The Injured Three-Headed Demon

The Bouncing Demon fell from the sky, smashing vertically towards Han Zhiqi.

Han Zhiqi didn't even glance at it, tapping the ground with his toes and leaping backward, easily dodging the attack.

Missing its footing, the Bouncing Demon leaped again, this time landing in the woods.

After several encounters, Han Zhiqi felt the Bouncing Demon wasn't particularly strong. Its main abilities were jumping high, landing silently, and using its leg strength combined with the force of its fall to attack people by taking them into the air and letting them crash to their death upon landing. As long as he could dodge the attack before it hit the ground, it was manageable.

For others, dodging its silent attacks might be difficult, but for Han Zhiqi, no matter which direction it attacked from, as long as it entered the domain created by his "Cold Tide," he could sense it and react accordingly.

Dealing with the Spider Demon was the same.

The six arms wrapped around the Three-Headed Demon's body slowly loosened. It was frozen in place like a giant octopus, the ice cones on its body causing it great discomfort as it let out continuous roars.

The Spider Demon scurried out from beneath its legs, glanced at Han Zhiqi, and seemingly decided that the three demons combined couldn't win. It turned tail and slinked away into the woods.

Han Zhiqi sensed trouble. If he couldn't keep the Three-Headed Demon within his line of sight, its subsequent actions could introduce many uncontrollable variables. For instance, it might take the opportunity to harass other contestants nearby, which was his greatest concern.

"Those two demons have retreated back into the woods. You three, be on guard."

Han Zhiqi tried to step forward to intercept the Spider Demon but was blocked by its six extended arms. He had no choice but to shout a warning to the other three.

The battle returned to its initial state: the Three-Headed Demon and Han Zhiqi were locked in combat, while the Spider Demon and Bouncing Demon hid in the woods, waiting to launch their attacks.

Six massive hands clawed frantically at Han Zhiqi. Each missed grab made the colossal creature more enraged. Its six slender arms would occasionally lash out wildly like whips, and when Han Zhiqi got close, they would quickly retract as if to embrace him.

The Bouncing Demon would occasionally dart out from the woods from some unknown direction, landing one or two kicks. However, this monotonous attack style only left a dirt crater in the ground and couldn't harm Han Zhiqi at all.

The Spider Demon seemed to have learned its lesson and hadn't emerged from the woods since it retreated.

This creature's intelligence was clearly a notch above the other two. It was likely the one that deliberately lured the Three-Headed Demon into chasing it, breaking up Kimura's team alliance, and ultimately turning everyone into prey.

Since he no longer had the assistance of the other two demons, Han Zhiqi decided to focus on dealing with this giant meatball. The most pressing matter was to sever the two heads on its neck and see if he could kill it.

However, Han Zhiqi didn't hold out much hope. He always felt that the face on its chest was the Three-Headed Demon's weak point, but he decided to try cutting off the two heads first to confirm. After all, compared to that face, the two heads were much easier to reach.

Han Zhiqi swung his Nichirin Blade with all his might, slicing through the grasping hands and rapidly closing in on the Three-Headed Demon. The closer he got, the more frenzied its attacks became.

A massive hand descended from the sky, aiming to smash Han Zhiqi. If it hit, he would undoubtedly be crushed.

Han Zhiqi took a step back, dodged the hand, and leaped forward, landing on the Three-Headed Demon's arm.

Using the ice that instantly formed on the arm beneath his feet to stabilize himself, he leaped and swung his Nichirin Blade with all his might, dodging the demon's hands attacking from all directions as he rapidly approached the heads.

The Three-Headed Demon seemed to anticipate Han Zhiqi's intent. Its two heads spun erratically, letting out indistinct cries of fear. Its six arms crisscrossed above its head, and its massive hands struck down even more ferociously.

Closer!

Seizing the opportunity, Han Zhiqi leaped using the Three-Headed Demon's swinging arm, gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands and aiming for the left head.

Just as he was about to swing, two arms suddenly intertwined from left and right, wrapping around his neck like two drab scarves.

Han Zhiqi was momentarily stunned. He had forgotten that this creature had six flexible arms.

He looked towards the right head, where two arms were also wrapped around tightly. This left Han Zhiqi speechless. He abandoned the idea of slicing and switched to a downward chop.

"Ice Breathing: Fourth Form: Icefall."

Han Zhiqi flicked his wrist, exerting force with both hands. Cold air emanated from the blade, and white mist and ice shards swirled around it, like a white thread falling straight between the Three-Headed Demon's two heads.

Several large hands converged from all directions, attempting to block the descending Nichirin Blade. However, they had clearly underestimated the power of this strike.

The "Icefall" technique lived up to its name, like a waterfall descending from the heavens, its power capable of shaking the earth.

With immense force, it slammed down onto the Three-Headed Demon's overlapping palms, and a surge of cold air began to spread from the blade.

In the blink of an eye, the palms and arms were frozen by the ice. Upon impact with the Nichirin Blade, they shattered into ice fragments, crashing onto the Three-Headed Demon.

The Three-Headed Demon let out a heart-wrenching scream, desperately trying to prevent Han Zhiqi from getting closer. However, several of its hands were successively severed, leaving only the frozen arms that were no longer under its control.

The Nichirin Blade struck between the Three-Headed Demon's two heads, its edge sinking more than ten centimeters into the body, unable to advance further.

Even so, it inflicted immeasurable damage on the large creature. Cold air seeped into its body through the wound, freezing it. White ice began to spread from the wound towards both heads.

The Three-Headed Demon cried out in pain and frantically thrashed its body, trying to shake Han Zhiqi off. Its deathly gray body began to show snow-white ice flowers from the inside out. The entire Mount Fujikasane echoed with its piercing screams.

The screams were like thunder falling from the nine heavens. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to look at the open space not far behind them, including the retreating demons.

Suddenly, the Three-Headed Demon swung its legs and rushed rapidly towards the crowd.

"Everyone scatter!" Han Zhiqi shouted loudly, then drew his Nichirin Blade and leaped off the Three-Headed Demon's body.

Hearing Han Zhiqi's voice, coupled with the shouts of Kimura and the other two, everyone quickly withdrew from the battle, following Kimura and the other two as they moved away from the Three-Headed Demon.

The Three-Headed Demon stumbled into the area where the crowd had just been gathered. A few demons were still lingering in place. Seeing the Three-Headed Demon's pained state, their faces showed expressions of terror.

One of the demons, unable to bear the pressure from the Three-Headed Demon, let out a strange cry and turned to run towards the mountaintop. However, it was grabbed by a pair of hands wrapped around the Three-Headed Demon's neck and was brutally torn in half.

Seeing this, the other demons crouched on the ground, not daring to move.

The Three-Headed Demon let out a furious roar. All the demons' gazes snapped towards Han Zhiqi. Then, as if receiving an order, they all lunged at him.

The Spider Demon and the Bouncing Demon also emerged from the nearby woods, but instead of attacking Han Zhiqi, they charged straight towards the crowd of contestants.