Demon Slayer: The Demon Hunter

Word count: 2320

<—>

"Blood Demon Art: Stone Spire Onslaught!" Kyoujin yelled, and small rock spikes erupted from his palms, hurtling toward Fujino at breakneck speed.

Fujino dodged and maneuvered around the spikes, rolling to safety behind a wagon, which he pulled down to shield himself from the incoming shards. The relentless barrage continued for a while before finally ceasing.

Even though he was in a dangerous situation where life hung by a thread, he couldn't help but feel a thrill in his chest. The rush of adrenaline surged through him.. 'Is this what adrenaline junkies feel like?'

His thoughts were interrupted by a tremor in the ground, prompting him to leap aside just in time as spikes erupted from below, obliterating the wagon he had been using for cover.

"Attacking someone who's thinking is a bit rude, don't you think?" he remarked, catching his breath. Kyoujin simply waved his hands, unleashing a relentless stream of short spikes toward Fujino.

As much as he hated to admit it, the spikes were incredibly fast. Each time they came at him, he found himself on the defensive, dancing and spinning to evade them. Not even 5 minutes and Fujino was left gasping for air.

[Health: 250/250 (+1.65/sec)

[Stamina: 20/200 (+1.3/sec)]

Meanwhile, the demon remained unscathed, showing no signs of weariness. However, its emotional state was a different story.

"Stop dodging! it's driving me crazy! why can't you just die?!" the demon screeched, throwing a tantrum and even clawing at itself. Fujino was more than happy to let it vent, using the moment to regain some Stamina.

Sticking to a defensive strategy wouldn't work for long; he would eventually exhaust his stamina and become living pin cochin. Charging straight at the demon would only trigger another round of ground spikes, pushing him back and resetting the cycle. 

He needed a distraction to close the gap between them. He had an ace up his sleeve that could turn the tide of this battle into his favor. all that was needed is for him to get closer.

"...And you demons slayers are the worst! You barge into people's homes. poke your nose where you don't belong, And always ruin my day! Because of you my house is destroyed! Annoying! so annoying!" The demon finished its tirade, glaring at Fujino.

 Who, felt insulted by the demon's words, shot back, "Me?! you're the who destroyed it! If you don't want demon slayers to harass you, then stop eating humans you fucking lunatic." he spat.

"Take a look at yourself: you're just a sad, half-wit, moron and hands down the ugliest demon I've ever laid eyes on. I'd rather go blind than have to see you again!"

Kyoujin didn't like this one bit.

With a furious scream, the demon slammed its hands onto the ground. "Blood demon art: Seismic Spike Trail, Quintet!"

Five spike trails shot toward Fujino, who gasped in shock at the sudden attack. "shit!" he yelled.

'System, add 10 points to AGI, NOW!' He pushed aside the system alert and the pain coursing through him. He leaped as high as he could, narrowly avoiding the massive spikes erupting from the ground.

In his desperate jumps, he lost his footing and landed on his back, quickly rolling away as more spikes surged toward him.

The onslaught of spikes intensified, coming at him faster and sharper than before. Insulting the demon was a mistake.

Fujino leaped and rolled back as additional spike trails shot outwards. He needed a plan, and fast. His boost in AGI was buying him some time, but he knew he couldn't keep this up forever.

He ducked under two rock spikes and rolled away from four more. Seeking cover, he dashed behind a tree as more spikes continued to stab at him. Gasping for breath, he sprinted away just as spikes erupted from his hiding spot.

'I'm going to lose at this rate, shit!' His eyes scanned the area, searching for anything that could help him get closer to Kyoujin. As he tilted his head to dodge, he spotted the remnants of the destroyed house. An idea sparked in his mind.

A smirk crossed his face as he dashed toward the rubble, dodging and weaving through the attacks. Soon, he found himself behind one of the remaining walls. Kyoujin, noticing the human near his devastated home, halted his attacks.

"What are you doing? You think you can just hide?" the demon shouted at him.

"Nah, just checking out my new property, seeing what's needs to be renovated and whatnot." he replied with a snarky tone, he then grinned "Since your house is gone, I'm sure you won't mind, right?"

This only fueled the demon's rage; first, this pesky demon slayer had destroyed his home, and now he was trying to take it! The audacity!

"Blood demon art: Seismic Spike Trail, Quintet!" Five spike trails launched toward the demon's old dwelling. Debris and dust erupted as the spikes scattered, obliterating everything in their path.

Kyoujin stood up, eager to kill the human and even tearing it apart with its bare hands if necessary.

"Over here!" Fujino called out. The demon glanced up just in time to see him plunging down, a pouch tightly held in his left hand while his right rested on top of it.

<—>

(Flashback)

Back at his campsite, Fujino spent about five minutes grinding wisteria leaves using a mortar and pestle. Once finished, he carefully placed the fine powder into a cloth and tied it securely with a string at the top.

'Observe'

[Wisteria "bomb"

Rarity: Uncommon

Powdered wisteria wrapped in cloth, designed as a weapon against demons. It slows a demon's regeneration and weakens it by 30%. Its effectiveness diminishes as the demon grows stronger.]

<—>

That was Fujino's secret weapon. He had crafted them a while back, and they truly changed the game. They were discreet, compact, lightweight, and simple to create. The only drawback was that he needed to get close to the demon to use and unwrap it manually.

The one he held was the very last one he had. One of the reasons he traveled to this town was to purchase some wisteria to create a new batch, but this demon situation had thrown him off course.

Fujino was being cautious for this reason. He didn't want to waste his final ace, so he needed to get as close as possible, and this distraction presented the perfect opportunity.

"Suck on this-"

[-180HP]

Fujino froze before the demon, blood gushing from his mouth as the pouch slipped from his fingers. He glanced down to find himself impaled on a spike spear.

[Impaled: -3 (HP/S)

limit: (N/A)]

'HOW?!' His mouth fell open as a silent scream of agony escaped him. He struggled to think or concentrate as a sharp pain radiated from his stomach. 

He had predicted some injury from his trick. He expected the demon to launch an attack from its hands like before, but it didn't. It didn't even place its hands on the ground. So how had it summoned those spikes?

He noticed the demon smirking.

The realization struck him. He had been played from the very beginning. He was led to believe one thing, only to discover the complete opposite.

The demon may be hideous, crazy even, but it's far from foolish.

"B-bastard," he stammered, attempting to free himself. The demon grasped his face, its thumb prying his mouth open, forcing him to meet its gaze.

"You said you would rather go blind than look at me, right? Right?!" the demon taunted. "Let me help you out."

Time seemed to slow down as the demon's claws, poised to blind him, moved in a slow, deliberate manner. In that moment, despair washed over Fujino like a tidal wave.

As the claws drew nearer, his mind drifted back to that fateful night by the river, where he had experienced the same crushing feeling.

Just as the claws were about to strike his eyes, memories of his past life flooded back—filled with pain, ridicule, and relentless abuse.

He recalled the despair he felt then, and it quickly transformed into something else.

Anger.

If he was going out, he'd rather do it fighting.

Fujino clamped down on the demon's finger with all his might. The demon hissed in frustration, struggling to free itself, but Fujino held on tight. In the chaos, the finger finally tore away from the demon's hand.

The force of the struggle caused Fujino's head to jerk back, and in a surprising twist, the severed finger slipped from his teeth and lodged itself in his throat.

"You demon slayers are always so insufferable!" the demon growled, its thumb rapidly regenerating.

Fujino kept his head down, silent.

"What, you kept running off your mouth, but now you've got nothing to say?" the demon was met with silence.

"Answer me!" silence.

The demon grew impatient and decided to end the human, swinging his hand back to crush his skull—

But suddenly, a hand shot up and seized his wrist with a grip like iron. Kyoujin was taken aback and attempted to strike with his other hand, only to have it caught as well.

"You..." Fujino began, lifting his head. His teeth sharpened, fangs elongated, and his nails transformed into claws. His face twisted with pure fury.

"really. pissed. me. OFF!" Each word escalated in volume until he screamed the last one. He headbutted the demon, squirmed and managed to free himself. Then, with a powerful kick to the stomach, Fujino sent Kyoujin flying, tearing through him and ripping off his arms in the process.

The entire sequence unfolded so quickly that Kyoujin barely had time to react. Fujino, too, was confused by the sudden surge of power, feeling himself on the brink of death just moments before, now flipping the situation entirely.

"Blood Demon Art: Stone Spire Onslaught!" With his hands now regenerated, Kyoujin unleashed a barrage of spikes toward Fujino. Calmly, he began to walk toward the incoming projectiles, catching and punching away any rocks that came his way.

Seeing its attacks failing, the demon resorted to its most powerful move.

"Blood demon art: Seismic Spike Trail, Quintet!" The spikes rushed toward Fujino, who immediately took off running. Just as they were about to enlarge pierce him, he leaped high into the air, soaring above everything around them. 

"Blood Demon Art: Stone Spire Onslaught!" Kyoujin, now desperate, launched as many spikes as he could, most missing Fujino entirely while others were easily shattered by him.

As he closed in on the demon, Fujino drew the Nichirin Katana from his Inventory. The demon's eyes widened in shock as he saw the blade approaching him.

"Stay back! Stay back! Stay back! Stay back!" he cried, raising his arms in a futile attempt to defend himself.

Summoning all his strength, Fujino swung the blade with everything he had, slicing through the demon's arms and head in one clean sweep.

As he landed, Fujino stood still, watching the head roll away. He silently watched as it began to disintegrate into dust, vanishing right before his eyes.

[9000XP earned.]

[Quest Completed!

—> Murder Mystery

In the quaint town of Obikawa, located close to Tokyo, residents are mysteriously disappearing. With the police unable to solve the case, it falls to you to take matters into your own hands.

Main Objective: completed

Reward: 7500 XP - 3 STR - 3 END - 3 DUR - 3 END (✓)]

[Objective updated: Prey to Hunter : (14/50)]

[You have leveled up: 15 —>19]

Name: Fujino Yuki

Level: 19 (1587/5000)

Race: Demon (10 min)

Health: 420 / 420 (+5.6/sec)

Stamina: 490 / 490 (+6.4/sec)

STR: 37 (55)

DUR: 31 (46)

END: 28 (42)

AGI: 33 (49)

INT: 10

CHA: 9

Attributes Points(AP): 8

[New skill has been added.

Swordsmanship (active) (LV 1/100): 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 0.25%.

Fujino kept an eye on his status, his grip tight on the sword. A smile crept across his face, filled with relief and joy. 'I did it... I really did it.' He had genuinely thought he about to die, and this encounter had come alarmingly close. He hoped it wouldn't happen again.

His moment of celebration was cut short when he took in his status, particularly his Race. 'I'm... a demon?!' His eyes widened in shock. When did that change occur? Everything after he was impaled felt like a blur.

Next, he checked his notifications and discovered he had acquired an Ability—the first since his reincarnation. He opened it to find...

[New Ability has been added.

Demonic Assimilation (Active) (LV 1/3): Due to your unique genetics, you can temporarily transform into a demon by consuming its flesh. This grants you all the associated benefits and weaknesses. Your physical attributes are enhanced by 1.5 times, health and stamina regneration increased by 100% and you gain limited shapeshifting abilities and heightened senses. The duration depends on the amount consumed, capped at 1 hour.]

Fujino's jaw dropped dropped to the floor, metaphorically and literally at this revelation. 'so this was that third option I choose... I'm glad I chose it.' 

He couldn't linger on it for long, though, as he heard hurried footsteps approaching. It was likely the townsfolk or the police coming to investigate.

Fujino quickly made himself scarce.

<—>

Taisho-era secrets!

The demolition of the old house and its surroundings created a stir in the small town. For a long time, rumors spread like wildfire, but only one humble street vendor knew the real story.

<—>

aaaaaannnnnnddddd we're done! This is the final chapter and best finale I could write for this arc. The next arc is where the canon story will start with our boy meeting the main cast . So stay tuned for more!

"And don't forget to thank me as well! I was the one who guided him so without me he'd be dead!"

Eeeeeeh? you can't just break the 4th wall so casually. Get out!

"Aww"