Water Demon

At the summit of Mount Fujikasane, Kurozawa raised his head, his distant gaze piercing through layer upon layer of obstructing branches and leaves toward the mountaintop.

The summit looked bare, with hardly any vegetation. It was probably nothing but boulders and rocky soil.

Digging a cave for itself right at the summit—it really did live without a care in the world.

After giving it a brief glance, Kurozawa withdrew his gaze.

"Let's go. We'll continue toward the water source."

"Huh? Senior Disciple, isn't the demon you're looking for at the summit? Why aren't we going there?"

"It definitely won't come out during the day. I'll go find it myself at dusk. Before that, let's look for the other demons."

With the Hand Demon's enormous size, there was no suitable shade for it to hide in during the day. It certainly would not leave its cave.

As for entering its cave himself, he had no intention of doing that.

Fighting on someone else's turf was still dangerous. Caution was best.

Kurozawa had no desire to become the first person to end up in the Hand Demon's stomach.

After dealing with the demon hiding in the tree canopy, the enormous shadow formed by the dense branches before them was no longer dangerous. Kurozawa led Hanada Shizuka into the shade and headed toward the sound of running water.

The journey went much more smoothly this time. In just over ten minutes, Kurozawa spotted a winding stream.

The stream was not large, only a little over two meters wide. Its water babbled as it flowed into the distance.

Though it was narrow, it seemed rather deep, its surface concealing a quiet, unfathomable darkness.

Kurozawa bent down and washed his hands in the stream.

Although the blood on his hands had vanished along with the demons' ashes, the dust from fighting was still there.

Seeing the grime lodged between his fingers, Kurozawa washed it away with the stream water.

Even though hunting demons would dirty his hands and clothes again, that did not stop him from cleaning up now.

Splash!

Cool droplets landed on Kurozawa's face. Hanada Shizuka crouched as well, copying him as she washed her hands and face. But while washing, she secretly flicked up some water and splashed it onto Kurozawa's face.

When Kurozawa looked over, Hanada Shizuka hurriedly turned her head away and pretended not to know anything.

"Senior Disciple, a fish just flicked its tail."

Afraid that Kurozawa had noticed, she offered that self-deceiving excuse.

It never occurred to her that Mount Fujikasane no longer had any living creatures besides swordsmen and demons.

At that moment, Kurozawa stared at the stream beneath him and said thoughtfully, "There really is a big fish."

Hanada Shizuka had just stood up and thought Kurozawa had fallen for her lie. She secretly chuckled, her brows curving with her smile.

"Shizuka, move away from the water."

"Something is coming."

Ever since Kurozawa had approached the water, he had sensed a faint feeling of being watched from somewhere nearby.

Yet he had never found the other party's exact location. It felt as though that gaze was separated by something, preventing his senses from pinpointing its position.

That was why Kurozawa had pretended to be defenseless and crouched down to wash his hands—he wanted to lure it into attacking.

Hanada Shizuka's words had reminded him.

If a demon was hiding in the water, the barrier of the surface would indeed prevent Kurozawa from determining its location.

The moment Kurozawa realized this, ripples spread across the water.

"Huh?"

Though Hanada Shizuka did not know why Kurozawa had told her to move away, her body had already leaped back on instinct.

At the same time, the ripples rapidly expanded, and the outline of a dark shadow emerged beneath them.

Whoosh! A stone the size of a human head burst from the water, trailing glittering droplets and a shrieking gust as it flew diagonally toward Kurozawa's head.

Kurozawa reacted with incredible speed. His large hand opened, and his five fingers instantly clamped down tightly on the stone.

Crack! Dense fissures spread across the stone as Kurozawa's fingers punched directly into it.

"Heh, pretty clever."

Take this, Heavenly Sound Wave! His fingers embedded in the stone, Kurozawa raised his right hand high like he was bowling, then slammed it down viciously.

Thud! The head-sized stone plunged back at a speed even faster than before.

As the stone struck the water, a spray burst into the air. Under the sunlight, it shimmered with crystalline beauty, like countless flying diamonds.

Awooo! A miserable howl faintly rose amid the sound of water, followed by a large cloud of red blood spreading across the surface.

Kurozawa's swift counterattack had struck the Water Demon.

Hmph.

Trying to ambush me, Kurozawa? No chance! Kurozawa had wanted to follow it with an Echoing Strike, but considering the possibility of unforeseen trouble underwater, he abandoned the idea.

The Water Demon was quite clever, hiding in the water during the day and hunting prey by throwing stones.

Kurozawa felt that even elite swordsmen might get hit if they let their guard down in broad daylight.

This thing was truly cunning.

"The demons on Mount Fujikasane are distributed rather densely. No wonder surviving one day counts as passing the trial."

Kurozawa looked at the water, which had turned murky. He had no intention of pursuing the Water Demon and was about to call Hanada Shizuka and leave.

However, the instant he turned slightly, a blood-tinged arrow of water shot out from the stream. It then lost momentum and fell onto Kurozawa's foot, soaking his shoe.

The water arrow carried little force. It seemed the Water Demon had seen that Kurozawa did not dare enter the water and was deliberately provoking him.

Kurozawa stopped. He lowered his head to look at his shoe, stained red, and his expression gradually calmed.

"I was already planning to let you go. Why did you have to provoke me?"

Pfft! Another weak water arrow shot out, and Kurozawa lightly dodged it.

"Shizuka, watch my clothes for me. I'll be right back."

"If you run into danger, shout for help."

Kurozawa took off his shirt, revealing his well-built body.

With ape-like arms and a narrow waist, his muscles rippled like drawn threads with every movement. His balanced, lean abs made it difficult for Hanada Shizuka to look away.

"Okay, okay. Senior Disciple, hurry up."

Hanada Shizuka was a swordswoman, after all. Even if she encountered a demon, none of the demons on Mount Fujikasane besides the Hand Demon could kill her instantly.

As for the possibility of suffering a few injuries, that was no great concern.

Kurozawa had no intention of considering everything for her or shielding her at every turn.

Nor did Hanada Shizuka think to ask Kurozawa not to leave her alone by the water. She merely reached out to take his shirt, while her eyes kept darting over his body as though she wanted to glue them to him.

"Little thing, there's no gate to hell, yet you insist on barging in."

With a splash, Kurozawa leaped into the water.

After diving in, Kurozawa opened his eyes underwater. The current made them sting slightly, but he could bear it, and he quickly adapted.

Mm, a powerful physique really was useful. Its adaptability was incredibly strong too.

Before Kurozawa, a bluish-black figure floated with its mouth open, staring at him blankly.

It seemed not to have expected him to actually come down.

Kurozawa swept his gaze over it and saw the Water Demon clearly.

It had a humanoid body and roughly the face of a man, but fish-gill-like organs on its neck opened and closed, allowing it to breathe underwater.

Where its hands should have been were two long, thick tentacles that looked immensely powerful. It had used those tentacles to wrap around and throw the stone out of the water earlier.

Its right leg was still bleeding into the water. The flesh had split open, exposing pale bone. Kurozawa's stone had broken its leg, and it had not yet recovered.

"Your broken leg hasn't even healed, and you still provoked me? Aren't you just bullying an honest man?"

Kurozawa grinned fiercely. His legs kicked through the water at high speed, and he closed in instantly.