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Having its tail cut off, the azure bat tiger jumped into the air with a yowl.

Adjusting her balance, Uesugi Rei flipped and landed on the floor slicing out horizontally, sending sliver bladelight slicing through the raindrops. Within ten meters, all the rain became ice.

Before the azure bat tiger could land, Uesugi Rei had sliced open its stomach!

Uesugi Rei’s eyes lit up as if reveling in the pleasure of slaughter, with a thought, the Nioh phantom behind her stretched out two big hands and lifted up this disembowelled azure bat tiger!

With a leap, blade pointed up, Uesugi Rei sliced the azure bat tiger in two pieces. Despite that, the bat tiger had tenacious life force and still struggled to bite at Rei!

Within the air, Rei flung out one silvery blade light after another.

Having lost its spirit armor and physical power, the azure bat tiger was quickly chopped into multiple pieces revealing a turquoise magatama radiating a refreshing aura, instantly, Uesugi Rei stretched out a hand and grabbed it.

Fragments of the azure bat tiger splattered onto the floor.

“Life recovery magatama!?” Uesugi Rei’s mouth revealed a rare warm smile as she stared at the turquoise magatama.

Just as the group was about to let out a breath of relief, thinking the battle was over.

Suddenly the sky became even blacker as rumbling black thunderclouds pressed down from the mountains filled with flashing thunder, casting an eerie light on the small village.

Roar—! A long ancient deep roar!

From the side of the mountain, a thirty meter tall monster appeared from behind a house. It had an incomparable muscular black blue body and a black red mane.

The giant archdemon looked over with its big golden eyes and instantly saw Uesugi Rei standing amongst the chunks of the azure bat demon.

“Human—you dare kill my subordinate, I, Arayama, will tear you outsiders to pieces today!” That arch-demon was surrounded by demon clouds filled with moisture and radiated the aura of a peak permanence realm!

“A young and powerful woman, just thinking about it makes me think your flesh must be delicious! Ehehehe—” The deep laughter of Arayama shook the mountains.

Toyama, Hatano and the others shivered in fear as their hearts chilled under despair of just facing this arch-demon.

“Too……too strong, this archdemon is too strong…peak-stage permanence…can’t win, this is impossible….” Hatano stood dazed, trembling in the rain as she stared before her gaze turned confused.

Hatano trained as a gunmaiden, she was different from the general expert, she had the ability to detect the strengths of opponents stronger than herself.

Facing such a strong archdemon, that tall goddess stood arrogantly, her long silvery hair flowed like a waterfall in the rain.

She was shaking, the hand holding her blade shook.

But it wasn’t because of fear, it was excitement, the excitement that came before a life and death battle, an excitement regular people would not understand!

In the world, there were those few people who were obsessed with mortal combat, lived for the thrill of mortal combat, perverted existences.

They were geniuses born for combat!

“Hmph!” Uesugi Rei’s lips curved into a smile edged with wanton madness, “Peak-staged permanence? If we don’t try, how would you know?”

That gigantic arch-demon just stared at Uesugi Rei, ignoring the others.

“A mere mid-staged permanence fool dares be so arrogant!” the arch-demon’s aura flared, forming a tornado of demonic clouds of rain and fog, “Women—weaklings! But delicious food!”

Arayama’s huge claws came grabbing at Uesugi Rei!

Boom—! Uesugi Rei’s wild aura exploded and behind her Nioh’s phantom reappeared. Her aura might not necessarily lose to the arch-demons!

“Be careful! Sister Uesugi!” Seeing that giant black claw grab at Uesugi horrified and terrified Hatano.

Uesugi Rei leapt up to meet the claw, the ancient tachi within her hand dragging along wind and water. The drag had rolled up all the rainwater on the ground.

“Hah—!!!”

A cold and fierce challenge!

Bang—!!!

A long blade covered in silver aura collided head on with that giant claw.

Boom—!

Uesugi Rei was launched out by that immensely heavy force, flying into and through a wooden house, smashing it into pieces!

“Uesugi—!!!” Her companions shouted.

Roar—! Arayama didn’t emerge unscathed either, it clutched its claws, green blood constantly pouring out, two fingers had been slashed off!

The stump-like fingers had been sealed with frozen ice, preventing regeneration.

Uesugi Rei’s clothes were in tatters and her beautiful skin was exposed to the rain, but she stood up in the ruins of the house and flicked the green blood from her sword. Her chest heaved¹ from the blow and the excessive spirit energy consumption, but her expression remained calm.

“Screee—eeee—eech——”

Shrill howls kept on emerging from Arayama’s mouth.

A great number of demons emerged from the surrounding hillsides and woods, they climbed onto the various houses, blocked the surrounding roads and surrounded the group.

“What!?? How, how can there be so many monsters!??” Toyama panicked.

“We’re surrounded!??” Hatano held her mouth, exclaiming.

Uesugi Rei coldly observed, “Looks like for these humans to survive in this Tanba province, they must have already submitted to the demon.”

“What? This…how could this be…” Hatano felt a sense of despair.

“Kill them all!” Arayama howled.

Countless monsters jumped down from the roofs, poured out from the streets, woods, and all rushed at the little group.

“Protect Nakajou!” Minamoto no Kenki shouted.

“Leave it to me!” Toyama hefted his staff in one arm.

Facing such a desperate situation, Hatano’s eyes became ruthless, she gritted her teeth, pulled out a tanto and rushed at the monsters with a shout. “Heave-ho—! I’ll fight it out with you!”

Kenki also pulled out his weapon and rushed at the other side.

Arayama strode over, its foot stepping over the house and into the open space in front of the group, its body taking up a whole half of the space. It lifted one foot and stomped towards Uesugi Rei.

Turning into a silver flash, she dodged while retreating, and ended up retreating into the middle of a bunch of monsters.

The pain of its fingers infuriated Arayama, it ignored everything and continued to stomp at Uesugi Rei. Although she rolled away, the small monsters around her were stomped into ground meat.

“Freeze!” Uesugi Rei flung out an arm and a long rope of her domain’s ice water² hit the back of Arayama and froze to it.

Stretching taunt the line of ice water, Uesugi Rei launched herself up high towards the back of the arch-demon. When she released the line she was already up high above the arch-demon’s massive back, targeting that maned head, Uesugi Rei’s ancient blade released frozen aura and the Nioh phantom behind her roared in fury. Uesugi Rei struck down like a bolt of heavenly punishment!

Turning fast, Arayama sent an extremely fast backhand towards Rei.

Seeing that she was about to be slapped away, Uesugi Rei twisted her body and slashed towards that huge claw.

Boom—!!! Ice crystals exploded violently midair, and though Uesugi Rei was sent flying, the arch-demon’s massive claw also took serious injury. While flying, Uesugi Rei sent out another stream of icy water and hooked onto the shoulder of the arch-demon and swung herself around the front of the arch-demon.

Pfht—! Her long tachi arched out a bright silver blade light as black green blood spewed like a fountain from the neck of the arch-demon.

“Cough—Agh!” Arayama had ruled this area for a hundred years and this was the first time it had suffered serious wounds. Feeling its life was in danger, it swung its claw furiously at Uesugi Rei.

Bang! She was sent out flying as a tiny bullet. She flung her water line around houses and trees, though none of them were able to stop her flight, they still buffered the impact as she smashed into the mountain wall behind the houses.

Thinking it had killed Uesugi Rei, the arch-demon took steps forward and grabbed at Hatano, “I’ll eat you first!”

Then—

Swish! A silver flash flew past the arch-demon’s feet, and a line of ice cold water caught the arch-demon’s foot mid step, sending its huge body falling forward.

Seeing the incoming falling body, Hatano quickly fled.

Just as the arch-demon extended a hand to catch itself, the silver light returned and left a deep bloody wound on the wrist.

“Aghh—!” Howling and pulling back its arm, the arch-demon’s body tilted forward even more as Uesugi Rei attached a water line to its shoulder and swung behind the arch-demon.

Stretching out one hand, Uesugi Rei condensed the entirety of her body’s permanence energy and molded it with her domain and shot a several meters long ice spike at the arch-demon.

The ice spike pierced the thick back of Arayama and couldn’t pierce further as the arch-demon turned and grabbed at Uesugi Rei.

Uesugi Rei lifted her tachi up high and surrounded it with layers of ice and water before slamming it down on the ice spike.

Clink!

With a horrifying sound, the ice spike was driven deeper into the arch-demon bursting out of its chest.

That terrifying piercing sent shivers through Rei’s companions.

“Agh—Gaaack—” The arch-demon’s body twitched involuntarily, black blood flowing out of its mouth. Its mane puffed up, its eldritch energy violently fluctuated! Taking such a serious injury, Arayama was overcome with anger and desperately tried to slash Rei with its claws.

Rei turned and flipped within the air, her long blade seemed to be suspended in the air before violently grinding a gigantic claw into pieces.

But— Arayama’s other claw came smashing from the other side and sent Uesugi Rei flying once again into the mountain walls.

Falling to its knees, it held its body up with its two hands while its wounds constantly bled. The chest injury it had taken was almost a lethal blow, it was very difficult for it to stand up now.

Falling down from the cliff walls, Uesugi Rei crawled out of the pile of rocks. She only had a few remaining rags covering her body, her hair was hanging limply and she panted, out of breath, but her eyes were strong and determined. Stabbing her blade into the ground, she used it to totter upright. Taking a steady stance, her hands held onto her blade and let out a deep breath before looking at the severely injured Arayama.

Her bloody mouth let out an excited smile³.

1. Yuki: Yes yes, her chest is heaving in battle, but all women’s chests heave in every single battle. How many times does this author have to repeat the same boring ‘chests heaving’ and ‘sweat dropping down onto chests.’
2. Robinxen: Honestly it’s easy to forget she’s meant to be the ice queen of this novel.
3. Robinxen: She’s morbin.