The giant beast felt the pain; its eight long legs thrashed wildly, and its two front legs swept horizontally toward him.
Amidst the whistling wind, Kobe Hikaru pushed off with his feet, his body leaping into the air and arching backward, letting the two legs graze just three inches above the tip of his nose.
Before he even landed, there was movement on his left.
It was those two conjoined big-headed ghosts, charging over while dragging iron chains.
The iron chains were swung in a wide arc and brought down, creating a sharp whistling sound as they cut through the air.
Kobe Hikaru had no leverage in mid-air, and it looked like he was about to be smashed into a meat patty—
"Bang!"
A flash of white light streaked past.
A Sacred Arrow, amidst brilliant light and a booming vibration, struck the middle of the iron chain; the immense impact caused the chain to deflect by half a foot.
Half a foot.
Just enough for Kobe Hikaru to slide past sideways.
He landed, his toes tapping the soil, and he shot toward the two big-headed ghosts like an arrow released from a bowstring.
A flash of the blade.
The head on the left flew up.
Before it could land, a second strike had already been dealt.
The one on the right flew off as well.
Two huge heads spun in the air, spraying a large amount of black blood.
[ demon blade muramasa: Favorability + 3 ]
[ Current Favorability: 82 ]
Kobe Hikaru had no time to check the panel.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the large moth flying toward Kikyo.
Its wings flapped, and phosphorescent dust fell like rain.
That stuff smoked upon contact, clearly poisonous.
"To the right!"
He shouted.
Kikyo didn't turn around, but her bowstring was drawn to its limit again, and an arrow was released.
This arrow wasn't aimed at the moth itself, but at the base of its wings.
Pfft—
The arrow pierced through.
The large moth shrieked as it lost its balance, plummeting crookedly toward the ground.
Kobe Hikaru had already arrived, his blade slashing upward from below, striking the moth's soft abdomen.
A single strike gutted it.
Its entrails spilled all over the ground.
[ demon blade muramasa Favorability + 2 ]
[ Current Favorability: 84 ]
Kobe Hikaru landed on both feet, 'panting' slightly, and felt nothing but exhilaration!
These three demons, every single one of them, could undoubtedly be called high-level.
They had all already reached the foundation of the Six Transformations, touched upon a qualitative change, and possessed bodies of unusually massive proportions.
Yet, these three high-level demons of the Six Transformations or higher were cleanly and efficiently dealt with in less than fifty breaths, without even being able to fully manifest their 'Demonic Transformation' abilities.
This was something Kobe Hikaru, fighting alone previously, could absolutely never have done.
Even relying on the features brought by the blade in his hand, he could at most only contend with one high-level demon stronger than himself, and that would require a bitter struggle!
However, in coordination with Kikyo, his results were countless times more formidable than before!
But this was just the appetizer.
More demonic shadows were surging out from the darkness.
Kobe Hikaru gripped the hilt of his blade tightly and took a deep breath.
"How many more?"
"Many."
Kikyo's voice came from behind him, still calm.
"Can you hold out?" Kobe Hikaru asked.
"I can."
"Good."
Kobe Hikaru still didn't ask anything more.
He trusted her.
Just as she trusted him.
This feeling was very strange.
They had known each other for less than ten days, she was a priestess and he was a demon, and they were supposed to be natural enemies.
But standing here, back to back—
No, that wasn't right; it was Kobe Hikaru in front, Kikyo in the back.
Coordinating with each other, yet it felt as if they had practiced for decades.
Kikyo drew her bow, aiming at a one-horned snake demon that was closing in.
Her movements were standard, perfect.
But her heart... was actually not calm.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
As the priestess guarding this village, she was used to fighting alone.
Facing demons alone.
Bearing everything alone.
No one could help her, and no one was qualified to stand by her side.
Because she was the strongest.
And she had to be the strongest.
The village chief of the Exorcist village had said that she was the only one who could suppress the shikon jewel.
The only one.
This word meant loneliness; it meant no one could stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
But now—
"The carapace of that centipede on the left has a crack; shoot and shatter it!"
Kobe Hikaru's voice came through.
Kikyo did not hesitate; the arrow was released in response.
It hit the crack perfectly.
The Centipede Spirit shrieked and rolled on the ground.
"Thanks."
Kobe Hikaru rushed up to deliver the finishing blow.
A single strike decapitated it, clean and efficient.
Kikyo watched that gray shadow weaving through the demon horde, the blade flashing, taking a life with every strike.
His movements were smooth.
Not the kind of rounded perfection from years of cultivation, but... instinct.
Like the instinct of a beast.
But with a bit 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 use leverage to strike.
More importantly—
He knew where her targets were.
He never blocked her arrows.
He would even actively drive the demons to positions where she could easily hit them.
This kind of rapport...
Kikyo had never experienced it before.
Every arrow she shot had someone coordinating with her.
Behind her back, there was an existence she could rely on.
This feeling... was very unfamiliar.
But it really wasn't unpleasant.
"Sister—!"
Kaede's voice came from afar.
Kikyo frowned slightly.
That Barrier should have been soundproof; how could Kaede have woken up?
No,
This is...
"It's an illusion!"
Kikyo reacted instantly and was not bewitched.
Kobe Hikaru's voice also pulled her attention back at the same time.
As he spoke, his blade swept horizontally, forcing back the two demons in front of him.
Then he turned around and slashed a wave of Demonic Qi toward the direction the voice had come from.
The black energy tore through the air and drilled deep into the forest.
"Hiss—!"
A sharp shriek rang out.
That "voice of Kaede" came to an abrupt end, and in its place, a three-tailed fox covered in grayish-white fur was stumbling as it fled from behind a tree.
Illusion Fox.
A type of mid-level demon that specialized in using illusions to confuse prey, skilled at mimicking human voices.
It had clearly been trying to use Kaede's voice to lure Kobe Hikaru away, creating an opportunity for other demons to sneak attack Kikyo.
"Cheap trick."
Kobe Hikaru snorted coldly.
He did not pursue the fleeing fox, because—
"Bang!"
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