The deeper Yuta walked into Mount Fujikasane, the more the forest pressed against him. The air was thick, damp, filled with the copper stench of blood from battles long past. Even without his heightened senses, he could feel it: something lurking.
Rika's faint form flickered anxiously beside him.
"Yuta… there's something wrong here. Something strong."
Yuta stopped, hand tightening on his sword. "Yeah. It's close."
A thunderous crash split the silence. From the shadows lumbered a demon swollen and grotesque, its arms like tree trunks, its scarred body stitched together with jagged seams of hardened flesh. Broken chains still clung to its limbs, rattling with each step.
Its grin stretched wide, saliva dripping. "More meat? Hah… how many of you brats have I eaten now? Final Selection after Final Selection, they all fall the same."
Yuta's eyes narrowed. "You've been here for years, haven't you?"
The demon chuckled darkly, jagged teeth glinting. "Slayers, Hashira candidates, it doesn't matter. None of you can kill me."
But then—Rika appeared in her full monstrous form. Her massive body surged forward, towering and radiant with cursed energy, eyes glowing with a wrath that split the night.
The demon froze. Its grin faltered. Its instincts screamed. The raw, overwhelming aura pouring from Rika's form made its body tremble.
"N-No… what is… that?! That's no slayer—"
It didn't have time to finish.
With a roar that shook the trees, Rika shot forward. Her clawed hand engulfed the demon's torso with one motion, crushing bones like paper. A wet, sickening crack rang out as she ripped the demon apart in a single violent strike.
The creature's head rolled across the dirt, eyes wide with frozen terror. Its body disintegrated before it could even scream.
The forest fell silent again.
Rika hovered, still growling, her monstrous form bristling with fury. "No one will hurt you, Yuta! No one!"
Yuta lowered his blade, exhaling slowly. He reached out, his voice steady but soft. "Rika. That's enough."
Her massive form shuddered, then slowly receded, flickering back into the sorrowful girl at his side. Her voice cracked. "Did… did I scare you, Yuta?"
Yuta shook his head, gazing at her gently. "No. You protected me. You always have."
His eyes lingered on the spot where the demon had been. All those years, all those candidates… gone in moments to a creature that had thought itself invincible. And yet against Rika, it hadn't stood a chance.
"Demons here are like curses," Yuta murmured. "But they still bleed. They still fear. And with you, Rika… we'll cut through all of them."
The forest wind rustled the trees, carrying the smell of blood away. Yuta sheathed his sword, stepping back into the shadows.
"Seven nights," he whispered. "No matter what, we'll survive."
And the mountain seemed just a little quieter, as though it too had recognized the monster that walked at Yuta's side.