Demon Slayer : The Silent Journey

Chapter 84: Doma vs Seiji (2)

[Seiji's POV]

Doma was a powerful demon by himself.

But by no means was that his greatest strength. His true power lies in his blood demon art - his ability to create clones of himself to be specific.

In the manga, it was shown that he could create at least six ice clones of himself. And each one of these clones was as powerful as him.

That means he could increased his overall power six times, anytime he wants.

"Do you like it? It's an ice clone of myself," Doma said, but there was no smile on his face. "And it can use all of the techniques I use,"

I allowed my eyes to observe the ice clone carefully and the discovery I made caused me to frown deeply. It was made entirely of ice, which meant that I would have a much harder time predicting it's movement since it was not made of flesh and bone.

These things had always been one of my weaknesses, blood demon art, spells that did not even try to follow the logic of this world.

"You're eyes are powerful, I'll admit. But you can't see everything, can you?" Doma said and the ice clone lept into the air. It sent a barrage of ice spikes towards me which I destroyed with my sword.

But the fragments of the ice were still sharp enough to leave scratches on my skin. The ice clone then landed behind me. I shifted my position to see him but then Doma blitzed towards me.

*Cling!!*

My blade met his demonic claws and they created sparks when Doma pushed against me. My injuired leg faltered and I was pushed back.

"No matter how similar you are to him, you are only a human. Your vision is limited to 180°," he said, his lips began curving once more.

He was right.

I saw the ice clone rushing at me from the shiny reflection of my blade. I used Thunder Breathing to explode in raw stregth. I forced Doma away with a swing of my sword and I barely had enough time to duck under the horizontal attack of the ice clone. His arms had a sharp edge - like a blade.

Then it started.

A battle where I was constantly on the edge of dying. Doma with the help of his ice clone yook full advantage of my limited vision and attacked me from different directions at once.

This was a weakness I always knew I had yet couldn't find a solution to. My enemy was exploiting it to the fullest.

I was always stronger in a one vs one fight but when two entities attacked me at the same time and it became two vs one, I learned the limit of my eyes real quick.

I had two eyes yet I could only focus on one thing. The fight was a blur of speed even from my perspective. I took turns fighting against the two.

I predicted the attacks of Doma like before while giving more attention to the ice clone which I had trouble predicting. Perfect movement allowed me to fight efficiently and barely keep up with the coming onslaught.

The air vibrated due to the exchange of blows. On long sword blurred to fend off four attacks. Doma use both his hands and the clone used both arms to attack

Sometimes I would use my elbow or kicks to continue. I would kick at Doma's knees when he was going to step forward, I elbowed the ice holem at the blunt part of it's arm before swining again at Doma.

Everything happened in a flash yet the calculated moves I made in the gap between instances could only be described as a miracle.

But even that was not enough.

*SWOOSH!!*

I did a flip in the air to create distance and dodge four attacks coming at me. I realized then that when I was in the air, looking down, I could see them both.

In an instant, I came up with a strategy. I started leaping in the air, the moment my feet made contact with the ground was the only one time when my feet touched the ground. That way, I was able to fend off attakcs coming at me easier.

Although it aerial fight was limiting, as long as I could see the attacks coming, I thought I would able to manage it.

I used their attacks coming up to split me ad a way to remain in the air as well. Doing my best to survive the onslaught.

But that strategy did not last long.

"Blood Demon Art" x2

My eyes saw the gathering of moisture in the air. The water froze and formed an ice lotus that had intricate details. If I were not in the middle of battle, I would pause to admire its beauty.

Then those lotus started spinning and grew sharp vines that easily moved at the speed of sound - like a whip. My eyes saw the way they sliced through the frigid air, one strike was enough to tear through flesh.

"Lotus Vines!!" x2

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To make matters worse, his clone - the one I could hardly predict - used the exact same technique. Two upper moon-level attacks came at me while I was in the air. Time slowed down to a crawl and I saw the vines along with the sharp petals spinning my way.

They were a spinning razor of calamity, spiralling towards me with the cold intent of murder.

For the first time in my life, I was lost for words.

There was no reply from me.

The only thing I did was minimize the attack.

The vines came at me, the air displaced from their sheer speed created vibrations in the atmosphere. When they made contact with my flesh, it looked like I was made of cake. They sliced me up, leaving wounds from which blood splurt out like a waterfall.

But that was the best outcome. The other productions I made all tell a scene where I was chopped into pieces.

I saw everything in slow motion, therefore the pain I felt was also slow and agonizing. The attacks left multiple slash marks on my body but none of them were enough to cut through bone.

When I landed on the ground, I nearly slipped on my own blood. But I remained calm and strong, for I finally had the ability to fight back. I gripped my sword with both hands and with the strength of a dying man, I unleashed it.

"Storm Breathing : First Form,"

My body screamed at me, protesting against using such a tiring technique at the situation. They did not want to move, they wanted to run away and heal from the injuries I had sustained.

But the will of my heart forced them to move and move they did. In a fight-or-flight situation, my body fought with everything it had.

"Tempest Fury,"

My arm exploded to action as every fibre of the muscles in my arm worked together to produce raw strength in a single instance - Thunder Breathing.

A shockwave erupted and a small hurricane formed from my swing. Wind blades came to life and ripped apart flesh, bones and ice - Wind Breathing.

My arm did not lose accuracy even when it moved with such force. The kinetic energy of my swing was controlled and I hit only what I wanted, Doma and his ice doll. There was no wasted force on anything else - Water Breathing.

The end result was the highest calibre of man-made catastrophe. Everything in front of me was minced into pieces. The ice lotus and its vines were shredded, leaving no fragments and the same thing goes for the ice doll.

*BOOOOOOM!!*

Doma himself was ripped into pieces. But the thud of something falling made my heart waver - that did not finish him off.

It was a risk, but one I thought it best to take. The fact that he was winning and even inflicted grave injuries upon me caused him to let his guard down. I took that chance and attacked with the best I had.

Yet it was not enough.

"Heh," I mouthed in despair.

Doma's eyes were demonic red. He was able to save his upper body from the attack - from his shoulder up. They were covered with impenetrable ice that shielded him from the wind blades.

But still, he took a while to regenerate. Yet I couldn't take advantage of it because I was stuck in my place. My body ached all over and refused to move.

"You really are dangerous. Lord Muzan should be glad that I end you today," Doma said while his body reconstracted itself, cell by cell.

It was not fair. It was not fair that he could regenerate from such an injury so easily while I could not even move a muscle.

I hate it. I hate it with every fibre of my being.

Right then, a blur came at Doma while he was regenerating. But even though he was not fully healed, he was able to block the incoming slash that came his way.

"You are not forgetting about me, are you? I was the one you targeted in the first place!" Kanae said, her eyes crying blood, a consequence of overusing the final form of flower breathing.

"No, not at all. Quite the opposite," Doma said and with half legs, they started fighting once more.

I couldn't do anything else but watch as my body recovered from the aftermath of Storm Breathing. They engaged in a short exchange but as Doma regenerated, he quickly overpowered Kanae.

She moved with the same calculating manner as I did. Her eyes working like mine but on smaller scale. She was like a weaker version of me to be honest.

*BOOOM*

So how could she possibly stand a chance?

She was doing everything she could to hold on for longer, to give me a chance to recover. Her body was pushed beyond its limits and her eyes were slowly losing their light the longer she used her technique.

"I'm done playing, its not fun anymore," Doma said and kicked Kanae at her abdomen, sending her flying away like a ragdoll. She manage to catch herself in the air and slid to a stop right beside me.

"Kanae.." I called her.

"I'm fine, don't worry," she replied softly, with ragged breath.

She was not fine. My eyes saw the extent of her injuries, I saw her lungs tearing at themselves with each breath she took, I saw her shattered bones, her torn muscles and ligaments.

And I saw her blinding eyes. I don't think she would be able to see normally after this battle.

"Blood Demon Art : Ice Dolls,"

Chilling words fell upon the battlefield. The wind picked up speed as moisture froze up, leaving the air so dry and cold that it was difficult to get even one breath.

That was only the beginning of our despair as six ice clones started being constructed around us. In a matter of seconds, we were surrounded by the six ice dolls along with Doma who spread his arms dramatically.

Like a God.

This was it, this was the might of the upper moon 2. I was still not strong enough to take him, not nearly strong enough.

"You will die here today, and I will take both of you to paradise," Doma said and smiled widely.

A demon playing God. How revolting.

"Blood Demon Art : Freezing Cloud," the moment those words left his lips. he and his six clones swung their arms, releasing cold winds that could freeze our bodies.

Since we were completely surrounded, there was nowhere to run.the fact that I made the battlefield an open ground no longer mattered with the clones present.

The cold winds hit us like a blizzard, it was a blue smoke of chilling death. Our body temperature fell rapidly and each breath we took froze our lungs.

We could not even see clearly anymore due to the blizzard, eyes felt like they were freezing up. Kanae fell against my body, my arms moved to grab her and I immediately covered her mouth and nose.

The demon's laughter echoed at that moment. It felt like i could hear it, deep in my mind. Was it the delusion of a dying man, I was not sure.

It was cold. Too cold to even form thoughts.

'I guess this is how I die, unable to even save one girl,' the sane part of my mind said.

Yet, there was also something else. Something in me was protesting with everything, it hated the demons and the situation to the very core.

Nine years ago, I was helpless. And now, I was helpless once more.

Was all my effort for useless? Was winning against the demons reserved for the main character alone?

The frustration in my heart was enough to overshadow the cold air.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

I hate it more than anything else. I hate it even more than I loved myself.

....

Suddenly, I felt my body temperature increase rapidly and my heart came alive like an engine in my chest. It felt like it was expanding the size of my chest cavity with how wildly it was beating.

I felt a surge of strength and energy throughout my body, it turned all my previous injuries and limits into an illusion. I felt stronger than I ever felt before.

My eyes started glowing and I could finally see past the blizzard again. I locked eyes with Doma and I knew what was going on.

I did not even have to look at myself to notice a mark appearing on my face.

Fuck.

Was this the only way to win? I did not want this. But what other choice did I have when I was pushed to the brink of death? It was either this or dying now.

So I accepted it. But with a promise that I would obliterate the creature that pushed me to such an extent.

No. Not just him.

I'll drive them to extinction.

"Kanae.." I called her name and hugged her close to my body. My eyes saw the effect of hypothermia and I started panicking. I started hating even more.

How dare they try to take from me again?

i wouldn't allow it to happen again even at the cost of my life.

With the newfound strength and demon slayer mark, I could form coherent thoughts once more. And at that moment - when I was at the edge of life and death - enlightenment came.

It was when man is left with no other choice that he came up with the best innovations.

...

Adapt.

Fighting was a conversation. My skills are my words and language, it was impossible to run out of options.

The things I knew and the techniques I have learned so far were all copied from others. The best thing I had done was combine them.

But at that moment, I moved past thag threshold. I did not copy, I did not simply combine.

I started creating something completely new. Something that was not just a combination of the techniques I've learned

Or should I say I was re-creating it?

Stone Breathing. Water Breathing. Thunder Breathing. Flame Breathing. Wind Breathing and even Steroid Breathing.

I used the meanings and the concepts of each breathing styles to create something new. They were like words with different meanings and I started constructing an entirely new sentence from them.

I did not sply combine them. I broke them down to their most primitive state and built up the best version of them.

And you know what? It fits like a puzzle.

Somehow, the core concepts of all these breathing styles led to one beginning.

"Esoteric Art..."

No.

"Sun Breathing,"

It was the perfect beginning, the perfect language and the ultimate truth. It did not matter who you were, where you were from or when you lived.

Across different identities, different continents, or different eras, the moment you reach perfection, you will find Sun Breathing.

It did not matter how cold the air was anymore. My lungs sucked in the frigid air and I took a full breath. It did not hurt my lungs anymore, it not freeze anymore, it felt fine.

I could see fire coming from my mouth as I took in each breath. They were different from Flame Breathing, they were more intense and red.

But even then, it was only a simple breath. I did not know enough to re-create the different forms of Sun Breathing. I only figured out the constant breathing of Sun Breathing.

It was how Yoriichi would've inhaled.

But as the foundation of all breathing styles, the breath I inhaled supported every style of breathing I knew. As I mentioned before, each breathing style has unique patterns to the way you breathe. But Sun Breathing could apply to all of them.

I carried Kanae in my arms and using my right leg, I propelled myself forward.

"Thunderclap and Flash!"

I blitz past the ice clones and Doma. The demon's shokced face was the last image I saw.

In just a few seconds, I was many meters away from the battlefield. But ultimately, I stopped.

Running away at my condition was a foolish decision. I was too injured to run far and Doma would inevitably catch up to me. So the better option was to end this fight now while I still had energy.

I gently laid Kanae on the ground underneath a tree. Raven flew towards me and I told her to protect her. I took another second to look at her face.

She was the reason I was fighting. My love for her was the reason I hate.

Then I stood up, turned around, and ran towards Doma again.

With my sword shining under the moon, I inhaled a huge breath using Sun Breathing. The pattern of the breath fits every technique I had.

"Storm Breathing : Second Form,"

My body did not protest, instead, it roared with anticipation.At the cost of only living 25 years old, my body was able to achieve inhuman strength. I knew instinctively that I could use Storm Breathing as much as I wanted.

'Let me curse you.'

"Lightning Wave!!" I yelled and I blitz towards Doma st the fastest speed I had moved yet.

For a moment I let my body forget it's injured state and fight with everything it had.

....

....

[IMAGE]

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Next Chapter incoming