"The Hand Demon"
After resting on the boulder for about five minutes, Aoki slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
"Alright, time to continue the demon hunt," he murmured, feeling the pain in his eyes subside. He stood up to leave.
But as he rose, a cool breeze swept past, carrying a stench far worse than excrement. Aoki instinctively covered his nose, forgetting his tengu mask.
"What the hell? Did some demon have diarrhea? This smell is horrendous," he muttered, adjusting his mask and pinching his nose.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar shook the forest, causing the trees to tremble.
Aoki immediately headed towards the source of the sound. It was undoubtedly a powerful demon, stronger than any he'd encountered so far.
Reaching the source, Aoki climbed a tree to observe. Below, a massive, brown creature stood in a clearing. Its aura clearly indicated it was a demon.
"Ding!"
Hand Demon:
Personality: Unknown
Identity: None
Skills possessed: None
Combat Power: 197 points
Overall Rating: Level Two
Favorability towards host: 0
The system's notification appeared. Seeing the Hand Demon's relatively low combat power, Aoki relaxed slightly. While stronger than previous demons, it would only require a few extra moves to defeat.
"Urokodaki bastard! Urokodaki bastard! Urokodaki bastard!"
The Hand Demon's repeated cries filled the air, strangely soothing to Aoki.
Besides the demon, another figure stood in the clearing: a young man in a blue haori, with deep red hair, a red scar on his forehead, and a tengu mask similar to Aoki's.
Aoki paused, a peculiar smile spreading across his face. It was Tanjiro Kamado, his favorite junior brother.
Tanjiro hadn't noticed Aoki. His keen sense of smell was overwhelmed by the Hand Demon's stench, completely masking Aoki's scent.
"You fiend!"
Tanjiro, his face contorted with rage, glared at the Hand Demon. He'd heard that the Hand Demon had already killed over a dozen of Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples.
These disciples were Aoki's senior brothers and sisters. Now he understood Urokodaki's words, "I didn't want you to participate in the final selection." Urokodaki's previous students had all perished during the final selection, all victims of the Hand Demon.
"Tanjiro, control your anger, especially in battle," a familiar voice interrupted Tanjiro's rising fury. A figure, wearing a tengu mask like his own, materialized before him.
"Senior Aoki?" Tanjiro recognized the scent instantly. He breathed a sigh of relief. Defeating the Hand Demon alone would have been difficult, but with Aoki's help, he was safe.
"My foolish little brother, need some help?" Aoki asked, drawing his Nichirin Sword, adopting a fighting stance.
"Yes!" Tanjiro replied, his voice thick with emotion. He had rarely seen Aoki fight, only witnessing his overwhelming strength during their sparring sessions. Even then, Aoki's power was immense, especially considering Urokodaki Sakonji's strength as a former Water Hashira.
Seeing Aoki descend, the Hand Demon's eyes narrowed. Noticing the tengu mask, he erupted in maniacal laughter.
"Unbelievable! To feast on two of Urokodaki's disciples at once! He'll be livid!"
Tanjiro's face hardened. He turned to Aoki, "Senior Aoki, this fiend killed all our senior brothers and sisters. Please avenge them!"
Aoki's brow furrowed. "Oh? That's why Old Man Urokodaki was so against me participating, demanding I defeat him without his sword. So that's the reason."
"Avenging them would please Old Man Urokodaki, wouldn't it?"
Aoki's eyes transformed into the Sharingan, his Nichirin Sword crackling with strange energy.
"Revenge? How laughable," the Hand Demon sneered. "That tengu-masked fellow with the scar said the same thing. And look where he is now!"
Numerous small arms sprouted from the Hand Demon's massive limbs, lashing out at Aoki.
Aoki's expression turned grim. "You bastard, you're really annoying."
"Breath of Devouring, First Style: Demon Devour!"
The Nichirin Sword's blade was enveloped in black energy. Instead of severing the arms, the sword's energy expanded into a black vortex, absorbing them all.
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