A brilliant flash of a blade, imbued with scorching flames, struck out like lightning, hitting the girl standing at the doorway.
A bloody gash instantly ripped diagonally across the girl's pure, snow-like face, and crimson blood streamed down half of her cheek.
"Heh…"
The girl let out a soft chuckle.
Her originally slender and fair fingers suddenly swelled and thickened, and her nails became extremely sharp.
Her long hair also instantly extended, almost filling half the room.
"Oh dear, young man, you really don't know how to cherish a beauty…"
The long-haired demoness lightly brushed her face with her hand, and the bloody gash immediately healed.
"I was going to let you enjoy the pleasures of the human world before eating you, seeing as you have such a pretty face… Who knew you'd be such a clueless, stinky swordsman."
The surging black long hair matted together, making Haruto feel a wave of revulsion.
This demoness had been here for who knows how long, and had eaten who knows how many people.
Judging by her aura, she was almost comparable to the Hand Demon of Fujikasane Mountain.
The cramped space was not conducive to Haruto's maneuvering and dodging, and going outside risked causing a commotion, and even worse, attracting more demons.
Haruto frowned deeply, his blade flashing as he parried the strands of long hair flying towards him.
Demons, depending on their innate talent, would awaken their own unique Blood Demon Art.
Perhaps it was a technique similar to sword moves, or perhaps it was long hair like the demoness's.
Hard as iron, it emitted a crisp metallic clang when it clashed with a blade.
However.
"No matter how hard hair is… it's still hair in the end."
Haruto looked up, flames dancing in his eyes.
The demoness's heart skipped a beat, and her entire head of long hair surged, sweeping over him like a tidal wave, attempting to entangle and crush the handsome white-haired swordsman!
The dark hair immediately wrapped Haruto into a cocoon.
Just like the countless men the demoness had eaten before, who were drawn in by her charm.
"Hmph…"
She let out a soft breath: "What's the big deal? Such a grand stance, and I thought I'd run into someone formidable."
Her long hair could even serve as her eating cavity; she could begin to feed as soon as she wrapped around her food.
Countless strands of long hair would transform into sharp spikes with oral organs, piercing into the food's body, and starting from the internal organs, they would suck out the contents like humans eating mud snails, turning the entrapped person into a skeleton covered in thin skin.
Wait… why is it so hot?
A scorched smell suddenly emanated from the human-shaped cocoon made of black long hair, and a flash of fire appeared within it. With a low growl of gritted teeth, the tightly constricted long hair actually began to crack and crumble!
"Flame Breathing, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
The thin blade irresistibly cut through the layers of black hair, and a vortex of flames bloomed from the swinging blade, instantly incinerating the black hair.
The burning flames even spread along the long hair all the way back to its source!
"Hmph…" The long-haired demoness grunted, automatically severing her long hair.
Black hair fell to the ground in profusion, rapidly igniting as it lay intertwined.
"A Flame Breathing swordsman…" She bared her teeth in a sinister grin: "Truly troublesome."
Haruto immediately pushed off the ground, leaping high. The reappearing black hair wove a net before him, but he cut it all down with his flashing blade.
Good, his momentum was strong, so he needed to maintain this unstoppable state!
He pressed on, his white hair fluttering behind his ears.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"
After several continuous clashes between the long hair and the nichirin blade, veins bulged on the demoness's face, her ferocious expression no longer retaining its former purity.
"Damn, damn, damn you, swordsman!"
She let out a shrill roar, and the long hair from the back of her head poured out: "Go to hell!"
"Huff, huff…"
Haruto, aware of his lack of stamina, leaped around the room, dodging the long hair that pierced through the house like a downpour.
His gaze was fixed on the source of the long hair, and with several "whooshes" of his swinging blade, he quickly closed in on the demoness.
Under the gaze of the grotesque demon face that gradually grew larger in his pupils, his heartbeat seemed to slow down.
Inhale—
Hot air surged in his chest, and heat flowed between his lips and teeth.
Haruto's blade drooped, as if a scorching sun were rising from its edge.
"Flame Breathing, Second Form!"
The blade moved from bottom to top, and a wave of scorching air swept through the entire room: "Rising Scorching Sun!"
Slash!
Through the cascading black hair, the flaming blade carved a fiery path.
The hideous, terrifying head flew high, tumbling to hit the wooden window, then rolled onto the ground.
The headless body also lost its support, slumping limply to the ground.
"Huff, huff, huff…"
Haruto gasped heavily, soreness and a feeling of powerlessness rolling through every muscle, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold his nichirin blade.
No, no… this won't do!
In this world, not all demons will be this weak!
He gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, his fingertips turning white.
What if he encountered stronger demons in the future?
What if he encountered the Twelve Kizuki, the Lower Moons, the Upper Moons, or even the Demon King Kibutsuji Muzan?
Just like now, if he couldn't kill them after a combo—would he just wait to die?
Haruto looked at the slowly burning head, and suddenly his pupils constricted.
In his line of sight, white bullet comments scrolled again.
And those bullet comments were not some interesting gags, but rather—
[Danger]
[Danger]
[Danger]
!
A whole row of "Danger" characters hovered in his vision, making goosebumps erupt all over Haruto's body!
Danger of what? The long-haired demoness isn't already dead?!
Her head is already starting to burn from the nichirin blade's scorching, isn't it?!
Cold sweat dripped from Haruto's forehead; unknown dangers were truly more terrifying than known ones.
[White—haired—hottie—]
[My little lover—]
[Returning to pay respects during the Pleasure District Arc.]
[Seriously though, in Japanese legends, Nure-onna and Ushi-oni always act together.]
[Senior brother has finally arrived, but alas, my friend is about to be gone.]
Who arrived?
What do Nure-onna and Ushi-oni mean?
Haruto was so alert his breathing became constricted. Had some plot character arrived here?
Most importantly, the long-haired demoness was indeed dead, but why hadn't the demonic aura in the room dissipated?
Had she not truly died, or—was there another demon present?
It seemed noisy outside, with countless people screaming, making the entire hot spring town erupt into chaos.
What happened?
Haruto turned around in a daze, intending to push open the window to see what was going on, but the window opened by itself.
A giant, slimy octopus tentacle crashed through the wooden window and snatched Haruto by the waist.
As the world spun, Haruto tried to draw his blade, but found his limbs numb and completely unable to move.
The suction cups on that octopus tentacle had injected venom into his body the moment they made contact.
Haruto was helplessly wrapped up and pulled out of Nekki-ya. In his gradually dimming vision, he saw the monster outside.
It was a giant octopus demon with a cow's head, coiling its body and stuffing things into its mouth.
Ha… is this the Ushi-oni? So Nure-onna refers to the long-haired demoness he just killed?
Tourists fled in panic on the hot spring street, wailing everywhere.
At the end of Haruto's vision, a young man with messy black hair, deep blue eyes, and wearing a dark red haori was sprinting towards him.
His expression was anxious, his brows tightly furrowed:
"Haruto!"
I'm screwed, Tomioka Giyu… no, I'm the one who's screwed.
His vision went black as he was stuffed into the Ushi-oni's mouth.
Takanashi Haruto, died again.