Chapter 17: The Breaking Point
"With your current attacks, you can't harm me at all! Heh heh heh heh... Your fate will be exactly like Urokodaki Sakonji's former disciples—becoming nourishment for my growth!" Knowing it was no longer vulnerable to the Nichirin blade's regeneration-slowing properties, the Hand Demon regained its former arrogance.
Its grating sneer echoed through the trees, irritating Hakuya to his core. He snarled coldly, "Shut up! Don't think that's all I'm capable of! If I really wanted you dead, you wouldn't even have the chance to speak!"
Hakuya's anger stemmed from the Hand Demon's unbearably grating laugh—it was so unpleasant that he could barely tolerate it.
Hakuya's insulting and utterly domineering words stunned the Hand Demon. In all its years trapped on Mount Fujikasane, no one it had ever encountered matched Hakuya's sheer audacity.
Even Urokodaki Sakonji's most powerful disciple from years ago—the young man who had nearly killed the Hand Demon—hadn't been as fierce and confrontational as Hakuya.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!"
Hakuya's taunts sent the Hand Demon into another rage, and it launched an even more intense barrage of attacks.
This time, Hakuya became completely serious. His aura shifted as he charged directly toward the oncoming wave of demonic hands.
"Water Breathing, First Form—Modification: Water Surface Slash—Successive Strikes!"
When Hakuya was mere inches from the attacking limbs, he suddenly stopped, and within a single breath, his Nichirin blade unleashed dozens of rapid slashes.
This modified First Form technique—Water Surface Slash: Successive Strikes—was a variation Hakuya had developed from the original Water Surface Slash, transforming it into something entirely different.
Compared to the standard Water Surface Slash, this modified version significantly increased the number of strikes, though the power of each individual slash decreased somewhat due to the sheer volume.
The original First Form: Water Surface Slash could kill an enemy with a single decisive blow. However, its drawback was equally obvious—it couldn't perform a follow-up slash quickly enough.
While Water Breathing, Fourth Form: Striking Tide also provided area coverage, the number and speed of its strikes couldn't compare to Hakuya's self-modified Water Surface Slash: Successive Strikes.
Striking Tide focused on lethal finishing blows, and even when mastered completely, could only strike five targets simultaneously at maximum effectiveness.
Therefore, Striking Tide was inadequate for countering the Hand Demon's extremely dense attack patterns.
Water Surface Slash: Successive Strikes, however, focused on defense and containment. A master could unleash dozens of strikes in mere seconds, countering even the most intense enemy assaults.
Of course, if used against a single target, this terrifying sword technique could achieve devastating results through sheer accumulated damage.
In just a few seconds of fierce combat, Hakuya had already executed nearly forty slashes.
Such an intense barrage drained Hakuya's stamina rapidly, and his arms were under immense physical strain. If the burden had been even slightly greater, even Hakuya's well-conditioned muscles might have suffered serious damage.
"Tanjiro... three seconds of opportunity. Can you seize it?" Hakuya thought to himself, his breathing carefully controlled despite his exertion.
If Tanjiro couldn't capitalize on this opening, there wouldn't be another chance—Hakuya couldn't use the First Form Modification: Water Surface Slash: Successive Strikes twice in rapid succession. His arms simply couldn't handle it.
Seeing its attacks completely unable to reach Hakuya, the Hand Demon couldn't help but feel genuine fear toward this young swordsman.
However, while the Hand Demon knew it couldn't harm Hakuya, it also recognized that Hakuya couldn't kill it either—not while defending against its constant barrage. If this stalemate continued, Hakuya would inevitably lose in the end, as human stamina was limited while demons felt no such constraint.
Once Hakuya ran out of stamina, his fate would be identical to all the previous victims—becoming fuel for the Hand Demon's growth.
"Heh heh heh heh..."
The Hand Demon couldn't help but chuckle at this realization, confidence returning.
Soon, Hakuya had severed every single one of the Hand Demon's arms, temporarily halting its offensive.
Hakuya's breathing was noticeably heavier, though he still maintained the proper rhythm of his Total Concentration Breathing. His right hand, gripping the Nichirin blade, drooped slightly from temporary exhaustion. Most tellingly, his sword arm trembled visibly from the strain.
Tanjiro, who had been hiding in a nearby tree, had witnessed everything that transpired between Hakuya and the Hand Demon. Seeing Hakuya handle such an overwhelming assault with apparent ease made Tanjiro acutely aware of how much stronger his senior was. The confidence he'd found earlier—after successfully decapitating those ten demons—gradually dissipated as Hakuya's true strength was revealed.
Just as Tanjiro began losing faith in himself, the words Hakuya had spoken to him before echoed clearly in his mind.
Then, suddenly, Tanjiro realized something crucial: he had never once been denied or dismissed by either Hakuya-senpai or Master Urokodaki Sakonji. Since both of them—far stronger than himself—had affirmed his strength and potential, why should he doubt himself?
"Tanjiro... it all depends on you now! If you can't seize this opportunity, then I'll have no choice but to use my final trump card!" Hakuya, whose arms were completely exhausted, silently began his countdown.
"Three... two..."
As Hakuya counted down internally, the Hand Demon's severed arms slowly began regenerating. The creature hadn't expected Hakuya to completely remove all its limbs, so full recovery would take precious time.
Without its arms, the Hand Demon looked like nothing more than a misshapen ball of flesh.
Seeing Hakuya standing motionless with his sword arm trembling, the Hand Demon knew its opponent was at his limit. It laughed triumphantly.
"Ha ha ha ha... heh heh heh heh..."
The Hand Demon's laughter grew increasingly shrill and grating.
"Now!"
At that precise moment, Tanjiro leaped from the tree, his entire being focused with lethal intent as he charged toward the Hand Demon.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
The instant Tanjiro closed the distance, he swung his Nichirin blade toward the Hand Demon's exposed neck.
Faced with Tanjiro's sudden assault, the Hand Demon panicked, attempting to dodge and counterattack. But as a mere ball of flesh without limbs, it was completely unable to move.
Tanjiro's Nichirin blade struck the Hand Demon's neck with full force. He expected the sword to slice cleanly through—but it didn't.
"Die!" Tanjiro shouted, putting even more strength into his arms.
"Clang—CRACK!"
With a sharp metallic sound, the blade of Tanjiro's Nichirin sword unexpectedly snapped at this crucial moment. Tanjiro hadn't anticipated his sword breaking, and for an instant, he stood frozen in disbelief.
"Heh heh heh heh! I've specially hardened my neck! Your sword is broken—you have no chance now!" Upon seeing Tanjiro's broken blade, the Hand Demon immediately reveled in its perceived victory, as if both Hakuya and Tanjiro were already its prey.
Seeing Tanjiro's Nichirin blade shatter, Hakuya didn't hesitate for even a second. He threw his own sword directly toward Tanjiro.
"Tanjiro, catch!" Hakuya called out.
Tanjiro, watching the Nichirin blade fly toward him, immediately reached out to catch it.
The Hand Demon's expression of triumph froze upon seeing this.
"I won't let you succeed!" the Hand Demon snarled, and with desperate effort, it conjured a single massive arm.
With a clenched fist, it struck viciously toward Tanjiro's head.
This was the exact same technique the Hand Demon had used to kill Urokodaki Sakonji's strongest disciple years ago. Just like Tanjiro, that boy's Nichirin blade had broken after striking the demon's hardened neck.
The Hand Demon intended to use the same method to kill Tanjiro with a single devastating blow.
"Go to hell!" the Hand Demon said venomously.
Tanjiro looked at the attacking demonic fist with no fear or panic in his eyes. Instead, he took a deep breath and deliberately rammed his forehead directly into the demon's strike.
"BOOM!"
A dull impact echoed as Tanjiro's famously hard head collided with the demon's fist.
Tanjiro's legendary stubbornness was revealed in that moment—the Hand Demon's punch failed to harm him at all.
In the same fluid motion, Tanjiro caught Hakuya's Nichirin blade with his free hand.
Then, using the demon's outstretched arm like a bridge, he ran along it directly toward the Hand Demon's neck.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Tanjiro, now wielding Hakuya's superior blade, unleashed Water Surface Slash once more.
The next instant, Hakuya's razor-sharp blade struck the Hand Demon's neck again.
"It's useless! You couldn't cut through the first time, and the result will be exactly the same this time! Ha ha ha..."
Having seen the outcome once before, the Hand Demon remained confident, believing that even with a second chance, Tanjiro couldn't succeed.
"This time, I'm going to crush your skull! Just like I did to that boy before you!"
"You don't stand a chance! I won't betray Hakuya-senpai's trust in me!" Tanjiro declared with absolute determination.
Driven by Tanjiro's unwavering resolve, and aided by Hakuya's exceptionally sharp blade, the sword bit deep into the Hand Demon's neck the moment Tanjiro finished speaking, sending up a spray of water-like energy.
"How is this possible!" Feeling the blade actually cutting into its neck, the Hand Demon immediately panicked.
"Go to hell!" Tanjiro roared with everything he had.
In the instant water energy splashed through the air, the extraordinarily sharp edge of Hakuya's Nichirin blade sliced cleanly through the Hand Demon's hardened neck, completely severing its head from its body.
After cutting through the demon's neck, Tanjiro fell toward the ground, pulled by gravity.
The Hand Demon's head separated from its massive body and tumbled to the ground.
It was over.
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