I'm an idiot. I'm fully aware of that, but sometimes I still manage to surprise myself. I literally acknowledged that I needed to stay on guard, and what did I do? Sat down in a corner to train like I was on some kind of spiritual retreat.
'Brilliant, Misogi! Truly the perfect profile of someone who needs to become a Hashira!' I mentally scolded myself and focused on my surroundings.
The strange smell that broke my concentration was coming from deeper inside the village.
I didn't need to see it to know what was happening.
It was pure luck he didn't come straight for me while I was sitting there with my eyes closed pretending to be a monk. But that doesn't change the fact that he was here.
"Shit…"
This was absolutely my fault.
My legs started moving before my self-criticism even finished. I rounded the corner of the warehouse, and the main street came into view.
The lanterns were still lit and the doors still open. One food stall had been overturned, and in the middle of the street…
An Oni with grayish skin and bulging veins, big teeth and claws for nails.
He was holding a man by the neck, lifting him off the ground. The man's legs kicked uselessly in the air.
The Oni tilted his head. "Hmm… you smell like fear."
He bit down and tore a chunk out of the man's arm with his teeth, chewing slowly. Blood splattered onto the ground as the man lost consciousness from the shock.
"Hey." My voice came out steadier than I expected, even while my stomach twisted. "What kind of nutritionist puts human meat on your diet plan? That's disgusting."
The Oni slowly turned his head, his eyes locking onto mine. He let the body drop, and it hit the ground like an empty sack.
His nose twitched as he sniffed the air like a dog, then he smiled. "Hmm? Another one? You don't smell like fear."
"Disappointed?" I asked, regulating my breathing.
I still sucked at it, but they say the best way to improve is in moments of greatest need. That pressure is what pushes you forward.
If not, why else would so many students wait until a few hours before the final exam to study an entire subject?
Because we're irresponsible? Of course not!
The Oni tilted his head again. "You're not screaming… not running… do you want to die?"
"Not particularly."
The Oni ignored my answer and moved, vanishing from my line of sight. He was fast, but the moment I caught his intent, my eyes tracked his movement.
When he reached me, my body threw itself to the side. His claw sliced through the air where my head had been a second earlier.
The wall behind me exploded into wooden splinters from the force of the strike.
'If that had hit me… I'd have lost half my face…'
He was strong, no doubt about it. But I could see his movements and react. That's half a step toward victory.
The Oni appeared in front of me again, clearly more interested now. "Heh… you're not bad."
He ran his tongue over his blood-stained teeth. "You with the Demon Slayer Corps?"
I cracked my neck as I straightened up. "Unfortunately… not yet."
His eyes trailed down my body, clearly noticing the absence of one very important item for a Demon Slayer.
His grin widened. "Ahhh… so you're just another human. A little stronger than the rest, but still just a normal human!"
He cracked his own neck, copying my gesture.
"Without a Nichirin, you don't stand a single chance, kid!"
I ignored the taunt and took a deep breath. "Total Concentration."
Air rushed in, my lungs expanding as heat spread through my body.
"You know," the Oni continued, licking the blood off the back of his hand, "strong humans taste the best."
He jerked his thumb toward the man behind him. "That one? Bland as hell. Fear alone doesn't make the meat that flavorful."
His eyes locked onto mine again. "You… you smell like good meat."
"What a weird compliment," I replied. My hands were sweating, but my legs weren't shaking.
He moved again, but this time I was ready. His shoulders shifted before he jumped. His foot pressed into the ground at a specific angle.
He was coming from the right. I moved left. His claw still grazed my shoulder.
I felt the heat of the cut before I saw the blood.
"Well? Does it hurt?" he mocked.
I rolled back to create distance and sprang to my feet.
The Oni kept smiling. "You—" he said, excited. "You can see my movements!"
'Of course I can. Who the hell does he think he is? Kokushibo?' I shot back internally, without taking my eyes off him.
He moved again, appearing right in front of me.
I was a split second too slow to dodge, so I raised my arms to block. He slammed into my forearm, but I held my guard firm. The Oni pressed in, sticking to my arms and driving a punch into my chest, knocking me flat onto the ground.
I gasped for air as I saw him leaning over me, his face just inches from mine. The smell of blood and rotting flesh was suffocating.
"Come on! That's it?!" he sneered. "You're not much of anything, kid!"
His claw sliced across my cheek.
"Without that damn sword… you humans are all trash!"
"Weren't you human once? Why are you bragging so much now?" I shot back, shoving his body away with force.
I rolled across the ground in full Dark Souls style and got back up before he could stomp on me.
"It's different now! I have power!" His eyes were shining. "I have everything I ever wanted!"
"What kind of messed-up wish is that? Sounds like your mom didn't raise you right!"
His body leaned forward, shifting into a more animalistic stance.
"You'd better start running, kid," he said, flashing a grin that was way too wide. "You might stand a chance that way. And I like to hunt."
I wiped the blood running down my cheek with the back of my hand. The pain was there, but my breathing was steady.
"You're way too cocky for someone who isn't even one of the Twelve Kizuki."
The Oni went quiet for a second, then laughed... but there was irritation in it now.
"Oh?" I mocked, tilting my head. "Did I hit a nerve?"
"You talk too much," he said, his voice dropping lower.
I exhaled and inhaled again, filling my lungs. My chest felt way too small for the amount of air I was forcing into it.
Even with my lack of skill, the Breathing was starting to click better now. My chest was burning, but my body was responding.
The problem was that I had no idea how to properly use this strength, but fuck it! This is as good a moment as any to learn!
"Your turn's over," I said, adjusting my stance. "Now it's mine."
He came from above, his claws slashing down like blades. I dove straight into the opening.
My fist slammed into his stomach, and the impact vibrated up my arm.
It was solid.
He let out a weird sound of pain and tried to grab my neck, but I slipped past by inches and drove my fist straight into the side of his face.
His head snapped to the side and a few teeth flew out along with dark blood. He slid back two meters before digging his feet into the ground.
The Oni looked at me and touched his own cheek. The bone was already regenerating, but he wasn't smiling anymore.
"You…!!"
He attacked again, more aggressively this time. His claws sliced through the air in a rapid sequence.
It was obvious now that he relied more on speed than brute strength. And from what I could tell, he didn't have any Kekkijutsu either.
'So I can cut loose and actually try my best, right?'
I dodged as much as I could, feeling the wind from his claws brushing past my face. One of them tore through my shirt and left a shallow cut along my ribs.
He almost forced me completely on the defensive, but I spotted an opening and drove my fist straight up into his chin.
His head snapped back with a crack, dark blood spraying out, and before the Oni could fully steady himself, I was already on him. The sound of punches started echoing down the street.
Every punch I threw made his skin split open and start regenerating at the same time.
That was obviously a problem. But his regeneration was nowhere near as ridiculous as one of the Upper Moons.
He grabbed my arm mid-punch. His fingers dug into my flesh.
He grinned, blood dripping from his mouth. "Got you!"
"Yeah?" I used my trapped arm as leverage and smashed my forehead straight into his nose.
The impact made my ears ring, but his nose caved in.
He let go, and before he could regain his balance, I kicked his chest with all the strength I could gather.
The Oni flew backward, crashing into an already wrecked stall, tearing through wood and fabric.
For a second, everything went silent. Then he started laughing, but it sounded more like some kind of unhinged growl.
He staggered out of the debris, his jaw still rebuilding itself, his nose snapping back into place with a wet sound.
"Why…?" he asked, his voice cracking between bursts of laughter. "Why are you still keeping up this bullshit?!"
He spread his arms, blood dripping down his fingers. "You don't have a Nichirin blade!"
His eyes were wide now, full of frustration. "You can't kill me!"
He stepped forward, face twisted. "It doesn't matter how strong you are! It doesn't matter how fast! Without a Nichirin… this can only end one way!"
He slammed a hand against his own chest. "You're going to die!"
I stood there, inhaling and exhaling. Then I took two steps forward, ignoring the pain in my arms.
"Is that why you were so confident before?"
He bared his teeth. "Of course it is! You're strong, human! Stronger than you should be! But it's useless!"
He pointed upward. "The night is mine! No matter how long this drags on, I won't even get tired! But it's different for you! Your strength only drags out your death!"
I glanced up at the sky too. It was still dark as hell. "You're right."
I raised my right hand and slowly clenched my fist. My knuckles were split open from all the punches I'd landed on him.
"I can't kill you."
He started smiling again, but I kept going. "But… why do you think that's a good thing for you?"
His smile faltered as I took another step closer. "As long as you're not decapitated by a Nichirin, you don't die?"
I raised my fist to face level. "You're wrong."
The wind swept down the empty street. Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed shut.
All things considered, this feels like a pretty good moment for a badass line!
"Until the sun comes up," I said, staring straight into his eyes, "I can keep breaking you."
I clenched my fist tighter. "How many times do you think you can regenerate?"
He didn't answer.
"Your body rebuilds itself. But that burns energy, right? So what's your limit?"
He growled, which only made me grin wider.
"I'm going to keep crushing you with my fists until sunrise," I said, tilting my head slightly.
"So be a great training partner for me, Oni."
His face twisted into something primal and furious. "Arrogant human!"
"What's wrong? Think it's unfair?" I asked, adjusting my stance and filling my lungs again. "You wanna cry?"