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The instant the sphere of water leaped from the hot spring, Cold Cry sensed that something was wrong.
When the humanoid figure of water rose from the pool, his suspicion was confirmed.
The two demons hiding on the second floor were not the ones behind the disappearances.
The true culprit was the creature before him.
That also explained why Tamayo and Yushiro had remained passive the previous night.
They hadn't been the hunters.
They had been watching.
Without hesitation, Cold Cry inhaled sharply, seized his Nichirin Sword, and vaulted over the bamboo partition.
A thin layer of ice spread across the surface of the hot spring beneath his feet, allowing him to stand atop the water.
He bent his knees, pressed his left palm against the icy surface, and gripped the hilt of his sword with his right.
"Ice Breathing, Fifth Form."
"Swift Ice Thorn."
The blade shot downward toward Noe beneath the water.
A surge of freezing air traveled through the sword and into the spring.
The transparent mass enveloping Noe convulsed violently as the cold rapidly spread through its body.
Taking advantage of the opening, Cold Cry thrust his left hand through the ice, seized Noe by the arm, and pulled her from the water before leaping back onto the shore.
The thin sheet of ice gradually melted behind them.
Noe collapsed against his chest, coughing violently as water poured from her mouth.
Little by little, her blurred consciousness returned.
Although she appeared slightly soft and round beneath her clothing, Noe's figure was actually quite slender.
Her soaked bathing clothes clung tightly to her body as she struggled to catch her breath.
Another splash echoed across the bath.
The transparent Water Demon slowly rose from the steaming spring.
Cold Cry released Noe.
She sank to her knees on the wooden floor, one hand clutching her chest as she continued coughing.
The Water Demon stood motionless before them.
Without a doubt...
It was the demon responsible for the disappearances.
While Cold Cry's attention remained fixed on its humanoid form, a thin stream of water only a few centimeters wide silently crept across the floor like a snake, attempting to slip behind him and reach Noe.
Its movements were nearly impossible to detect.
Unfortunately for it...
Cold Cry had already sensed it.
With a single motion—
His Nichirin Sword pinned the stream of water to the floor.
Ice instantly spread across it, freezing it solid.
To the Water Demon, that strike was a clear warning.
That prey belongs to me.
You will not touch her.
Noe slowly looked up.
Her eyes shimmered with tears.
Whether they came from choking on water or from relief...
Even she couldn't tell.
She had known...
Cold Cry would come.
Realizing it couldn't overcome the swordsman before it, the Water Demon remained still for several seconds before slowly sinking back into the spring, intending to retreat.
Its plan, however...
Was far too optimistic.
Cold Cry had spent four consecutive nights soaking in these hot springs waiting for the culprit to appear.
Now that it had finally revealed itself...
He had no intention of letting it escape.
Without hesitation, he drew the edge of his Nichirin Sword across his palm.
Fresh blood welled from the shallow cut.
Walking to the edge of the pool, he allowed several crimson drops to fall into the steaming water.
Almost immediately...
Ripples spread across the center of the bath.
They rushed toward the scent of blood with astonishing speed.
Cold Cry picked Noe up effortlessly and carried her several meters away before setting her down beside the courtyard.
He then stretched out his injured hand.
More drops of blood splashed onto the wooden floor before him.
His intention was simple.
Lure the demon completely out of the water.
Only then would it lose its greatest advantage.
The ripples hesitated for a moment beneath the scent of blood.
Then...
The Water Demon emerged from the pool once more, assuming its transparent humanoid form.
Its eyes remained fixed on the fresh blood dripping onto the floor.
Its entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Droplets continuously fell from its body.
Its thirst for human blood was obvious.
Without warning, the demon flicked several beads of water toward Cold Cry.
Each droplet shot forward like an arrow.
At the same time, its body dissolved into a puddle and skimmed rapidly across the floor toward the blood.
Cold Cry ignored the incoming projectiles.
His attention remained locked on the puddle racing toward him.
The water bullets entered the one-meter radius surrounding him.
Instantly—
The freezing air around his body transformed them into tiny ice pellets that clattered harmlessly onto the floor.
The Water Demon accelerated.
Just as it was about to reach the blood—
A flash of white crossed before it.
An icy sword mark instantly blocked its path.
Frost rapidly spread across its watery body.
Without hesitation, it abandoned the frozen portion of itself, flowed around the ice, and continued charging toward the blood.
Again.
Cold Cry's blade intercepted it.
Again.
It changed direction.
Again.
One slash forced it back.
Only then did Cold Cry finally understand something.
Since the beginning of the battle, something had felt wrong.
Normally, he located demons through the temperature difference between their bodies and the surrounding environment.
When the Water Demon had first risen from the bath in its humanoid form, that temperature difference had been obvious.
But after transforming into flowing water...
It had disappeared completely.
There was only one explanation.
The puddle chasing the blood...
Wasn't its true body.
If he wanted to kill it...
He first had to force out its real form.
Almost immediately, an idea formed in his mind.
Cold Cry deliberately slowed his movements.
He intentionally left an opening.
The Water Demon took the bait without hesitation.
Seeing the blood within reach, it surged forward greedily.
Just as it came within a few inches of its meal—
Cold Cry suddenly stopped attacking.
Instead, he flicked his wrist.
The Nichirin Sword spun gracefully through the air before plunging vertically into the floor.
The instant the blade struck—
A burst of freezing air erupted outward.
The blood beneath it froze solid.
The Water Demon stopped dead.
Its prey...
Had vanished before its eyes.
Cold Cry allowed himself the faintest smile.
Behind him, Noe stared in complete astonishment.
Only moments earlier, she had nearly shouted a warning.
Instead...
Cold Cry had once again been several steps ahead.
His calm calculations had turned the demon's greed against itself.
The Water Demon erupted into a furious shriek.
The scent of blood had driven it nearly mad.
Having its meal stolen at the last instant filled it with uncontrollable rage.
It scratched frantically at the ground.
Its entire body trembled violently.
Then—
A deafening roar echoed through the courtyard.
Noe saw only a blur.
A dark shadow suddenly burst from the puddle, launching straight toward Cold Cry's face.
Cold Cry instantly created a thin layer of ice beneath his feet.
He slid backward in a zigzag pattern, narrowly avoiding the attack.
The black creature continued roaring as it pursued him relentlessly.
It lunged once.
Twice.
Each strike missed by mere inches.
Unable to catch him, it finally landed atop a nearby decorative rock, screeching in frustration as it scratched wildly at its own body.
Only then did everyone finally see...
The Water Demon's true form.
Its body was pitch black and barely half a meter tall.
It possessed a pointed snout and a monkey-like face.
Only a few sparse hairs remained on its nearly bald head.
Its appearance resembled a hairless monkey far more than a human.
The creature scratched itself constantly while emitting sharp, grating cries.
No one would have guessed that such a small monster had hidden itself beneath an ordinary pool of water.
It was no wonder the missing women had vanished without leaving a trace.
Noe finally recovered enough to speak.
Her throat still burned painfully from nearly drowning.
With a trembling finger, she pointed toward the demon perched atop the rock.
"...It's... that thing."
"It was the one that dragged me underwater."
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