Chapter 229: Escape, Death

Dio watched the interaction between the two and suddenly let out a cold laugh: "So they're reinforcements sent by that guy Muzan? He really thinks highly of me."

"Oh? It seems you know that Adult quite well." Douma's tone remained gentle, but the fan in his hand had already fully opened.

"Upper Rank Two? Dio's golden pupils narrowed slightly, his right pupil suddenly contracting, "Let me see your strength!"

"Space Ripper Stingy Eyes!"

A white beam tore through the air, shooting straight toward Douma's face; wherever it passed, the air let out a sharp explosive roar.

The smile on Douma's face didn't change; he lightly waved his right-hand fan: "Blood Demon Art: Lotus Leaf Ice."

"Crack!"

Dozens of crystalline ice lotuses bloomed in midair, each emitting a bone-piercing chill. The white beam crashed into the ice lotuses and was instantly frozen into a crystalline ice pillar.

At the moment Douma sealed the beam, Dio's figure suddenly vanished from its original spot.

Akaza's pupils shrank sharply, his right hand subconsciously clenching tight. With his keen perception of aura, he actually couldn't capture Dio's existence at all.

"This guy," Akaza gritted his teeth, "has completely converged his aura."

Douma, however, still maintained his elegant smile, lightly fanning his iron fan: "Can't capture the aura? Then let the entire battlefield become my perception range."

"Blood Demon Art: Frozen Cloud!"

Douma abruptly spread both fan faces, swinging both golden iron fans simultaneously.

In an instant, countless fine ice crystals surged from the fan faces, forming a vast icy mist in the air.

The icy mist spread rapidly, enveloping a hundred-meter radius in the blink of an eye.

"There!" Douma suddenly opened his eyes.

In the icy mist, one area's ice crystal trajectories showed a slight distortion.

"There!" A cold light flashed in Douma's rainbow-colored pupils as he swung his iron fan again: "Blood Demon Art: Creeping Lotus!"

Dozens of ice-blue vines burst from the ground, their surfaces covered in sharp ice thorns. The vines twisted like living things, extending rapidly toward a certain direction.

Dio's figure manifested, his right arm shooting out a bone blade, slashing at the attacking vines.

At this moment, a crystalline ice flower bloomed inside his chest. Countless fine ice thorns shot out from the flower's core, instantly piercing his lungs.

"What?!"

This moment of lag let the vines seize the opportunity. Ice-blue vines entangled Dio's four limbs, sharp ice thorns piercing deep into flesh and blood.

Cold air spread along the wounds, freezing the surrounding flesh and blood into ice.

Dio frowned; he discovered his regenerative ability was extremely weakened, the wound healing speed becoming extremely slow.

Ice vines pierced through Dio's four limbs and torso, pinning him dead in midair. Cold air spread along the wounds, the surrounding flesh and blood freezing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Even regenerative ability is frozen?" Dio lowered his head to look at the ice vines on his chest, brows tightly furrowed. He could feel that the originally rapid cell regeneration speed was being suppressed by the extreme cold aura.

"Right now!" Akaza seized the opportunity instantly, stomping the ground with both feet, his whole body rushing out like a shell.

"Destruction Kill: Annihilation Style!"

Douma raised an eyebrow, lightly waving his fan, wanting to block. But Akaza's speed was astonishingly fast; the fist wind had already arrived.

"This punch's power is enough to smash your skull!" A ruthless glint flashed in Akaza's eyes. Even an Upper Rank Demon, taking this punch head-on, would absolutely have no chance of survival.

At this critical moment, the blood inside Dio's body began to boil, temperature soaring sharply.

"Crack! Crack!"

The ice flowers inside his body rapidly melted under the high temperature; dense cracks appeared on the ice vines' surfaces.

At the same time, Dio's blood vessels burst out of his body, dancing like countless tiny worms, instantly cutting the surrounding ice vines to smithereens.

"WRYYY!"

"Clang!"

Akaza's fist collided with Dio's right arm, emitting a metallic ringing sound; an air wave exploded, shaking away the surrounding icy mist.

"Hah!" Dio let out a low shout, his right arm suddenly rotating violently.

Blood vessels burst out of his body, entangling around Akaza's arm like steel wires. Simultaneously, a bone-piercing chill erupted from the contact point.

"Vaporization Freezing Technique!"

In an instant, a layer of thin frost surfaced on Akaza's arm. But before he could react, the blood vessels entangled on his arm suddenly writhed violently, beginning to crazily absorb his flesh and blood.

"This feeling." Akaza's face changed drastically; he wanted to retreat, but it was already too late. In the blink of an eye, his entire arm was absorbed clean.

"A truly scary ability." Douma said softly. He spread both golden iron fans simultaneously; the lotus patterns on the fan faces bloomed with an eerie light.

"Blood Demon Art: Winter's White Princess!"

The air violently undulated; two streams of icy mist condensed into human forms. Two girls clad in pure white kimonos appeared on Dio's left and right sides, their faces bearing eerie smiles.

"Hah!"

The two ice girls simultaneously opened their mouths, exhaling dense cold air. The temperature around Dio plummeted; moisture in the air rapidly condensed.

Dio's body was instantly covered in a layer of cold mist.

At the same time, Douma waved his fan: "Blood Demon Art: Winter Ice Pillar!"

"Clang clang clang!"

Countless ice cones stabbed out from all directions; their speed was astonishingly fast, drawing streaks of cold light in the air.

"Crack! Crack!"

The sound of ice cones piercing flesh and blood rang out continuously. Dio's body was pierced by over a dozen ice cones, and freezing spread instantly.

At this moment, Akaza seized the opportunity, his right foot stomping the ground hard, borrowing force to close in.

"Destruction Kill: Leg Type: Flowing Flash Group Light!"

"Bang!"

This kick struck Dio squarely in the chest. The massive impact force instantly tore his body into five pieces, fragments flying backward.

But in midair, those fragments suddenly trembled. Countless blood vessels burst out, connecting with each other like a spider web. In the blink of an eye, Dio's body reassembled whole.

"What a troublesome ability." Douma closed his fan, his face still wearing a gentle smile. "Akaza, your fighting style is too direct. Fighting this kind of opponent, close-quarters combat will instead give him an opening."

Akaza clenched his fists, his knuckles making cracking sounds. He naturally understood that what Douma said was fact, but this feeling of being lectured by the other party made him extremely displeased.

Douma continued: "You only need to coordinate with my Blood Demon Art, and deliver a fatal blow at the right moment."

Akaza gritted his teeth, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes, but in the end he still nodded: "Understood."

Dio stood in place, brows tightly furrowed. The opponent's attacks were all large-scale long-range ice-type attacks, and with Akaza added in, they simply did not give him a chance to get close.

His strongest absorption ability was completely useless. The opponent might receive reinforcements at any moment, and time was already approaching morning...

"I must find a chance to retreat." Dio's right foot shifted back slightly, preparing to find a breakthrough point.

"Want to leave?" Douma chuckled lightly, both hands opening their fans simultaneously. "Blood Demon Art: Crystal Child!"

"Crack! Crack!"

The ground froze instantly, countless ice crystals rising from the earth.

They rapidly condensed into human shapes, each one looking like Douma, holding ice fans, surrounding Dio completely.

"Clang!" Dio's arm turned into a Bone Blade, cold light flashing. The nearest two ice men were instantly cut in two. But more ice men surged from all directions, completely sealing off the escape route.

"These ice men." Dio's eyes sharpened. The Bone Blade swung continuously, slashing the approaching ice men to pieces. But those fragments, the moment they hit the ground, re-condensed, turning into new ice men.

"I said it before, running is useless." Douma's face still wore a gentle smile. "Since you like close combat so much, let you witness true power."

Water vapor in the air rapidly condensed. A giant ice statue over ten meters tall rose from the ground. It was a Bodhisattva Statue, crystalline and transparent throughout, emitting a bone-piercing chill.

"Clang!"

The Bodhisattva's right hand rose, turning into a hand blade, chopping down at Dio's head. The ice blade tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistle.

"Boom!"

Ice blade and Bone Blade collided. The terrifying force made the ground instantly crack and split. Spider-web-like cracks spread in all directions, rubble flying.

The powerful impact shock numbed Dio's arms, his whole body sinking into the ground.

"It's over." Douma said softly.

At Yiyi Kan Wu Yi Cuo Ban Ben!

The Bodhisattva Statue continued pressing down. Dio's feet sank deeper into the ground. Cold air invaded along the Bone Blade continuously. His flesh and blood began to freeze, his regeneration ability severely weakened.

"Over?" Dio suddenly let out a low shout. "You underestimate me, DIO!"

"WRYYYY!"

Dio suddenly let out a low roar. The Bone Blades on both arms instantly spun at high speed. Sharp edges like chainsaws cut into the ice blade, emitting a piercing grinding sound.

"Crack!"

The Bodhisattva's arm was cut off. The huge ice block crashed down. But at this moment, a pale blue light suddenly lit up inside the Bodhisattva Statue's mouth.

"Blood Demon Art: Ice Seal!" Douma's voice rang out.

Countless tiny ice crystals sprayed out. Each ice crystal flashed with deadly cold light, densely enveloping Dio in mid-air.

"Vaporization Injection!"

Dio's chest cavity suddenly swelled. Blood vessels writhed wildly under his skin. Boiling blood surged in his body, temperature soaring sharply.

"Boom!"

A high-pressure airflow accumulated in his chest, carrying scalding blood spraying from his mouth. The blood pillar roared like a fire dragon, colliding head-on with the oncoming ice crystals.

"Hiss!"

Scalding blood and cold ice crystals neutralized each other, instantly producing large amounts of water vapor. Blood Mist permeated the air, shrouding the entire battlefield in a blood-colored fog.

Visibility plummeted. Even Akaza could not accurately capture Dio's location.

"Destruction Kill: Chaotic Style!"

Akaza struck with both fists simultaneously. Fist shadows poured down like a torrential rain. Air waves rolled, instantly clearing the surrounding Blood Mist and water vapor. But when vision recovered, Dio's figure had already vanished.

"He ran!" Akaza gritted his teeth.

Douma looked up at the distance. The horizon had already begun to turn white. "Dawn is breaking." He closed his fan. "Must settle him before the sun rises."

Words barely fallen, Douma was tossed high by the Bodhisattva. In an instant he saw Dio's location.

"There!"

The two almost simultaneously exerted force, chasing in the direction Dio fled. Akaza was faster. Every step left deep footprints in the ground.

Douma seemed to float. Ice crystals condensed under his feet, serving as stepping stones to advance rapidly.

"Must make it before the sun rises." Dio gritted his teeth, cold sweat seeping on his forehead. The battle just now had already consumed a huge amount of his stamina. Continuing like this was extremely unfavorable.

Sound of breaking air came from behind. Douma and Akaza were rapidly closing in. Both their speeds were extremely fast. In the blink of an eye they had closed more than half the distance.

Dio rushed into a Small Town, passing through narrow alleys. Dilapidated houses flashed past beside him.

"Found you!" Akaza's voice suddenly came from above.

"Destruction Kill: Annihilation Style!"

Akaza leaped down from the Rooftop at high speed. His whole body like a fired Shell plunged down. His fist drew a Body Flicker in the air, aiming straight for Dio's back.

"Bang!"

Amid the dull impact sound, Dio's body flew out like a kite with a broken string. He crashed heavily into a civilian house. Wooden Walls collapsed with a boom. Dust and smoke rose.

"Blood Demon Art: Creeping Lotus!" Douma's voice followed close behind.

Countless ice vines burst from the ground. Like living things they entangled toward Dio in the smoke and dust. Cold air pressed close. Wherever they passed, the ground froze over with a layer of thin ice.

"What happened?"

Nearby residents were startled awake by the huge noise. They came out of their Doors wearing clothes. When they saw the scene before them, they instantly stood frozen in place.

At this moment, Dio raised his head to look at the horizon. Fish-belly white had already spread across most of the sky. Time left was extremely few. He must make a choice immediately.

"WRYYYY!"

A Roar came from the Ruins. Dio's body suddenly began to spin at high speed. Countless blood vessels burst out of his body, forming a blood-colored tornado in the air.

Scalding blood generated terrifying cutting force under high-speed rotation.

"Bang!"

Akaza hastily blocked, but was still knocked back several steps by this force; the ice vines shattered instantly under the blood dragon's cutting, turning into ice fragments filling the sky.

"Not good!" A flash of alarm crossed Douma's eyes. "He intends to."

Voice Not Fall, Dio's body had already split into several pieces, using the Blood Mist's cover to burrow into the bodies of the surrounding panicked residents.

Dense Blood Mist obscured vision, making it impossible to see the specific Location.

"Damn it!" Douma gritted his teeth, Swinging his fan violently.

But the People were too many; even using ice Blood Demon Art could not cover everyone at once. And the horizon had already turned pale white, the first ray of Sunlight about to shine down.

At This Moment Critical Moment, Akaza suddenly roared: "Right here!"

He keenly caught a trace of aura leaked when Dio last split. That faint fighting spirit fluctuation betrayed his Location.

Akaza stomped the Ground hard, his whole body shooting out like a Shell leaving the barrel. The Ground instantly collapsed under this tremendous force, rubble flying.

"Destruction Kill: Chaotic Style!"

His Fist turned into countless Body Flicker in the air; every punch precisely struck three possessed people. Fist wind howled, the air beaten into vacuum zones.

"Puff!"

Three bodies were instantly torn apart by tremendous force. Dio's Flesh was forced to manifest, thrown mid-air by the fist wind.

At This Moment, the first ray of Sunlight pierced the Cloud, shining on Dio.

"Aaaaaah!"

A miserable scream resounded through the Street. Dio's body emitted white smoke under the Sunlight, Flesh dissolving at visible speed.

The watching residents finally recovered from Shock, letting out terrified screams.

They pushed, trampled, frantically scattering in all directions. The Street was in chaos.

Akaza and Douma quickly retreated into the Shadow of a nearby Building. As Demons, they Similarly could not directly Exposure themselves to Sunlight.

(Chapter End)