The Spider Demon seemed to sense that its wounds were different from before. It bared its fangs and let out a miserable howl, clawing incessantly at its injuries.
Not long after, Nohime and Akino arrived at the clearing as well. The sight of Han Zhiqi shrouded in frigid air startled them both.
It was the first time Nohime had seen Han Zhiqi like this. One glance made coldness creep through her entire body, while the temperature around them seemed to have plunged into the depths of winter.
The Spider Demon finally realized that the prey before it was not easy to deal with. Cold air was invading its body through its wounds. Its already low body temperature was dropping even further, and the chill not only made it miserable but greatly hindered its movements.
"That girl is injured and unconscious. Take her back to the destination and bandage her up first. I'll hold off this Spider Demon."
"Thank you."
Akino wept with joy and hurried over to the rock, softly calling, "Yuka," twice.
Yuka opened her unfocused eyes and parted her lips, but before she could say anything, she fainted again. Her clothes had been torn to shreds, and blood flowed from wounds large and small across her body.
"I... I'll stay and help you."
Nohime gripped her sword and walked behind Han Zhiqi. Her body temperature had always been different from ordinary people's, so the cold air around them did not affect her much.
"No need. Go protect those two. Tonight is the final night, and the last night of the demons' hunt. They'll definitely be more crazed than they were on the first night."
More crazed than the first night?
Nohime finally understood the gravity of the situation. Han Zhiqi had known all along that tonight would be extremely dangerous, yet he had not stopped Yuka and Akino from staying. Why? Could it have been because of her?
Nohime was overcome by an inexplicable wave of emotion. She glanced at Han Zhiqi, enveloped in white mist, tossed out a concerned, "Be careful," then quickly walked over to Akino and Yuka. She snatched Yuka from Akino's back and carried her on her own.
Akino had not expected this girl, who looked even smaller and thinner than him, to possess such incredible strength. Carrying Yuka, who weighed dozens of pounds, seemed effortless for her.
Especially when Nohime lifted Yuka onto her back, the muscles in her arms bulged in an utterly terrifying way.
At that moment, Akino finally realized that these two people were fundamentally not like them. They had truly come to take the Demon Slayer Corps assessment, while he and Yuka were, at best, just rations delivered to the demons.
The two quickly headed down the slope, while Han Zhiqi and the Spider Demon began their second exchange.
Suddenly, the Spider Demon shook its body. To Han Zhiqi's astonishment, the thing actually began to molt.
A seam split open across the Spider Demon's back. First, its bald head emerged from beneath the skin, followed by its torso, then its two arms and six legs. As the old skin fell away, so did the ice frozen across its surface.
After molting, the Spider Demon looked even stranger. It seemed much smaller than before, its skin smooth and taut, gleaming a yellowish-brown beneath the moonlight.
Its six legs had previously looked as if they had been haphazardly stitched onto its torso, but now they seemed perfectly integrated. Its spine had become even more flexible. Clearly, it was evolving through molting, each molt bringing this body closer to perfection.
Without the ice freezing it, its wounds healed at a visible rate.
The Spider Demon let out a strange cry and launched another attack at Han Zhiqi.
This time, it was even faster than before, reaching him in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, everything within a meter of Han Zhiqi was shrouded in cold air.
A meter was enough for Han Zhiqi to sense the Spider Demon's movements and react in time.
The Spider Demon darted around him, circling behind Han Zhiqi. Seizing its chance, it leaped into the air and lunged straight for the back of his neck.
Though the Spider Demon was not particularly strong, it moved with incredible speed and had now mastered the art of hunting.
It first used its astonishing speed to close the distance to its prey, then snapped its prey's neck with a flying pounce. This allowed it to end battles in an extremely short time. Even prey stronger than itself could fall victim to such a sudden ambush.
However, it had encountered Han Zhiqi.
Without even turning around, Han Zhiqi swung his blade in a horizontal slash. The Nichirin Blade, carrying a flurry of ice shards, sliced precisely toward its throat.
The ice shards struck one another with soft, tinkling chimes.
The Spider Demon let out a strange shriek and threw its head back. It shoved the Nichirin Blade away with both hands, landed upright on the ground, then rapidly retreated on its feet, quickly escaping the range of the cold air. It looked exactly like an upright mantis shrimp.
After pulling away, the Spider Demon stared at its palms. Two white lines ran straight across them, emitting pale cold air.
That was right—only two icy lines. Its palms had not been cut open.
Han Zhiqi had not put much force into that slash, but the moment it struck the Spider Demon's palms, he had clearly felt as though his blade had scraped across a metal plate.
After molting, the Spider Demon had not only become faster, but its defenses had improved as well.
The Spider Demon changed its attack direction several times in succession, yet it could never break through the meter around Han Zhiqi. The cold air around him made its entire body uncomfortable, leaving it both unwilling and increasingly agitated.
Every previous prey had died in a single move. Apart from the one by the lake at Mount Fujikasane's summit, who on this entire mountain had not been at its mercy? Yet it had suffered a setback against this outsider who had barged in.
The Spider Demon felt that its status had been challenged.
It screeched several times, then gathered all its strength and began spinning rapidly around the prey before it. It seemed to be trying to disrupt Han Zhiqi's vision before taking the opportunity to attack and snap his neck in one stroke.
What it did not know was that Han Zhiqi did not rely on sight to sense its movements.
How could Han Zhiqi fail to understand the Spider Demon's intentions?
Since it was so desperate to secure its status, Han Zhiqi decided to give it an opportunity. He deliberately withdrew the cold air and presence around himself, pretending to have given up resisting.
Sure enough, the unintelligent creature took the bait. The moment Han Zhiqi turned his head and exposed his unguarded back, it steadied itself and pounced with all its might.
Once its body was in midair, evading an attack would not be easy.
"Ice Breathing: Fifth Style: Swift Ice Thorn."
Just as the Spider Demon excitedly believed it was about to succeed, a flash of white light instantly pierced its throat, leaving it no time to react.
The sudden turn of events made it realize that it had been tricked. Endless terror immediately filled its eyes as it felt the blade slowly cutting open its throat.
That was right. The Nichirin Blade was cutting open its throat.
The Spider Demon began struggling wildly, letting out low, muffled screams. It grabbed the Nichirin Blade with both hands, trying to pull its body free, while its six legs kicked wildly at Han Zhiqi.
Han Zhiqi slowly turned around to face the hideous Spider Demon. It had a human face, yet had evolved into such an ugly form. Its soft, flexible spine made it look more and more like a crawling mantis shrimp.
Before you continue