The Sapphire Star raced through the woods. Above her, a Kasugai Crow beat its wings frantically, cawing in quick bursts, seemingly struggling to keep up with her sprint.
The bloody stench hanging in the air remained as strong as ever. There was no telling how many demons it had drawn out along the way. The Sapphire Star frowned deeply. Even she felt sick from the smell, let alone those bloodthirsty creatures.
"Meow! Boss! This smell really stinks, meow! Worse than poop, meow!" The Palico stayed close to the Sapphire Star's feet, its short legs scampering furiously. As it ran, it covered its nose with a little paw, disgust written all over its face.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Another dark figure burst from the bushes with a roar. It was another lesser demon driven completely mad by the scent of rare blood. All they could see was that fatal temptation, utterly ignoring the blue figure below that radiated a terrifying aura.
"Keep count, silly cat!" The Sapphire Star's gaze sharpened, and she drew her blade as she swept past the lunging demon.
Shing-
The attacking demon's head instantly fell to the ground. Its body staggered a few more steps, still poised to run, then twitched and crumbled to ash.
The Palico felt only a few fierce gusts sweep past. When it looked back, the attackers had already become heaps of black ash drifting away.
"Meow! You're so cool, Boss! That's the fifth one, meow~" The Palico meowed admiringly, then wrinkled its little nose again.
"But... look, Boss, meow! It left something behind even after dying, meow?"
The Sapphire Star crouched and poked through the ashes with a stick. Sure enough, every demon had left behind a sealed glass syringe filled with thick, dark red liquid. Even sealed, they reeked of demons.
"Another