5. First Demon Encounter

A/N: The Breath technique I used is not my original idea. I took it from the Kimetsu No Yaiba Fanon Page where they have all sorts of breathing styles made by fans.

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One Year Later...

In a dark and dense forest, the sound of running footsteps was heard. A blur of a figure was seen darting through the trees holding a sword and slicing through the air. The figure continued this exercise for a couple more minutes until it slowed down.

As it slowed, the figure became more visible to the eye. It was revealed to be Shiro.

"Haa, that should do for today," he muttered wiping off his sweat.

Shiro was now a year older and his entire form had undergone a transformation.

He was no longer the small skinny boy he had been when he first arrived here. His height was now around 180 centimeters, and his body was muscled and toned. His hair had grown longer as well reaching his back. He kept it tied up in a ponytail.

Thanks to his efforts and talent, Shiro was able to complete his training in one year which was shorter than how long Tanjiro took in the plot.

And the breath he practiced was one that was not mentioned in both the manga and anime. It was completely different from the ones there but it derived from the Breath of the Sun.

The breath that he learned, that Minamoto taught him, was called; Breath of the Undying Flame.

This technique utilizes actual flames to inflict damage on demons. There are four forms of this breath, all of which Shiro learned. Every day he practiced and trained to his limit in order to perfect this technique.

His stats were now as follows;

[Name: Shiro] [Age: 16] [Level: 5]

[Strength: 30] [Stamina: 40] [Flexibility: 45] [Intellect: 25] [Speed: 40]

[Skills: Hand-to-Hand Combat, Intermediate Martial Arts, Advanced Swordsmanship] [Breathing Style: Breath of the Undying Flame > Four Forms> First Form: Way of the Flame, Second Form: Ashened Road to Harmony, Third Form: Scorching Hell, Fourth Form: Warm Hearth's Embrace]

[Note: All stats increase by 10 during the use of Breathing Techinque]

As Shiro began heading back to the cabin, there was a sudden blaring notification from the system.

[ALERT!! ALERT!! HOST IS IN DANGER!! DEMON SPOTTED!!]

"EH?" Shiro immediately held his sword and looked around.

This was the first time he'd ever received this kind of alert. He was shocked but kept his calm. There was a demon in this forest and its target was him.

He let out a breath and hiked up his senses. He waited patiently and listened.

*Swoosh*

Shiro raised his sword and sliced a tentacle that shot toward him. He turned in the direction where the tentacle came from and saw a tall grotesque figure standing there. Its body was deformed and its head tilted sideways. There more multiple tentacles protruding from its back that were waving in different directions.

The tentacles were its blood demon art.

"KEKEKE!! What's this? A little demon slayer?!" a high-pitched voice was heard. The demon let out a mocking laugh and said, "Just a brat...and my next meal!"

Shiro narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his sword. He readied his stance and used the first form of his breathing style to ignite his sword on fire. From there, he used the second form to quickly dash up toward the demon and swing his sword horizontally aiming for a clean cut.

The demon was taken by surprise and found its head on the ground alit with flames.

"KKKAAAKKKK!!" the demon let out an ear-piercing screech. The pain from the flames was immeasurable.

Despite its obvious pain, Shiro knew it wouldn't be over yet. His blade was just a regular one and not a Nichiren blade. The demon wouldn't die from simple a beheading and flames.

As he expected, the head reattached itself to the body, and the demon immediately retaliated by shooting its tentacles toward Shiro at a rapid pace. The ends of the tentacles were shaped like arrowheads and could easily pierce through the skin.

Shiro immediately stepped back and dodged the tentacles whilst using his sword to slice through others.

"Third form; Scorching Hell!"

Shiro dodged the tentacles and closed his distance between the two of them before delivering a series of lethal slashes and thrusts that critically hurt and stabbed the demon. The flames on his blade helped enhance his normal blade.

He shifted his blade and changed the direction to chop off an arm.

Once more, the demon let out a screech and used one tentacle to stab Shiro's stomach. Shiro twisted his body to avoid it but it ended up slashing his waist leaving a deep cut.

"Urgh! Shit!" Shiro groaned.

Blood seeped down his side and the area around the cut began burning.

Shiro sucked up the pain and readied his stance once more before charging forward slashing his sword at the demon who clashed with him head-on.

The two descended into a speedy battle with Shiro utilizing everything he'd learned up till now. He used his three forms of the breath style to cut and slash the demon's body while also lighting it on fire that hurt the demon.

The flames scorched its skin and slowed it down.

However, it was not over.

While the demon was weakened, Shiro was too. His body was covered in wounds and his sword was sporting various cracks as it was unequipped to handle the breath style for such a long period.

'If this continues any longer, my sword is bound to break' thought Shiro. 'I can't retreat though. I can't let this demon run loose.'

His energy was running low and his limbs felt heavy.

It would be awhile till the sun came up so he needed to hang on somehow.

Unfortunately, he wasn't given much time to think as the demon charged toward him again.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" the demon screamed.

The veins on its arms and neck became larger and more tentacles sprouted from its back. Even while it was on fire, it was still pushing through. The demon couldn't forgive this child for injuring it so much. It was going to kill and consume the boy no matter what.

But these flames were annoying. It hindered its movement.

However, they did not kill him. So long as he was alive, it had a chance to kill the boy.

The demon's body grew larger and more grotesque.

"Ah fuck," Shiro muttered as it watched its transformation. He was readying his stance once more when he heard a voice.

"Shiro!"

A sword suddenly landed next to him. The blade was crimson red and the handle had an elegant black design with golden linings.

Shiro glanced over his shoulder and saw Minamoto standing a few meters away.

"Master?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Finish the job," Minamoto smirked. "Kill the demon."

Shiro's eyes widened before they narrowed. He gave a firm nod and picked up the sword, dropping his cracked one to the ground.

The sword was surprisingly light compared to his one. Shiro swung it around before he noticed a tentacle shooting at him.

"HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME!!"

Shiro sliced the tentacle and the blade smoothly slid through it.

"Amazing..." he muttered.

Soon, a smile appeared on his features and he looked at the demon.

"Bring it on, you son of a bitch."