Kanae Kocho

The demon before them far surpassed any they had faced before in both strength and speed.

Had she encountered it alone, even Kanae could not have been certain of victory.

But right now, there were three of them.

Though their teamwork was far from seamless, they could still cover one another or follow up on attacks during gaps in their companions' offensives.

After a bitter struggle, they finally forced it to retreat.

The only cost was a few minor injuries to one swordsman.

Kanae stood where she was, breathing a little heavily as she considered what had happened.

That demon just now...

Was its body getting harder the whole time?

"Should we keep pursuing it?"

One swordsman looked at the vast swath of ruined forest ahead and hesitantly asked Kanae.

After a brief moment of thought, the girl answered decisively, "Have the Kasugai Crow send word first. We'll pursue it immediately."

According to what the demon had revealed, it had plans.

It intended to spend the winter in these mountains and had captured many innocent people to serve as its winter food supply.

Now that its identity and location had been exposed, it knew it was in danger.

It would very likely relocate, and those people who were still alive would either be taken along...

Or... killed on the spot to silence them.

Once she explained her reasoning, neither swordsman objected. They tightened their grips on their swords and followed Kanae into the forest, tracking the marks it had left behind.

But a sea of trees with no established paths was never a place ordinary people should venture into.

After less than half a day of travel, all three had already suffered a noticeable decline in stamina.

A thought even began to form in Kanae's mind.

Could this demon have deliberately left tracks to lure us here?

Just as she was considering that possibility, the ground beneath her feet suddenly gave way.

The earth collapsed beneath her.

"It's a trap!"

She swept her gaze sideways, and sure enough, the demon burst out of a tree trunk once more.

Its target was not her as she fell into the trap, but the other two swordsmen, whose skills were far inferior.

It's trying to pick us off one by one!

Kanae shouted urgently, "Both of you, be careful!"

The two swordsmen reacted quickly. One raised his sword to meet it head-on, while the other darted behind it.

His Nichirin Blade became a glint of cold light, thrusting straight at the back of its neck.

Seventh Form: Drop Ripple Thrust

Use the fastest sword form to land a hit before it can defend!

That was the swordsman's thought.

But the demon did not even turn all the way around. The muscles of its back merely rippled, and its skin instantly took on the cold, hard sheen of iron.

Only then did the two realize that the demon's skin was no longer the same color as before.

Clang!

A sharp metallic ring rang out.

The tip of the Nichirin Blade struck as though it had hit an iron wall.

Far from piercing the demon's neck, the entire blade bent, nearly snapping.

Meanwhile, the demon completely ignored the swordsman attacking it from the front, letting his slashes shower sparks across its body.

It turned and seized the swordsman who had failed to retreat in time.

"Mmm... the first..."

Its claws pierced his chest as easily as tearing through paper.

"You bastard!"

The other swordsman's eyes bulged with rage.

The veins at his temples stood out as his blood surged. He desperately pushed his Breathing Style to its limits and slashed at the demon's arm, trying to rescue his companion, whose chest had already been torn open.

Yet even that all-out strike could not narrow the enormous gulf between him and the demon by so much as a fraction.

The demon delivered a single sideways kick.

His body flew like a puppet with severed strings, crashing into the distant undergrowth and falling still.

Only then did Kanae manage to scramble out of the pit.

The first thing she saw was the dead swordsman hanging from the demon's hand like a torn rag.

Even with her normally gentle, composed temperament, she could not hold back a furious cry.

"What have you done?!"

These young swordsmen had so much of their future ahead of them. They might even have found happiness of their own someday.

And now it had all ended here?!

Like flowers withering in spring, they had died before the dawn.

All because of this demon's senseless malice toward humans and its appetite?

She suddenly remembered the past-the malice and misfortune that had descended on her own home without warning...

Grief and fury surged through her chest, turning into strength.

Her pink Nichirin Blade became a streak of light, sweeping up fallen leaves and drifting blossoms that unfolded layer upon layer like peony petals.

Light and graceful.

Yet fierce and deadly.

Her slashes struck several of the demon's vital points.

Total Concentration!

Flower Breathing

Fifth Form: Fruitless Peony

Throat, heart, wrists, eyes...

But to Kanae's shock, the sword technique she had unleashed with all her strength fell far short of her expectations.

Only a short while ago, she had still been able to sever its arms.

Now, cutting through its skin and muscle was the most her blade could achieve.

She saw the blue-gray color flash across its body again, along with the wood grain that had already faded from its skin.

Kanae's pupils abruptly contracted as she began to understand.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm. Looks like you've noticed, little butterfly."

The demon no longer bothered to conceal it. It drove her back several steps with heavy swipes of its claws, its voice carrying a hint of pride.

"Your slashes do have some power."

"You can even cut through the hardest cloudmist fir in this forest."

"But... what about steel?"

It stroked its own body as though caressing a treasure.

Beneath the moonlight, its once wood-grained body now faintly reflected a metallic gleam.

"Those flimsy little toothpicks of yours can't cut through this body of steel, can they? Mmm."

This monster...

It can change its body's material and hardness in a short time through contact!

Its defenses had been unusual from the very beginning.

It had probably absorbed the properties of some special timber from this logging site.

And throughout their earlier battle, it had been imitating and adapting to the metal composition of their Nichirin Blades, until it finally completed the transformation.

It had caught them completely off guard.

With no time to mourn her fallen companions, Kanae decisively tilted her head back and shouted.

"Kasugai Crow! Request emergency reinforcements!"

The sound of beating wings came from overhead. It was the Kasugai Crow.

It was flying out of the forest.

Naturally, the demon noticed.

With a savage grin, it tore a large chunk of wood from a tree trunk and hurled it in the direction the Kasugai Crow was fleeing.

The broken wood shattered into numerous fragments under its monstrous strength. Whistling through the air, they covered nearly every escape route available to the crow.

Second Form: Shadow Plum

A slender figure leaped into the air, placing herself between the Kasugai Crow and the demon.

Her blade traced the shape of plum blossoms, its petal-like arcs of light deflecting every piece of flying wood.

"Go on. Hurry."

Kanae spoke softly to the frightened Kasugai Crow, her lips curving into a smile like a blooming flower.

"I'll protect you."

The Kasugai Crow hurriedly beat its wings and flew away.

"Mmm. What good will calling for help do?"

The hollow-eyed demon shook its head.

"Once I tear the butterfly apart, I'll just take my food and leave. Mmm."

The smile faded from Kanae's face.

She looked at the demon before her, her eyes utterly devoid of warmth.

"Does turning your body into metal really give you that much confidence?"

"But it hasn't made your attacks much stronger. That's because your Blood Demon Art is only meant to protect you, isn't it?"

"And the place where you've imprisoned those innocent people is nearby, isn't it?"

The trap from earlier had not looked freshly dug.

Does it have a lair underground?

At her words, the demon began shifting its limbs restlessly.

"I will not forgive you."

Her voice was quiet, yet it seemed sheathed in iron.

The girl enunciated every word. "Tonight, I will slay you here."