"How can he be so strong?"
The long-tongued demon reattached his severed arms, staring in disbelief at the figure in front of him, a god of war.
A dozen of them, plus the Hand Demon who'd eaten over forty humans... They still couldn't fight back.
Why would a demon this strong be trapped on Mt. Fujikasane?
Were the Demon Slayers insane?
Another demon exploded. The long-tongued demon felt a chill. He wanted to run.
Fighting like this... There was no chance of winning.
Wearing the enemy down? A fantasy.
But if he ran now... What then?
Mt. Fujikasane was small. There was nowhere to hide. They'd meet again someday. He'd be alone. He'd be dead for sure.
"Wait!"
The long-tongued demon realized something was wrong. "Why aren't those demons getting up? Are they faking it?"
His eyes widened.
In the grass nearby, a demon cut in half lay still, eyes closed. Blood poured from the wounds, staining the ground red.
The long-tongued demon stared at the wounds. His body trembled.
No healing!
No sign of regeneration!
He turned. All the demons who were down... They had terrible wounds. They weren't healing.
"He can't just eat demons... He can stop their bodies from healing?"
Fear choked him. He couldn't control it. He turned and ran.
The way to eat demons, his future safety... He forgot it all.
He felt a burning regret.
What had possessed him? Why had he provoked this monster?
Boom!
Wind blasted his face.
A figure appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
"No!"
The long-tongued demon felt cold. His heart pounded.
Before he could react, a fist filled his vision. It grew bigger, faster.
Thump!
Darkness swallowed the long-tongued demon.
Aoki didn't even notice that he'd killed the leader. He turned, lunged at another demon.
Soon, the other demons realized the truth.
"This can't be happening!"
"What's going on? Why aren't they healing?"
"What did you do?"
A long-haired female demon screamed, her voice breaking. Her face was white as paper. Terror filled her.
Aoki didn't answer. He leaped.
Thump!
The long-haired demon's head exploded. Her body crashed down.
"He's a devil! I'm done! I'm out!"
Another demon broke. He turned, ran wildly.
It started a chain reaction. The demons ran.
"Running now? Too late!"
Aoki's eyes burned with killing intent.
He'd expected this. He'd been preparing. He'd deliberately targeted the fast, agile demons first. He'd left the slow ones for last.
Thump, thump, thump...
Dust flew. Footsteps thundered.
Aoki was like a race car. He wasn't very agile, but he was fast. He charged, unstoppable.
...
The Hand Demon dragged his heavy body, running hard. He glanced back.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Why is he so strong?"
His plan had failed. He might die. Fear, rage, and jealousy gnawed at his twisted heart. He was going crazy.
Then, a river blocked his path. The Hand Demon felt a surge of hope.
"Perfect! I remember a hiding place on the other side of this river! That bastard... Just wait! I'll eat more humans. I'll get stronger. Then..."
His face froze. His thoughts stopped.
Thump, thump, thump!
Heavy footsteps sounded, fast. A terrifying figure charged from behind.
"How? How did he catch up so fast? What about the other demons? Are they all dead?" The Hand Demon gritted his teeth.
Aoki leaped. He flew through the air, a falling weight. He swung his fist at the Hand Demon's head.
"Get out of my way!"
The Hand Demon put his four arms together, made a giant fist. He punched.
Thump, thump, thump!
Muscles tore. Bones shattered. Flesh sprayed. The Hand Demon's arms exploded, piece by piece. He stumbled back.
Aoki flipped, landed smoothly.
"Found you!"
"What about the other demons?" The Hand Demon stared.
"You're worried about them?"
Aoki walked closer.
"Wait! Wait!"
The Hand Demon waved his hands. "Let's stop this! I'm stronger than you think! Trust me! If we keep fighting, you'll get hurt, too!"
"I'd love to see your real strength."
Aoki spoke. The ground exploded beneath him. Two arms shot up.
The same move the Hand Demon had used to ambush him.
But there were no other demons to distract him. The attack was too slow.
Aoki leaped back, dodged. He reached out, grabbed.
The Hand Demon's arms were as thick as a man's waist. Like trees. Aoki's arms looked thin, fragile.
But when he grabbed, crack! The Hand Demon stopped. His arms were stuck in the ground.
He pulled, he couldn't move. He pushed, he couldn't move.
Aoki twisted his hands.
Crack!
Both arms snapped.
He didn't want to play anymore. Aoki dropped the arms, charged the Hand Demon.
"No! Don't! Don't come closer! Stay away! Get away!"
The Hand Demon's face was terrified. He swung his arms wildly, but he couldn't stop Aoki. He was too close.
Thump, thump, thump!
A few punches. The Hand Demon's body was a mess. He crashed down.
His muscles twitched. He spoke with half a mouth, bitter. "Why were you trapped on Mt. Fujikasane? You're so strong!"
Aoki grabbed the Hand Demon's head. "Who told you I was trapped here by the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"What? You came here yourself...?" The Hand Demon's eyes widened.
Aoki didn't let him speak.
"Devour!"
[Killed the Hand Demon, Gained 25 Experience.]
"Only twenty-five?" Aoki frowned.
That was weak!
He'd thought the Hand Demon would give him forty experience, at least.
"Did I level up too much? How low did the experience from normal demons drop?"
Aoki felt uneasy. He ran back to the battlefield.
Demon bodies were everywhere.
It looked bad, but they were still alive.
Their strength was amazing.
Aoki piled the demons together, activated Demon Devour.
The System messages scrolled.
[Killed a Demon, Gained 5 Experience.]
[Killed a Demon, Gained 6 Experience.]
---
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