What is Strength? X - The Battle of Nen Users

In Roy's impression, demons were no more terrifying than humans; on the contrary... humans could sometimes be more vicious than demons.

But the demons in the Demon Slayer world were different. They were tangible monsters, their existence tethered to the Demon King—Kibutsuji Muzan.

Relying on the enhancement of demon blood, their physical bodies were incredibly powerful, far surpassing that of ordinary humans.

Yet, much like a Vow and Restriction, great power often came at the cost of "limitations."

Demons were not without their weaknesses.

First, their life and death were entirely in the hands of the Demon King, decided by a single thought.

Second, they feared sunlight and would die if exposed to it, which was why they usually emerged at night. This was the very reason for the tragedy at the start of Demon Slayer: Saburo had insisted that Tanjiro stay the night, which ultimately led to his entire family being slaughtered, save for Nezuko.

Third, demons craved blood and had to feed on humans. Prolonged hunger would weaken their strength, but they would recover rapidly once they replenished themselves.

As for the demon before him, it was unfortunate—or rather, fortunate—that it was a demon in its prime, one that had been starving but had just finished a meal of flesh!

"It's clearly still daytime..." Roy couldn't help but sigh at how "good" his luck was.

Thick clouds happened to be blocking the sun, which was likely why this demon dared to brave the wind and snow to attack the woodcutter.

"Nii-san... what is that?" Tanjiro grabbed Roy's hem, trembling.

"Didn't you say it yourself... a demon."

"A demon! There really is a demon! Then... we have to run!"

"Run? Where would we run? Do you want to lead it back home?" Roy swung his right hand, hoisting his hoe onto his shoulder, and strode toward the evil demon.

"I..." Tanjiro's body, which had just turned to flee, froze as he looked back.

His Nii-san threw a single sentence over his shoulder without looking back: "Stay put."

In an instant, stepping into Shadow Step, he leaped forward repeatedly, transforming into a gust of wind that swept up countless snowflakes as he charged straight ahead.

Three hundred meters was a distance neither long nor short.

It was enough for the evil demon to notice something amiss.

It dropped the corpse that had already been half-devoured, glared with blood-red eyes, and bared a mouth full of sharp fangs:

"Heh-heh-heh... just in time!"

"This woodcutter's meat is too stringy; it doesn't taste good."

"Just right to add some grease to the meal with you two little ones."

The evil demon was ecstatic. Instead of retreating, it advanced, stomping one foot into the ground and leaving a crater in the snow.

Following that, it launched itself like a cannonball, charging directly toward the oncoming Roy.

It extended claws sharper than blades in mid-air, aiming a strike straight at Roy's head!

The speed was so fast it drew a scream of alarm from Tanjiro!

"Nii-san, watch out!"

Whoosh~ The fierce wind grazed past Roy's neck...

At the critical moment, Roy's figure flickered. In mid-air, he used Rhythm Echo to change his trajectory, leaving behind a trail of afterimages as he circled around to the demon's lower back, raised his hoe, and delivered a heavy, powerful blow!

Thud— It was as if the demon's kidney had been scooped right out!

The evil demon felt the pain, rolled on the ground, and quickly put distance between itself and Roy.

It didn't understand how a human could perform movements that defied the laws of nature. As it stood up again, it had already used the demon blood within its body to heal its flesh.

Crouched behind a tree, Tanjiro was closely monitoring the situation on the field. When he poked his head out and saw this scene, he was completely stunned!

It could recover even after being injured; how was one supposed to fight this?

But Roy seemed not to notice this point. He held the hoe in one hand, spun it in a flourish, and wore a smile on his lips; if anything, he was becoming even more excited.

[Notification: Host combat experience +1]
[Current Level: Combat: lv2 (16/100)]
[Note: Excess combat experience can be randomly allocated to the application techniques mastered by the host.]
[For example: "Shadow Step", "Rhythm Echo", "Snake Awakening"...]

In that case... is this a demon? This is clearly a walking experience pack!

Roy's eyes brightened as he gained another layer of understanding regarding his Nen ability...

What does it mean to absorb nutrients? Beyond study, combat is also a part of absorbing nutrients.

"So the question is, should I kill it quickly, or kill it slowly?"

Roy already had his answer. He pointed his hoe from afar... The evil demon, ten meters away, saw his provocation and inexplicably shivered. It didn't know why it had suddenly developed an emotion called fear, and it became furious out of embarrassment!

It hated that Sato Takeichiro had never feared anyone while alive—he had even dared to kill samurai from great clans. Now, having been transformed into a demon, he was being pointed at by a little kid with a hoe... If that Lord were to find out, he would surely be mercilessly exterminated.

Mocked for being inferior to even a child.

"Heh-heh-heh... I've really been looked down upon." Sato Takeichiro sneered, flexing his ankles.

The previous probing had made him realize that his opponent was not only fast but also possessed a bizarre movement technique. Since that was the case... to break the deadlock, he had to be faster and more elusive than the other party to secure final victory.

As it happened—Sato Takeichiro's greatest strengths were "speed" and "unpredictability"!

"Blood Demon Art—Bullet Kill!" Sato Takeichiro changed... the soles of his feet bent into an eerie arc, and with a casual tap on the snow, he launched into the air as if he had springs installed beneath him!

Next, Tanjiro witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life!

Countless figures of the demon appeared throughout the forest...

These figures used the trees as springboards, each launch trailing a gust of blood-scented wind!

In the end, it was so fast that no matter how hard Tanjiro rubbed his eyes, he couldn't tell which one was the real body!

He could only clench his fists, anxious on Roy's behalf...

"Oh no, Nii-san... he knows the Clone Technique just like you!"

No... it was different...

With his eyes coated in a layer of "Nen," Roy had directly unleashed [Gyo], allowing him to see much more clearly than Tanjiro...

The opponent was using the reaction force of the "springs" under his feet against the snow and trees to create these phantoms, so he was truly fast!

In contrast, "Rhythm Echo" utilized the blind spots of human vision, focusing on confusing the opponent... but in terms of raw speed, it was far inferior to the other party.

However, what Sato Takeichiro could never have imagined was that he was not facing some martial artist who knew a little bit of technique and was only capable of self-satisfaction, but rather—

A Nen user who had truly opened their "Aura Nodes"!

And what was a "Nen user"?

With just [Gyo], one could capture the aura on an opponent... with just [Ten], one could focus their mind and remain calm... with just [Hatsu], one could release aura, either forming Nen bullets to attack the opponent or coating objects to enhance the strength of their strikes...

Therefore...

"My foolish little brother, let your elder brother teach you a proper lesson!"

Roy held his breath and focused his energy, raising his hoe!

He said calmly, "Watch closely, Tanjiro..."

"Only true strength will never deceive your eyes."

With that, he swung the hoe down...