Not a detective

Page 93

Perhaps at this moment, Ibuki Ren believed that she was already a "god", an invincible being.

"How will I know if I don't try? Maybe I'm a genius in [Baryu] too."

Mo Yue didn't suddenly transform; she simply held herself up with both hands and moved her toes quickly, making it look quite convincing.

But anyone in the know can see at a glance that it's just a show, all show and no substance. Mo Yue is spoiled and lazy and unwilling to move.

She's hardly ever trained, let alone knows any fighting techniques. She probably just remembers some boxer moves. She could probably be taken down with a light push.

"……snort."

Ibuki Ren clearly saw through this as well. He approached disdainfully, raising his terrifyingly large fist, ready to unleash it—

"Have you delayed enough? Then let me restart my planned experiment... Miss, let's see how long you can hold out."

"Back off."

A sudden voice sounded.

That actually came from... Asakawa Riku.

"I've already said, this is my battle."

Riku Asakawa appeared behind Ren Ibuki, exhaling a light blue mist that caused the humanoid figure enveloped in it to undergo a dramatic change.

With one hand holding the unconscious Yukie, and with the other hand releasing the frost that had just been frozen.

Only a pair of cold eyes were visible, like death itself:

"Don't think you're the only one with Stage Two..."

His and Yuki's voices overlapped at this moment, forming a long and elegant duet:

"【【Snow Child】】."

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Forty-Five - Deadly Ice

Riku Asakawa's appearance has undergone a dramatic transformation.

The transformation was no less dramatic than that of a demon undergoing a metamorphosis. As the pale blue mist gradually dissipated, a thin, small boy was revealed.

He's more of a boy than a teenager, a complete opposite of the muscular hunk from before. If it weren't for the fact that it was still Asakawa Riku's face, you definitely wouldn't recognize him.

Like a "miniature" version of Asakawa Riku, he looks younger and more innocent, probably like he did when he was in elementary school or just starting junior high.

She was probably only 12 or 3 years old.

With a delicately sculpted face and refined features, even at such a young age, one could already see the beginnings of his handsomeness. His fine, smooth white hair fell from his shoulders to his waist.

But this is definitely not the young Riku Asakawa, because his white hair is very similar to that of a snow woman, like falling winter snow, beautiful and crystal clear, as if carrying a chill.

He held the unconscious Yukie in his arms and gently said, "Thank you."

Then, it was gently placed in a corner.

On the other side, Shinonome Suetsuki stared wide-eyed at everything, completely bewildered as to what had happened.

"..."

It wasn't the power of a "monster," nor was it a "superpower," so what was it?

Even whether that person was Asakawa Riku or not, no one could be sure.

Mo Yue was completely speechless at this moment, not knowing what to say. Perhaps the future she observed had never even presented this possibility.

Not only her, but even Ibuki Ren, her enemy, stood still without making any move.

He was probably shocked by this incredible phenomenon, and his left hand was somehow frozen and completely unable to move...

"How can it be……"

He used his other hand to forcefully pry at the hard ice block. Logically, his mutated self should have been incredibly strong and could easily shatter the ice block on his skin.

"Because that's not ordinary freezing."

Asakawa Riku finally spoke, and his voice sounded much younger, though colder than usual, as if it had cooled down.

He didn't even look up at the enemy; instead, he stared at his own now shrunken palm...

“Ordinary freezing is caused by ice blocks on the outside, which can be easily broken. But this [freezing] starts from the blood... then the bones... then the muscles... and only then the skin.”

“It’s completely frozen, inside and out.” The next second, the white-haired boy flashed in front of the demon.

He lightly tapped it with his finger, as if it were just playful mischief...

However, crack, crack! The demon's frozen arm, along with the ice, shattered into several pieces and fell to the ground!

"Ahhhhh!!"

Ren Ibuki watched all this in horror, hastily retreating as if she had witnessed some terrifying sorcery.

In fact, there was no pain at all, but seeing my arm shattered was still incredibly shocking.

Asakawa Riku let the guy run away without giving chase.

...Just as I expected.

He was just researching this new ability.

If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the "Snow Woman's" snow-falling ability, but rather something even further, coming from the freezing of "Black Snow."

These are two directions of specialization in ice and snow abilities. Black Snow cannot change large-scale celestial phenomena like Snow Woman. Snow Woman is a ruthless "natural disaster" that causes widespread cooling and blizzards, but Black Snow is more "killing" and "malicious". Her abilities are entirely designed for killing, attacking, destroying, and dying, making her an absolute weapon.

"Black Snow's ability is probably the most dangerous ability I've ever encountered."

Asakawa Riku muttered to himself, then raised his hand again, freezing Ibuki Ren's right leg.

"Uh……!"

The demon, which was about to charge forward, lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground.

Having just managed to recover her right hand, Ibuki Ren could only watch helplessly as her leg was frozen again, completely unable to resist this bizarre ability!

Asakawa Riku was not exaggerating at all; this kind of freezing from the inside out is a terrifying ability that can directly destroy a person.

With the blood frozen, any external defenses will become ineffective; even the invulnerable skin of someone like Shuten-dōji cannot withstand the internal collapse.

If it were Riku Asakawa, he could also use a special method of high-speed vibration to forcibly heat his body temperature in order to alleviate or counteract the effects of freezing.

But such skills can probably only be learned by martial artists like him.

Ibuki Ren was clearly out of options.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

The demon grabbed its own right leg, shouted loudly, and snapped it off with a crack, shattering the ice!

Ibuki Ren forcibly tore off her right leg just to stop the frost from spreading further inside her body...

This is the most vicious poison, the one that penetrates deep into the bone marrow, an incurable poison!

"...Asakawa Riku...you've also stooped to...using superpowers! Haha, but I can regenerate, freezing me won't help!"

Ibuki Ren's ferocious smile was somewhat forced, and the muscles at the base of his thighs were rapidly spreading and growing.

"Actually, I don't think this is a superpower."

Asakawa Riku tilted his head, and at that moment, the gesture was actually kind of cute.

Then he rushed over.

He wasn't lying. Asakawa Riku truly didn't know what changes had occurred to his body. In that instant, he felt Yukie sobbing against him. The girl hugged him tightly, as if she wanted to give him her body heat. It reminded him of that summer blizzard, when the two of them finally embraced in the villa, their tears incredibly warm.

Then the tears gradually cooled, and in a daze, I saw the two bodies melt together, the ice and water mingling to form an indistinct pale blue.

The next second, the "Snow Child" form appeared.

Even this name suddenly appeared in their minds while they were unconscious, as if their subconscious mind should call them that.

Frosty ice had formed beneath Asakawa Riku's feet, and he was gliding rather than running, his speed a level higher than before.

The boy danced gracefully, deftly dodging the demon's attacks. When his little hand touched the demon's body, a snowflake would immediately form.

"As expected, she's very strong."

He smiled happily.

Although it seems that Yuki gave her superpower to Asakawa Riku, Asakawa Riku felt that was not the case. What he felt was the "resonance" between the two at that moment, as if their "hearts" overlapped and formed a kind of precise concerto. Thus, in a sense, they were combined and the "Yukidouji" was born.

At this moment, "Snow Child" not only possesses the freezing power of black snow, but also the physical abilities of Asakawa Riku, and more importantly—

It is a new fighting style formed by combining the two.

The white figure moved around the evil spirits without fear, as if playing happily like a child, yet its speed was so fast that it was impossible to catch.

Only his silver hair could be vaguely seen, fluttering like a white crane.

"Stop...! Stop! Don't run anymore!!! Damn it!"

Ibuki Ren could only frantically slap her opponent, unable to keep up with his speed.

Gradually, he realized that it wasn't that the other person was too fast, but that he had unknowingly slowed down.

Unbeknownst to him, his body was completely covered in snowflakes, and the cold had seeped into his very bones, even making his thoughts stiff.

"I still don't have much of an artistic talent. It's too ugly. Let's redo it."

The white-haired boy stopped in front of him, seemingly dissatisfied with the ice sculpture.

Then with a gentle push, it fell to the ground and shattered into pieces!

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Forty-Six Whispers

"Don't let your guard down...! He's not completely dead yet!"

This time, Dongyun Sueyue's eyes wouldn't miss it. She shouted a warning: "His body parts can still move! Get out of the way!"

Asakawa Riku glanced down and, sure enough, saw that his ankle had been grabbed.

It was gripped tightly by a severed hand, a terrifyingly large hand that seemed to have a life of its own, with sharp, horribly pointed nails.

A tremendous force surged forth; the demon's power remained terrifying, instantly flipping him over. Yet, Asakawa Riku, suspended in mid-air, maintained an astonishing reaction speed.

He actually conjured a platform from his hand, firmly connecting it to the ground and locking himself in, preventing him from being pulled away directly.

"Oh?"

The wind whistled past his ears, and at the same time, an ice shield suddenly formed in front of him, blocking the severed foot that was flying towards him.

The ice shattered, unable to withstand the powerful kick, but Asakawa Riku managed to turn his head and narrowly avoid it.

He showed no sign of panic, remaining calm and unhurried throughout, as if his personality had become even more composed along with his demeanor.

He flipped over, kicked away several pieces of limbs that were coming from afar, landed firmly on his feet again, raised his leg, and crushed the severed hand that had been frozen again, turning it into a pile of fragments.

The entire movement was fluid and natural, showing no signs of weakness despite the change in body shape.

On the contrary, Asakawa Riku's amazing learning and adaptability were perfectly demonstrated. He used ice techniques in combination with physical skills and was rapidly approaching perfection.

"...They're really tenacious."

With a cold laugh, Ibuki Ren, as expected, is still alive.

Asakawa Riku saw that the demon corpses, which had been shattered into pieces, had not stopped their resurrection. They were even moving closer on their own, constantly reassembling and wriggling.

As long as they are together, they can generate new body parts. They have such terrifying regenerative power that it is impossible for ordinary medicine to achieve this.

This reminded him of the "human model" he once knew, which was also able to be reborn in such an incredible way.

It seems that the reason Ibuki Ren secretly gave me another injection of the "God's Poison" just now was because of this.

"Fine, every time you revive, I'll smash you to pieces."

Asakawa Riku slowly and methodically cleaned up the scattered limbs and fragments.

At this moment, the Dragon Palace Palace seemed to have been transformed into his "snow country," with everything around it covered in frost, which even stabilized the originally crumbling building.

The white-haired boy kept sliding around here, like an elegant dancer, fighting against the writhing limbs and remains.

He is now completely different from the "Black Snow" of the past. Black Snow was just a girl who couldn't fight and could only use freezing abilities.

Asakawa Riku possesses this ability based on his rich combat experience, and even his childlike body has inherited his terrifying strength and speed.

Even with just his fists and feet, he could completely destroy Ibuki Ren's body; the ability to shape ice is like adding wings to a tiger.