"How can he be so strong?"
The long-tongued demon reattached his broken arm, staring at the god-of-war figure in front of him with disbelief.
Despite more than a dozen of them joining forces, along with the hand demon who had consumed over 40 people, they still couldn't muster the power to fight back.
Why was such a powerful demon captured in Fuji Mountain?
Are the members of the Demon Slayer Corps insane?
As another demon was torn into pieces, fear gripped the long-tongued demon's heart, and thoughts of fleeing started to creep in.
Continuing this battle meant certain defeat.
But if he fled now, what future awaited him?
Fuji Mountain was too small to hide in. Sooner or later, they would cross paths again, and by then, he would be the only one left standing. Would that not spell certain death for him?
"Wait a minute!"
The long-tongued demon suddenly sensed something amiss. "Why haven't those fallen demons gotten up yet? Are they pretending to be dead?"
His eyes widened suddenly.
In the bushes not far away, a demon that had been cut in two lay motionless, blood flowing from its wounds and staining the surroundings red.
The long-tongued demon stared at the wound, his body beginning to tremble.
No regeneration!
There was no sign of regeneration at all!
He turned to scan the area. All the demons lying on the ground bore grievous wounds, and none showed signs of healing.
"Could it be that he can not only consume demons but also prevent their regeneration?"
At that moment, fear overwhelmed the long-tongued demon, and he turned and fled.
He abandoned all thoughts of consuming other demons or securing his future safety.
Regret gnawed at him fiercely. How had he been so foolish as to provoke such a terrifying adversary?
Boom!
The wind rushed past his face.
A figure suddenly appeared before him, blocking his escape route.
"No!"
The long-tongued demon's limbs turned cold, and his heart sank.
Before he could react, a fist loomed large in his vision and swiftly closed in.
Bang!
The consciousness of the long-tongued demon plunged into darkness.
Aoki didn't notice that the one who fell under his fist this time was the instigator, and he turned to pounce on another demon.
Soon, other demons also noticed the anomaly.
"No, no, no!"
"What's going on? Why aren't those demons recovering from their injuries?"
"You, what did you do?"
Seeing the shattered limbs and torn bodies around her, a long-haired female demon screamed uncontrollably, fear etched deeply into her pale face.
Aoki remained silent, leapt forward, and attacked.
Bang!
The long-haired female demon's head exploded, and her body collapsed.
"He... he's a demon! I won't do it! I won't do it!"
Another demon crumbled and sprinted away in a panic.
{A/N: I mean you are also a demon -_-}
This triggered a chain reaction, and all the demons started to flee.
"Thinking of running away now? It's too late!"
Murderous intent gleamed in Aoki's eyes.
He had anticipated this scenario and had quietly prepared for it. During his previous attacks, he deliberately targeted those demons with speed and agility, leaving the others behind.
Dong dong dong…
Dust kicked up as he raced forward, his footsteps like thunder.
Aoki was akin to a supercar, slightly less nimble but more than fast enough to outpace any opponent.
…
The hand demon dragged his heavy body, sprinting wildly while glancing back.
"Damn it! Why is he so strong?"
Their plan had failed, and now he was risking his life. Fear, anger, and envy consumed his twisted heart, driving him nearly to madness.
Suddenly, a river blocked his path. Instead of dismay, the hand demon felt a surge of relief.
"Excellent! I remember there's a hiding place across this river! That guy, wait until I've devoured more people and become stronger, then…"
His expression froze, thoughts grinding to a halt.
Dong dong dong!
Accompanied by heavy, rhythmic footfalls, a figure with tremendous momentum quickly closed in from behind.
"How is this possible? How did they catch up so quickly? Where are the other demons? Are they all dead?" The hand demon gritted his teeth.
Aoki leapt into the air, traced a parabola, and struck the hand demon's head with the force of a mountain.
"Get out of my way!"
The hand demon brought his four arms together to form a massive fist and countered.
Bang bang bang!
Muscles tore, bones shattered, blood and flesh splattered. Arm after arm exploded, and the hand demon staggered backward.
Aoki somersaulted and landed gracefully.
"Found you!"
"Where are the other demons?" the hand demon demanded.
"Do you still care about the others?"
Aoki approached steadily.
"Wait, wait!"
The hand demon frantically waved his arms. "Stop! My strength exceeds what you've seen. Trust me, you won't enjoy continuing this fight!"
"I'd be delighted to witness your true strength."
Before Aoki could finish speaking, the ground beneath him exploded, and two arms burst forth.
It was the same attack the hand demon had initially used against him.
However, without other demons to hold him back, this slow attack was futile against Aoki.
Aoki leaped back, dodged the attack effortlessly, and seized the opportunity to grab hold.
The hand demon's arm was as thick as an adult's waist, resembling a sturdy tree trunk. By comparison, Qingmu's arm looked frail and slender.
Yet the moment Aoki seized it, a creaking sound filled the air. The hand demon froze in place, unable to retract his arm.
With a twist, Aoki snapped the arm clean off.
No longer interested in toying with his opponent, Aoki discarded the severed limb and surged forward.
"No! Stay back! Get away!"
Terror gripped the hand demon. He swung his arms frantically in defense but failed to halt Aoki's advance. In moments, Aoki was upon him.
Boom boom boom!
After a few swift blows, the hand demon's body was riddled with holes, and he collapsed.
His muscles spasmed violently, and with half his mouth remaining, he asked bitterly, "You're so strong. Why were you captured in Fuji Mountain?"
Aoki seized the hand demon's head in his palm. "Who told you I was captured by the Demon Slayer Corps?"
"What? You..." The hand demon's eyes widened in disbelief.
Aoki didn't give him another chance to speak.
"Devour!"
\[Killed Hand Demon and gained 25 experience points.\]
"Only 25 points?" Aoki frowned.
This was disappointingly low.
Had his level increased, causing the experience gained from ordinary demons to drop?
Aoki had a sinking feeling and quickly returned to the battlefield.
The remnants of the demons lay strewn about, appearing lifeless.
Despite their battered states, these demons were still alive.
Their resilience was truly remarkable.
Aoki gathered all the demons together and activated "Devour Demon".
The system prompts began to scroll rapidly.
\[Killed demon and gained 5 experience points.\]
\[Killed demon and gained 6 experience points.\]