[HxH] Ch 9: A Demon

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To Roy, demons weren't particularly frightening. People, at times, could be far crueler than any monster.

But the demons in the world of Demon Slayer were different. They weren't illusions or folklore—they were flesh-and-blood creatures bound to the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji.

Empowered by his blood, their bodies became monstrously strong, far beyond anything a human could match.

Yet like all contracts and restrictions, that power came with weaknesses.

First, their lives were chained to Muzan's will.

Second, they feared sunlight. Step into daylight and they'd burn to ash, which was why they only prowled at night. That was why old man Saburo insisted Tanjiro stay over that fateful evening—the decision that spared him while the rest of his family was slaughtered, Nezuko alone surviving as something in between.

Third, demons were slaves to hunger. They had to consume human flesh. Starvation would weaken them, but once they fed, their strength came roaring back.

The one before Roy was the worst possible scenario: a starving demon who had just gorged on fresh blood and now stood at full strength.

'Middle of the day, too...' Roy sighed at his luck. 'Just perfect.'

Thick storm clouds had blotted out the sun—that was why the demon had dared to attack the woodcutters despite the hour.

"Nii-san... what is that?" Tanjiro's small hands clutched the hem of Roy's clothes, trembling.

"A demon."

"D-Demon?! It's real??! Then we have to—run!"

"Run? Where to? Back home, so it can follow us straight to the family?" Roy swung the hoe onto his shoulder and strode toward the monster.

"I..." Tanjiro froze, half-turned to flee.

Without even looking back, Roy tossed him a single word: "Stay."

Then he vanished into motion. His body blurred through the snow in a rapid series of leaps, like a gust of wind scattering flurries as he charged.

They were three hundred meters away from the demon—neither long nor short.

Plenty of distance for the demon to notice. So it tossed aside the half-devoured corpse, blood-red eyes locking onto Roy. Its mouth split into a grin of fangs.

"Gyehahaha... just in time! That lumberjack's meat was too stringy. But kids' meat? My favourite."

Laughing wildly, the demon stomped down, blasting a crater in the snow, then shot forward like a cannonball.

In midair its claws gleamed sharper than steel, slashing down toward Roy's skull.

The speed wrung a shout from Tanjiro.

"Nii-san, look out!"

The wind hissed past Roy's throat—

At the last instant, his body blurred sideways. Using Rhythm Echo midair, he twisted, leaving an afterimage in the snowstorm. He reappeared at the demon's side, hoe already raised, and swung with crushing force.

CRACK!

It sounded like someone had scooped out the demon's kidney.

Howling in pain, the monster rolled across the snow, forcing space between them.

It stared in disbelief. How could a mere human move in ways that spat in the face of natural law? Yet already its shredded flesh was knitting back together.

From behind a tree, Tanjiro peeked out. His eyes went wide.

"It... it's healing?!" His voice trembled. "Then how can you even—"

But Roy didn't look fazed. He spun the hoe in one hand, grin widening. If anything, he seemed more excited.

[Combat Experience +1]

[Current Level: Lv2 (16/100)]

[Note: Surplus combat experience may be allocated to learned techniques: e.g., Silent Gaits, Joint Control, Rhythm Echo, Snake Awakens...]

Roy's eyes lit up. So this wasn't just a demon—it was a walking sack of XP.

For the first time, he understood a little more about his Nen.

What did it mean to draw nourishment? Not just study. Battle itself was another form of nourishment.

'So the real question is... do I kill him fast, or do I kill him slow?'

Roy already knew his answer. He leveled the hoe at the demon, challenging it openly.

Ten meters away, the creature shuddered, struck by an unfamiliar sensation. Fear. It roared to smother it.

Damn it. In life, he, Takeichiro Sato, had never feared anyone. He had slain many samurai and nobles. Now, as a demon, was he supposed to cower before a brat with a farm tool? If that ever reached Muzan's ears, he'd be killed outright, mocked as weaker than a child.

"Gyehahaha... you really are underestimating me." Takeichiro snarled, flexing his ankles. He already knew—his opponent was fast, and his movements unnatural. To break the deadlock, he'd have to go faster. More erratic. Only speed would give him victory.

And that, Takeichiro prided himself, was what he did best.

"Blood Demon Art—Spring Strike!"

His feet bent into unnatural arcs, soles curling like coiled steel. He tapped the snow, and his body shot upward as if launched by springs.

Tanjiro's jaw dropped.

From the trees, dozens of demonic afterimages exploded into view.

Each one bounced off trunks and branches, ricocheting through the forest, every leap stirring a bloody wind.

The speed was so overwhelming Tanjiro rubbed his eyes raw and still couldn't tell which was real.

"Nii-san... oh no, he can clone himself too!"

Nope.

Roy's gaze sharpened, his eyes sheathed in aura. With Gyo, he saw it clearly.

The demon's "clones" weren't real—just illusions created by the insane speed of his spring-like footwork, each rebound off snow and bark multiplying his shadows.

Fast, yes. But not unseeable.

Roy's Rhythm Echo relied on human blind spots to deceive. In pure speed, it couldn't match this. But Takeichiro had no idea who he was really facing.

Not a smug martial artist content with a few tricks. A true Nen user, one who had opened his aura nodes.

And what was a Nen user?

With Gyo, you saw through the opponent's aura. With Ten, you locked down your focus, sharpened your mind. With Ren, you poured out aura, strengthening strikes, hardening weapons, or firing off projectiles.

So then—

'My foolish little brother... let me give you a proper lesson.'

Roy drew a steady breath. The hoe came up, gripped firm in his hands.

"Watch closely, Tanjiro," he said calmly. "Strength is the only thing that never lies to your eyes."

Then he swung.

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