CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: STRIKE!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The iron hammer fell like a rain of blows, each strike crashing into the Demon’s body.

In an instant, the Demon’s flesh was battered and caved in, blood gushing from its mouth as its limbs clawed frantically at the ground, desperately trying to rise against the relentless hammering.

Sosuke maintained his focus, his breathing steady and unbroken. The hammer techniques of the First Form flowed seamlessly together, leaving no gap between strikes.

Yet the Demon before him possessed an extraordinary gift for both strength and defense. Against all odds, it slowly, inch by inch, began to rise from the ground despite the relentless assault.

Sosuke’s expression shifted. His breathing pattern changed abruptly as he stepped forward with his left foot, drawing the hammer back behind him. Two swift strides brought him closer, his foot slamming down on the bluestone pavement with a thud, white mist erupting from his mouth.

Sun Breathing—Second Form: Straight Forging of Heaven and Earth!

The hammer swung in a wide arc. Just as the Demon sensed the pressure before him easing and prepared to pounce, the hammer crashed down on his head.

In a split-second decision, he raised his left arm to block the blow. Immense force slammed into him.

The hammer struck his left arm first, a dull crack echoing as the limb snapped. Then, still carrying the severed arm, the hammer crashed into his skull.

The Demon’s towering, two-meter-tall body was sent flying with a thunderous crash, slamming into the nearby wall.

The wall cracked instantly, but the Demon twisted away, dragging his broken arm as he leaped to escape.

"He’s trying to run!" Kanae warned immediately.

Sosuke gave chase instantly. The Demon moved with astonishing speed, his limbs pounding the ground as he bounded forward like a wild beast.

Fortunately, Sosuke was always running around with his hammer, and he was surprisingly fast. The man and the demon chasing him quickly disappeared into the distance.

Kanae’s expression shifted rapidly, her anxiety growing by the second.

The girl in her arms remained unconscious, and Kanae couldn’t abandon her. After hastily bandaging the girl’s wounds, she propped her up against the wall. Only then did she draw her Nichirin Blade and dash after them.

But where had the man and the demon gone? Not a trace of them remained within her sight.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced herself to run in the direction they had fled, hoping to find them.

On the other side, no Sosuke’s mind was consumed by a single thought: to slay the Demon!

This creature had been active in the town, and rumors of missing people had been circulating for days. It had undoubtedly devoured more than one victim.

If this Demon were allowed to live, it would inevitably cause more tragedies.

It couldn’t be allowed to survive!

Demon Slayer!

As his mind emptied, his resolve grew purer. The years of training in Total Concentration finally bore fruit.

He gradually closed the distance to the Demon, but by now they had already left the town’s boundaries.

Ahead lay a snow-laden forest. If the Demon managed to reach it, its agility and familiarity with the terrain would make pursuit and elimination nearly impossible.

The forest’s complex environment would provide ample opportunities for the Demon to ambush and counterattack.

Realizing this, Sosuke’s mind raced. Without hesitation, he swung his hammer, activating the mechanism mid-swing.

In the next instant, the hammer’s sheath-like body shot forward like a meteor chasing the moon, whistling through the air toward the Demon’s nape.

The Demon, fleeing frantically ahead, twitched its nose, immediately sensing the danger.

Just as Sosuke was about to duck, the hammer struck the back of the Demon’s head with a resounding clang!

The Demon’s sprinting body immediately tumbled across the ground, rolling over and over before flipping back to its feet, its demonic fury blazing anew.

Having already shown weakness by fleeing, Sosuke was now determined to finish the job. Did he really think Demons had no temper?

With a furious roar, the Demon’s crimson hair flared like flames as it lunged savagely at Sosuke.

Sosuke’s expression shifted. Now that his hammer had been thrown, he was left with only his Nichirin Blade.

Though he had diligently honed his swordsmanship to a remarkable degree, this was his first true battle against a Demon.

Ignoring his inner trepidation, Sosuke purged all distractions from his mind. He exhaled sharply, gripped the blade with both hands, and watched as the Demon charged like a wild beast.

His gaze locked on the Demon, and in that instant, Sosuke experienced a strange sensation.

Why are its movements so disjointed?

There was an inexplicable awkwardness, a stiffness that felt strangely familiar.

’This feeling... I know it!’

Yes!

It was just like that sensation he’d experienced while practicing swordsmanship on Mt. Sagiri—as if a thousand hands were trying to hinder his every swing.

The demon’s movements seemed similarly hampered, as if a thousand hands were restraining, trapping, and controlling it, making its actions sluggish, labored, and disjointed!

The thought flashed through his mind as his Nichirin Blade, moving with the same suddenness as he remembered, slashed through the air.

In a flash of lightning, the man and demon crossed paths.

The demon’s arm, dripping with blood, was severed and sent flying.

Simultaneously, three crimson blossoms bloomed on Sosuke’s right shoulder.

Glancing sideways, he saw no blackness mixed with the blood, confirming that the demon’s claws weren’t poisoned.

His spirits lifted, he turned back to face the demon, which was already lunging at him.

But this time, he couldn’t recapture that strange sensation that had momentarily appeared in his mind.

With a swift flourish of his blade, steel clashed against claw, sending sparks flying. As Sosuke braced for a stalemate, a sudden impulse struck him. He relaxed his stance slightly, and in the next instant, the demon’s overwhelming strength crashed down upon him.

Yet, through deliberate control, Sosuke’s body floated backward. His feet landed lightly, his balance adjusted, and he emerged unscathed!

"Just as I thought!"

Sosuke’s eyes lit up. In that split second, inspiration struck him. He realized he shouldn’t try to match the Demon’s brute strength. He held a Nichirin Blade, but without its scabbard, the blade was unprotected. While he might be able to match the Demon’s power in a direct clash, the blade itself likely wouldn’t withstand the strain. Instead, he focused on bracing his body, maintaining his posture even as he was sent flying, while simultaneously relaxing his resistance.

As expected, when he landed, his balance remained intact, and he emerged completely unscathed.

Looking up, he witnessed an even more unexpected sight. The Demon, seemingly intent on a head-on collision, had suddenly lost its momentum and spun wildly in place.

By sheer coincidence, the Demon’s back was now turned to Sosuke, and the spin wasn’t even complete!

In the heat of battle, anything can happen, and victory hangs by a thread!

Sosuke’s breathing steadied instantly, his mind clearing of all distractions. With a swift push off his toes, he moved like lightning, closing the distance to the Demon in the blink of an eye.

As his blade fell, the Demon turned to face him, its sole remaining left arm, fingers pressed together like a knife, thrusting forward with deadly force!

But at that very moment, Sosuke’s blade struck true, and a head with crimson, flame-like hair soared into the sky!