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Chapter 10: The Cunning of Demons X First Kill in a New World
🕑 Added 2025-10-19 10:20:58 +0000 UTCChapter 10: The Cunning of Demons X First Kill in a New World
The swing ended with a spray of crimson.
A horrifying shriek tore through the silent forest. The phantom images vanished like smoke. The snow-laden branches ceased their trembling. As pristine white flakes drifted down, the demon's body crashed heavily to the ground. A severed arm flew through the air, landing with a wet thud at Tanjiro's feet.
[Notice: Combat Experience +1]
Tanjiro's pupils dilated. He stared in stunned silence as the dismembered limb dissolved into black ash. A tidal wave of emotion—fear, shock, and overwhelming excitement—crashed over him.
He pumped his fist in the air. "You did it, Bro!" he shouted, his voice filled with awe.
From stillness to motion and back to stillness, Roy's attack had taken less than the blink of an eye. It was a simple, brutal motion, but the power contained within it sent a chill of pure dread down Sato Takeichiro's spine.
"Are you... a Pillar?" the demon snarled, scrambling back to its feet. Its eyes, burning with hatred and fear, were locked on Roy.
In the demon hierarchy, the "Pillars" of the Demon Slayer Corps were the equivalent of the Twelve Kizuki. Sato had once, from a great distance, witnessed the power of Upper Rank One. That creature's every slash had unleashed a storm of crescent moon blades. He'd heard that in his human life, that demon had been one of the Demon Slayer Corps' legendary Pillars.
This was the third such monster he'd encountered. And this one was just a child.
But Roy was no Pillar. To earn that rank, a Demon Slayer had to either defeat one of the Twelve Kizuki or slay fifty demons. But Roy, thanks to his knowledge of the story, knew the true requirement was a profound mastery over a Breathing Style.
It was just like the world of Hunters. The true measure of a top-tier Nen user wasn't their raw talent, but the depth of their understanding and development of their own Hatsu. Without proper guidance, even the most gifted individual could go astray.
Narrator's Note: A prime example is Kastro of Heavens Arena. A natural Enhancer with immense potential, he squandered his talent by developing a Conjuration Hatsu, "Double," that was ill-suited to his Nen type. This fundamental mismatch ultimately led to his defeat and death at the hands of Hisoka.
So, this time in his dream, besides selling charcoal to improve the Kamado family's living conditions, Roy had a second, more critical mission: find a master and learn the fundamentals of Total Concentration Breathing. The retired Water Pillar, Sakonji Urokodaki, was the closest and most logical choice.
Roy dragged the head of his axe through the snow, carving a perfectly straight line. He ignored the demon's question, instead watching with detached curiosity as a new arm sprouted from its shoulder. "That demon blood of yours," he asked, "how many more times can it put you back together?"
"More than enough to rip out your heart and liver!" Sato spat back.
Roy nodded. "Good. You'd better keep your word. Because now, nobody's leaving until you've done just that."
Sato and Tanjiro both stared, utterly baffled. Tanjiro couldn't understand why his brother wasn't pressing the attack while the demon was still regenerating. Sato's mind, on the other hand, instantly went on high alert.
And then—
The demon bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and flung it at Roy's face. Using the momentary distraction, Sato spun on his heel and fled, unleashing his full speed.
Bounce... bounce... bounce! He ricocheted off the trees, each impact a small explosion of bark and snow. In the blink of an eye, he had covered over a hundred meters.
Tanjiro's jaw dropped. He was still trying to process what had just happened when he saw his brother's face darken into a thunderous scowl.
My walking EXP... My free experience points are getting away! Roy was genuinely, incandescently furious. A demon shouldn't be this cowardly! Was the entire point of his Blood Demon Art to have a perfect escape tool?
Seeing his target getting further and further away, Roy kicked out in frustration. A small stone shot from the snow, flying like a bullet after Sato's retreating figure. But without the use of Shu to imbue the projectile with Nen, the stone lacked the necessary power. The demon, already on high alert, easily ducked under it.
"Well, that's not going to work."
Two hundred meters... three hundred... Soon the demon would be out of his sight.
Roy rolled up his sleeves. It was time.
For the first time, he would truly unleash the Breathing Style.
As if on cue, the wind shifted the clouds, and a single, brilliant ray of sun broke through, illuminating Roy's determined face. He held the hand-axe like a longsword, his feet shifting into a wide, powerful lunge. He took a single, massive breath.
It was like a switch had been flipped inside him. His blood began to boil, his heart hammered against his ribs, and the capillaries under his skin bulged, spreading across his entire body in a red web.
The change was reflected on his system interface.
The value under his [Physique] stat exploded.
[Physique: 10.051] → [Physique: 20.102]
It had literally doubled.
Sun Breathing burned aura as fuel. A divine fire seemed to ignite in Roy's eyes. Seizing the momentary, explosive boost in power, he lunged forward.
SHREEEEN! The axe-head screamed as it tore through the frigid air.
Tanjiro saw a flash, a flicker of something impossibly fast moving past him. When he looked again, his brother—in the space of a single breath—had crossed nearly three hundred meters and was now airborne, directly above the fleeing demon.
Then came the strike, a blade technique that fell from the heavens.
Sun Breathing—Dance!
FWOOSH!
A circular slash of fiery light vaporized the falling snow, enveloping Sato in its arc.
At first, the demon felt nothing. Then, as he found himself flying through the air, he looked down and saw his legs still running on the ground below. He had been bisected at the waist.
His blood-red eyes widened in disbelief. He pointed a trembling, disembodied finger at Roy. "You... you said you weren't a Pillar!" he shrieked.
Then his world went dark. His torso crashed into the snow with a heavy thud. Blood pooled around him, a crimson stain on the white landscape. The pain, delayed by shock, finally arrived, and he began to howl.
A figure in thick socks and wooden sandals, an axe resting on his shoulder, approached at a calm, unhurried pace. Sato's eyes widened in terror. He tried to regenerate, pouring all his remaining power into knitting his body back together.
But this time... nothing happened. The wound sizzled with a strange energy, refusing to close.
Panic, terror, and a cold, creeping dread filled him. He could feel his life force draining away from his filthy body. He looked up, his voice a ragged plea. "What... what was that technique?"
Roy stopped, looking out at the vast, snowy mountainside, and sighed. "You just had to break your promise, didn't you? You forced me to use Sun Breathing to kill you."
He looked down at the dying demon. "Are you satisfied now?"
Sato's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"Who... Who in the world are you?!" he screamed.
Roy offered a gentle smile. He raised his foot.
"I am who I am," he said, and brought his heel down.
CRUNCH.
"My name is Eiichiro Kamado."
