Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Battle of Fodders
As the group ventured deeper into the mountain's eerie depths, the atmosphere grew increasingly unsettling. Yuki, who had previously been exhausted and dizzy from the long run, now felt her stomach churn, and a strong sense of nausea washed over her. She looked around and witnessed a sight so horrifying that it sent shivers down her spine.
She had to stifle a cry of revulsion as she observed the gruesome scene before her. Countless bodies were suspended from the trees, hanging like marionettes on strings, but these were no ordinary puppets. Their limbs had been brutally sewn together, and their heads grotesquely twisted to face backward. Hands were cruelly attached to thighs, while legs were forcibly stitched to arms. It was a macabre display of human bodies transformed into grotesque works of art by a sadistic force.
The forest was filled with the agonising moans and cries of the unfortunate victims, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. Yuki couldn't help but gag, feeling her stomach churn at the horrifying sight. She clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.
Mitsuri had a dark look on her face as she tried to hold back her emotions. The gruesome display deeply disturbed her, but she forced herself to remain composed.
Shinobu, despite the horrifying scene, still maintained her eerie smile, but anyone who looked into her eyes would feel a bone-chilling sense of unease. Her serene appearance was a stark contrast to the nightmarish sight that lay before them.
Ace, although he tried to appear stoic, felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't hide the disgust and unease that the grotesque scene had stirred within him.
Shinobu, maintaining her unsettling smile, addressed the group, especially Yuki, "Lets go, the demon should be nearby"
Yuki nodded, her earlier feelings of nausea and fear giving way to determination. She clenched her sword, ready to face whatever horrors awaited them in the depths of the mountain.
As they ventured further into the forest, the more Yuki's eyes widened in horror as they ventured further into the forest. The scenes grew increasingly gruesome. Humans were kept in cocoons, hanging from the trees, and being digested alive by some acidic substance. Their agonising screams echoed through the air as they felt their bodies getting eroded, their pain palpable.
Shinobu said as she assessed the situation. "It seems the demon has spider-related abilities," she noted, her voice maintaining its calm. "With the manipulation of strings to cut bodies or dissolve them in acid, it's all related to spiders."
She continued, "And it's likely there is more than one of these creatures, with a Lower Moon demon as their leader."
"Ahhhhh"
Suddenly a piercing scream reached them shattering the eerie silence of the forest,setting off an immediate reaction from the group. Shinobu vanished from her spot with blinding speed, her graceful form weaving through the trees as she raced toward the source of the cry. Mitsuri and Ace quickly followed suit, dashing through the dense woods to reach the scene.
As they arrived at the scene, they were met with a demon with pale skin, white hair, and red facial markings holding a ball of silk, inside which someone screamed in pain. But before the demon could react to their arrival, Shinobu's agile movements led her to deliver a swift kick to the demon's head, propelling her into the nearby trees.
While Mitsuri swiftly cut the ball of silk, freeing the person inside, though their body was coated in corrosive green acid.
"Hmm," Ace contemplated. 'Our timing is still same as the canon, arriving just moments before the spider demon could kill this guy?. The only difference being Mitsuri in the mission instead of Giyu,' Ace mused as he watched Shinobu manhandling the demon, or perhaps, "woman handling" would be more accurate.
"You know, you're quite lucky. We arrived just in the nick of time. Other were not that lucky"Ace said to the guy named Murata
He knew the guy ,since he had seen some memes of him in reddit ,Bro survived even Muzan while still being a weakling.
But one had to respect him for not backing out or running away even when facing Muzan even when he was that weak.
Shinobu suddenly called out to Yuki, "Yuki, come here."
Yuki replied nervously, "Y-Yes."
Turning her attention to the demon girl who begged for mercy, Shinobu proposed, "If you can defeat her, I'll spare your life."
"What?" Yuki stammered.
"Really" Suddenly hope seemed to flicker in the demon girl's eyes as she looked at Yuki, realising that Yuki's condition was the most dire, with laboured breathing and soaked in sweat.
"Yes, but you have to kill her first," Shinobu added, her words hanging in the air.
"Kill me...?" Yuki was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
Shinobu continued, addressing Yuki in a low voice that booked no argument, "Yes, if you want to become stronger, you must confront danger. There will come a time when your life's on the line. If you can't defeat this demon now, perhaps it's best to reconsider. So make sure you pass this test, or it might leave Ace sad at the loss of his lover." Her words held a hint of sadistic enthusiasm.
'Her sadistic side is coming out ' Ace couldn't help but notice after her words. However, he remained unfazed, knowing that Shinobu was merely employing a tactic to push Yuki to her limits.
"Let's go, Mitsuri-san. We're running out of time, and the demon is still out there, harming people," Ace urged.
Mitsuri, however, hesitated and asked, "But... What about Yuki?" She couldn't help but show concern for Yuki after hearing Shinobu's stern words as she had become close friends, and the thought of Yuki facing such danger this early was a little unsettling for her.
Ace swiftly reassured Mitsuri, "Don't worry, Shinobu won't let anything happen to her."
Mitsuri, comforted by Ace's words, finally nodded. She chastised herself internally for ever thinking that Shinobu would let her close friend die in the name of a test.
They both set out to reach the mountain's centre, where the demon was likely there.
Before leaving, Ace cast an encouraging glance at Yuki, the message in his eyes that basically said, 'You can do it; I believe in you.'
Yuki managed a faint but appreciative smile in response, yet her inner thoughts took a different path. 'Please don't give me that confident look,' she mused silently, 'I'm not that strong and It's only been a month, and I've gone from collecting water to fighting demons.'
As she glanced back at Shinobu, whose face still bore that amused smile, Yuki felt a twinge of irritation, though she didn't hold it against her. After all, she had willingly chosen this path. She then shifted her gaze to the demon, whose expression mirrored that of a dying man gasping for water, ready to give his all for surviving this time.
"Ugh," Yuki grumbled under her breath, 'She's definitely going all out from the start.' Preparing for any sudden attack, Yuki unsheathed her deep violet sword, a weapon that bore a subtle contrast to Shinobu's own katana.
It was quite a surprise for everyone that she was able to give her sword its unique colour,this early on, given that most people don't even get a Nichirin blade by this point. Well this was a benefit of training under Hashira.
Well, she possessed talent of her own, but it was just overshadowed by Ace's talent.
Amidst the stare down between both of them,Yuki waited for the demon to make its move, suddenly she sensed a subtle tremor beneath her feet.
'Wait, she–' her thoughts were abruptly cut off as a bundle of silk string emerged from the ground, swiftly attempting to ensnare her leg. She reacted with a quick leap to the side, but it was too late. The silken rope latched onto her leg and hurled her forcefully into a nearby tree.
"Ughhh!"
Yuki's painful grunt escaped her lips as she collided with the tree's solid trunk. The impact was severe, causing a trickle of blood to escape from her mouth.
Before she could even take a breath, Yuki found herself forcibly yanked and slammed into another tree.
Her survival instinct kicked in as she instinctively shielded her head, recognizing the need to protect herself from the repeated impacts.
BAMM
Yuki endured another painful slam against a tree, silencing her cry of pain that would have echoed throughout the forest. Her body was once more subjected to a powerful pull, but this time she was ready.
Before being yanked again, she deftly slashed through the silk rope, freeing her leg from its grasp. A sigh of relief washed over her, grateful that she had thwarted the demon's binding technique.
"Tch, I just needed one more chance, and this time I would have burst her skull open," the demon girl grumbled in frustration.
The demon girl again attempted, but this time tried to encase Yuki's entire body with her silk, preventing her from being able to cut it and escape.
But before she could use her silk ability.
Blossom Style technique
Second Form: Petals Unfurling.
However, before the demon girl could react, Yuki's blade was already at her neck. In a desperate bid for survival, the demon girl opened her mouth and unleashed a blob of acid directly at Yuki's face. This unexpected move forced Yuki to duck, causing her slash to narrowly miss its target, instead cutting a mark across the demon girl's chest..
Frustrated at the missed opportunity for a killing blow, both Yuki and the demon girl growled in irritation.
While Yuki gasped, her breath came in ragged, heavy bursts. Her body, already weary from the prior exchange and the use of her recent technique, was now further drained.
The demon was in peak condition with no exhaustion on her face.
Yuki steeled herself for the decisive moment. It was now a do-or-die situation, and she was prepared to give it her all.
Meanwhile, the demon girl started to produce copious amounts of silk from her mouth and hands.
In a startling turn, her chest burst open, revealing a macabre sight. Silk threads emerged from her hands and mouth, weaving intricate patterns within her chest, setting the stage for an ominous and potentially devastating move.
"Fucking abomination," Yuki couldn't help but mutter, her eyes fixed on the grotesque transformation of the demon before her. She needed to stop whatever she was doing before it could be completed.
Yuki took a deep breath, drawing strength from the cool, natural air of the forest. With her blade in hand, she extended her arms outward, channelling every last ounce of energy she possessed. In a final, desperate effort, she propelled herself forward, hurtling toward the demon
Fourth Form : Blossom Dance
Reaching the demon, she struck at the neck. However, the swirling ball of silk within the demon's chest stopped her. It launched at her blade, attempting to bind it. Yuki's quick reflexes came into play as she deftly twisted her wrist, severing the silken thread.
But the demon was relentless. Strings upon strings, each as thick as a hand, launched at Yuki, seeking to pierce her.
Yuki moved with remarkable agility, weaving through the forest like a dancing butterfly, skillfully dodging each incoming attack and cutting another silk thread.
A guttural scream of defiance and desperation emanated from the demon girl's throat,or whatever left of it echoing through the forest. "Just die already, you bitch...!" she cried out in a final, defiant act.
In response to the demon girl's cry, Yuki remained resolute. "No," she declared, her voice filled with determination, "it's time for your end, not mine."
With resolve, Yuki leaped from one tree to a nearby silken thread, using it as a foothold, and then delivered a powerful strike to the demon girl's neck with all her strength, determined to bring the battle to a conclusion.
With a swift and precise slice, Yuki severed the demon's neck, causing the head to tumble to the ground. As she gazed at the fading corpse, her exhaustion overwhelmed her, causing her to lose consciousness.
Suddenly a thread of silk hurtled towards Yuki's forehead, but before it could make contact, a swift hand intercepted it.
"Nah, nah. The dead should remain dead," Shinobu declared and then proceeded to kick the demon's severed head away .
As Yuki's body began to fall, Shinobu moved with remarkable speed, catching her before she hit the ground. With a warm smile, she congratulated Yuki once more, saying, "Good job."
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