67. The Strongest Demon Till Now (3)
To detect demons, Kotaro often used this move. But there were several shortcomings, the first being range. The normal range of this move was about 200 meters, but if Kotaro infused more Hamon and stretched it, it could spread out up to 500 meters.
Within the 200-meter radius, with Kotaro at the center, he could detect any demon within the circle. Being outside this range was one way to escape the move. However, there was another way to avoid detection. The way he realized now.
And that was…
"Air."
Kotaro shifted his eyes, and his gaze fell upon the rooftops, where he could see a faint figure jumping from one to another at high speed. Without a doubt, that was the demon he was looking for. The best part was that when the demon's feet touched the roof, only then could Kotaro detect it with [Hamon Detector].
This was an unexpected shortcoming Kotaro discovered because of this demon. Since Hamon spreads through contact, being airborne was a way to escape the [Hamon Detector].
"Still, that demon is fast."
Kotaro was chasing it with all his might, yet he couldn't catch up. This made him more cautious. The demon he encountered this time might not be ordinary.
But it turned out the victim's mother was wrong. It wasn't a cloudy day, yet the demon had come. It seemed that the coincidence of the cloudy night and her daughter's disappearance led her to believe that.
"I have to catch up to it."
[Hamon Steps]
Since he couldn't catch up to the demon with his normal physical abilities, it was time to use his Hamon. Small sparks generated around his toes, and by unleashing ripples into the ground, Kotaro jumped into the air, landing on a nearby roof.
"!!!"
The jump caused the demon to pause for a moment before it continued, even increasing its speed as it ran.
"You can't escape!"
[Hamon Steps] was a footwork technique Kotaro developed to make himself faster by using Hamon's repelling properties on his toes. Whatever his toes came into contact with, the Hamon repelled with force, increasing his speed.
The more Hamon Kotaro infused into his toes, the faster he became. Now that he was closing in on the demon, how could he lose the trail?
Kotaro infused even more Hamon, and his speed surged. Now, he too was creating gusts of wind with his movements.
With the demon's extrasensory perceptions, it noticed the sudden change in the wind behind it. As soon as the demon turned to see what had happened, what it saw was a long staff crashing down toward its face.
"Goodbye, demon."
The speed added massive momentum behind the staff. Kotaro smirked, using his brutish technique, [Hamon: Baseball Smash], to strike the demon's head with all his strength.
During his time as a Demon Slayer, Kotaro had developed a habit in battle—to smash a demon's head whenever he had the chance, using all his might.
The work of a Demon Slayer wasn't about having a good fight; it was about killing demons. Kotaro always aimed for the most direct way to kill. There was no need for exchanging blows or enjoying the thrill of combat.
If possible, Kotaro always tried to end the fight in one move. As long as he could destroy a demon's head up to its neck, it was his victory.
But… not all enemies would wait for him to crush their heads—just like this one!
"You…!"
This demon was no ordinary one. In an instant, the demon raised its hands to block the attack aimed at its face.
Boom!
The force behind the hit was so great that the demon flew like a rocket, crashing into the mountain near the town.
Crack! Sizzle!
The impact cracked bones! For the first time, this demon suffered such an injury. Still, it wasn't too serious. Just like all its other injuries from previous battles with Demon Slayers, it would heal within seconds.
But…
"Aargh! This pain…!"
The pain it felt wasn't from the broken bones, but from the melting, sizzling flesh where the staff had made contact, infused with Hamon.
"W-What is this…?"
To the demon's shock, it wasn't healing. The arms that had blocked the staff sizzled and, before its very eyes, melted away like rubber.
The demon tried to regenerate its hands, but no matter how much it tried, the hands wouldn't grow back. The cells where its arms had melted were burned, as if touched by sunlight.
"Damn! My hands… My hands!"
The demon, Kamanue, ambitious to become a Twelve Kizuki, was filled with rage over losing both arms to a no-name Demon Slayer.
"I-I… I will kill that Demon Slayer!"
…
"That was a bad hit."
Kotaro landed on the mountain and began searching for the demon that had crashed there. He was surprised the demon hadn't died, but he understood it was his own mistake.
To blow the demon's head off in one shot, Kotaro had increased his speed and power, but Hamon relied on contact and the duration of that contact.
He had inflicted a powerful blow, strong enough to kill a human, but he wasn't fighting a human. The hit was powerful, but due to the momentum, the demon had been flung away before Kotaro could maintain contact long enough to fully infuse the Hamon.
"But where is that demon?"
Hadn't the demon crashed here?
And that's when…
Hssss!
A snake lunged at him out of nowhere, wrapping around his legs and climbing toward his neck. The sudden movement startled him, and he tried to swat the snake away.
But before he could, the snake displayed incredible speed, reaching his neck. It was as if the snake wasn't a normal animal…
"This…!"
This snake wasn't ordinary! But before Kotaro could take action, the snake's fangs were bared, and it bit into his neck before jumping off.
"Damn! You…"
Kotaro clutched his neck, suddenly wracked with pain, and glared at the snake hissing in front of him. Then, to his shock, the snake began to morph, shapeshifting back into the demon he had struck down earlier.
===
A/N:
Even though natural disasters cause damage, they can also have unexpected benefits. For example, because of a cyclone, I got a few days off from the university. I hope Brother Cyclone spins a bit longer so that my days off can increase even more.
Of course, Brother Cyclone shouldn't spin too much to create havoc.