Love Breathing

Ever since Han Zhiqi said they would do nothing, Nohime had sat quietly beside him, continuing to draw circles on the ground with a twig.

She was bored out of her mind right now. At least Han Zhiqi was there with her, but he never spoke, which made her feel rather uncomfortable.

Several times, she wanted to start a conversation, but whenever she turned and saw Han Zhiqi's icy expression, she could only swallow her words.

She was afraid her abruptness would disturb him.

A sudden rustling came from the woods below, and Nohime curiously looked up.

Just as she had thought earlier, that pitch-black mass in the woods below seemed like an entrance to another world. If anything had to come out, it could only come from there.

Sure enough, a round thing crept out from the shadows beneath the trees, nearly pressed against the ground.

The "thing" turned toward the two on the stone platform and met Nohime's gaze. Realizing it might have been spotted, it quickly shrank back into the shade.

"Han Zhiqi, there's something down there."

Nohime pointed at where the "thing" had vanished with one hand while shaking Han Zhiqi with the other.

"What thing?"

In truth, Han Zhiqi had already sensed demons approaching, and there was more than one. Aside from the one hiding in the shadows below, another was concealed behind a nearby boulder.

These two were probably ordinary demons, fairly weak. Stronger demons had all gone off hunting for a grand feast; who would be wandering through the mountains and forests scavenging for scraps?

One look at how cowardly they were told the story. They wanted to attack but feared they could not win, so they could only hide in the darkness, restless as they waited for an opportunity.

Had they possessed even a little strength, they probably would have been unable to restrain themselves and pounced several times already.

"It... it looked like a head." After saying that, she felt something was off. If it was a head, why was it lying on the ground?

"Congratulations. You've encountered your first demon tonight, and the first demon of the assessment too."

"A demon...?" Nohime stared at Han Zhiqi in surprise.

"Is that really worth being so surprised about? Isn't it normal to encounter demons here? It would be strange if you didn't. Don't tell me you've never seen a demon before?"

Seeing Nohime's expression, Han Zhiqi became even more certain of his guess. What kind of treasure had he picked up?

A Demon Slayer Corps assessment, yet she had never seen a demon. She could eat an incredible amount, yet she had brought no food. She was practically a treasure-level girl—there was always another surprise waiting to be uncovered.

Embarrassed by Han Zhiqi's stare, Nohime lowered her head and stammered, "I-I have seen them. How could I not have? Demons used to be people, didn't they? They should look more or less like people, right?"

You're asking me? Thanks for telling me!

"Not more or less like people. More or less like you."

"Ah..."

"What's with that 'ah'? I mean you're just as stupid." Han Zhiqi said irritably, raising a hand and lightly tapping Nohime on the forehead.

Nohime rubbed her forehead and pouted her soft pink lips, looking slightly bashful. "Y-you're making fun of me again."

"I merely stated a fact. How is that making fun of you?"

Han Zhiqi picked up the Nichirin Blade beside him and handed it to Nohime. "Didn't you say you'd protect me? Take your Nichirin Blade and go down there to cut off its head. Let me see what you're capable of. You can't just eat so many of my meat-and-vegetable pancakes for nothing."

At the mention of meat-and-vegetable pancakes, Nohime felt that she really ought to do something. She carefully accepted the Nichirin Blade, then looked at Han Zhiqi with difficulty written across her face. "C-cut off its head? Isn't that bad? It hasn't wronged me, and I haven't wronged it. Why should I cut off its head?"

"Demons only die when their heads are cut off. If you don't kill it, it'll eat you. Didn't you join the Demon Slayer Corps to find a job where you could eat your fill? This is going to be your job from now on. Go."

Nohime bit her lip tightly. Urged on by Han Zhiqi, she slowly descended from the stone platform. Finally, she reached an open patch of ground and faced the place where the demon had appeared, turning back to glance at Han Zhiqi.

Han Zhiqi waved his hand, signaling for her to hurry up.

Not long after Nohime landed, a naked demon crawled out from the shadows behind a tree.

This demon was rather small. Mount Fujikasane's food must have been terrible, because it looked like skin stretched over bones.

All its hair had fallen out, leaving its head bald and shiny. It opened its mouth to reveal sharp teeth, while strange growls rumbled from its throat.

Though demons were transformed from humans, they were actually closer to beasts.

Fear meant weakness.

When humans were afraid, their bodies secreted certain hormones. With their keen sense of smell, beasts could use them to determine whether it was suitable to attack.

Demons possessed the same ability. It was likely an animal instinct.

"T-this is a demon?"

Weren't demons transformed from people? H-how could it look this terrifying?

Frightened, Nohime trembled as she drew her Nichirin Blade. She shouted for it not to come closer while slowly backing away, pleading with her eyes toward Han Zhiqi on the stone platform.

Han Zhiqi remained expressionless, showing no intention of stepping in.

Suddenly, the demon moved.

Its body pressed low against the ground as it shrieked and shot toward Nohime at an incredible speed. In almost the blink of an eye, it was less than a meter away, and it could pounce at any moment.

"D-don't come any closer! I'll hurt you!"

Nohime let out a terrified scream. At this critical moment, she actually closed her eyes and turned her head aside.

Han Zhiqi abruptly rose to his feet. His right hand gripped the scabbard, and his thumb flicked open the guard, exposing a sliver of blade. Cold air spilled from the scabbard, forming a small cloud of white mist around him.

He was already prepared to act, but at that moment, Nohime's voice rang out from the clearing below.

"Love... Love Breathing, Form Five: Wavering Love's Claws."

Love Breathing? What kind of Breathing Style was that? Was there such a Breathing Style among the Five Great Breathing Styles?

Nohime wildly shook her wrist. The Nichirin Blade, which had originally been straight and rigid, suddenly seemed to melt, becoming soft and slender. It no longer resembled a sword; more accurately, it looked like a whip.

As Nohime flicked her wrist, the Nichirin Blade moved with astonishing speed, range, and unpredictability, like countless cats' claws dancing madly before her. In an instant, the technique seemed to combine nearly every form of attack—thrusting, lifting, cleaving, slashing, and more.

Han Zhiqi could tell at a glance that this technique could be used for both defense and offense.

Nohime had not used it randomly in a moment of panic. Clearly, she possessed a certain degree of combat experience.

Once this move was unleashed, let alone one demon, even two or three more would likely be unable to break through her defenses head-on. Instead, they might be torn to pieces by its irregular, shapeless attacks.

Just like the demon before them. It made a perfect forward leap, only to jump straight into the dense web of blades Nohime had woven. Instead of getting its meal, it received a brutal shredding.

Amid a miserable scream, blood sprayed from its naked body, especially from the chest and above, which had plunged into the blade web first. In the blink of an eye, wounds covered its body, turning it into a blood-soaked demon.

Only when Nohime stopped on her own did it escape the web of blades. Dragging its battered body behind it, it abandoned all thought of food and vanished into the depths of the forest with wails of agony.