Chapter 9: The demon plots against Aoki
Another night fell over Fuji Mountain, casting an eerie ambiance over the dense forest where more than a dozen demons lurked, eyeing each other warily but refraining from action.
Standing amidst them, a demon with a long tongue spoke in an excited tone, gesturing animatedly, "I saw it with my own eyes! He's incredibly strong. Shinichi Tsutsumi was no match for him. He subdued him quickly, rendering him unable to resist, and then he devoured him whole!"
A skeptical demon nearby interjected, "How is that possible? Demons eat humans, not each other!"
The long-tongued demon shot back angrily, "Are you calling me a liar?"
Another demon smirked, "No one said that. Maybe you just saw it wrong."
The long-tongued demon snapped, "Do you think I'm as clueless as you? Haven't you noticed the sudden decrease in the number of demons on the mountain?"
A female demon with long hair perched on a branch above, looking down at the commotion, asked, "So what? Is that the only reason you gathered us here? To share news?"
The long-tongued demon raised his arm, slamming it down with determination, "No, we're here to find this demon and kill him! If we don't act now, he'll devour all of us sooner or later!"
The other demons exchanged dubious glances.
Anticipating their doubt, the long-tongued demon continued, "Why do you think he's interested in eating demons? Eating humans makes us stronger, so eating demons..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but the implications were clear, sparking a glint of greed in the eyes of the assembled demons.
Trapped in their demonic existence, they only had rare opportunities during the Demon Slayer Corps assessments to feed on humans, and only a few succeeded.
The gnawing hunger tormented them all.
If they could learn to consume demons, they wouldn't just alleviate their hunger but also grow stronger, perhaps even find a way to escape their wisteria prison.
"These fools," the long-tongued demon sneered inwardly.
He sought their help because he wasn't confident in facing the mysterious demon alone.
But he had only gathered weaker demons.
None of them knew he had secretly devoured two individuals during the last Demon Slayer Corps assessment, bringing his total to seven. His strength far surpassed those who had only eaten one or two.
Ultimately, he would reap all the rewards for himself.
"Hehe, why wasn't I invited to this interesting gathering?" a strange voice interrupted, sending a shiver through all the demons.
Thud, thud, thud...
Heavy footsteps approached as a colossal monster emerged from the shadows. Covered in arms and with only yellow eyes visible, the creature exuded a sinister aura.
The long-tongued demon's expression soured, "How did he find us here?"
The Hand Demon had lurked in fuji Mountain for over forty years, rumored to have devoured more than forty humans. On Fuji Mountain, he was the only one the long-tongued demon feared.
"Hehe, why wouldn't you want me to join such an interesting affair?" The Hand Demon taunted, grinning as his eyes scanned the group.
"No, of course not!" the long-tongued demon hastily replied, his mind racing.
Allowing the Hand Demon to join was safer than risking exposure.
The real challenge was ensuring he secured the greatest benefit after dealing with the mysterious demon.
Eyes ablaze with desire, the Hand Demon declared, "Once I can devour demons, I'll consume every demon on Fuji Mountain! Perhaps then, I'll finally escape Fuji Mountain! Urokodaki, wait for me!"
The other demons reacted with sneers, mockery, fanaticism, or secretive pondering.
---
"Go to hell! Die! Die!"
A demon with a saw-toothed mouth swung wildly.
Seizing an opportunity, Aoki stepped in, his arms slicing like a blade.
Puff!
The neck snapped, and the body separated.
Aoki swiftly grabbed the head and retreated.
The headless body pursued, the head in his grasp wearing a manic expression, tongue lashing out like a sharp arrow.
"You've been holding that in for too long. Your mind's not right," Aoki remarked, deflecting the tongue and smashing the head against a nearby stone repeatedly.
Bang, bang, bang!
After several blows, the headless body collapsed, twitched, then lay still.
Aoki inspected the unconscious demon's head.
"First kill of the night."
This had become his most efficient method for neutralizing demons without the Ninchirin Sword. While beheading didn't outright defeat the demons, it severely impaired their combat abilities.
"Devour!"
Without hesitation, Aoki activated "Devour Demon."
"[Kill a demon and gain 11 experience points.]"
"[Congratulations on your upgrade!]"
"Only 11 points? That's less than before," Aoki noted, examining the system panel.
After some thought, he allocated 2 free attribute points to strength and intelligence.
His body bulked up slightly, clothes straining to contain his growing muscles.
"Agility affects balance and coordination; a low score just means clumsiness. But intelligence controls how well I handle this newfound strength. If it's too low, I might lose control."
After a brief adjustment, Aoki invested his free skill point in "Demon Blood" and received another across-the-board attribute boost.
[Name: Aoki]
[Strength: 12]
[Constitution: 10]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Agility: 9]
[Occupation: Hunter, White Walker]
...
[White Walker]
Quality: ★★
Level: lv3 (2/300)
Skills: Demon Blood II, Space Shuttle (unlearned), Transparent World (unlearned), Devour Demon
Mission: Fuji Mountain Dungeon (Demon 16/30, Hand Demon 0/1)
"Strength at 12 is sufficient for now. Next, I should focus on balancing the other attributes."
Aoki pondered his options, eyes lingering on the skill bar.
"Is level 2 'Demon Blood' still inadequate?"
He attempted to learn "Space Shuttle" and "Transparent World," but the system denied him due to insufficient prerequisite skill levels.
Their potential impact on combat far exceeded minor attribute increases.
Crash!
A faint noise interrupted Aoki's musings.
He turned, calm and composed, observing a fleeing demon in the distance.
Aoki watched without immediate action as the fleeing demon halted and turned back, glaring with fury.
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