Before long, it was late on the seventh night. The starlight gradually faded, and in another hour or two, the horizon would brighten completely, ushering in a new day.
Over those few short days, Teiichi had rescued three more participants in the trial.
He had also encountered two demons who could use Blood Demon Arts. Though they possessed Blood Demon Arts, their strength fell far short of his.
Teiichi had no need for complex sword forms. With nothing more than his swift movements and precise swordsmanship, he could defeat them easily. Whenever his Nichirin Blade traced an elegant arc through the air, a demon would fall, dissolving into a wisp of smoke.
While fighting the demons, Teiichi discovered that although his training greatsword could inflict tremendous damage on them, it could not destroy them completely. After every battle, he had to listen to their screams, a piercing and irritating sound.
Thus, whenever Teiichi encountered a demon over the past few days, he chose a more efficient way to fight-drawing his Nichirin Blade straightaway.
In his hands, the Nichirin Blade seemed to become a bolt of lightning, every swing carrying a fierce offensive.
Teiichi strolled leisurely down a woodland path alone, thinking to himself.
In the original story, the strongest one on Mount Fujikasane seemed to be the Hand Demon.
But although I've been wandering around the woods these past few nights, I still haven't run into him.
I wonder whether that counts as good luck or bad luck?
Just as Teiichi thought this trial would draw to such an uneventful close, the sudden sounds of a fierce battle came from afar.
The clamor instantly shattered the forest's tranquility.
Teiichi snapped his head around, looking straight toward the source of the sound, and murmured, "Well, saving one more person on the last day wouldn't be bad."
With that, he strode toward the battle without hesitation.
Half an hour earlier, the stars still twinkled in the night sky.
At that moment, seven figures clustered around Kanae Kocho: one girl and six boys, all participants in the Final Selection.
They had gathered there for different reasons. Some had been locked in desperate battles with demons when Kanae arrived in time and defeated them, after which they chose to follow her; others had met them by chance along the way and, seeing so many people beside Kanae, joined the group to ensure their own safety.
Whatever had brought them there, they shared a common desire for safety. In this world filled with unknowns and danger, one person's strength was always limited. When a team gathered together, however powerful a demon they faced, they could repel it with their collective strength. Besides, their team had the powerful Kanae.
Kanae was the team's pillar of stability, her presence putting everyone at ease. Her gentleness and beauty had not only won the members' affection but also inspired their deep admiration.
"Lady Kanae, it'll be dawn soon, and this trial will be over. If it weren't for you, I definitely would've died."
A boy looked at Kanae with a hint of adoration, his voice full of gratitude. He lowered his head, seemingly a little embarrassed, but summoned his courage and continued:
"Could we exchange addresses? That way, I could keep you updated on how I'm doing."
He had barely finished when another boy grew anxious. He liked Kanae too. He glanced at the first boy, unable to help feeling displeased. To him, this boy simply did not know his place, daring to make such a request of Lady Kanae.
"What are you thinking? Don't you know your own worth? You think someone like you can set his sights on Lady Kanae?" he mocked mercilessly.
At thirteen or fourteen, they were at the age when boys began to admire girls. Suddenly meeting a gentle, beautiful, and powerful girl, it was hard not to entertain such thoughts, especially when she had saved so many people.
Thus, the two of them were not the only ones in the group. From what he had observed, two other boys secretly liked Kanae as well. As for the remaining two who did not, he guessed that demons had killed their relatives, leaving their hearts filled with nothing but hatred for demons.
It would've been fine if none of us dared say anything, but then you suddenly pulled this stunt.
That was why he hurried to speak up after hearing the boy's words. After spending these past few days together, he had gained a rough understanding of Kanae's character. He feared she might feel too embarrassed to refuse and actually give that boy her address. What would he do if they really ended up together?
Over the past few days, he had realized that, apart from Lady Kanae, everyone in the group was about on the same level. It would be one thing if Lady Kanae got together with some stranger in the future, but rather than any of the others in this group, she might as well get together with him...
As though his private thoughts had been exposed, the boy who had asked for her address flushed scarlet. He raised his head and glared indignantly at the one who had spoken, arguing:
"What do you know? After these past few days, Lady Kanae and I count as friends. I'm only asking for her address so we can look out for each other after becoming Demon Slayers."
"Huh? Look out for each other? With your strength, you're going to look out for Lady Kanae? I don't think that idea is much simpler than pursuing her!"
"Bastard! You..."
"All right, all right! Stop arguing! Why would Lady Kanae casually give someone her home address? Even if she did, she'd definitely give it to me first! After all, we're the only two girls in the group!"
The only other girl in the group stepped forward, interrupting the boys' argument. As she spoke, she looked expectantly at Kanae, seemingly waiting for her to agree.
Kanae smiled a little awkwardly. In truth, she knew exactly what the boys were thinking, but at that moment, she was not considering such things. So she said softly:
"It's only an address. If you want it, I can give it to all of you~"
Her tone was as gentle as ever, as enchanting as a spring breeze brushing across their faces.
As soon as she finished speaking, cheers rose around her. At this special moment, with the trial about to end, obtaining Lady Kanae's home address seemed like a supreme honor to them all.
Perhaps because the trial was nearing its end and everyone felt particularly relaxed and happy, the group strolled along the woodland path, chatting and laughing.
Moonlight spilled through the gaps in the leaves, creating patches of dappled light and shadow; a breeze brushed their faces, bringing waves of cool comfort. In this lovely atmosphere, time seemed to slow to a crawl...
Just then.
The air ahead seemed to be torn apart by an invisible force. Several sharp sounds abruptly sliced through the air, piercing and grating, like the howls of phantoms, sending chills down their spines.
Kanae Kocho, the strongest among them, reacted almost instantly. Her movements were as swift as lightning, her movements were as swift as lightning, and her Nichirin Blade flashed out of its sheath, tracing streaks of keen sword light through the air like silver meteors across the night sky.
"Swish-swish-swish-"
As her blade flashed, Kanae severed the long objects hurtling toward them at tremendous speed, one after another. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the severed pieces rapidly turning to ash, and only then realized with a start that they were arms!
After being severed, the arms rapidly withdrew, as though drawn back by some mysterious force. Kanae followed their retreat with her gaze, a trace of gravity in her eyes.
An enormous figure loomed intermittently among the trees, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness,
"Thud... thud..."
As the figure approached, heavy, muffled footsteps rang out, each step seeming to land on their hearts. The footsteps were so loud that even the earth trembled.
The figure drew closer and closer, finally emerging from the forest. As its enormous bulk came fully out of the trees, it seemed to absorb even the moonlight, plunging the whole world into deeper darkness.
The demon's appearance seemed to shroud everything around it in deathly silence, leaving only its heavy footsteps echoing through the night.
Everyone's eyes fixed on the spine-chilling figure a short distance away. Several members of the group, whose gazes had been firm before, now showed profound shock and unease.
What a figure it was!
Powerful, terrifying, bizarre, bloated...
His body was abnormally bloated, far beyond that of an ordinary person. At a glance, he stood at least four or five meters tall, looming there like a small mountain.
His skin was a dull, eerie gray-green, and his overall form resembled a distorted human. His body seemed tormented by endless suffering and distortion, every inch of skin seeming to speak of boundless sorrow and pain.
Most terrifying of all were the countless arms crisscrossing his body. Packed densely together, they intertwined and writhed over him like venomous snakes. There were so many arms that his two legs alone could no longer support his enormous bulk, forcing him to brace two thick hands against the ground just to barely maintain his balance.
Instead of the hair an ordinary person would have, a giant hand covered the top of his head. It pressed down on his head like a small mountain, its five fingers clamped tightly over his forehead, as though suppressing some indescribable power. Even his neck, the usual weakness of a demon, was tightly wrapped in a thick arm, as though not even a breath could escape.
Every hand had bright red nails, as though soaked in blood, gleaming with a heart-pounding light.
It was none other than the demon Teiichi would later be thinking about, the power ceiling of Mount Fujikasane.
The Hand Demon.