Capítulo 41: Hunter [41]: The Death of the Cult Leader
Lin Jiu had studied the demons and found that they indeed feel pain. However, since they've been consuming humans for so long, their minds have become somewhat twisted, and ordinary pain doesn't affect them much. Therefore, in situations where he couldn't kill them, using attacks that cause the most intense pain was the best tactic.
Lin Jiu stomped on Doma's toes with one foot. Doma, who was barefoot in his church, had one foot's toes turned into a pulp of flesh.
Although it immediately healed, the pain Lin Jiu intended to inflict was already conveyed.
Doma's reaction was slightly slower due to the pain. Lin Jiu kicked Doma, sending him crashing through a wooden wall and into another room.
Lin Jiu knew these were inconsequential moves. The Nichirin Blade Dawn, which he hadn't revealed to Doma, was the key killing blow. The best opportunity would be when Doma believed he truly had no weapon capable of harming demons and ignored his slashes.
"No matter how much you fight, it's all futile. You'll eventually run out of stamina! Why not join my Eternal Paradise Faith? I'll appoint you as the vice leader..."
Doma stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled.
"Your Eternal Paradise Faith seems to be deserted!"
Lin Jiu indicated that apart from the two of them, everyone had fled. Taking advantage of the current lull in the intense battle, Lin Jiu cast a detection spell.
[10 mana points consumed, basic detection activated, gaining the following information.]
[Twelve Kizuki, Upper Rank Two: Doma]
Strength: 14
Agility: 13
Stamina: 17
Intelligence: 9
Charisma: 8
Skill 1: Demon Bloodline (Passive). Possessors of the demon bloodline can regenerate lost limbs and have strong healing capabilities. Only energy attacks or weapons imbued with energy can cause damage (light-based energy attacks are especially effective).
Skill 2: Blood Demon Art: Lotus Vines
Skill 3: Blood Demon Art: Scattering Lotuses
Skill 4: Blood Demon Art: Frozen Lotus
Skill 6: ???
Skill 7: ???
Skill 8: ???
"Humans are ignorant... only eternal bliss is real!"
Doma couldn't help but raise his fans, looking up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, fake tears at the corners of his eyes, as if he was pitying the world.
"As the leader of the Eternal Paradise Faith, it is my mission to save people and allow them to achieve eternal life with me! I don't care about their ignorance!"
Doma replaced his expression with a bright smile.
"Improve scientific and cultural literacy, resist cults and heresies!"
Lin Jiu raised his sword and said coldly.
Doma merely chuckled; this was the typical Doma.
"That sorrowful emotion was fleeting, but I'm still glad you brought me a new experience. To repay you, I'll use my best strength to send you off!" Doma said with a playful smile, all the while being vigilant against Lin Jiu's attacks. As the saying goes, "A loss teaches wisdom," and Doma had learned more than one lesson from Lin Jiu, growing much wiser!
But in Lin Jiu's eyes, this guy was hopeless! No matter how many times, he couldn't change his inevitable, flamboyant death.
"How long has it been since I used my full strength... probably since the last Upper-Rank battle!"
The ice Bodhisattva rose from the ground, with Doma leaning against an ice lotus. Using his Blood Demon Art: Crystalline Divine Child, he summoned five small ice Domas. These small ice-sculpted Domas were not to be underestimated; they could perform most of Doma's Blood Demon Arts.
Lin Jiu looked at the rising ice Bodhisattva. What happened to learning from past mistakes? Didn't he realize this thing had massive damage but was immobile and inflexible?
Doma's main body couldn't be killed without a Nichirin Blade, but the small ice Domas, created by his Blood Demon Art, could be destroyed.
Lin Jiu targeted the small ice Domas preparing to use Blood Demon Arts. Unlike Doma's main body, the small ice Domas had a slower reaction time when using Blood Demon Arts. But just as Lin Jiu took down two, the other three had already performed their Blood Demon Arts.
"Blood Demon Art: Cold White Princesses!"
Each Doma could summon two ice lotus maidens. Including the main body, they instantly summoned eight ice lotus maidens. Twelve opponents in total surrounded Lin Jiu.
The ice lotus maidens had only one head and shoulders, supported by a lotus flower below. The heads were as large as the head of the Lotus Bodhisattva ice statue. Eight such enormous heads, supported by lotus flowers, faced Lin Jiu, creating a strong sense of oppression.
The three small ice Domas had autonomous combat abilities, and Doma knew they couldn't engage in close combat with Lin Jiu. Otherwise, they wouldn't last long before being shattered, so he had them stay under the Lotus Bodhisattva, performing long-range Blood Demon Arts.
"If I turned and ran now, could you catch me?"
Lin Jiu suddenly said to Doma.
"..."
Doma was speechless. The ice lotus maidens were dependent on the lotus flowers, fixed in position. The Lotus Bodhisattva was slow-moving, and the small ice Domas had short legs! Given this, if Lin Jiu decided to run, Doma truly couldn't stop him!
"Would a dignified Demon Slayer let a demon like me go unchecked?" Doma could only provoke. If Lin Jiu were to run away now and come back to attack later... just the thought of it made Doma feel a sense of frustration.
"Why is it that you demons can flee at dawn without a care, but I can't run?"
Lin Jiu scoffed coldly. He looked at Doma's setup and, thinking of the effect of the Ice Lotus Maiden's attack, roughly guessed Doma's combo.
Lin Jiu used his words to scatter Doma's thoughts and slow down the battle rhythm. Silently, he swapped Willow Shallow for Dawn through his storage space. The two weapons looked roughly the same; without looking closely at the hilt or the color, it was hard to tell them apart.
Especially given Doma's personality, it was even harder for him to notice that Lin Jiu was now holding a Nichirin Blade.
"..."
Lin Jiu saw Doma holding his forehead and frowning. To be so nonchalant even at this point in the battle—if he didn't kill Doma, it would be a waste of all the opportunities Doma had given him.
Having lived for hundreds of years, Doma couldn't change his ways even if he knew there was danger. His playful demeanor was a bad habit he couldn't kick!
"I knew you Hashira wouldn't run!"
Doma laughed when he saw Lin Jiu choose to charge at him. To him, Lin Jiu was undoubtedly one of the Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps; otherwise, how could he be so strong?
"Freezing Clouds!"
Eight ice lotus maidens with closed eyes opened their mouths and spewed thick freezing air along Lin Jiu's path. The freezing air from just one lotus maiden was enough to freeze an entire lotus pond. Eight lotus maidens spewed freezing air, filling the sky.
Lin Jiu was enveloped in the freezing air and instantly frozen in place, unable to move.
"Ice Pillar!"
The three small ice Domas cast their Blood Demon Art, raining down ice pillars like a storm on the frozen Lin Jiu.
Meanwhile, Doma controlled the giant Lotus Bodhisattva, clasping its hands together and smashing them down towards Lin Jiu!
Awaken!
Lin Jiu's body was frozen, but his consciousness was far from being frozen. He had extorted an Awakening Stone ring from the Green-skinned Demon, which had a control-breaking skill. It was meant for moments like this!
Doma's Blood Demon Art was indeed powerful, but it couldn't exceed the tier of the Awakening Stone's purple rank.
The ice crystals on Lin Jiu's body didn't shatter dramatically; they just quietly disappeared. As Lin Jiu regained his mobility, the Lotus Bodhisattva's clasped hands came smashing down.
If that hit landed, Lin Jiu would be dead. He immediately leaped high, dodging several ice pillars aimed at his vital spots, and landed on the Lotus Bodhisattva's arm.
Using a method Doma was all too familiar with, Lin Jiu dashed towards him in the blink of an eye, stepping on the Lotus Bodhisattva's arm.
Doma could see that Lin Jiu was seriously injured. Although the freezing effect had been dispelled, the low temperature of the ice crystals had still caused damage, and he had inhaled a lot of icy mist. Lin Jiu's skin was slightly blue from frostbite!
Not only that but his back and shoulders also showed signs of being hit by ice pillars. Moreover, a smaller ice spike had pierced through Lin Jiu's left arm, still lodged there.
"Such sweet blood. You won't die! You will live forever with me. Be grateful; this treatment is usually reserved for beautiful maidens only~" Doma still hadn't realized the severity of the situation.
Lin Jiu showed a hint of a mocking smile. His injuries were indeed serious, but his right hand, which he used to swing his sword, was largely unaffected.
Douma saw Lin Jiu's knee coming fiercely towards his groin and hurriedly used his fans to block, retreating in the process.
Crack!
The metal fans struck Lin Jiu's knee, shattering his kneecap. But as Doma's hands lowered to block the knee, his neck was left unprotected.
Ignoring the pain of his shattered kneecap, Lin Jiu swung Dawn at Doma's neck.
The sharpness of Dawn, enhanced by +3, cut through Doma's iron-like neck as if slicing paper. Doma's flying head still bore a look of shock.
"So, you had a Nichirin Blade all along!"
Even as the Upper-Rank Two demon, Doma didn't immediately perish after his head was severed.
"I had finally begun to feel the wondrous sensation of emotions... I had finally touched it... My new life was just beginning! I can't die like this..." Even experiencing negative emotions couldn't dampen Douma's pursuit and yearning for feelings.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder