Demon Slayer: Start With Heroic Spirit Legacy System

 The Hand Demon glared at the figure before him, his eyes brimming with fury. 

"A mere brat in his teens dares act so arrogantly?"

"Go join your fellow disciples in the afterlife!"

With that, the countless arms sprouting from his grotesque body surged toward Zhou Yi, attempting to snatch the bothersome youth.

"Water Breathing, Second Form Modified: Continuous Water Wheel!"

In just seven days, Zhou Yi had fully mastered the forms of Water Breathing. Not content with the standard techniques, he had begun to innovate.

The Second Form, Water Wheel, originally delivered a single slash. Under Zhou Yi's control, however, it transformed into a relentless chain of attacks.

The Nichirin Blade in his hand moved as if an extension of his own will, effortlessly severing the arms lunging toward him.

"Argh! Damn you!" 

The Hand Demon let out a bloodcurdling scream as Zhou Yi's relentless onslaught dismembered his advancing limbs, the echoes of his agony stirring countless birds from the treetops.

"Why? Why do all of you resist?"

"That old fool Urokodaki and his disciples alike! Can't you just accept your deaths peacefully?"

The Hand Demon roared, channeling the demonic energy within him. His severed limbs began to regenerate rapidly. 

This was the terrifying advantage of demons: their ability to regenerate, traded for the humanity they had forsaken.

But Zhou Yi only replied calmly, "It makes no difference. I'll simply cut them off again, one by one."

As his words fell, the Hand Demon suddenly lost sight of Zhou Yi.

"Not good! This brat—"

Before he could finish the thought, excruciating pain erupted across his body as his freshly regenerated limbs were sliced away once more.

The agony was searing, unforgettable. 

For forty-six years, the Hand Demon had been trapped here by Urokodaki Sakonji. Generations of swordsmen had come and gone, yet none had pushed him to this extent.

This was the most severe pain he had endured in nearly half a century.

"This place is just a testing ground for rookies! Why is there a monster like this among them?!"

What's more, the youth before him seemed in no rush to kill. Instead, every slash was deliberate, meant to maximize the pain inflicted. 

The Nichirin Blade's cuts weren't clean but angled to create larger wounds.

Zhou Yi could easily aim for the Hand Demon's neck, yet he chose not to.

Why?

Why was he dragging this out?

"You're probably wondering, aren't you? Why haven't I killed you yet?" Zhou Yi's voice was calm, laced with mockery.

Draped in his light blue haori, he closed the distance between them step by step. His movements weren't large, but every step landed like a heavy drumbeat in the Hand Demon's heart.

"No! I don't want to know! Stay away from me!" 

The demon's face twisted in terror as if the real monster here was Zhou Yi. He fell back, his massive body hitting the ground with a heavy thud as he scrambled to retreat, dragging himself away with trembling limbs.

Dust and debris rose as his bulk scraped across the ground. 

Opportunity!

For decades, the Hand Demon had perfected the art of ambush. His primal survival instincts overwhelmed his fear, driving him to act. 

Suppressing his pain, his severed limbs regenerated once again. Using the swirling dust as cover, he prepared his strongest attack.

The newly formed arms rapidly clustered together, twisting into a grotesque mass resembling a fleshy ball. Like taut rubber, the ball coiled with immense tension before launching with explosive force.

The air roared as the appendage rocketed forward, blasting away the surrounding dust cloud in its wake.

Boom!

The strike landed with earth-shaking impact. 

The Hand Demon's horrified expression twisted into something else—a grotesque mixture of relief and elation.

"Hahaha! Dead! He's dead!"

This was his ultimate technique, one he believed insurmountable for anyone below the level of a Hashira.

To him, the outcome was already decided. 

"Kid, I admit you had some skill, but that's the extent of it!"

"It seems I'm still the superior one! Hahahaha!"

Laughter filled the air but abruptly stopped as overwhelming terror crept up from behind the Hand Demon.

What's going on? 

Looking at the aftermath of his attack

The Hand Demon was certain. 

His attack hadn't hit the target. It had only crushed a few trees. 

Could it be…

"Not bad, Hand Demon. You've got some skill," came a youthful voice from behind.

The boy's voice was crisp and vibrant, brimming with youthful energy. Objectively, it was a pleasant sound that could earn a living on charm alone. 

But to the Hand Demon, it was the voice of death itself.

"You! You! How are you—"

"Oh, you still have the energy to talk? My mistake!" 

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

A whirlwind grazed past the Hand Demon's face, deliberately avoiding his neck. A flash of blade light followed, severing the demon's arms once again.

"AAAAHHH!!!" 

The series of strikes was so fast that the demon only felt the pain moments later—a searing, bone-deep agony. 

This time, the Hand Demon couldn't regenerate. His limbs no longer responded, and the unique wounds left by the Nichirin Blade began corroding his flesh, spreading as he grew weaker.

"Impossible! You're so young! How can you possess such power?"

Another flash of the blade.

With the speed of the wind, the demon's mouth was ripped open, and his tongue was severed.

"Too noisy. Who told you to talk?" 

"%@#!@%!...(Translation: Just kill me already!)" 

Zhou Yi coldly glanced at the demon, who lay collapsed on the ground. His face was still covered by the wisteria-patterned mask given by Makomo, faintly scented with her calming fragrance. 

"Did you feel it when you devoured humans—their fear?" 

"Their desire to live, to see another sunrise, or to reunite with loved ones?"

Zhou Yi paused, spinning his blade to flick off the remaining blood.

"They won't get to see those things anymore."

"You demons, who were once human, turned on your own kind without hesitation."

The more Zhou Yi spoke, the more his fury rose, and his aura grew sharper and more oppressive.

The Hand Demon, unable to resist or speak under the weight of his presence, struggled even to breathe. 

"%@#%!...(Translation: I was wrong! Please, give me a quick death!)"

"Unworthy to even be called human!" 

Zhou Yi's frosty expression reflected the explosion of long-suppressed anger.

"Water Breathing, Tenth Form: Constant Flux!"

If ancient execution methods were ranked by cruelty, Lingchi—death by a thousand cuts—would certainly top the list. 

And now, Zhou Yi prepared to inflict such a punishment. 

Precision, mastery, and ruthless efficiency—all combined with the Hand Demon's unnaturally resilient body—ensured that the demon felt every moment of his demise.

The Hand Demon endured until the bitter end.

In his final moments, fragmented memories resurfaced, along with the faint image of a figure he had long forgotten.

"%...*...(Translation: Brother...)"

And with that, the cruel and infamous demon dissolved into ash, scattering into the wind. 

Zhou Yi exhaled deeply, his killing intent dissipating.

"To repay evil with kindness—what, then, do we repay kindness with?" 

"I hope in your next life, you'll be a good person." 

He turned to address the spirits of his fallen senior brothers. 

"You can all rest now." 

The gentle breeze that swept past seemed to carry a faint, comforting reply.

"Thank you. Take care."

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[Ding! Task complete. Rewards successfully delivered!]

[Sasaki Kojirō's Legacy Progress: 15% achieved!]

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