The Water Demon's appearance was already far removed from that of a normal human. Only through the faintly remaining features could one guess it was likely male before.
When it saw Kurozawa grinning and actively charging at it, the Water Demon was momentarily stunned.
Each time Mount Fujikasane opened, it wasn't just a trial for the swordsmen; it was also a life-or-death slaughter for the Demons living within the cage of Mount Fujikasane, as well as a day of harvest, welcoming a feast.
Demons capable of surviving on Mount Fujikasane for over fifty years were not weak. The aspiring swordsmen entering the mountain trial were all food for them.
There were a total of three such demons on Mount Fujikasane. The Water Demon was one of them. Compared to the other two, its raw strength was the weakest, but it was extremely powerful in water.
Moreover, these demons that had lived for decades were very cunning and intelligent. They knew they were merely being used as trial tools and that powerful swordsmen guarded the outside of Mount Fujikasane. Therefore, they never caused any particularly large disturbances, such as wiping out all the aspiring swordsmen.
During each Mount Fujikasane trial, these three demons would only choose to consume between ten and twenty swordsmen, showing great tacit understanding.
Occasionally, when encountering particularly powerful aspiring swordsmen, the three demons would avoid them unless there were special circumstances, to prevent themselves from being killed.
Now, with Kurozawa entering the water and pursuing it, his clearly strong physique and powerful confidence made the Water Demon believe it had encountered a powerful swordsman.
Immediately, the Water Demon wanted to escape.
However, one of its legs was injured by a rock Kurozawa threw back, and it hadn't recovered yet, so Kurozawa quickly caught up.
At this moment, the vicious side of the Demon appeared. A look of madness surged onto the Water Demon's face, which resembled a black fish.
Blood Demon Art: Heavy Water Roll! Hiss! A tentacle wrapped in surging water currents slapped towards Kurozawa.
Before the tentacle even reached him, the heavy undercurrents surrounding it had already struck Kurozawa's body.
Hmm? In an instant, Kurozawa felt a considerable force pulling him forward.
And the direction of the pull was towards the tentacle, which was covered in fine, sharp teeth and was still spinning and churning.
This force caused Kurozawa's body to sway, and for a moment, he was almost dragged away.
Fortunately, his physique was strong enough to resist the suction of the undercurrents in the water and steady himself. However, at the same time, his movement became somewhat difficult, his body bound by the invisible undercurrents.
Something's wrong with this demon... I got carried away. Kurozawa realized the situation was bad.
He had fallen into a cognitive trap, and because he wanted to gain Potential Points, he had been somewhat impulsive and reckless, actively entering the opponent's home ground.
In Kurozawa's impression, only the Hand Demon could be considered a true Demon on Mount Fujikasane, possessing great strength and a steel-like body. The other demons were weak, malnourished creatures. But that was because he had only seen things from Tanjiro's perspective.
Besides the Hand Demon, Mount Fujikasane also hid other dangers.
At this moment, Kurozawa had encountered one: an Ability Demon that could contend with the Hand Demon in water.
The undercurrents with their powerful binding force made Kurozawa quickly understand his current predicament.
The Water Demon before him was not only a Mutated Demon whose body had undergone extreme changes but also an Ability Demon with special abilities, having awakened a Blood Demon Art.
Demons are divided into three types: Mutated Demons, Ability Demons, and a special type that possesses both mutation and abilities simultaneously.
Mutated Demons are those whose bodies have undergone powerful mutations, different from ordinary beings, and they usually possess extremely powerful physiques.
Ability Demons are one level more troublesome than Mutated Demons. They possess an ability called Blood Demon Art. This ability is very strange and manifests in bizarre ways. Some unique Blood Demon Arts are even comparable to miracles.
At this moment, the water currents that were binding him, like living things, reminded Kurozawa of Blood Demon Art.
"My state of mind hasn't been right lately... In the past, no matter how the Water Demon provoked me, I wouldn't have gone into the water to fight it."
Looking at the increasingly close, thick tentacle covered in fine fangs, Kurozawa reflected on himself.
"Perhaps it's because the demons I've encountered have been too weak, making me complacent and think that demons are nothing special. Perhaps it's because I know about the miraculous nature of Potential Points, and greed has overridden my reason..."
"Whichever it is, I cannot make this mistake again. If the demon before me were a Lower Moon, I would undoubtedly die today."
In an instant, Kurozawa's focus became highly concentrated, and his gaze turned resolute.
His right hand reached for the Nichirin Blade at his waist, gripping the hilt firmly.
Ultimately, he still had to use a Sword Form to break the situation. When his strength hadn't reached a certain level, there was no good solution when facing something as insidious as undercurrents.
Although he said he didn't like using the Nichirin Blade, Kurozawa had kept it on him at all times since receiving it from Sakonji Urokodaki, never taking it off.
Kurozawa understood that until his physique was strong enough to break through human limitations, the most powerful technique against demons was still the Sword Form, every move and stance derived specifically for killing demons.
Many times, Kurozawa didn't use a Sword Form simply because he felt he didn't need to, not because he couldn't.
Water Breathing: Total Concentration! Because he was in the water, Kurozawa held his breath. The power of Total Concentration was halved, but it still temporarily enhanced Kurozawa's physique.
Blood flowed, and his heart rate instantly increased by fifty percent.
Water Breathing: Tenth Form: Constant Flux! Kurozawa's upper body twisted almost behind him, opposite his lower body, and then, with the force generated by his body's sudden rotation, he swung his blade.
Every one of his movements was filled with a sense of coordinated beauty.
This was the feeling that only came with masterful control of a Sword Form.
The azure Nichirin Blade swung out from Kurozawa's hand, instantly pulling out a beautiful blue blade light. The blade light swirled and circled around Kurozawa, not directly heading towards the Water Demon.
Because Kurozawa knew that it was daytime, and the orange fireball in the sky was still fiercely radiating light and heat.
This technique was the most powerful Sword Form in Water Breathing, and currently, only Kurozawa, Sabito, and Makomo had mastered it.
The moment the azure blade light appeared, the binding force of the undercurrents broke on their own.
At the same time, a rapidly spinning vortex, carrying heavy, thousand-pound water currents, was appearing in this small river along with the Nichirin Blade's slash.
By the riverbank, Hanada Shizuka watched with wide eyes as a vortex formed in the blink of an eye, churning the water, creating a vacuum in the center, revealing the riverbed.
...
And, standing on the riverbed, one person and one demon.
The powerful Sword Form directly created a water storm, stripping the Water Demon away from the water that surrounded it.
With eyes full of shock, the Water Demon looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky. A sense of fatal danger made its entire body tremble.
Kurozawa's Constant Flux wasn't meant to attack it directly; it was only used to create a vortex, allowing the sunlight to shine through.
There was no better way to kill a demon than with the sun.
Awooo! A bestial wail echoed as the Water Demon, bathed in the warm sunlight, was engulfed in raging flames.
It desperately tried to escape the center of the vortex Kurozawa created, attempting to break through the vortex wall and enter the water.
But the moment it was scorched by the sunlight, its aura plummeted drastically. Even when it touched the vortex wall, it lost the strength to break through the rapidly spinning water current.
In just three breaths, the Water Demon, which had nearly caused Kurozawa to capsize in the water, turned into scattered ashes, swept away into the water.
"I got ahead of myself by fighting you in the water, but weren't you doing the same?"
"Coming out in broad daylight, you've got some nerve."
Kurozawa stopped his slashes, panting heavily, and leaped onto the riverbank.
The vortex he created still remained, churning wildly in the water. It seemed it would take a while before it disappeared.
Immediately, Kurozawa focused his mind on the gray panel.
Potential Points: 65 points.
Power of Despair: 7 points.
This Water Demon alone gave Kurozawa 40 Potential Points and 5 points of the Power of Despair, which was four to five times that of a normal Demon.
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