Fleeing in All Directions

A scream was followed by more screams.

The Spider Demon, using its soft body, darted through the crowd. Wherever it went, people around it swung their swords wildly, and more often than not, the Spider Demon wouldn't hit anyone, but its own teammates would injure each other.

Chaos. Utter chaos.

No matter how loudly Kimura shouted, it was no longer effective.

With the Spider Demon causing trouble inside and the Three-Headed Demon approaching from the outside (we'll call it the Three-Headed Demon for now; I considered calling it the "Meatball Demon" but thought that was too vulgar), they were attacked from both sides. The Demon Slayer Corps members on the outer ring, swords in hand, looked inside and then outside, and finally, before the Three-Headed Demon arrived, someone broke.

Screaming, in despair, they ran back the way they came, towards the mountainside.

The horrific scene tonight had already pushed many to the breaking point. Now, with someone making the first move, the entire group became like beads that had broken their string.

The great collapse began.

First, those on the outer ring screamed and scattered in all directions away from the demons. Then, those inside, injured or not, also began to flee for their lives.

In the blink of an eye, only Kimura, Eimi, and a few severely injured members who couldn't move easily remained in the vast group.

Kimura grabbed a few fleeing members, begging them to stay, not to run, but no one was listening to him anymore.

Kimura despaired, collapsed, and screamed, desperately swinging his Nichirin Blade at the Spider Demon. But members around him were still having their necks snapped by the Spider Demon.

The Spider Demon seemed to be toying with him.

The Three-Headed Demon was rapidly approaching. Eimi knew the tide of defeat could no longer be turned. She quickly grabbed Kimura's arm and shouted sternly, "Kimura, stop chasing! Let's go."

"Ah~ Eimi, let go of me! I can't abandon them." Kimura's eyes were red, filled with tears, as he glared fiercely at the Spider Demon lying on the ground.

The Spider Demon's eerie smile was full of playfulness and mockery.

"You can't save them. Come with me quickly. If we stay any longer, neither of us will be able to leave."

Eimi casually picked up a pack left by some unknown member, dragging the almost maddened Kimura towards the mountain peak, away from both demons.

An injured female member was lying on the ground, reaching a hand out to Kimura and shouting for help.

The Spider Demon crawled onto her back, faced the fleeing Kimura, grinned, and twisted the female member's neck.

The Three-Headed Demon rushed forward, grabbed a corpse from the ground, used it as a weapon, and swung it at the Spider Demon.

The Spider Demon, using its agile form, moved rapidly around the Three-Headed Demon, dodging attacks while seizing opportunities to harass and toy with it.

The Three-Headed Demon roared in anger. The two demons became entangled.

Meanwhile, because Nohime had asked, "Why did you return to participate in the Demon Slayer Corps selection?" Han Zhiqi recalled the scene of his sister being taken away. In his loss of control, he frightened Nohime, causing an awkwardness between them.

Nohime wanted to say a few words to ease the tension, but the moment she thought of Han Zhiqi's gaze from earlier, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

After an unknown amount of time passed like this, a piercing scream suddenly broke the silence. The direction of the sound seemed to come from the other side of the mountain.

The sudden scream made Nohime tremble involuntarily. She instinctively looked back, but behind her was only dark, black wall.

Han Zhiqi's cold gaze fixed on a certain spot, thinking, It's starting. That scream was likely caused by that Bouncing Demon from earlier.

As the sound faded, Nohime slowly turned her head back.

Each scream likely represented the death of a person, their final cries left in the world.

After the screams subsided, there was a brief period of quiet before another scream rang out. The two screams were like opening Pandora's Box, unleashing all the demons.

The screams surged like a tide, one wave pushing the next, forward and forward, until they spread throughout Mount Fujikasane.

At first, Nohime could remain seated, but gradually, the sounds became more numerous and more piercing. Each sound seemed to tug at her heart, making it tremble along with them.

Unknowingly, Nohime stood up from the stone platform, turned her head to look at the stone wall, her fearful gaze seeming to penetrate the wall and see the tragic scene on the other side.

Han Zhiqi turned his head and saw Nohime's pale little face, feeling a pang of discomfort in his heart.

He remembered the girl named Aoi Kanzaki from the Butterfly Mansion. That girl couldn't bear the fear of death. Even though she passed the selection and became a true Demon Slayer Corps member, she lacked the courage to undertake missions normally like other members.

The girl was indeed not suited to join the Demon Slayer Corps. Physical fitness was one aspect, but psychological fortitude was another.

Only after all the screams had disappeared did Nohime sit back down beside Han Zhiqi.

"Did a lot of people die?"

"Perhaps. Before coming here, they were all prepared."

"If they were prepared, then why did they scream so miserably?"

Han Zhiqi was speechless.

"Did that group all die?" That group naturally referred to Kimura's team.

"No. With so many people, the demons couldn't possibly kill them all in such a short time. Judging by the sounds, they must have scattered and fled."

Hearing this, Nohime nodded with relief.

As the two were talking, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps from the woods not far away. Mixed within the footsteps were the voices of a man and a woman, their tones anxious and uneasy.

Besides these sounds, there was also the cracking of branches and low growls resembling those of wild beasts.

It was easy to imagine what was happening. It must be that after the group behind the mountain collapsed, some stranded members encountered demons while fleeing and were chased all the way here.

"Akino, you run! Don't mind me. I... I can't run anymore. They're almost catching up."

A girl's breathless voice, laced with tears, came from the woods.

"No… no, Yuka, I won't leave you. Just hold on a little longer, maybe… maybe someone will come help us soon."

The boy's voice was equally desperate, but there was a firmness to it when he said, "I won't leave you."

To remain steadfast in such a life-or-death situation spoke volumes of their deep affection and loyalty.

If they had encountered malicious individuals, they might have pushed their comrade towards the demon to buy themselves time to escape.

The two supported each other as they fled. Suddenly, the girl accidentally stepped into a ditch, her instep hitting a rock. Her foot gave way, and she tumbled to the ground, pulling the boy down with her.

Just then, the demon chasing them had caught up. Seizing the opportunity, it leaped from a tree branch in front of them, pouncing towards the pair.

"Love Breathing: Second Form: Annoyed Circling Love."