Demon Slayer: The Demon Hunter

Word count: 1564

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Fujino couldn't help but laugh as he sprinted, the confused expression on his face etched in his memory. He knew the boy would likely have questions about how he knew his name, and while it probably wasn't the best idea in retrospect, he shrugged it off without a care.

He had been running for a while now without encountering any demons to hunt. He was eager to complete the extra objectives and earn those additional rewards, especially the third one. The 10 extra points in CHA were something he really desired.

He was aware that socializing wasn't his strong suit; he had no friends and struggled to talk to girls. But having Xeno point it out had crushed whatever confidence he had left. So yes, he was really motivated to earn that reward.

'So I have to kill 15 demons while saving 5 participants, all within a week... Should be doable, there are 2 dozen participants, and those robots said this mountain is infested with them.'

It didn't take long for him to halt. Just like those moments back in the forest, the area felt eerily quiet, reminiscent of his first battle with that demon. The only difference now was that he could fight back.

"I know you're hiding, show yourself!" he called out, his gaze sweeping the trees for any sign of movement.

Then he noticed something moving along the treeline. Not wanting to be caught off guard like always, he sprinted toward it, surprising the demon and landing a solid punch to its jaw, sending it reeling.

"Man, you demons are so predictable," he remarked, watching as the demon struggled to rise. There was nothing particularly impressive about it, except for its shorter stature.

"You bastard! How the hell are you this strong?!" it exclaimed, pushing its jaw back into place. It was baffling to it; he was just a weak human with no weapons, yet its punch felt like it came from a demon, 

'Observe'

[ —> N/A

Name: Tano

Level: 16

Health: 293/320

Stamina: 295/300]

"I don't know, how about we find out?" he grinned, taking a fighting stance. The demon lunged at him, snarling fiercely.

The demon threw a left hook, which Fujino blocked effortlessly. He then kneed the demon in the stomach, causing it to double over, and followed up with a kick to it's mid-section that sent it back.

He quickly pursued it, meeting the demon head-on. He dodged an uppercut by tilting his head and retaliated with a left hook, followed by an uppercut and a kick, relishing the sound of bones cracking under his attacks.

Before long, a flurry of punches erupted as both Fujino and the demon exchanged rapid blows. It was clear that Fujino had the upper hand, dodging most of the attacks while absorbing a few. With a powerful swing, he landed a punch that completely crushed the demon's face, sending it crashing into a tree.

[ —> N/A

Name: Tano

Level: 16

Health: 83/320

Stamina: 240/300]

"Well that was disappointing. I expected more from you," he said, with disappointment in his tone. 

The demon gurgled a response that Fujino ignored as he drew his Nichirin Katana, ready to end the demon's life. But fate had other ideas as he jumped away from a swipe coming from behind.

Turning around, he spotted another demon, this one larger and more muscular than the first. 'Great, there's two now.' 

'Observe'

[ —> N/A

Name: Miyazaki

Level: 23

Health: 400/400

Stamina: 200/200]

He had never faced more than two demons at once, so he was uncertain how this would play out. Would they team up against him? Fortunately, he wouldn't have to ponder for long.

"Damn you!" Tano yelled, lunging at the second one. "Don't you dare steal my prey! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had human flesh?!" 

"Prey?! You have the audacity to call it prey when you can't even kill it! Get lost!" Miyazaki shouted, landing a punch on the shorter demon's face, continuing Fujino's work of turning it into a piece of modern art.

The short demon, of course, wouldn't let that slide and fought back. Before long, Fujino found herself watching a scuffle between the two demons, as they exchanged insults and went all out in their brawl.

Fujino sweat dropped at the display.

"You know what? How about we just share? There's no reason to act like fools while our food is right in front of us," Tano suggested as he broke free from the tussle.

Miyazaki thought it over before agreeing. "Fine, but I'm taking the top half, no complaints!" The other one grumbled but had no choice but to go along with it.

'What the hell? I knew guys could move past their issues quickly, but this takes the cake!'

Fujino shot both demons a smirk "The more, the merrier! Bring it on, demons!"

"Don't look down on us!"

Both demons charged at Fujino, attacking in unison. Tano leaped high into the air while Miyazaki threw a punch at him. He managed to slice the attacking hand with his blade while dodging the other demon's strike.

He aimed for Miyazaki's demon's neck, but Tano intervened, forcing him to defend against a flurry of attacks. Just then he had a chance, the larger demon overextended itself.

He quickly ducked and slashed upward, severing both arms at the elbows. He was about to go for the neck when a kick from the smaller demon hit him in the side, sending him away.

[-9 HP] 

'Damn, these fuckers may hate each other but work so well together.' It would be manageable if he were only up against one of them, even the stronger one.

The beefy demon was powerful but slow, while the smaller one was quick and agile. They complemented each other perfectly, even if they didn't realize it.

Because of this teamwork, He struggled to find an opening to finish off one without the other interfering. That became clear again when he spotted a chance to attack the Tano. He stepped on mud on the ground and lost it's footing. Just as he was about to strike, Miyazaki landed a punch to his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying.

[-40 HP] 

Fujino rolled on the ground, gasping for breath. 'D-damn, at this rate I'm going to lose.'

"Okay, I'll admit it, you guys are tougher than I expected," he said, slowly getting back on his feet, which only made the demons laugh at his pathetic state.

"Of course we are. You humans oughta know your place. I don't understand how you can fight us without those annoying breathing techniques, but in the end, you're still going to lose," Miyazaki taunted.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. That's why I've made my decision," he said, glancing at the blood on the blade. "I'm going to join your side!"

He licked the entire length of the sword, wiping off the demon blood. The taste was metallic and heavy, but he brushed it off, eager to see their reactions.

The demons were repulsed by his casual consumption of demon blood. "Huh? You think by eating that you can become one of us? Hey, brawn-for-brains, did you hit him too hard or something?" Tano scoffed, drawing a glare from Miyazaki.

Before another argument could break out, Fujino looked up at them, his skin pale, teeth sharp, and veins visible in his eyes. "You should have finished me off when you had the chance."

'He's a demon!' they thought, but before they could react, He suddenly appeared between them, sword gripped tightly in a reverse grip. He punched both of them in the stomach, sending the smaller one flying and leaving the larger one doubled over.

He seized the big demon by the jaw, forcing him to meet his gaze. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to eat me?" he said, tightening his grip and tearing the jaw from its socket before stomping on it.

Miyazaki could only watch in terror. Fujino then kicked him in the head, exposing the neck, and swiftly slashed, decapitating the demon, who slowly disintegrated into ash.

Tano, still reeling from the shock, stared in disbelief as Miyazaki disintegrated. He froze when Fujino's gaze met his. " Fuck this, I'm out of here!"

He turned and sprinted away as fast as he could. Confused about what had just happened or why a human had transformed into a demon, he knew he needed to flee. He had bitten off more than he could handle and figured he would just settle for some random weakling to—

His eyes widened in shock when Fujino suddenly appeared in front of him. "NO PLEA—" and in an instant, he was decapitated.

[7000XP earned.]

[5000XP earned.]

[Objective updated: Prey to Hunter: (16/50)]

[bonus Objective updated: Final selection: (2/15)]

[You have leveled up: 21 —>23]

[The following skills have leveled up:

Swordsmanship: 7 —> 9

Unarmed Martial Arts: 15 —> 16]

[Name: Fujino Yuki

Level: 23 (2727/6800)

Race: Demon (3 min)

Health: 480 / 480 (+6.4/sec)

Stamina: 540 / 540 (+7.2/sec)

STR: 42 (63)

DUR: 33 (50)

END: 32 (48)

AGI: 36 (54)

INT: 13

CHA: 17

Attributes Points (AP): 16]

'2 down, 13 to go... This isn't as simple as I expected' He sighed and turned to leave. The night was still young, which meant there were more demons to take down.

<—>

Taisho-era secrets!

These two demons are actually siblings! Tano and Miyazaki belong to the Katsu family. When they were younger, they often found themselves in brawls, which is why they excel at working together.

<—>

I won't lie, having 2v1 was way harder writing-wise than I originally thought. Especially when it comes to the teamwork and simultaneous attack aspects of things. So give me some feedback if I did an acceptable job or not.