"The wisteria planted from the foot to the midsection of the mountain isn't meant for us it's meant to trap you."
"The scent of the wisteria is something you despise, and the toxins can even damage your physical structure."
Marcus Lee spoke calmly, explaining his strategy.
Everything he did was meant to buy time, letting the toxins take effect.
Although he had been awake since noon, he had not just sat idle until nightfall.
When it came to extracting toxins, even ten versions of himself couldn't compare to the Insect Hashira. After all, Shinobu was a professional.
Marcus' work had been minimal just collecting some sap and soaking the blade in it.
Would it work? What effect would it have?
He didn't know.
But the same principle applied: doing something is better than doing nothing.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
The Hand Demon's previously nonchalant, cat-and-mouse attitude had vanished. Now it teetered on the edge of fury.
"Do you think a little poison like that could kill me?"
"I've eaten so many humans… would this little poison be enough?"
Countless arms burst from the earth. Ruthless and without hesitation, the Hand Demon struck at Marcus.
No ordinary person could defend against attacks coming from the ground.
But Marcus was a traveler from another world.
He knew what this creature was capable of and had been preparing for this exact move.
Perhaps he didn't have the jumping ability of a protagonist like Tanjiro.
But he had his own advantage.
The moment the arms emerged from the soil was fast, almost impossible for a normal person to react.
Yet with the eyes he possessed, Marcus calmly tightened his grip on the Sunwheel Blade. Before the arms could even fully strike, eight or nine of them had been severed, falling heavily to the ground.
The Hand Demon froze in disbelief, staring at Marcus.
His reaction… so fast?
Impossible.
Could it be those eyes? Eyes that felt almost like a demon's, radiating an ominous aura even the Hand Demon felt.
Perhaps…
A thought flickered in the Hand Demon's mind. It no longer launched pointless attacks.
The toxins Marcus had applied weren't enough to kill it.
If anything, the urgency should have been on Marcus' side.
Once the Hand Demon recovered, everything Marcus had done would have been for nothing.
The blade would dull, continued fighting would tire him. The Hand Demon, considering this, felt no rush.
"First card revealed… useless, as expected. Tch."
"Is it waiting for me to attack?"
"Does it think I don't know its neck is hard?"
Marcus hesitated briefly, wondering whether he should attempt the strike.
But if the Sunwheel Blade broke, death was certain.
Could he do it?
Could he sever the Hand Demon's neck?
For a fleeting moment, doubt crept in.
Yet the arrow had already been drawn; there was no turning back.
No matter what, he had to try.
He could not match this creature in a battle of attrition, nor could he hope to fight until dawn.
Marcus exhaled slightly, muscles tensing. He sprang forward, covering nearly twenty meters in an instant.
The Hand Demon had intentionally tempted him toward its neck, and Marcus decided to play along.
The arms attacking from the surroundings became less aggressive. Only two were severed before the rest retreated.
Each had their own calculation.
When Marcus reached the Hand Demon, he feinted and moved to the side.
He leapt into the air.
The Hand Demon's size far exceeded that of any adult male.
Even a jump this dangerous was necessary.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
No flashy techniques, no extra motions just a single slash infused with resolve, the weight of his entire body driving toward the Hand Demon's neck.
His breathing rhythm remained steady. Oxygen filled his lungs and spread through his blood.
Veins bulged beneath his skin, muscles coiled and released explosively.
This slash carried the full force of his body's shout, venting the inexplicable anger brought on by his sudden journey into this world.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a twisted smile on the Hand Demon's face, as if some hidden scheme had succeeded.
But luck, it seemed, was on Marcus' side.
The breathing technique he had struggled to master finally clicked.
"Breathing technique (??) has been initiated."
The cold, emotionless voice of the system sounded, and the lingering obsession of the original owner seemed to ease slightly.
His slash cut straight through the air, producing a dull, resonant boom.
The Sunwheel Blade sliced through the arms covering the Hand Demon's neck as effortlessly as cutting tofu.
"How is this possible?"
The Hand Demon's expression flickered with panic.
And then the situation changed drastically.
The Hand Demon's neck was far harder than Marcus had imagined.
The blade had penetrated but had not cleanly severed it.
This slash had been the limit of Marcus' current strength.
He couldn't believe he had managed to execute First Form so smoothly, just as he had mastered the breathing technique.
Yet reality mocked him.
Even at his peak, he was not a protagonist like Tanjiro, capable of effortlessly decapitating the Hand Demon.
At that moment, several arms suddenly shot up from the Hand Demon's shoulders like vicious serpents, lunging toward the airborne Marcus.
"After giving my all to get this far… it still isn't enough?"
Seeing the mocking, triumphant expression on the Hand Demon's face, Marcus felt at a loss.