The demon pressed his advantage, his attacks becoming more relentless. Sakura barely managed to deflect a strike aimed at her throat, while Kazuki took a glancing blow to his ribs that made him grunt in pain.
"We need to work together!" Sakura called out, repositioning herself. "Same pattern as before, but faster!"
"Got it!" Kazuki responded, shaking off the pain.
They moved in unison this time, their coordination sharpened by desperation. Sakura initiated with Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel, her rotating slash forcing the demon to raise his guard. Before he could counter, Kazuki was already there.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!" His blade came in from the side, the demon barely twisting away in time.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!" Sakura's follow-up didn't give him any breathing room, her fluid strikes chaining seamlessly from Kazuki's attack.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!" Kazuki's upward slash caught the demon's hastily raised arm, this time cutting deeper.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" Sakura's barrage of strikes landed across the demon's torso, finally drawing multiple significant wounds.
Kamanue staggered back, dark blood streaming from several gashes. But even as they watched, the wounds began knitting themselves closed, slower than before but still regenerating.
"Damn it!" Kazuki panted, sweat dripping down his face. "It's still not enough!"
Both of them were breathing heavily now, their stamina clearly depleting while the demon, despite his injuries, seemed far from finished. They landed hard on the ground, weapons still raised but bodies clearly struggling.
Sakura glanced at Kazuki, her eyes determined despite her exhaustion. "Should we do that combo?"
Kazuki's eyes widened. "Now? We haven't even tried that on a demon yet!"
"Well, if we don't try, we won't know if it works," Sakura responded, readjusting her grip on her sword.
"I guess that's also true," Kazuki said, nodding slowly. "Alright. Let's do it."
They separated, circling the demon from opposite sides. The demon's eyes darted between them nervously, sensing something different in their approach.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!" Sakura struck first, her blade creating a powerful horizontal slash that forced the demon to block. But this was just the opening.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!" Kazuki came in immediately after, his strike targeting the demon's exposed flank.
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!" Sakura's blade wove through the air in unpredictable patterns, each strike flowing into the next without pause.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Rising Scorching Sun!" Kazuki's upward slash coordinated perfectly with Sakura's flowing attacks, creating a pincer effect.
"Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide!" Sakura increased the pressure, her multiple simultaneous strikes overwhelming the demon's defense.
"Flame Breathing, Third Form: Blazing Universe!" Kazuki's technique created a spiraling slash that seemed to ignite the very air around it, his blade carving a devastating arc through the demon's torso.
"Water Breathing, Sixth Form: Whirlpool!" Sakura's final technique created a twisting vortex of slashes, her blade spinning and striking from every conceivable angle in a maelstrom of water-like movements.
The combined assault was devastating. Deep gashes opened across the demon's body, dark blood spraying in multiple directions. Kamanue screamed, staggering backward with wounds that, for the first time, seemed to overwhelm his regeneration.
'There,' Ishida observed from his position. 'They're finally putting real pressure on him.'
Both Sakura and Kazuki landed, breathing heavily but with renewed hope in their eyes. The demon was wounded—seriously wounded—but as they watched, his body began the slow process of regeneration once more.
"Why... why won't you just die?!" Kamanue's voice cracked with fury and fear. He launched himself at them with wild, desperate strikes, all semblance of strategy abandoned. His attacks were powerful but erratic, driven by panic rather than skill.
Sakura rolled under a wild slash, barely avoiding decapitation. Kazuki blocked another strike but was sent sliding backward from the sheer force. One of the demon's claws caught Sakura's leg, leaving a bloody gash. Another caught Kazuki across the chest, tearing through his uniform.
"He's losing it!" Kazuki shouted, deflecting another wild strike.
The demon's assault finally paused, his chest heaving with exertion despite not needing to breathe. His wounds were still closing, but slower now—much slower.
"Your technique is sloppy," Ishida's voice cut through the chaos, calm and measured. Both Sakura and Kazuki glanced at him briefly. "You're putting power into your strikes, but you're not focusing it at the point of impact. Concentrate your breathing at the moment your blade makes contact. That's when it matters most."
Sakura wiped blood from her mouth, studying the demon carefully. Her eyes narrowed as something clicked. "Hey... if you were winning, why do you still look so anxious?"
Kazuki caught on immediately. "Yeah, I noticed that too. You're panicking. Even now, you're scared."
Kamanue's expression twisted, his fear-tinged anger reaching a boiling point. "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!" He launched forward with even more vicious abandon, his strikes wild and uncontrolled.
But desperation works both ways.
"Now!" Sakura and Kazuki moved as one, both pushing past their exhaustion for one final coordinated strike.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!" Sakura's blade came from the left, her breathing perfectly controlled, all her remaining strength focused into a single horizontal slash.
"Flame Breathing, First Form: Unknowing Fire!" Kazuki's blade came from the right, his technique executed with absolute precision, flames seeming to dance along the steel.
Their swords met the demon's neck from opposite sides simultaneously, the combined force and perfect timing finally achieving what individual strikes couldn't. The demon's eyes widened in shock and fear as both blades cut through flesh, muscle, and bone.
Kamanue's head separated from his body, tumbling through the air before hitting the ground with a dull thud. His body remained standing for a moment, as if refusing to accept its fate, before crumbling into ash.
Both Sakura and Kazuki collapsed to their knees, exhausted and bleeding but alive. Their chests heaved as they tried to catch their breath, weapons still clutched in trembling hands.
"We... we did it," Sakura managed between gasps.
"Barely," Kazuki added, wincing as he touched his wounded chest. "I think... I think I'm going to pass out now."
Ishida finally moved from his position, walking over to where his two apprentices sat exhausted on the forest floor. "You both did well. You adapted, you coordinated, and most importantly, you didn't give up even when outmatched."
He crouched down beside them, his expression softening slightly. "But this was only Lower Moon Six. There are five more above him, and then the Upper Moons after that. This is the level you'll need to reach—and surpass—if you want to survive."
"Great," Kazuki muttered, his head hanging low. "No pressure."
"Take This..." Ishida brought out 2 healing potions out of his inventory and lend 1 to each of them. The potions would at least reviver some stamina and heal some wounds, but the bleeding needed to be stopped with some bandages and needed immediate treatment.
Sakura and Kazuki accepted the healing potions gratefully, their hands shaking as they uncorked the vials. The liquid glowed faintly as they drank, and almost immediately, some of their exhaustion began to lift.
Ishida pulled medical supplies from his pack and began wrapping their wounds with practiced efficiency. He started with Sakura's leg, binding the gash tightly with clean bandages.
"You coordinated well by the end," he said, moving to Kazuki's chest wounds. "That final strike showed proper teamwork."
"Thanks," Kazuki managed, wincing as the bandages tightened. "That advice about focusing our breathing at the point of impact—it really helped."
"Your stamina management still needs work," Ishida continued, finishing the wrapping. "And your defensive positioning leaves openings. But you survived an encounter with a Lower Moon. That's more than most can say."
Sakura nodded, exhaustion clear in her eyes. "It was so much stronger than the regular demons we've faced on other missions."
"Lower Moon Six is the weakest of the Twelve Kizuki," Ishida stated flatly. "The ones above him are—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His entire body went rigid, hand moving instinctively to his sword. The shift was so sudden, so complete, that both Sakura and Kazuki felt their blood run cold.
Then they felt it too.
A presence—overwhelming, suffocating, ancient. The temperature seemed to drop, and the very air grew heavy with malevolence. This wasn't like the demon they'd just fought. This was something far, far worse.
"Get behind me. Now." Ishida's voice was steel. "Don't speak. Don't move."
They scrambled to obey, both feeling their legs threaten to give out from more than just exhaustion. Whatever was approaching made every instinct scream at them to run.
He appeared between the trees like a phantom.
Tall and unnaturally graceful, he wore a blood-red turtleneck beneath tan hakama pants and a black kimono adorned with delicate golden patterns. His hair was long and silver-blonde, styled with careful elegance. But it was his face that truly unsettled—pale as death itself, with rainbow-colored eyes that held slit pupils, and a smile. A constant, pleasant smile that never wavered, frozen in place like a porcelain mask.
A translucent screen materialized before Ishida's eyes:
[Upper Moon 2: Doma. Level: 110]
'110...' Ishida's jaw tightened imperceptibly. His eyes flickered back toward his students for just a fraction of a second. 'My Level Is Currently 79. The gap is too wide at the moment.'
"Oh my!" The demon's voice was bright, cheerful, as if greeting old friends. "What a pleasant surprise!" His rainbow eyes settled on Ishida, ignoring the two young slayers entirely. "The Moon Hashira himself! How wonderful to finally meet you in person. I've heard such interesting things."
Doma clasped his hands together, his perpetual smile somehow growing sharper. "I sensed Kamanue's presence disappear and came to investigate. To think I'd find you here instead—what excellent luck!"
Ishida's grip tightened on his sword, his stance shifting almost imperceptibly. When he spoke, his voice was measured, controlled.
"Upper Moon Two."
"Please, call me Doma!" The demon's cheerfulness never wavered. "You know, I've been quite curious about you. The Moon Hashira—such a mysterious title. Such interesting rumors." His head tilted slightly, rainbow eyes gleaming with something predatory beneath that eternal smile. "I do hope you'll show me something entertaining tonight."
A.N : Thanks For Reading. Also, for a long time the player profile hasn't been shown or brought up, so I thought I give you the updated version of the player profile :
━━━━━━━━━━ PLAYER PROFILE ━━━━━━━━━━
➤ BASIC INFO
• Name: Ishida Hitotsuki
• Age : 15
• Height : 5'8"
• Level: 79
• Rank: Hashira
• EXP: 172,340 needed for Level 80
• Fatigue: 01/100
➤ COMBAT STATS
❤️ HP: 1920/1920
➤ ATTRIBUTES [00 Points Available]
⚔️ Strength: 148
🛡️ Vitality: 146
⚡ Agility: 140
🧠 Intelligence: 82
👁️ Sense: 132
➤ SPECIAL ABILITIES
• Instant Healing
- Heals 20% max HP instantly
- Auto-triggers below 20% HP
- 30-min cooldown
• Longevity
- Immune to diseases & poisons (Immediate nullification of Poison)
➤ BREATHING STYLE: Moon Breathing
━━━━ Forms ━━━━
① Dark Moon, Evening Palace
② Pearl Flower Moongazing
③ Loathsome Moon, Chains
⑤ Moon Spirit Calamitous Eddy
⑥ Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Incessant
⑦ Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit
⑧ Moon-Dragon Ringtail
⑨ Waning Moonswaths
⑩ Drilling Slashes, Moon Through Bamboo Leaves
⑪ Lunar Crescendo
⑫ Gibbous Revenants
⑬ Astral Revival
⑭ Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon
⑮ Wane of Solitude
⑯ Moonbow, Half Moon
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Also, Comment Down your prediction for the fight between Ishida and the Upper Moon 2. I would love to see your thoughts on it. Thank you very much.