Facing the pincer attack of two demons, Kiyokawa Izumi's heart sank, but he showed no trace of it on his face.
The original owner's years of arduous sword training had been completely absorbed and continuously refined during battle.
["Swordsmanship has entered the beginner stage."]
The emotionless electronic voice, long unheard, sounded in his ears.
Kiyokawa Izumi, however, had no time to pay attention to such things.
Although the improvement in Swordsmanship Rank was a good thing, his strength had not undergone a qualitative change.
Barely parrying, he was already panting.
His wound seemed to have reopened, and the overflowing blood had already stained his clothes red.
Sweat dripped down his forehead, and his stamina was beginning to fail.
At this moment, he felt as if he were walking on a tightrope; one slight misstep, and he would face an irreversible situation.
A faint sound came from a distance, and Kiyokawa Izumi gripped the nichirin blade in his hand, his expression subtly changing.
Damn it!
Could demons really be attracted here?
Against two, he could only barely hold his own.
If three or four attacked him simultaneously—the thought of such a terrible situation made him almost gasp for breath.
Distracted, Kiyokawa Izumi didn't react in time to the Long-haired Demon's direct claw attack, only narrowly dodging to the side.
A wound appeared on his still somewhat handsome face, and blood slowly seeped out, reaching the corner of his mouth.
The burning pain on his right cheek instantly sobered him up.
The Long-haired Demon, however, wasn't in a hurry to attack; it merely licked the residual blood from its claws with a twisted sense of excitement.
A terrified scream erupted.
Both the person and the two demons had their attention drawn.
"What the hell? How can there be such a demon here?"
The young man's face showed a look of terror as he fell to the ground in a disheveled state, his nichirin blade long discarded.
A swordsman who hadn't mastered Water Breathing had passed by, and now there was even greater trouble.
Kiyokawa Izumi felt his scalp tingle at this moment.
Abnormally heavy footsteps echoed in his ears, drawing closer.
A mountain-like figure appeared before him, with more than ten thick arms growing from its shoulder blades, its skin dark greenish-black, with bulging blue veins faintly visible.
'Hand... Demon!'
Kiyokawa Izumi swallowed, his back soaked with cold sweat.
What a joke!
Could he, who hadn't even mastered a Breathing Technique, truly stand a chance against the Hand Demon?
Fear spread through his heart.
With no choice and no retreat, one can indeed erupt with unimaginable courage.
But if the opponent is too strong, and the disparity in strength too obvious, it's normal to be afraid.
The Hand Demon was different from other demons that had only eaten two or three people; it had consumed at least forty human beings.
Just one of its arms was thicker than Kiyokawa Izumi's thigh.
Its neck was even protected by several arms, making it no easy task to sever it.
"No little foxes! How boring!"
The immensely oppressive gaze seemed to fall upon Kiyokawa Izumi.
In that instant, his brain stopped thinking, and even breathing was forgotten.
In the shadows, something seemed to be lifted.
One of the Hand Demon's arms seemed to be carrying something.
Looking closer under the moonlight, Kiyokawa Izumi's pupils suddenly constricted.
It was half a corpse.
The upper body of an unlucky swordsman, with blood spilling from indescribable places.
The urge to vomit was hard to suppress; Kiyokawa Izumi took a deep breath, glancing around from the corner of his eye.
The Long-Haired Evil Ghost and the other one were both intimidated, their pupils showing clear apprehension.
'This isn't good—'
After a slight hesitation, Kiyokawa Izumi turned and fled.
He truly couldn't muster the courage to fight, which was why he chose to gamble with his life like this.
Charging forward with his blade meant certain death.
Turning and running might offer only a one-in-ten chance of survival.
This was a gamble!
He wasn't the former Water Hashira's Disciple, nor a quasi-swordsman wearing a Calamity-averting Mask.
The Hand Demon's hatred for Urokodaki Sakonji should not transfer to him.
Perhaps it wouldn't relentlessly pursue him.
"You're swordsmen here for the Selection, aren't you? Tell me, what year is it? Are there any brats wearing fox masks?"
Five or six arms suddenly extended. It had naturally noticed Kiyokawa Izumi fleeing, but it wasn't in a hurry at all, enjoying the fun of cat and mouse.
Here, it was invincible!
Over so many years, with so many swordsmen participating in the Selection, who among them had been its match?
There was once a brat with peach-colored hair; he was strong, but what of it?
He couldn't sever its neck either, could he?
"Answer me! Perhaps I can let you live a few more days."
"That's my prey!!"
The Long-Haired Evil Ghost roared in dissatisfaction.
The next moment, countless arms slapped towards it.
"You scumbags, get lost!"
Returning to Kiyokawa Izumi, he naturally noticed the suddenly extending arms.
The blood-red Sharingan bloomed in his pupils.
The Hand Demon's Blood Demon Art wasn't actually that fast. With the help of these eyes, Kiyokawa Izumi paused his steps, and as he abruptly turned, he had already swung his nichirin blade.
"What?"
The Hand Demon, still lecturing the other demons, suddenly looked over.
It seemed surprised that a swordsman who had turned and fled upon seeing it was actually not weak in strength.
Though not as strong as Sakonji's Disciples, among the participating swordsmen in the Selection, he was quite good.
Kiyokawa Izumi and the Hand Demon stared at each other from a distance in the forest. A moment later, he sheathed his blade, said nothing, and turned to run.
"Interesting! Interesting! No fox brats, so I'll use you to pass the time."
The Hand Demon watched Kiyokawa Izumi's frantic escape, but it wasn't in a hurry at all.
It was only the third day.
Playing cat and mouse was also very interesting.