"Moon Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Catastrophe, Tenman Crescent Moon!"
Ishida's blade erupted with concentrated power, creating a devastating whirlpool of crescent slashes that converged on Doma from every conceivable angle. The technique was one of his most powerful—a finishing move designed to overwhelm even the strongest defenses.
Doma's eyes widened, his playful demeanor finally cracking. "Crystalline Divine Child!"
A massive ice statue of a child materialized before him, its frozen surface reflecting the moonlight. Ishida's technique collided with the construct in an explosion of force that shook the entire mountainside. Ice shattered and reformed, crescent slashes carved deep gouges into the crystalline surface, and for a moment, it seemed as though Ishida's attack might break through entirely.
But when the dust settled, the statue still stood—cracked and damaged, but intact. Behind it, Doma's smile had returned.
"Impressive! You actually damaged one of my strongest defensive techniques!" The demon's voice carried genuine admiration. "But I'm afraid that's not quite enough."
[Fatigue: 37/100]
Ishida's breathing was heavier now, though still controlled. That technique had taken a significant toll, and he hadn't achieved the decisive blow he'd hoped for.
'His defensive capabilities are beyond what I anticipated,' Ishida analyzed, already repositioning. 'I'll need to—'
"Winter Icicles!" Doma's fans swept through the air, and suddenly the space between them filled with hundreds of razor-sharp ice projectiles, each one aimed with lethal precision.
"Moon Breathing, Ninth Form: Waning Moonswaths!"
Ishida's blade created waves of moonlight, combining vertical and horizontal slashes to intercept the incoming barrage. Ice shattered against his technique, but there were too many—several broke through his defense.
One pierced his left thigh. Another grazed his ribs. A third carved a line across his cheek.
[❤️ HP: 1763/1920]
[Fatigue: 43/100]
Ishida gritted his teeth against the pain, refusing to slow down. He couldn't afford to. The moment he lost momentum, Doma would overwhelm him with those long-range attacks.
He pushed forward through the ice storm, his enhanced agility allowing him to weave between the projectiles even as blood dripped from his wounds. His blade never stopped moving, deflecting what he couldn't dodge, creating openings where none existed.
"Moon Breathing, Third Form: Loathsome Moon, Chains!"
Chained crescent slashes formed an interconnected pattern that swept through the remaining icicles, clearing a path directly to Doma. Ishida burst through, closing the distance in an instant.
"Moon Breathing, Eleventh Form: Lunar Crescendo!"
His technique built with each strike, power accumulating with every slash. One. Two. Three. Four. Each attack flowing into the next, building toward a devastating final blow. Doma's fans moved to intercept, but the increasing force of each strike pushed him back, his defense struggling to keep pace with the escalating power.
The final slash came with all of Ishida's remaining strength behind it—a crescent of pure moonlight aimed directly at Doma's neck.
The demon's eyes flashed with something that might have been concern. At the last possible moment, he twisted his body with inhuman flexibility, the blade missing his neck by a hair's breadth but carving a deep gash across his shoulder instead.
"Scattering Lotuses!" Doma's counter came immediately, forcing Ishida to disengage or be shredded by the point-blank ice barrage.
[❤️ HP: 1691/1920]
[Fatigue: 53/100]
Both combatants created distance, reassessing. Ishida's uniform was torn and bloodied, his breathing more labored now. Doma's shoulder wound was already healing, but there was something different in his expression—less amusement, more calculation.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," Doma observed. "I can see it in your breathing, in the slight tremor in your sword arm. How much longer can you maintain this level of intensity?"
From their hiding spot, Sakura's hands clenched into fists. "He's slowing down. Not much, but..."
"I see it too," Kazuki whispered, his voice tight with worry. "But what can we do? We'd just get in the way."
"Maybe..." Sakura's mind raced, searching for any possible way to help. "Maybe if we could create a distraction, just for a moment—"
"No." Kazuki's hand stopped her before she could move. "Look at him. Really look. He's not just fighting. He's protecting us. If we rush in now, we'd be throwing away his sacrifice."
Sakura's jaw clenched, frustration and helplessness warring in her expression. "Then we just watch? While he—"
"We bear witness," Kazuki said quietly, his eyes never leaving the battlefield. "And we remember. That's all we can do right now."
Back in the battle, Ishida's mind was racing through options. His stamina was depleting faster than he'd anticipated. The wounds were manageable individually, but their accumulated effect was beginning to show. And Doma... Doma was barely scratched.
'I need something decisive. Something he can't defend against. But what?'
"You're thinking too hard," Doma said, as if reading his thoughts. "I can see it in your eyes. Trying to calculate, trying to find that perfect opening. But there isn't one, Moon Hashira. I'm simply stronger than you."
The demon's fans began to glow again, frost spreading across the ground. "Cold White Princesses!"
Two massive ice dolls materialized on either side of Doma, their crystalline forms beautiful and terrifying. They moved with fluid grace, advancing on Ishida from multiple angles while Doma himself prepared another attack.
"Moon Breathing, Fifteenth Form: Wane of Solitude!"
Ishida's blade created a perfect circle of moonlight around himself, a defensive barrier that blocked the ice dolls' initial assault. But he couldn't maintain it indefinitely—the technique required constant focus and energy.
[Fatigue: 60/100]
'This is bad,' Ishida thought, his analytical mind cutting through the desperation. 'At this rate, I'll burn through my stamina before I can land a killing blow. I need to change tactics. But to what?'
Doma watched with that infuriating smile, clearly in no rush. He could afford to be patient. Time was his ally.
"You know," the demon said conversationally, even as his ice constructs pressed their attack, "I genuinely respect you, Moon Hashira. Your technique is beautiful, your determination admirable. It's such a shame you're going to die here."
Ishida's eyes narrowed, his breathing pattern shifting once more. If conventional attacks wouldn't work, if defense was unsustainable, then perhaps...
'I'll need to gamble everything on that technique, i have to try it.'
His grip on his sword tightened, moonlight beginning to gather around the blade with renewed intensity. The air itself seemed to still, as if the forest recognized what was coming.
"Moon Breathing..." Ishida's voice was low, steady, carrying a finality that made even Doma pause. "Thirteenth Form: Astral Revival."
The moonlight around his blade intensified, taking on an almost purifying quality. This technique—one designed specifically for combating demonic energy—was his best form to fight against demon
Doma's smile faded completely for the first time. His instincts, honed over centuries, screamed danger.
"How interesting," the demon said softly. "You've been holding back your trump card. Very well then—let's see if it's enough!"
The temperature plummeted even further. The ice dolls accelerated their assault. Doma's fans began to glow with unprecedented intensity.
And in the center of it all, Ishida stood ready, his blade shining with captured moonlight, prepared to stake everything on a single strike.
The decisive moment had arrived.