Chapter 44: Come at Me Together

"Captain Kimura…"

"Captain Kimura, you're alive!"

"Captain Kimura, what should we do now?"

"Yes, Captain Kimura, please give us some advice."

Several people in the crowd recognized Kimura and quickly approached him, asking if he had any ideas for dealing with the current situation.

After all, at the start of the climb, Kimura's intelligence and leadership skills were evident to everyone. His formations had been somewhat effective. If it weren't for those particularly powerful demons, they might have lasted until the end.

"Don't… don't call me Captain Kimura. Don't… don't ask me. I don't know what to do either."

Yes, if I knew what to do, I wouldn't be standing here like the rest of you.

Kimura lowered his head, extending his dirty hands to fend off the people around him.

Their voices were like knives, stabbing into his heart.

Yes, he once had the grand ambition of leading everyone through the exam, but after that night, he realized he had been too naive.

Several howls echoed from the surrounding forest, and soon, a few demons seemed to leap out from the horizon, standing on the hilltop overlooking the crowd below.

From the surrounding shadows, more demons began to appear, either walking or crawling into view.

Just as Hatsune had initially said, they were hunting.

Simple hunts could no longer satisfy their appetites. The Demon Slayer Corps exam was held once a year, and after each exam, it meant that they would go a whole year without food.

They could no longer endure such excruciating hunger, which led to this massive roundup. Before the exam ended, they gathered all the prey in one place for a bloodbath.

Under the moonlight, a shadow slid across the night sky, like a falling star landing steadily on the hilltop. The surrounding demons quickly moved to the sides, trying to stay as far away from this spear-like figure as possible.

Nae tugged on Hatsune's sleeve, signaling him to look at the hilltop.

In fact, Hatsune had already noticed when the bouncing demon appeared.

Shortly after the bouncing demon landed, another demon slowly climbed down the slope, reaching a bare tree. It climbed up the trunk to the top of the tree.

The spider demon! 

It was the one that Hatsune had pierced through the throat. He didn't expect it to return now.

With the appearance of the bouncing demon and the spider demon, the crowd instantly became restless. Some people sat down on the ground, muttering that it was over, while others covered their faces and cried.

One person even broke away from the group, running down the mountain while shouting, "I don't want to take the exam anymore, I don't want to join the Demon Slayer Corps." He had barely reached the path down the mountain when several demons pounced on him, tearing him to pieces.

It was clear that the fear of the bouncing demon and the spider demon had already been deeply ingrained in everyone. After all, the bouncing demon had initially shattered the team's psychological defenses, and the spider demon had destroyed their physical defenses.

Of course, apart from the spider demon, the appearance of another demon had also contributed to the team's complete collapse. The true cause of their disintegration lay in this internal and external pressure.

The three-headed demon, also known as the giant flesh ball by the crowd.

A deep roar came from the nearby forest, causing all the demons to shrink their necks and wish they could lie flat on the ground.

If the appearance of the spider demon and the bouncing demon had dashed all hopes of passing the exam, then this roar had utterly cast everyone into hell. Fear, despair, and a profound sense of powerlessness gripped their hearts, leaving no room for courage to resist.

Thick trees were snapped with loud cracks, parting to the sides. A round, massive flesh ball squeezed out from between the trees, standing three to four meters tall, like a moving tower. Each step it took made the ground beneath it tremble.

The nearby demons retreated, and all the contestants huddled together, trembling.

So this was the owner of those arms that attacked earlier.

"This… this is the giant flesh ball Yuka mentioned. What… what kind of demon is this? Is this even a demon?" Nae tightly clutched Hatsune's sleeve.

The appearance of the bouncing demon hadn't scared her, nor had the spider demon made her panic. But this creature left her completely dumbfounded.

It was exactly as Yuka had described a few days ago, like three huge fat men with their legs cut off, placed back to back against each other. Six arms, two heads, and an additional face.

If a demon's weak spot was its neck, then where would this big guy's weak spot be? Could it have three?

Suddenly, Nae felt someone tugging at her sleeve. She looked down to see the barely conscious Yuka beckoning her.

Nae squatted down, offering Yuka a comforting smile, and reached out to brush a strand of hair from Yuka's mouth.

"Nae, I'm glad to have met you. Escape, run away with Hatsune. With his strength, he should be able to protect you through the exam tomorrow morning."

Nae held Yuka's hand without saying a word. She didn't know what to say. Should she promise not to leave Yuka behind? Or should she wish Yuka well? Both she and Hatsune could barely protect themselves; how could they make promises to others?

In the end, Nae lowered her head, feeling deep sorrow and helplessness, and let go of Yuka's hand. She stood up and joined Hatsune.

Akino knelt down, holding Yuka's hand and cradling her in his arms. They smiled at each other.

"What should we do?" Nae asked.

There was no response, but she heard Hatsune sigh.

Hatsune's eyes sharpened, his gaze like a blade, falling on the huddled contestants.

"Why are you here?"

Hatsune, usually sparing with words, suddenly spoke. His voice echoed over the moonlit mountain, the repeated phrase "Why are you here?" seeming to remind everyone.

Everyone froze, turning to look at the white-clad, white-haired boy. The demons were also surprised, thinking a prey was provoking them, making strange noises.

"You want to join the Demon Slayer Corps, but you're afraid of demons. If you're afraid of demons, why did you come to the exam?"

"Would you rather die here than fight back?"

Fight? How to fight? With what?

Hatsune's gaze swept over the crowd, making everyone involuntarily lower their heads.

"Stay here."

Hatsune left these two words for Nae and walked out of the crowd.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone, he walked to the center of the clearing, facing the tower-sized three-headed demon. He slowly drew his sword, the blade scraping against the sheath with a harsh metallic sound. Then he pointed his sword at the slope not far away.

Others might not understand his intention, but Nae instantly knew. He was challenging both the bouncing demon and the spider demon, as if saying, "You two, come at me together."