The compound eyes of the Earth Spider exploded, spraying dark green fluid all over Kōbe Hikaru's face.
Kōbe Hikaru spat a curse, but he couldn't afford to care about that right now.
Following the momentum, he slashed down with the edge of the mass-produced famous blade in his hand, plowing a half-foot-deep fissure into the Earth Spider's skull.
The giant beast writhed in pain, its eight long legs flailing madly as two of its front legs swept horizontally toward him.
Amidst the howling wind, Kōbe Hikaru kicked off the ground once more. His body launched backward into the air as the two legs swept past barely three inches above the tip of his nose.
Before he even landed, there was movement on his left.
It was those two conjoined Big-Head Oni, dragging their iron chains as they charged forward.
The iron chains swung in a full circle and smashed down, carrying a piercing shriek as they tore through the air.
Suspended in mid-air with nowhere to leverage his weight, Kōbe Hikaru was on the verge of being smashed into a meat paste—
*Twang!*
A flash of white light.
A demon-breaking arrow, amidst dazzling brilliance and an explosive hum, struck the exact middle of the iron chain. The immense impact deflected the heavy links by half a foot.
Half a foot.
Just enough for Kōbe Hikaru to slide past sideways.
He landed, tapping the tip of his toe against the dirt, and shot toward the two Big-Head Oni like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
A flash of the blade.
The left head flew into the air.
Before it could hit the ground, the second strike was already unleashed.
The right head went flying as well.
The two massive heads spun in the air, spraying wide swaths of black blood.
[Cursed Blade Muramasa: Affection +3]
[Current Affection: 82]
Kōbe Hikaru had no time to look at the panel.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of that Giant Moth flying toward Kikyō's direction.
Its wings flapped, dropping luminous powder like rain. The stuff smoked upon contact with anything; it was clearly toxic.
"Right side!" he shouted.
Kikyō didn't look back, but her bowstring was drawn to its absolute limit once more, and an arrow was loosed.
This arrow wasn't aimed at the Giant Moth itself, but at the root of its wings.
*Thunk—*
The arrow pierced through cleanly.
The Giant Moth shrieked and lost its balance, plummeting erratically toward the ground.
Kōbe Hikaru had already arrived. The blade swept upward from below, striking dead center into the Giant Moth's soft underbelly.
A single slash disemboweled it.
Innards spilled all over the ground.
[Cursed Blade Muramasa: Affection +2]
[Current Affection: 84]
Kōbe Hikaru landed squarely on both feet and 'panted' slightly, feeling nothing but sheer exhilaration!
These three demons—every single one of them could undoubtedly be called high-ranking.
Building upon the foundation of the Six Changes of Physical Transformation, they had all brushed against qualitative change, their bodies gigantifying unnaturally.
Yet these three high-ranking demons at the Six Changes or above had been dispatched cleanly and efficiently in less than fifty breaths, failing to even fully display their 'Demonic Mutability' abilities.
This was something Kōbe Hikaru could absolutely never have achieved when fighting entirely on his own.
Even relying on the traits brought by the blade in his hands, he could at most fight a single high-ranking demon stronger than himself—and it would be a bitter struggle!
However, working in coordination with Kikyō, his battle results were countless times more formidable than before!
But this was only the appetizer.
More demonic shadows were surging out of the darkness.
Kōbe Hikaru tightened his grip on the hilt and took a deep breath.
"How many left?"
"Many."
Kikyō's voice came from behind him, still perfectly calm.
"Can you hold out?" Kōbe Hikaru asked.
"Yes."
"Good."
Kōbe Hikaru didn't ask anything else.
He believed her.
Just as she believed him.
It was a strange feeling.
They had known each other for less than ten days, she was a shrine maiden and he was a demon, and they were supposed to be natural enemies.
But standing here, back-to-back—
No, rather, Kōbe Hikaru in the front, and Kikyō in the back.
Their coordination flowed as smoothly as if they had practiced it together for decades.
Kikyō drew her bow, aiming at an approaching One-Horned Serpent Demon.
Her movements were textbook, absolutely perfect.
But her heart... was actually far from calm.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
As the shrine maiden protecting this village, she was used to fighting alone.
Facing the demons alone.
Bearing everything alone.
No one could help her, and no one was qualified to stand beside her.
Because she was the strongest.
And she had to be the strongest.
The clan chief of the demon-slayer village had said that she was the only one capable of suppressing the Shikon Jewel.
The *only* one.
That word meant isolation; it meant no one could fight by her side.
But now—
"The centipede on the left has a crack in its carapace—blow it apart!" Kōbe Hikaru's voice rang out.
Kikyō didn't hesitate, and her arrow shot forth in response.
It struck dead center in the crack.
The Centipede Spirit shrieked and rolled on the ground.
"Thanks."
Kōbe Hikaru rushed up to finish it off. A single slash decapitated it, clean and efficient.
Kikyō watched that grey silhouette weave through the demonic horde, blade flashing, every strike taking a life.
His movements were fluid. Not the flawless polish of years of cultivation, but rather... instinct.
Like the instinct of a wild beast. Yet possessed of far more reason than a beast.
He knew when to advance, and when to retreat.
He knew when to meet force with force, and when to borrow an opponent's momentum.
More importantly—
He knew exactly where her targets were.
He never blocked her line of fire. He would even actively drive demons into positions where it was easier for her to shoot them.
Such silent understanding... Kikyō had never experienced anything like it.
For every arrow she fired, there was someone coordinating with her.
At her back, there was a presence she could rely on.
This feeling... was deeply unfamiliar.
But she truly didn't hate it.
"Sister—!"
Kaede's voice echoed from the distance.
Kikyō's brow furrowed slightly.
That barrier was supposed to be soundproof; how could Kaede have woken up?
No, wait... this was...
*It's an illusion!*
Kikyō reacted instantly, completely unbeguiled.
Kōbe Hikaru's voice pulled her attention back in the exact same moment.
As he spoke, his blade swept horizontally, forcing back the two demons in front of him.
Then he turned and unleashed a wave of demon-qi toward the direction the voice had come from.
The black qi tore through the air and drilled deep into the woods.
*Hiss—!*
A sharp shriek of agony rang out.
That "voice of Kaede" abruptly ceased, replaced by a three-tailed fox covered in grayish-white fur, stumbling and fleeing from behind a tree.
Illusion Fox.
A mid-ranking demon that specialized in beguiling prey with illusions and was adept at mimicking human voices.
It had clearly just tried to use Kaede's voice to lure Kōbe Hikaru away, creating an opportunity for other demons to ambush Kikyō.
"Petty tricks," Kōbe Hikaru sneered coldly.
He didn't pursue the fleeing fox, because—
*Twang!*
A demon-breaking arrow flew past from behind him, accurately piercing the Illusion Fox's spine.
The fox shrieked and crashed to the ground, never to rise again.
Kōbe Hikaru glanced back.
Kikyō was still holding her bow drawn, her gaze placid.
The next moment, he was already back at Kikyō's side.
The entire process had taken less than ten breaths.
"Taken care of," he said.
Kikyō looked at him and said nothing.
But her hand—the one holding the bow—relaxed just a fraction.
Not slacking off.
It was... peace of mind.
So this was what it felt like to have someone fighting by your side.
So this was what it meant to have a comrade-in-arms.
[Shikon Jewel — Naohi: Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 9]
[It conveys a message: "She is growing accustomed to your presence."]
Kōbe Hikaru glanced at the panel, the corner of his mouth curving up slightly.
"Let's keep going," he said.
"Seventeen left."
Kikyō nodded.
The bowstring was drawn taut once more.
The night was still long.
But she was no longer alone.
________________________________________
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