'Demon Slayer' Slayer

Chapter 21: Nensho

I left the cave and headed back to the battlefield, gazing at the scorched, broken ground. The Hashira's body was still there, but it had been there for several days and was not very appetizing. I burned it from afar, absorbing a portion of the Hashira's power.

Okay. What should I do now? I'm more powerful than I was when I fought Kahane, but she'll be back, with more training. The next time I see her, I have to kill her, or Muzan will kill me. So I need to do some training too.

I should develop my Blood Demon Art. My sword skills are decent, and I can burn people, but all I can really do is create a dome. That's decent, but someone could blow all the fire away with a strong enough strike. Or use a ranged weapon like Kahane's bow. Most demons develop techniques like Breathing Styles, so that's what I should do.

I drew my sword and set it on fire, preparing to create my new moves. Then I saw a flicker of movement in the trees opposite me. I ran towards it, hoping to find a human or even a demon.

It turned out to be a demon- a weak one, who could barely run above a walking pace. I grabbed it by the neck and carried it back to the battlefield. I would use it as a training target.

Okay, let's get started. What annoys me the most about fighting Kahane? I hate it when she blocks my slashes. Her swordsmanship will probably always be better than mine, because she trains among master swordsmen and I just have my prior knowledge from my human life. But not even the most skilled fencer can block a strike that they can't see.

I raised my sword, gazing at the fire that surrounded it. My sword was still fully visible, so I changed the pattern of fire swirling around it. I didn't manage to hide it entirely, but eventually I found a pattern that made my blade look like a swirling liquid. I swung at the demon, severing his head cleanly. I was able to aim because I could feel my sword, but hopefully Kahane wouldn't be able to block very well.

I should name my moves. I'll remember them regardless, but it would be more intimidating, and I'd seem more like a real Upper Moon. I'll call that one... um... Blinding Inferno? Yeah, that sounds good. Now what next?

I already have great defense, but just shielding myself and waiting is not a good strategy. The demon slayers will just wait outside my range, maybe run away, but time is on their side. A stagnant fight will just bring me closer to the sunrise. So how about a more active defense?
"Hey, demon," I said, drawing the attention of the demon I'd tied down in front of me. I untied his bonds and handed him a knife I'd created. "Attack me."

The demon just stared at me in silence, no doubt looking at the kanji in my eyes. "Go on. Attack me, or I'll kill you," I ordered. This got the demon moving. He ran at me, but I slashed at him. He was out of range of my sword, but was driven back by the wave of fire that swept off of it. "Perfect."

I went and tied down the demon again, then practiced the move one more time. I would spin around and release fire in all directions. Spinning wasn't the best strategy in a sword fight, but I was a demon. I could regenerate most wounds, and I could release fire whenever I wanted. Normal swordsmanship rules didn't apply.

That move will be 'Heat Shield'. Next... next I need a way to kill many enemies in a short span of time. All my moves should be efficient, because the shorter a fight is, the better it is for me.

"Damn it, there's only one of you," I told the demon. "Oh well. I'll just pretend there's more." I raised my sword and sprinted forward, slicing off the demon's head. I imagined more demons waiting, and decapitated them all one by one. I decided to call that move 'Dragonfire'.

I started planning out my next move, not bothering to practice the others. Fuck practice. Everyone always tells you to practice... you don't need to if you don't suck.