I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

The muscle memory honed through countless battles kicked in, the muscles reacting almost before the brain, swinging the sword to slash at the light in front of him, attempting to knock it down.

clang--!

The "fire spirit" leaped at the point where the two swords clashed!

This duel... was fleeting.

It lasted less than half a second before the Kamaitachi's beloved sword was violently deflected! The light formed by the tip or edge of the blade, which was composed of the sword's blade, pierced through the Kamaitachi's defenses and continued to pour into its body!

Although Kamaitachi's block failed to deflect Qing Deng's sword, it did deflect Qing Deng's thrust trajectory.

The blade, originally aimed at the Kamaitachi's chest, shifted its trajectory and instead pierced the Kamaitachi's left shoulder.

puff!

The dull thud of skin and muscle being sliced ​​open by a sharp blade dominated the space between Qing Deng and Kamaitachi.

The blade of the Demon Slayer pierced through the Kamaitachi's left shoulder, continuing until the hilt of the Demon Slayer's blade was pressed against the Kamaitachi's left shoulder clothing.

The intense pain contorted the weasel's features, and its thoughts instantly became fragmented.

Aoto and Kinoshita Mai's offensive has not yet stopped!

Kinoshita Mai once again provided a valuable assist to Aoto.

*Smack!* — Kinoshita Mai took a timely step forward, closing in on the left front of the Kamaitachi, and swung her right leg to kick the Kamaitachi's head.

Her legs fluttered in the wind, causing Kinoshita Mai's bright red yukata to rustle.

With Qing Deng's knife still stuck in his left shoulder, and his consciousness dazed from the intense pain, Kamaitachi was a full half-beat slower to react to Kinoshita Mai's pursuit!

The sword that had been deflected by the stabbing from the spirit was too late to retract... There was no time to make any effective defense. Kamaitachi could only endure the excruciating pain in his left shoulder and choose to "sacrifice the small to save the big," bending his left arm to block Kinoshita Mai's kick.

Bang!

The dull thud of a leg striking solid flesh mingled with the sound of bones shattering.

Kinoshita Mai's attack finally struck the Kamaitachi's body solidly for the first time, causing a large red swelling on the Kamaitachi's entire left arm, and the entire upper left arm twisted strangely.

Injuring the Kamaitachi's left arm... but this was not the greatest effect of Kinoshita Mai's attack.

The biggest benefit of Kinoshita Mai's attack was that it bought precious time for Aoto to launch his next attack.

Qingdeng did not waste any effort or time to retrieve the spirit that had been fixed in place.

After plunging the Demon Blade deep into the Kamaitachi's body, Qing Deng released the Demon Blade's hilt, reached for his left waist, and pulled out the wakizashi that had been hanging on his left waist.

The wakizashi's blade was aimed at the Kamaitachi's throat... Without using any swordsmanship or special techniques, he simply thrust the blade towards the Kamaitachi's vital point! To the Kamaitachi's throat!

With a knife stuck in its left shoulder and its left arm severely injured from defending against Kinoshita Mai's kick, Kamaitachi was now in a completely disheveled state... It had absolutely no chance of blocking Aoto's simple and unadorned attack!

The weasel's eyes were wide open, as if they were about to burst.

He could only helplessly watch as the wakizashi's blade drew ever closer, waves of despair and fear washing over him from his eyes and cheeks.

But... at the very moment when the outcome should have been decided, an unexpected situation occurred that no one present had anticipated.

"Well……!"

Aoto suddenly let out a muffled cry of pain and fell towards the ground, the wakizashi, which was only 3 inches away from the Kamaitachi's throat, also fell down.

"Tachibana-kun!"

As if by reflex, Kinoshita Mai shouted in alarm at Aoto, who had suddenly collapsed.

A strong urge to check on Aoto surged into Kinoshita Mai's heart.

Although she really wanted to rush to Aoto's side right now... Kinoshita Mai wasn't some stupid woman who couldn't see the situation clearly.

Right now, Kinoshita Mai knows exactly what's most important.

Kinoshita Mai suppressed her worry for Aoto, quickly adjusted her posture, and once again swung a high kick at Kamaitachi's head, intending to deliver a fatal blow to Kamaitachi in Aoto's place.

Kinoshita Mai's reaction speed was undeniably fast; she had already launched a pursuit at the fastest speed she could muster. However, in the blink of an eye, the Kamaitachi had already regained its balance and resumed its proper posture...

The Kamaitachi clutched its left arm and nimbly jumped back, dodging Kinoshita Mai's kick. Kinoshita Mai's toe only touched the tip of the Kamaitachi's nose, slightly abrading the skin.

Undeterred, Kinoshita Mai gritted her teeth and took a step forward, intending to launch another pursuit against Kamaitachi... but Kamaitachi, having adjusted his physical condition, gave her no further chance.

The Kamaitachi swung its sword with one arm, delivering a vertical slash forward towards Kinoshita Mai.

If Kinoshita Mai continues to get closer... her skull will be shattered.

Despite her resentment, Kinoshita Mai could only clench her teeth even tighter and change her forward lunge into a backward leap, landing beside Aoto, who was struggling to get up.

Kamaitachi also took the opportunity to retreat more than ten steps, creating a considerable distance between himself and Aoto and Kinoshita Mai.

"Orange-kun".

Kinoshita Mai lowered her voice and asked urgently.

"What’s wrong with you……"

The rest of the words stuck in Kinoshita Mai's throat.

No need to ask further... the scene before my eyes has already answered Kinoshita Mai.

With a pained expression, Qingdeng gripped his right leg tightly with his right hand, which was convulsing...

The lunge that Qing Deng made while holding the Demon-Slaying Staff and charging into the Kamaitachi's arms was still too much of a strain on his legs...

As he thrust the wakizashi into the throat of the Kamaitachi, Aoto's right leg completely lost its ability to support his body.

It felt like Qingdeng's entire right leg had lost all feeling and control, and he was falling heavily to the ground because he couldn't maintain his balance...

At this moment, Qingdeng tried to stand up again, but the muscles in his right leg were completely exhausted, and he was unable to stand up again.

No. It wasn't just his right leg that was exhausted... Both arms, especially his right arm, were spasming wildly, and the intense fatigue made it difficult for Qingdeng to even straighten his back.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Qing Deng could no longer see the "qi" from the Kamaitachi, and the "momentum" stopped being released.

"Ho...! Ho...! Ho...! Ho...!"

The Kamaitachi, his face covered in cold sweat, was panting heavily... He looked at his left shoulder, still pierced by the Demon Slayer, and his left arm, which hung idly at his side after being kicked and broken by Kinoshita Mai.

The spirit tablet still embedded in his shoulder could not be pulled out casually, as doing so could easily cause severe bleeding. He could only leave it inside his body.

Kamaitachi raised his right hand, which was gripping his beloved sword, and wiped his throat, which had almost been pierced, with the back of his hand... A chill rose from the soles of his feet, ran through his entire body, and finally reached the top of his head.

I was so close... If that guy hadn't been so exhausted, I would be dead by now...

The cold sweat on the weasel's face increased even more.

"I really... underestimated you all...!"

The kamaru's tightly clenched teeth uttered chilling words reminiscent of the dead of winter.

Kamaitachi reached his right hand to his left shoulder, his thumb and forefinger still gripping the hilt of the sword, while using the other three fingers to grab the fabric of his clothes on his left shoulder. With a "ripping" sound, he tore his upper body clothes to shreds and threw them aside.

Beneath the fluttering fabric fragments, the tattoo of the Wind Demon Kamaitachi on the back of the Kamaitachi became visible.

"You guys are really something to have driven me to this point."

"What a pity, you were just a hair's breadth away from killing me."

A mocking smile once again appeared on Kamaitachi's face.

Along with the mocking smile, a strong sense of hatred and anger also appeared on the Kamaitachi's face.

"It really hurts... I can't feel my entire left arm anymore... Even if I kill you all, it won't be enough to quell my hatred."

Seeing the Kamaitachi gritting his teeth, his face filled with such intense hatred that it was almost tangible, Kinoshita Mai pursed her lips... then silently took half a step to the left, standing in front of Aoto, blocking between the Kamaitachi and Aoto, her feet spread apart, ready for battle.

A hint of fear flashed in Kinoshita Mai's beautiful eyes... but she hid it very well.

Her movement to stand in front of Qingdeng was very firm, without the slightest hesitation.

It was as if they were doing something perfectly natural.

"Tachibana-kun, can you still move? If you can, get out of here quickly, I'll buy you some time..."

Kinoshita Mai didn't have time to continue speaking... because the Kamaitachi on the other side moved!

What was supposed to be an easy victory has turned into this mess. Filled with anger, hatred, and humiliation, Kamaitachi doesn't want to wait another second—he wants these two hateful guys dead!

With its temporarily unusable left arm hanging by its side, the Kamaitachi stomped its feet and charged straight at Aoto and Kinoshita Mai like a whirlwind.

He held his sickle-like dagger high, its cold, dark blue light reflecting on Qing Deng and the other man's faces.

With a slight darkening of his face, Qing Deng mustered the last bit of strength in his body, used his left leg, which he could barely move, to prop himself up, and with his left hand gripping the only weapon he had left, his wakizashi, he hopped to Kinoshita Mai's side.

Without uttering a word, he chose to continue fighting alongside Kinoshita Mai.

Kinoshita Mai turned her gaze to the side, looking at Aoto, who had not abandoned her, with a complicated expression.

Her red lips parted slightly... as if she wanted to say something to Qingdeng, but she closed them as soon as she opened them.

With a peculiar smile playing on her lips, Kinoshita Mai turned her gaze back to the Kamaitachi in front of her, holding her breath and preparing to fight alongside Aoto to the very end!

Is there any other way to defeat this guy...?

Even now... even though he is in such a desperate situation that he can only use one hand and one foot, Qingdeng's face still shows no trace of regret, despair or other negative emotions.

His expression grew even more serious and somber as he continued to ponder whether there was any way to defeat the Kamaitachi.

The Kamaitachi had already charged to a position where its sword could reach Qing Deng and the other two.

Whoosh—! The Kamaitachi swung down its beloved sword, which it had raised to its highest point.

The sharp, ear-piercing sound of the blade cutting through the air at high speed rushed towards Qingdeng!

As Qing Deng mustered all his strength, preparing to rely on his remaining left leg to dodge the Kamaitachi's attack—

……

clang!

……

Just as Kamaitachi swung his beloved sword, Qing Deng suddenly heard hurried and frightening footsteps behind him.

Immediately afterwards, they felt a gust of wind brush past their ears—a brown shadow brushed past Qing Deng and Kinoshita Mai, flashing from behind them to in front of them.

Then... Qingdeng's vision was filled with a fluttering brown cloak and a purple light.

The purple light that swept down from below collided heavily in mid-air with the sword that the Kamaitachi slashed down from above, creating a huge clang of metal against metal!

"Tachibana-kun, well done. Your performance far exceeded my expectations."