"Ryou, be careful. If you can't defeat the demon, don't be stubborn; at least try to save your life." Uncle Daishi said, patting his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Uncle Daishi. I will be back in a few days!" Ryou smiled and headed out, carrying the sword and weapons forged by Uncle Daishi.
As Daishi watched Ryou's figure disappear into the distance, he muttered, "I hope nothing happens to you."
--
Ryou sprinted toward the place where the previous owner of his body once lived. By evening, he reached the area. 'I'm back!'
From a distance, he saw about twenty or so gassho-style houses scattered across a small plain surrounded by lush green scenery.
As he neared the previous owner of the body's home, he found that the entire village was abandoned. Probably, the villagers had left this place after the demon attack.
With the doors already broken, Ryou easily entered the wooden house that was entangled in cobwebs. Without anyone to care for it, it looked desolate.
The memories of him living here with his parents flickered through his mind. As he walked out of the house, his gaze fell on two stone graves nearby.
The Demon Slayer Corps must have come after the incident. If only they had arrived sooner... Ryou shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on the past.
Kneeling before the grave, Ryou prayed. "Mother, Father, I hope both of you are living well on the other side.
Though I am not your son, I consider you my parents. I will avenge your deaths by eradicating the demons!"
--
Leaving the village, Ryou headed north. On his way, he heard a traveler talking about a demon that killed a family yesterday. The location is just a few kilometers away.
By the time he reached the location, dusk had settled in, and the sky was welcoming the night. To his surprise, he spotted two men wearing Demon Slayer uniforms inspecting the surroundings.
Ryou watched everything from a distance without interfering with their work. 'It should be an Ordinary Demon since the Demon Slayer Corps only sent the two of them.'
From their actions and expressions, he concluded they were new, possibly, they had just become Demon Slayers.
Still, they are knowledgeable when it comes to demons. They observed the traces and tracked the demon outside of the town, to a house near a rice field.
When they opened the door, they were shocked to find a demon feasting on two corpses—a woman and a child.
The demon is a pale, young woman appearing in her mid-twenties and of average height. She had long, dark blue hair, prominent fangs, and sharp nails common to Demons.
As soon as the Demon Slayers appeared, the Demon noticed their presence and turned its attention to them. "Interrupting my meal...you Demon slayers should die!"
Saying this, she pounced on them. One Slayer barely evaded the attack by leaping aside, while the other was kicked across the field.
They weren't able to react to the sudden attack because of the menacing aura and fear induced by the demon.
"Suzuki!" The one who dodged the attack yelled and slashed his Nichirin sword at the Demon.
The Demon Slayer called Suzuki coughed a mouthful of blood and warned, "Hoshiko, it's not an ordinary demon. Be careful!"
"First Form: Dust Whirlwind Cutter!" Without heeding Suzuki's advice, Hoshiko dashed forward at extreme speed and unleashed a horizontal cyclone of slashes.
"Weak," the demon muttered. Her long blue hair suddenly came alive and wrapped around her, blocking the attack. Then, the strands fused into sharp tendrils—around ten of them—lashing out at Hoshiko.
But, before it could lash at him, the demon slayer called Suzuki came to his aid and cut the hair tendrils with his Nichirin sword. But the demon's hair regenerated the next second.
Observing their attacks, Ryou knew that both of them were users of the Wind Breathing style.
Both the Demon Slayers fought hard, putting their lives on the line, but they couldn't even get close. The demon's tendrils kept them at bay.
Not even thirty minutes had passed, but both were already wounded and exhausted. 'They're not strong enough. If I don't do something, they'll probably lose their lives!'
Ryou was nervous, but at the same time thrilled to fight such a supernatural creature. On Earth, his parents had trained him since childhood, but he'd never used them in a real fight.
Since Earth is a peaceful society, he couldn't utilize his ability in an actual battle. Finally, he has an opportunity to test his strength.
With a determined face, Ryou came out of his hiding. 'Sixth Form: Shadow World!' His form blended with the shadow as he sped towards the female demon.
The two Demon Slayers were cornered and in a bad position, struggling to fend off the tendrils. But the long fight exhausted their stamina, and they also lost blood due to piercing wounds.
The demon's hair suppressed their movements by binding their hands and legs. "I am going to enjoy feasting on your brains," The female demon laughed softly, licking her lips.
She then raised her tendrils, ready to pierce the skulls of the two demon slayers.
Just as the two thought that they were going to die, a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere and sliced through the hair that bound the two of them before swiftly beheading the demon in one clean strike.
Ryou came out of the Shadow World and kicked the demon's severed head far away.
The Demon Slayers Hoshiko and Suzuki were stunned by the sudden change that happened in a blink of an eye but they soon noticed the abnormality. The body of the demon isn't dying.
The Demon Slayers looked at Ryou, who covered his face with a white mask. Holding the gleaming katana in his hand, he had an air of mysteriousness around him and looked powerful.
"Give me your sword. The demon isn't dead yet, my sword is an ordinary katana." Ryou asked, glancing at Hoshiko and Suzuki.
"What?" The Demon Slayers looked confused. How could such a strong person be without a Nichirin sword? Tossing the useless thought aside, Suzuki threw his Nichirin sword to Ryou.