The assailant struck at Adam with lightning speed, aiming straight for his throat.
If not for his 「Thief」 skill, 〔Danger Sensing〕, he might have lost his head in an instant.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Adam bellowed, his face a mix of fury and alarm.
Rather than hiding, the attacker boldly leapt from the wooden house, landing gracefully before him.
"Demon sir, would you kindly hand over the person you're holding?" She asked.
The figure was female, her beautiful face illuminated by moonlight. Standing about 1.5 meters tall — more than a head shorter than Adam {1,85m} — she'd likely only reach his forearm if they stood side by side.
Her large, purple eyes lacked warmth, yet her lips curved in a perpetual smile, conveying an unsettling sort of "gentleness". Her black hair, tied back with a mint-colored butterfly hairpin, fell to her collarbone with purple-tipped ends. She wore the Demon Slayer Corps' black uniform, draped with a haori adorned with butterfly wing patterns.
"Demon? Me?" Adam pointed at himself, his expression incredulous. He then asked, "Who are you?"
Though he posed the question, he had already guessed her identity.
"Kochō Shinobu." The sword-wielding girl introduced herself, standing a short distance away. Her smile, a mask of false gentleness, barely concealed her seething fury, "I am a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps — the Insect Hashira, Kochō Shinobu. Is that explanation sufficient, Demon sir?"
"Well then, Demon sir, please die." She raised her peculiar long sword and lunged at Adam, intent on ending his life.
"Wait! I'm not a demon!"
"I don't believe you."
Kochō disregarded his protests entirely. Her sword strikes grew increasingly vicious, each attack from a more challenging angle than the last.
Carrying Zenitsu made it difficult for Adam to dodge, and he nearly got cut several times.
"Damn, this chick isn't listening to a word I'm saying." Adam grumbled, his face scrunching up.
Picture this: A lady with an unsettling smile swinging her sword at you as if she's chopping vegetables, completely indifferent to the possibility of turning you into sushi.
What the heck? I thought only the pink-haired ones were this crazy. Where's the 'pinker the hair, crazier the swing' rule when you need it?
So now we've got black and purple-haired psychos too? Man, I was such a fanboy in my past life. Talk about rose-colored glasses!
Adam's patience wore thin. Realizing that talking was futile, he decided to engage in combat. With a slight exertion of his legs, accompanied by a faint electric light, he instantly created distance between himself and Kochō.
After placing Zenitsu under a nearby tree, Adam cracked his neck and shook his legs, loosening up his muscles in preparation to teach her a lesson.
"Oh my, is the Demon sir finally getting serious?" Kochō watched him with a smile, raising her Nichirin blade while secretly guarding against any surprise attacks.
Irritated by her rude behavior, Adam grumbled, "Since I can't explain it to you, I'll just have to teach you a lesson, little girl!"
Kochō was 18 years old — only a year younger than Adam. However, her petite figure and youthful appearance made her look much younger.
"Little girl...?!" Kochō's smile remained, but the veins on her forehead betrayed her anger.
"Take this, little girl — Thunderclap and Flash within a fifty-meter radius!" Adam taunted, assuming the First Form stance.
When it comes to sword techniques, their effectiveness varies greatly depending on the user. Adam, who had acquired the Thunderclap and Flash technique, was at least three to four times stronger than Zenitsu currently!
This difference stems from a fundamental truth: the stronger one's physical attributes, the more powerful their sword technique.
Adam's physical attributes, enhanced by skill points, far surpassed those of ordinary people. From the start, he had invested all his skill points into 〔Mana Expansion〕 and 〔Physical Enhancement〕.
His 〚Analyze and Copy〛 skill was impressive, but without a capable body, one couldn't effectively use such skills and sword techniques. The same principle applies to magic — without sufficient mana, one can't cast powerful spells.
Think of the human body as a computer's hardware. Only with robust hardware can one run high-quality, demanding software. Similarly, only with a well-developed body can one execute powerful techniques and spells.
Otherwise, it's like those old computers that take several minutes just to open a webpage — how could they possibly run large-scale games?
So, the basic hardware is crucial!
Ahem, we've digressed.
Let's return our focus to Adam and Kochō.
Adam assumed a wide stance, both hands gripping the sword, ready to strike. His form gradually lowered, almost parallel to the ground.
◈ Thunder Breathing, First Form ⫸ Thunderclap and Flash ◈
Adam shot towards Kochō like a yellow bolt of lightning! In the next instant, he appeared behind her, his sword "striking" her head...
A light sound emanated from her head. His right hand, formed into a blade, "struck" her small head with moderate force.
Adam could have easily killed her in that moment. Kochō, who relied solely on speed due to her limited physical strength, stood no chance against his superior speed.
"Eh...?!" Kochō gasped, stunned for a moment, "This is... Thunder Breathing?!"
"Correct!" Adam grinned, patting her head, "Indeed, it's Thunder Breathing."
"Could it be that the Demon sir also knows Thunder Breathing?"
Rather than realizing Adam wasn't a demon, her misunderstanding deepened. She now believed he had stolen the Thunder Breathing Technique.
"Listen up, I'll say this one more time — I'm not a demon!" Adam growled, giving her cheeks a gentle squeeze, "See this mouth? It's spreading lies about me!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Kochō quickly apologized, "The Demon sir isn't a demon."
"Oh, come on!" Adam groaned, throwing his hands up, "What's with 'the Demon sir isn't a demon'? I'm telling you, I'm human!"
Is this her personality? She's infuriating!
To clear up the misunderstanding, Adam swiftly introduced himself and recounted recent events.
"But I saw Carter-kun's hands glowing green earlier... Isn't that Blood Demon Art?"
"Ah, I see. You saw that..." Adam nodded, "Let me clarify: that green light isn't Blood Demon Art — it's my unique healing method."
Adam realized the misunderstanding. Kochō, who had been hiding in the shadows earlier, must have seen his hands glowing green and instinctively assumed he was an evil demon using a Blood Demon Art — an ability unique to demons.
After a moment, Kochō patted her forehead, looking embarrassed, "I'm sorry, Carter-kun. I think I made a mistake."
"Yeah, you did." Adam felt relieved as she finally understood her error. It hadn't been easy to convince her.
"To express my apologies, please accept this, Carter-kun."
Adam's appetite was instantly aroused at the sight of the small cake in her hand. He devoured it in just two or three bites.
"Delicious! Sweet and soft, fragrant and chewy — it's really good!" Adam licked the residue off his fingers, "Do you have any more? I'm actually a bit hungry."
His sparring session with Kochō had indeed worked up an appetite.
"Yes, there are many more." She produced a small package from her bosom, filled with similar cakes.
Adam's eyes gleamed as he grabbed the cakes and began to devour them ravenously.
"Delicious! These are incredible! What kind of cakes are these?" Adam asked, savoring every bite.
"They're wisteria cakes." Kochō replied.
Adam froze, the flavor suddenly turning to ash in his mouth.
With a saccharine smile, Kochō repeated, enunciating each syllable, "They're wis-te-ri-a cakes."
"I... kept... telling... you... I'm... not... a... demon!"
Adam exploded, his composure shattering completely.
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