29 Uppermoon 2 (3)

Giyu exhaled sharply, a puff of cold air escaping his mouth as his freezing body slowly began to warm. His blade burned with a bright red hue, though Giyu barely noticed this detail of his blade color, his focus entirely on Doma.

The strange part was that Doma couldn't sense any hostility from the water hashira, no! he couldn't even sense Giyu's presence at all. It was exactly the same as the time when his head had been cut off. "What an interesting human you are," Doma whispered, a crazed smile spreading across his face.

"Scattering Lotuses!" Doma swung his fans, creating a blizzard of icy lotus petals that swirled toward Giyu. Yet Giyu stood motionless, calmly awaiting the approaching storm of petals.

'Lull,' Giyu thought, as every petal that came close to his skin was sliced away with minimal effort. It was almost as if Giyu hadn't even swung his sword but his eyes narrowed as Doma lunged from within the wall of petals, his crazed smile unmistakable as he brought his fan down toward Giyu.

Giyu's muscles tensed to their absolute limit, his speed increasing as he reacted. The minimal movements of the Eleventh Form: Dead Calm were unintentionally altered by Giyu, who was too focused on the fight to realize.

His body moved in a fluid yet rough dance, legs shifting like a sudden storm before the calm. His entire form tore through Doma's icy onslaught, leaving destruction upon their clash.

The red blade in Giyu's hands blurred, moving with such speed and grace that it seemed unstoppable, growing more precise with each motion.

SLASH!

Doma's eyes widened in shock as small cuts appeared on his chest and arms. He used his fan to protect his head, retreating a few meters as the wall of petals scattered in opposite directions, guided by the relentless slashes of Giyu's sword.

Tomioka's pace slowed, his deadly dance coming to an abrupt stop. His legs wobbled as they tangled, causing him to stumble and fall with a thud, clearly unaccustomed to moving in such a way.

"That was incredible!" Doma said, his fingers brushing over the wounds on his body. His eyes widened in shock. "Wounds? But why am I not healing?" He wondered as he noticed his healing had slowed to an almost complete stop where Giyu's red blade had grazed him.

"Ah, that's no good," Doma chuckled, showing no signs of worry despite the realization. "You've become so much more dangerous now." He spoke, spreading his arms wide.

"Crystalline Divine Child!" Ice particles gathered around him, forming seven smaller versions of Doma, completely made of ice. "Oh, I know! Since I can't let your blade touch me, you can play with these children instead."

Giyu, rising to his feet, gave no response, his cold, emotionless gaze locked onto Doma. Doma did the same, though the demon tried to mask his own lack of emotion with a smile.

Without hesitation, Giyu dashed toward Doma, and the ice clones charged at him. Doma stood back, watching without moving. "Third Form: Flowing Dance," Giyu thought, his movements accelerating. His blade cut through two clones before they could even act.

"Lotus Vines!" One clone extended its arms, creating frost-covered vines that lashed toward Giyu. He leapt into the air as the vines sliced through the roof beneath him. His eyes darted, assessing the remaining clones, but they quickly widened as he spotted Doma preparing another attack.

"Cold White Princesses." Doma remained in his spot, laughing behind his fans. Two statues of upper-bodied, female humanoid figures appeared beside him, their eyes closed and hands raised as though blowing icy air.

Still airborne, Giyu swung his sword downward, splitting the cold wind as it blasted toward him. "Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!" He cleaved through the freezing air, landing on the ground. But before he could regain his footing, three more clones rushed at him. Giyu's eyes narrowed. "Tenth Form," he whispered.

His blade moved flawlessly, decapitating the three clones in a single fluid motion. With a burst of speed, he sprinted toward Doma, the remaining two clones blocking his path, but it was already too late. "Constant Flux" Giyu murmured as a spiraling, dragon-like form made out of water trailed behind Giyu's blade, growing larger and stronger with every movement.

The last two clones were destroyed as Giyu continued his relentless assault on Doma. The water dragon illusion followed behind him, coiling and surging with crazy force. Doma grinned madly, crouching down and placing his palm on the cold roof just as the dragon opened its jaws to devour him.

BOOM!

Another explosion of icy air shook the forest, this one far more destructive. Giyu's eyes widened as the water dragon dissipated into nothingness. The entire estate began to collapse under his feet, the roof breaking apart as the once-grand estate turned to ruins.

Biting his lip, Giyu looked ahead. A massive Bodhisattva statue, even larger than the previous one, loomed over the area, surrounded by frozen lotuses.

Doma sat atop one of the flowers, smiling widely. "Ah, the last time I used this, I didn't get to complete it. So let me show you how a completed one looks like" he said gleefully. One of the statue's giant hands rose high in the sky before crashing down toward Giyu at incredible speed.

***

Kanae sprinted through the forest, her remaining energy barely carrying her forward. Guilt gnawed at her for leaving another Hashira to fight alone, but she pushed the feeling aside knowing her sister could be in danger if she stays near.

"Sister!" Shinobu's voice broke through her thoughts, drawing her attention. Kanae's eyes widened as she saw her younger sister, her expression filled with worry, she was also headed in her direction.

"Shinobu!" Kanae called out, hurrying to her side. But Shinobu reached her first. Grabbing her arm, she immediately noticed the coldness of Kanae's skin, as well as the blood staining her shoulder. "What happened?" Shinobu asked, not seeing Giyu anywhere and growing increasingly alarmed at Kanae's low body temperature.

"There's no time, Shinobu! An Upper Moon is here!" Kanae urged, her voice strained. "You have to leave!"

"No way!" Shinobu instantly refused without hesitation, her voice firm and unwavering. She didn't care if an Upper Moon or even the Demon King himself was present—she couldn't leave her sister alone in such a condition.

She had always followed her sister's lead, but now, she couldn't just run away. "What about you?" she demanded.

"I have to help Tomioka!" Kanae answered. But before the conversation could continue, a massive explosion shook the air.

Both of their heads snapped in the direction of the mansion, which was slowly crumbling into rubble, as blue, cold mist rose thru the air.

Their faces turned grim as Kanae took her sister's hand "Leave, please!" she commanded as her figure disappeared, dashed back toward the collapsing estate. Shinobu bit her lip and followed, ignoring her sister's desperate plea.

(Author's note: Next chapter will be the final one for this fight. Sorry it dragged on, but it's the first major battle of this fanfic, so I couldn't hold back)