The Fourth Option (Kimetsu No Yaiba x Male Reader Volume 1)

Chapter 8

(3rd Person)

As the young demon slayer continued his dangerous, dark journey through the woods, he had one clear thought continuously repeating in his head, no matter how much he tried to think of another thing or rid himself of this thought... he only thought of the promise he made to the boy. No injuries, no traps being set off... and not a single demon to escape his blade. It was definitely a foolish and impossible promise, but in his mind he was already determined to go through with the promise.

Mentally, he couldn't help but apologise to Kanae's spirit, knowing that what she was about to witness was something that she would definitely not approve of. But in the current situation it was the only solution possible. He silently promised after this duel that he would attempt to communicate with the demons before battling them or slaying them, but for now... in order to keep a town safe, as well as keep a promise, (Y/N) would have to use every skill he knows, every technique both from his breathing style and from his experience as an expert swordsman. His previous encounters and duels with the demon moons made him feel confident.

He was also confident that there were no demon moons in this battle, most likely they were all recuperating after losing one of their own. (Y/N)'s mind temporarily flashed back to that battle, remembering how much he struggled against the lower moon 5. He promised it would be the last time it would happen, once he finally masters his constant breathing, he would never again struggle to fight against a strong opponent.

While he was lost in those thoughts, (Y/N) suddenly leapt from the ground, his enhanced body being able to jump high enough to land on a branch. Once he did so, with great concentration and keeping his breathing up, he hopped from branch to branch, quickly heading to his destination from up above, anyone who would dare look up on this clear night would only be able to see either a blur or a shadow as it flew over their heads.

(Y/N): I'm not going to let them get anywhere near... and I'll do it flawlessly... no injuries on anyone, including myself.

It was the very thing that the demon slayer had kept chanting to himself, his objective a near-impossible one to overcome... if you were an ordinary member of the corps like one of the ones who don't even wear haori for some reason. But (Y/N) was a Tsuguko trained by a Hashira before and after she became a Hashira... well, most people would argue the word 'trained' since it took her a long, long time to come around about the idea of training the boy.

In present time, (Y/N) leapt over yet another branch, this time stopping as he slowly moved his head around, turning it ninety degrees on both sides, allowing the cold night air to caress his skin, attempting to lull him into sleep. To counter it, he of course used his breathing which allowed his body to heat up the moment more blood travelled through his body quickly, and once he did use his breathing again, it allowed his senses to heighten, making the disturbances in the air easier for him to detect.

Through these sensations, he was able to feel the biggest disturbance of all, that being the massive bodies that were slowly making their way towards the village from the East. With his sword in hand, (Y/N) quickly leapt as far as he could from the tree he stood on, effectively snapping the branch he launched from and able to leap past about ten different trees and land on the eleventh tree, once he did so... he suddenly lost his grip but quickly turned it into a manoeuvre as he slid off the branch, harmlessly landing on the ground and huffing while looking up.

Without another word, he dashed forward to the disturbance in the wind, his nose wrinkling as a familiar terrible smell of blood entered his nose. The stench all but confirmed his suspicions of just what the massive disturbance in the air was as he slowly began to bring his sword up... before quickly leaping up into a tree, out of sight as he waited patiently.