The snowflakes on her body glowed as they manifested around her, blowing like ordinary snowflakes in a snowy area.
Douma was pleasantly surprised. Although those little things looked ordinary, he could sense that a single nick would draw blood. Not from him, though.
His eyes shone as he stepped into the fray and under the demons' gazes, the snowflakes broke apart upon coming an inch close to him.
"Huh?"
Ume was confused, but she didn't dwell much on it. She still had other techniques unused.
"Brother!"
Heeding her call, Gyutaro carried her piggy back, her legs crossed around his waist and arms around his neck.
"Oh? Good, good. I want to see more of your efforts." Douma laughed, his voice echoing in the air.
Nakime and Saki stood back, patiently waiting. They would only join if the demon siblings weren't enough.
Together, Gyutaro and Ume worked like a single creature. Ume's sashes worked from the distance, coming down like the long legs of a mantis, while Gyutaro was more of the close combatant. His deadly sickles that carried poisons and froze wounds was something even Douma avoided contact with.
Ume: "Ice Demon Arts: Eight-layered Illusory Sash."
Gyutaro: "Ice Demon Arts: Azure Frost Blades."
Together, they created a perfect mix of offense, defense, and ranged attack.
Ume's sashes blotted the skies like a spider's net, multiplying in eights. Gyutaro's Frost blades froze the air and were super fast, spinning towards their targets like tornado discs.
Their combined efforts finally made Douma slowly get serious. His rainbow colored eyes revealed amusement as he whispered.
"Demonic Arts: Frozen Lotus—Thousand Blades."
Shards of ice erupted from his fans and shot towards the siblings at stunning speed. Ume hurriedly used her sashes to cover herself and her brother in a cocoon.
Boom!
The ice shards struck, and shredded the metallic clothes into pieces. Thankfully, it gave Gyutaro enough time to personally break them with his sickles.
Seeing that Douma was finally serious, Saki and Nakime joined the fray. Saki created a thin ice sword reminiscent of Shinobu's nichirin blade and took a martial arts stance.
Despite her petite stature, she had been training to become a swordsman. [T/N: Or is it Swordswoman?]
Nakime on the other hand...
'Mn?'
Douma cocked his head, feeling something pushing against his mind. Curious, he allowed it.
Holding her biwa, Nakime gave him a smile.
"Ice Demon Arts: Eternity Castle."
Thrumm~
The scenery changed, much to Douma's surprise. It was the Infinity Castle again. However, it wasn't the same Infinity Castle he was accustomed to. It remained a maze of interconnected rooms, however, the lights were made from blue flamed lanterns, giving the maze a dark, omnious presence.
Douma smiled in delight. This power was strong, strong enough to change his own illusion once he allowed it.
Gazing at the demons standing on another platform, he beckoned to them.
Unsurprisingly, the rooms shifted. Doors opened and closed, sending him all over the place. Attacks came from left and right. Ume's sashes, Gyutaro's Frost blades, and even Saki's slashes.
At one point, he appeared in a room alone with Saki.
Seeing his favorite demon, Douma smiled fondly. "Demonic Arts: Eternal Winter Mist."
An icy fog enveloped the room, and he disappeared into the mist. Several silhouettes identical to him moved in the mist, confusing his opponent. Not Saki, though.
The snowflakes in her eyes spun, then shone a soft pink. She quickly filtered through the fake Doumas and attacked the real one.
Clang!
"Oho?"
Douma was surprised by the ability, yet he continued to smile as he traded blows with her in a contest of skill and precision. Very quickly, it showed that her skill was much lower than his. After all, he had been training with the Illusory Kokushibo-dono.
In the heat of the moment, the floor beneath his feet opened to another room, directly before Ume and Gyutaro's combined attacks.
A lotus shaped ice manifested before him, blocking the surprise attack.
Calmly, he distanced himself from the two and smiled. It was time to end the training session. Determined to ensure his demons learnt a good lesson, he used his newly crafted ability.
"Demonic Arts: Absolute Zero—"
The Eternity Castle froze. Not because of ice coating it or anything, but because the air itself paused. The sibling demons were shocked when they realized they couldn't move. Their entire body screamed against doing that as if just moving alone meant death.
Douma's smile widened. "—Bloom."
Crack.
The whole of the Eternity Castle turned white, including the demons within, then cracked and shattered.
The scenery returned to the illusory plains Douma had summoned their consciousness to. They collapsed to the ground, soaked in cold sweat. When they looked at Douma again, there was a hint of fear and reverence in their eyes.
There was no doubt. He was just as strong as strong as Kokushibo—if not stronger.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Why do you guys look so glum? You performed exceedingly well."
Douma praised them. Especially the three former upper moons. They had grown significantly stronger than before, even breaking through. Douma was confident that they would give Kokushibo a good fight if they worked together.
Looking at the downcast Saki, he pulled her into a warm and gentle hug. "Saki-chan hasn't awakened her Demon Arts right? It's no issue. Sometimes it takes months or years to create. So don't be hard on yourself."
He raised her chin and gazed into her eyes.
"I'm more curious about your eyes, though." He leaned down to her ears and whispered. "Maybe you can tell me more when we're having our... private sessions."
The demon girl blushed, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. "D-Douma-sama-!"
Ume scoffed, displeased by their lovey-dovey display.
"Ara~ Is little Ume jealous?" Douma teased. "Don't worry, I'll have you soon."
The girl shuddered, remembering Saki's cries of pleasure she had overhead days ago. She rubbed her thighs against each other, nervous. Ever so clueless, Gyutaro scolded Douma for a different reason.
"My sister isn't jealous of you. She's perfect."
Douma laughed, "My, my~ little Gyutaro-kun, you really need to visit a brothel sometime soon."
Turning to Ume, he asked with a smirk. "Were you the one who suggested calling your abilities Ice Demon Arts?"
The girl avoided his gaze, guilty.
Douma laughed again, "Ah, I guessed so. Still, I like the name. Good job."
Like that, Douma spent an harmonious and peaceful day with him demon followers in Shinobu's absence.