A biting north wind howled, whipping snowflakes into a frenzy. The world was a blinding white canvas.
A long-haired woman, barefoot, ran through the snow, her breath clouding the frigid air. She glanced back, her beautiful face a mask of terror.
"Hee hee hee, you can't escape!"
A shadow ripped through the storm, closing on the woman fast.
Then, her foot caught on something hidden beneath the snow. She stumbled, fell forward, her eyes wide with despair.
A hand appeared, a sudden warmth against the biting cold. It steadied her shoulder. A calm voice spoke in her ear.
"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Mt. Natagumo?"
The woman was stunned, her heart still pounding. She turned, looked up.
A young man with black hair stood before her. He looked barely twenty, tall and strong, his features handsome, almost otherworldly. His golden eyes, like molten metal, held her gaze.
Then, the world crashed back into focus.
"A demon! It's going to catch up! Run!"
The woman grabbed the young man's arm, tried to pull him away. He didn't move. She stumbled back, his grip like an unyielding chain.
"Demon? You mean him?"
Aoki asked, his gaze steady, his voice calm in the storm's fury.
A figure emerged from the snow, a grotesque parody of a man. He was gaunt, with a long, pointed face and arms that stretched like a monkey's. His eyes burned with malice as he glared at them. "This is my territory!"
"I'm dead!"
The woman stumbled back, fell onto the snow. Her hope was a fragile thing, crushed beneath the weight of her fear.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to take your territory."
Aoki vanished.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
The monkey-like demon blinked, confused. Then, his vision tilted upwards, a dizzying spin. He felt a sharp tug, a brutal force that ripped him from his body. He saw his headless torso, a familiar sight, and understood. He'd been beheaded.
"Bastard! You dared to attack me? I'll kill you!"
The monkey-like demon roared, his face contorted with rage.
Then, he saw Aoki's face clearly. His voice died in his throat. The anger turned to a raw, animal fear. "You... You're the traitor?"
"So, all demons know me. Muzan Kibutsuji must value me highly," Aoki said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Every demon he'd killed had known his name. He was a wanted man, a ghost in the demon world.
"No, no, no! Let me go! I don't want to die! You can't kill me!"
The monkey-like demon struggled, desperate. His headless body flailed, arms reaching blindly.
"If the world worked that way, there wouldn't be so much pain."
Aoki turned, swung his arm. He threw the monkey-like demon's head at his body, like a stone hurled at a target.
The monkey-like demon caught his head, stumbled back. A flicker of hope touched his face.
"He threw my head back! Hahaha! What an idiot..."
Thwack!
A hand pierced the monkey-like demon's head, silencing his laughter.
Aoki's eyes were calm, his face a mask of cold purpose. He spoke five words, a pronouncement of death.
"Aoki Style, Tempest!"
Fists, elbows, legs, knees... Every part of Aoki's body became a weapon, a whirlwind of destruction that engulfed the monkey-like demon.
Brutal, relentless, a storm of bone and blood.
Seconds later, the monkey-like demon crashed down. His body was broken, torn, barely recognizable.
The wounds pulsed, a grotesque mockery of life. But there was no healing. No regeneration.
Aoki reached out his hand.
"Devour!"
The monkey-like demon's body twisted, softened. It was swallowed by the vortex in Aoki's palm, his essence consumed.
[Killed a Demon, Gained 28 Experience.]
[Congratulations! Leveled Up!]
"Twenty-eight experience. Not bad!"
Aoki nodded, pleased.
He'd been a stepping stone, a stepping stone to power.
He was stronger than the Hand Demon, the final boss on Mt. Fujikasane.
He walked back to the woman. "Can you tell me how to get to Mt. Natagumo?"
The woman trembled. She lifted a hand, pointed.
"That way. About ten kilometers." Her voice was a whisper, barely audible over the wind.
"Thank you."
Aoki nodded, walked into the storm.
He heard her voice, a fragile cry against the wind.
"Thank you!"
Aoki paused. Then, he walked on.
He hadn't thought he'd level up before reaching Mt. Natagumo.
But fate had intervened, a chance encounter on a snowy road. He'd asked for directions, and death had been his guide.
He looked at the System panel, added 2 stat points to Constitution and Agility.
A surge of warmth flowed through him, then faded. It left no trace, but the nagging pressure, the feeling of being unbalanced, was gone.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 13]
[Constitution: 12]
[Intelligence: 13]
[Agility: 13]
[Profession: Hunter, Aberrant Demon]
[...]
[Aberrant Demon]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv6 (5/600)
Skills: Demon Blood Ⅲ, Space Warp, Transparent World (Available), Demon Devour
Free Skill Points: 1
"The stats are almost balanced," Aoki thought, satisfied.
He could feel his body settling, finding its equilibrium.
His fighting ability had grown, a subtle but noticeable shift.
He had one skill point left. He'd save it.
Demon Blood Level 4 cost 3 skill points.
Unless he got a task with a skill point reward, he couldn't level it until level 8.
"If I can take out Rui's family on Mt. Natagumo, I should be close."
Aoki walked faster.
Thirty minutes later...
Aoki shielded his eyes from the wind, looked at the mountain ahead.
This was Mt. Natagumo, the woman had said.
"Lower Moon Five."
Aoki's eyes narrowed. He started to climb.
He hadn't rushed after leaving Azabu. He'd hunted demons, grown stronger. But his destination had been clear.
Mt. Natagumo.
Rui, Lower Moon Five, was there.
"Last time, two Lower Moons almost killed me. How will it be this time?"
Aoki wondered, a hint of anticipation in his thoughts.
*Ding! New Task: Lower Moons' End.]
[Lower Moons' End]
The Twelve Kizuki are Muzan Kibutsuji's direct subordinates. Only the strongest demons are chosen.
Task: Kill three Lower Moon demons (0/3).
Reward: 1200 Experience, 3 Blood Qi Pills.
Blood Qi Pills?
Another interesting reward.
Sun-Blocking Hat, Demon Brew Gourd... They didn't make him stronger, but they were priceless.
Twelve hundred experience was simple, direct, and generous.
Aoki thought.
The reward was great.
But the task wouldn't be easy.
The biggest problem wasn't the Lower Moons' strength. It was finding them.
There were only six Lower Moons.
He only knew about Rui.
Then, there was the Demon Slayer Corps.
Their information network was better than his.
The task had no time limit. He could take his time.
Besides, he was going to hunt demons anyway. He was going to hunt the elite.
---
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