"Hmph! You sure can act. I want to see what you're actually capable of, kid!"
An evil demon let out a hideous laugh, then raised its sharp claws and charged to kill Ren.
However, Ren's speed was much faster than the demon's. With a single stride, he crossed the distance of over ten meters, arriving directly in front of the demon and grabbing it by the throat with one hand.
Under his immense strength, the evil demon was lifted up like a dead dog. Ren's voice, filled with killing intent, drifted into the demon's ears.
"You said I was acting, right? You wanted to see what I'm capable of, didn't you? Fine, I'll grant your wish!"
"You bastard!"
The evil demon roared, waving its sharp claws to stab at Ren's eyes. Yet, in Ren's eyes, its speed was as slow as a snail.
Bang!
Ren reacted with lightning speed. He stabbed his heavy Nichirin sword into the ground and grabbed the demon's wrist. No matter how the demon struggled, it could not break free from his grip.
His arm remained motionless, as if he didn't feel the demon's strength at all. He even mocked it.
"Too weak. Have you eaten?"
The evil demon roared ferociously, "Damn it! Is this guy really human? How is his strength greater than mine!"
"Now, I'll show you what I can do!"
Rip!
As he spoke, Ren exerted a little force with his arm and forcibly tore the demon's arm right off, bones and all. Black and red foul-smelling blood sprayed all over the ground.
"This... how is this possible? How can your strength be so great?"
The demon's voice trembled slightly. It was afraid. It realized that even without a Nichirin sword, relying solely on physical strength, Ren's power was far above its own!
"I don't see the need to tell you that!"
Ren tossed the demon's arm aside, then threw the demon into the sky. He flipped his hand, grabbed the heavy Nichirin sword, and slashed horizontally.
With a pfft, the long sword instantly sliced through the demon's throat, killing it with a single blow.
The beheaded demon was still howling, but Ren couldn't be bothered to listen.
To him, the wailing of a loser was just like the barking of a stray dog by the roadside.
After casually killing the demon, Ren looked at the ten surrounding demons and chuckled lightly, "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Come at me all at once!"
"Brothers, this kid has some skill. If we don't work together, I'm afraid we'll all die here today. Let's cooperate."
"Right. Let's attack together, and afterwards, we can feast!"
"Good, good, good, let's go..."
The ten evil demons instantly formed a united front, rushing towards Ren from all directions.
"You're wrong about one thing. Even if you cooperate, you're still going to die here today."
Whoosh!
As he spoke, Ren stepped out like a ghost, stabbing the demon closest to him in the face.
This strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless, precisely piercing the demon's throat. Then, leveling the heavy sword, he swept it across, easily severing its neck.
He repeated the action, swinging his sword at another demon. Ren's heavy Nichirin sword was very long—longer even than Kocho Shinobu's height—and the sword energy formed by his rapid swings was as sharp as a blade.
Within this three-meter radius, he had turned into a giant meat grinder. Anyone who dared to enter within three meters of Ren faced only a dead end.
Even if a Lower Moon of the Twelve Kizuki came, it would be no exception.
Pfft pfft pfft!
With the continuous sound of blades cutting flesh, in just a few breaths, all ten evil demons were slain by him.
After killing the demons, Ren didn't linger. Instead, he went into the forest on the mountain peak to search for food and water.
To survive on the mountain for seven days, he not only had to face ferocious demons but also the dilemma of lacking food and water.
For Ren, even the strongest Hand Demon on Mt. Fujikasane could be killed with a single slash, but without food and water, he was truly helpless.
'I don't need to worry about water. It snowed heavily a few days ago, and the snow hasn't completely melted yet. If it comes to it, I can just grab a handful of snow and hold it in my mouth. The main issue is food.'
In such cold weather, he couldn't go without sufficient food!
'Besides food and water, I also need a safe shelter. Ideally, I should find a cave. Otherwise, in this freezing weather, if I sleep on the ground, even I will catch a cold.'
Thinking this, Ren immediately rushed into the vast white forest, searching for food and a suitable cave for habitation.
It was now deep winter. The night wind howled, biting and cold, even colder than Doma's Blood Demon Art, making one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
Even Ren felt waves of chills at this moment.
But his luck wasn't bad. In just twenty minutes, he found a few edible mushrooms on a broken log, picked up some wild fruits, and even caught a plump wild rabbit.
Looking at the wild rabbit he had tied up with vines, Ren smiled happily, "It looks like I can eat roast rabbit meat tomorrow. It's a pity I didn't bring chili peppers, otherwise, I would definitely make spicy rabbit..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a faint smell of blood drifted into his nose along with the cold wind.
Ren instantly became alert. He immediately walked in the direction of the bloody smell and saw a deep cave.
The cave was pitch black, and nothing could be seen, but that imperceptible smell of blood was drifting out from inside.
'Is it a demon? Or a black bear living on Mt. Fujikasane? But this cave is quite nice. If I block the entrance with a large rock, it'll be a warm shelter! It seems worth going in to investigate.'
As he spoke, Ren found a wooden stick and lit it with a match, making a simple torch, before walking into the cave with peace of mind.
As he entered the cave, the nauseating smell of blood became more intense. The further he went, the narrower the cave became; the width inside was now less than two meters.
At this distance, let alone his heavy Nichirin sword, even a standard Nichirin sword couldn't be wielded effectively.
Ren even used his keen vision to spot pairs of plum-red pupils in the darkness ahead. Without a doubt, those were the eyes of demons.
Seeing this, the corners of Ren's mouth lifted slightly as he chuckled, "It seems you guys were waiting here for me specifically!"
As soon as his voice fell, a hoarse and low sinister laugh came from the depths of the cave.
"Hehehe, that's right!"
"I knew that in such cold weather, you demon hunters would definitely choose a cave as a resting place to prevent your bodies from freezing stiff."
"So I brought people to ambush in the largest cave on Mt. Fujikasane ahead of time, waiting at ease for the fatigued enemy, waiting for you to walk right into the trap!"
"In previous Final Selections held in winter, this trick has worked time and time again! Every time, a few unlucky bastards fall for it and get eaten alive by us. It seems this time is no exception!"
As the voice spoke, four burly demons slowly walked out from the cave. At the same time, three demons burst out of the ground outside the cave entrance.
Clearly, they had been lying in ambush underground, bursting out at the critical moment to block the entrance and trap Ren inside the cave.
He had to admit, this group of demons was quite smart.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]