Clang!
A clear, ringing sound echoed across the battlefield. The Nichirin Blade collided violently with the arms around the Hand Demon's neck, sending sparks flying. Under the tremendous impact, Kanae's Nichirin Blade snapped, a dazzling gleam flashing at the break.
So hard!
Great, they didn't break!
Two different thoughts echoed across the battlefield.
The Hand Demon reacted quickly, sending one hand hurtling toward Kanae Kocho.
Kanae had only meant to test the Hand Demon's defenses, but in the end, she had failed to resist the temptation to cut off his head and put a little more strength into her strike. She had never expected her Nichirin Blade to snap after colliding so violently with the demon's arms, and regret filled her heart.
Still, she had remembered that she was only testing him and had not used her full strength, so she had some power to spare. She flipped swiftly through the air, dodging the Hand Demon's attack.
Planting one foot on the incoming arm, she pushed off hard, swiftly putting distance between herself and the Hand Demon. After landing, she leaped back a few times, her figure already drifting far away.
"If you run now, I'll find those Demon Slayers from earlier and kill them!"
That roar brought Kanae Kocho, who had been about to flee, to a halt.
Kanae lowered her head to look at the half of her Nichirin Blade still in her hand, then slowly raised her head again, her gaze resolute.
"Heh heh heh..."
Looking at the girl who had raised her head and stood her ground before him, the Hand Demon let out a smug laugh. He knew his plan had worked.
The arms around him writhed again and shot toward Kanae.
"Aaargh..."
In the deep darkness of night, the Hand Demon's furious roars echoed through the center of the battlefield. His howls were as fierce as a raging storm, as though they would tear apart the surrounding darkness.
The Hand Demon's arms shot madly toward the girl nearby like an out-of-control machine gun. Every swing carried tremendous force, toppling the surrounding trees and scattering broken trunks, branches, and leaves across the ground.
Moonlight filtered through the thin clouds and spilled across the battlefield, where a white figure flitted about like a dancing butterfly. It was Kanae, dressed in a white haori that stood out starkly in the darkness. Her movements were nimble and graceful, every turn and every leap perfectly timed, as though she were dancing with the moonlight.
The Hand Demon's arms struck again and again, but Kanae deftly avoided them all. Her eyes were steady and calm, as though the danger before her were nothing more than passing smoke. Every dodge was so unhurried, as though she were racing against time.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Watching Kanae nimbly leap across the battlefield, the Hand Demon roared in fury.
"If I hadn't met you so late, I would've killed you for sure!"
But Kanae paid no attention to the Hand Demon's roars and threats. She continued calmly dodging the incoming arms.
Watching the girl before him refuse to answer, the Hand Demon grew increasingly agitated, swinging his arms with even greater force.
By now, half an hour had passed since the Hand Demon had broken Kanae Kocho's blade.
Over that half hour, Kanae had demonstrated extraordinary agility and endurance. Facing the Hand Demon's frenzied attacks, she showed no fear, relying on her nimble footwork and keen perception to dodge seemingly unavoidable attacks again and again.
Although the Hand Demon's main body moved slowly, his arms were as elusive as phantoms. Yet Kanae cleverly used the distance between them, always maintaining a safe gap of fifteen to twenty meters.
Within that range, the Hand Demon's arms could still reach Kanae, but because of the distance, they had already expended considerable force by the time they reached her, giving her enough time to react.
As time passed, Kanae's stamina gradually dwindled as well. Though her gaze remained calm and resolute, she was already moving somewhat slower than at the start.
That was also why the Hand Demon was shouting in frustration. As he had said, if he had encountered Kanae Kocho earlier, then no matter how good she was at dodging, she could not have kept it up all night. Sooner or later, her stamina would have run out.
But ultimately, he had encountered her too late. The horizon was already beginning to turn pale, and although Kanae Kocho was slower now than at the start, she clearly looked capable of dodging for a while longer.
Watching Kanae leap across the battlefield, the Hand Demon's anger and frustration reached their peak.
Before much longer, he would have no choice but to abandon his hunt for Kanae Kocho and return to his lair to hide.
Since he did not know how many days had passed since the trial began, he was still thinking of coming out again that night to find Kanae Kocho and take revenge.
In the distance.
A figure hid silently in the shadows of the branches. It was Teiichi.
He had been observing from this dense forest for quite some time. He had arrived when Kanae Kocho had nearly fallen victim to the trap on the ground.
Because of the distance and the darkness of night, Teiichi had initially failed to notice the Hand Demon's traps. Only when the Hand Demon himself exposed those hidden threats in his anger did Teiichi finally see the full picture of the battlefield.
Seeing this, Teiichi could not help marveling. As expected of someone who would become a Hashira in the original story, her combat experience was already this formidable, even though she was only now taking part in the trial.
At that moment, the two sides on the battlefield were locked in a stalemate. Kanae relied on her exceptional agility to evade the Hand Demon's attacks, while the Hand Demon's slow-moving body made it difficult for him to close the distance between them. They exchanged moves, neither able to do anything to the other.
However, the horizon was already growing pale, and the first rays of sunlight would soon dispel the darkness of night. Teiichi knew that before long, daybreak would force the Hand Demon to flee the battlefield early.
So Teiichi prepared to join the battle.
He intended to kill the Hand Demon.
A demon of the Hand Demon's level was indeed a little beyond the appropriate limits for Mount Fujikasane, and in the future, he would snuff out many highly promising seedlings. So Teiichi decided to eliminate him.
It was only because the Hand Demon was not very bright that he did not know to throw things with his hands. Otherwise, if he got out and had enough stones for ammunition, his ten-handed Guanyin stone-throwing alone would give even a Hashira some trouble.
As Teiichi slowly stepped onto the battlefield, the fierce atmosphere of battle suddenly gave way to an eerie silence.
Kanae Kocho's gaze shifted with Teiichi's arrival. A faint smile appeared on her face, and she said softly, "You're finally here!"
Teiichi looked utterly bewildered at Kanae Kocho's words. He gave her a couple of blank looks as he walked, but now was not the time to talk. Casually planting his heavy training sword in the ground, he turned back and continued toward the Hand Demon.
Watching Teiichi enter the battlefield, a trace of confusion and wariness flashed through the Hand Demon's eyes. He sneered and said, "What's this, brat? Have you come to die too?" His voice was full of mockery and disdain.
Hearing the Hand Demon's words, Teiichi replied evenly, "Yeah, I've come to send you to your death!" His tone was firm and calm, without a trace of emotion.
Enraged by Teiichi's answer, the Hand Demon grinned viciously. "Heh heh heh, an arrogant little brat, too!" Brutal emotions surged within him, and the anger he had built up for so long seemed to have found an outlet.
Several arms gathered in front of the Hand Demon, then shot toward Teiichi. Yet Teiichi seemed to have anticipated it. With a slight turn of his body and a light shift of his feet, he easily dodged the Hand Demon's attack.
Still not fast enough! Teiichi silently assessed the speed of the Hand Demon's attacks. His eyes blazed as he watched the Hand Demon closely, searching for the best moment to strike.
Just as the arms were about to reach him, Teiichi suddenly moved. With a slight shift of his feet, he took two or three steps to the right, deftly avoiding the incoming arms.
At the same time, the Nichirin Blade in his hand flashed, severing the attacking arms in a single slash.
Teiichi leaned forward slightly, the muscles in his legs tensing as though he had gathered all his strength. A resolute light shone in his eyes, and like an arrow ready to fly, he suddenly hurtled toward the Hand Demon.
So fast! The Hand Demon's pupils abruptly contracted. He clearly had not expected Teiichi to be so astonishingly fast. Alarmed, he hurriedly brought more arms into play, trying to stop Teiichi's advance. But Teiichi moved far too quickly, as though he had already surpassed the limits of the flesh.
Teiichi darted across the battlefield, his steps light and nimble, each movement avoiding the Hand Demon's attacks with perfect precision. Meanwhile, the distance between him and the Hand Demon kept shrinking.
In the blink of an eye, Teiichi had reached the space beneath the Hand Demon. He looked up at the Hand Demon's enormous body without a trace of fear in his eyes. The Hand Demon, meanwhile, fell into a panic. His massive size made it difficult to see what was happening beneath him, leaving him to swing his arms defensively by feel alone.
Yet Teiichi appeared beneath him like a phantom. The arms surrounding the Hand Demon instinctively swung downward, but no sound of impact came through the air.
Suddenly, a shadow blocked his vision.
Startled, he instinctively looked up. Beneath the shadow, the Hand Demon's pupils contracted slightly, and an inexplicable fear welled up within him.
Hiss-
A fierce wind abruptly rose, surging wildly around the Hand Demon with a piercing howl.
"Wind Breathing."
An icy voice rang out through the gale, sending a chill through the Hand Demon. He raised his head with difficulty, his gaze fixing on the boy before him.
With the moonlight behind the boy, his features were indistinct, leaving only jet-black hair and deep black eyes visible. At that moment, resolve shone in the boy's eyes, and a visible layer of green light already glowed on the Nichirin Blade in his hand.
"Eighth form."
Looking at the boy silhouetted against the moonlight, the Hand Demon finally realized that this boy was different from ordinary Demon Slayers.
Damn it! Damn it!
This brat...
I can't block it!!
I'll die!!!
"Primary Gale Slash."
As the words fell, a green blade gleam flashed, and the world seemed to stand still at that moment.
What's... happening to me? The Hand Demon's mind went blank. He felt an unprecedented sense of emptiness fill his consciousness. He tried to struggle, but his body seemed fixed in place, unable to move.
Did I... lose? A surge of unwillingness and fear rose in the Hand Demon's heart.
"No, don't..."
"I... I haven't even gotten revenge on that bastard Urokodaki yet..."
Thud... thud...
As the Hand Demon's head fell to the ground, his body and head slowly began turning to ash and drifting away.