"Then congratulations to you, I'm about to become the first person you kill!" the Demon Woman said with a smile, looking at Kouki.
As expected, Kouki easily fell into the trap. He widened his eyes and retorted, "You are Demon People, not humans at all!"
"Even if I kill you, it's not murder!"
"Do you really think that?"
"Take a good look at me…."
The Demon Woman's low voice carried a hint of seduction.
"No… I…"
Kouki's eyes showed internal conflict and hesitation, and the Holy Sword in his hand was no longer so steady.
The Demon Woman didn't miss this opportunity and loudly commanded, "It's your turn, Yaha Tode!"
A giant shadow suddenly appeared in the air, as if it had been waiting there, covering Kouki at a perfect moment.
Kouki was greatly startled. He turned his head to look, only to see a giant fist like a wall, approaching with astonishing momentum, as if to tear through the air! Kouki instinctively raised his left arm to defend, but the fist carried immense power, easily shattering Kouki's left hand used for defense.
A strong impact also struck his body! Kouki was like a truck hitting him, flying out at a fierce speed and falling onto the ground a dozen meters away.
"Wah!"
Kouki spat out a large amount of blood; this blow must have caused a very serious impact on his internal organs! He also seemed to have symptoms of a concussion, his eyes unable to focus, yet he still desperately tried to grasp the situation, his gaze constantly wandering around.
Then, Kouki saw a giant monster about three meters long standing where he had just been. It maintained its punching motion, guarding against an enemy counterattack.
The monster's head was a horse with fangs, it had four thick, muscular arms, and below was the body of a gorilla.
It glared at Kouki with bloodshot eyes, and whenever its long horse-like face breathed, steam would spray from its mouth.
The aura it emitted was clearly completely different from the previous monsters! Later, there are two more chapters.
Chapter sixty-nine: Kaori's Resolve!
"Tsk, I was saving it as a last resort."
Although Yaha Tode successfully ambushed and sent Kouki flying, the Demon Woman showed no joy in her eyes.
Instead of focusing on Kouki, her attention was more on the white-haired young man who now made her feel a significantly greater fear! This move of hers was originally prepared for Hiyama.
But Kouki forced her to use this long-hidden "trump card."
Moreover, Hiyama had been watching the scene with a leisurely attitude from the beginning, making no moves at all.
He didn't even approach.
She couldn't guess what he was thinking at all.
"Yaha Tode, go capture the Hero."
The Demon Woman suppressed the faint unease in her heart.
Since Yaha Tode was forced to reveal his true form, they could only aim for a quick decisive battle.
As the horse-headed monster retracted its fist, it emitted an incredibly strong killing intent and charged mercilessly towards Kouki.
Then, not far in front of Kouki, who was kneeling on the ground, the horse-headed monster leaped up and brought its fist down fiercely from above Kouki's head! Kouki listened to his strong instincts and rolled to the side, desperately moving away from his original position.
Subsequently, the horse-headed monster's fist struck the ground, and dark red ripples spread out, causing the ground to immediately explode! The destruction brought by the explosion could only be described as crushing everything! This was the horse-headed monster's unique ability, "Demonic Shockwave"!
The effect of this ability was very simple: it converted magic into a shockwave.
Precisely because it was simple, its power was extremely strong.
Kouki barely recovered from the dizziness of his concussion, struggled to stand up, and raised the Holy Sword in his hand.
However, by this time, the horse-headed monster was already close, and it swung its fist again.
Although Kouki used his sword as a shield, his left hand was already broken, and relying solely on his right hand, he couldn't fully absorb the impact, so he was sent flying again! After that, Kouki tried his best to dodge, barely avoiding fatal injuries, but just dealing with the "Demonic Shockwaves" unleashed by four hands in rotation was already exhausting him.
Moreover, the damage from the initial blow was more severe than expected; Kouki's movements were sluggish, and he couldn't find any opportunity to counterattack.
"How can this guy be so strong! I've already used Limit Break and gained the Holy Sword's recognition!"
"Ah ah ah ah!"
Kouki showed a pained expression. The horse-headed monster's strength surpassed his own even with "Limit Break" activated, causing him to become increasingly agitated.
He understood that this wouldn't work, and he intended to counterattack even if it meant taking damage.
However…!"
Before he could put his inner decision into action, his legs suddenly went limp; the time limit for "Limit Break" had finally arrived.
Perhaps it was the drawback of using it twice in a short period, Kouki felt a stronger sense of fatigue than before, and although he wanted to step forward, he couldn't exert any strength.
Kouki was completely weak, and his body lost balance! The horse-headed monster, of course, wouldn't miss this opportunity. It instantly punched Kouki in the abdomen, and the sound of impact rang out!
"Wahahaha!"
Kouki spat out blood, his body bent like a shrimp.
Due to the backlash from "Limit Break," his body became weakened; this almost made him lose consciousness, and his body suffered nearly fatal severe injuries.
Kouki lay motionless on the ground.
The reason he didn't die on the spot was that the horse-headed monster had shown mercy.
The horse-headed monster approached Kouki, grabbed him, and lifted him up.
With the White Crow's healing magic, the Demon Woman seemed to have fully recovered, standing up with steady movements.
Looking at the half-dead Kouki, a slight smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she said to Hiyama, who was not far away, "Your companion is already in my hands."
"If you want to save him…."
"Kill him."
"What did you say?!"
The Demon Woman's words weren't even finished when her smile instantly froze on her face. For a moment, she even wondered if there was something wrong with her ears!
"I said, kill him. I don't mind," Hiyama said, still looking calm and composed.
"….Isn't he your companion?" the Demon Woman asked, looking incredulous.
Even they, the Demon People, had a sense of companionship and generally wouldn't abandon their comrades and flee easily.
Could it be that humans didn't care about such things… No, that's impossible. This human must be too strange! The Demon Woman recomposed herself and looked at the Hero Kouki in Yaha Tode's hand. Since Hiyama wasn't cooperating, she could start with the Hero.
The Demon Woman tempted, "Hero, I'll give you a chance. Make your companion surrender obediently, and I promise to spare your lives."
"I… I absolutely will not!"
Kouki's injuries were severe, and blood dripped onto the ground.
Being defeated by an enemy was already a deeply humiliating experience for him. Now, he was even being asked to beg Hiyama to save his life. Kouki would never accept such a demand!
"I almost forgot, you're an idiot…" the Demon Woman gritted her teeth.
One hothead, one cold-blooded animal—neither of them were normal people! What was she supposed to do? It was too difficult! Now she was in a bit of a dilemma because Hiyama had no intention of saving him, but she couldn't actually kill Kouki.
…If she did, she wouldn't even have a single card to constrain Hiyama.
"Hiyama-kun."
Another voice spoke, it was Shirazaki Kaori.
"I know my request is rude, but… please, can you save Kouki?" Kaori said with a pleading expression.
She believed that if Hiyama was willing to act, saving Kouki from the Demon Woman's hands wouldn't be a problem.
The Demon Woman's heart filled with joy; she almost forgot about this young girl! She decided to wait and see first.
"You know it's a rude request, so why should I agree to it?" Hiyama said indifferently.
"I know, you've actually always resented us for abandoning you in the abyss…" Kaori said with a complex expression.
Hiyama found it amusing but didn't speak.
He also wanted to see what Kaori would say.
"If you're willing to save everyone, then… in the future…"
"In the future?"
"In the future, you can command me however you want. I… I'll do whatever you say!" Kaori suddenly blushed and said.
Seeing her speak with such shyness yet bravely, one could tell how much resolve she had put into saying those words!
"Kaori…."
"Kaori!"
Shizuku and Kouki both exclaimed simultaneously.
Demon Slayer Season one is over, I guess there will be a Season two.
Arifureta Season one is also about to end, I guess there won't be a Season two… haha nine.
Chapter seventy: You Are Mine!
However, the expressions on their faces were different.
Shizuku's expression was complex, a mix of joy and worry. She was happy that Kaori had finally taken that step, but worried that she would use this method.
Shizuku, who understood Kaori very well, saw that this was shy Kaori trying to hide her true feelings for Hiyama.
That's why she took this opportunity to propose such a seemingly strange condition.
All for the sake of being able to stay by Hiyama's side with a clear conscience! Kouki, on the other hand, had a look of astonishment. What he was thinking was that Kaori, for his sake, was actually willing to sacrifice herself and "humble" herself to Hiyama, that scoundrel! This was simply outrageous!
"Kaori, I absolutely cannot allow this to happen!"
"Did you hear me, Kaori!" Kouki shouted excitedly.
Shizuku frowned. She really wanted to slap Kouki twice right now.
This was a matter between the two of them; why was he meddling?! But due to the Demon Woman still watching ""nine two seven"" and them, she opened her mouth but still said nothing.
The more Kouki thought about it, the angrier he got, because due to him, Kaori was about to suffer at that guy's hands! Overwhelmed by anger, he made a decision. He said to that… Demon Woman, "Hey, that… Demon Woman, I can agree to your request!"
"Huh? Request? What request?" the Demon Woman asked, stunned. Hiyama was about to give in because of that young girl, so what request was Kouki talking about now?
"It's… your request for me to join you!" Kouki said, his face red with either anger or jealousy. "I can join you, on the condition that you don't harm my companions."
"Of course, that white-haired young man over there is an exception."
The Demon Woman paused, then reacted.
So he was referring to what she had said when they first met! "Sorry, that agreement is void. I'm not planning to recruit you anymore."
"Of course, if you can win over that white-haired young man over there, that's another story."
"However, it looks like you probably can't do that," the Demon Woman said disdainfully.
"Why?"