Chapter 16: Eleventh Form, Limpid Stream Slash
The numerous demons, deeply terrified of Hakuya after witnessing his overwhelming power, stopped their frenzied assault. Instead, they began gradually encircling Hakuya and Tanjiro, attempting to trap them in a tightening circle.
Seeing this tactical shift, Tanjiro couldn't help but ask, "Hakuya-senpai, what should we do now?"
Hakuya's lips curled into a faint smile as he surveyed the gathered demons. Despite being surrounded, he showed no sign of fear.
"Simple. We kill them all," Hakuya said with calm confidence, already eager to engage.
Just then, the demons forming the circle suddenly parted, creating a clear path. For a brief moment, Hakuya and Tanjiro thought the demons might actually be letting them go—but then a massive, grotesquely deformed figure emerged into view.
Tanjiro gasped audibly.
This was the first time he had encountered such an enormous demon with such a hideously twisted appearance. The creature's body was covered in dozens—no, hundreds—of human hands of varying sizes, all sprouting from its malformed flesh.
What horrific events had transformed this creature into something so utterly repulsive?
The appearance of the Hand Demon immediately put Hakuya on high alert. If he were facing the Hand Demon alone, Hakuya wouldn't be quite so cautious—he was confident in his ability to kill it. However, the current situation was far from ideal. With Tanjiro injured and dozens of other demons still surrounding them, Hakuya knew he had to be extremely careful.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
Upon seeing both Hakuya and Tanjiro wearing the fox-shaped warding masks, the Hand Demon let out a sinister sneer. "Two little foxes this time? Did Urokodaki Sakonji think I'd starve without enough food? Heh heh heh heh..."
The Hand Demon sneered again, its voice dripping with malicious mockery.
Hakuya couldn't stand the creature's grating laugh. Without a word of warning, he immediately launched his attack.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Limpid Stream Slash!"
This Eleventh Form was a technique that Hakuya had created himself over the past two years, based on his deep understanding of the Nichirin blade's properties and his mastery of Water Breathing fundamentals.
Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Limpid Stream Slash requires the user to possess profound comprehension of Water Breathing principles and exceptional control over the flow and rhythm of water. This technique allows the swordsman to strike enemies from a distance of up to fifty meters, making it devastatingly effective against larger demons or multiple targets.
Hakuya's Nichirin blade flashed from its sheath and back in a single fluid motion, sending a razor-sharp crescent of water slicing through the air toward the Hand Demon's neck.
The Hand Demon hadn't expected Hakuya to attack from such a distance. Caught off guard, it quickly maneuvered its massive frame, manipulating dozens of its arms to shield its vulnerable neck. As a result, Hakuya's long-range slash only severed a few of the creature's less significant limbs.
Tanjiro watched in amazement as Hakuya performed a Water Breathing technique he had never seen before.
Tanjiro knew from Urokodaki Sakonji's teachings that there were only ten fundamental forms of Water Breathing. Any forms beyond those ten could only be created after a swordsman reached an advanced level of mastery—developing unique techniques based on their own understanding of Water Breathing and their personal fighting style.
He couldn't believe that Hakuya had already created his own eleventh form after only two years of training under their master.
Tanjiro's admiration and respect for Hakuya deepened profoundly at that moment.
"Your laugh is disgusting! Don't let me hear it again, or I'll cut your head off!" Hakuya said coldly, his voice carrying absolute confidence.
Hearing Hakuya's domineering words, the Hand Demon instantly flew into a rage.
"You insignificant insect! How dare you speak to me like that! As expected, Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples are exactly the kind that disgust me most!" the Hand Demon roared furiously.
Just as the Hand Demon prepared to regenerate its severed arms, it discovered something alarming—its wounds weren't healing at their normal rapid pace.
"What's going on? Why won't my wounds heal properly? What did you do to me?" The Hand Demon's voice filled with panic.
"So even you can feel fear? Good to know," Hakuya taunted, deliberately not explaining the properties of his Nichirin blade.
"Damn you! I'm going to kill you! Kill you! This is unforgivable! Unforgivable!" The Hand Demon completely lost control of its emotions.
In its maddened state, the Hand Demon immediately began devouring the surrounding lesser demons. Seeing their supposed leader consuming them without mercy, the other demons scattered in terror, fleeing in all directions.
Hakuya didn't pursue the fleeing demons—now wasn't the time to deal with them. Their escape actually worked in his favor. If all the demons had united against him, that would have been the worst possible scenario.
The demons that didn't escape quickly enough became sustenance for the Hand Demon's grotesque growth. In mere seconds, the Hand Demon had devoured over a dozen of its own kind.
While demons primarily consume humans, they occasionally resort to cannibalism when desperate. In the Hand Demon's current situation—needing more power to safely eliminate the formidable Hakuya—it had no choice but to consume its own kind to become even stronger.
However, demons generally avoid eating each other. They're all spawned from the same source, so unnecessary infighting serves no purpose. Most importantly, humans are far easier prey than other demons, and attempting to devour another demon always carries the risk of being devoured instead.
Having absorbed over a dozen demons, the Hand Demon's body became even more grotesquely deformed. Its size swelled dramatically, and the number of hands covering its body increased exponentially—now numbering in the hundreds.
Even the wounds that hadn't fully healed before instantly closed.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
The newly strengthened Hand Demon sneered once more, and Hakuya felt a surge of irritation.
"Tanjiro, find cover and wait for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow. I'll handle this disgusting creature!" Hakuya ordered without hesitation.
Tanjiro didn't object, but he couldn't help warning his senior, "Hakuya-senpai, please be careful!"
Hakuya's strategy was clear—he wanted to give Tanjiro a chance to prove himself by landing the killing blow if an opportunity presented itself before Hakuya eliminated the Hand Demon entirely.
If the Hand Demon hadn't strengthened itself through cannibalism, Hakuya would have let Tanjiro face it alone while he dealt with all the other demons. That would have been perfect training.
However, events had unfolded beyond Hakuya's expectations. He hadn't anticipated the Hand Demon's ruthless survival tactics. Fortunately, the creature's actions had driven away all the lesser demons.
Now the Hand Demon couldn't afford to target Tanjiro, because if Tanjiro faced this powered-up version of the creature in direct combat, there would be only one outcome—death.
As soon as Tanjiro finished acknowledging the order, he immediately disappeared into the surrounding forest.
Seeing this, one of the hands on the demon's body instantly extended like an arrow, shooting toward Tanjiro's retreating back.
Hakuya immediately drew his blade and slashed, severing the pursuing arm before it could reach Tanjiro.
"Your opponent is me," Hakuya stated calmly, positioning himself between the demon and Tanjiro's escape route.
"You arrogant brat!" The Hand Demon's fury intensified. It wanted nothing more than to rip Hakuya's tongue out and torture him slowly, piece by piece.
"Die!"
Countless hands suddenly shot toward Hakuya like a barrage of spears. Hakuya immediately leaped high into the air, and many of the demon's arms, unable to redirect quickly enough, slammed into the ground below, causing explosive impacts that cratered the earth.
Other arms that had successfully changed trajectory pursued Hakuya through the air.
"Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin!"
Water Breathing, Eighth Form: Waterfall Basin is a devastating downward-slashing technique. When executed with complete mastery, the technique's flowing rhythm creates a manifestation of a water dragon. When performed with less mastery, it generates a powerful cascading current.
Hakuya executed Waterfall Basin perfectly, swinging his Nichirin blade downward with tremendous force. The next moment, a brilliant blue water dragon materialized like a creature from legend, its jaws snapping down on the numerous attacking hands. Wherever the water dragon struck, demonic limbs were severed cleanly.
The immense downward momentum sent Hakuya plummeting toward the ground. Using this opening in his descent, Hakuya launched another attack.
"Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel!"
Hakuya spun rapidly in mid-air, his Nichirin blade tracing a perfect circle as his body rotated.
The blade's arc generated razor-sharp crescents of water that radiated outward from the rhythm of his technique, slicing through even more of the Hand Demon's attacking limbs.
Finally, Hakuya used the acceleration from his spinning attack to land gracefully back on the ground.
Having severed a substantial portion of the Hand Demon's arms, Hakuya assumed the wounds wouldn't heal quickly, forcing the creature to temporarily lose its offensive capability. Unexpectedly, the Hand Demon's severed limbs began regenerating through a process of violent writhing and swelling.
This startled Hakuya momentarily. Had his Nichirin blade's regeneration-slowing properties somehow failed? How could the Hand Demon's healing power remain so potent?
No—wait. Hakuya, ever observant, quickly noticed something crucial. While the Hand Demon's arms had indeed regenerated, the process hadn't been instantaneous. It had taken approximately three seconds.
More importantly, the Hand Demon's healing process clearly required significant effort and concentration.
It wasn't that his Nichirin blade's properties had stopped working—rather, the Hand Demon's regenerative abilities had become so powerful from devouring its own kind that the blade's restraining effect had been greatly diminished.
Having consumed over a dozen demons, the Hand Demon had experienced a profound enhancement in every aspect of its abilities.
Even against Hakuya's superior-quality Nichirin blade, the slowing effect was minimal. Against a standard Corps-issued blade, these demonic limbs would likely regenerate almost instantly.
"Three seconds... Tanjiro, can you capitalize on a three-second opening?" Hakuya muttered to himself, calculating the timing.
"I don't know what trick you used to slow my regeneration before, but your parlor tricks are useless against me now!" The Hand Demon laughed with immense arrogance, confident in its newfound power.
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