However, just as the foul-smelling claws of the Speed Demon were about to pierce Kirikawa's heart!
A pink figure, like divine punishment descending in the moonlight, appeared silently yet incredibly fast between Speed Demon and Kirikawa!
"What?!"
Speed Demon's pupils suddenly contracted!
It didn't even see when the girl appeared!
But what terrified it even more was the dazzling, heart-stopping glint of blades that followed!
"Flower Breathing - Fourth Form - Crimson Hanagoromo!"
Kanae's voice was so soft it sounded like she was talking in her sleep, but the Nichirin Blade in her hand unleashed a power completely opposite to her demeanor!
The blade moved upwards, creating two intersecting arcs, like a beautiful garment woven from crimson petals, gracefully unfolding and instantly entangling the claw that the Speed Demon had extended!
"Pfft--!"
That thick, muscular arm that could shatter stones was cleanly severed at the elbow by this seemingly limp blade!
Black blood gushed out like a fountain, raining blood down into the air!
"Boom!"
The immense force sent the Speed Demon flying, crashing through several large trees before it slammed heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust!
The entire battlefield suddenly fell into an eerily quiet state.
Kirikawa remained in a position with his eyes closed, awaiting death.
The excruciating pain of my heart being torn apart, which I had imagined, did not come.
He trembled and slowly opened one eye.
The first thing you see is a slender, yet incredibly reassuring, back view.
The girl wore a butterfly-patterned kimono, and her plain-colored haori fluttered gently in the evening breeze.
Holding her Nichirin Blade, she stood quietly before him, like an insurmountable barrier, blocking all danger from behind.
The pink petals, dancing in the air, still lingered around her, and the moonlight cast a glow that made her figure look like she was in a dream.
God... Kami-sama?
Kirikawa's mind completely went blank.
He stared blankly at her retreating figure, his mind replaying the words he had spoken to her at the foot of the mountain not long ago.
"Mount Fujikasane is dangerous, especially for two delicate girls like them..."
"As long as you follow me, I promise I can protect you..."
"After the assessment, we can exchange sword techniques and insights..."
"Puff--!"
A mouthful of blood uncontrollably spurted from Kirikawa's mouth!
Shameful!
The feeling of being utterly humiliated was like a red-hot branding iron, burning his face severely!
Delicate?
Protection?
Exchange sword skills?
The thought of uttering such arrogant words to such an absurdly powerful monster made Kirikawa want to disappear into the ground on the spot! o(╥╥)o
His toes were awkwardly and frantically curled up inside the shoe, almost digging a three-bedroom apartment out of the sole!
I... I'm such a clown! A Joker who overestimates himself!
"Cough cough... cough..."
The emotional turmoil aggravated his wounds, and Kirikawa couldn't help but cough painfully.
The cough successfully caught the attention of the fairy-like woman in front.
Kanae turned around, her gaze still mostly fixed warily on the Speed Demon in the distance, but she briefly diverted her attention to ask in a particularly beautiful, heavenly, gentle voice:
"Moshi Moshi? Are you alright?"
In that instant, Kirikawa felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He gazed at the girl's profile, so beautiful it was almost unbelievable in the moonlight, and at her clear, watery eyes that revealed her concern. His heart began to pound uncontrollably.
She... she's so beautiful...
She's so gentle...
She... she still cares about me!!
Even though I was the one who was so stupid and arrogant, she didn't laugh at me; instead, she was worried about my safety!
What's this?
Is this... what it feels like to be in love?!
While Kirikawa's mind was already replaying an eighty-episode soap opera, Shinobu Kocho was sitting on a tree branch in the distance, arms crossed, watching him speechlessly.
'Tsk, this guy, is he stupid?'
'Your sister saved your life, and instead of trying to escape, you're just standing there drooling like a lecher?'
'As expected, all men are big pigs!'
He suppressed his inner grumbling, then turned his gaze to his older sister, whose purple eyes were filled with pride and arrogance.
'But it's no wonder he acts this way. After all, my sister is the gentlest, most beautiful, and most powerful being in the whole world!'
'Hmph, too bad, my sister is already taken! No one is good enough for her except that clueless, blockheaded Mr. Giyu!'
In Ren's little head, her thoughts once again began to wander uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield...
As the dust settled, the figure of the Speed Demon reappeared.
It stared intently at the suddenly appearing girl, its blood-red eyes filled with rage and surprise.
"Ah! Is she such a cute female swordsman?"
Speed Demon grinned maliciously, trying to use words to cover up his inner shock.
"What a pleasant surprise! It would be such a shame if such a beautiful face like yours got scratched!"
It could clearly feel a sense of oppression emanating from the girl in front of it, a feeling that made it uneasy.
But it wasn't afraid at all.
Are you kidding me!
It was a speed-type Blood Demon Art user! In terms of survival ability, it was confident that it could easily escape even if it encountered a "Pillar" level swordsman!
What's more, these two are just novice swordsmen who have just started out!
That last strike must have been a burst of her full power, combined with my momentary carelessness, that allowed her to succeed!
If I get serious, these two little girls are nothing more than two slightly more refined appetizers!
"I'll show you what real... speed is!"
With a roar, the Speed Demon unleashed its Blood Demon Art once more!
Blood Demon Art - Azure Flash - Shadowless Wild Dance!
This time, it pushed its speed to the limit!
Its figure instantly disintegrated into dozens of blue afterimages, which rushed towards Kanae from all directions like a storm!
Each afterimage carried sharp claws capable of tearing through steel, blocking all her possible escape routes!
This time, the Speed Demon is determined to win! It will tear this girl who dared to hurt it into the smallest pieces of flesh!
Faced with such an overwhelming attack that would make any swordsman despair, Kanae only showed a barely audible sigh.
She suppressed the last vestige of pity in her eyes.
At this level of competition, she can no longer afford to relax or hold back.
"Flower Breathing - Second Form - Honorable Shadow Plum!"
In that instant, the Nichirin Blade in Kanae's hand burst forth with a blindingly bright light!
A series of pink, arc-shaped slashes erupted from her blade, rapidly spreading outwards from her body!
The trajectories of those slashes were complex and exquisite, intertwining and blooming in the air, ultimately forming a perfect spherical barrier composed of countless pink plum blossom petals!
"Jingle bells, jingle bells--!"
The Speed Demon's claws, so fast they were invisible to the naked eye, seemed to have struck a wall made of the hardest steel the instant they touched the petal barrier!
Not only did it fail to break through even an inch, but the high-speed spinning petals actually deflected and shredded its claws!
"Impossible!!"
The screams of the Speed Demon, filled with terror and disbelief, came simultaneously from all directions!
"Boom--!"
Another loud bang!
This time, Speed Demon's figure flew backward in an even more disheveled manner than before, plowing a deep trench dozens of meters long in the ground before finally coming to a stop with a heavy crash into a huge rock!
Its limbs were unnaturally twisted, and its body was covered with fine cuts from the blade.
It struggled to lift its head and look at the girl who was still standing quietly in the same spot, her clothes perfectly straight. In her blood-red eyes, there was only endless horror that overturned all its understanding.
Why...?
"How were you able to... defend against my attack?!"