Muichiro crashed into a pile of rotting leaves deep in the forest, rolling seven or eight meters before he stopped.
Two ribs were broken. He had barely pushed himself upright with his wooden sword when the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
The sound of water.
Not a stream, but something viscous gathering rapidly behind him.
Muichiro turned. A transparent sphere of water was rising from the ground.
The sphere swelled in an instant, engulfing his entire right leg.
"Joy."
A demon holding a round fan floated above the treetops. His mouth stretched into a grin, his eyes slanted upward, and excitement covered his face.
He was Uroko, the fourth demon split off from Hantengu.
The sphere crept up Muichiro's thigh, swallowed his waist, and submerged his chest.
Muichiro swung his sword at it. The blade cut into the water as though into a mass of heavy, lifeless rubber, with no response at all.
The water closed over his head.
A complete Water Basin took shape, sealing his entire body inside.
Muichiro opened his mouth to breathe, but the bowl was sealed tight. It hadn't left him even a single air bubble.
His lungs felt as though someone had them in a crushing grip. He had barely drawn a breath for Mist Breathing before it was forcibly blocked, breaking the cycle in an instant.
His chest began to burn. The searing pain spread from his lungs to his throat, then shot into the back of his head.
The edges of his vision began to darken.
Uroko floated down and pressed his face against the outside of the Water Basin. Watching the boy struggle inside, he laughed and clapped his hands.
"So much for a Hashira. Hold your breath a little, and you go limp."
Muichiro's fingers