In the dim underground, the Earth Demon set its sights on Yuichiro and grew restless.
Thanks to its unique Blood Demon Art, the Earth Demon could move freely several meters beneath the surface.
Since becoming a Demon, it had devoured nearly twenty humans using this ability.
Its grotesque body slithered through the soil, producing only the faintest, nearly imperceptible scraping sounds.
Arai Masahiko gripped his Nichirin Blade tightly, not daring to relax for even a moment.
His breathing became so light he feared he might miss the Demon's approach.
Crack!!
Suddenly, a strange noise erupted behind Arai.
Without thinking, he swung his Nichirin Blade horizontally, explosive power surging from his waist as his left foot stomped firmly into the ground.
"Thunder Breathing, Second Form: Rice Spirit!!"
Harnessing his body's momentum and the tremendous force from his core, Arai spun around with lightning speed, unleashing five slashes wreathed in crackling electricity.
BOOM!!
The devastating strikes split the earth itself, leaving deep fissures.
Yet instead of celebrating, Arai's pupils constricted in shock.
Because before him lay only the cracked ground—completely empty—despite having clearly sensed the Demon's presence mere moments ago.
At that exact moment, Yuichiro—who had been silently gripping his wooden sword—suddenly moved with impossible speed.
The soft deerskin boots gifted by Shinichi allowed him to dash forward almost soundlessly, gliding like a phantom to Arai's side.
"Forest Breathing, First Form: Iron Birch Slash!"
Ordinary wooden sword transformed as emerald light erupted from the blade.
An indomitable slash grazed past Arai's cheek with unstoppable force.
"Grah!!"
The dull impact and the Demon's shriek rang out simultaneously.
Arai whirled around to see the Earth Demon reeling from Yuichiro's strike.
"When?! How did it get so close without me noticing it?"
Cold sweat drenched Arai as he stared at the Demon now meters away.
Without Yuichiro's intervention, he'd have never noticed its approach.
Now both clearly saw the Demon's hideous form—its body covered in ghastly fissures, its head lumpy and grotesque, resembling the fearsome clay statues of wrathful yakshas from japanese folklore.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form!"
Seizing the moment, Arai prepared to strike again.
But the Demon reacted just as swiftly.
After shooting Yuichiro a venomous glare, it vanished into the earth before their eyes.
Yuichiro's brow furrowed. "A burrowing Demon?"
Wooden swords couldn't deal lethal damage—only slightly damages the demon.
The Earth Demon now circled beneath them with frenzied intensity, awaiting another opportunity.
"Arai-senpai! We're here!"
Three more Demon Slayers arrived.
Spotting his comrades, Arai urgently warned.
"Careful! This Demon tunnels underground! Watch your footing!"
"Watch out footing?"
Before the low-ranking Demon Slayer Corps members could react....
Whoosh!!
The earth demon suddenly burst from beneath their feet, its sharp claws slashing towards one member's chest.
"Kobayashi!"
Sssshhk!
Blood sprayed as the Demon slayer named Kobayashi felt a sharp pain in his chest and lost his balance, collapsing to the ground with a thud.
The earth demon let out a resentful snarl, roaring at Yuichiro, "You brat! Just you wait! I'll devour you for sure!!"
Swish!
Before the words even faded, the demon burrowed back into the earth.
Yuichiro remained frozen in his throwing stance—Kobayashi had been knocked to the ground by the wooden sword Yuichiro had hurled just in time, narrowly avoiding the demon's lethal attack.
Not only had he saved himself, but he'd also saved Kobayashi.
Gripping his Nichirin Blade, Arai quickly said, "Yuichiro, thank you!"
There was no time for more words.
Right now, slaying this demon was the priority.
Arai swiftly signaled the other members to regroup.
The Demon Slayer Corps members snapped into action, rushing to Arai's side with their Nichirin Blades at the ready.
"Thank you!" Kobayashi rubbed his still-throbbing chest as he expressed his gratitude to Yuichiro.
But Yuichiro felt oddly uncomfortable with the thanks.
A strange sensation twisted in his chest.
Not long ago, he'd scolded his younger brother Muichiro, insisting that helping others was the most foolish act.
And yet now...
****
High up in the tree branches, Shinichi lounged leisurely, observing the battle between the Demon Slayers and the earth demon below while occasionally offering commentary.
"Not bad, not bad. This one reacts quickly, but he's too reckless—just wasting energy needlessly... This one's a bit slow. If he'd coordinated with his teammate just now, he could've landed a solid hit on that demon."
Overall, the Demon Slayers' performance satisfied Shinichi.
It seemed that during his absence, the Corps had continued to grow stronger.
But what truly surprised him was Yuichiro's performance.
He didn't know how to describe it—in the end, Shinichi could only conclude that Yuichiro was a born swordsman.
In the few exchanges with the earth demon, Yuichiro had displayed astonishing speed and reflexes.
Every move he made precisely countered the demon's attacks while creating openings for his teammates.
Keep in mind, Shinichi had never taught Yuichiro how to coordinate with others.
His seamless teamwork now was purely innate talent.
Even Yuichiro's initially unpolished Forest Breathing had grown more refined.
Despite wielding only a wooden sword, he still managed to slash the demon into howling agony.
"Good job. Not embarrassing your master at all. But this can't go on forever. Maru-ni, get ready. It's time to wrap things up." Shinichi patted the agile black wolf-dog perched beside him on the branch.
The wolf-dog snorted twin plumes of white air, grumbling in displeasure before turning his crimson eyes towards the earth demon below, baring his fangs in a low growl.
"Rrrr—"
****
"Bastard bastard bastard! That damn brat! How can he be so troublesome! I'm really pissed off!!"
The Earth Demon, having its attack interrupted by Yuichiro once again, was truly enraged, letting out a furious roar from beneath the ground.
At this point, the Earth Demon no longer cared about conserving energy to deal with that territory-stealing Wolf Demon.
All it wanted now was to tear that damned brat to pieces and devour him bite by bite.
"Blood Demon Art: Giant Earth Armor!"
Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled violently as Masahiko Arai shouted in alarm to the others.
"Watch out! Something huge seems to be coming up from underground!"
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