8: Killing the Hand Demon

The Hand Demon couldn't quite understand what "completion rate" meant, but he could sense the arrogance in the tall human's expression before him.

This person wasn't afraid of him at all?!

The large hands wrapped around the Hand Demon's neck couldn't help but scratch at his arms. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and the cross-shaped pupils in his enormous eyes exuded a chilling coldness.

"Human, have you killed a few weaklings and now think I'm on the same level as that trash?"

Boom!

The ground beneath Jonghyuk's feet suddenly exploded, and before he could react, a massive hand emerged from the earth, grabbing his ankle.

A cruel gleam flashed in the Hand Demon's eyes. He intended to tear off this arrogant human's limbs and then slowly devour him.

The massive hand that had emerged from the ground yanked forcefully.

Hmm?

But Jonghyuk didn't budge an inch.

The Hand Demon's eyes widened in shock.

Jonghyuk slightly shifted his feet, lowering his center of gravity. Though years of practicing stances hadn't helped him grasp the sensation of qi, his foundation was exceptionally solid. Combined with the monstrous physique he had honed at great expense, the Hand Demon's strength was unable to shake him.

Breathing, Second Form: Upper Smash!

Jonghyuk adjusted his breathing rhythm slightly, his muscles hardening like rock. He gripped the Nichirin Blade with both hands, flipping it over, and drove it forcefully into the ground.

The Hand Demon immediately released Jonghyuk's ankle, trying to withdraw his arm, but Jonghyuk paid no heed and thrust his sword straight into the ground.

Boom!

The Hand Demon felt a burst of explosive force erupt from beneath the earth. A moment later, intense pain surged through the arm he had extended, and when he retracted it, he found only half of it remained.

Jonghyuk slowly pulled the Nichirin Blade from the ground, his eyelids drooping as he spoke.

"So, how exactly are you stronger than that trash?"

"You!!!! " The Hand Demon grew even more enraged, launching several arms at Jonghyuk like cannonballs.

Jonghyuk remained calm, stepping swiftly to the side while lifting his blade with both hands.

Kesa-giri!

Whoosh!

A grayish-white slash of light flashed, severing four or five of the Hand Demon's arms in an instant.

With that single strike, Jonghyuk followed up by dragging his blade and charging toward the Hand Demon in large strides.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Jonghyuk's footsteps were heavy, but his speed wasn't slow at all. With each step, he covered a distance of one or two meters. The Hand Demon's severed arms quickly regenerated, but he had already developed a certain fear of this human whose strength surpassed his own.

Letting out a shrill scream, he furiously swung all the arms on his body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground rapidly cracked and shattered.

Jonghyuk faced this attack without dodging or retreating, gripping his Nichirin long Blade tightly as he spun it wildly.

The over two-meter-long, nearly ten-kilogram Nichirin Blade seemed weightless in his hands. The blade's light flashed, enveloping him completely.

Stone Breathing, Third Form: Stone Skin!

Slash, slash, slash!

The wildly extended arms were all severed by the frenzied blade light. The Hand Demon, overwhelmed by intense pain, lost his composure and, with his bloated body, turned to flee.

Thud! Thud!

The heavy footsteps sounded like the death knell of hell.

The Hand Demon only had time to glance over his shoulder before seeing that dazzling blade light behind him.

The Hand Demon gathered all his strength, wrapping all of his arms tightly around his neck, and let out a strange cry.

"You can't cut through!"

Slash!

Jonghyuk wasn't sure how many arms the Hand Demon had wrapped around his neck, but when his blade struck, it felt like it had hit thick rubber. The immense force was absorbed by the demon's bloated body.

""

The Hand Demon coughed up a mouthful of blood, but his eyes were filled with a cruel smile.

He could feel that the powerful strike had not severed his neck completely; at least a small part of it was still connected!

Taking advantage of the fact that Jonghyuk's long sword was stuck in his neck, the Hand Demon grinned wickedly and, with two newly grown gigantic arms, suddenly swung at Jonghyuk's head.

Jonghyuk sighed slightly, a bit resigned.

"Tsk* My swordsmanship... I'm still far from perfect."

In all honesty, with his strength, better technique could have allowed him to decapitate the Hand Demon in one strike. But Jonghyuk felt that his movements weren't sharp enough, disrupting his ability to exert full power.

The fierce wind whipped around him as the Hand Demon's enormous arms swung towards both sides of Jonghyuk's face, the powerful gusts stirring his hair in all directions.

Jonghyuk suddenly lowered his center of gravity and abruptly crouched down.

Smack!

The Hand Demon's massive hands clapped together right above Jonghyuk's head.

Jonghyuk had already prepared himself, positioning his left palm vertically in front of him while his right fist was tightly drawn back at his waist. His entire body was so tense that his muscles emitted a faint creaking sound.

It was like the cracking of ice on a river as it thaws in early spring.

Daniel Park's Ancient Style: Glacier Collapse!

Boom!

A powerful force suddenly struck the bloated abdomen of the Hand Demon, violently destroying his internal organs before bursting out through his back.

Gah!

The Hand Demon spat out a mouthful of blood, stumbling a few steps as he struggled to keep his balance.

Jonghyuk, however, took a deep breath and sprang upward. In mid-air, he twisted his body and delivered a ferocious kick to the back of his Nichirin Blade.

Swish!

With immense force, the Nichirin Blade shot forward, spinning as it embedded itself into a large tree ahead.

The Hand Demon, in disbelief, loosened the arms coiled around his neck, attempting to touch his throat, but his consciousness quickly faded.

"Brother..."

In his final moments, the Hand Demon finally remembered the one who had always held his hand.

'*Sob* Damn it, how could I have forgotten my brother? How could I have...'

Jonghyuk turned away indifferently and kicked the massive tree, breaking it to retrieve his Nichirin Blade.

This is a twisted world, a world where the existence of Muzan Kibutsuji has given rise to many monsters like the Hand Demon.

Pitiful and hateful.

I'd love to see you bask in the sunlight, Muzan Kibutsuji!

[You have killed the Hand Demon. World Strategy Progress increased by 1%. Trial Rating slightly improved.]

Jonghyuk wasn't surprised by this. According to the analysis of [Analyzer] Xinyuan, each world in the [Destiny Game] has a hidden theme, and every step taken towards this theme increases the World Strategy Progress. He also predicted that when a world's Strategy Progress reaches 100%, that world might be permanently removed from the [Destiny Game], though this prediction has yet to be verified.

Because every time your strength increases, the worlds you can enter and the tasks you face will become more difficult. The [Destiny Game] doesn't give anyone the chance to farm points.

Jonghyuk now had a deeper understanding of this theory. He even had a premonition that the theme of each world was closely tied to the storyline of the original anime. The Hand Demon posed a certain threat to Tanjiro in the original story and even had a small chance of killing the protagonist. This, in turn, would affect the ultimate objective of this world—killing Muzan Kibutsuji.

But even though Jonghyuk understood the path to conquering this world, he could only sigh in frustration. Although Muzan Kibutsuji was despicable, he was still an invincible enemy for Jonghyuk at his current level. Even with the powerful weapon in his backpack, he wasn't sure if he could kill Muzan.

However, despite being unable to threaten Muzan, Jonghyuk had an idea for his next target.

He needed to hunt down powerful demons—enemies that would also pose a threat to the storyline's protagonist.

Only such enemies could provide him with a dual boost in his trial rating.

A vivid figure appeared in Jonghyuk's mind.

________