"Time to get to work, Maru-ni. Move it." Shinichi patted Maru-ni head, but the dog just lay on the ground whining, ignoring him completely.
Shinichi sighed in resignation—he knew Maru-ni was throwing one of his little tantrums.
Before Shinichi could coax him, however, the Kasugai crow Eizo who had been circling overhead, suddenly swooped down and pecked Maru-ni hard on the head with its sharp beak.
"Lazy mutt! Big lazy mutt! Cowardly dog! Can't even sniff out a Demon!" Eizo unleashed his signature skill: Taunt.
"Yowww!!" Maru-ni sprang up over a meter into the air, his tail bristling.
His usual cute Shiba "smile" instantly twisted into a snarl as he bared his teeth and barked furiously at Eizo.
But with a flap of its wings, Eizo soared out of reach, leaving Maru-ni to glare helplessly from the ground—after all, he had no wings.
Still, Eizo taunting seemed to have lit a fire under Maru-ni.
After shooting the crow a resentful look, he shook his plump little body and a flash of crimson flickered in his beady eyes.
Whoosh!!
A black streak of fur shot into the forest like lightning.
Shinichi stood dumbfounded, watching the whole exchange between dog and crow.
"Damn, Eizo, didn't know you were this clever—using reverse psychology and all." He beckoned and Eizo obediently landed on his shoulder.
Shinichi scratched the crow head with a finger before pulling a torn piece of dorayaki from the silver pouch at his waist and offering it to Eizo beak.
The crow happily gulped it down.
This was something Shinichi had discovered by chance—Eizo, just like him, had refined tastes and loved "enhanced" dorayaki.
That guy Goto, like Maru-ni had no appreciation for the finer things.
How could anyone claim such sweet, delicious food was "unseatable"? Ridiculous!
"Alright, snack time over. Let's go meet our Demon friend in the woods." Shinichi flicked his wrist, sending Eizo back into the sky, then took a step back and crouched low.
Forest Breathing—Total Concentration.
A wisp of steam escaped Shinichi lips.
The next instant—crack!
The ground beneath his feet split slightly as his body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, vanishing into the forest.
***
Under the crescent moon, deep in the mountains...
In a shadowy cave, a pair of sickly green eyes snapped open.
A low, guttural growl reverberated through the cavern before a sharp, oppressive voice suddenly rang out.
"What's that smell? Some Demon dares to challenge me?!"
The voice dripped with fury.
No sooner had it spoken than growls erupted throughout the cave, rising and falling in a sinister chorus.
***
Shinichi nose twitched slightly and a mocking smirk curled his lips.
Though his sense of smell wasn't as absurdly keen as Maru-ni, the stench of demon reeked unmistakably in the air.
The midnight forest was thick with an eerie, oppressive atmosphere.
Under the pale moonlight, the swaying shadows of trees whispered with faint rustling, like the murmurs of demons.
Shinichi came to an abrupt halt, standing perfectly still.
One hand rested lightly on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade.
A withered yellow leaf drifted on the breeze, slowly descending toward his shoulder.
Just as the falling leaf was about to touch Shinichi shoulder, the emerald glow in his left eye flared brilliantly.
"Perfect timing!"
"Forest Breathing, Twelfth Form: Forest Draw Slash!"
Whoosh!!
Moving faster than the human eye could follow, Shinichi pivoted and unleashed a draw-cut.
The emerald slash cleaved through the Demon attacking from behind before it could react, severing half its body in one brutal strike.
"AAAARRGGGHHH!!!"
A howl of agony split the air as demon blood sprayed.
A red-clawed arm still attached to a chunk of flesh thudded to the ground, while the mangled remains of the ambushing Demon scrambled desperately backward to put distance between itself and Shinichi.
Maintaining his draw-cut stance, Shinichi cast a contemptuous glance at the wailing Demon across from him.
With a practiced flick of his right wrist, his dual-colored Nichirin Blade sliced through the air with a faint whistle, flinging off every last drop of clinging demon blood.
To think this creature believed it could ambush him under the watchful gaze of the whispering forest—utter delusion.
The Twelfth Form: Forest Draw Slash was exactly what its name suggested—one of Shinichi original sword techniques.
A principle of meeting infinite variables with unchanging readiness, it allowed him to launch lightning-fast counterattacks the instant before enemy strikes landed.
Alternatively, he could charge it deliberately to unleash devastating slashes.
Shinichi inspiration for this technique was simple.
Perhaps influenced by his past life and certain action films, the moment he'd first gripped a Nichirin Blade, the idea of mastering iaijutsu had taken root.
After countless practice sessions, he'd successfully merged this vision of the draw-cut with Forest Breathing, culminating in the creation of this formidable Twelfth Form barely ten days prior.
His training had been anything but ordinary.
Shinichi had sought out a twenty-meter waterfall near the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, honing his technique under thousands of pounds of cascading water until mastery was achieved.
Thus, the Twelfth Form power was not to be underestimated.
Resting the tip of his Nichirin Blade against the ground, Shinichi studied the Demon before him through heterochromatic eyes brimming with scrutiny.
It was a female Demon clad in tattered traditional robes, her face contorted in agony.
The severed left arm was slowly regenerating through grotesque undulations.
Amid her disheveled hair, two pointed brown fox ears stood out prominently—clearly, this was a fox Demon.
The fox Demon pink eyes burned with equal parts malice and terror, her body trembling as if poised to flee at any moment.
She'd clearly been shaken by Shinichi display of power.
"Stop hiding. I can smell more than one fox stench here" Shinichi called out to the empty surroundings, ignoring the cowering brown-furred Demon.
"How rude to send your weakest whelp to test me. Do I look like some beggar to you?"
As predicted, rustling sounds emerged the moment Shinichi finished speaking.
From the depths of the shadowed forest, figures began appearing one after another.
Under Shinichi watchful gaze, shambling figures emerged like reanimated corpses.
Their clothing varied wildly, as did their weapons—hunting knives, rifles, axes, bows...
Shinichi recognized them instantly.
These must be the missing hunters from Takayama Village.
Yet their condition was dire beyond measure—their life forces flickered weakly, with two hunters already completely devoid of vitality.
The hunters' cheeks were sunken, their eyes lifeless, and upon closer inspection, faint pink traces could be seen in each of their pupils.
Shinichi slightly furrowed his brows. He could tell these hunters were being controlled, like puppets, and the ones manipulating them must be those two hiding in the shadows.
A/N : Can you guess who is the main lead on this fic ?
------------------------------
Please read my new book : One Piece : Make Marines Great Again
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator