The Multiverse Hunter

Fifteen minutes later, Ali stood gazing at the sky, watching as the first rays of sunrise slowly broke through the horizon. Behind him lay a truly gruesome scene-a body devoid of its limbs, with a head missing both eyes and ears, yet somehow still alive, slowly regenerating after the extreme torture it had endured.

'The demon said a lot of interesting things. As I suspected, I'm in historical Japan, near a small village far from the capital. He called himself a demon, with an insatiable craving for human flesh. Apparently, nothing can kill these demons except the blade of a demon hunter or exposure to sunlight. He couldn't remember anything before becoming a demon-just that he woke up one day near this village and began hunting the humans living there. Apparently yesterday he heard a rumour that a demon slayer was coming for him. The poor guy he devoured right in front of me figured out he was a demon and tried to warn the demon hunter. That's when this creature chased him here, and that's where I came in.'

Ali felt a slight burn on his right forearm.

He rolled up his sleeve to see that the tattoo Veska had given him had changed. The once empty rectangle was now partially filled with a tiny sliver of red, like a dying phone battery.

Before he could ponder its meaning, he heard light, almost imperceptible footsteps approaching from the direction of the village.

Ali turned to face the sound, waiting until he saw a beautiful woman with black and purple hair and light purple eyes. She wore a pinkish-white haori over a purple bodysuit, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword as she gazed straight at him.

'He's really handsome,' was the first thought that crossed the mind of the Insect Hashira, Shinobu Kocho, as she looked up at the tall, imposing figure of Ali, who returned her gaze with cold eyes and a neutral expression.

'She's beautiful, but dangerous' was Ali's first thought upon seeing the sword-wielding woman. His experience had given him a sort of sixth sense, allowing him to gauge the strength of others based on their aura. He was ready for a fight, knowing from the demon just how formidable demon slayers could be.

"Hello, gorgeous. My name's Ali. What's yours?" Ali asked, remaining still as the tension in the air was too thick for him to make any sudden moves.

Shinobu was surprised at how fluently the foreigner spoke their language-yes, the demon had informed Ali that English was the language of Japan in this world.

Instead of answering immediately, Shinobu tilted her head to look past Ali, her eyes landing on the two gruesome scenes behind him-the dead human and the barely moving demon impaled on the tree. Seeing this, the Hashira tightened her grip on her sword and focused her attention on Ali, sensing the danger emanating from him.

The tense standoff continued in silence for a minute, until the first rays of sunlight hit Ali's face, enhancing his already striking features as he looked up at the warm glow and squinted his eyes.

'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'

Ali turned to see the demon writhing in agony as the sun's light began to burn it to ash.

"My name is Shinobu Kocho. I am a demon hunter, the Insect Hashira."

"Would you happen to know where we are? I've been lost in this forest for a while until I saw that demon over there eating a guy with his intestines hanging out. It lunged at me, and I had to stop it somehow since it wouldn't die no matter what I did. So, I just hung it up on that tree," Ali explained.

Shinobu approached Ali, looking up at him before saying, "Well, it doesn't seem like you had much trouble handling a demon with your bare hands—not even a scratch."

She noted his clean attire with a hint of suspicion.

Ali gave her a small smile before replying, "I can take care of myself, especially against a weakling like him. But if you keep looking at me like that, I might get the wrong idea."

With that, Ali leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer to hers, making Shinobu blush and take a step back.

"HASHIRA-SAMA!" Both Ali and Shinobu turned toward the voice of a man shouting at the top of his lungs. A man wearing a full black uniform similar to Shinobu's, with a hood covering his face, came running up to them. He stopped in front of Shinobu, panting heavily, before reporting,

"HASHIRA-SAMA, there's another one! We found another demon!"

"Another demon? Where?" Shinobu asked, her tone sharp.

"In the village! Another demon emerged and killed two people while trying to flee, but the sun came up, and now it's hiding inside a warehouse. It has nowhere to go."

"I'll handle it. You escort Ali here to the village."

"Yes, HASHIRA-SAMA."

Shinobu disappeared in a flash, racing towards the village to deal with the demon.

The Kakushi turned to speak to Ali, only to find that he had vanished. The man looked around, bewildered, but saw no sign of him.

Ali was already running, trying to catch up with Shinobu. 'Damn, she's fast. I'm going to have to speed up if I want to see how a demon hunter works!

As he ran, Ali's thighs bulged with muscle, and he surged forward with explosive speed, leaving small craters with each step. He zipped through the forest, eventually spotting the outlines of a village. He sped through the empty streets, following the sound of voices until he reached a large wooden warehouse at the edge of the village.

The villagers had surrounded the building, whispering anxiously about the demon inside.

The villagers fell silent as a towering, handsome foreigner with an aura of authority leaped over them, landing at the open door of the warehouse. There, Ali saw Shinobu standing inside, her blade drawn and dripping with blood. Opposite her stood a demon, its arms missing, its stumps oozing with blood. The demon raised its mutilated limbs and screamed, before suddenly extending the bones in a desperate attempt to impale Shinobu.

"Insect Breathing, First Form: Dance of the Butterfly."

With flawless precision, Shinobu breathed in and slashed horizontally across the demon's neck, beheading it in one swift motion.

She was so fast that the demon's attack didn't even come close to reaching her.

Ali watched in amazement, taking in every detail of the fight, all while ignoring the burning sensation from his tattoo.

'Precision, technique, and breathing from Shinobu, magic from the demon,' Ali concluded as he analysed the encounter.

"Ali, where is your escort?" Shinobu asked, sheathing her sword and approaching him, her gaze meeting his as he stood in the doorway, his V-shaped, muscular frame blocking the entrance.

"I left him behind. I wanted to see how you take care of a demon-it was beautiful," Ali praised Shinobu, he was genuinely impressed.

Shinobu smiled at the compliment, looking up at him with a curious expression.

"Ali, would you like to join the Demon Slayer Corps?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of invitation.

Five extra chapters on patreon.com/Rondo312