Demon Slayers: Swordsman
Chapter 6 - Demon Slaying
A week passed as Ren followed Itachi and started doing missions. His first mission was a standard investigation mission.
After searching and doing some research, Ren found out it was just a false alarm. After that, he was sent to near Asakusa, to a small village.
"Caw! Caw! The Demon should be ahead!"
Itachi flew in the sky. Ren was running behind him.
Ren drew Akatsuki and ran towards an injured Slayer.
"Hey, you alive?"
The injured boy, nearly fifteen or sixteen, looked up.
"Cough! He-help... the Dem-demon..."
He coughed blood and pointed towards the forest.
Ren laid him down.
"Leave the Demon to me. Just rest. You will be fine."
He dashed forward, shouting,
"Itachi, call Kakushi members! I will find the Demon on my own."
After saying that, Ren ran into the forest.
Itachi, already accustomed to doing so, flew away, calling the Kakushi members.
Inside the forest, a boy with an average build was clutching his sword shakily, looking around with absolute horror.
Around him, a Demon was running around through the trees. Every sound made the Slayer react with fear, which made the Demon amused.
He was not hunting but playing with the Slayer.
"Ekkk!"
The Slayer swung his sword at empty air. His eyes were flowing with tears.
"Kekekekek! Come on! It's no fun if you just stand there and cry. Run more! I was having so much fun, you know!"
A low demonic voice came from the woods as a Demon with sharp claws and a long tongue walked out from between the trees.
"Waaaa!"
The Slayer fell on his back, shaking as he looked at the hideous Demon.
"Ahhh! Subarashii! Scream more, more! It's so good hearing those screams!"
The Demon's face flushed as he said that and walked toward the Slayer.
The Slayer, finally having enough, rolled his eyes and fainted.
"Hmm... what a waste. He just fainted."
The Demon muttered and turned around, completely alert.
"This...?"
"What is this feeling?"
He looked around.
"A strong one is nearby!"
He muttered as he finally saw Ren.
Ren looked at the Demon and the passed-out Slayer.
'Was I too late? But I can't smell blood. He might be alive.'
He thought.
"Ohh... another toy—"
Ren attacked without any hesitation. A Slayer's life was at risk; there was no time to play around.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance (Enbu)!"
A vertical downward slash was already at the Demon's neck.
In the last second, the Demon saw his death.
'What is that? A sword? Am I going to die?'
CLANK!
Ren jumped back as he heard the metallic sound of his sword clashing against the Demon's neck—or at least what should have been its neck.
"Nails, huh?"
Ren muttered.
The Demon's neck was covered in metallic nails.
Ren lowered his sword.
"A Demon with a Blood Demon Art, huh?"
His lips turned upward in a smile.
"Don't disappoint me, you pathetic shit of a Demon."
Ren said and dashed in.
In a single-point thrust—
"Sun Breathing, Eighth Form: Sunflower Thrust!"
"Blood Demon Art: Nails Claw!"
The Demon attacked with his claws.
SHING!
But Akatsuki pierced through.
Ren didn't stop and followed with—
"Sun Breathing, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!"
A 360° slash that decapitated the Demon ended its life as its head started turning to ash mid-air.
Fwoosh...
"Another kill secured. Now I'm one step closer to the Hashira title."
Ren said as he sheathed Akatsuki.
Click.
Then he turned toward the unconscious Slayer and went to check on him.
"Hey, yo—"
"KYAAAA!"
The Slayer screamed in fright.
He had been pretending to be unconscious.
Ren blinked.
He had been training, so he had stopped using the Transparent World and everything else. He genuinely thought the guy was dead or unconscious.
"Hey, calm down. I'm a Slayer too—"
He then explained that he had killed the Demon and learned that the name of the Slayer was Sora, along with his story, which he definitely hadn't asked for.
But after hearing it, he could only say—
"You know, you should stop being a Slayer. With your personality, you will just end up as a meal for a Demon."
Ren said as he looked at Sora.
Sora, listening to him, had chills running down his spine.
He looked everywhere as if searching for any kind of Demon.
"Please... Lo-Lord Ren, don't say that."
His eyes moistened.
Ren's mouth twitched.
"Look, man, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but you can't even fight properly, man."
Ren said, looking at Sora, who was hiding behind him.
"B-but I... I wanna kill Demons and avenge my parents."
Sora muttered.
Ren looked at him and dragged him in front of himself.
"Look, man. I'm different from you all. I don't lose my friends to Demons like some of you. So I don't really understand how you feel, but you need to understand you are not meant to be a Slayer. Not with your cowardly personality."
"I'm not telling you to quit the Slayers entirely. I'm saying you are not fit to be a swordsman. If you really wanna do something, become a Kakushi member or help in the Butterfly Mansion that the Flower Hashira had started."
Sora sighed.
"I'm a bother, aren't I?"
Ren nodded, saying decisively with a straight face,
"You are a disappointment to all swordsmen."
"Waaaa! How can you say that? When you saved my life, you were like my hero—"
Ren kicked Sora away in disgust.
"Tsk! Can you stop being so clingy?! I like girls, so stay away from me! And next time you cling to my clothes with that face covered in snot, I will chop your head off."
Ren said with irritation.
He really didn't know what kind of crime he had committed to meet Sora in this life.
Just then, he spotted Itachi flying with Kakushi members following behind.
The Kakushi bowed upon seeing Ren.
"Lord Ren!"
Ren waved.
"The Demon is dead."
"Thank you for your help, Lord Ren."
A Kakushi thanked him and started the cleanup.
Well, there wasn't much to do. They just had to search for any more injured Slayers.
Ren, meanwhile, turned toward Itachi.
"Say, Itachi. It will be dawn soon. You know any good place for breakfast? I'm starving."
The raven nodded and flew off.
"Well, you guys complete the work and go eat something. Don't stay hungry."
The Kakushi waved as Ren ran off with Itachi.
"Ren-sama is really something. He takes care of Demons like a Hashira."
"Yeah, whenever he moves, there is no damage."
"Well, he is the one personally recruited by the Water Hashira, after all."
"Tsk, I even heard he fought the Water Hashira to a tie."
"What?!"
The Kakushi continued their work while gossiping.