"Yo! You guys are back," a scarred man said, looking at the group of bandits. He also noticed the "corpse" behind one of them, but he didn't say much; as long as the mission was accomplished, that was all that mattered.
"Yeah, Boss, the mission was a complete success. Here's the protection money from those villages. If we hadn't been short on manpower, I would've brought back a few women; there were some decent-looking ones there!" a bandit said, licking his lips.
"Alright, alright, we'll catch one for you to enjoy later, but you'll need to clear it with the leader first."
"Boss, you promised!" The bandit's eyes lit up.
However, one bandit curled his lip. What was the point of touching women? Of course, if he were given a living one, that would be different—he could tie her behind his horse and drag her around. Her screams would surely be delightful to hear. Thinking this, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
But the next moment, a dagger slashed across his throat, and the sight of spraying blood filled his vision.
"Ugh... ugh!" The bandit clutched the dagger at his throat, staring at the blood on his hands with wide eyes.
"Aaahhhh!!" the bandit screamed.
"What?!" The surrounding bandits were startled by his scream. Finally, they saw it: the "corpse" they had brought back had somehow stood up. She held a dagger in her hand, stained with the blood of the body that now lay at her feet.
"What the hell is going on?!" the leader demanded, wondering how this person could still be alive—and, by the looks of it, capable of moving!
Kaede was completely unrecognizable at this point. If it were anyone else, they would have probably died instantly; such injuries were beyond what could simply be described as horrific.
However, unfortunately for them, the one standing there was Kaede. Kaede, who possessed Blood Demons Wrath. Even if her body was broken, as long as a shred of spirit remained, she was a monster who would fight until the very last moment.
At this moment, Kaede, who had been keeping her eyes closed, finally opened them, revealing eyes that had turned blood-red.
Kaede hadn't even opened her eyes when she killed that person earlier. To be precise, she couldn't open them, but relying solely on touch and sensation, she had delivered a fatal blow, striking right on target!
Her Tachi had been lost somewhere while she was being dragged along as a 'corpse'; now, Kaede only had a personal dagger left that she hadn't lost.
However, Kaede licked the corner of her mouth, tasting only bitterness.
"Bah!" Kaede almost forgot that she was currently covered in dust, and her clothes were barely enough to cover her.
But it didn't matter. Even if she only had a dagger, it didn't matter.
She couldn't beat Barbara, but against a group of mountain bandits, no matter how bad her current state was, there was no way she would lose!
Thus, under the terrified gazes of the bandits, Kaede instantly killed another person, and the victim had absolutely no room to resist.
With the wounds on her body, the blood on her dagger, and her face obscured by dust so that only those crimson eyes could be seen, Kaede appeared to them as an absolute, bona-fide demon.
"You bastards, what kind of monster did you bring back?!" The leader cursed at the group of bandits.
"A demon..." The bandits looked at Kaede with eyes full of fear. "We... we didn't know!"
Who could have known that a person found on the road who seemed to be on the verge of death would turn out to be a demon?
No, even if it were a demon, with those kinds of wounds and after being dragged all that way, they should be dead, right?
Why was this happening?
But no one could answer him, because he no longer had the chance to ask.
The moment they failed to drag her to death, the demon had descended, and the slaughter had begun.
This battle was a foregone conclusion; not a single person could last a single move against Kaede. She couldn't beat Barbara in close combat, but that didn't mean she couldn't handle a few bandits. It could only be said that compared to assassination, close combat was indeed her weakness, but she was still definitely stronger than most! Only a select few could surpass her!
Obviously, such a presence would not appear among these mountain bandits.
Before long, the bandits there, unable even to flee, met their ends in regret, but their screams echoed throughout the entire mountain fortress.
Perhaps Kaede did it on purpose, or perhaps she herself wasn't sure; behind those blood-red eyes, there was very little consciousness left.
Perhaps, what drove her to do this was a craving for life and an unwillingness to die here.
In any case, when the leader arrived with his lackeys, what they saw was a demon standing atop several corpses, the corners of her mouth curled up, and blood still dripping from the dagger in her hand.
"Secret Technique—Blood-Colored Dead End."
Indeed, except for that one bloody hole, the wounds on Kaede's body were mostly healed. This was all thanks to their presence; moreover, such presences were still gathering, more and more of them.
Honestly, if she survived, Kaede would really have to thank them properly.
The Secret Technique—Blood-Colored Dead End was a move that could intercept the opponent's blood to restore her own wounds, stamina, and spirit!
While this ability wasn't very effective against a powerful enemy like Barbara, in this kind of battle, its effect was definitely greater than any Teigu.
This was entirely a tireless war machine.
Even if the leader of this fortress brought everyone over, they would just be lambs to the slaughter.
Furthermore, Kaede felt no psychological burden here, because everyone here deserved what was coming to them.
The moment of slaughter had arrived, and the demon had descended; there was no reason to stop halfway, nor any reason to let a single person go. A demon is called a demon because she won't let anyone escape unless you can crush her and break out yourself.
But here, no such person existed.
Thus, during this period, the mountain fortress turned into a living hell, filled with screams and the roars of those trying to flee.
The sounds of despair from those who couldn't escape were very clear!
"De... Demon..." The leader watched the demon walking toward him step by step, saw the uncontrollable smile on her face, and saw the corpses strewn everywhere around him. He finally broke down, kneeling there and calling out 'demon' in a daze.
He no longer hoped to escape; not a single person had succeeded. To this moment, those continuous screams still echoed in the leader's ears, and he could only watch helplessly as his subordinates fell one by one, completely unable to resist.
By now, the wounds on Kaede's body had fully recovered, though she looked even more terrifying than before, as she was now completely drenched in blood.
Kaede slowly approached the leader and then slowly plunged the weapon, which no longer even looked like a dagger, into the heart of the unresisting leader.
The last person fell at Kaede's feet. Looking at this hellish scene, Kaede bent over and laughed loudly, laughing until tears almost came out.
She looked at her feet, which seemed to be soaked in blood, and at her blood-stained body, hands, and hair.
"Ugh... Blegh!"
Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, Kaede dropped the dagger and began to vomit. No matter what was said, Kaede was not that old; this was her first time encountering such a scene, her first time consciously creating such a hell with her own hands!
She said they deserved it, but Kaede knew—she only did it so she could survive, and they were just the sacrifices for her survival. What's more, she didn't need that many people to survive, but in the end, she had been enjoying it, enjoying the process, and simply couldn't stop her hands!
On the blood-colored earth, a young girl stood there vomiting and laughing.
With the floating corpses beneath her feet as witness, the demon revealed her form for the first time.
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