Three-Headed Demon Escapes

Meanwhile, Noe behind her also decided to make a move.

In just that brief moment, another participant had been mercilessly claimed by the Bouncing Demon.

One second, he had been fighting the demon for his life; the next, he exploded where he stood like a firework. Only half his body remained, swaying unwillingly before collapsing to the ground. Perhaps even at the very end, he had still hoped to live long enough to see tomorrow's sun.

Faced with a Nichirin Blade swung by a participant, the Bouncing Demon spun through two 360-degree leaps out of the fray and began searching for a new target.

This time, it set its sights on Eimi. Demons seemed to possess an instinctive obsession with women's blood.

Eimi had no idea she had become prey. She was still desperately swinging her Nichirin Blade, her filthy clothes covered in bloodstains. No one would have connected her to the confident, polished girl from the plaza on the first day.

Other than Noe and Yuka, Eimi was the only woman left in the group.

The Bouncing Demon leaped from where it stood.

By now, every participant had gone bloodthirsty. As long as it was a demon, they would hack at it furiously the moment they encountered it. They no longer cared whether they would die, when they would die, or who would die next. Naturally, no one was paying particular attention to the Bouncing Demon's movements.

Eimi swung her blade at the neck of a demon in front of her.

Sensing danger, the demon let out a strange shriek and instinctively tilted its head aside. The blade sliced open its chest, and icy blood splattered across Eimi's face.

Eimi cursed and kicked the demon away. Casually raising her sleeve, she wiped the blood from her eyes. Her blurred vision cleared once more, and she turned to look for her next demon.

Suddenly, a black shadow descended from above and blocked her path.

A thick stench, accompanied by an eerie aura, radiated from the monster before her.

Eimi had never smelled anything so revolting. The stench immediately made her dizzy and nauseous.

Strangely enough, she had once been terrified of this monster to death, but now that the Bouncing Demon stood right in front of her, she could not feel even a trace of fear. This was probably what they called numbness.

So it's finally my turn? Eimi thought.

A pair of large feet, caked in blood and mud, stepped onto the ground. There even seemed to be a scrap of clothing caught beneath the toenails. Its calves were tight and muscular, their bright-red color making Eimi think of roasted chicken legs.

The fact that she could think of chicken legs at a time like this amazed even Eimi herself. Perhaps she really was hungry.

Eimi slowly raised her head and met a pair of indifferent, emotionless eyes.

In those eyes, Eimi felt that she was already dead.

With that thought, a relieved smile appeared on her face. She could now accept the outcome before her and calmly face death.

A pair of large, bright-red hands, just like chicken legs, reached toward her willow-thin waist. Her first embrace had not been given to the one she loved. Who would have thought it would be stolen by such an ugly monster?

Just as Eimi prepared to accept the Bouncing Demon's embrace, a sharp cry suddenly interrupted the "wonderful" moment.

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

A dazzling white flash streaked before Eimi's eyes. She instinctively shut them, and a strange, wet pfft sounded beside her ears, followed by the sound of two objects hitting the ground.

When Eimi opened her eyes again, the Bouncing Demon was gone. Only two severed arms and a pool of blood had fallen to the ground, while someone both familiar and unfamiliar stood before her.

"It's you?" Eimi asked in surprise. She had never expected the one who saved her to be Kanroji Noe—the girl at the plaza who had looked down on everyone.

"Are you okay?" Noe asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Eimi shook her head.

"That's good."

Noe pouted her cherry-red lips, stood on tiptoe, and stretched her neck to peer through the crowd at the Bouncing Demon outside the circle. She muttered to herself, "Han Zhiqi told me to kill it, but it won't just stand here and let me cut it. Sigh, this is a little troublesome."

Kill it? All by yourself?

Eimi felt that the two of them must have lost their minds.

"Watch out for yourself. I'm leaving. I have to kill it, or Han Zhiqi really won't pay attention to me anymore." With that, Noe forced her way through the crowd under Eimi's stunned gaze and walked straight toward the Bouncing Demon.

She's crazy! Completely crazy!

A scream beside her snapped Eimi out of it. Turning her head, she saw another participant lying in a pool of blood.

Yes, but she was hardly the only crazy one. Everyone had gone mad.

Eimi gave Noe's retreating figure one final glance, already certain of her fate. Looking at the horrific scene before her, her numb heart did not stir in the slightest. For every participant in this examination, death had long since become insignificant.

With her blade in hand, Eimi charged back into the chaotic battle. At that moment, people seemed to have become demons too.

Han Zhiqi frantically swung his Nichirin Blade as he continued moving forward without pause. Frost gradually spread from the Three-Headed Demon's palms to its arms. Its blood was locked in place, its movements becoming slower and slower, while even the flexibility and reach of its arms were restricted.

This was exactly the result Han Zhiqi wanted.

He wanted to seal the Three-Headed Demon's arms, leaving it unable to protect its neck as it had before.

When he reached a point less than two meters from the Three-Headed Demon, Han Zhiqi stopped. He looked up at the face on its chest, twisted by fury, then stepped onto its frozen arms and climbed up to its head.

The Three-Headed Demon seemed to realize Han Zhiqi's intentions. It struggled and roared even more violently, desperately trying to pull its arms back to protect its neck. But its frozen arms had long ceased to obey it.

"Ice Breathing, Second Form: Falling Snow."

The two heads faced opposite directions, like two separate people, opening and closing their mouths as they made incoherent shrieks. They tried to split themselves in two along the frozen wound between them, each seeking to flee for its own life.

The Three-Headed Demon's scream alerted everyone. When they saw two heads shoot into the sky, they all grew excited at once, and some could not help shouting in exhilaration.

The Three-Headed Demon was a massive weight pressing upon the hearts of every participant. If it could be slain, passing the Demon Slayer Corps examination would undoubtedly become much easier.

Yet even after two heads were severed, the Three-Headed Demon did not die. Sure enough, the face on its chest was its true vital point.

Three-Headed Demon finally felt fear. Roaring, it wildly swung its frozen arms, its six ice-covered hands like six chunks of ice smashing in every direction.

After struggling for a while, Three-Headed Demon dragged its six chunks of ice into the woods and fled deeper into the forest without looking back. The crackling of snapping trees rang out once more.

Han Zhiqi turned to glance at Nohime, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Bouncing Demon.

The Bouncing Demon's deadly weapon was the powerful muscles in its legs. Nohime had taken a direct blow without so much as a scratch, so no matter how it attacked, it could not possibly pose a lethal threat to her.

Right now, Han Zhiqi's only concern was that Nohime would ultimately be unable to bring herself to strike, letting the Bouncing Demon escape.