bioinnovel Chapter 368 [Two Chapters Combined into One] Four People Encircle Each Other
Chapter 368 [Two Chapters Combined into One] Four People Encircle Each Other
Their movements were faster than Douma had anticipated. The tacit understanding they displayed was incredibly seamless, as if honed through countless trials!
"Beast Breathing: The Fourth Fang Shattering Slash!"
Inosuke was still shouting that he wanted to settle old scores with Komaji and fight for ranking.
But his terrifying, beast-like instincts and pure thirst for battle made him leap up from the spot with a roar the instant Doma relaxed his guard, just like a beast that had been lurking for a long time!
With his agile movements, he leaped high into the air using explosive power, and his two serrated Nichirin Blades, carrying a wild momentum from above, crossed to form a deadly cutting net, ruthlessly slashing down towards Doma's head and shoulders!
This attack was fierce and precise, instantly sealing off all of Doma's space to jump upwards or dodge in mid-air!
Almost at the same moment Inosuke made his move, Komaji's eyes sharpened!
Without any verbal communication, the ice beneath his feet cracked violently, and his body was released like a fully drawn bow!
A straight punch, devoid of any fancy moves or techniques, and imbued only with a lifetime of martial arts will and a determination to atone for his sins, struck Doma's face with pure power and speed, like a meteor tearing through the air!
The force of the punch was so powerful that it even forced back and dispersed the surrounding chill!
This punch was incredibly powerful, completely eliminating any possibility of Douma charging forward or attacking from the front!
"Insect Breathing, Butterfly Dance, Teasing!"
Shinobu Kocho's figure flashed out like a ghost before Giyu Tomioka could say anything again (but was destined to fail).
After Riley intervened and removed the wisteria poison from Shinobu's body, Shinobu lost her strongest attack against Doma...
But this also allowed the body to return to its peak condition after being freed from the pain of toxin damage! Movements became lighter and more agile!
In the blink of an eye, a purple afterimage appeared as if teleported behind Doma. The Nichirin Blade transformed into countless cold stars.
Like a poisonous butterfly dancing wildly in a storm, it precisely pierced Doma's neck, spinal joints, arm ligaments, and so on. According to normal human anatomy, it was enough to instantly disintegrate the vital points of his mobility!
Although the attack was not as powerful as Inosuke's or Komaji's, the dense attacks were agile and deadly, completely eliminating Doma's thoughts of retreating or sliding to the side!
Meanwhile, Giyu Tomioka, who had remained silent and seemed somewhat at a loss due to the failure of communication, demonstrated absolute reliability and a broad perspective as a water pillar at this moment.
Instead of rushing to attack, he moved steadily, like a rock standing firm in a turbulent current, to a position a little further away on the other side of Tongma.
He gripped the Nichirin Blade tightly with both hands, and the blade suddenly surged with a deep blue light!
"Water Breathing - Second Form - Modified - Horizontal Waterwheel!"
A massive, waterwheel-like, circular slash roared out!
However, the target of this slash was not to directly attack Doma's body.
Instead, it used its powerful water-based sword energy to create a huge, flowing blue barrier on Doma's flanks and behind him!
This barrier not only further reduced Doma's evasive space, but also contained powerful pulling and defensive forces.
The aim was to disrupt Doma's actions and prevent him from launching a violent attack on one of his companions at this critical juncture, with the intention of trading injury for injury!
At the same time, they are on high alert against any Blood Demon Arts that might affect their companions!
He was like a master chess player, placing his pieces at crucial moments, blocking all possible variations of his opponent's moves, and providing the most solid support and protection for his teammates ahead!
Four people!
Four completely different directions!
Four distinct yet perfectly complementary fighting styles!
All possible dodge routes and all openings for counterattacks were completely sealed off in that thunderous first second by these four swordsmen who had never practiced together before, who theoretically had no experience in teamwork, and who had even seemed hostile and "contradictory" to each other not long ago, with an almost instinctive, seamless, and breathtaking tacit understanding! They wove a deadly net with no way out!
The smile that had just blossomed on Doma's face, full of a sense of superiority, froze completely!
The playfulness and composure in her rainbow eyes were replaced in a fraction of a second by a genuine, unexpected, and even absurd astonishment!
He originally thought they were a disorganized mess that he could easily control, but the moment they bared their fangs, they transformed into a ruthless killing machine with precise coordination, chilling killing intent, and suffocating efficiency!
However, he was ultimately Upper Moon Two!
Stimulated by the immense crisis that brought him to the brink of life and death, Doma's instincts as an Upper Moon demon and his centuries of combat experience forcefully suppressed his initial shock!
"Blood Demon Art: Scattered Lotus!"
At the critical moment, he chose the fastest and most direct area-of-effect blood demon technique!
"Whoosh—!"
He suddenly swung his golden folding fan rapidly forward, upward, and to the side and rear! It wasn't aimed at any one person, but rather, centered on himself, it instantly unleashed countless sharp ice crystal petals containing extreme cold! These petals, like a violent metal storm, swept indiscriminately in all directions, attempting to use offense as defense and forcibly interrupt the four people's joint attack!
"Jingle bells—!!"
A series of rapid, rain-like impacts suddenly exploded!
Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho were the first to be hit!
Although the two immediately swung their swords to block or dodge, the sudden burst of bone-chilling cold and dense attacks inevitably caused their movements to freeze for a moment.
Giyu Tomioka's waterwheel fortifications remained sturdy, but the chill seeped into his brow as he maintained them.
Shinobu Kocho's stab attack was the most affected.
Despite her previous experience, which made Shinobu hold her breath immediately to avoid inhaling too much cold air, her agile movements inevitably became somewhat sluggish under the combined interference of the saturated cold and ice crystals. Most of her originally deadly series of stabs were deflected by the ice crystals or forced to be interrupted in order to protect herself.
However, Komaji and Inosuke showed completely different responses!
As the former Upper Moon Three, Komaji knew Doma's methods very well!
The moment Tongmo's folding fan moved slightly, he had already anticipated the arrival of this area attack!
Instead of retracting his iron fist, he unleashed an even more ferocious punch, forcefully blasting a brief passage through the dense ice crystal petals. This not only neutralized Doma's attack but also helped Giyu Tomioka clear a safe area, preventing him from inhaling too much cold air and suffering a slow death like Shinobu Kocho had.
His own body, forged through countless trials, seemed to possess considerable resistance to the chilling air that could freeze an ordinary person. This allowed Komaji to immediately follow up his first punch with a second!
With his beast-like keen intuition and skin that could sense subtle changes in the airflow, Inosuke made a strange twist in the air before the ice crystal petals reached him!
By deliberately dislocating his joints, his body seemed boneless, narrowly avoiding most of the ice petals' direct impact. While wielding his twin swords to parry, his downward slash, though slightly deflected by Douma's counterattack, still carried an unstoppable, wild momentum, firmly locking onto Douma's head!
However, just as Komaji understood Doma, Doma also knew in his heart that his hasty counterattack was no match for Komaji.
Therefore, taking advantage of the brief confusion and gap created by the Scattered Lotus Flower, which mainly affected Giyu Tomioka and Shinobu Kocho, Doma suddenly exerted force with his feet, his body sliding rapidly backward as if weightless! He attempted to escape the unfavorable situation of being surrounded by four people from the direction of Shinobu Kocho, who was more affected by the cold air!
This was the least stressful way out he found in that split second, based on his combat experience!
"laugh--!"
Despite their lightning-fast reaction, the trap set by the four of them was simply too perfect.
Especially Komaji and Inosuke, who were almost unaffected by the pursuit! Doma was forced to adjust his posture, trying to avoid being hit in vital areas, but at the cost of his elegant attire being sliced open by Shinobu's blade, which pierced through the ice crystals. Half of his face was severed by Inosuke's downward slash. His chest was also hit squarely by Komaji, a punch that pierced through and created a huge hole.
Only then did he stagger away and escape from the encirclement of the four men.
When Douma regained his footing, and looked at the four people who attacked again without hesitation, the astonishment in his seven-colored eyes was quickly replaced by an emotion mixed with anger and even more intense interest.
He gently stroked the torn clothes on his shoulder. As his battered face quickly recovered, a smile returned to his face, but it no longer carried the absolute composure of before; instead, it was tinged with a coldness born of provocation.
"What...surprising coordination, and...unpleasant resistance."
Doma's gaze lingered on Komaji and Inosuke for a moment, his voice still carrying that unsettlingly melodious quality, but upon closer listening, one could detect a subtle hint of seriousness.
"It seems I really need to take this more seriously. But..."
The golden folding fan in his hand unfolded again, and the chilling aura around him surged like a living thing, even more frigid than before! The remnants of the ice crystal petals rapidly vaporized, and more chilling aura condensed and swirled around him, causing the temperature to plummet once more.
"The game is only just beginning. Let me see how long your teamwork and special abilities can withstand my upcoming 'mercy'."
The battle, from the very first moment it began, skipped the initial probing and went straight into the most dangerous and brutal close-quarters combat!
Doma's inflated confidence and arrogance were ruthlessly and mercilessly shattered by the unimaginable tacit understanding and determination displayed by the four of them working together!
So much so that Douma never realized... or rather, he was unwilling to admit it.
As Riley said.
Now, Doma, whose hands are stained with countless lives, is destined to die under the combined attack of these four!
Meanwhile, on the other side...
As the controller of the Infinity Castle, this other-dimensional fortress, Nakime is faithfully carrying out the highest order from her boss, Muzan Kibutsuji—to separate and defeat those troublesome Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen one by one!
It must be said that Nakime's "matchmaking system" is, from a certain perspective, perfect, even with a touch of wicked precision.
Almost every powerful swordsman who could pose a threat to Muzan was "thoughtfully" assigned by her to their most "missed" old acquaintances.
For example, Shinobu Kocho and Doma, Zenitsu Agatsuma and Egaku.
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, judging from the outcome, it can be considered...
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Our service is impeccable and we never disappoint.
The main theme is clear distinction between gratitude and resentment; no one comes here for nothing!
However, a small bug appeared in this seemingly perfect match list...
Or rather, an unexpected "lucky one".
Mist Pillar, Tokito Muichiro.
This fourteen-year-old prodigy is currently facing an awkward situation.
Since he has only been a Pillar for a short time, he has not yet had any experience fighting against the top three demons.
Therefore, logically speaking, Muichiro should not have any personal grudges with any of the Upper Moon demons.
Moreover, objectively speaking, his strength is not the top among all the pillars.
If Nakime is aiming to maximize the rewards from kills.
Therefore, prioritizing the Stone Pillar Gyomei Himejima, who can swing a heavy meteor hammer that ordinary people cannot budge into the shape of a high-speed spinning helicopter propeller, and whose mere presence exudes an aura of oppression that makes people want to kneel down and shout "Namo Amitabha," is clearly a wiser choice.
However, Nakime's thought process is clearly different from that of ordinary people.
She may have keenly sensed the unusual bloodline fluctuations within Muichiro's body.
Or perhaps, she simply wanted to pick the easiest target to manipulate, boost her headcount, and improve her KPIs.
So, while Gyomei and Muichiro were exploring the Infinity Castle one after the other, Nakime had a little scheme.
She "generously" let the imposing rock pillar walk ahead.
This caused Muichiro, who was following closely behind Gyomei, to subconsciously relax his guard when he saw his senior moving unimpeded. Thoughts such as "It seems this road is safe..." couldn't help but surface in his mind.
And it was at the very moment that this thought arose!
"Buzz—!"
The room beside Muichiro suddenly stretched forward rapidly without warning, like a giant python that had come to life!
"Um?!"
The sudden turn of events caused Muichiro's usually slightly bewildered, glassy eyes to widen instantly.
Before he could even react, he was violently pushed and shoved forward by a huge, unreasonable force!
And so, the boy's frail body, like a pebble carelessly flicked by a mischievous child, was thrown away without any resistance, completely separated from the senior he trusted.
After he crashed through several walls and steadied himself somewhat disheveled, he looked around blankly and found himself in a completely unfamiliar, empty Japanese-style room.
And in front of him stood a figure.
A terrifying presence that, simply by standing there, seems to devour all the light, sound, and even air around it.
Upper Moon One, Kokushibo.