Its name was Rustbite.
In this sealed mountain, it was not among the strongest. At least four or five demons could swagger over its head.
But now, the loudest and most arrogant ones had already turned into scrap.
And it was still standing here.
It even dared to show itself in front of Demon Slayer Corps members without restraint.
Because it had something special.
Blood Demon Art: Corrosive Rust
A power granted by the blood of the demons' creator, Muzan Kibutsuji, evolving as the demon devoured humans and grew stronger.
It could instantly corrode and rust away most metals.
Only metal.
It did nothing special to other demons or to humans directly.
But to swordsmen holding Nichirin Blades, it was a completely different story.
If it wanted, the moment a strike landed, it could rot the blade into useless junk.
A swordsman without a Nichirin Blade was no different from a kitten without claws.
"Once I eat you and find a chance to escape, that great one will definitely let me become one of the Twelve Kizuki!"
"My ability is the natural bane of you little sword brats!"
It lunged forward.
For a moment, Natsuo had to protect Seiko while dodging left and right, forced back several steps.
"So you're not even a commander type?" Natsuo tested. "And who's that great one, anyway?"
Not even a commander type.
Those words hit a nerve.
Rustbite's roaring swipes got a little fiercer, a little wilder.
"You're not qualified to know that!"
"Just like those other swordsmen, all you have to do is be eaten!"
The swordsmen who had been nearby saw Natsuo "struggling" and rushed in to help.
But once three of their Nichirin Blades turned into scrap, they froze, unsure whether to keep attacking or retreat.
"You pests are seriously annoying."
Unable to finish Natsuo quickly, Rustbite shifted its gaze to the surrounding unarmed swordsmen.
It was about to move.
Then its stomach took a brutal hit, hard enough that it almost vomited acid.
"You"
Rustbite stared in disbelief.
Only now did it realize the boy had never looked panicked.
Even after his only weapon snapped, he still had not.
"When I ask you something, answer."
While Rustbite curled from the pain, Natsuo smoothly chained in a knee strike, driving it into the demon's nose bridge. Dark blood exploded from its nostrils, smearing its entire face.
Rustbite screamed. Its vision blurred.
Even as a demon, the nerves in the face and nose were still the most sensitive.
Before it could recover, it felt the ground drop away.
It slammed onto its back.
Natsuo stood over it and asked calmly, "Tell me. What are the Twelve Kizuki? Your leaders?"
"And that sword rusting ability, is it only yours, or can the Twelve Kizuki do that too?"
Rustbite lay there, staring at the star blurred sky, still not processing what just happened.
This was the Corps' selection ground.
This kid was not even officially in the Corps yet, so why did he feel this strong?
"When I ask you something"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Rustbite tried to rise and bite him.
It did not even get up before Natsuo knocked it down again.
Even a demon like this still moved according to a human body's habits.
Power starts in the core, the neck and arms assist, the hips and legs complete the chain.
A full get up motion.
For Natsuo
he only needed to break the chain.
A direct kick to the knee. Then he shifted his weight, dropped his body, and slammed his right palm down on Rustbite's head.
Rustbite hit the ground again faster than it had tried to rise.
The back of its head cracked against loose stone.
The watching swordsmen felt their own backs of the neck go cold.
This guy is way too practiced.
For Natsuo, it was instinct at this point.
Ground pressure.
Even simpler than in the fighting games he had played before.
Because this game did not grant wake up armor.
"If you talk, I might let you go," Natsuo said.
Rustbite's eyes regained focus.
Shame and fury nearly made it lose control.
It roared, "How would I know that stuff!"
Natsuo said, "Then what about your boss? You said you wanted to earn their favor. Don't tell me you don't know."
Rustbite's expression froze.
Like it remembered something terrifying, it shivered, then stubbornly forced its mouth shut again.
"You little brat, even if you kill me, I won't say!"
"And without a sword, can you even kill me? Hahahaha!"
Natsuo let out a small sigh.
If he wanted information, he probably needed an interrogation skill or some kind of special item.
Whatever. There were plenty of demons later.
And the Corps' headquarters probably had intel too.
For now, push the main quest.
His fist came down, and this time he did not hold back.
With the strength boosted by his Breathing Style, a single punch smashed Rustbite's face into a mess of blood and flesh.
Then another punch.
And another.
A storm of fists fell like heavy rain.
Rustbite wanted to fight back, wanted to rise and run.
But every time it even twitched, Natsuo's heavy punches cut it off.
Rustbite became a living drum, pinned to the ground and pounded, unable to feel pain, unable to escape.
To Natsuo, controlling this demon was obvious.
Ignoring the annoying rust ability, it was weaker than him under Breathing.
And its technique was nonexistent.
Once it hit the ground, it could not even use a proper grapple or hold.
So it was complete suppression.
Games aside, the techniques and the body were real.
So this was martial skill winning.
Still, Rustbite was not completely helpless.
Its mouth was stubborn.
"You little brat, you can only act tough right now!"
"Strong? What does strong even do!"
"I'm an immortal demon!"
"You can punch now, but can you keep punching forever!"
"It's still far from sunrise. Are you really going to waste the whole night with me?"
"Just let me eat you. Don't worry, I'll bite your neck off quickly. I'm merciful, hahahahaha"
Natsuo's fists slowed.
"You're not wrong."
The surrounding swordsmen widened their eyes. One shouted, "Don't listen! We'll help! If we hold out until sunrise, it's done for!"
Seiko stopped the swordsmen from stepping forward.
"Let him be. Natsuo-kun knows what he's doing."
"Good job, Seiko."
Crack after crack echoed.
Natsuo brutally shattered Rustbite's limbs.
Then he rose, picked up his half broken blade, and walked to the demon's head.
"Tell me. You've eaten a lot of people, right?"
"Your name's bright red."
Rustbite screamed in alarm, "W wait, what are you doing?!"
"A blade?" Rustbite barked out a shaky laugh. "Are you stupid? You think that broken junk can hurt me?"
Natsuo said flatly, "Did you forget? I cut your arm off earlier."
Rustbite blinked. "Huh?"
The sword had snapped, but earlier it had still cut through demon flesh.
That meant the rusting was fast
but not instant.
"All I have to do is strike faster than you can corrode it."
"Right."
Natsuo flicked the broken blade, testing its balance.
"And besides, so what if it's broken"
Total Concentration
In that instant, Natsuo's Power Level surged.
His Body stat, in particular, shot up from 26 to 52.
Wind Breathing, Fifth Form: Cold Autumn Mountain Wind
A frost sharp line fell, like deep autumn cold cutting straight through a ridge.
The downward slash tore through Rustbite's neck and head in one clean motion.
Natsuo landed and completed the finishing motion naturally.
"A sword is never an inconvenience."
Then the half Nichirin Blade in his hand crumbled fully into ash.
Progress: 419/2000 (+156)
Good experience. It just eats blades.
Natsuo looked at the stunned swordsmen and called out, "Hey. Someone hand me a sword."
"Shota, don't just stand there."
Shota still had not snapped out of it, mumbling, "So that's the wind that tears evil apart"
Natsuo finally remembered he had turned off Breathing visual effects.
So in their eyes, his technique probably looked insanely dramatic.
Maybe he should turn them back on later.
In the end, Seiko retrieved a sword from one of the fallen swordsmen and handed it over.
"Natsuo-kun, don't mind it, okay?"
Natsuo spun it a few times to get used to it, then sheathed it.
He looked at Seiko, confused.
Mind what?
Looting a teammate's gear?
He did not overthink it. He turned to the swordsmen who were finally recovering.
"Anyway, we've probably killed most of the demons."
"Follow me."
"And help me find any stragglers."
"Don't leave a single demon behind."
"It'd be a waste."
The swordsmen nodded, but one girl shrank back slightly.
This kid's killing intent is scary.
"Any problems, speak up."
"No, right?"
"Wouldn't this be cheating?"
"Probably fine"
They hesitated.
Natsuo raised his voice. "Problems?"
Everyone flinched.
They remembered the way he tore through demons, the cold, efficient moves, and that expressionless face.
He has to be one of those revenge swordsmen. Whole family dead. Little sister slaughtered. Mentally gone.
If we refuse, will he cut us too?
"We'll be in your care!" they blurted out almost in unison, bowing deeply.
Good. Great energy
Wait, do I look like the bad guy?
Natsuo turned to Seiko in confusion.
Seiko was covering her mouth, shoulders trembling, cheeks bright red as she struggled not to laugh.
(End of Chapter)
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