"Milady, why?"
"Who is he? Why is he worth treating like this?!"
"I've followed you for hundreds of years!"
Even the emotionally detached Doma couldn't stand being treated as a gift to be given away. He roared, his voice full of disbelief.
Although the fight with Kurozawa had been full of twists and turns, and he was gradually losing ground, Doma knew it would be difficult for Kurozawa to kill him before dawn.
But he hadn't expected Hongyue, whom he thought had come to help him, to turn around and package him up like a dumpling, delivering him right under the blade of his enemy, Kurozawa.
Doma found this reality hard to accept.
Hongyue glanced at him indifferently, offering no reply. Her attention was mostly focused on Kurozawa; she didn't have time to explain the reason to Doma.
"Why?" After Doma's mournful cry, Kurozawa also asked with curiosity.
Hongyue's face flushed slightly, then she whispered, "Because we're already engaged. I am your wife."
"We are partners. Of course, I'll give you what you want."
Her slightly shy tone and blushing face truly left Kurozawa stunned for a moment.
Hongyue was incredibly beautiful, the kind of cool, breathtaking beauty. When she displayed shyness like this, the sudden contrast made it hard for Kurozawa to look away. He was currently staring at Hongyue without blinking.
Beside them, Kanae, who had remained silent the whole time, widened her eyes. She opened her mouth multiple times, then stopped herself, clearly brimming with countless questions.
Meanwhile, Doma's face changed. He froze in place, his emotions incredibly complex.
Were these two going to kill him for kicks?
He also realized that Hongyue wasn't joking. He was, most likely, going to die.
As the Cult Leader of the Eternal Paradise Cult, he had seen death many times. After all, his followers viewed death as liberation. But Doma knew that death was nothingness; once you died, everything ceased to exist.
He was emotionally detached, but he also feared death. This was the ultimate terror that all life was unwilling to face.
And so, Doma's expression turned fierce. He clenched his jaw tightly.
He was resisting Hongyue's control.
Layers of white frost crept up the scarlet chains, attempting to freeze them solid. But it was unrealistic to try such petty tricks right under their noses.
Before Hongyue could act, Kurozawa shook his head, waking from Hongyue's natural Charm. Then, annoyed, he stomped on Doma's head.
The Pitch-Black Aura roared to life, burning Doma's reason and spirit. The already extremely weak Doma instantly lost the ability to resist.
He seized the opportunity, raised Mingzhou, and intended to give Doma a quick death.
But as the blade of Mingzhou touched Doma's neck, Kurozawa's eyes flickered, and he suddenly stopped.
He looked at Hongyue and asked, "I can spare him. After all, he's your subordinate. If he can be fully controlled, his value alive is higher." As he said this, Kurozawa had already accepted Hongyue.
He didn't know why Hongyue trusted and liked him so much, but that didn't stop him from knowing Hongyue's sincerity.
Moreover, Kurozawa, who had thought he would be alone against the world, was treated with such unconditional trust by Hongyue. To say he wasn't moved or touched would be a lie, especially since Hongyue was the most beautiful person Kurozawa had ever seen.
He could ask her later why she favored him.
As for sparing Doma, it was because Kurozawa was considering the Demon Slayer Corps, who would become his enemies in the future.
On the surface, the Demon Slayer Corps seemed inferior to the Demons in every way, but Kurozawa knew this was just an illusion. The protagonists of this world were, after all, humans, not Demons. No matter how difficult the process, no matter how weak they appeared, the Demon Slayer Corps had a high probability of winning in the end.
Winning against stronger opponents, power-ups when near death, breakthroughs during battle... those protagonist Swordsmen were, to some extent, equipped with powerful cheats.
After realizing the existence of the World Will, Kurozawa knew it was trying to get the plot back on track, and his situation was actually quite dangerous.
And Doma's Blood Demon Art was insidious, especially against Swordsmen who relied on Breathing Techniques.
As long as a Swordsman needed to breathe to power themselves, it would be difficult for them to maintain full strength within Doma's Ice Crystal Domain. Their combat power would plummet to freezing point, as even the sharpest Nichirin Blade couldn't cut through tiny, invisible ice crystal dust.
Furthermore, his Ice Crystal Domain had a large range. If a full-scale battle broke out that day, activating the Ice Crystal Domain would be equivalent to applying a general weakening negative effect to the Swordsmen, which would be very effective.
After Kurozawa said this, Hongyue nodded and said, "Okay, let's keep him then."
With a wave of her hand, the scarlet chains retracted back into Doma's body, and Kurozawa also withdrew the Pitch-Black Aura that was burning Doma.
"Go to Asakusa and find a place to hide," Kurozawa said to Doma after seeing him regain his composure.
He was already planning to establish a base of operations, and Asakusa was a very good place. It was a large city with a large population, making it easy to hide in a place with many eyes. Moreover, the Demon Slayer Corps would be hesitant due to concern for ordinary people.
Doma turned to look at Hongyue. Hongyue said, "From now on, what he says is what I mean."
Kurozawa spread his palm, and a ball of Pitch-Black Aura burned quietly. "What, you want to test the power of this flame again? Do you think I'm not your opponent, not qualified?"
"No... no..."
"From now on, Doma will carry out your orders with all his might."
Thinking back to the burning pain that seemed to penetrate his soul, combined with Hongyue's imposing presence, Doma's arrogance completely vanished.
"Let's go," Kurozawa thought for a moment, pointed at Kanae, and continued, "Take her with you and release her somewhere."
He looked at Kanae and said seriously, "Kanae, I consider you a friend, and I've done everything I can."
"If, in the future, you still decide to be my enemy, then I can only kill you."
Kanae remained silent, still not speaking. She didn't know what to say, so she just stayed quiet.
Immediately after, Doma quickly left Lotus Town, taking the nearly immobilized Kanae with him. The ice crystals, no longer supported by his Blood Demon Art, also vanished, revealing the many frozen corpses and buildings.
Thus, in the ruined Lotus Town, littered with floating bodies, only Kurozawa and Hongyue remained, gazing at each other under the faint starlight.
"Now it's just us," Kurozawa said.
Hongyue nodded, a hint of joy on her face. She could see that Kurozawa's long-held wariness had finally disappeared.
"I want to know why you treated me like this," Kurozawa said, looking at Hongyue and voicing the question he'd had all along.
At first, he thought it was his smile, enhanced by his Charm Stat, like a magical attack.
It was certainly effective, but to attract someone like Hongyue with just a smile seemed a bit self-deceptive.
Hongyue lightly bit her fingernail, thought for a moment, and then suddenly stepped closer.
The distance between them instantly closed to less than three centimeters; they were practically touching.
She lifted her head, her bright, ruby-like eyes the first thing Kurozawa saw. Then, he could smell a faint, subtle fragrance on Hongyue.
"I'm not entirely sure either, but this way, you'll know." Hongyue gently stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Kurozawa's neck, making him lower his head, and then brought her forehead close until it touched his.
"What do you m—"
Kurozawa's eyes widened instantly.
At the same time, Hongyue's Scarlet Armor appeared, enveloping both herself and Kurozawa.
By the time Kurozawa reacted, he found that his surroundings were a blank void, and his consciousness had been pulled into a certain space.
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