Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Hope
"Watch out behind you!" Hatsune urgently warned, but it was too late.
All the contestants' attention was focused on the injured Three-Headed Demon. By the time they realized what was happening, the Spider Demon and Bouncing Demon had already stealthily approached.
One contestant's chest was brutally crushed by the Bouncing Demon's feet, leaving only his head rolling far away. He died without even knowing what had happened.
Another contestant had his neck twisted and snapped by the Spider Demon in its usual manner.
The team, which had just stabilized, was thrown into chaos again by these two demons. Before Kimura and the others could react, everyone rushed to gather around Hatsune.
The situation Hatsune feared most had occurred.
The charging contestants collided with the attacking demons, plunging the scene into chaos.
The battle became disorganized. Several contestants quickly fell under the onslaught of the demons, and with the Spider Demon and Bouncing Demon occasionally snatching lives nearby, their initial advantage quickly began to crumble.
Hatsune tried several times to swing his blade in retaliation, but each time he was jostled by the surrounding crowd. Those aware of the situation saw people relying on his protection; those unaware might have thought everyone was protecting him.
Nae, Kimura, and Akino hurried to the edges of the crowd, swinging their Nichirin Swords to fend off attacking demons while trying to persuade everyone not to cluster together.
But facing the omnipresent threat of the Spider Demon and Bouncing Demon, they only wanted to rely on the strongest among them, thinking it was their only chance for survival.
"I... I'll help you."
After much effort, Nae finally squeezed her way to Hatsune's side, swinging her blade alongside him to fend off the attacking demons.
Not far away, the fallen Three-Headed Demon got up again, turning to angrily glare at the huddled crowd, likely preparing to charge once more.
Hatsune tried to push through the crowd, knowing staying would only drag him down. But each time he tried to move outward, the people moved with him, clearly indicating they would follow him wherever he went.
Seeing the Spider Demon and Bouncing Demon continuing to harvest lives and the Three-Headed Demon starting to move, Hatsune's anger reached its peak, ready to explode at any moment.
Nae severed a demon's hand with her blade but didn't notice another demon climbing over the crowd, lunging at her.
Hatsune forcefully pushed Nae aside and beheaded the demon. As the demon died, he shot an angry glare at Nae and shouted, "Help me? With what? You can't even kill a demon and you still dream of joining the Demon Slayer Corps? You're ridiculous! Get lost!"
This was the first time since they had met that Hatsune spoke so harshly.
The words "get lost" felt like a dagger stabbing into her heart. When Kimura rejected her in the square, she felt disappointed and lost, but now she only felt pain—pain that made her dizzy, pain that chilled her to the bone.
Hatsune was the first to know her situation and the first to accept her. She had always carefully nurtured their relationship, fearing one day he might reject her, yet now he had done just that.
Through tear-filled eyes, she watched Hatsune fighting fiercely in the crowd. His white figure blurred, and suddenly she saw a grayish figure in mid-air, diving straight at him.
The Bouncing Demon!
This time, the Bouncing Demon had targeted Hatsune, seizing the moment when he was distracted.
The Bouncing Demon had never forgotten the grudge of having its hand pierced by his Nichirin Sword.
Everyone knew the force of the Bouncing Demon's feet. If it hit, Hatsune would either die or suffer broken ribs.
Nae, in a panic, called out Hatsune's name and instinctively pushed through the crowd, spreading her arms to shield him.
By the time Hatsune sensed the Bouncing Demon's attack, it was too late.
He hated being protected by women, yet this chaotic girl did the one thing he despised most.
She spread her arms to shield him without hesitation.
The massive impact transferred through Nae's body to Hatsune. Despite her blocking it, the force still left him gasping for breath.
They were thrown from the crowd, crashing into a tree. The sudden change left everyone stunned.
Hatsune, being the hope of the team, had his life or death determine their fate. No one expected the Bouncing Demon to target him.
When everyone snapped out of it, the two had been thrown over ten meters, crashing into a tree.
Hatsune grunted, spitting blood on the spot, while Nae lay unconscious in his arms, her condition unknown.
Despair fell over the contestants once more, their faces ashen and eyes filled with defeat.
Under the demons' attack, some had already given up resistance. Even those who fought back did so with little confidence, retreating step by step.
Kimura, anxious and worried, wondered if they were about to repeat the first night's disaster.
"Are you giving up again? Is living harder than dying for you? Would you rather rush to your deaths than fight one last time?"
Everyone looked at Kimura.
Kimura's determined gaze swept over them. "We can't always rely on others. Our selfishness and cowardice have destroyed our hope." The "hope" referred to Hatsune.
Listening to Kimura and looking at Hatsune and Nae's unmoving forms under the tree, everyone hung their heads.
"At this point, we have no retreat. We either die on Mount Fujikasane, becoming food for these ugly creatures, or we fight to the end, allowing some of us to see the sunrise tomorrow. They will carry our will."
Kimura's words were like a shot of strong liquor, burning hot, igniting everyone's blood.
"Friends, if we give up, no one will remember us. Only by fighting to the last moment will we be remembered. I am honored to stand with you. Let's fight together till the end."
Kimura's speech once again roused the crowd.
They shouted, raising their Nichirin Swords like a toasts, and under Kimura's lead, reengaged the demons. Though some fell, none retreated in fear.
All fear stems from the desire to live. Once that desire is relinquished, death becomes insignificant.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone