It had been hours since I left the village, and it was already getting dark.
I came to a stop in a forest and began searching for dried sticks to make a fire and call it a day. I gathered a bunch of sticks, neatly arranging them on the ground, and covered them with some dried leaves. Using two pebble stones, I struck them together until sparks ignited the leaves, eventually causing a fire to burn.
I had learned all that back in the slums, as the saying goes: "No knowledge is a waste."
I found some large leaves and used them as a cover against the cold night air. Even though the fire was burning, it wasn't enough to fend off the chill I felt from the night's breeze.
Suddenly, my stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since leaving the village.
I crawled out from under the leaves and went in search of something to eat—fruits, fish, meat, anything at all. I came across a tree bearing bright red, juicy fruits. They didn't look like apples, but they appeared delicious.
I climbed the tree and plucked one of the fruits. It was almost circular, though slightly distorted in shape. I jumped down and began to eat it. It was tasty, very tasty, but it wasn't enough to satisfy my hunger.
Keeping the location of my fire in mind, I ventured deeper into the bushes, still searching for food. Suddenly, a strange smell drifted past my nose. I didn't recognize it, but it caught my attention. I followed the stench to a small clearing illuminated by the soft glow of the moonlight.
Under the elegant light of the moon, I saw what appeared to be a couple on the ground, with one person on top of the other.
Seriously? Isn't there a sense of decency in this era?
I ignored them and was about to walk away when I accidentally stepped on a dry stick, causing a sound that pierced the quiet of the night.
"Who's there?" a masculine voice called out, sounding like that of a teenager.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
I turned my head to apologize, but the sight before me wiped away everything I had intended to say.
Fangs. Blood. Red eyes. And dark green skin.
It looked like a monster I had only ever seen in movies and anime—like a goblin. No, goblins don't look this dangerous.
But that was beside the point. What mattered now was that this creature was halfway through the neck of a lifeless body before my noise caught its attention.
I'm cooked.
"Oh, you're just a kid," it said, wiping its bloodied mouth with its sleeve. "Don't be afraid, boy. I know you're lost. Uncle here will take you back to the village."
What the hell? Does he think I'm some nine-year-old kid?
My eyes darted to the corpse beside him, and he followed my gaze.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She's just soundly sleeping. See?"
He nudged the body, and she let out a faint, screeching cry. She was still conscious, watching as this beast feasted on her neck.
"See? She's just asleep. Now, why don't you come over and let me take both of you back to the village?"
The village? More like the afterlife.
Wait a minute, if I die again, will I go back to my goddess? I doubt it. I can't die here. Never.
Without thinking, I turned and ran for my life, not even daring to glance back.
"Hey, kid! Get back here!"
The creature shouted, but I didn't pay attention. I just kept running as fast as I could.
"Tsk… stupid kids these days, no respect," it muttered as it left the girl and began chasing after me.
It was catching up.
I reached the place where I had made my campfire. The fire had already gone out, but I grabbed a stick that was still hot and held it in front of me, facing the monster.
"You're a stubborn kid, huh? Well, this uncle is very good at disciplining stubborn kids. Now, get over here!"
It moved with insane speed, appearing right in front of me, and swung its hand at me.
I retaliated by swinging the hot stick at it, but the stick proved useless. It snapped in half when it made contact with the creature's hand.
The punch that followed sent me flying and rolling across the ground. It felt like my head was about to fall off my neck. My jaw felt heavy, and blood streamed down my nose and seeped from my mouth. But strangely, there was no pain.
What was going on?
I struggled to my feet, now fully aware of what this thing in front of me was capable of. I turned to run again, but it was too late.
It appeared right in front of me and delivered a crushing uppercut to my stomach, lifting me into the air before slamming me into the ground.
"Blegh."
I coughed up blood. This time, the pain was excruciating. I curled up, clutching my stomach, rolling on the ground in agony. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. I was on the verge of passing out.
The creature didn't give me a chance to recover. It grabbed me by the head and lifted me into the air.
"Now, I'm going to discipline you properly."
Its mouth stretched unnervingly wide, revealing sharp teeth that glistened in the moonlight.
Seeing it up close, I realized something. I had seen something like this before—not in real life, but in a movie… no, an anime.
Demon Slayer.
"Shit."
So, I've been reborn in the Demon Slayer universe. Damn. And I get to find out at the point of death. Classic. Nice one, light guy. You could have at least told me before throwing me here.
Wait a minute, though. I'm not even sure if this is Demon Slayer. There are other stories with human-beast hybrids and monsters with crazy sharp teeth.
But the light guy did say the world was in danger, so it has to be Demon Slayer. At least, I hope so.
Still, whether it's Demon Slayer or not, I'm probably going to die before I even get to find out.
Just then, I heard a voice from a distance.
"I see him, my lady."
"Mhm… leave him to me."
"Argh… you slayers…"
A gust of wind swept past us, and suddenly, the demon's head was gone. Its body stood lifeless for a moment before it began to disintegrate, burning up from the inside out.
"Are you alright?" a woman's voice asked from beside me.
I turned to look at her. She appeared angelic, her beauty almost ethereal. She wore samurai clothing with a white haori draped over it. On the back of the haori was a large kanji character boldly written.
"DESTROY."
[NEXT: DEMON SLAYER CORP]