The rustling grew denser and denser, like a herd of animals marching swiftly through the night. But there could not possibly be animals here. Everyone knew what they were.
The sound surged in like a tide. After reaching its peak, it gradually quieted—not because the tide had receded, but because they had already arrived nearby.
Yes, the demons had come.
The entire group fell into panic again. Their circular formation unconsciously contracted inward as everyone instinctively began backing away. Those on the outside squeezed those within, and those within squeezed toward the center.
Demons emerged one after another from behind the trees. Some stood, some crouched, and some crawled on the ground.
Besides those on the ground, two or three demons crouched atop the branches. Altogether, there were exactly ten demons.
Ten demons!
One demon was already hard enough to handle. With so many arriving at once, anyone would have felt their legs go weak and their whole body tremble.
The demons varied in build, appearance, and height, but they all shared one thing: their eyes.
As they faced Kimura's group, every demon revealed a greedy look. From time to time, they licked their lips, like people gathered around an enormous platter of food.
In their eyes, the people before them were food.
Kimura swallowed, moistening his dry throat. "No one panic. Focus on the demon in your own position. Do not cross over carelessly and disrupt everyone else's rhythm. If the people in front fall, those behind immediately take their place. Everyone, follow my command—draw your blades!"
After a dense scrape of metal, the members on the outer ring drew their Nichirin Blades from their waists. At Kimura's command, they took five steps forward together, widening the space within the circle.
It would make it easier for those inside to rescue and replace injured members, while also preventing them from standing too close together and accidentally wounding one another when their Nichirin Blades could not be properly swung.
Kimura took a deep breath, clenched both hands around his sword hilt, and gripped it tightly. As captain, he naturally had to set an example, so he too stood on the outer ring.
Everyone waited tensely for the demons to attack. And the demons would certainly take the initiative.
Cool moonlight spilled over Kimura and the others. Tonight was fine weather.
At last, one demon could no longer suppress the restlessness in its blood and launched the first attack. Using both hands and feet, it clawed at the ground and charged toward the crowd.
Perhaps thinking a larger target would be more satisfying to eat, the demon deliberately chose a sturdily built male contestant from the group.
When it was still three meters away, the demon leaped into the air, opened its huge mouth, and pounced straight at him.
This contestant clearly had some skill, or perhaps experience fighting demons before. Faced with the charging demon, he was unlike the others, whose hands trembled even as they held their swords.
He lowered his body, bent his knees and leaned forward, digging his feet firmly into the ground. When the demon's claws were less than a meter away, he drew in a sharp breath, his gaze turning cold as he shouted, "Water Breathing, first form: Surface Slash!"
The clear sound of flowing water rose across the open ground. Like a stream, the blade traced a beautiful arc and cut straight for the demon's throat.
The blade forced the demon to halt its advance.
In midair, the demon paused, then dropped straight down. Its body naturally crouched low, dodging the blade edge. At the same time, it sprang upward with both knees, its dark hands and sharp nails stabbing toward the contestant's abdomen.
The contestant had clearly not expected the demon's body to be so agile, nor its attacks to transition so seamlessly.
His Nichirin Blade was still suspended in midair, while the demon's next attack was already upon him. Unable to withdraw his strike in time to defend himself, he could only watch helplessly as the demon's hands stabbed toward his chest.
Just then, a male contestant's voice sounded from his right.
"Water Breathing, seventh form: Stinging Rain Ripple!"
A flash of white suddenly appeared in the demon's vision, like a flying arrow piercing through the void and appearing right before its eyes.
The demon's eyes widened. It let out a strange cry on instinct, followed by a shrill scream as a Nichirin Blade viciously pierced its cheek.
Eyes shut, the demon shrieked and leaped aside. The Nichirin Blade was pulled from its cheek, drawing a streak of blood with it.
But the moment its feet touched the ground, another male contestant's voice rang out almost simultaneously, this time from the big man's left.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form: Blazing Heaven Ascension!"
A beautiful arc rose from the ground wreathed in raging flames, like a fire dragon ascending to the heavens. The Nichirin Blade swept across the demon's chest and sent it flying.
The demon let out another piercing scream, even more miserable than the last.
The demon crashed to the ground and rolled three or four meters away. It hurriedly scrambled back up like a wounded stray dog, making strange whimpering noises as it eyed the three men fearfully, then fled back to the edge of the woods while constantly looking back.
That move, "Flame Breathing, Second Form: Blazing Heaven Ascension," was like a flame in the darkness. It lit up everyone's hearts, bringing not only hope but light as well.
Hope for survival, and a bright future.
It made everyone understand one thing: demons were not invincible.
Meanwhile, the demons surrounding the edge of the woods stirred considerably the instant the contestant used Blazing Heaven Ascension.
Demons feared sunlight, and fire was the closest thing to sunlight. That was why they felt inexplicably uneasy the moment they saw the flames rise.
The one encouraged by this was not only the group of members, but Kimura as well. At that moment, Kimura was undoubtedly the most excited of them all.
He believed that it was precisely because of his brilliant leadership and proper deployment that those three members had managed to repel the attacking demon without a scratch.
If not for this impregnable cooperative defense formation, that member would likely have become demon food by now.
At this moment, the burly member was indeed still shaken, repeatedly thanking the two members at his sides.
How could Kimura possibly let such a good chance to show off pass him by?
Kimura cleared his throat. He did so partly to ensure that he could speak clearly, and partly to remind everyone: I am about to speak.
"As you have all seen, demons are not invincible. As long as the rest of us can be like those three members just now, we will certainly be able to stop the demons' attack."
"Yeah, yeah, it is all thanks to the captain's wonderful idea."
"As long as we follow the captain's instructions, we will definitely endure the seven days and pass the examination."
"The captain is truly brilliant."
"..."
Listening to everyone's flattery, Kimura felt immensely pleased. Yet his face remained calm, as though only that could display the bearing of a team captain.
"Alright, everyone, stay alert. The demon just now was obviously only testing us. The next attack will certainly be fiercer. Do not lower your guard. Be ready to fight at any moment."
"Rest assured, Captain. We are ready at all times."
"Ready at all times."
"..."
That Blazing Heaven Ascension was like a shot of adrenaline pumped into every member. Their initial fear had vanished, replaced by strange gleams in their eyes.
At this point, even if Muzan Kibutsuji himself stood before them, they would probably dare to challenge him.
Just as Kimura had expected, not long afterward, every demon lingering in the woods launched an attack together.
"Water Breathing, first form: Surface Slash!"
"Water Breathing, seventh form: Stinging Rain Ripple!"
"Flame Breathing, first form: Sea of Fire!"
"Wind Breathing, first form: Dust Whirlwind, Razor Blade!"
"..."
To stop the horde of demons, all kinds of dazzling techniques were unleashed in succession.
On the other side of the mountain, Han Zhiqi and his companion, who had been taking things easy, also encountered their first demon of the night.
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