From the moment the water ball leapt out of the water, Hatsune sensed something was wrong. When the humanoid water demon emerged from the water, it confirmed his suspicions.
The two demons hiding on the second floor were not the culprits behind the disappearances. This one was. This also explained why the two demons didn't act last night.
Hatsune took a deep breath, grabbed his Nichirin Sword, and vaulted over the bamboo wall. He landed on the surface of the women's pool, instantly freezing the water beneath his feet. With his knees bent, he pressed his left hand to the water and thrust his sword downward with his right, piercing towards Nae.
The cold energy from his sword extended underwater, causing the transparent substance enveloping Nae to struggle violently. Hatsune's left hand broke through the ice, pulling Nae out, and he leapt to the shore.
The ice covering the water slowly receded.
Nae, hanging limply from Hatsune's arm, coughed incessantly as her blurred consciousness began to clear.
Although she appeared slightly chubby, Nae was actually quite slender. Her wet swimsuit clung to her legs, outlining a perfect, delicate curve.
From the women's pool, a splashing sound was heard as a transparent humanoid water demon slowly rose from the water, shrouded in steam.
Hatsune released Nae, who slumped to the ground, clutching her chest, her face flushed as she continued coughing. Her ample chest heaved with each cough.
This transparent water demon was likely the one responsible for the deaths of those girls.
A narrow, transparent waterline snaked its way up the shore like a stealthy serpent, creeping towards Nae.
Thinking it had fooled Hatsune, it slithered closer to Nae, only to be pinned to the ground by a snow-white sword, instantly freezing into a block of white ice.
To the water demon, Hatsune's action was a declaration of ownership, as if saying, "This prey is mine, you cannot touch it."
Nae looked up at Hatsune, her eyes filled with tears, whether from choking or some other reason.
She knew he would come to save her.
Seeing Hatsune's strength, the water demon realized it couldn't win and slowly sank back into the water, intending to retreat.
But its plan was overly optimistic.
After soaking in the hot spring for four days, Hatsune didn't want to stay longer now that the real culprit had appeared.
He sliced his palm and walked to the edge of the pool, letting his blood drip into the water.
Soon, the pond's surface rippled once again, heading towards the shore.
Hatsune picked up Nae, leapt a few meters away from the pond, and set her down before letting his blood drip onto the wooden planks.
He aimed to lure the water demon onto the shore, giving it no chance to escape.
The ripples in the water surged momentarily at the scent of blood, then reformed into a humanoid shape, crawling onto the shore, fixated on the blood at Hatsune's feet.
The demon trembled, water droplets shaking off its body in response to the blood's scent.
Suddenly, the water demon shot out a few water droplets like arrows towards Hatsune. Simultaneously, it turned into a puddle, swiftly moving towards the blood at Hatsune's feet.
Ignoring the approaching water droplets, Hatsune kept his focus on the puddle.
The water droplets froze into ice before they could reach Hatsune.
The water demon, nearing the blood, accelerated, but a sharp cold wind slashed across its path.
Forced to stop, the demon faced a strip of white ice blocking its way. The cold even caused part of its body to freeze.
The water demon abandoned its frozen part and circled the ice, continuing towards the blood.
Switching directions repeatedly, the demon tried to approach Hatsune's feet but was repelled each time by his sword.
From the beginning, Hatsune felt something was off.
Demons typically had lower body temperatures, which he used to detect their presence. Earlier, he sensed a temperature difference from the humanoid shapes in the pond and at the shore, but now, he felt none from the moving water.
The only explanation was that this water was not the demon's true form.
To kill the demon, he needed to force its true form to appear. But how?
Hatsune soon had an idea.
He feigned weakness, allowing the water demon to approach. As it neared the blood, he stopped attacking and let it come closer, tricking it.
Just as the water demon was about to feast, Hatsune's Nichirin Sword created a beautiful arc, landing vertically at his feet.
The demon arrived to find the blood frozen over with a layer of ice.
Enraged, the water demon trembled with humiliation.
Desperate for blood, it became agitated, as if ants were gnawing at its insides.
A furious roar echoed as a black shadow leapt from the puddle towards Hatsune.
Hatsune slid backward, following a Z-shaped icy path.
The black shadow snarled, chasing Hatsune but failing to catch him. It landed on a rockery, scratching its head in frustration.
Everyone finally saw the water demon's true form.
It was small, about half a meter tall, with a sharp face, resembling a hairless monkey.
Constantly scratching itself and making strange noises, it had managed to hide underwater, explaining why the girls disappeared without a trace.
"It's... it's the one that grabbed me underwater," Nae, her throat burning from the water, pointed at the water demon and croaked.