die for the first time, but he still felt no fear.
Crash!
The ice spread, and the Ice Buddha's body reformed.
The body condensed by the Blood Demon Art wasn't affected by the "Demon Devourer."
However, Aoki noticed that the repair speed of the Ice Crystal Buddha had significantly decreased, and its body had become much rougher.
It was evident that Doma's physical strength was waning!
Demons had immense physical strength, but it wasn't infinite.
Under various conditions, even Muzan Kibutsuji's physical strength would eventually be exhausted.
"Water Lily Bodhisattva" was a terrifying move that consumed a lot of energy. Maintaining it for so long, while constantly breaking and reorganizing, was impressive.
In comparison, Aoki's physical strength was still abundant.
He had been very restrained in using "space shuttle" and "transparent world."
"It's time!"
Aoki dodged the Ice Buddha's knife, his eyes becoming sharp.
"Aoki-ryu, Feast!"
Bang, bang, bang...
The Ice Buddha suffered six simultaneous attacks, its body torn into pieces, but Doma was nowhere inside.
"Mr. Aomura, he's running away!"
Kanae Kocho's anxious voice came.
Aoki's eyes turned, immediately locking onto Doma who was fleeing quickly.
Kanae Kocho and Tomioka Giyuu chased closely, but their speed was clearly not as fast as Doma's.
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