In the space between, the night was dark and shadows loomed; the sunset had long since fallen, and even the last bits of dappled afterglow were disappearing bit by bit.
Amidst the spreading Demonic Qi outside, the Barrier surrounding the village stood firm, as immovable as a real high wall.
Hikaru's system panel flickered at this moment.
[Detected that the purification act the host participated in has been completed.]
[Judgment: The host slew demons and completed the purification process through Spiritual Power; it is considered an effective collaborative purification.]
[naohi unlocking conditions met.]
[shikon no tama: naohi affection route unlocked.]
[Current Affection: 1 (Budding)]
Hikaru looked at the panel and was stunned for a moment.
What a coincidence.
And also.
As expected, this can pass review!
"So, demons can actually be Demon Slayers too—as long as they find a partner."
Hikaru thought with emotion,
While his partner was currently standing on the stone steps ten zhang away, drawing a second arrow in his direction.
It still wasn't aimed at Hikaru.
Instead, it was aimed three paces behind him to his right—where two One-eyed Demons were flanking him from his blind spot, brandishing spiked clubs.
White light pierced through, and both One-eyed Demons turned to ash simultaneously.
The Spiritual Power aftermath spread, purifying a Centipede Spirit corpse that Hikaru had already cut down nearby.
But for some reason, affection didn't increase this time.
Hikaru had no time to worry about it, nor did he look back.
He didn't need to look; through the drifting blood mist behind him, he already knew who that arrow had hit.
He also knew—
Kikyo had chosen to cooperate with him.
It wasn't trust.
Kikyo didn't know him at all.
But she had already made the most correct judgment.
This was the battlefield judgment of the strongest Priestess of the Sengoku Period; it only took a few breaths of observation to understand one fact—
This Ghost Samurai had a shikon jewel on him, and the shikon no tama: naohi was glowing.
naohi represents good intentions, and naohi is never wrong.
So this demon, at least for now, is not an enemy.
That was enough.
On the battlefield, no further reasons are needed.
The third arrow that followed was aimed five paces to Hikaru's left front.
A Snake-bodied Demon trying to pounce at his ankles from the ground was swallowed by white light, turning into ash along with the two demon corpses he had previously cut down nearby.
The fourth arrow was aimed above his head, and a Bird-headed Monster diving down exploded into powder in mid-air.
Every arrow missed his body by a hair's breadth, only hitting the demons around him.
Only a foot apart.
Some arrows even whistled past his ears, the resulting Spiritual Power aftermath making his skin feel slightly hot, yet never harming him in the slightest.
And as those Spiritual Power ripples spread, they also purified the demon corpses Hikaru had previously slain, turning them into ash.
Slaying and purification, proceeding in sync.
He was responsible for chopping the vegetables.
She was responsible for clearing the plates.
"She really can understand my intent..."
Hikaru muttered under his breath, his lips curling up slightly under the demon mask—after all, he hadn't even had time to reveal the slightest bit about the shikon jewel.
But although they had no prior communication, their cooperation on the battlefield was surprisingly smooth.
Where his blade passed, demon corpses were left; where her arrows reached, they turned to ash—offense and defense, blade and bow, Demonic Qi and Spiritual Power.
Two completely opposite forces, Demonic Qi and Spiritual Power, actually formed a strange and tacit collaboration at this moment.
Hikaru slashed a Blue-skinned Oni charging at him, his blade flipping to sever the limbs of a nearby Centipede Spirit.
Behind him, Kikyo's arrow purified these two corpses.
He deliberately controlled his combat position within ten to fifteen zhang of the Barrier's edge—this distance was just within Kikyo's optimal range and just where the Spiritual Power aftermath could cover the corpses he left behind.
Too close, and Kikyo's arrows might accidentally injure him.
Too far, and the Spiritual Power aftermath wouldn't reach, meaning purification couldn't be completed.
Ten to fifteen zhang was the optimal solution.
And Kikyo clearly understood his intention in a very short time.
Her arrows were almost in sync with his killing speed—for every three or four he killed, she would fire one arrow, the Spiritual Power aftermath perfectly covering those corpses.
As expected of Kikyo.
Even if she wasn't at her peak yet, this battlefield insight was already ridiculously strong.
She didn't even need to fully open her eyes; relying only on spiritual perception, she could perfectly grasp his position, his rhythm, and the location of every corpse he left behind.
Then, she would fire that arrow at the most appropriate moment.
Not a moment too early, not a moment too late.
Precise and unerring.
[demon blade muramasa: Affection +2]
[Current Affection: 76]
[It conveys a message to you: "It feels great to have someone helping to kill the vegetables and serve them up!"]
"Finally said something human for once."
Hikaru complained and continued to swing his blade.