Slaughter Begins

The Spider Demon silently approached the back of one of the contestants.

The three remained oblivious, still engrossed in their discussion.

"So, should we stay here or go down directly?"

"Cough, the villagers knew I was taking the Demon Slayer Corps assessment and pooled money to send to our home. If I go back like this, won't I lose face?"

"What's the big deal? Make up an excuse. It's not like you can just join the Demon Slayer Corps. Can't they allow one or two to fail and survive?"

The Spider Demon circled the three of them.

The three didn't notice at all that a terrifying monster was clinging to their backs.

The Spider Demon wasn't in a hurry to devour its prey. It wanted to play with them first. It spun around in place like a top, seemingly having an idea.

It scuttled on its six legs to the back of the tall contestant, shaking its emaciated torso as it slowly stood up, reaching its hands under the tall contestant's neck.

The two sitting opposite and diagonally opposite finally saw the ugly monster, as if it had just drilled out from underground. Both of them simultaneously thought of a centipede.

In an instant, the hairs on their backs stood on end, and goosebumps covered their bodies. The two wished they could run away immediately, but their legs felt as if they were filled with lead, rooted to the ground and unable to move.

One of the people sitting diagonally opposite slowly raised his hand towards the tall contestant, his lips trembling. He seemed to want to say something, but whether it was from fear or urgency, his eyes were on the verge of tears.

The tall contestant noticed that his companions' fingers were not pointing at him but at his back. He thought they were trying to scare him and turned to look behind him, "What's wrong with you two? Don't tell me you saw..."

Before he could utter the word "demon," a "snap" was heard, and the tall contestant's neck made a 90-degree turn.

The tall contestant's eyes widened in terror as he finally saw the monster behind him, his eyeballs gradually becoming bloodshot.

With the tall contestant's death, the magical restraint on the two opposite seemed to disappear instantly.

"Ah~, a demon!"

The contestant sitting diagonally opposite let out a piercing scream and scrambled away towards a dim path.

It was the path leading up the mountain, the same path Kimura's team had taken earlier. He wanted to chase after them, beg for their forgiveness, and ask them to take him in. He began to regret listening to the tall contestant's instigation.

The other contestant was simply scared stiff. His face was pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, and a puddle of yellow liquid was flowing from his crotch. He wanted to run, but his body refused to obey.

He could only watch helplessly as the monster walked in front of him, then behind him, its dry claws reaching under his neck. It felt cold, and then with another "snap," he heard the sound of his neck breaking.

The screams exploded like fireworks before a banquet in the silent night and the eerie mountain forest.

The banquet had begun, the hunt had begun, the revelry had begun—of course, it was the demon's banquet.

The screams alerted Kimura's team, who were searching for a defensive location in the forest.

Upon hearing the screams, everyone froze in place, their scalps tingling and their necks feeling tight. They all turned their heads towards the source of the sound.

"Help me, help me, someone save me..."

The cries for help grew closer, then suddenly stopped, like a candle flickering in the night suddenly being snuffed out. Everyone's heart skipped a beat.

He's dead!

This was the thought that appeared in everyone's mind after the sound was cut off.

The crowd began to stir, and fear spread like wildfire, rising from their feet and coiling around their necks.

It's coming! Something is coming this way!

One, two, no... not just two. In front, behind, all around, there were rustling sounds of leaves being stepped on. In the trees, under the trees, everywhere... we're surrounded?

"Everyone, don't... don't panic. There are so many of us, there's nothing to be afraid of. Let's form a circle and move slowly."

Kimura's trembling voice was soft, but it still provided direction to the disoriented team members.

As the leader, the core of the team, his value was finally evident.

Hearing Kimura's command, everyone, as previously planned, began to change their formation from an offensive arrowhead to a slowly moving circle.

Kimura took a deep breath, suppressing his fear. This was a critical moment. As the leader, he had to instill confidence in everyone. Otherwise, forget about passing the assessment; this motley crew would fall apart immediately.

Here, fighting alone would surely not last long.

"Everyone, don't panic, don't be chaotic. Having come this far, we have no retreat."

Kimura gave an opening statement to calm everyone's emotions. He paused and continued, "The fact that you've come to participate in the assessment means you've all prepared yourselves to die fighting. Fear and panic will not help; instead, they will drag others down, drag the team down."

"Therefore, I solemnly declare here that those who are too cowardly to draw their swords and counterattack will be abandoned, and if necessary, can be kicked out of the team. Those who flee will also be abandoned. Only those team members who fight with all their might for the team will receive help."

"My team is here to lead everyone through the assessment, not to be a shelter for the weak. I hope everyone understands and doesn't harbor any thoughts of slacking off. From now on, we must cast aside all fear and unite as one. Only then can we possibly pass the assessment."

Kimura's powerful speech undoubtedly reassured everyone. His words were clear, logical, and without any flaws.

Everyone responded enthusiastically.

"Also, everyone, don't worry. Remember what those two young girls down the mountain said? The demons on the mountain were caught by Demon Slayers, which means their strength won't be very high. If the Demon Slayers can deal with them, so can we."

This statement further boosted everyone's confidence.

It wasn't that Kimura's words were particularly inspiring, but rather that everyone found them reasonable. Only when something is reasonable can it be convincing; otherwise, it's just empty talk.

Meanwhile, Han Zhiqi and Nohime were sitting on a stone platform, bored.

Han Zhiqi looked up at the moon in the sky and casually picked up a pebble, tossing it into the forest below.

Nohime, on the other hand, hugged her knees, puffed out her cheeks, and used a thin wooden stick to draw circles.

With the demon tide attacking, only two people remained this calm.

Suddenly, a piercing scream came from not too far off to the side.

Nohime abruptly stood up and turned her head towards the source of the sound.

It seemed to be from halfway up the mountain, followed by a series of fading cries for help. Soon after, the cries for help also ceased.

Nohime instinctively wanted to go to the rescue, but in the end, she turned back and sat down beside Han Zhiqi again.

"Someone died."

"I heard."

"Are we just going to do nothing?"

"What do you want to do?"

Nohime shook her head. "I don't know."

"If you don't know, then don't do anything. Seven days. The first night is the hardest. Just get through the first night, and it'll be fine."