Spider Demon Reappears

Just as everyone was wondering, a black shadow suddenly shot out from a patch of woods. It was like a thrown javelin, arcing beautifully before landing perfectly in the center of the circle.

It was just as silent and sudden as if it had appeared out of nowhere, standing before them in the blink of an eye, not even giving them time to react.

The outer ring of defenders had their eyes fixed on the demon in the woods, completely unaware of the bizarre figure now behind them.

Although the demon in the woods was acting strangely, they could never have imagined that a demon was standing right behind them. After all, with so many people in the circle, if there really was a demon, there would surely be some reaction.

It wasn't that there was no reaction, it was just that there wasn't enough time to react.

This time, many people made eye contact with this mysterious guest, including Kimura and Eimi.

It had a blank, round face, indifferent eyes, and a strong body with overlapping muscles. What was most terrifying was its height; it must have been at least two meters tall, making its lower limbs appear exceptionally long and giving it a condescending posture as it looked at everyone.

At that moment, it was staring at a female team member in front of it.

The female team member, perhaps sensing her imminent death, looked back at her teammates with tears in her eyes, as if begging for help. But everyone else seemed frozen, like fools, having forgotten even the most basic defense.

Immediately after, the female team member found herself lifting into the air, drifting further and further from her teammates. The sound of rushing wind filled her ears. She wanted to scream for help, but no sound would come out.

Only after the female teammate disappeared did the companions beside her let out pig-like screams. The sudden screams startled everyone, and even the demon at the edge of the woods flinched.

The members of the outer ring all turned to face the inside of the circle, drawing their Nichirin Blades. They thought the thing had finally appeared and were ready to attack at any moment.

The members inside the circle also snapped out of their daze and fear, their faces pale, gasping for air. Several female members were even crying hysterically, and the male members looked equally despairing.

What was that just now?

Was that really a demon?

What kind of demon could jump over ten meters high?

Kimura stood up, touching his forehead, pacing back and forth in the open space with unease. Finally, he clenched his fist and let out a roar of desperate, unwilling anger.

Perhaps it was frustration at not being able to save the girl, or perhaps it was a protest against the Demon Slayer Corps for including such a supernatural demon in the final assessment.

Eimi stood beside him, arms crossed, trembling as well.

The members of the outer ring didn't know what had happened, but judging by the expressions of those inside, someone had gone missing again. And they had seen the true form of that thing.

The team had just suffered heavy losses, with nearly half the members killed or injured. Now, this guy suddenly appeared. Even though the defensive perimeter was as tight as a drum, he treated it like his own backyard, coming and going as he pleased, occasionally stealing their vegetables.

How could they defend against this? How could they possibly defend?

Kimura was completely at a loss.

This was the final assessment of the Demon Slayer Corps. It was only now that many realized they had underestimated the Demon Slayer Corps.

Unfortunately, the more terrifying things were yet to come.

A deep roar suddenly echoed out, startling all the participants who were lost in despair and confusion. They all turned their heads towards the source of the sound, their recently calmed hearts beginning to tremble again.

The sound reminded them of lions and tigers, whose roars scattered all beasts. But there were no lions or tigers here, only...

The demons lingering at the edge of the woods seemed even more terrified by this sound and vanished without a trace in an instant.

"Crack, crack."

The sound of "crackling" came from not far away. Everyone instinctively thought of the sound of breaking trees, and indeed, it was the sound of trees breaking.

How much strength did it take to snap trees as thick as a waist?

It was getting closer, that thing was getting closer!

The ground itself seemed to be trembling, and the group of participants trembled along with it.

The participants on the outer ring gripped their swords, pointing them towards the source of the sound, their bodies shaking like sieves. Those inside also got to their feet, still holding half-eaten food.

Everyone seemed to be eagerly awaiting the arrival of some "important figure."

Suddenly, something like a spider shot out from between two trees, clinging close to the ground and rushing towards the crowd at breakneck speed, seemingly trying to escape pursuit.

A roar of annoyance followed closely behind, and then two "cracking" sounds. The two towering trees on the outermost edge were pushed aside to the left and right, and this "important figure" finally appeared in everyone's sight.

Under the moonlight, a large, fleshy mass squeezed out from between the two trees, then chased after the spider-like creature, also rushing towards the crowd.

"Thump, thump." The ground was truly trembling.

What the hell was this thing?!

The large, fleshy mass was at least three to four meters tall, much taller than the Bouncing Demon from before. Its thick legs supported a bizarre upper body.

It was bizarre because, in a standard human male physique, the body is generally balanced from top to bottom. This thing, however, was as if three fat men had their legs cut off and were stuck together back-to-back.

In reality, this might have been the case, as it had six arms and three heads, or rather, two heads and one face.

The six arms were evenly distributed around the roughly conical torso, with a head perched on each side diagonally above its back, and a face between its two chests in the front.

Yes, only one face, and no head.

Faced with this sudden monster, everyone was so terrified that they forgot the most important thing to do at that moment: grab their swords and defend themselves.

Also, they had only noticed the large fleshy mass behind them, completely overlooking the spider-like creature that had emerged first.

The Spider Demon, unhindered, passed through the outer ring's defense and silently appeared within the circle.

Twisting its emaciated torso, it weaved through the crowd as if in an empty realm, finally fixing its gaze on a female team member.

The Spider Demon sniffed greedily at the female team member's feet before slowly standing up. It sniffed its way up her body to the back of her neck, and finally, its dry, bony hands reached under the female team member's neck.

A chilling touch, a foul stench. The female member sensed something was wrong and instinctively looked back, only to meet a grotesque smiling face.

A row of sharp teeth glinted with a cold white light under the moonlight.

Is it my turn now? This guy is so ugly!

Before she could even cry for help, the female member heard the sound of her own neck snapping. Her vision began to blur, and everything around her seemed to drift away. A tear rolled down the corner of her eye.

The demon held the head, twisted 180 degrees, and laughed with excitement.

Just then, someone nearby finally noticed the monster that had suddenly appeared within their circle. As fear seized their mind, they let out a piercing scream and instinctively swung their Nichirin Blade at the Spider Demon.

The Spider Demon wasn't hit; instead, the blade split the face of the deceased female member in two.