After several consecutive attacks failed to break through, they were left covered in wounds. Though the injuries healed quickly, the pain was still very real.
Because of this, many of the demons had learned their lesson. They no longer charged around recklessly as they had at first, instead learning to dodge the Nichirin Blades by darting left and right.
A blue-faced, fanged demon used both hands and feet to rapidly claw its way through the dirt toward the battle line.
Unlike the other demons, which charged straight at the crowd, it advanced by weaving from side to side, leaving the defenders unable to tell where it intended to strike.
Moreover, with both its hands and feet on the ground, its body stayed low. The team members had no choice but to lower themselves as well to deal with it.
Compared to the upright demons, this crawling one was clearly much harder to handle.
The demon rushed up to one team member and feinted as though it were about to pounce.
The team member hurriedly swung his Nichirin Blade down at the ground, but the demon's crouching motion had not been aimed at him at all. It was a feint, and it lunged straight at a team member on the left.
The unexpected attack caught both of them completely off guard.
In his panic, the team member on the left could only wave his Nichirin Blade around in a desperate defense. How could such a hasty, disorganized defense possibly stop the demon's attack?
The demon closed in before him, forcing him to retreat while swinging his blade instinctively to block. Just then, a demon on his right was driven back toward him in the same manner.
In an instant, the two demons converged. One attacked low using both hands and feet, while the other stood upright and attacked high.
Though the two demons had been forced together, their attacks were not hindered in the slightest. Instead, they had inadvertently begun cooperating.
The team members on either side panicked. They wanted to swing their blades, but feared injuring their comrades. Yet if they did not, they could only watch helplessly as a gap was torn open in the defensive ring. Unable to act freely, they fell into chaos.
Everyone was like they were tied to a single rope, mechanically carrying out Kimura's orders. Once one section of the rope gave way, it would drag down everyone on both sides, and the rope's length was limited.
Just like that, the defensive ring they believed was as solid as an iron barrel was inadvertently torn open by two demons. The sudden turn of events left everyone both inside and outside the circle horrified.
No one failed to understand what it would mean if they did not seal the breach quickly.
The team members in the outer ring wanted to fill it, and those inside the ring wanted to fill it too. The originally orderly formation was suddenly on the verge of falling apart.
The surrounding demons seized the opportunity, howling as they charged in with all their strength. Their already precarious defense had suffered another sudden disruption. Everyone felt both anxious and despairing. In such a state of mind, actively defending was out of the question; being able to protect themselves was already fortunate.
Sure enough, agonized screams soon rose one after another from the group. Two team members were accidentally knocked to the ground, and the surrounding demons immediately swarmed over them.
The piercing screams were like needles stabbing into everyone's hearts, destroying their fragile defenses.
Had you ever heard a person's scream before death?
That sound did not seem to come from the human world, but from hell itself. It made one's scalp go numb and one's soul tremble.
Kimura was also stunned by the unexpected situation before him, but he quickly regained his senses.
He knew that if he could not stop the chaos in time, the entire team would collapse in an instant.
If that happened, without unified coordination, it would be even harder to survive through individual strength alone. Everyone would become prey for the demons.
Kimura took a deep breath and shouted, "No one run around! Those in the outer ring, immediately return to the outer ring nearby and stop the other demons' attacks! Those inside the ring, fill the open gap! Everyone else, rescue the wounded!"
Kimura's words were like a calming pill, and the panicked group seemed to find its direction at once.
Following Kimura's instructions, especially the team members who had previously been stationed in the outer ring, everyone returned to the outer ring nearby and continued fighting the surrounding demons.
Kimura then arranged for those inside the ring to fill the breach.
Once everything was done, Kimura raised his blade and rushed toward the two demons that had entered the circle. Together with several team members, he killed one of them, while the other escaped the group amid the chaos.
The team member who had been knocked to the ground lay dead for quite some time, staring with dull eyes. A large hole in his neck was still bubbling with blood.
As the stabilized team gradually halted the demons' momentum, the first demon withdrew from the battle. The remaining demons also began retreating one after another to the edge of the forest, both to recover from their wounds and seek a new opportunity to attack.
Three mangled corpses lay in the open space not far away. A demon crouched atop one of them, reaching into its chest cavity to pull out and gnaw on its organs. Another demon toyed with a severed head between its hands, like a cat playing with a ball.
Everyone temporarily breathed a sigh of relief. Although they had successfully blocked the demons' advance again, everyone knew the next attack would begin soon, and it would be even fiercer than this one.
Having tasted blood, the demons were even more excited now. The contestants, on the other hand, all looked dispirited and pale as death.
Before the demons could launch another attack, Kimura arranged for the team members inside the ring to replace those stationed outside. After blocking several waves of attacks in a row, no one could keep going without rest.
Several female teammates were bandaging the wounded, while others handed out the water and food they had prepared beforehand.
The atmosphere was strange and oppressive. The team member who had died long ago was still lying on the ground, his eyes wide open as he stared blankly at something unknown.
Many people had the same thought: throw him out. Leaving him here was simply too terrifying. But no one said it aloud, because the only outcome of throwing him out would be for the demons to eat him.
Doing so would not only disrespect the dead, but also desecrate all the team members who had fought desperately just now. He had died protecting the people behind him.
It might also shake the unity of the entire group. After all, no one knew whether they would be the next one lying here. If it really were them, would they also be thrown out to feed the demons?
Time passed second by second. It seemed like a long while had gone by, yet the demons never launched another attack.
Judging by the moon's position in the sky, it should have been the latter half of the night.
At first, only one demon had been playing with a head in the open space not far away. Before long, another demon joined it.
The two demons were like two large cats playing ball beneath the moon.
Suddenly, as though frightened by something, the two demons dropped their beloved toy and scurried into the forest. Even the other demons lingering outside hurried into the shadows.
Kimura and the others also sensed that something was wrong. The last time this had happened, that female team member had disappeared.
Could it be...?
Before you continue