Giyu Tomioka leaned against a damp tree trunk, his face as pale as parchment. Beads of cold sweat rolled from his brow. Three jagged claw marks tore through his red haori from shoulder to chest. Though he had used strips of his undershirt and some medicine for an emergency wrap, the blood still soaked the fabric into a deep, sickening crimson. Every breath brought a searing pain that made his vision flicker with darkness.
Two nights of relentless fighting and rescuing had drained him of every ounce of strength.
Sabito crouched before him, his checkered haori stained with dust and gore. He carefully loosened the bandage to check for infection, looking at Giyu's trembling frame.
"Giyu." Sabito's voice was heavier than usual. "The wound is deep. You've lost too much blood. You need to rest. You can't move."
"We have no medicine left, and the food is gone." Sabito checked his pouch; it was empty. "I have to find something—wild fruit, clean water... anything. And I'll see if I can find some herbs to stop the bleeding."
Giyu's glazed eyes showed resistance. He struggled to sit up. "No... it's too dangerous..." He knew the risks of Sabito moving alone at night. After two days, Sabito wasn't much better off.
"Staying here is also dangerous," Sabito said firmly. "Without food and water, your wound will fester. We won't survive tomorrow. If a demon catches our scent here, we're dead."
He softened his voice, seeing Giyu's struggle. "Don't worry. I won't go far. My condition is fine. Stay quiet and save your energy."
Sabito stood up and performed a final check on the bandages. "Remember: no matter what you hear, do not make a sound unless it's me. Understood?"
Giyu knew Sabito was right, but as he watched him leave, a wave of helplessness and anger at his own weakness washed over him. His vision began to spin, and he finally lost consciousness.
Sabito moved like a forest wraith, avoiding demon-infested zones while searching for herbs or fruit. His mind was split between Giyu's safety and the surrounding darkness.
Suddenly, a thick, suffocating wave of malice enveloped the area.
Whiz—! A serpent-like shape shot from the shadows! Sabito stopped, his blade instantly out of its sheath.
Water Breathing, First Form: Water Surface Slash!
He severed the "serpent" cleanly. When he looked closer, it wasn't a snake—it was a human hand, stretched dozens of meters long!
"A Demon...!"
A massive, terrifying figure "squeezed" itself from behind the giant trees. It could no longer be called human. Its body was bloated and sickly gray, covered in jagged, stitch-like scars. Most horrifying were the arms—dozens of them, twisted and deformed, growing from every part of its body. Around its neck was a "scarf" made of countless human arms.
Sabito tensed. This was different from any demon he had ever faced. Its twisted face split into a malicious grin, focusing on Sabito's fox mask.
"Hehehe..." a raspy voice like sandpaper grated. "A fox mask... another one... Urokodaki's... little student..."
A chill ran down Sabito's spine. This demon recognized the mask!
"Water Breathing, Third Form: Flowing Dance!"
Sabito's figure turned into a blur of blue afterimages, circling the Hand Demon while his blade sliced through the deformed arms reaching for him.
"Useless! Useless!" the Hand Demon laughed. "That's just an itch! I've been waiting here for a long, long time!"
It smashed a massive fist into the ground where Sabito had been standing a second ago, pulverizing the rock.
"I have to draw it away from Giyu... and then find the examiners," Sabito thought, his breath growing heavy.
The Hand Demon didn't chase immediately. "Are you scared, little fox? Don't worry, the game has just begun... I love you little brats in fox masks... because your master, Sakonji Urokodaki... he's the one who trapped me in this wisteria prison decades ago!"
"I'll make him feel my pain! I've eaten his disciples! One by one... I've lost count... seven? ten? More?"
Sabito froze. The cold dread turned into a burning, white-hot fury. The missing seniors... the brothers and sisters who never returned... it was this thing!
"They were delicious... especially the way they cried out for Urokodaki to save them before I crushed them!"
"SHUT UP!!!"
Sabito's roar tore through the forest. Fury overrode his logic. He had to kill this thing, now!
"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!!!"
He abandoned his technical play. He poured every ounce of speed, strength, and rage into a single, charging water dragon, aiming straight for the demon's core!