Word count: 1793
<—>
"Tch, just how annoying is this guy?" The demon flipped through the air, leaping over a tall wooden fence, quickly putting some distance between itself and the slayer chasing after him.
With a powerful push, Fujino crashed through a wooden fence, scattering splinters as he sprinted after the demon. "There you are!"
The demon turned to face Fujino, a snarl twisting its features. Crimson trails emerged from its wrists, solidifying into chains. "Blood demon art: Crimson Chains!"
'Blood demon art?! Are you kidding me?!'
The demon, wielding twin chains, twisted his wrists, launching both chains at Fujino who unsheathed his Nichirin katana to block the incoming strikes. However, he was forced to retreat.
As the twin chains surged toward him, he raised his katana in defense, but they suddenly changed trajectory, flying upwards and attacking from behind.
He spun around and blocked both strikes with his katana, sparks flying as he pushed against the chains. They began to wrap around the blade, turning the encounter into a tug of war.
Fujino was too focused to notice two more chains hurtling toward him. He only realized it when it was too late.
[-20HP]
[-11HP]
[-15HP]
[-14HP]
[-15HP]
[-9HP]
Gritting his teeth in pain, Fujino grabbed the chains to prevent being whipped by them. Now, he found himself trapped, holding on for dear life.
'Why does every demon with a blood demon art have to have some kind of long-range attack?' The Hideous demon, the hand demon, and now this chains demon. All he had were his sword and fists—can't he catch a break?
And why do their name's suck?!
"Immobilize!" the demon shouted, sending more chains snaking along the ground toward Fujino. He found himself in a tough spot: either let go and run, risking his weapon and making it harder to block the chains, or stay put and hope he could somehow break free from the bindings.
'No, these chains are like snakes; that guy would crush me if I stayed here.' As much as he took pride in his physical strength, he wasn't about to test his DUR in this situation.
Then, Fujino had a great idea.
As the chains approached, he released his grip on the two chains and relaxed his pull, while still holding onto the blade. Thanks to the upward motion of the chains, he was yanked upwards and flung high into the air.
He twisted in mid-air, unwinding the chains from his blade and freeing it. As he began to fall backward, he caught a glimpse of the demon's irritated expression and flashed a smile.
"Don't get cocky you bastard, I'm not done yet!" the demon spat, sending all six chains after him.
Fujino realized he couldn't possibly block all of them; his skills and physical abilities weren't up to par. So, he held his breath, aimed, and hurled his katana at the demon.
The katana flew at breakneck speed, heading straight for the chain demon's chest, leaving it stunned.
"Ughk!" The katana pierced through its chest, protruding from the other side. The demon lost focus, causing the blood chains to dissipate. He grasped the handle and slowly pulled it out while hissing in pain.
When would he catch a break? First, he tried to snatch a victim with its chains, but they got scared and ran. Then, he nearly revealed himself to another demon slayer, and now this guy attacked him out of nowhere and stuck their katana into their chest!
'Just wait! once I get my hands on you I'll rip you apart and feast on your innards as you watch!' The demon promised Fujino a world of pain, once it had the chance.
"Surprise!"
The chain demon's eyes widened in disbelief as Fujino suddenly appeared in front of him, throwing a strange powder into his face and rolling beside him as the powder covered him.
"What's—?!" The realization hit hard as the demon coughed up blood, trembling with purple swelling on its arms and face. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened.
"Wisteria, I heard you demons enjoyed it," he replied, a smug tone creeping into his voice as he prepared to apply the powder to his fist.
"You—" the demon struggled to speak, coughing up more blood.
"You know, this could be the perfect chance to try out something I've had in my mind," he said, eyeing the demon who was now kneeling on the ground.
"I think you're going to enjoy this," he smirked, pulling his fist back.
"Precision Strike!"
When the punch connected, it was an experience unlike anything the demon had ever felt.
Instead of the usual sensation, the chain demon felt his facial bones rattle, as if a shockwave had penetrated his skin and assaulted his bones directly. He staggered back, collapsing to the ground in a daze, his face had a fist imprinted into it.
"You don't look so good. Here let me get you a makeover, bill is on me." The demon remained silent as the blows continued to rain down. "Precision Strike!" were shouted repeatedly.
Due to the wisteria poison he had inhaled and the relentless punches, the demon's life came to a swift end.
[8450XP earned.]
[Objective updated: Prey to Hunter: (32/50)]
[You have leveled up: 36 —>37]
[Name: Fujino Yuki
Level: 37 (4357/13,000)
Race: human
Health: 400 / 450 (+3/sec)
Stamina: 150 / 450 (+3/sec)
STR: 50
DUR: 45
END: 45
AGI: 45
INT: 20
CHA: 30
Attributes Points (AP): 25]
<—>
Fujino strolled away from the soon-to-be-disintegrated demon, feeling upbeat after taking down yet another one. It hadn't been long since the final selection, yet he found himself easily facing demons he once struggled against.
No longer did he need to rely on stealth to catch them off guard; he could now stand his ground against demons without resorting to Demonic Assimilation. Not that he had any problem against it. He had come to terms with it, recognizing how it had helped him escape tight spots, like with the hand demon.
the only downside was that he couldn't figure out how to using those breathing styles he saw, no matter how many tries he did he just couldn't get them to work which miffed him.
Nevertheless, his good mood returned when he received Precision Strike.
Precision Strike (Active) (LV1/3) (Cost: 30 stamina): Thanks to your dedication and training, you can now deliver a powerful punch or kick that targets your opponent's vulnerable spots, inflicting serious damage to their bones and leaving them momentarily dazed.
He had to admit, begrudgingly, that Xeno deserved some recognition for this skill. As he pointed out, abilities can be unlocked when his skills hit a certain milestone—like level 25 in Unarmed Martial Arts.
Unarmed Martial Arts (Active) (LV 26/100): A codified system and traditions of combat have existed for centuries, doesn't use weapons. Increase your proficiency and damage done to opponents by 6.5%
As for Swordsmanship, he suspected he would gain a new ability at level 25, similar to what he experienced with the aforementioned skill.
Swordsmanship (active) (LV 20/100): Whether it's a large sword or a small one, unique or ordinary, swords have long been humanity's weapon of choice for combat throughout history, right up to the modern age. This skill boosts your proficiency and increases the damage you deal to opponents by 5%.
Currently, he was making his way to a small restaurant along the road, the same place where he spotted someone in a demon slayer uniform. He had been stalking any members he encountered, eager to pick up information and any rumors that might be circulating about him.
He was well aware that his presence was making waves, and he needed to tread carefully.
It didn't take long for him to arrive at the restaurant, a cozy place offering a variety of meals for travelers, reminiscent of those diners he remembered from America. Upon entering, he found the place half-empty, with no sign of any demon slayers.
He approached the cashier, who also doubled as the chef. "Hey, did you happen to see anyone in a Gakuran uniform with 'destroy' written on the back?"
The chef rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "No, I can't say I remember anyone like that coming in here."
Fujino took a deep breath to calm himself, knowing the chef was blatantly lying; he had seen the same guy being served just half an hour ago. And he's not an old man so he couldn't have dementia.
"Will this jog your memory?" he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some cash. Unfortunately, he hadn't checked how much he had and ended up handing over 500 Yen, which the chef quickly snatched.
"He mentioned he wanted to go to the bathroom, so I sent him to the back. Not sure where he went after that," the chef said, returning to his work and ignoring the seething Fujino.
Holding back the urge to assault him and ignoring the chuckles from Xeno, he made his way to the back. A little further away, he spotted the demon slayer lounging against a tree, gazing up as if searching for something.
Fujino employed his stealth and crept closer, hiding a few meters away.
'What is this idiot waiting for? It's not like a guardian angel is about to drop down or something.' He chuckled to himself. 'What if it's a talking bird? Nah, that's impossible. Even if it were a parrot, it wouldn't do shit—'
"South-Southwest! South-Southwest! Your next mission is South-Southwest!" a booming voice interrupted, startling Fujino
'What the—' his jaw dropped, both metaphorically and literally.
A small black crow perched on the demon's shoulder. "You are to head to Mt. Natagumo! There's been a spike in demon activity in that area, you are to team up with other slayers on your journey!"
The demon slayer nodded silently and walked away, leaving Fujino slack-jawed in disbelief.
"I... Probably should've guessed something like that existed." he sighed, already feeling exhausted from everything.
"Also another mountain... seriously? Do they have some kind of mountain mating ritual or what?" he muttered as he got to his feet and headed toward the mountain.
...After he assaulted the chef and retrieved his money, of course.
<—>
Taisho-era secrets!
Fujino, after having no luck with concentrated breathing techniques, became so desperate that he turned to extreme methods. He tried breathing upside down, placing heavy rocks on his chest, and even attempting to breathe underwater, but none of these approaches worked.
<—>
Second week in and we already have tests and assignments. Isn't that fun? It seems like I won't be catching a break this semester at all.
Like I said before, Chapter uploads will be slower since my education takes priority over my writing hobby.