Ishida's blade pulsed with purifying moonlight, the energy concentrating to dangerous levels. The Thirteenth Form wasn't just an attack—it was designed to actively combat and nullify demonic essence itself. But using it required channeling an enormous amount of power through his body, which could cause a lot of Fatigue and take out HP as well.
[Fatigue: 62/100]
The ice dolls surged forward, their crystalline bodies gleaming as they closed in from both sides. Behind them, Doma raised his fans, preparing his own devastating technique.
"Rime Water Lily Bodhisattva!"
A massive ice Bodhisattva statue materialized behind Doma, its serene face belying the lethal intent behind its creation. The temperature dropped so drastically that Ishida's breath became visible, frost forming on his eyelashes.
But Ishida didn't waver. His focus remained absolute, the moonlight around his blade growing brighter, more intense. He could feel the strain on his body—muscles screaming, wounds burning, fatigue clawing at his consciousness—but he pushed it all aside.
'One strike. Everything depends on one strike.'
The ice dolls reached him first. His blade moved in a blur, the purifying moonlight slicing through their crystalline forms. Unlike before, when his strikes merely damaged the ice constructs, this time they shattered completely, unable to regenerate in the face of the Thirteenth Form's anti-demonic properties.
[Fatigue: 65/100]
"Impressive!" Doma's voice carried genuine excitement. "That technique of yours isn't just powerful—it's specifically designed to counter demons! How innovative!"
The Bodhisattva's massive hands swept forward, each one capable of crushing Ishida like an insect. Ishida launched himself upward, using his agility to vault over the first hand while his blade carved through the second. The purifying moonlight ate through the ice like acid through paper.
But the exertion was taking its toll. Each use of the Thirteenth Form drained him significantly more than his other techniques.
[Fatigue: 69/100]
[❤️ HP: 1578/1920]
'I can't maintain this much longer,' Ishida realized, even as he pressed forward. 'Maybe thirty seconds. Forty at most. It has to be enough.'
He closed the distance to Doma, his blade trailing moonlight as he moved. The demon's fans came up to block, but this time when metal met metal, Doma actually had to give ground. The purifying energy was actively working against his demonic nature, weakening his defenses.
"Moon Breathing, Thirteenth Form—" Ishida's voice was strained but determined, "—Astral Revival"
His blade descended in a perfect arc, the concentrated purifying energy forming a crescent that seemed to cut through reality itself. Doma's eyes widened as he brought both fans up in a desperate cross-block.
The impact was cataclysmic. A shockwave of force and purifying light exploded outward, obliterating trees and carving a trench into the mountainside. For a moment, everything was consumed by brilliant white light.
When it faded, both combatants had been thrown back. Ishida landed hard, one knee touching the ground as he struggled to maintain his stance. Blood dripped from new wounds—the recoil of such a powerful technique had torn open cuts along his arms where the energy had exceeded his body's capacity to contain it.
[❤️ HP: 1489/1920]
[Fatigue: 77/100]
But Doma... Doma was actually damaged. One of his fans had been shattered, fragments of the golden weapon scattered across the ground. More importantly, a deep gash ran across his chest—one that wasn't healing as quickly as his previous wounds. The purifying energy was still working, actively fighting against his regeneration.
"Ah..." Doma touched the wound, his expression shifting between fascination and genuine discomfort. "This... this actually hurts. Not just physically, but it's like your technique is burning away my very essence." He looked up at Ishida with something approaching respect. "You really are extraordinary, Moon Hashira."
Ishida forced himself to stand, though his legs trembled with the effort. His breathing was ragged now, control slipping as exhaustion clawed at him. The moonlight around his blade flickered, unstable.
'Can't... can't maintain the form much longer,' he thought, fighting to stay conscious. 'One more attack. Maybe two. That's all I have left.'
Doma seemed to sense this as well. Despite his injury, despite the pain he was clearly experiencing, his smile returned—though it was sharper now, more predatory.
"You're at your limit," the demon observed. "That technique of yours—it's killing you almost as much as it's hurting me. Your body can't handle that much power." He discarded his broken fan, focusing his energy into the remaining one. "But I respect your determination. So I'll end this with my strongest technique."
The air around Doma began to crystallize, ice forming in intricate patterns that spread like a plague. The massive Bodhisattva statue behind him raised its hands once more, but this time they began to glow with concentrated cold.
"Frozen Cloud Haze!"
A massive cloud of microscopic ice particles erupted from Doma's position, spreading outward like a tidal wave. Each particle was razor-sharp, capable of shredding flesh and freezing blood. Worse, they were so numerous and so small that normal defensive techniques would be useless—they would simply slip through any gaps.
Ishida's eyes tracked the approaching death, his mind calculating possibilities even as his body screamed for rest.
'The Thirteenth Form can purify it, but I'd need to maintain the technique continuously to create a barrier. That would drain what little stamina I have left. Or...'
His grip on his sword shifted, his breathing pattern changing despite the exhaustion. There was one other option. One final gamble.
'If I release all the remaining purifying energy in a single burst, I might be able to clear a path straight to him. But that would leave me completely defenseless afterward. No energy for defense, no stamina for evasion. It would be all or nothing.'
The frozen cloud was seconds away now, its touch promising a frozen death. Doma stood behind it, confident in his victory.
From their hiding spot, Sakura and Kazuki could only watch in horror as the deadly technique approached their mentor.
"Ishida..." Sakura whispered, her voice breaking.
Ishida made his decision.
"Moon Breathing, Thirteenth Form: Astral Revival—" his voice rang out clear despite his exhaustion, "—Lunar Purge!"
Every ounce of purifying energy remaining in his technique exploded outward in a massive sphere of moonlight. The frozen cloud collided with it and simply ceased to exist, the particles purified out of existence before they could even touch him.
[Fatigue: 89/100]
But the technique didn't stop there. The sphere of purifying moonlight continued expanding, carving a path straight through Doma's technique and toward the demon himself.
Doma's eyes widened in genuine alarm. "Impossible—!"
He had no time to dodge, no time to mount a proper defense. The purifying light engulfed him, and for the first time, the Upper Moon Two screamed.
When the light faded, Doma stood with severe burns across his body, smoke rising from wounds that fought against his regeneration. His remaining fan had been destroyed. He looked, for the first time, truly hurt.
But Ishida...
[❤️ HP: 1412/1920]
[Fatigue: 94/100]
Ishida collapsed to one knee, his sword barely keeping him upright as he used it like a cane. The moonlight around his blade had completely vanished. His arms trembled uncontrollably. Blood seeped from numerous wounds, some old, many new from the strain of his final technique.
He had nothing left. No energy for another attack. Barely enough strength to stand.
And Doma, despite his injuries, was still alive. Still regenerating. Slowly, painfully, but inevitably.
The demon looked at Ishida with an expression that mixed pain, respect, and something that might have been sadness.
"You... you actually pushed me this far," Doma said, his voice lacking its usual cheerfulness. "No one has done that in over a century. You should be proud, Moon Hashira. You truly are remarkable."
He took a step forward, his wounds visibly closing despite the lingering purifying energy fighting against them.
"But remarkable isn't enough to kill an Upper Moon."