Chapter 4: First Battle

Upon leaving home, Soren began descending the snowy mountain, as he actively began circulating his breath, making his muscles and internal organs strengthen and heat up, causing the cold air trying to penetrate Soren's body with its chill to be defected. After about half an hour, Soren was able to see the outline of the small village he had seen tens of times before, and upon entering the village, those that were familiar with Soren spoke up.

[Soren-kun!... How have you been?... I haven't seen you since you were this tall!]: old man

An elderly man used his hand and described Soren's height since the last time he saw him, letting Soren speak to the man with a smile.

[That was 4 years ago, Jii-san… I've been training!]: soren

[Ohoho… I can see!... So… How is Tanjuro?... Has his condition gotten any better?... Also, how are the kids?]: old man

Soren knew the man well enough that he was like family, even though they only met a handful of times, and Tanjuro would alway talk with the man when they would visit, and while Soren was training, Tanjuro would be the one to come down the mountain, so the old man knew about the birth of Nezuko, as well as Tanjuro's condition.

[Sadly, Uncle Tanjuro is still very sick, while both Tanjiro and Nezuko are doing quite well… And as for me, I have started my journey to become the strongest Demon Slayer!... I'll make sure that everyone is safe, and the demons will die by my hands]: soren

When the old man heard Soren's words, he felt a little worried, but held a strong smile as he spoke.

[Well just be careful for us!... I believe you will save us all, Soren!... Anyway, my old bones are starting to ache, so I'm gonna go take my nap… Good luck, Soren-kun!]: old man

The old man then began to leave, as Soren waved his goodbye, before he made a stop through the town for some supplies, and began his journey. Soren left the town, as he walked along a dirt road, while he circulated his breathing technique, as it constantly circulated and strengthened his body, but it became very draining on Soren's mental state, as he had to pull all his focus into circulating it for the best results, and as Soren walked towards the next town, he didn't notice when the sun began to set until the sky darkened, and an vile smell entered his nose.

[Hmm?... Seems like my first night alone may prove fruitful]: soren

Soren's senses were all heightened, meaning he was special like some of the Slayers who can hear, smell, taste, and sense through touch when something isn't right, but unlike those slayers, Soren didn't have just one heightened sense, but all 5 of his senses were heightened, and came together to form a 6th sense he named Danger Sense. Like the famous Observation Haki from One Piece, his Danger Sense would warn him of evil intent, but unlike Observation Haki, intent was the only thing he could sense.

[Seems like it's coming from the east]: soren

Soren then began to run towards the east, and soon, he came across the sight of a vile looking creature with 4 arms, and 3 eyes, along with long messy black hair that seemed to have a wet look due to how greasy its hair was, and what churned Soren's stomach was the scene of a woman holding a child in her arms, as she and the child lay there dead. The dead woman was missing both her legs, as well as had a gaping hole in her stomach letting what remained of her organs leak out onto the ground as her lifeless body was surrounded in blood, while the the lifeless child in her arms who seemed to be no older than 3, was missing an arm, and had a gaping hole through his head, letting blood seep out from the back of his skull. When Soren saw this, he tried his hardest not to throw up, as in that instant he would let his guard down, and the demon might strike, so Soren held on as he approached the demon who had just noticed his presence, and stopped feasting on its breakfast.

[Kukukuku~... I'm so lucky! It hasn't even been an hour since the sun went down, and I have such a hearty meal~]: demon

The demon turned to face Soren, as its long snake-like tongue fell out of its mouth as it licked its bloody lips in anticipation.

[You damn Demon!... I'll make sure to purge you from existence and get vengeance for this woman and her child]: soren

[Kukukuku~... Such bold words for such a ripe snack!... Let's see what you can do then~]: demon

Soren then held up his Sunlight Katana, as he held it pointed towards the 4 armed demon, and watched closely as the demon rushed towards him with its claw-like hands aimed for Soren's forehead.

'The same method it used to kill the child, and rip out the woman's intestines': soren

Soren braced himself, and waited for the demon to strike, before he reacted and used the Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow, to evade the attack, as well as slice out with his Katana, forming a deep cut on the demons outstretched hand, making the demon look in confusion, as he clearly saw his hand pierce the forehead of the young child before him, but it slowly faded, and a clear wound was made upon his forearm.

[Raahhhg!]: demon

The demon felt the burning effect given by the sunlight sword, and quickly retreated as one of its other 3 hands held the wound closed, as he watched the wound slowly close, and seeing the wound close so slowly, the demon became enraged.

[You damned Food!... I'll be sure to eat you alive!]: demon

Soren stood like a mountain, indifferent towards the demon's words, as Soren just readied his blade as it pointed towards the demon, as it watched its blood turn to ash on the blade, causing more anger to surface, as its once joyous mood was ruined by Soren.

[Raaahhhhggg!... Die for me!]: demon

The demon charged towards Soren, as all 4 of his arms began swiping and slashing towards Soren, as Soren once again used the Fourth Form: Fake Rainbow once again, as Soren dodged the strike just a hair's breath away from being skewered by the demon before him, as only the afterimage left from the high speed moment were being hit, causing the demon to burst out with anger, and irrationally attacked, leaving an opening for Soren to attack with his blade, as he dodged downward towards the incoming hand, and shot upwards with the katana dragging through the demons body, causing a deep massive cut along the demons side, as its internal organs began to fall out, causing it to back away in fear.

[M-Monster!]: demon

Soren felt anger in the words spoken by the demon, and could only hold in the anger and speak up as he prepared his final move.

[Me?... A Monster?... Speak for yourself!... You kill innocents for your own pleasure and lust for blood… You demons are a scourge that should be purged… Sure! I'll be a Monster… I'll be the Boogieman to the Demons… When my name is heard, it will strike fear in the hearts of all Demons… Even Muzan will quake in fear upon seeing me target him… So yeah, I'm a Monster, and Demons are the pests that this Monster will purge!]: soren

Upon finishing his words, Soren got into his stance as he circulated his breathing technique, just in time for the demon to heal from its wound, but it was too slow for what happened next.

[First Form: Flash Dance!... Die, Demon!]: soren

Soren used all the gathered power, and disappeared from his position, as the demon lost sight of Soren, but when he caught sight of him, it was too late, as Soren swung his sword in a horizontal circle, slicing through the air as well as through the body of the demon, taking its head clean off, as Soren landed on one knee behind the demon, before standing up with his eyes closed, as he sheathed his katana just in time for the headless demon's body to hit the ground. Upon turning around, Soren watched as the demon's body began to turn to ash, while the look of fear was the last thing seen in the eyes of the demon before its head turned to ash.

[My first Demon… I don't feel proud, nor do I feel disgusted]: soren

At that moment, Soren's once bright and colorful eyes began to dull, leaving a dull shade of red, as he turned towards the bodies of the woman and child, before giving a slight prayer, and apologised for not being able to bury them, as he didn't have a shovel.

'Maybe I should keep a shovel with me for things like this… I could also buy one from the system shop': soren

Soren did exactly that, as he purchased a simple shovel for 10 system points bringing his total points to 2,790 System Points, and then Soren spent the next hour digging a simple grave, and placed the woman and her son inside, and began filling the hole back in.

[If only I could have gotten here sooner, maybe you could have made it out alive alone with your child… I'm sorry… May you rest in peace]: soren

After finishing his prayer to the dead family, Soren returned to his route towards the next town, and throughout the rest of the night, Soren never came into contact with another demon, making him think that demon interaction was rarer than he thought, and it was only those who actively searched for demons who found them. Upon seeing the rising sun over the mountain side, Soren also caught sight of the first village other than the one near the mountain he grew up in, and the people of the village seemed to be a bit depressed, so Soren decided to see what was going on.

[Excuse me… Why does everyone seem so depressed?]: soren

Soren spoke towards one of the older village folk, as they were easier to talk to for him, and the little old lady who he spoke to answered him.

[Yesterday, a woman left the village to go pick some herbs with her young son… We told her that the village would watch her son while she went out, but she felt like she was being a burden, so she declined to leave the child, and went out on her own, promising to come back in the evening, but even now she has yet to return, so we fear the worst for the pair]: old woman

When Sorne heard what happened, he couldn't help but feel a churning sensation deep inside his stomach, before he gave a downed look towards the woman, and spoke his next words with sorrow.

[I'm sorry]: soren

When the old lady saw the dorrow held within Soren's eyes, an idea flashed in her head, but she wanted to refuse the idea as she asked.

[What do you mean, little one?]: old woman

[I'm sorry, but I was late… The woman and her child… They…]: soren

When Soren tried to utter his words, the old woman's eyes began to widen, and it was also at that moment she noticed the katana sheathed at Soren's side. At first glance, a man wielding a Katana was normal, as it was a form of defence from bandits and criminals, so it was usual to see someone carrying a weapon when they travel, but his arrival time means that he was up all night, and only fools and Demon Slayers travel during the night with the threat of demons lurking.

[Hush, child… Don't speak any further, I understand what happened… But tell me, did she suffer?]: old woman

Soren found it hard to continue his words, and if he were to tell her the truth, the old woman may just go and kill herself, as she seems to be quite familiar with the woman.

[No… She seemed to have died quickly, and so did the child]: soren

Soren's words were quiet, but loud enough for the old woman to hear, as she placed her frail old hand onto Soren's shoulder for support as she digested his words with a sad look in her eyes.

[If it makes you feel better… The demon responsible for her murder has died by my hands, and I burried her and her son in a grave not too far from here, and I marked it with a medium sized rock supported by 2 smaller rocks on the side]: soren

Soren's words seemed to bring light to the old woman's eyes, but she still seemed sad, but swallowed that sadness as she spoke.

[Thank you, young Demon Slayer]: old woman

Soren then watched as the old woman began to walk away in depression, as she went back towards her home, leaving Soren with a sour taste in his mouth, as a single thought flooded his head.

'Was it right to tell her what happened?... They would have found out either way, as that girl would have never returned… At least this way the old woman knows she died along with her child, instead of waiting for her to return': soren

Soren's inner conflict seemed to have sated themselves, as Soren continued walking through the village, and resupplying some small things, before he found a small inn, and stayed for a few days, before he moved out again. Along the road, Soren continued circulating his breath, before he stopped due to a feeling of an increase in his strength, making him stop as he pulled up his system interface displaying his stats.

{Status-

Name: Soren Kamado

Age: 14

Race: Human (???????)

Str: 35 (Adult Human is 20)

Dex: 40 (Adult Human is 18)

Agi: 40 (Adult Human is 18)

Int: 22 (Adult Human is 20)

Skills: Sun Breathing, Intermediate Swordsmanship

Passives: Multilingual, Enhanced Stamina, Focused Breathing, Enhanced Senses

System Points: 2,790}

'Hmm… Small increases, but increases are increases nonetheless, and it seems I'm heading down the path of a speed type': soren

Soren continued his leisure walk as he ate some of the dango made by the village shops as he walked along the road, planning out a training regime to help increase his strength before he reached the Final Selection.

'I guess I can call upon the awesome training method of Martial Grandmaster Roshi!... Time to start Skipping!': soren