Chapter 7: Blood Demon (Ghost)

“Kiikikiki──KIEEEEEE!!!!”

The grotesque maw of the charging demon widened like a beast’s, but I remained calm.

Reading the flow of combat with my sharpened instincts, I shifted just enough to avoid its fangs sinking into my throat. My sword moved on its own, naturally raised and perfectly placed at the edge of its mouth.

CRUNCHHH!!!

As expected, the demon’s own momentum dragged its face straight into the blade, splitting open with a long, wet rip.

It felt like slashing against a solid wall with all my strength. I gripped the hilt tightly to keep it from flying from my hands.

And just like that, the blade held strong to the end—cleanly severing the demon’s head in two.

‘Any ordinary human would’ve died on the spot…’

“GRAGHHHH─ IT HURTS!!!!”

Even with its head split, the monster refused to die.

Its lower jaw thrashed wildly, and the upper half of its face was already beginning to regenerate.

“Mon… monster…!!!”

Shinobu’s trembling voice echoed behind me, but I couldn’t afford to turn around.

I flicked the blood from my blade and reset my stance.

Judging from that first exchange… this thing was manageable.

‘No sign of Blood Demon Art. Just high-level regeneration and brute strength. Barely any intelligence… If that’s all—’

Bubbling, bubbling.

I had no intention of letting it finish regenerating.

I stepped in again and began slicing in a sweeping motion.

SWOOOSH!!!

A sharp arc split the air.

The demon’s right arm was severed instantly.

It let out another screech, “KIEEEEK!!” but with its eyes already destroyed, it couldn’t track me properly.

It flailed blindly, slashing at nothing.

Unless it was a higher-ranked demon, regeneration wasn’t instantaneous when the damage was this extensive.

Which meant—while its vision was gone—this was my chance.

My eyes sharpened.

I narrowly avoided a swipe from its remaining hand, slipping through the opening, and began swinging with focus.

I had no formal training in swordsmanship.

But my body moved instinctively, adapting within the flow of battle.

When a movement felt awkward, I adjusted my grip.

With every exchange, my form refined itself.

Even I could tell—I was improving in real time.

SHWAAA!!!

SPLAAASH!!!

Silver arcs flashed through the air.

A red crescent of blood rose like a second moon.

It was so vivid, so elegant, so violently beautiful that Shinobu, watching it all unfold, could only stare in a daze.

She should’ve been horrified by the brutal sight of a demon being mutilated—limbs cleaved, flesh torn—but…

Her older sister’s movements were too graceful.

Every spin, every step, every flick of her hair felt like a performance.

The blade shimmered as it cut, and even the blood blooming overhead looked like art.

In that moment, Shinobu could do nothing but watch—entranced.

But beneath that elegance, the reality was different.

It was a desperate balance, like walking on the edge of a blade.

‘…Tch. Fighting without a Nichirin Blade really is a pain…!’

Even though I had the upper hand, unease crept in.

I’d already sliced the demon dozens of times—across its face, through its limbs, over and over.

And yet, it regenerated every time.

It just wouldn’t stop.

“GRAGH!!! THAT HURT!! YOU B****!!! I’LL KILL YOU!!! I’LL CHEW YOU TO PIECES!!! I’LL EAT YOU ALIIIVE!!!!”

“Huuuh…? You’ve got a long way to go before that happens, don’t you think?”

I answered with a breathless laugh.

I was only ten years old.

My stamina was already fading.

I had to end this before I ran dry.

We didn’t have the tools to restrain a monster with this much strength.

And I couldn’t keep this pace up forever.

Even now, I could feel my energy slipping.

A little more time… just a little.

I had to endure until sunrise.

Biting my lip, I slashed in tight zigzags, intercepting its flailing arms.

SPLAAASH!!

“GRRRAAAGH!!!”

CLANG! CLANG!!!

Suddenly, it stopped regenerating its arms and redirected its energy to a concentrated strike.

But thanks to my read on the battle’s rhythm, I’d already sensed the buildup.

I didn’t flinch.

I swept both arms outward to deflect the blow, then dashed forward into the opening.

SQUELCH!

My blade pierced through its chest—right where the heart should’ve been.

Then, with one smooth motion, I tore it free.

“GRRAAAAGGGHHHH!!!”

SPUURRTTT!!!

Blood sprayed from the demon’s chest like a geyser.

Seeing it, I couldn’t help but pray.

Please… let Himejima arrive soon, just like in the original.

---

“Please… don’t let me be too late…!!!”

Himejima Gyomei clenched the prayer beads in his hand, murmuring toward the heavens.

BOOM!!!

With a single leap, he bounded across the earth, headed for the source of the stench of blood.

The moment the kasugai crow had delivered its message, he’d taken off running.

“KAW! KAW!!! The demon being tracked is attacking a family! Ongoing attack!! Emergency! Emergency!!!”

He moved the instant he heard it.

But unlike the crow, he couldn’t fly.

Getting there would take time.

Reaching the village would take at least several shijin.

(TL NOTE : Shijin is an old Japanese unit of time that divides the day into twelve parts, each roughly two modern hours.)

Grinding his teeth, Himejima pounded the ground with every step.

That was all he could do.

It was the only thing he could do.

By the time he arrived, what greeted him was a field of blood.

But notably—it wasn’t human blood.

It was the demon’s.

“What… in the world…”

Two figures clashed within the sea of gore.

The demon, with its mouth torn four ways, was one he recognized.

But the young girl facing it—that presence was unfamiliar.

And yet, so graceful…

She was clearly fighting for her life, slashing and bleeding and giving her all.

But the moment Himejima felt her aura, he couldn’t deny it.

Her movements and footwork were like a dance.

Her eyes were hazy, almost unfocused, as if she were in a trance—but every step, every swing, landed with perfect efficiency.

To an outsider, it might’ve looked like a choreographed performance.

The demon lashed out like a whip. She ducked.

Her hair fluttered as she spun.

Her blade gleamed as it sliced through its lunging face.

Its head flew, jaws snapping in the air.

Even as the creature flailed in fury, she weaved through it all like she knew exactly where the next strike would land.

She was moving through death with impossible grace.

Himejima stared in awe.

Then he gritted his teeth—and raised his iron flail.

He didn’t know who this girl was, or what kind of miracle had led to this moment.

But he knew one thing:

She had bought them time.

And in that window—

He would finish it.

He would save them.

His resolve burned in his chest.

FWOOOOSH──

Stone Breathing — Second Form:

Heaven-Crushing Strike!!!

WHOOOOOM!!!

CRACKKKKKK!!!