From bottom to top, a circular, flame-shaped slash flew out.
BOOM!
The burning slash tore through the backpack, igniting the objects inside. What Si Shu had packed within were bottles of oil.
Oil fed the fire, and fire fed on the oil. In an instant, all the vines were engulfed in roaring flames.
"AAAAAHHH! It burns!"
The Tree Spirit Demon seemed to be one with the vines, as it could apparently feel the agony of the fire. Its gaunt hands thrashed wildly at its upper body, trying to beat out the flames. However, all the demon managed to rip away were the burning vines themselves.
A perfect chance!
Seeing that his strategy had succeeded, Si Shu didn't hesitate, once again launching a fierce attack. As the saying goes, you strike them while they're down.
His charging body dipped low as he scooped up a handful of dirt from the ground.
Seeing Si Shu rushing toward it, the pained Tree Spirit Demon forced itself to focus. With a wave of its right hand, a few branches that weren't completely scorched flew out, stabbing forward.
Sun Breathing, Third Form: Raging Sun!
Using Sun Breathing once again, Si Shu unleashed a horizontal, fiery red slash. As one of the ranged attacks in the Sun Breathing style, Raging Sun's destructive power was considerable. The moment it made contact, it completely obliterated the incoming branches.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Seeing that its final attack was useless, the Tree Spirit Demon's withered face became even more grotesque.
"If that's the case, then you'll all die with me!"
Realizing its death was now certain, the demon turned its attention to the remaining Demon Slayer Corps members. That little kid seemed to know them. If they died, it would surely cause him at least a little bit of grief.
If I'm going to die, I'm taking someone with me!
A final, desperate urge to fight surged within it. The Tree Spirit Demon let out a great roar.
"SEVER!"
With a loud CRACK, like the sound of a tree splitting apart, it forcibly detached its entire upper body from the trunk!
"I'll bite you to death!"
Its bloody maw opened wide, emitting a nauseatingly foul stench. The one-armed slayer who had answered Si Shu's questions earlier turned pale as he saw the demon throw its life away to lunge at him.
It's over. I'm going to die. Is this... where my life ends?
I'm sorry, Hanaori. It looks like your big brother is going to break his promise.
A feeling of despair washed over his entire body, and the one-armed slayer subconsciously closed his eyes. However, the excruciating pain he expected never came.
...Huh?
Trembling, he opened his eyes, and they instantly went wide. The Tree Spirit Demon that had been screaming about killing him was now in two pieces, its severed head lying a short distance away. Its eyes were nearly bulging from their sockets, filled with an expression of utter disbelief.
"Am I... already dead?"
With this final, confused thought, the Tree Spirit Demon's head slowly disintegrated, eventually turning into black ash that scattered in the wind.
"Shit! I used too much force."
Realizing what he'd done, Si Shu was annoyed. He hadn't known the creature would be so fragile.
"This is a pain. I was planning to capture it alive and interrogate it."
The Demon Slayer who had just been saved from the brink of death heard this and had a complicated expression on his face. They had exhausted all their strength just to fend off the demon's attacks, yet this boy had been planning to capture it alive. The comparison was infuriating.
After he had slain the Tree Spirit Demon, the system's voice sounded in Si Shu's mind.
[Congratulations, Host. Mission complete.] [Distributing rewards...] [Factoring in Host's existing abilities, Master-level Swordsmanship (300,000/1,000,000) has been upgraded to 350,000/1,000,000.] [Factoring in Host's existing abilities, Novice-level Breathing Style (9750/10,000) has been upgraded to Specialist-level Breathing Style (10,000/100,000).] [All other skills have been upgraded to Specialist-level (10,000/100,000).] [First Kill Mission detected. Bonus rewards have been delivered.] [Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the skill: Speed Boost.] [Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the skill: Stamina Boost.]
[Speed Boost: Further increases the Host's already superhuman speed.] [Stamina Boost: Further increases the Host's already superhuman stamina.]
A series of notifications echoed in his head. The massive reward made him ecstatic.
"Holy crap, what a huge haul! I didn't expect a bonus reward for the first kill mission. I really hit the jackpot this time."
After calming himself down a bit, Si Shu noticed the low spirits of the surviving Demon Slayers. Although they were alive, the two with severed arms would likely never be able to work as swordsmen again. And the slayer with the broken leg had already died from the lack of timely treatment. Not to mention the Slayers who had been killed by the demon before Si Shu had even arrived.
Looking at the bodies lying on the battlefield, Si Shu walked over and patted the shoulder of the man who had answered his questions.
"The dead can't be brought back," he said calmly. "All we can do is live on properly in their place."
Hearing this, the one-armed slayer, Kondou, suddenly looked up. His eyes turned red, and tears began to stream down his face. Although Si Shu was only eight years old, in that moment, he seemed incredibly tall and magnificent in their eyes. It was as if his words held a magical power, capable of stirring the emotions of others.
Kondou wiped his tears away and raised his Nichirin Sword with his remaining arm. "To live on!"
The other three heard him and raised their swords in unison. "To live on!"
Si Shu watched the four of them, feeling a muscle in his face twitch. He had only been trying to comfort them a little. How did he end up sounding like some kind of cult leader, swaying people with just a few words?
"Maybe I should find Douma later and discuss the art of language with him?"
After collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades, Si Shu and the others hurriedly left the forest. The sounds of battle could easily attract outsiders, and to keep the existence of demons a secret, the Demon Slayer Corps had always operated with discretion.
After Si Shu and the others left, the forest returned to its quiet state. Only the broken trees, charred vines, and massive crater in the ground indicated that a fierce battle had taken place.
After some time, a figure suddenly appeared. The newcomer had deathly pale skin, a slender build, and a head of black hair. His pupils looked as if they were filled with fresh blood.
This person—no, this creature—was Kibutsuji Muzan. The progenitor of demons, the root of all evil, had appeared in this very place.
Looking at the traces of the fight, Muzan's brow furrowed tightly.
"That thing actually died? How strange. Did a Hashira intervene?"
He scoffed. "Well, if it's dead, that just proves it was useless trash anyway. It's just... this feeling in the air. It's disgusting."
As if sensing the lingering traces of Sun Breathing, a nauseated expression appeared on Muzan's face.
"Perhaps I should dispatch a few demons to investigate this strange energy."
Muttering to himself, Muzan turned and vanished. The Tree Spirit Demon would never know that the Kibutsuji Muzan it had revered so much had dismissed it as nothing but trash. If it knew, it would probably be angry enough to come back to life just to die of rage all over again.
Meanwhile, Si Shu and the others had already left the forest and arrived at the gate of a large estate marked with a wisteria flower crest. Just as he was about to walk up and knock, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from inside the gate.
Creeak~
As the gate opened, Si Shu's expression froze in shock.
"It's you?!"
--------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (51 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (50 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (50 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (30 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.