Demons, in Roy's mind, weren't more frightening than people. On the contrary... sometimes people could be even crueler than demons.
But the demons in the Demon Slayer world were different. They were monsters with physical bodies, bound to the existence of the Demon King—Kibutsuji Muzan.
Strengthened by Muzan's blood, their bodies were incredibly powerful, far beyond those of ordinary people.
But, just like a Vow and Restriction, great power often came at the cost of limitations.
Demons weren't without weaknesses, either.
First, their life and death were entirely in the Demon King's hands.
Second, they feared sunlight. They would die if exposed to it, so they usually came out at night. That was why, at the start of Demon Slayer, Saburo's grandfather had insisted that Tanjiro stay the night, which ultimately led to the tragedy in which the whole family was killed, except for Nezuko.
Third, demons craved blood and had to feed on humans. Going hungry for a long time weakened them, but they recovered quickly once they fed.
And the demon before them was unlucky enough to be a ravenous demon who had just enjoyed a fresh meal of human flesh—at the height of his strength!
"It's still daytime..." Roy couldn't help marveling at his "good" luck.
A thick layer of clouds had happened to block the sun. That was probably why the demon had dared to attack the woodcutter in the middle of a snowstorm.
"Nii-san... what's that?" Tanjiro clutched Roy's clothes, trembling.
"Didn't you say it yourself? It's a demon."
"A demon! There really are demons! Then we have to... run!"
"Run? Where to? Are you going to lead it straight to our house?" Roy swung his right arm and hoisted the hoe onto his shoulder, then strode toward the Demon.
"I..." Tanjiro froze halfway through turning around and looked back.
His Nii-san tossed him a single word without looking back: "Stay."
In an instant, Roy used Shadow Step. After several consecutive leaps, he became a gust of wind, carrying countless flakes of snow as he charged straight at the demon.
Three hundred meters wasn't a particularly long distance, but neither was it short.
It was more than enough for the Demon to sense something was wrong.
He abandoned the corpse he had already eaten most of, then glared over with blood-red eyes. Grinning, he bared a mouthful of razor-sharp fangs.
"Grrr ha ha ha... Just in time!"
"That woodcutter's meat was too tough. Didn't taste good."
"I'll just have you two little ones to fill me up."
Overjoyed, the Demon charged forward instead of retreating. He stamped down with one foot, leaving a crater in the snow.
Then he shot toward the oncoming Roy like a cannonball.
His claw, sharper than a blade, lashed out at Roy from above!
The attack was so fast that Tanjiro cried out in alarm!
"Nii-san, watch out!"
Whoosh! A gust of wind skimmed past Roy's neck...
At the crucial moment, Roy's figure flickered. In midair, he used Rhythm Echo to change direction, leaving a string of afterimages as he circled behind the Demon and swung the hoe with a heavy blow!
Thud! It was as if someone had scooped his kidneys right out!
The Demon cried out in pain, rolled across the ground, and quickly put some distance between himself and Roy.
He couldn't understand how a human could move in a way that defied the laws of nature. By the time he got back to his feet, the demon blood inside him had already restored his body.
Hiding behind a tree, Tanjiro watched the battle closely. When he poked his head out and saw what had happened, he was completely stunned!
He could recover even after being wounded. How were they supposed to fight that?
But Roy seemed not to have noticed. He twirled the hoe in one hand like a sword, a smile on his lips, and looked even more excited.
[Notice: Host's combat experience +1] [Current level: Combat: lv2 (16/100)] [Note: Any extra combat experience can be randomly assigned to the applied techniques the host has mastered] [For example, "Shadow Step," "Rhythm Echo," "Snake Awakening"...]
So... was this a demon? It was obviously a walking experience pack!
Roy's eyes lit up. He had gained a deeper understanding of his Nen Ability...
What did it mean to absorb nourishment? Learning wasn't the only way. Fighting was part of absorbing nourishment, too.
"So, here's the question: should I kill him quickly, or take my time?"
Roy already had his answer. He pointed the hoe at the Demon from a distance... The Demon, ten meters away, felt strangely intimidated by the taunt and shivered for no reason. He had no idea why he'd suddenly felt something called fear, and flew into a rage on the spot!
The accursed Sato Takeichiro had never feared anyone in life. He'd even dared to kill a samurai from a great clan. Now, after being turned into a demon, he was being pointed at with a hoe by a little kid... If that lord found out, he would surely kill him without mercy.
He would mock him for being worse than a child.
"Grrr ha ha ha... Looks like I'm being underestimated." Sato Takeichiro sneered and rolled his ankles.
His probing attack had already shown him that his opponent was not only fast but also had a strange technique for moving. If that was the case... the only way to break the deadlock was to be faster and more unpredictable than his opponent, and seize the victory.
As it happened, Sato Takeichiro excelled at being "fast" and "impossible to pin down"!
"Blood Demon Art: Bullet Kill!" Sato Takeichiro changed... The soles of his feet bent into bizarre arcs. He tapped them against the snow, and sprang into the air as if he had springs attached to his feet!
Then Tanjiro saw a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life!
Countless figures of the Demon appeared among the trees...
Using the trees as stepping stones, each leap brought with it a gust of bloody wind!
By the end, Tanjiro was rubbing his eyes as hard as he could, yet he still couldn't tell which one was the real Demon!
All he could do was clench his fists and worry for Roy...
"Oh no, Nii-san... He can use the Clone Technique just like you!"
No... It wasn't the same...
With a layer of Nen over his eyes, Roy directly used Gyo, so he could see more clearly than Tanjiro...
The afterimages came from the recoil of the "springs" beneath the Demon's feet against the snow and trees. So he really was fast!
Rhythm Echo, on the other hand, used the blind spots in a person's field of vision and focused on confusing the opponent... but it was nowhere near as fast.
However, what Sato Takeichiro could never have imagined was that he wasn't facing a martial artist who knew a little about the Martial Way and was smug about it, but a—
True Nen user who had opened his Aura Nodes!
And what was a "Nen user"?
With Gyo alone, you could detect your opponent's aura... with Ten alone, you could focus your mind and stay calm... with Hatsu alone, you could release aura, either forming a Nen Bullet to attack your opponent or attaching it to an object to strengthen your blows...
So...
"My foolish little brother, let your big brother teach you a proper lesson!"
Roy held his breath, focused his mind, and raised the hoe!
He said calmly, "Watch closely, Tanjiro..."
"Only strength won't deceive your eyes."
With that, he swung the hoe down...
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