"Bang!"
The Nichirin Blade slammed into the barrier with a tremendous crash, like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting apart.
After a brief deadlock, a sharp crack rang out. Unable to withstand the immense pressure, the barrier shattered.
Yet Teiichi's assault did not pause in the slightest as he continued lunging at the white-haired demon...
Just as Teiichi prepared to swing his long blade again and slash down viciously at the white-haired demon, the blood-red arrows in the sky finished gathering and hurtled straight toward him at astonishing speed!
Faced with this sudden attack, Teiichi's expression remained unchanged. He swiftly shifted his stance and sword technique.
He gave a low cry: "Fourth form: Rising Dust Storm!"
Immediately afterward, the long blade in his hand traced an upward arc like lightning, whipping up a violent gust.
In an instant, dust swept up from the ground, forming a massive curtain.
The dust churned upward like surging ocean waves.
In the blink of an eye, it gathered into a semicircular shield, like an immensely sturdy bulwark, protecting Teiichi securely within.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss..."
The blood arrows rained densely upon the dust shield, producing a series of sharp, grating sounds.
Yet none of them could pierce its defenses, and they fell to the ground one after another.
Dust billowed like surging waves. The white-haired demon stood before it, his left arm raised slightly as blood flowed ceaselessly from its hideous wound.
The bright red blood seemed alive. Some transformed into blood arrows that rose into the air, cutting across the sky like crimson shafts and speeding straight toward the dust, where the arrows and dust collided and wore each other away.
The remaining blood gathered and condensed in the white-haired demon's hand, gradually forming a dazzling blood diamond. Scarlet throughout and gleaming with an eerie light, it spun rapidly in his palm, emanating an aura that made the heart tremble.
As he condensed the blood diamond, the white-haired demon stared at the dust curtain before him, his gaze growing colder as he thought to himself:
This is what humans are like. Even the blood arrows, the weakest of my attacks, are too much for their bodies to withstand. They can only dodge or block. The moment this dust curtain falls will be the moment you die.
Finally, under the continuous barrage of blood arrows, the dust grew thinner, and a hazy figure gradually emerged behind it.
Seeing this, the white-haired demon waited no longer and thrust the blood diamond in his hand toward that indistinct figure.
The dust curtain, which had still been able to withstand some of the blood arrows, proved as flimsy as thin paper under the blood diamond's powerful impact.
In the blink of an eye, the dust curtain tore apart, revealing the true form concealed within.
Yet to the white-haired demon's surprise, when the blood diamond pierced the dust curtain and struck its target, he felt none of the joy he had expected.
Instead, when he saw that the "figure" he had pierced was nothing but a pile of dust, his expression changed drastically, his face filled with disbelief.
Dust?
Where is he?
Damn it, behind me!
Alarm shot through the white-haired demon's heart, and he hurriedly turned.
Yet to his astonishment, no one was behind him. The sword-wielding boy he had expected was nowhere to be seen.
There was only a silent forest.
Bright moonlight spilled into the forest like a silver waterfall, illuminating every corner.
The white-haired demon had never felt cold since becoming a demon, but now, looking at the scene before him, he felt chilled all over, as though a bone-piercing cold had penetrated his body.
"Whoosh..."
A fierce wind howled behind him.
"Wind Breathing, first form."
"Dust Whirlwind Cutter."
A cold, low voice suddenly reached the white-haired demon's ears, making his face turn deathly pale.
That brat is behind me!!
I have to turn and dodge!
Damn it!!
Too late!!
I'm going to die!!!
Ah!!!
"Swish!"
In an instant, a fierce flash of steel streaked toward him with incomparable might.
With a swish, the white-haired demon's head flew high, flung toward the sky.
That head, so recently full of savagery and ferocity, now looked utterly wretched and ridiculous.
Blood sprayed out, staining the surrounding grass red in a shocking sight.
His head tumbled endlessly through the air, the scenery before his eyes changing rapidly like a film.
Suddenly, the images slowed, and one scene gradually became clear.
On the ground, the black-haired boy slowly sheathed his long blade, while a headless body collapsed limply beside him.
"Ah... did I lose?"
"All... all I wanted was to devour a few more humans... then I'd become even stronger and could challenge Lower Rank One directly, then give Lord Muzan a big surprise. Perhaps I'd even receive more rewards from Lord Muzan..."
"But how could I lose here so easily..."
His head continued tumbling through the air, rising higher and higher.
The next moment, the scene slowed once more.
A bright full moon entered the white-haired demon's sight.
"Ah... tonight's moon!"
"Was it this round!"
"Rustle."
Teiichi slowly slid his Nichirin Blade into its sheath. His movements were gentle, as though he feared waking something.
After finishing, Teiichi turned around and slowly raised his head, his gaze following the head plummeting through the air.
"Thud... thud... thud..."
The head struck the ground with dull thuds, bouncing three times before rolling some distance and finally coming to a stop.
By now, the head had lost all signs of life, its once-vivid face turning as pale as paper.
With death, the head gradually began turning to ash, drifting into the air bit by bit.
"Phew..."
Watching the scene before him, Teiichi exhaled deeply, as though trying to release all the tension and heaviness in his heart.
His eyes revealed an indescribable weariness, but also a trace of relief.
"If I hadn't thought on my feet and used a trick within a trick, killing this demon today really wouldn't have been easy."
Teiichi raised his head and glanced at the distant wooden house. Though he could not see what was happening inside, he could guess its current state. The breeze had already carried the faint smell of blood from within to his nose.
Teiichi paced indecisively, unsure whether he should first deal with the body inside or turn around and catch up with the little girl.
After a long while, Teiichi started toward the house. He had decided to check inside first and help tidy things up before bringing the little girl back.
The closer he drew to the wooden house, the stronger the smell of blood became, as though it had drifted from the depths of hell, making one's hair stand on end and sending chills down one's spine.
As Teiichi stepped onto the stairs before the wooden house, he could finally see directly inside.
A woman with a face as pale as paper lay in the center of the house, a shocking pool of blood beneath her!
The blood resembled a strange flower blooming in the darkness, giving off a pungent, bloody stench.
Even more horrifying were the holes of all sizes covering the woman's body, clearly places where the demon had eaten her flesh.
Teiichi's gaze grew heavy. He silently lowered his head as an indescribable trace of pain and self-reproach rose within him.
Although he knew the sight before him had nothing to do with him, he still felt troubled inside. Though he had killed the white-haired demon, someone had died in the end.
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, striving to calm his emotions.
He entered the house, found a long robe, and gently draped it over the woman's cold body.
After doing so, he slowly turned and ran in the direction the little girl had gone, his steps somewhat unsteady...
Before long, a small figure appeared ahead. She trudged along unsteadily, stumbling with each step. It was plain that the little girl was utterly exhausted.
After all, she was only a child of eight or nine.
She had already used up considerable strength during the day. That night, after only a short rest, a vicious demon had attacked, forcing her to flee desperately up the mountain alone for help. After Teiichi finally carried her down, she had encountered the demon again and had to keep fleeing.
Although Teiichi's fight with the white-haired demon had not lasted very long, he had hesitated over whether to visit the house or find the little girl first, then spent some time inside the house. The little girl had therefore actually traveled quite a distance.
When she heard running footsteps approaching from behind, Kanon hurriedly turned to look.
It was the older boy who had just carried her down the mountain. There was now a fresh cut on his cheek and a little dust on his clothes, but she saw no other injuries. Her intuition told Kanon that he had won.
She hurriedly stopped, gazing joyfully at the older boy running toward her, an incredibly radiant smile blossoming across her face.
Looking at the little girl smiling as brightly as the warm spring sun, Teiichi suddenly felt an intense surge of guilt.
Although he knew perfectly well that the death of the little girl's mother had nothing to do with him, guilt still surged through his heart like a tide, beyond his control.
His steps unwittingly grew slower and slower, until he was a few meters from her and slowly walked the rest of the way...
Looking at Teiichi's downcast expression, the little girl seemed to realize something. The upturned corners of her mouth gradually flattened, then slowly drooped, and she silently lowered her head.
In an instant, a suffocating, deathly silence filled the space around them.
Teiichi silently watched the little girl standing before him with her head lowered, his heart full of complicated emotions.
After a long while, he finally turned around, crouched, and said softly, "Climb on. I'll carry you back to take a look."
The little girl did not answer. She merely did as he said, climbing somewhat stiffly onto Teiichi's back. Her movements were very restrained, as though she were struggling to hold back some emotion.
With the little girl on his back, Teiichi ran toward the wooden house, the wind rushing past their ears.
Throughout the journey, both tacitly remained silent.